The author clarifies the nature of expertise in language teaching, its development, and how teachers employ it. Amy B.M. Tsui has provided a major service to the field of applied linguistics in the paperback edition of this first detailed study of what expertise in language teaching consists of and how it develops in language teachers. Exploring the classroom practices of her subjects in four illuminating case studies, Tsui succeeds in clarifying the nature of expertise in language teaching, the factors that shape and influence its development, and how teachers employ their expertise in teaching. In the process, the author critically examines an extensive literature on teacher cognition and shows how teachers' theories, knowledge, experience, and goals shape their classroom practices and their ability to move from novice to expert. Understanding Expertise in Teaching is a valuable addition to the literature on teacher cognition in language teaching and is of considerable interest to researchers, teachers, and teacher educators in applied linguistics and TESOL.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Conceptions of Expertise; 3. Characteristics of Expertise and Novice Teachers; 4. Teacher Knowledge; 5. The Case Studies; 6. The Professional Development of the Four ESL Teachers; 7. Teacher Knowledge and Managing the Classroom for ESL Learning; 8. Teacher Knowledge and the Enactment of the ESL Curriculum; 9. Taking on the Challenge: Exploring Process Writing; 10. Understanding Expertise in Teaching; Appendix 1; Appendix 2.