scholarly journals The Weight of Our Words: Language and Teacher Agency from the Perspective of Gee’s ‘Cultural Models’

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-129
Author(s):  
Ngee Derk Tiong ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Cultural Models ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Teacher Agency ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Collaborative Discourse ◽  
Linguistic Awareness ◽  
Problem Framing ◽  
English Language Teachers

In this article, I suggest that one way to enhance teacher agency is to practise greater linguistic awareness in our professional conversations. Based on a conceptual framework utilising the idea of ‘cultural models’ (everyday theories expressed in language) I analyse primary data of Malaysian English-language teachers’ meetings to show two ways in which they have an impact on practice and agency. Based on the evidence, I claim that cultural models [1] function as problem-framing devices and [2] can support transformations in practice. The data in this paper comes from audiovisual recordings of teacher meetings, generated as part of a larger study on teacher collaborative discourse in professional learning communities (PLC), with English-language teachers at Malaysian national secondary schools. Based on these findings, I argue that teacher agency defined as the capacity to make a difference in the context of teachers’ work—is partly a function of how teachers speak about the relevant domains of their practice, be they students, subject or pedagogy. This offers practitioners who wish to be more agentic in their practice some relevant points for reflection.

scholarly journals Learners’ Summarisation Skills and Their Achievement in Reading Comprehension: A Case of Vihiga County, Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Mary Susan Anyiendah ◽  
Paul A. Odundo ◽  
Agnes Kibui
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Group Design ◽  
Lesson Delivery ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Experimental Group

Learners in Vihiga County perform poorer in English language examinations than their peers in neighbouring counties; and their performance seems to be weaker in comprehension compared to grammar sections. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of summarisation skills on learners’ achievement in reading comprehension in Vihiga County. The Solomon Four-Group Design was applied to obtain primary data from 279 primary school learners and 8 teachers in 2017. Multiple linear regression was also applied to generate two models, one for the experimental group and one for the control group. In both models, summarisation skills influenced learners’ achievement in reading comprehension positively, and the effect was significant at 90% confidence level; thus, leading to rejection of the null hypothesis. However, the effect seemed to be stronger in the experimental than in the control group, which suggests that training English language teachers on how to correctly apply summarisation skills impacted on learners’ achievement in reading comprehension. Based on the findings, it’s concluded that: training teachers of English language on the correct procedures for activating learners’ summarisation skills is likely to add value by making them more effective in lesson delivery. Such training is likely to inspire teachers to go an extra mile in their efforts to activate learners’ summarisation skills.

Unpacking the Teachers’ Multimodal Pedagogies in the Primary English Language Classroom in Singapore

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822110117
Author(s):  
Fei Victor Lim ◽  
Phillip A. Towndrow ◽  
Jia Min Tan
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
New Literacy ◽  
Language Curriculum ◽  
Knowledge Representations ◽  
Construction Of Knowledge ◽  
English Language Teachers

The ‘multimodal turn’ has led many education systems around the world to incorporate aspects of multimodality into their language curriculum as a response to the contemporary communication environment and new literacy practices of students. In this article, we present and examine findings from a study of the enactment of multimodal pedagogies by two primary level English language teachers in Singapore. Classroom data were collected, transcribed, and analysed in this case study research. We observed eight lessons by two teachers where viewing and representing skills were taught and interviewed the teachers for their reflections on their experience. The lessons were coded in terms of the classroom practices, the knowledge focus, the types of knowledge representations present (conventional or constructed), as well as the source of the knowledge representation (i.e. whether the knowledge was teacher-constructed, student-constructed or jointly constructed by both). Our findings indicate that there was a good balance between teacher and student construction of knowledge. However, most of the knowledge represented in the lessons was factual and procedural rather than conceptual. This suggests that students had few opportunities to critically explore and challenge the knowledge taught and were not guided sufficiently to interrogate the knowledge represented. Representing skills also received less emphasis than viewing skills in the lessons. We discuss the implications of our observations on teachers’ professional learning and advance the argument on the need to pay more attention to multimodal pedagogies in literacy instruction given the incorporation of multimodality in the curricula.

Instagram as a Tool for Professional Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 82-99
Author(s):  
Amir Allan Aghayi ◽  
MaryAnn Christison
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Multimodal Texts ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Axial Coding ◽  
Reflective Skills

The purpose of the current research is to investigate the potential of a social media tool, known as Instagram, for teacher professional learning. The chapter describes a three-year research project, which used Instagram, to investigate the perceptions and beliefs of 1,500 practicing English language teachers relative to their professional development experiences on Instagram. Six research questions (RQs) framed the study and determined how we viewed and analyzed the data. Qualitative data from six types of activity feeds were analyzed through the processes of open and axial coding. The results indicated that teachers' perceptions and beliefs about Instagram as a tool for professional learning were positive. The professional learning provided teachers with extensive opportunities to work with multimodal texts, create networks and connections with other teachers, and develop their reflective skills.

Native-speakerism and ‘hidden curricula’ in ELT training

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Lowe ◽  
Luke Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Hidden Curriculum ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Research Perspectives ◽  
Norms And Values ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Individual Training

Issues surrounding native-speakerism in ELT have been investigated from a diverse range of research perspectives over the last decade. This study uses a duoethnographic approach in order to explore the concept of a 'hidden curriculum' that instils and perpetuates Western 'native speaker' norms and values in the formal and informal training of English language teachers. We found that, despite differences in our own individual training experiences, a form of 'hidden curriculum' was apparent that had a powerful effect on our initial beliefs and practices as teachers and continues to influence our day-to-day teaching.

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