Yeo, Marie, Marlina, Roby, and Jacobs, George M. (2017) Challenging existing perspectives about the "ideal" characteristics of teachers of English. Beyond Words, 5 (1). pp. 66-82.

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Abstract

Addressing their concern about status inequalities among teachers of English, in this viewpoint paper, the authors argue that characteristics related to association with an Inner Circle country, Caucasian appearance, middle and upper class socio-economic status and university education seem to be related to the image of the “ideal” teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). This image, in turn, affects job prospects, salary and recognition by students and peers. By reflecting on their experiences in relation to how well they fit the “ideal”, the authors show that the construct is highly flawed and potentially destructive and divisive. To redress the inequities brought about by perceptions of the “ideal” language teacher, strategies are suggested for assigning competence to people who do not fit the idealized image. The article aims to offer a fairly new perspective from the unique experiences of three established language teachers and to also raise awareness about the need to accept greater diversity among language teaching professionals.

Item ID:	50242
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2338-6339
Keywords:	status differences, inner circle countries, teachers of English, outer circle countries, expanding circle countries, assigning competence
Additional Information:	Beyond Words is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
Date Deposited:	18 Sep 2017 04:44
FoR Codes:	39 EDUCATION > 3901 Curriculum and pedagogy > 390104 English and literacy curriculum and pedagogy (excl. LOTE, ESL and TESOL) @ 100%
SEO Codes:	93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9302 Teaching and Instruction > 930202 Teacher and Instructor Development @ 100%
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