Revisiting the TESOL Technology Standards for Teachers

Abstract

This article revisits the TESOL Technology Standards for Teachers (TTST) and discusses the potential for their continued relevance 13 years after they were first promulgated (TESOL, 2008). To provide a historical backdrop, I first cover the development of the standards from the inside perspective of one of the six members of the team that created them. I next review some key literature relating to the influence of the TESOL standards on teacher education and professional development. I then discuss a multi-year project, in which the TTST were first introduced into an existing CALL course and then integrated throughout the eight units of the course. I describe how the TTST as presented in the two TESOL publications—TESOL (2008) and Healey et al. (2011)—can provide a somewhat problematic set of expectations for the pre-service teacher candidates in that course. Input from participants led to a restructuring of the course and a reformulation of the Healey et al.’s (2011) “can do” statements to better serve those who have not yet begun their teaching career. I conclude with speculation about the value of the TTST in the present and near future, particularly in light of the recent expansion of online teaching brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.