Professionalism and Professionalization of Adult ESL Literacy

Adult ESL practitioners operate in a context in which full-time positions are rare, resources are scarce, and turnover is high. But efforts to professionalize the field should not be taken as an indictment of the professionalism of the adult ESL workforce. Even under adverse current working conditions, professionalism in the field is high, as is demonstrated by participation in ongoing professional development and the range of professional development models in use. Whereas both certification and credentialing have been proposed as ways of enhancing the professionalization of the field, credentialing may be more appropriate because it can provide for multiple routes of access to the profession. The article discusses three major models of adult ESL literacy professional development: craft or mentoring models, applied science or theory to practice models, and inquiry or reflective practice models. The article concludes by outlining each model, describing examples of each in adult ESL literacy and suggesting ways in which they can be effectively combined, looking to innovative teacher development practices in K-12 education as a guide.