“How” not “What”: The Significance of Tensions and Discourse on Identity Transformation during a TEAL Teaching Practicum

Abstract

Becoming a teacher involves more than the acquisition of a new set of skills and knowledge. It involves a change in one’s identity, and this change is often precipitated by tensions experienced during a teaching practicum (Mezirow, 2000). This multiple case study explores the points of tension experienced by 18 student teachers during practicum in a Teaching English as an Additional Language (TEAL) certificate program at a university in British Columbia to better understand identity transformation when one becomes a teacher. The study aims to address two questions: “What are the points of tension experienced by student teachers during their practicum?” and “What are the discourses they engage in to talk about these tensions?” The results indicate that student teachers experience personal, interpersonal, knowledge, cultural, pedagogical, and methodological tensions. However, more significantly, four discourses (blaming, explaining, questioning, and problem-solving) were identified and explored for their transformational potential. Recommendations for developing a teacher education practice that supports transformational discourses are presented.