A short review of the book.

1. THE CAMBRIDGE
GUIDE TO SECOND
LANGUAGE TEACHER
EDUCATION
ANNE BURNS
JACK RICHARDS
A Review
Atula Ahuja

2. CONTENT
The book brings together key issues,
debates and articles by prominent
academics and researchers on a wide
range of issues and contexts in the
field related to SLTE.
English language skills are vital for any
country that wants to be an active
participant in the global economy and has
access to information or knowledge
pertaining to social and economic
development.

3. FACTORS AFFECTING SLTE
• The profession of English teaching
Internal
factors
External
factors
• Effective approaches to their
preparation and professional
development.
• Globalization
• Demand for new language teaching
policies & central control.

4. INTERNAL FACTORS
The profession of English teaching: SLTE has
been evolving and changing by exploiting its
own knowledge base.
Approaches to SLTE and professional
development: Interactions with applied linguists
and specialists in the field of second language
teaching and teacher education has impacted the
field of SLTE.

5. EXTERNAL FACTORS
Globalization
need for English as
language of international trade and
communication
demand for competent
English teachers world- wide.
Demand for new language teaching policies
& central control over teacher education and
standards for reasons of accountability, quality
control and research.

6. CHAPTERS & THEMES
The book consists of 30 chapters and 8 themes.
Each chapter synthesizes current practices and
discusses theoretical insights on one aspect.
Growth and Scope of SLTE’
Nature of Teacher Learning and
Teacher Identity & Cognition
Professionalization of L T
Pedagogical Knowledge in SLTE
Dialogic teaching and teacher education
through technology
Role of contexts in SLTE
Critical theory & Critical
pedagogy
Need for Accountability

7. GROWTH AND SCOPE OF SLTE
Main issues
& Themes
.
Practical
teaching
skills vs
teacher
development
SLTE
Evolving
perspectives
Examination
of practises
and the
scope of
SLTE

8. PROFESSIONALIZATION OF LANGUAGE
TEACHING
assessment
Language
acquisition
Professional
training for
language
teachers
Developing
standards for
English
language
teaching
Academic
qualifications
practical
teaching
experience
Careers in a
field of
educational
specialization
NCATE
certification

9. PEDAGOGICAL KNOWLEDGE IN SECOND
LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION
• Examines content be taught on teacher education
programs
• Highlights knowledge about language, language
acquisition and professional discourse.
• Deals with classroom teaching skills and pedagogic
issues and issues related to content knowledge and
practical knowledge.
• Provides information to enable distinction between
explicit knowledge and implicit knowledge, and concepts
of knowledge about and knowledge how.

10. NATURE OF TEACHER LEARNING AND
TEACHER IDENTIT Y & COGNITION
• Teacher
Learning as an
ability to
construct
Practioner
knowledge
and theory
• specific social activities
• processes of learning
• experiences and
responses
in specific contexts
situations
through
participation
• new modes
& new roles
lead to
Teacherlearner
Identity

11. NATURE OF TEACHER LEARNING &
TEACHER IDENTIT Y & COGNITION
This section also:
 examines mental processes involved in teacher
learning
 acknowledges the role of teacher cognition in
SLTE.
Discussions on traits of novice and expert
teachers and explains the difference between
‘learning to teach’ and ‘learning to be a teacher’

12. ROLE OF CONTEXTS IN SLTE
Sociocultural perspectives on learning emphasize
that learning is situated. Contexts in which learning
takes place shape it and create different potentials
for learning .
Contexts could be:
 class room in the teacher training institute
 distance learning through technology
 school where practical teaching takes place
Several chapters discuss the problem that exists in
relating campus based and school- based learning due
to the gap between theoretical course work and
practical component at school. It is acknowledged that
expertise occurs through experience and practice

13. DIALOGIC TEACHING & TEACHER
EDUCATION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
This theme centres around conversations with other
teachers and collaborative planning and explores the
role of collaboration, team mentoring, supervision
problem solving and decision making.
Advancement in technology has created possibilities for
distance teaching through online learning and internet based
resources.
Dialogic teaching makes it possible for globalized teaching
communities to come together with their own cultural,
social, professional, and personal outlooks.

14. CRITICAL LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION
Through this theme the authors talk about raising
awareness about how power relations are
constructed and how they function in a society.
Teachers are encouraged to engage in critical
self reflection about their own identities and
positioning in society and among their students.

15. NEED FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
Since English teaching has become a world wide
phenomenon now, there is a greater need for
accountability in SLTE practices and assessment.
To ensure quality there has to be a central control
on competencies of teachers and components and
contents of curriculum.
Internationally recognized standards and
specifications need to be developed to ensure
accountability, validity and reliability, hence a need
for a central body that can monitor all aspects.

16. CONCLUSION
It is an informative book that has put forth some
important issues and debates in the field of second
language teaching effectively. However, some
information about the professional background of the
chapter authors would have been beneficial to readers.
The book makes a vital contribution of our
understanding about how this field has expanded
considerably since its initiation in the 1960s and has
redefined its scope, goals curriculum, teaching
approaches and methods.
The book should benefit scholars of language education and
applied linguistics and prove very useful to the teaching
fraternity
and master ’s and doctoral students in these fields.

17. Thank you!