Teacher Learning Through Interactions with Communities

ZHOU Yan ZHANG Jie SHI GengshanSEIS & NRCFLE

Beijing Foreign Studies University

Outline

Research background

Early experiences of ELT Teachers

Teacher learning through interactions

Teachers’ way of knowing

Importance of Communities of Learning

Research Background

Background ELT reforms at all levels and across the country Confusions about what to be abandoned and what to be kept

as part of the good tradition

A study of the foreign language tradition at BFSU in 2008 One component of a key research project (No.

2009JJD740016) funded by MOE on the tradition of foreign language education in China (2009-2013).

Research Methods

Qualitative study

Period of time under investigation: 1949-1978

In-depth interviews with 73 senior ELT teachers from 20 colleges and universities

Data Analysis

Thematic analysis

Member checking

Triangulation by group interviews and documentary studies

Putting the presentation in perspective

Research Question

How did the teachers learn to become good teachers in the early years of new China when they had little resources for teacher education and development?

Early Experiences

Teachers’ Early Experiences (1949-1978)

No formal training before starting to teach

Little knowledge of teaching theories

No practicum

Learning by Doing

“譬如说 60年我们留了一大批。其原因就是突然之间跟苏联关系恶化，也就是原来准备去留苏的人一下子都不能去了，我们一下子十个班变成了二十个班。二十个班的学生一下子缺了十几个班的教员啊！因为学俄语的全挪到这里来了。就是这个原因。就是逼着他们这么练出来的。所以那个时候也因为这种特殊情况强调老带新，强调集体备课。这有一个客观原因，你不集体备课，你不带着这些年轻人他怎么教啊？所以一旦形成以后，这个传统也就这么下来了。”（ HB17-YRM）

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1) Learning by Examples- Modeling Almost everyone mentioned one or two of their

model teachers in life.

Many teachers talked about their experiences with the senior teachers and how their efforts in teaching, their attitude towards the students and their integrity influenced them for the rest of their lives.

“从北外来说就是重视传帮带。学科带头人的作用非常重要。从我个人来说，我在各个阶段都有人在帮我引路，都有人在帮我。……开始教书以后，刘承沛老师、杨树勋老师都是非常好的教学组长，他们也给了我很大帮助。教语言理论课的时候，刘世沐老师是我的导师。另外，从整个系来说，王佐良和许国璋的作用是非常突出的，在学术上感染我们，在指引我们做科研这方面他们是非常好的引路人。”（ HB14-ZHWH）

“中大的方淑珍、陈永桢、王宗炎，华师的钟香举等老师，都是当年的教师楷模。他们的专业知识广博深厚，基本功全面、扎实，课内课外都能针对学生的需要，讲究外语学习的规律和教学方法，对学生则满腔热情，循循善诱，为他们授业、解惑。既严格要求，又以鼓励为主，我们有幸在这样的老师培育下成长，成为教师队伍的成员，感受很深，自然要学习他们的好作风，好方法”，“以前辈为榜样，按照他们的思想、作风和方法来培养自己的学生”。（ HN4-WJX）

“当时的老师都很优秀，像马元曦、周献桃、祝珏、周谟智 , 他们对教学兢兢业业，勤勤恳恳，有着一种高度的负责精神。我觉得榜样的力量是无穷的，潜移默化，慢慢地我们对教学也认认真真地想把它做好” (HB21-MKL)。

2) Learning through a Mentoring System

Collective

Individual

In class

After class

Collective Mentoring

Collective preparation for classes Everyone took it as their own responsibility to help the younger

teachers grow professionally.

Open class system Young teachers were required to sit in senior teachers’ class Senior teachers came to observe young teachers’ class without

advanced notice

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那个时候都互相听课，听有经验的人的课。我觉得特别有意义，受益匪浅。然后比方说搞一个 project，也经常是王佐良带一年轻人搞。你写完东西他给你改。 (HB29-LLW)

精读课的一个传统是集体备课。对于青年教师来说，首先要有课本和教案，年轻的教师到底怎么教？应该给他提供这些东西才行。那时候一面忙着教书，一方面赶写教案。教案要自己打，自己油印。基本上是老教师先在前面写，新教师后面跟着学，再学着写。在备课会上讨论语言点呀，这篇文章怎么教呀！二年级精读备课的时候强调大家都参与。”（ HB21-MKL）

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…公开课很多。专家教授他们就在那儿听，听完了当时他就在那儿批评。你的哪句话没有讲对啊，板书写得如何等等。… 听课很多的，有的时候是系主任，甚至还有院里懂英语的领导。公开课不一定是你上的好就让你办公开课，一般是临时通知你。这也挺害怕的。另外，学校对选拔和淘汰师资也很注意。系里老师常有调进调出的。 60年代初有一批年轻老师是还没有毕业，提前调出来的。他们学得也好，品德皆优。可是他们没有教学经验。所以一下子给他们上课，如何献身于人民的教育事业，发奋图强、注意团结、搞好师生关系、教书育人等等。 (HB8-JZH)

…公开课很多。专家教授他们就在那儿听，听完了当时他就在那儿批评。你的哪句话没有讲对啊，板书写得如何等等。… 听课很多的，有的时候是系主任，甚至还有院里懂英语的领导。公开课不一定是你上的好就让你办公开课，一般是临时通知你。这也挺害怕的。另外，学校对选拔和淘汰师资也很注意。系里老师常有调进调出的。 60年代初有一批年轻老师是还没有毕业，提前调出来的。他们学得也好，品德皆优。可是他们没有教学经验。所以一下子给他们上课，如何献身于人民的教育事业，发奋图强、注意团结、搞好师生关系、教书育人等等。 (HB8-JZH)

Open Class System

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“我刚出来教书的时候，老教师们老来听课，坐在那儿，我特紧张。不仅是老来听课，我改的本他们要拿去查，就是要看你哪个地方改对了，哪个地方漏了，或者说哪个地方改得不好。我们都是这个样子：改的本子要查，集体备课要讨论，你的课要有人来听，然后经常有人跟你谈。”（ HB26-YZH）

Individual Coaching

Tutoring came from not only the assigned teachers, but from all other senior teachers

when there were needs for improvement.

Writing ReadingPronunciation

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我记得我刚出来工作的第一年，就 60年嘛，许老就在系办公室看见我说：“下个礼拜你把你改的本子给我”，他要看一下。第二个礼拜我就把本子给他了。三天以后，“你还是跟你当学生的时候一样，非常认真仔细。”就来这么一句话 , 完了就还给我了，没有更多的话。所以当时他们还是非常关注年轻老师的, 还是很注意这个本科教学的。 (HB17-

YRM )

3) After Class Participation

On-campus

1

Learning by assistant teaching

On-campus

2

Learning by carrying out teaching reforms and compiling textbooks.

Off-campus

3

Learning by doing field work

“一开始给学生布置翻译作业，每课有 5-6句翻译，我给学生改作业，他 ( 章益先生 ) 叫我先做 ...我做了他批，他批回来以后我才有权力给学生改作业，我做的作业必须和学生不一样，每个句子最少用三种翻译方法，你想想，那种简单英语用三种方法，更难！ …这个老师就是会教，他也不是正儿八经的给你教，他就在让你给他当助教的过程当中学到很多东西，很多书上学不到的。…所以我说我真正学英语是毕业以后学的…” ( HDShD2-JMH)。

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我教书的时候碰到这些老师对我的教育是非常有必要的。他们这种教学，从一开始就要你养成一种非常严谨的教学态度。你不能随随便便糊弄。每次备课的时候，你都要知道哪几点你是一定要讲清楚的。或者一个礼拜当中，这几点一定要讲清楚的。也就是说，一节课下来，你最后要达到一个什么结果？学生应该学到什么东西？如果没有达到的话，以后你要补课的。也就是说，你在教学当中，这些词汇和语法现象是要完成的。你自己心里要很有数。每一节课，每一个礼拜下来，每一个学期下来，你完成的任务是多少？你是要检查的。 (HB25-PNCh)

我研究生毕业…让我教 abc ，一年级嘛。开始觉得这个好像没什么问题。我研究生都毕业了，教一个 abc 还教不了？…我就把我研究生学的那点东西在堂上讲。结果第一次上课，应曼蓉在底下听，我在上面讲，语音的什么东西。 后来应曼蓉就跟我说，你讲这些没用，学生听不进去的。后来就慢慢地跟应曼蓉这些老的、有经验的老师学习，因为在一个教学组嘛，慢慢地就知道了，这个跟你的学问没有关系。当一个好的老师不是你自己知道这些东西，你得让学生明白。 (HB15-LZZh)

“ 教学当中就是坚决不当教书匠，这是我的老师周汝昌，他是红学大家，他在川大教我们的翻译，他就给我们讲，你们如果是去教书，千万不能当教书匠。那种就是我把这个课本，或者这篇文章教得很熟了，我不用看就知道了，这个是没有用的。我自己教书这么多年了，我总是不断的充实，不断的去发掘新东西。”（ XN1-JJJ ）

“王佐良、许国璋、周珏良、刘世沐、李秉汉、熊德輗、伊莎白这一大批老师在系里形成这么一种特殊的学术气氛，使得生活在其中的每个教师都得朝着这个方向去努力。好像没有人在引导，实际上是有一个学术群体在引导你。”（ HB14-ZHWH）

Learning through Interactions within a Good Community

There were not only Wang, Xu, Zhou, at BFSU, but also about 7 or 8 people of various expertise who were as competent as them. Following them was a generation of younger people with excellent command in Chinese and various areas. If they had anything in common, it was the commitment to producing the most competent language users for the country through teaching. So we could often find them arguing over the most efficient ways that could turn out the best students. (HB17-YRM)

DiscussionHow did the teachers learn to become good teachers?

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What Were Teachers’ Ways of Knowing?

Learning through

Interactions

Examples-modeling

Experiences-sharing

Trial and error

Self-reflection

How Did Teachers Learn to Develop Themselves?

They experienced learning through sharing their teaching life with one another.

As social beings

They experienced learning upon reflections on the good and bad experiences in class and interactions

with colleagues.

As verbal

learners

They experienced learning through testing new ideas in practice.

As evaluative

learners

They experienced learning by communicating with others on their confusions and doubt in teaching.

As

reflective practitioners

Learning through Interactions

Learning can not be designed. Ultimately, it belongs to the realm of experience and practice. It follows that negotiation of meaning; it moves on its own terms. It slips through the cracks; it creates its own cracks. Learning happens, design or no design(Wenger, 1998:225).

There are few more urgent tasks than to design social infrastructures that foster learning. (Wenger, 1998:225)

The Chinese Version of “Communities of Practice”

1) Mutual engagement

2) Joint enterprise

3) A shared repertoire

4) A strong commitment to education

Practice is the source of coherence of the three relations in the community (Wenger,1998:73)

The close interaction of experience and competence is a fertile ground for learning, but I have insisted that the two must remain in tension. If they settle down into a state of locked-in congruence, then learning slows down, and practice becomes stale. (Wenger, 1998:214)

Learning through Experiences

Teaching

Assistant teaching

Class observation

Leading the collective preparation

Taking up more challenging teaching tasks

Compiling text books

Organizing after-class activities for students

With administrative Support

High academic standard

PD as a long-term strategic mission Careful selection of candidates Active pursuit and creation for PD opportunities for each young teachers Putting trust in the young on challenging tasks

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Personal Professional Dispositions

Language competence

Potential / Promising

PD awareness

Decency

Devotion

In Summary

Teachers are largely experiential learners who learn to become good teachers with models, through experiences and interactions with members in the communities of practice.

Establishing good “communities of practice” is a more efficient way to promote teacher learning.

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Critical Conditions for Teacher Learning

High professional standard in teaching

Good learning communities

Plenty of practice

Great administrative support

Good teacher qualities

Conclusion

Teachers are mostly experiential learners. Much of the PD effort should start at the grass root level through creating good learning communities.

Expanding the mentoring system to allow more opportunities for sharing and exchanges among teachers, especially for teachers at different stages of PD.

Teachers’ need for professional development should be able to be satisfied through interactions and reflections within positive learning communities.

Implications

SubjectiveImportance of building up good learnin communities.

High standardCareful selection for the new candidates

Selected References

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Eisner, E. (ed.) (1985) Learning and Teaching the Ways of Knowing: Eighty-fourth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part II. Chicago: The National Society for the Study of Education.Johnson and Golombeck (2002). Teachers’ Narrative Inquiry as Professional Development, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Freeman, D. (2002). “The hidden side of the work: Teacher knowledge and learning to teach,” Language Teaching, 35, pp.1-13.Freeman, D. and Richards, J.C. (Eds.) Teacher Learning in Language Teaching, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.吴一安等（ 2008 ），中国英语教师教育与发展研究，北京：外研社史耕山、周燕（ 2009 ）， 老一代优秀英语教师素质研究， 《 外语与外语教学 》 。