Teaching Using Team-Based Learning Techniques in TESOL Teacher Education: Pre-service Teachers' Perceptions

The purpose of this paper is to portray the perceptions of pre-service TESOL teachers in a course based on Team-Based Learning principles. To answer this objective the researchers used a qualitative approach. Data was generated from 19 pre-service teachers from a TESOL education program of a state university in northern Chile, through weekly written reflections.  The findings suggest that students have positive perceptions of TBL. This was a novel method for them that generated a higher level of commitment towards their learning process, developed their social skills, and the most valuable and unexpected benefit is the enhancement of the development of language skills since TBL provided them with a real possibility to practice the language in a safe and controlled environment. The results from this study are in line with previous studies, but also provide evidence that this teaching method can be used in English Teacher Education programs, an area scarcely researched, which should be explored in future investigations.