Novice-Service Language Teacher Development: Bridging the Gap Between Preservice and In-Service Education and Development

One reason for teacher attrition is that a gap exists between pre-service teacher preparation and in-service teacher development, in that most novice teachers suddenly have no further contact with their teacher educators, and from the very first day on the job, must face the same challenges as their more experienced colleagues, often without much guidance from the new school/institution. These challenges include lesson planning, lesson delivery, classroom management, and identity development. In this introductory paper to introduce the special issue on Novice Professionals in TESOL, I also outline practical suggestions that can help bridge the gap between pre-service and inservice education, with the idea that novice teachers can experience the transition from teacher preparation to the first years of teaching, less like "hazing" and more like professional development. I call this bridging period novice-service language teacher development.