Abstract Critical applied linguistics (CAL) contributions are potentially enormous and diverse. CAL now moves beyond the original emphasis on “the interrelated notions of power, inequity, and the connection between an individual’s identity and the capacity to make choices” (Berns, 2013, p. 4). Hence, it urges us to be engaged in critical engagement, critical reflection, and critical development. Against these promising themes relevant to teacher education and post-method pedagogy (Kumaravadivelu, 1994, 2001, 2003a, 2003b, 2006), in this article we show a depressing picture of current in-service language teacher education programs in the Iranian setting. Our data were collected using narrative analysis and interviews conducted with 23 EFL teachers. Two important themes emerged in the data: one theme concerns the picture that teachers paint of teacher education programs and workshops is rather different from the portrayal proposed by the mainstream teacher education thinking. Semi-structured interviews illustrate how gloomy the picture is. The other theme is the culture of teacher education programs portrayed as centrifugal. We conclude the article with an elaboration on the themes. Implications are also discussed in detail in the article. .
