In this talk, we report on a classroom-based research that investigated pre-service language teachers' transformation from reflections and actions on empathy and autonomy. We present data generated from teaching diaries and discuss implications for language teacher education.
The complexity of language teaching and learning demands teachers to able to reflect on their own practices, to adapt to different situations, and to seek solutions that may meet the needs and interests of their students (Borges, 2019; Borges & Magno e Silva, 2019). Consequently, teachers make their learners' experiences more meaningful and personal in the classroom. In this regard, teacher education involves reflections on empathy, so that pre-service teachers can develop the ability to listen actively, to welcome their students, and to put themselves in their shoes; it also entails reflection on autonomy, in a way that pre-service teachers can exercise their agency in their own education as well as to create conditions for the development of autonomy in their classrooms. With that in mind, this study aims to investigate pre-service language teachers' transformation during a teaching method course in a university in Northern Brazil. More specifically, it describes how pre-service language teachers experience empathy in the classroom and verifies how they promote autonomy in this context. Data were generated through teaching diaries, which were then analyzed qualitatively. Results indicate that a) reflection on autonomy through the lens of empathy seems to promote more empathetic teachers, b) observation of others served as an opportunity for creating a connection before engaging in teaching and learning, c) and teachers strengthened their sense of teacher identity, considering empathetic behaviors towards their students and themselves.
