INTRODUCTION
The field of TESOL is shaped in substantial ways by how the nature of language teaching
is conceptualized. As with teaching in general, language teaching can be conceived
in many different ways – for example, as a science, a technology, a craft, or an art.
Different views of language teaching lead to different views as to what the essential skills
of teaching are, and to different approaches to the preparation of teachers. The purpose of
this paper is to examine conceptualizations of teaching which are found in TESOL and
to consider the implications of different views of teaching for second language teacher
education.
In an important paper on the relationship between theories of teaching and teaching
skills, Zahorik (1986) classifies conceptions of teaching into three main categories: scienceresearch
conceptions, theory-philosophy conceptions, and art-craft conceptions. I will take
this classification as my starting point, illustrating it with examples from the field of language
teaching. I will then examine how each conception of teaching leads to differences in our
understanding of what the essential skills of teaching are.