Research training in language teacher education: Reflections from a mentee and her mentor

Abstract

A student teacher and her mentor reflect upon their experience of becoming language teachers and researchers within the context of an English teaching program. First, they contextualize the preeminent place that teacher research has gained in teacher education programs in Colombia, primarily because of the demands made by a recent educational reform. Second, the student teacher describes how, through her participation in a research incubator, she actively engaged in research, which allowed her to develop research competencies and to inform her own teaching practicum. Finally, building upon existing theory, the authors conclude that research training galvanized by mentoring has an enormous potential to further teachers' professional development, bridge existing gaps between educational theory and teaching practice, and strengthen a school-university partnership.