Development of a knowledge base for ESOL teacher education

This paper considers the process of constructing a knowledge base for preparing teachers of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) by examining initial efforts at knowledge base development within a university-based teacher education program. The paper (a) reviews the literature on the knowledge base in teacher education, (b) describes currently available resources and efforts toward TESOL knowledge base development, (c) describes knowledge base development within the context of a university's teacher education program and describes the components of a TESOL knowledge base in this program, and (d) advocates for a TESOL knowledge base to enhance the profession at the national and international levels. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.