Spanish teacher education programs and community engagement

Abstract

Theories of situated knowledge support that knowledge involves experience of practices rather than just accumulated information. While an important segment of foreign language teacher education programs focuses on the theoretical component of second/foreign language acquisition theories and relevant methodological concerns, it is mainly through practice that novice teachers construct their new professional identities. Consequently, typical teacher preparation programs require a number of classroom practice hours, which is not easily carried out in the educational context where there is a limited number of target language courses; such is the case of Spanish language instruction in Serbia. This study presents examples of two service-learning programs aimed at providing teaching practice for pre-service Spanish teachers in Serbia, while answering to the needs and interests of specific communities. The theoretical and practical implications of this investigation may help outline a model of foreign language teacher education programs for social and educational contexts that lack a large-scale target language audience. Issues of future foreign language teachers' identity and cognition regarding the language education policy creation and the teaching process itself are also addressed.