Developing language teachers through a co-researcher model

This article reports on a small-scale study tracking the development of three newly qualified language teachers. There were two phases to the study. During the course of their first year in post the three teachers were observed and interviewed by a researcher in order to ascertain how their teaching had been changing or developing since finishing their training and what factors were influencing that change or development. As a result of this research, two of the teachers agreed to continue with the project into a second year during which it was agreed to focus on a specific aspect of classroom practice, their oral interaction with the students. Thus, in the second year, three lessons per teacher were video-recorded, transcribed and analysed by the researchers, and the teachers were asked to react to the data on their lessons. It is suggested that this study, with the beginning teacher as “co-researcher”, may act as a model for future professional development.