The Significance of Teacher Leadership in TESOL: A Theoretical Perspective

Abstract

This paper reviews literature on the notion of teacher leadership to ascertain what skills, knowledge and competencies teachers require to assume leadership roles in educational institutions. The historical evolution of teacher leadership through various phases gives useful insights into how this concept has emerged, developed and perceived in different educational contexts and how it appears in today’s institutions around the world. The definitions of teacher leadership delineate various features of teachers’ roles, responsibilities and their expected contribution to organisational effectiveness while operating in a wide range of formal and informal leadership roles. Review of the literature also shows the significance of leadership knowledge and skills for the academic leadership positions that need to be fostered in a school context. Moreover, it highlights factors that might hinder the emergence of teacher leadership in academic institutions. The last section of this paper indicates a void in the literature on the issue of teacher leadership in the field of Teaching of English to the Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) that also directs researchers’ endeavours towards investigating this concept in the context of English language teaching.