Implementing English language teaching reforms through professional learning

Abstract

In response to recent reforms to English language education in secondary schools in Iran, this study investigated how a small collaborative professional learning community prompted shifts in teachers’ practices. The study relied on Engeström’s professional learning intervention to examine the practices of three junior high school teachers. Through the analysis of teacher observations and interviews, the findings revealed that the teachers’ collaboration and engagement, and the time devoted to review and reflection on their teaching, encouraged minor changes in the teachers’ practices that aligned with the reform agenda. The study has implications for professional learning in Iran and similar contexts. It informs a need for a movement from top-down professional learning programs to more collaborative approaches to teacher education when the aim is to address reform-driven educational changes.