“Let’s not forget we are language teachers!”: investigating Critical Teaching and Critical Reflection in the practicum of an English undergraduate program

Abstract

Based on the need for Teacher Education programs to promote the development of critical language teachers, this study aimed at unveiling to what extent the practicum at an undergraduate program fosters critical reflection. Two student-teachers and their practicum supervisor answered a questionnaire and an interview about their views as regards the roles of adittional language teaching, the language teacher, and the supervised practicum. From the analysis, we could observe that critical reflection and critical teaching are principles of the course according to its syllabus. For the supervisor professor, teaching a language is a political act that cannot be seen as separate from the surrounding social context. On the other hand, both student-teachers seem to regard language as a communicative tool, and to view critical development as detached from language teaching. Such an understanding from the student-teachers might be related to the very nature of the practicum, and to the lack of opportunities student-teachers have (or had) for the critical development of their thinking on language teaching.