Making Sense of SLA Theories through Reflection

Resumen

The adoption of a reflective approach to facilitate the development of student teachers’ pedagogical competence has generated interest in Colombian preservice teacher education programs. This study examines the conceptualization process of fifth semester student teachers as a result of pedagogical strategies used in a second language acquisition (SLA) course. Results from class observation, surveys and prompts to motivate reflection show the value of reflection to empower participants to become aware of their beliefs about learning and teaching and helped them to build an identity as future educators. At the end of the course, participants gave evidence of having formulated their own perception of the teaching profession, and of the teaching practice of English teachers in Barranquilla.