Back to the classroom: language educators learning a language

As part of our preparation for this presentation, we undertook research into the field of teachers as students etc but there is virtually none irrespective of language or other. Research on the motivation of students and teachers and the differences between teachers’ beliefs and their actual classroom practice is ample but there is virtually nothing on teachers as students and the impact that being a student had on their teaching practise etc. In some ways, it seems that once you are a language teacher, you are expected to remember what it is like to study a language – from our experience this is not necessarily the case. WHO?: Our motivations (for participating?) varied among the participants. From just having fun, to forming a stronger group cohesion with colleagues, to challenge yourself being in the “other” side of the classroom experimenting to certain extent what students feel in class., to test and practice your memory skills, to use the acquired skills in an imminent trip to Japan, to satisfied curiosity about other language colleague teaching strategies…