My Practical Theory

In over twenty years of teaching English and, latterly, teacher education, my philosophy of education has changed and developed in many ways.  The life of a teacher is built upon a precarious, changing knowledge, a change of knowledge that is deepened by the ferocious pace of change in our societies through developments in technologies, the forces of globalization and economic realignment.  Despite, the provisional status of educational knowledge, all teachers have a personal philosophy, a practical theory which drives and supports their understanding of their professional practice.  In the following, I highlight the main elements of my practical theory.

Through my studies and reflection upon my own practice, I have come to view my philosophy of teaching as being mainly informed by a socio-constructive perspective.  This entails my viewing the learning process as essentially being a social process.  In practical terms, this means I implement learning procedures in the class which tend to involve students actively using English for an authentic purpose, often in collaboration or competition with other students.  As such, I generally use a task-based approach in my lessons.  This approach integrates language use within a specific social situation, emphasising how language genres are dependent on audience and purpose and the selection of language which is to be practiced in any given lesson, therefore, is derived from these considerations.  Essential to the effective use of this approach is ensuring that students are made aware of and reflect upon the functional and structural particularities of the language within each context, so that they may develop an understanding of factors that influence language in use.

A further important aspect of my practice which I have developed only in recent years, is my adoption of strategies commonly used in mainstream, school education and termed assessment for learning.  Originally developed by Black et al (e.g. Black & Wiliam, 1998), assessment for learning is an approach which builds upon and formalizes formative assessment so that assessment actively contributes to student learning.  Through such strategies as peer and self assessment and explicit consideration of learning criteria and goals, it is possible to have a positive effect upon student motivation, meta-cognitive strategies, and reflection on work so leading to improvement in the quality of learning.  I believe that assessment for learning as a framework for learning has yet to be fully considered in relation to English Language Teaching and, although it has become a regular aspect of my practice, questions regarding its usage in our professional context are still being explored – a direction I am keen to explore in my future work.

A third aspect of my practical theory concerns students themselves as being resources for their own learning.  Although the term ‘learner autonomy’ can perhaps be accused of being faddish, I believe that within a socio-constructivist framework, the judicious encouragement of student independence need not imply one shrugging off one responsibilities as a teacher, but can encourage students to perceive themselves as being valid sources of knowledge.  In my current teaching situation, where students have been schooled in a transmission-based pedagogy where they were often dependent on the teacher, the development of student independence requires consistent application through encouragement, judicious scaffolding of learning and ensuring expectations of success are clear.  Having worked in a centre for independent language learning during my time in Hong Kong, I have become familiar with how a sense of control and agency over learning developed in semi-formal contexts can positively enhance learning in more formal settings.

On a less academic, but perhaps more important note, a key aspect of my practical theory concerns the quality of the personal relationships in my classroom.  I believe strongly that one of the keys to a successful learning experience is that it should be characterised by positive interpersonal relationships.  One method I use to encourage a positive learning environment is to ensure that I find my lessons stimulating, enjoyable and interesting for, in general, if I am motivated and excited by a lesson then so are my students.  Even if I have taught a lesson before, then I always try to find a way to alter the task or some aspect of it.  This is not a case of novelty for novelty’s sake, but that my reflections on my work have provided me with new insights or perspectives which entail the alteration or reconceptualisation of the lesson.  A second approach I use to create a supportive environment is to establish, develop, and maintain good personal relationship with my students.  I find that through treating students as individuals, by coming to know their interests, likes and dislikes and something of their background, then one is not only able to relate learning to their specific situation, to bring life to the class, but also to know in which directions students need challenge.

Finally, I want to discuss the critical role continuous professional development should play in teaching and learning.  I believe that learning occurs most effectively in a learning community, where teachers are simultaneously learning as they teach.  Throughout my professional life I have pursued professional development and I believe that this is the overriding factor in my continued enjoyment of teaching – that, because of new insights and ideas, it still is fresh.  I am strongly against the notion of any teacher reaching a position of certainty, of thinking he or she understands learning and teaching, as I think that this can lead to a state of staleness or ennui which may have a negative effect upon students’ learning.  For me, a teacher is primarily a learner.

I now return to where I began this philosophical discussion for, if what a teacher knows is contextual and, in many ways, uncertain, then the teacher’s life is a life of learning, of exploration of new perspectives and knowledge - students are a part of this journey.

Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment, London: School of Education, King’s College.

My Memorable Learning Experience

My first thought when asked to recount my most memorable learning experience was that I haven't had any.  After a while, though, a few incidents began to emerge.  I remember 2 or 3 incident which concerned my own self study into ideas that fascinated me and I think that the readings I did for both my Master's and Doctoral studies fit into this pattern.  I remember following chains of ideas from book to book and the ideas I read about being so relevant to my life and work that it was almost like being hit over the head, I kept wanting to shout 'yes, that's what I meant, that's exactly it'.

However, the memorable experience I want to discuss happened when I was much younger.  When I was about 12 years old, I was a member of the scouts for a few years and each summer we would have a week long camping trip.  This incident occurred on a trip to Wales, where we camped near a town called Dolgellau under a mountain called Cader Idris.  One evening, my group were asked to construct that day's fire, but we were given no materials with which to do so.  We had to find all we needed, light the fire and ensure its survival ourselves.  By this time, we had discovered that we needed a range of different size wood (kindling, small and then larger branches) and that the wood should be dead and dry (not easy to find in wet Wales).  So, we set off into the woods to collect a range of wood.  Having done that, we returned to the campsite, in order to light the fire.  We spent a long time collecting different stones and rocks (and we stole a sheet of newspaper off a scout master), we then took it in turns to rub rocks, paper and dry kindling together to make a spark.  Finally, after what seemed hours of frantic rubbing, changing places and moaning, we managed to light some of the wood which spat fitfully in short, small flames.  Careful nurturing - the placing of other stones in a circle around it to protect it from the wind - and judicious blowing meant that after a time our flame became more self sufficient, so we were able to place larger and then larger pieces of wood on to the fire. 

Finally, after perhaps 2 hours extremely tense effort, we were able to stand around, warm our hands and admire the flames we had created.  Looking back from my perspective now, it seems the characteristics that made this a memorable learning experience were that it was a collaborative endeavour, highly practical but with no time limit to its conclusion.  It also had a clear, achievable (if difficult) aim which provided us with a sense of satisfaction.  There was also a definite, positive payoff - we got to be warm that evening.  It was also noticeable that the task appealed to different peoples' skills and knowledge, so all were able to contribute.  Perhaps one final characteristic is that the aim was to develop contextualised skills rather than a one way transmission of decontextualised knowledge.  As learners, therefore, we were able to own the knowledge once we had constructed it through practice.  This is in contrast to the effect that would have been created if a teacher had told us how to create a fire.

Neil's Introduction

I live in Al Ain and have done so for a little more than 8 years.  I work in Education, teaching and guiding undergraduate students through a research project and mentor teaching practice.  I have a background in English Language Teaching and have worked in Egypt, England, Hong Kong and now the UAE. 

I am very excited about this programme and I am hoping to learn so much through facilitating it, as many of the ideas cropped up in my doctoral studies.  But the fact that on this programme the ideas are set in a slightly different context - that is, the online, virtual world - rather than the world of more direct social contact on which my studies focused.

My interests include karate, reading novels, travel and film.  I am trying to limit my use of computers (out of work time, anyway), as I've found it can limit more direct communication sometimes.  I look forward to hearing from you and working with you all.

Welcome to Dessert Wolf's Blog

Good Morning Earthlings

This is The Dessert Wolf's education blog.  And, no, it's not a spelling mistake.  Of course, I was going to use Desert Wolf, but that name had already gone, so I had to change it.  The reason I wanted to be Desert Wolf, was because I live in the desert and I support Wolves (the English football team, not the 4 legged animal).  I have changed it to Dessert Wolf, in tribute to my brother who once sent me a postcard that enquired whether 'the dessert must be pretty spectacular out there' and to all the students who misspell desert so regularly in their writing.  So, it's a weak joke, really.