DEVELOPING KNOWLEDGE BASE IN EFL DEVELOPING KNOWLEDGE BASE IN EFL TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMSTEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Yamith José FandiñoYamith José FandiñoUniversidad de La SalleUniversidad de La Salle

Introduction Introduction

IntroductionIntroduction

… the focus of research on teacher education needs to shift from examining what it is that good teachers do in from examining what it is that good teachers do in particular situations to investigating how it is that good particular situations to investigating how it is that good teachers think about particular situationsteachers think about particular situations... The nature of teacher knowledge is much more about how teachers interpret the complexity and the situated variability of the practical problems of the classroom, how those interpretations evolve over time and across settings, and how and when those interpretations influence decisions and actions in the classroom. (Doerr & Lesh, 2003, p. 3).

Knowledge baseKnowledge base Traditional knowledge base = Basic skills for teaching

Competency in subject matter

Pedagogy (didactics)

Other critical variables

The classroom context Learners' characteristics

Ts' personal experiences Ts' reflective practices Ts' research skills

A need to envision a more complete framework of reference for professional application (Pineda, 2002).

KnowledgeKnowledge base base

Teacher's knowledge base (Fenstermarcher, 1994).

Formal knowledge

Based on literature, derived from research and related to effective teaching. Social, universal, and explicit.

Practical knowledge

Generated by teachers and derived from every day experimentation and reflection. Personal, situational and tacit.

KnowledgeKnowledge base base

Types of knowledge base (Kaur, Yuen & Kaur, 2011)

An effective T needs two types of basic knowledge:

Content knowledge: the knowledge a teacher should posses in a subject.

Pedagogical knowledge: the teaching and learning of subjects and their curricula.

Knowledge baseKnowledge base

Teacher's professional base (Shulman, 1987)

General dimensions of teacher knowledge

- Knowledge of educational ends

- Knowledge of educational contexts

- General pedagogical knowledge

- Knowledge of learners

Knowledge baseKnowledge base

Teacher's professional base (Shulman, 1987)

Content-speficic dimensions of teacher knowledge

- Curriculum knowledge

- Subject-matter or content knowledge

- Pedagogical content knowledge: a combination of content and pedagogy that helps Ts make a subject comprehensible to others.

Knowledge base of L2 teachersKnowledge base of L2 teachers

Knowledge base in L2 teaching (Faez, 2011)

The expertise, understanding, awareness, knowledge, and skills that L2 teachers need to possess in order to be effective teachers.

Lafayette's 3 domains (1993)

- Language proficiency

- Civilization and culture

- Language analysis (L2 acquisition and processing)

Knowledge base of L2 teachersKnowledge base of L2 teachers

Day's 4 domains (1993)

- Content knowledge (subject-matter)

- Pedagogic knowledge (practices of teaching: classroom management, lesson planning, etc.)

- Pedagogic content knowledge (specialized teaching of an L2: grammar, speaking, etc.)

- Support knowledge (different disciplines that inform teachers' approaches: linguistics, psychology, etc).

Knowledge base of L2 teachersKnowledge base of L2 teachers

Richard's 6 dimensions (1998)

- Theories of teaching (theoretical bases)

- Teaching skills (teachers' repertoire)

- Communication skills and language proficiency

- Subject matter knowledge

- Pedagogical reasoning and decision making (Complex cognitive and problem-solving skills)

- Contextual knowledge (educational settings and linguistic policies)

Knowledge base of L2 teachersKnowledge base of L2 teachers

Freeman and Johnson's reconceptualization (1998)

Premise: examining how language teachers come to know what they know and do what they do.

Focus: the activity of learning to be a language teacher.

3 interrelated domains:

(a) the T as learner of language teaching,

(b) schools and schooling as sociohistorical and cultural contexts for teacher learning, and

(c) the T's pedagogical thinking about language teaching.

Knowledge base of L2 teachersKnowledge base of L2 teachers

Tarone and Allwright (2005)

A lacking element: the L2 language learner.

L2 teacher's knowledge needs to include a clear understanding of who learners are and why and how they learn L2.

L2 language teaching is different from other teacher education disciplines, and should draw on and help develop SLA research.

From L2 base knowledge to pedagogical From L2 base knowledge to pedagogical reasoning and actionreasoning and action

Adapted from Wilson, Shulman and Richert, 1987.

From L2 base knowledge to pedagogical From L2 base knowledge to pedagogical reasoning and actionreasoning and action

Models

Calderhead (1988)

Wallace (1991) Freeman (1991)

Integrative model

Practical knowledge Academic knowledge Metacognitive processes Conceptions of learning to teach

The craft model (expert and learner relationship)

The applied science model (theory and practice)

The reflective model (knowledge construction)a) pre-trainingb) professional educationc) professional competence

Teaching as doing (skills development)

Teaching as thinking and doing (knowledge implementation)

Teaching as knowing what to do (contextual interpretation)

- Interteaching: from dependence to self-sufficiency.

From L2 base knowledge to pedagogical From L2 base knowledge to pedagogical reasoning and actionreasoning and action

ModelsDay (1993) Manouchehri

(2002)Ohata (2007)

- The apprentice-expert model (observation, instruction, and practice.)

- The rationalist model (learn-the-theory-and then-apply-it model)

- The case studies model (discussion and analysis of actual case histories )

- The integrative model (pedagogic, content, and support-based experiences)

Attention to social interaction in professional development.

Entering a culture with normative structure and social norms.

Guided and systematic communication and collaboration are needed.

From better ways to train teachers to alternatives to teach through self-awareness and reflection.

Challenge and explore how or why classroom actions are influenced by experiences and beliefs.

EFL knowledge base in ColombiaEFL knowledge base in ColombiaÁlvarez (2009)

• Ts’ knowledge base construction = continuous process that involves:

- Ts’ experiences in and out of the classroom

- Ts’ beliefs at different moments of educational life

- Interaction between pre-training knowledge, teacher education knowledge and teaching activity.

• Colombian Ts seem to look for a balance between the technical dimension of teaching (content and methodology) and a more social and humanistic view (role awareness, student and professional settings, etc.)

• Ts’ professional and personal self-perception as pedagogues plays a significant role in the construction of knowledge base.

EFL knowledge base in ColombiaEFL knowledge base in ColombiaCárdenas (2009)

• Knowledge transmission and skills development-based models are present, but more personal and social-oriented models are observable.

• Existence of behaviorist, humanist, constructivist, social constructivist and reflective perspectives = eclecticism in TE programs. Two interpretations: a lack of conceptual clarity or an awareness of the need for a multifaceted model.

• Methodological programs seem to focus on: the experiences and beliefs of future teachers, reflection-based processes, real context practices, ethnography and action research and performance and process-based evaluation.

• Four basic variables: (a) attitude towards the profession, (b) knowledge that transcends L2 issues to include specific contexts,(c) immediate use skills and professional development skills, and (d) awareness about what being a L2 teacher means and demands.

EFL knowledge base in ColombiaEFL knowledge base in Colombia

Usma (2009)

Standardization, internationalization, accreditation, and recent linguistic and educational policies

• undermine possibilities to acknowledge and promote awareness, autonomy, diversity and contextualization;

• impose foreign discourses and practices at the expense of local knowledge; and

• stratify and exclude teachers and institutions based on scores and rankings.

EFL knowledge base in ColombiaEFL knowledge base in Colombia

Sharkey’s proposal (2009)

• Infuse inquiry into all aspects of the curriculum so that Ts can generate local knowledge, theorize their practice, and interrogate the theory and research of others.

• Professional and learning communities of praxis operating on collaboration and critical reflection.

• A commitment to praxis to transform educational practices and policies.

EFL knowledge base in ColombiaEFL knowledge base in Colombia

González and Quinchía (2003)

Four main focuses:

- knowledge of local realities

- command of the language

- broad experience in teaching EFL

- experience in research

TEPs must be sensitive to the sociocultural milieu in which learning and teaching take place, in order to create knowledge.

EFL knowledge base in ColombiaEFL knowledge base in Colombia

González (2007)

The current teacher development model is a representation of colonial, traditional, and central discourses in ELT that must be reshaped by the new, local, and peripheral knowledge constructed by Colombian ELT scholars and teachers.

Desired characteristics of EFL TEPs

- application of a post method framework (particularity, practicality, possibility and macro strategies)

- peripheral knowledge construction

- adequate communication with local scholars and policy makers

- acceptance of counter-discourses and critical theory

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