Re-thinking the training of first language teachers: theory, practice and the construction of identities

Abstract

This paper discusses the formative process of L1 teachers by questioning the relation between theory and practice in the curriculum of undergraduate courses in language teaching. We discuss the many senses that are attributed to theory, and the way some pedagogical identities are built. Our thesis is that a reflexive and critical practice cannot be constructed disconnected from theoretical knowledge. The teaching of writing is taken as an example of a possible relation between theory and practice, which could lead to the construction of text producers who are also authors of their texts.