The role of reflection in teachers' professional development: An ethnographic case study of an ESL methods course

This study focuses on the reflective practices of experienced teachers enrolled in an English as a Second Language (ESL) Methods course to investigate how teachers' engagement in the reflective process affects their professional development as ESL teachers. Teachers in the Methods course need to shift their current teaching practices to implement effective language pedagogies, so the course promotes reflection as a tool to change teachers' beliefs and practices.; Findings show that as teachers engaged in the reflective process, via the class listserve and class discussions, they formed a community of learners, where teachers interact and develop a common knowledge base. Teachers also used the reflective process to help change their beliefs and practices about effective language pedagogies in the course. The final set of findings reveals the resistance teachers exhibited to the reflective process, and the variety of ways that teachers resisted.; A number of implications for teacher education can be drawn from this ethnographic case study. A community of learners provides ESL teachers support as they encounter new theories and methodologies during the course, but it is important to determine ways to sustain the community after the course ends. Designing a course that promotes reflection and scaffolding by the instructors can be valuable for some teachers as they change their thinking and practice. Other teachers may benefit from more explicit approaches to the reflective process, or alternative methods such as action research.; This study adds to research in the field of second language acquisition about teacher communities, reflection as a tool for change, and resistant behavior. More studies should look at how courses promote teachers' reflective practices that lead to change in thinking and implementation of effective language pedagogies. Teachers' resistance to reflection should be examined to help identify causes.