Abstract
Abstract
The increase in pressure to teach English as a foreign language from an early age, and the privatization of education, are two issues discussed in education literature which are more advanced in Lebanon than in other Arab countries. This article reports on the first stage of investigation into English language teacher education in Lebanon. The research project begins by identifying who Lebanon’s English teachers are, how they have been trained and how they perceive the usefulness of their training. The results of a survey of 715 teachers are discussed along with insights from four semi-structured interviews, three with teachers and one with an official from the Ministry of Education. The discussion highlights issues of concern such as, the low status of the profession, the female majority among teachers, as well as the poor perception many teachers have of the usefulness of most training, whether pre- or in-service. It is argued that this last point is related to the varied contexts produced by such a private and public mix in the educational system and the difficulty of making any training immediately relevant to a specific situation. It is recommended that English Language Teacher Education (ELTE) providers plan a reflective, practice-based approach, exploiting the knowledge of local expert teachers in order to develop critical reflection skills for teachers in training. Such an approach should make it possible for knowledge and practice to be integrated consciously by teachers themselves, in whichever situations they are employed.
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