Conclusion: Crossing Boundaries and Becoming English Language Teachers in Multilingual Contexts

The processes of “becoming a teacher” are dynamic, fluid, and ongoing (Britzman (2003). Within contemporary multilingual educational settings the uncertainties and challenges of becoming an English language teacher are especially pronounced as the often conflicting values and interests of different stakeholders ensures that language-in-education policy is frequently a source of educational, political, and social tension (Li 2009; Tollefson and Tsui 2004; Tsui and Tollefson 2007). For language teachers and teacher educators working within such settings these challenges are currently being played out against a larger background of transition as forces of globalization reshape teaching and teacher education in general (Bates 2008) and as second language teacher education in particular seeks “a new identity as it draws on new knowledge and employs new pedagogic practices” (Wright 2010, p. 288). The studies in this book have therefore addressed the need to better understand the ways in which issues of language, teaching, and teacher education shape and are shaped by the experiences of becoming an English language teacher within multilingual contexts such as Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).