TESOL 2008

Challenging Assumptions: Tools for TESOL Teacher Education

Challenging Assumptions:
Tools for TESOL Teacher Education

Randi Harlev, Ph.D.

TESOL 2008
April 3, 2008

In this presentation you will…

Understand the role of assumptions in
guiding teaching.

Explore your own assumptions.

Connect assumptions to acts of meaning

Examine examples in practice teaching.

Learn tools for surfacing, challenging and
changing assumptions.

© Randi Harlev, Ph.D. randi@eltconsult.com April 3, 2008 1

 TESOL 2008
Challenging Assumptions: Tools for TESOL Teacher Education

What do you assume?

As teacher educators, we enter our own or other classrooms
with assumptions about learning and teaching…

Defining Assumptions

Devon Woods: “the acceptance of a ‘fact’ which we cannot

say we know, and which has not been demonstrated, but
which we are taking as true for the time being.” (1996)

Stephen Brookfield: “the taken for granted beliefs about the

world, and our place within it, that seems so obvious to
us as not to need to be stated explicitly.” (1995)

Edgar Schein: “unconscious, taken for granted beliefs,

perceptions, thoughts and feelings” (1993)

© Randi Harlev, Ph.D. randi@eltconsult.com April 3, 2008 2

 TESOL 2008
Challenging Assumptions: Tools for TESOL Teacher Education

The Iceberg Phenomenon

Behavior, Language, Artifacts

Beliefs, Values, Goals

Basic Assumptions

Why surface assumptions?

They affect teaching.

They affect attitudes towards teaching and

learning, and towards teachers and learners.

They help to understand why specific choices

are made in the classroom.

They may be in conflict with new learning and

prevent implementation of new ideas.

© Randi Harlev, Ph.D. randi@eltconsult.com April 3, 2008 3

 TESOL 2008
Challenging Assumptions: Tools for TESOL Teacher Education

Assumptions and Teacher Training

“A teacher’s priorities in structuring the classroom

teaching will depend crucially on that teacher’s
own assumptions about language, learning and
teaching...the assumptions underlying the actual
teaching that goes on in the second language
classroom have remained unexplored”. (Devon
Woods 1996)

Where can we look for assumptions?

The Johari Window

Known to Self Not Known to Self

Known to Others [OPEN] [BLIND]

behavior/actions conflicts between
language [public] espoused theories and
artifacts behavior/language/actions

Not Known to [HIDDEN] [UNKNOWN]

Others beliefs assumptions
values
goals

Luft, J. and Ingham, H. (1955)

© Randi Harlev, Ph.D. randi@eltconsult.com April 3, 2008 4

 TESOL 2008
Challenging Assumptions: Tools for TESOL Teacher Education

Assumptions: focus on language

As a teacher trainer, I had access to

language in:
 observed lessons [open]

 feedback sessions [blind/hidden]

 written assignments [surfacing unknown]

Assumptions in Language
Halliday - Language is a metafunctional
construct in which acts of meaning occur.
(1993)

Interpersonal function = language as action

Ideational function = language as reflection

Textual function = meaning-

meaning-making mediator

© Randi Harlev, Ph.D. randi@eltconsult.com April 3, 2008 5

 TESOL 2008
Challenging Assumptions: Tools for TESOL Teacher Education

Assumptions and Acts of Meaning

3.
1. 2.
Textual
Interpersonal Ideational
Function
Function Function
(language as
(language as (language as
mediator between
action) reflection)
1 and 2)

Assumptions in the Assumptions in the Assumptions in the

Language of Lessons Language of Metaphors Language of
Feedback Sessions

Language is a metafunctional construct in which acts of meaning occur. (Halliday 1993)

Known - Unknown -

Teaching Reading:
Self Self

Known -
Others

observation – 6th grade class

Unknown
- Others

Interpersonal function (language as action):

S: …Now you know the new words. Open your books to

page 63. We’re going to read about the trip to the zoo.”

[Sandra read the text aloud to the class and asked them to
follow. She interspersed translations in Hebrew. Then
she asked comprehension questions.]

© Randi Harlev, Ph.D. randi@eltconsult.com April 3, 2008 6

 TESOL 2008
Challenging Assumptions: Tools for TESOL Teacher Education

Known - Unknown -

Teaching Reading:
Self Self

Known -
Others

feedback session
Unknown
- Others

Ideational function (language as reflection):

TT: What was your main objective for the lesson?
S: …um, to get the kids to read for specific details in the story so
they could draw a comic strip of it.
TT: So it was about reading. What did you assume when you decided
to read the text aloud to the class?
S: …that the kids have to know what was in the story.
TT: …and?
S: …that the best way for them to know is if I read it to them.
TT: So who was doing the reading?

Known - Unknown -

Teaching Reading:
Self Self

Known -
Others

feedback session/journal
Unknown
- Others

Textual function (language as mediator):

TT: Let’s look at your lesson…as a metaphor. Try to complete this

sentence: My lesson is like a ________ because ________.
S: My lesson was like a mother duck and her ducklings. I was the
mother duck. The ducklings were the students. They had to eat, but
I had to get the food for them…
TT: So what are you assuming here about your students?
S: Hmm. Maybe that they can’t get their own food. I mean, they can’t
read it themselves?
TT: Try to explore this a bit more and write about it, please.

© Randi Harlev, Ph.D. randi@eltconsult.com April 3, 2008 7

 TESOL 2008
Challenging Assumptions: Tools for TESOL Teacher Education

Changing Assumptions:
Necessary Conditions

Disharmony

Access to Alternatives

Opportunity

Process of Challenging
automatic
Assumptions
Role of
Teacher Trainer

1 2
Uncovering Examining
Tacit Assumptions
Assumptions and Setting
Goals
unanalyzed analyzed
Automatizing Revising
New Routines Assumptions to
Based on Accommodate
New New
Role of
Assumptions Knowledge Teacher
4 3

non-automatic
Based on: Variable Competence Model of L2 Variability (Ellis 1994:365-6)

© Randi Harlev, Ph.D. randi@eltconsult.com April 3, 2008 8

 TESOL 2008
Challenging Assumptions: Tools for TESOL Teacher Education

Changing Assumptions of Teachers

1. Capture assumptions in language in action in the
classroom.
2. Surface assumptions in language in reflection during
feedback sessions.
3. Connect assumptions in action and reflection through
metaphorical representations of lessons and their
interpretation.
4. Explore disharmony/dissonance between assumptions
and actions.
5. Present or collaboratively surface viable alternatives.
6. Provide opportunities for implementation.

References

Ellis, R. (1994) The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.

Halliday,, M. A. K. (1978). Language as Social Semiotic: The Social Interpretation of
Halliday
Language and Meaning.
Meaning. London: Arnold.

Halliday, M. A. K., and Hasan,
Halliday, Hasan, R., (1989). Language, context and text: aspects of
language in a social-
social-semiotic perspective,
perspective, New York: Oxford University Press.

Halliday, M.A.K., (1993). Language in a Changing World (Occasional Papers 13).
Halliday,
Melbourne: Australian Linguistics Association of Australia.

Halliday, M.A.K., and Hasan,
Halliday, Hasan, R., (1985). Language, context, and text: aspects of
language in a social-
social-semiotic perspective.
perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Luft, J. and Ingham, H. (1955) "The Johari window, a graphic model of interpersonal
Luft,
awareness", Proceedings of the western training laboratory in group development.
development.
Los Angeles: UCLA.

Woods, D. (1996) Teacher Cognition in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.

© Randi Harlev, Ph.D. randi@eltconsult.com April 3, 2008 9

 TESOL 2008
Challenging Assumptions: Tools for TESOL Teacher Education

Thank you!

Randi Harlev
www.eltconsult.com
randi@eltconsult.com

© Randi Harlev, Ph.D. randi@eltconsult.com April 3, 2008 10