Language Teacher Education Research

Teachers play a vital role in fostering learner agency to unlock students’ full potential. Therefore, promoting the professional growth and development of student teachers through diverse approaches should be a core component of teacher education. This paper explores how experiential learning outside the formal curriculum facilitated different types of learning among a group of final-year preservice teachers. They participated in an experiential learning project aimed at developing online grammar teaching materials for primary and high school teachers worldwide. Throughout the project, the student teachers followed a four-stage experiential learning cycle and collaborated to develop innovative grammar teaching resources for school educators. The quantitative and qualitative data gathered in the study underscore the value of non-formal experiential learning in fostering student teachers’ professional growth. The outcomes included improved knowledge of grammar pedagogy, a deeper understanding of learners’ needs and grammar curriculum design, enhanced collegiality and increased confidence. This project has significant implications for teacher educators seeking to promote experiential learning as a strategy to enhance the professional competence, pedagogical knowledge and skills of prospective teachers for effective classroom instruction.