Sustainability in English language teacher education: preparing teachers for an unknown future

Major changes in teachers’ working lives worldwide in recent years have led to a need to rethink practice, and, therefore, teacher education, which traditionally focused on skills and knowledge required for effective teaching. Today, the necessary and intense focus on upskilling teachers in technologies remains, but this has sometimes been at the expense of a longer term view, which could help student teachers prepare for future change. Teacher well-being is also receiving increasing attention, with burnout and deteriorating working conditions being highlighted, particularly in English language teaching. We propose the concept of sustainability in language teacher education (LTE) as a means to address these issues and prepare for future change. This concept encompasses the mindsets and skills of adaptability, critical reflection, collaboration and autonomy, which will help student teachers to become more flexible and prioritise their well-being throughout their careers. In this chapter, LTE is discussed through an ecological lens, with an understanding of contextual factors that affect teachers’ lives. Practical examples are provided to integrate sustainability into teacher education programmes.