Collaborative Teaching by NESTs and TTEs
general article writing
Description
Collaboration between Native and Non-native
English-Speaking Teachers
Mohammad Nurul Islam 1
Abstract: This study is designed to be an empirical study of the nature of the
collaboration between three NESTs and three Taiwanese teachers of English (TTEs),
who are NNESTs, in elementary schools in Taiwan. The aim of this study is threefold: (a)
to explore the nature of collaborative teaching by NESTs and TTEs, (b) to look into the
support structures that I might have been developed during the collaboration between
NESTs and TTEs, and (c) to gain insights into the experiences of NESTs and TTEs in
connection with collaborative teaching in elementary school classrooms. The author
wishes to build up knowledge of the practice of collaborative teaching by NESTs and
NNESTs and accordingly to make viable suggestions on improving collaborative
teaching of this kind.
Key words: Collaborative-teaching; Native English-speaking teachers (NESTs);
Non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs)
1. INTRODUCTION
Including native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) in school systems has become a prevalent practice in
some Asian countries, for instance, the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program and the English
Program in Korea (EPIK). Since 1987, the Japanese government has recruited native speakers of English as
teaching assistants through the JET Program in order to improve English language education at the junior
and senior high school levels in Japan. Likewise, EPIK, sponsored by the Korean government, was
established in 1995 "to improve the English speaking abilities of Korean students and teachers, to develop
cultural exchanges, and to reform teaching methodologies in English". In Taiwan, NESTs have been
recruited by local governments through non-state education agencies since 2001. According to the
guidelines posted on the website of the Ministry of Education (MOE) (2003), NESTs are defined as
teachers who are native speakers of English-speaking countries, four-year college graduates, and have a
teaching license for elementary schools or language arts. As of 2005, ten cities/prefectures in Taiwan have
implemented NEST programs, i.e., including NESTs in elementary school English classrooms.
