Ho Chi Minh City Open University

Graduate School
97 Vo Van Tan, Dist.3, HCMC, Vietnam

ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET AND REPORT

GRADUATE DIPLOMA in TESOL
Name of candidate:

LÊ THỊ XUÂN HUYÊN

Student No:

DIP17B10
Email address:

Xuanhuyen0810@gmail.com

Name of coursework subject:

Theories of language teaching and learning

Title of this item of work:

Final assignment – A reflection paper on teacher’s identity

Name of lecturer:

NguyễnĐình Thu, Ph.D

Due date:

22 August 2015

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP:

I certify that the above assignment is my original work; it is based on my own research. All sources used
by me have been documented. No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement.
This piece of work has not previously been submitted for assessment in this or any other subject or course
at this University or elsewhere.

Student’s Signature………………………………………… Date…………………………...

Introduction

Teacher has long been considered as those whose job is nothing more than imparting knowledge
from books and other wisdom to learners. However, classrooms are actually more complicated
than the give-and-take teaching and learning method. It is obvious that the major responsibility
as well as the focus in classroom lies heavily on the teacher. Therefore, the teacher’s identity,
which consists of not only what comes from the teacher him/herself but also from the
sociocultural factors, plays an important role in the language classroom. Identity can be
understood as what makes one teacher distinctive from other teachers as well as the influence ò
such distinction. However, identity is, according to Beijaardet al (2004), dynamic, not stable nor
fixed. Moreover, identity is closely connected with context, thus, affected by both internal and
external factors revolving around the teacher. This paper is going to look into three theories
applied in the journal entitled “Theorizing language teacher identity” by ten taigiacai journal
understanding the forming of teacher identity as well as provide further discussion of authentic
situations that contribute to the forming of teacher identity.

Summary of the Journal article

In order to illustrate the formation of teacher identity, three studies applying three theories were
introduced in the article to illustrate the interrelation among them.

The first study by Johnson uses social identity theory of Hogg and Abrams (as cited in Journal of
language identity, 2005) to investigate the identity assigned by the society for a teacher, giving
an example of a nonnative English teacher, named Marc, who experienced a conflict in her
multiple identities as a student and as a teacher of the language. In Marc’s situation, there was
always an explicit distinction between native English speaking teachers and nonnative English
speaking teachers. According to the study, nonnative English speaking teachers were usually put
in comparison with their native peers by not only the students but also the professors and the
schools, which lead to the insecurity and discomfort in nonnative teacher’s feelings and
confidence. Even worse, because of such comparison and discrimination, nonnative English
speaking teachers had to struggle and suffer through the forming of negative identity that native
speaking teachers do not. With the desire to search for a positive self, Marc attended a TESOL
convention where she found herself fit in with people who share similar features of a nonnative
teacher like herself. Marc could finally get over the negativity and allow her to form positive
identity. In this study, Johnson – the researcher – states that the use of social identity theory to
look into one teacher identity does not allow much “individual variation” and the influence of
membership interaction on teacher identity is not investigated. However, the social theory is
useful as it offers a deeper understanding about how “the personal and the professional self
intertwine” and how self is influenced by the social factors.

Another aspect of teacher identity is discussed in the second study by Varghese. This study looks
into how teacher identity is formed through the process of learning, or in other words, through
situated learning by an ethnography research on bilingual teachers. According to Varghese,
learning occurs when learners become active participants. Depending on the different levels of
participation in the learning process, teacher’s identity is formulated differently. Moreover,
Varghese also claims that learner is more motivated when they are involved in the process of
determining the curriculum and learning objectives together with the person in charge. However,
from the observation of Johnston and Goettsch (2000), the way teacher deliver knowledge is
different from what is supposed to be done for the sake of learner’s motivation. The knowledge
is imparted without much participation of the learners; therefore, the students are not motivated.
This partially shows how an identity is formed through the learning process. Another important
view in situated learning is the access to resource and learning support which is crucial in
participation because without proper access, learning becomes more difficult. The
aforementioned aspects contribute to the variation in teacher identity through learning process as
they vary depending on teacher’s personal experiences and motivations in their own language
classroom.

In the third example by Morgan, teacher identity being considered as pedagogy is discussed
through the perception of “image-text”. “Image-text” is the product of the teacher’s everyday
activities which form the identity of one teacher and later may affect the relationship between
teacher and student. According to the study, image-text is full of conflict, always change and is
shown through the teacher’s behavior. However, teachers themselves cannot see their image-text.
It is the students who can read the image-text of their teacher. As Morgan observed a Chinese
community in his language class, he discovered that he could use the privilege of being a male
and a White to influence his students since they have their cultural view on gender and race
which consider male and white as superior. Moreover, his students also address some cultural,
age and gender norm to him based on the things he does. All examples given in Morgan study
emphasize the essential role of teacher identity to student absorbing or rejecting the knowledge.
Nevertheless, seeing teacher identity as image-text holds certain drawbacks such as dilemmas of
bringing this theory to practice, causing self-doubt in teachers, potentially dangerous due to the
influence it may have to student future. Despite so, the image-text as teacher identity is helpful in
way that teacher can use it to inspire or influence his students by example, practices, etc.

As stated in the article, the three theoretical understandings of language teacher identity, which
include social identity theory, situated learning and image-text, carry pros and cons. However,
they provide a fuller picture of the subject as not only the relational but also the interactional
understanding of teacher identity is deliberated.

Response to the article

The article has made an insight into the concept of language teacher identity with full
comprehension in terms of the teacher’s personal features, the teaching practices and the relation
with students. The theories are quite complicated on their own yet they become more
comprehensible with the illustration from specific studies. The three researchers are all from
linguistics and language background for a long time, thus they hold sufficient experiences and
viewpoints on the issue they study.

The first study on the nonnative English speaking teacher truly reflects the reality of nonnative
English language teachers, not only are they discriminated in the States but also in any other
English language learning environment. The fact that nonnative English speaking teachers,
despite their advanced educational background or experience, still get low payment and poor
working condition compared to native English speaking so-call “teachers”.

The second study pays more attention to the discussion of the identity formed by learning
process without giving clear example on how such can be related to reality of teaching. The case
of bilingual teachers was quite vague as it cannot picture what the teachers in the study did with
the learning process that affects their identity. Instead, the discussion primarily focuses on how
to motivate learners which later cause misunderstanding that it is the supporting point for the
third study regarding identity as pedagogy in the third study. Consideration on other aspects of
situated learning as well as more teacher-related-things should be put in the study in order to help
readers get fuller understanding on teacher identity established through situated learning as well
as learning process.

The final study gives a clear example of how personal features of a teacher can be used to
influence students as well as their learning. It is true that teachers in general are usually unaware
of the “image-text” that they have which can only be read by the students. However, there is a
question on the influence of Morgan on his students. Can a traditional notion of a community be
affected by only one person in a short period of time?

After all, this article has brought out an interesting issue concerning a more profound aspect of
teaching practice – identity – rather than just the teaching methods which can easily be affected
as the teacher identity change through time or place.

Reflection

Through reading about teacher identity, many things are thought to be concerned in this field of
teaching practices, especially the personal feature of the teacher in classroom as well as learning
and teaching process. Although social factor is an important element in forming the identity, it is
the individualityof a teacher and his/herteaching philosophy that play the decisive role.

“What we do is what we teach”(Crick, 2006, p. 3). Not only the content of the lesson is delivered
in a language classroom, the teacher also unintentionally imparts their own selves to learners.
Crick (2006) also states that the teacher’s self and attitude in the classroom all help to form
certain values in students as well as their learning. Students may fear of a strict teacher or feel
more comfortable with a funny one; but they value those who can inspire and motivate them in
not only their learning but also their personal life. In terms of motivation, it is difficult in a way
that each student is unique and is motivated by different things, either external or internal effects.
For instance, some can be motivated by the high tuition fee while others may not care. If such
cases happen, a teacher can do no more than make use of him/her own self or adjust their
teaching method to inspire and motivate the learners.

However, before trying to motivate learner, teacher first needs to consider his/her profession
seriously, and the position s/he sees him/herself in the classroom. It has long been thought that
“those who can’t do, teach” as a disregard toward teachers, seeing them as those who understand
a lot of theory but never do any practical things, which Kuramadivelu (2003) refers to as
“Passive technicians” (Kuramadivelu, 2003, p. 8). Teaching is, in fact, a more complicated
profession because students are human, not product; therefore, the role of teacher is not only to
transfer the knowledge but also to adjust themselves to fit with different needs of the students.
They are seen not as “passive transmitters of received knowledge but as ‘problem-solvers’”
(Dewey, 1933 as cited in Kuramadivelu, 2003, p.10). In order to promote student learning, which
is the common desire of any teaching practitioners, the teacher have to see themselves as a
Reflective practitioner who can be aware of the value s/he brings to teaching, who keep in mind
the cultural contexts of the teaching place, who involve themselves to the development of the
curriculum as well as their own profession (Kuramadivelu, 2003). The optimal role that a teacher
can consider as their teaching principle is to be a Transformative intellectual. This is the ideal
model that any teacher would dream to be. However, taking the transformative intellectual role
requires the teacher to not only perform their profession in the classroom context but also to
maximize the sociopolitical awareness and involve the social factor in their teaching, which is
somewhat overburden, especially for those who have to handle multiple classes. Being a
reflective practitioner is difficult enough as one has to simultaneously keep an eye on lesson
content and the lesson delivering activity that oneself is applying. Without a clear view of what
role a teacher wants to take, s/he would be a passive transmitter who accepts the negative
stereotype that others label on teachers in general, who cannot make any changes in their
teaching career and hold the identity of a boring teacher that no students would want to
remember. Only after considering the role they want to play, teachers then have a guideline
fortheir teaching methods so that it is effective and in accordance with their principle, thus
become part of their own identity.

In addition to the teaching philosophy a teacher holds, another interesting theory that a teacher
should acknowledge, which is concerned about student’s ability to move forward in their
learning, isthe zone of proximal development (ZPD) (Vygotsky as cited in Prichard and Woolard,
2010). With learning objectives as well as knowing the students’ ZPD, teachers can have a
clearer view of what to do in order to motivate their students. Some may follow the belief of
making things as “easy-to-chew” for the students as possible, others may hold the idea that it is
better for the students to construct the knowledge themselves piece by piece inside as well as
outside the classroom.

To sum up, regardless of what teaching method may be applied, a teacher who can determine
their principle and make use of their own individuality to promote learning is the successful
teacher. Outsider may see teachers as an easy job and disregard us, the only thing that we
ourselves need to keep in mind that we are an artist and an architect, our job is no easier than any
other jobs, in fact, it is more difficult but enjoyable and meaningful.

Bibliography

Beijaard, D., Meijer, P. C., & Verlopp, N. (2004). Reconsidering research on teachers’ professional
identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 107-128.

Crick, R. (2006). Learning power: what is it? In learning power in Practice: A guide for teachers.
London: Paul Chapman Publishing.

Galton, M (2007). Learning theory. In Learning and Teaching in the Primary classroom. Chapter 2. New
Delhi. Sage

Kuramadivelu, B. (2003). Conceptualizing teaching acts. In Beyond methods: Macrostrategies for

Language Teaching. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Kuramadivelu, B. (2006). Teaching: Input and Interaction. In Understanding Language Teaching.

London. Erlbaum Lawrence

Mitchell, R & Myles, F (2004). Second Language Learning: Key concepts and Issues. In Theories of
Second Language Teaching and Learning. London. Arnold

Pritchard, A. &. (2010). Introduction. In Psychology for the classroom: Constructivism and Social
Learning. London: Routledge.

Varghese, M., Morgan, B., Johnston, B., & Johnson, K. A. (2005). Theorizing Language Teacher Idenity:
Three perspectives and Beyond. Journal of Language Identity, and Education, 4:1, 21-44.