This research study explored how three teachers of Chinese language and culture negotiated a sense of “who they are” as language teachers during their pre-service teacher education studies in Australian higher education institutions. Drawing on positioning theory and Darvin and Norton’s (2015) expanded model of investment, results from qualitative narrative inquiry, including narrative frame, anecdote writing, and semi-structured interview, reveal the dynamic interplay of identity, ideology, and capital to explain the way in which these pre-service teachers’ identities were being constructed. The findings show that when encountering challenges, particularly concerning legitimacy and competency in university coursework and teaching practices, the pre-service teachers strategically employed different resources from their linguistic, cultural, and educational histories to negotiate a legitimate position as a teacher of Chinese language and culture for the Australian classroom. This research provides insights into the role of “agency” in contributing to teachers’ identity construction and negotiation and concludes with implications for the preparation of language teachers in linguistically and culturally diverse contexts.

Equitable education implies students being able to engage in learning activities on an equal basis, irrespective of their identity and background. To communicate about oneself and one’s family is considered an integral part of beginner competences in foreign languages (Council of Europe, 2020). Thus, autobiographies, illustrations of family trees, and similar forms of self-presentation and presentation of family information, are common genres in foreign language textbooks aimed at beginners. The aim of this research project is to investigate potential inclusive and/or exclusive teaching practices that these genres may generate. Our research questions are: What family structures and potentials for self-presentation are represented in the textbooks? How do the textbooks invite learners to critically engage with the represented knowledge?

These questions call for methodological and theoretical approaches that take into consideration both which knowledge is presented as legitimate in the textbooks (representation), and how learners are engaged with this knowledge (semiosis). We present a critical multimodal analysis of beginner textbooks in the foreign language subjects French, German, Italian, and Spanish in Norway. Informed by queer pedagogy (Nelson 1999, Paiz 2018) and principles of semiotic theory (Weninger & Kiss, 2013), we examine constellations of images, texts, and tasks, with a special eye for potentials for ambiguity and “queer” readings, to understand how the textbooks invite or make possible certain interpretations and language practices.

Preliminary findings suggest that the textbook material reproduces and reinforces traditional family patterns and binary notions of gender and sexuality. This may indicate that the genres are constrained by cultural norms and as such resistant to change. We discuss how more open and inquiry-based approaches can lead to more equitable teaching practices in foreign language teaching and learning, and suggest implications for future development of teaching and learning materials.

This research is a report on the experience of scholarship holders from the Institutional Program for Teaching Initiation Scholarship In Brazil (PIBID) of the PIBID-English subproject at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), based on a "Series Club" developed for high school students at the Federal Institute of Ceará (IFCE). In this context, the aim of the research is to reflect on the activities designed through active methodologies using audiovisual resources, with the goal of providing contextualized and meaningful learning. The activities were also designed considering the principles of interaction and motivation proposed by Brown (2007), aiming to create an environment where the student is the protagonist of their learning process (DIESEL et al, 2017). This research will describe the pedagogical strategies adopted in each meeting of the club offered at IFCE, highlighting activities such as storytelling, role-playing, and dubbing. Through the analysis of the reflective journals of the scholarship holders, the evaluation form of the club, the students' testimonies, and their dubbing productions, it was possible to verify that the use of active methodologies and audiovisual resources in English teaching stimulated students' interest and motivation. It is concluded that active methodologies and audiovisual resources can foster a more interactive and participatory classroom environment. Furthermore, sharing this research internationally through ISATT would be beneficial to highlight the importance and universality of active methodologies adapted to different cultural contexts, as well as to integrate Brazilian undergraduate students into the process of teaching and teacher education advocated by ISATT.