Page 154 - LA ENSEÑANZA APRENDIZAJE DE LENGUAS

LA ENSEÑANZA APRENDIZAJE DE LENGUAS:
154 UNA MIRADA DESDE EL SURESTE MEXICANO

vated to take action. What PSTs perceive and believe, and what they do, is a key issue in the
discussion of agency and thus how individuals are enabled and constrained by social and ma-

terial environments. Teacher reflection informs teachers' professional development, enabling

them to assess teaching and make better-informed teaching decisions (Burton, 2009).

Teacher identity is developed through social interaction and is influenced by an individual’s

past, present and future. Each PST’s learning history (apprenticeship of observation), teacher

education programme, classroom-based experience and expectations for the future will all

shape emerging professional identity. For this reason, it is necessary to explore the sociocultu-

ral contexts in which learning to teach occurs in order to better understand how PSTs develop

professional knowledge and develop as teachers (Freeman & Johnson, 1998) during service
learning. As a novice teacher, it is challenging to determine how to adhere to personal ideas

of what makes a good teacher, whilst simultaneously meeting the demands and expectations

of the host schools where individuals are placed (Flores & Day, 2006). As PSTs try to make

sense of their roles as educators, their teacher identity is influenced by how they assert their

individual agency as they align their professional vision with institutional demands.

Issues encountered by PSTs include adjusting to specific school cultures, learning how to

handle relations with students, colleagues, principals, and school staff. Most Mexican schools
work within complex, isolationist, competitive institutional cultures where there is a great ‘re-

sistance to change’ as well as a culture of ‘simulation’ (Flores Pacheco 2009). Frequently PSTs

will be required to work with underprivileged low motivated mixed ability groups in resource-

poor environments. Furthermore, it may be necessary to develop classroom management

and teaching strategies for teaching large groups (45 – 55 students per group) or special needs

students. This is challenging for a beginning teacher who must often address feelings of isola-

tion and incompetence (Santibañez, 2007; Martinez, 2014).

Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas