Renaming experience/reconstructing practice: Developing new understanding of teaching

Teacher cognition in language teaching: A review of research on what language teachers think, know, believe, and do

“…The accounts presented go beyond an analysis of interactive decisions and of the immediate factors motivating these; rather, the study shows how the teachers' work was shaped by four overlapping and interacting categories of PPK (knowledge of self, of subject matter, of instruction, and of context) which the teachers held and used in a holistic manner. Echoing Freeman's (1993) use of the term, Golombek shows the working of these categories by exploring tensions in the teachers' work. For example, in one case the tension is discussed in terms of the teacher's desire to achieve a balance in her lessons between attention to both accuracy and fluency; however, her own negative experiences of language learning, where she was hypercorrected, discourage her from attending to accuracy as much as she would like to (and is expected to) for fear of making her students feel bad too.…”

“…Spanish in the USA ■ Teacher cognition in language teaching Farrell (1999) Student teachers' prior beliefs 34 pre-service ESL teachers in Singapore, about teaching grammar 5 of which are reported on Freeman (1993) Changes in teachers' practices and 4 high school French and Spanish thinking during teacher education teachers doing an in-service teaching degree in the USA. Gatbonton (1999) The patterns of pedagogical knowledge 7 ESL teachers in USA of experienced ESL teachers Golombek (1998) The personal practical knowledge of in-service 2 ESL teachers on an MA in the USA ESL teachers and its role in their practice Johnson (1992a) Instructional actions and decisions 6 pre-service ESL teachers in the USA of preservice ESL teachers Johnson (1992b) Teachers' theoretical beliefs about L2 30 ESL teachers in the USA; learning and teaching and their 3 secondary level ESL teachers chosen practices during literacy instruction.…”

“…Term Description Borg (1998c) Personal pedagogical systems Stores of beliefs, knowledge, theories, assumptions and attitudes which play a significant role in shaping teachers' instructional decisions Breen et al (2001) Pedagogic principles Shaped and generated by underlying and more abstract beliefs, these service to mediate between beliefs and on-going decision-making in particular instructional contexts Burns (1996) Theories for practice The thinking and beliefs which are brought to bear on classroom processes Crookes & Arakaki (1999) Routines Habitualized patterns of thought and action which remove doubts about what to do next, reduce complexity, and increase predictability Freeman (1993) Conceptions of practice A set of ideas and actions teachers use to organise what they know and to map out what is possible; they guide individual action but are also affected by new situations Gatbonton (1999) Pedagogical knowledge The teacher's accumulated knowledge about the teaching act (e.g. its goals, procedures, strategies) that serves as the basis for his or her classroom behaviour and activities Golombek (1998) Personal practical A moral, affective, and aesthetic way of knowing knowledge life's educational situations Image A personal meta-level, organising concept in personal practical knowledge in that it embodies a person's experience; finds expression in practice; and is the perspective from which new experience is taken Johnson (1992b) Theoretical beliefs The philosophical principles, or belief systems, that guide teachers' expectations about student behaviour and the decisions they make Johnson (1994) Images General metaphors for thinking about teaching that not only represent beliefs about teaching but also act as models of action Meijer et al (1999) Practical knowledge The knowledge teachers themselves generate as aresultoftheir experiences as teachers and their reflections on these experiences.…”

“…This study concludes that although teacher education played a powerful role in shaping the student teachers' behaviour during teaching practice, it did not alter significantly the cognitions the students brought to the course. Freeman (1993) conducted a longitudinal study of changes in the practices of four foreign language teachers doing an in-service masters' degree which had as one of its specific aims the development of teachers' understanding of the professional discourse of education. Drawing on interviews, observations, and document analyses, the study describes the manner in which tacit conceptions of teaching held by the teachers emerged during the course in the form of tensions -defined as 'competing demands within their teaching' (p. 488).…”

Teacher learning in second language teacher education: a socially-situated perspective

“…Most language teacher education programs operate under the assumption that it is necessary to provide teachers with discrete amounts of disciplinary knowledge, usually in the form of general theories and methods that are assumed to be applicable to any teaching context. This view of teacher learning leads to "front-loading" (Freeman, 1993) in teacher education: the notion that teachers can be equipped in advance, at the start of their careers, for all that they will need to know and be able to do throughout their teaching lives. Learning to teach is viewed as learning about teaching in one context (the teacher education program), observing and practicing teaching in another (the practicum), and eventually, developing effective teaching behaviors in yet a third context (usually in the induction years of teaching).…”