Images of past teachers: Present when you teach

Abstract

Although research suggests that pre-service and novice teachers' instructional practice is influenced by their history as language learners, the question remains as to whether these experiences continue to be made manifest in the practice of experienced teachers. The interest in this study was to examine how an experienced teacher was influenced by her own history as a language learner and the extent to which she was aware of the obvious or subtle ways that the past influenced her current teaching practices. This linkage was investigated through relating stories told by the teacher about her past experiences to observations in her English classroom. Findings suggested that the teacher's own positive experiences studying French influenced the warm and structured learning environment of her classroom, while her negative experiences with explicit grammar instruction may have contributed to her own minimal focus on grammar in the classroom. However, findings illustrated the complex relationship between present practice and past experiences, suggesting that the value of exploring past experiences lies not in determining the exact nature of those experiences or exactly how they align to present practice, but in examining the stories that constitute one's identity.