This proposed presentation is based on research on teacher development as seen from the point of view of the teacher and was carried out among foreign language teachers in upper-secondary schools in Iceland. The main objectives were to understand what enhances teacher growth in the context of foreign language teaching and learning. With frequent travelling and the new Europe “without frontiers”, new demands in foreign language proficiency and hence foreign language teaching have been put forward. Foreign language teachers have been encouraged to rethink their traditional ways of organising the classroom, and to update their professional knowledge, skills and understanding as educators (Kohonen, 2001). These new demands are clearly reflected in the Icelandic National Curriculum (1999) and emphasised stronger and more explicit in the Curriculum from 2007. These circumstances raised my interest in exploring what it takes for foreign language teachers in Iceland to “rethink their ways of teaching”; a simple question with complex answers. Different cultures and different context may be a defining aspect in educational change. It is therefore important to gather data from diverse cultural settings to further our understanding of teacher development. The importance of collaboration has been highlighted as a change agent amongst teachers although the meaning of that term is often unclear. Some teachers even shy away from co-operation because they experience it as restricting their independence (Alstrand, 1994). The subject matter itself may also play a role in change. Different teaching subjects make different demands on teachers and learners (Ingvarsdóttir, 2004; 2007). Teaching procedures in the foreign language classroom may be particularly challenging and encompass issues which are not part of mainstream research on change. Language acquisition is a whole person endeavour, and learning to express oneself in a foreign language taps directly into the personality as well as cultural identity (Bayley and Regan, 2004; Dewaele, 2005). It is therefore of particular interest to gain a better understanding of how foreign language teachers make sense of, adjust to and create the educational environment for change. The following research questions were put forward. 1. What do foreign language teachers see as an incentive to change? 2. What do foreign language teachers perceive as the necessary scaffolding for their change development? 3. What do foreign language teachers perceive as a main hindrance towards making root changes?

The research was carried out within the framework of Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory. Teachers who felt they had or were making root changes in their language teaching were sought out and data was collected through in-depth interviews which lasted about an hour each and self characterization sketches (Kelly, 1955, Vol. 1) where teachers videotaped their own lessons and described their teaching from the point of view of a critical friend.

Two core constructs emerged form this research, autonomy and alliance which will be dicussed here. Those two concepts may seem contradictory; It will, however, be argued that both play an important role in teacher development as both may be a prerequisite for change in teacher cognitions. In this proposed paper I will give a brief description of the context in which the data was collected. Through teachers’ voices I will illustrate how both constructs, autonomy and alliance, served as a leeway to move their thinking forward toward radical changes. This they have done through cultivating a trusting and supporting collaboration, an alliance, with a colleague or colleagues and paradoxically at the same time they perceive they have strengthened their autonomy. Finally, I will discuss a model of collaboration which teachers can use to examine their own standing in their relationships with their colleagues.