Abstract
While the realm of professionalizing teaching may seem ostensible to language teachers, Professionalizing Your English Language Teaching by editors Christine Coombe, Neil J Anderson, and Lauren Stephenson is a much-needed book for teachers in-service looking at ways to increase their own professionalism levels. The editors, steeped in decades of experience as educators, show that the evolution of professionalism is intricate. They invite those in English Language Teaching (ELT) to evaluate their motivations for professionalizing their work—has culture been a determinative force, or do educators choose to develop based on their own choices? Despite the volume being comprehensive at 36 chapters and 10 parts with authors spanning 14 countries, the entries remain accessible for those new to the field.
In terms of the book's structure, theoretical foundations of professionalism occupy the first part of the volume while the latter parts concern teacher wellness and self-care, organizational aptitude and productivity skills, communication skills, technology and professionalism, leadership competencies, and interrelationships within a professional community of practice. The two parts at the volume's end discuss modalities for sharing academic work that can enable professionals to advance forward in the field of ELT.
One of the main contributions of this book is its historical derivations—that is, the volume arrives at demarcating profession as a distinct occupational domain; professionalization as a process of acquiring characteristics of a profession; and professionalism as a conduct or standard that guides the work of professionals (p. 2). The introductory chapter reviews the exigency of deconstructing professionalism by pointing out that academic qualifications do not necessarily correlate with teacher professionalism—other factors, such as government policies, may have power over an individual's sense of professionalism (p. 5). The editors and authors convincingly reaffirm how an understanding of teacher professionalism can enable a more rounded view of teacher agency, answering the question of what responsibilities teachers ought to assume for their own work.
At the core, we see that Coombe et al. are successful at weaving theoretical perspectives regarding professionalism with wellness and self-care. The two initial chapters of part I explore language teacher identity (LTI), and how preponderant forces of globalization, superdiversity, transnationalism, and multilingualism, among others, influence the construction of professional identities therein. The editors first introduce the causes of teachers’ stress (e.g. teaching unmotivated learners, limited teaching agency, paucity of resources) (p. 40), and end with an actionable six-dimensional model of intervention strategies (p. 69) to address new challenges found in the classroom.
A second strength of the book is its investigation of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) as a means for conducting technology-based interventions to promote language practice, providing suggestions for continuous professional development. The editors highlight best practices for teaching online through pedagogical, social, managerial, and technical dimensions (pp. 189–192). This section is supplemented by part VI of the volume, which looks at leadership competencies and its connections to professionalism. Through looking at a theory of change, the editors include the Health Ecosystem Leadership Model (HELM), an innovative leadership model for transitioning educators to educational leaders based on teacher decision-making for sustainable leadership (p. 212). The reader is oriented to a future-looking vision of language teaching at the end of this section through a framework involving seven levels of personal consciousness. This helps frame how teachers can mentor and share experiences through internal cohesion (aligning life purpose with a selected vision for one's future) (p. 234).
While the depth of coverage is impressive, part VIII regarding the process of conducting research and its role in increasing teacher professionalism could benefit more from discussion about practice beyond theory. Although overcoming barriers to research (pp. 307–310) and the idea of research groups as a professional learning community (PLC) (pp. 316–317) are discussed, the investigation of such research strategies remains at the theoretical level, revolving around the urgency of collaborating on various research projects. The discussion remains at the comparing and contrasting level (i.e. Nguyen and Renandya’s (2020) foiling of the traditional and non-traditional strategies to make research more visible). The reader could benefit more by going beyond definitions of research impact and various measurements with models or steps of practice.
In a similar vein, although the three chapters that comprise part IX focus on the importance of sharing academic work within one's field, studies that are more sociological in nature could help give dimensionality to the recommendations for ELT professionals to improve their professional standing by participating in conferences. Similarly, beyond the theoretical orientation discussing professionalism in terms of educators improving their material writing skills for coursebooks, exam items, and supplementary materials (pp. 373–379), the reader could benefit more from explicit best practices for doing so.
The informative volume ends with recommendations and instills a sense of possibility and opportunity for aspiring ELT professionals. Readers are guided through general ELT job search strategies, best practices for extended ELT job searches, and resources listing openings (pp. 381–391). Topical issues regarding promotions and the tenure process engage the reader until the end, as the near-final chapter discusses the typical evaluation criteria for teaching, research, and service (pp. 407–417). Moreover, the final section closes with the topic of retirement. Renowned linguists with careers spanning from the 1960s recount learnings from their professional service, giving additional dimensionality to the volume's rigorous orientation to theory.
Overall, this book is a comprehensive and practical primer for understanding what it means to be an ELT professional in the post-modern world of online and offline teaching. The volume's chapters are insightful for ELT educators asking the central question of what is deemed necessary for professional teaching practice.
