Over the years, the nonnative English-speaking teachers (NNEST) movement in the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) has questioned the common practices, assumptions, and dilemmas faced by many NNESTs in different contexts. This volume carefully analyzes a number of these issues but takes them a step further by proposing a reexamination of such practices through a perspective grounded in multiculturalism, multilingualism, and diversity.
The book is organized around areas that discuss not only research and theory but also practical issues of interest for both native and nonnative professionals in TESOL. Thus, readers interested in the NNEST movement will find helpful the discussions and research reports about native versus nonnative norms in learning and teaching, the role of the first language (L1) in instruction, the status of nonstandard varieties of English, and issues of race and ethnicity faced by TESOL professionals worldwide. Such discussions will allow the reader to reflect on different practices in the field that go beyond the native-nonnative teacher dichotomy.
Aside from theoretical chapters, this volume also includes chapters that present not only suggestions for practitioners but also results from previous research that could be applied to TESOL and teacher education programs. For instance, some of the studies mentioned point out the serious deficiencies of graduate programs in TESOL or applied linguistics in English-speaking countries, which do not offer linguistic support for their NNEST graduates. Thus, through the analysis of contextualized case studies, the volume also offers possible solutions for TESOL preparation programs in which students could benefit from the knowledge, awareness, and understanding of the native-nonnative teacher issues in the field.
Other chapters in this volume have a more practical orientation and give suggestions for teachers to incorporate more collaboration between NESTs and NNESTs into different teaching contexts. For instance, in chapter 14, Dormer presents the results of a study carried out in two contexts and demonstrates the way NNESTs and native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) collaborate with each other in a school setting. Similarly, Luo (chapter 13) shares a taxonomy of collaborative practices for teachers working in the same context. Although some of these practical chapters do not seem to give strength to their proposals with more theoretical background, their claims are still valid and provide ideas that could benefit both NESTs and NNESTs in different teaching contexts.
The last chapters present ideas on how teachers could make use of some of the latest findings in TESOL, SLA, and applied linguistics and incorporate them into their classrooms, such as the use of corpora in teaching. Liu (chapter 15) presents a complete rationale and examples of why teachers—both NESTs and NNESTs—could provide benefits to their students by incorporating corpora in teaching. Similarly, Bednarek (chapter 16) also provides more practical examples of how to use corpora in instruction.
This book provides a solid review of critical issues in the field, and as such it achieves its purpose of reexamining and questioning—through the NNEST lens—some of the common practices in TESOL, applied linguistics, and World Englishes. However, some of the chapters (particularly those oriented toward practice) could have been grounded in more theory to help unfamiliar readers understand why some of their practical proposals are valid. One specific aspect that some readers may find problematic is the fact that the chapters were not edited consistently for spelling conventions or lexical choices. However, Mahboob states that because of the sense of diversity reflected in the volume—and in general in the fields of TESOL and World Englishes—the original spelling and lexical choices were kept to preserve the linguistic identities of the contributors, who are both native and nonnative speakers. In spite of this minor detail, Mahboob should be complimented for having compiled a volume that makes the reader explore and question beliefs, assumptions, and conjectures in the field, and that tries to encourage and stimulate equity among TESOL practitioners worldwide. As such, this volume will be a valuable resource for graduate students, teachers, and any professional in TESOL or applied linguistics.
