The “Practising Adaptive Expert”

Abstract

This chapter explores the professionalism expected of English language teachers as constructed in a key policy on teacher education in Vietnam – the Vietnam English Teacher Competencies Framework (ETCF). Viewing professionalism from a critical approach and not only as a set of competencies and skills, the study looks into the values and perceptions underlying these qualities. The results indicate five main domains of knowledge and skills prioritised in the ETCF: English proficiency, Knowledge of teaching, Knowledge of learners, Reflective teaching and Contextual knowledge. Teacher knowledge is promoted as a complexity of holistic fluidity, and teachers are constructed as practitioners with adaptive expertise. The analysis, on the other hand, shows the policy presents teacher effectiveness as being functional, articulated through a professionalism of concretised competencies and performance indicators. By problematising the presentation of professionalism in the ETCF, the research argues that in order to prepare ELT professionals of a discretionary specialisation where teachers actively adapt rather than passively accept, more developmental dimensions which enhances teacher autonomy and professional growth can be highlighted as an alternative.