ABSTRACT
As separate from unions, language teacher associations are networks operated by and for professionals to disseminate knowledge and improve the professional skills of members. For teachers separated by classroom walls, associations provide an area to engage in the English language teacher (ELT) discursive community and discipline; thus, they are often a space for constructing and enacting their sense of professionalism. Rather than facilitating ongoing professional development, English language teacher associations in low- and middle-income contexts may instead focus on reskilling teachers for pedagogies and practices mandated by ambitious education policies. As part of this globalized national re-orientation, Rwanda underwent a rapid, haphazard shift from French to English as the medium of instruction in 2009. This chapter focuses on the Association of Teachers of English in Rwanda (ATER). It explores the discursive production of ELT professionalism in ATER. By offering English language and pedagogical training opportunities, ATER can potentially reach marginalized teachers found in more rural and remote contexts.
