Exploring Expertise in L2 Writing Instruction

The concept of expertise has been defined in various ways but is generally assumed to be a facet of individual performance: the possession of a level of knowledge or skill sufficient to do something well. When considered as an aspect of successful second language instruction, however, and perhaps like other forms of expertise, the concept must be considered both as a feature of the context in which it is deployed and as an activity developed and performed in concert with others. In this paper I argue that expertise is characterised by adaptability and, most centrally, by the collaborative efforts of individuals working in tandem to share their knowledge and build greater understandings of themselves and their roles as teachers. I do this by taking examples from a particular context in Hong Kong which involved teachers working outside their comfort zone and learning from each other and from subject specialists. I hope to show that expertise ultimately involves the skill and willingness to recognise the expertise of others and to work with them to improve one’s own teaching.