Collaborative Ethnographic Mentoring of EFL Teachers in Central Mexico

Abstract

This qualitative research project reports the process and experiences of two English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers who were mentored and trained to become future teacher trainers or teachers-in-training. They participated in a 120-hour teacher-training course given to other EFL teachers at a technical university of central Mexico. In this course the two teachers-in-training shadowed two experienced teacher trainers who engaged in a collaborative ethnographic dialogue and were given several negotiated scaffolding tasks to carry out during the course. Data was collected from a series of shared journals and a focus group of the participants to understand the process and their experiences. The results explore their challenges and the benefits they encountered during the training course, as well as their projection to the future as professionals. This is of interest for those who train teachers and those who would like to become teacher trainers in the future.