Escaping the ‘Mimicking Circle’ in the Teaching Practicum

Abstract

Grounded in Vygotskian sociocultural theory, the current article examines imitation as a leading activity of development in second language teacher education. The study is centered on a novice teacher in an MA TESL practicum experience who struggled to confront and resolve contradictions surrounding the articulation and enactment of a personally-satisfying teacher identity. Analysis of written reflections collected during the practicum and an in-depth interview conducted two years later revealed how the experiencing of drama arising from imitation, as refracted through the teacher’s perezhivanie and mediated by her mentor teacher, allowed for new understandings to emerge that supported the reframing of her teacher identity. The study concludes by suggesting that the confrontation and working over of dramatic moments supported by appropriate mediation are driving forces in teacher development, and that future research should investigate the experiencing of imitation and other leading activities of development through the lenses of perezhivanie and drama.