Teachers as critical text analysts: L2 literacies and teachers’ work in the context of high-stakes school reform

The authors describe the professional development of L1 and L2 teachers from a comprehensive theoretical perspective that focuses on literacy as a critical social practice, the construction of student/teacher knowledge, and institutional forces that support and/or constrain the academic literacy development of L2 students in the United States. The authors begin with an articulation of the theoretical framework guiding this discussion. Next, they describe how this perspective was enacted in a graduate program designed to support K-12 teachers in developing an understanding of theories, research, and practices that form a critical approach to L2 academic literacy development. Last, following Hyland, 2003 and Hyland, 2007, the authors reflect on the challenges, and ultimately the necessity, of critically reconceptualizing L1 and L2 teacher education to include greater attention to genre theory and genre-based pedagogies. This call for a reconceptualization of teacher education in the United States is warranted because of the combined impact of economic, demographic, and educational policies shaping the work of teachers and the literacy practices of L2 students.