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Presenter
Dr. Eva Bernat
University of New South Wales
Australia
Paper Title: From language learners to language teachers: Conceptual metaphors of role identity in transition.
Abstract:
In this paper, I will examine role identity construction of Non-Native Speaker Teachers (NNSTs) using conceptual metaphors. For centuries metaphors have been perceived merely as embellishments in literature used for poetic and rhetorical purposes (Wisniewski, 2008). The term metaphor was typically used to refer to the instantaneous and unconventional use of language in literature. In more recent years, however, cognitive linguists have shown that these conventionalised metaphors play an important role in language and constitute people’s primary mode of mental operation, influencing the way in which they conceptualize abstract concepts such as ‘identity’.
I will argue that NNSTs experience a considerable shift in their role identity as they transcend from the world of a language learner to that of a language teacher, and that this transition of identity has powerful consequences for their professional development. I will present data that were gathered via pre-service teachers’ journal entries and art work (collages), to show how these written and pictorial constructions of self reveal numerous thoughts and feelings associated with becoming a teacher of a non-native tongue, “in a world that still values the native speakers as norm providers and the natural choice in language teacher selection” (Llurda, 2005, p.2).
In terms of pedagogical implications, I will argue that understanding trainee teachers’ conceptualizations of their ‘old’ and ‘new’ identity can help teacher educators position their pedagogy accordingly, by questioning the assumptions behind these (mis)conceptions. Teacher educators should encourage deep, transformational self-reflection during pre-service teacher training courses through various means such as essays, reflective journal entries, collages, portfolios and open discussions, leading to a more holistic professional development of the language teacher.
Bio: Dr Eva Bernat has been involved in English language teaching and teacher education since 1991. She has taught English in a number of educational contexts, both in Australia and abroad. Her research mainly involves issues concerning the role of cognitive, metacognitive, and affective factors in language acquisition, as well as the role of cultural and psychological traits. She is currently conducting research in the area of teacher education and development, focusing on ideological, pedagogical and psychological issues related to Non-Native English Speaker Teachers (NESTs).
She is a Research Fellow in the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University, Sydney, and a Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of New South Wales. She is a member of numerous professional associations in her field, and has recently been appointed to the Executive Board of the ATESOL Council (NSW). She serves as an Associate Editor in The Asian EFL Journal, and Journal of English as an International Language. She is also the Guest Editor of an upcoming special issue on “English Language Teacher Education and Development: Issue and Perspectives in Asia”. She has published widely in her field, and her recent book focuses on the psychology on the language learner.
http://www.ling.mq.edu.au/centres/alle/people/bernat_eva/bernat_eva.htm
http://education.arts.unsw.edu.au/staff/staff.php?first=Eva&last=Bernat
contact asian_efl_journal@yahoo.com
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