assistant language teachers (ALTs) in foreign language classrooms in Japan, using Narrative Inquiry as a tool to provide a multifaceted perspective on their personal and professional growth. Following an overview of the social and cultural context and current trends in the field, the author explains the role of ALTs' narrative inquiry, before describing the results of analyses of the participants' narratives from the perspective of sociocultural theory. Finally, the book discusses teacher development, teaching theory, and identity based on analysis of the narrative data. The book offers useful pedagogical insights that may have implications for teacher development and principles of language team teaching for teachers, teacher trainers, ALTs, boards of education, and university students of English and language education, including English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Nami Sakamoto is an Associate Professor in the Department of Secondary Education in the Faculty of Education at Okayama University of Science, Japan, with a focus on professional development of language teachers. She has published in Teacher Development (2011) "Professional Development Through Kizuki - Cognitive, Emotional, and Collegial Awareness.". |