چکیده:
This study investigated the nature of EFL teacher education programs with respect to
implementation, practicality, and approach to teacher learning. The data were collected through
observation of two teacher education programs and interviews with 8 teacher trainers. The results
attested to the transmission orientation of the programs. It was found that a pre-specified body of
teaching knowledge is transferred from the trainers to the teachers. Teachers’ creativity, prior
knowledge, and experience, the role of teaching context, and the population of learners are not
considered in program development. The results of interviews with teacher trainers supported the
results of the observations. It was found that even the trainers are not involved in the process of
program development, as they are only transmitting the materials presented by textbook authors.
The findings also indicated that what teachers considered beneficial for their development was
different from what was incorporated in the programs. The existing gap between macro plans and
teachers’ practices and preferences results from the centralized education system in Iran in which
practicing teachers are not involved in the policy-making process. Implications for teacher education
in general and EFL teacher education programs in particular are discussed.
خلاصه ماشینی:
"Changes in English curricula, especially in EFL contexts, have made teacher education programs urgent for teachers, adjusting their teaching to the new curriculum (Jacobs & Farrell, 2001).
Traditional English teacher education programs regard teacher development as a process of transmitting a body of knowledge about learning and teaching to teachers by an outside expert (Freeman & Johnson, 1998; Johnson, 2009; Richards, 2002; Richardson, 1997).
Studies of ELT in Iran have addressed foreign language policies (Kiany, Mirhosseini & Navidinia, 2011), problems in foreign language teaching (Jahangard, 2007; Pishghadam & Saboori, 2014; Riazi & Mosalanejad, 2010), curriculum planning and practice (Atai & Mazlum, 2013), or effectiveness of specific methodologies (Hayati & Mashhadi 2010; Riazi, 2005).
Accordingly, the following research question was addressed in the study: What is the current status of planning and practice in junior high school EFL teacher education programs in Iran?
Despite the increasing awareness of the importance of teachers’ prior experience in shaping their beliefs and practices (Ahn, 2011; Borg, 2006; Dunn, 2011; Tarone & Allwright, 2005; Tedick, 2005), language teacher education programs failed to take into account what teachers know about teaching in the design of the programs (Tarone & Allwright, 2005).
Therefore, what is needed is a change in teacher development programs from a transmission model to exploratory and collegial ones that enable teachers to reflect on their own practices, decide based on their teaching contexts, and improve their knowledge through dialoging with peers (Allwright, 2003; Burns & Richards, 2009; Johnson, 2009; Johnston, 2009; kumaravadivelu, 2006; Richardson, 1997; Tedick, 2005)."