EAP Teacher Education and Development

This chapter maps the long-standing concerns around the importance of the education and development of EAP practitioners. We consider ways of addressing the current lacuna in practitioner education and of enhancing the standing and impact of EAP through practitioner development. Drawing both on theory and on some promising examples of education and development, we argue for greater collective attention to the establishment of: the knowledge-base for practitioners; greater clarity around credentials for practitioners entering the profession; an ethical framework to ensure the development of all practitioners; promotion of effective means for practitioners to develop through scholarship and to make important contributions to the ideational domain of EAP and other fields. We intend to stress that, through education and development, practitioners can enhance their legitimation and agency in higher education and have a greater impact on student education.