The invisible plan: how English teachers develop their expertise and the special place of adapting the skills of lesson planning

Abstract

The invisible plan: how English teachers develop their expertise and the special place of adapting the skills of lesson planning. Abstract:This paper analyses how English teachers learn to become expert designers of learning and why sharing that expertise is increasingly vital. Its conceptual framework is the widely recognised, empirically tested, five-stage developmental Dreyfus model of skill acquisition, exemplifying the development of teacher expertisesee Goodwyn (2017a), constituted by the 'milestone' [m] and 'transitory' [t] phases connecting with the five (5) stages of: Novice [m], Advanced Beginner [t], Competent [m], Proficient [t] and Expert [m]. Teacher planning is analysed as one key tacit or non-tangible component of developing expertise. Focusing specifically on English teachers as key participants in this pioneer teacher cognition study, the defining characteristics of milestone stages of expertise development are explored with specific attention to the remarkably under-researched area of planning. We introduce three new categories, defining modes of planning, (i) visible practical planning, (ii) external reflective planning and (iii) internal reflective planning demonstrating their role in teacher development through the Dreyfus five (5) stages. Implications for practice include an explicit understanding of how teachers' planning moves through the three phases. Further research is needed to explore how English teachers in particular can share planning expertise between the three phases to improve teachers' skills and student learning. Introduction:A considerable body of research in education concludes that teaching is remarkably complex (Sinnema et al. Hall and Smith, 2006). This article explores our current understanding of the nature of its inherent complexities in relation to teacher development over time and especially in relation to English teachers and their modes of planning. The complexities of teaching are also infused with the globally acknowledged intricacies of English as a subject (Matthewman, 2014;Exley and Chan, 2014;Goodwyn, 2011;Colarusso, 2010;Gibbons, 2009;Sperling and DiPardo, 2008).Currently there are many commendable 'Handbook' style guides to planning for English teachers, especially novices. However, apart from Goodwyn's research (2011) based on book length examination of the development of novice English teachers and the work of their specialist mentors (Goodwyn, 1997), there is little actual research about how English teachers describe their planning processes. As a result, much of the research literature discussed here, and the underpinning Dreyfus schema, is necessarily generic and our argument and findings should be of interest beyond English teaching. However, we are careful to underline that our evidence here comes exclusively from English teachers and is analysed through a subject specialist lens and a recognition of the rapid policy changes that impact the subject, almost certainly more than any other . As this article seeks to establish a new conceptual approach t...

Meeting Cognitive Demands of Lesson Planning: Introducing the CODE-PLAN Model to Describe and Analyze Teachers’ Planning Competence

“…For example, teachers are challenged to adapt planning elements to their particular learning groups. Expert teachers plan their lessons in a process-driven way (Stigler & Miller, 2018) and align their instructional decisions with their students' learning dispositions (e.g., domain-specific knowledge) (Berliner, 2004;Enow & Goodwyn, 2018). Novice teachers, by contrast, exhibit a less-adaptive, recipe-like teaching style (Chizhik & Chizhik, 2018;Leinhardt & Greeno, 1986).…”

Pre–service teachers’ generic and subject-specific lesson-planning skills: On learning adaptive teaching during initial teacher education

“…Many pre-service teachers worldwide experience the transitional process from pre-service training to teaching, as exemplified by the induction phase in Germany, which is particularly challenging (Wanzare 2007). As novice teachers, they usually lack routines and expert teachers' knowledge structure (Berliner 2004;Enow and Goodwyn 2018), making it difficult for them to adapt their teaching strategies to students' needs. As the planning skills focused on in the present study relate to challenges that might occur in other contexts as well (e.g., Chizhik and Chizhik 2018, for the US), principles on the conceputalisation of planning skills in the present study may be of interest in other cultural contexts and teachereducation systems as well.…”

“…They perceive students' learning dispositions as a key element of their teaching and know how to integrate diagnostic information from students specifically into their lesson planning (Putnam 1987;Stigler and Miller 2018). Their decision-making during the planning process can be characterised as a successful integration of conceptual and situationspecific knowledge (De Jong and Ferguson-Hessler 1996), as important aspects of the planning situation are identified and are progressively merged with teaching and learning activities (Bromme 2001;Cook 1992;Enow and Goodwyn 2018;Ericsson 1996;Leinhardt and Greeno 1986;Schoenfeld 1998).…”

“…One of the core challenges that teachers must face when planning a lesson is how to adapt planning elements to their particular learning groups' needs. According to findings from expertise research, effective teachers plan their lessons in a process-driven way (Stigler and Miller 2018) and align their instructional decisions with their students' learning dispositions (e.g., domain-specific knowledge) (Berliner 2004;Borko and Livingston 1989;Enow and Goodwyn 2018;Housner and Griffey 1985;Kagan 1992;Smith and Strahan 2001;Westermann 1991). In contrast, novice teachers, such as pre-service teachers during induction, tend to use a stepwise procedure and demonstrate a lessadaptive, recipe-like teaching style (Chizhik and Chizhik 2018;Leinhardt and Greeno 1986).…”

‘Harder than other lessons but good’: the effect of colleague collaboration on secondary English pupil engagement

“…The amount of work now demanded of UK teachers is the primary reason why experienced practitioners leave the profession (Tickle, 2018). Although some schools offer roles as Lead Practitioners, there is no national system in place to increase retention by providing career structures for the most capable English teachers (Enow & Goodwyn, 2018).…”