Becoming translingual teachers

What is it about?

International teaching assistants (ITAs) of English in the U.S. often find it difficult to construct positive teacher identities in front of their American students. This articles provided strategies of how to transform from less competent identities (e.g. non-native speakers) to more powerful identities (e.g. bilingual speakers, intercultural speakers, translingual speakers) for ITAs , by drawing on stories and teaching practices of two ITAs in English writing classes.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Teaching essentially is identity work. Most studies on international teaching assisants (ITAs) in the U.S. focused on improving their English language proficiency and teaching practices, while neglecting the fact that becoming a competent teacher is becoming a certain kind of person, which involves more than learning skills and methods, and changes over time. This study addresses this gap by documenting the lives, beliefs and practices of ITAs in the process of learning to become teachers in their classrooms.

Perspectives