In Search of the Knowledge Base of Language Teaching: Explanations by Experienced Teachers

This paper examines aspects of the knowledge base that experienced English as a second language (ESL) teachers draw on in their teaching, primarily in giving explanations of grammar and other language points. The paper focuses on three categories of teacher knowledge: content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and knowledge of learners (Shulman, 1987). Observations of and interviews with four experienced ESL grammar teachers about their classroom explanations are analyzed using this framework. The results indicate that these three categories of knowledge are intertwined in complex ways as they are played out in the classroom and in teacher thinking. This knowledge base and the actions it leads to are further seen to be fundamentally process-oriented. It is argued that the knowledge base itself should be integrated into language teacher education programs and that its complex and process-oriented nature needs to be taken into account in language teacher education curriculum design.