ABSTRACT
The primary intention of this chapter is to help narrow the gap between what is currently known about how language is pragmatically used and how that information is taught in the classroom. It is our view that only teacher readers themselves can decide how the information provided in the chapter would actually be used in their respective classrooms in their own institutional contexts. Readers will also be invited to engage in exploratory practice, Allwright, in which they incorporate systematic reflection into their day-to-day instructional routine. Teachers can be empowered by becoming better able to make sense of their beliefs and practice, and better able to make decisions about whether or how to change their practice when necessary. The chapter discusses the nature and components of teacher's knowledge, beliefs, and practice the components of language teacher knowledge have been argued to include the following: subject-matter knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical-content knowledge, knowledge of educational contexts and knowledge of the curriculum and educational ends.
