Teaching is a complex process which can be conceptualized in a number of different ways. Traditionally, language teaching has been described interms of what teachers do: that is, in terms of the actions and behaviors which teachers carry out in the classroom and the effects of these on learners. No matter what kind of class a teacher teaches, he or she is typically confronted with the following kinds of tasks:

1. selecting learning activities

2. preparing students for new learning

3. presenting learning activities

4. asking questions

5. conducting drills

6. checking students' understanding

7. providing opportunities for practice of new items

8. monitoring students' learning

9. giving feedback on student learning

10. reviewing and reteaching when necessary

In trying to understand how teachers deal with these dimensions of teaching, it is necessary to examine the beliefs and thinking processes which underlie teachers' classroom actions. This view of teaching involves a cognitive, an affective, and a behavioral dimension (Clark and Peterson 1986; Lynch 1989). It is based on the assumption that what teachers do is a reflection of what they know and believe, and that teacher knowledge and “teacher thinking” provide the underlying framework or schema which guides the teacher's classroom actions (see Chapter 4).