Our assumptions as teachers and learners – time to air them

Introduction

The conference workshop and this article are based on the authors’ experience of training ESP teachers from a number of Russian universities with the materials of the ESP Teacher Development Course which were created by a group of Russian professors and consultants from the UK – the project sponsored by the British Council in 2001-2005.
The course was a response to the needs of Russian teachers of English at tertiary level institutions where English is a compulsory subject for all students irrespective of their area of specialization. Preceding the development of the Course, a baseline study was conducted to identify the major problem areas of teaching and learning English for professional purposes in Russian universities. Some of the conclusions of the Baseline Study were that:
• English language classes are “generally teacher-dominated with corresponding error correction techniques and patterns of classroom interaction”
• ESP lessons are “largely based on written texts which are typically read aloud and translated”
• Students “feel comfortable with the old traditional mode of teaching and are satisfied with their teachers’ attitudes, correction techniques and classroom atmosphere as a whole.”(1)
Thus, foreign language instruction in Russia has been until recently oriented rather to learning grammar rules and drilling, memorizing lists of specialist terms, translating texts, with teachers mostly practicing directive teaching techniques. Many ESP teachers see as their primary tasks explaining rules to students, correcting their errors, providing them with materials, telling the learners exactly what to do and when. About half of the students who took part in the survey, “do not feel encouraged by their teachers to discuss the content or goals of their English course, some of them… not even being quite clear as to what it involves.” (2) To address the problem of outdated teaching methodology and to train teachers in ways reflecting the demands of the labour market their learners are preparing to enter, the RESPONSE project with the focus on in-service teacher development was carried out.
Apart from the findings of the survey, our own observations in training sessions with ESP teachers confirm the conclusions of the Baseline Study. Quite a few ESP teachers have by now participated in workshops or professional events informing them about modern methodology, the best ways to teach, the newest teaching materials and aids. Such terms as “learner autonomy”, “communicative competence”, “learning skills and learner strategies”, “content and language integrated learning” are not completely unfamiliar to them, however, when it comes to the question how certain modern concepts and principles can be applied in their everyday practice, the answers quite often reveal that, to quote one of the training course participants, “haute couture fashion displayed by trainers is not for everyday wear.” As a result, teachers stick to the well-trodden path the language instructors from their student years were using, and in the minds of these teachers there seems to exist a chasm between the “ideal’ and the “reality”, seen by many as impossible to bridge. Thus, the primary task of the “ESP Teacher Development Course”, some materials of which are used in the workshop, is to “encourage teachers to revisit and develop further their own individual philosophies of teaching” (4) by first raising their awareness of what they are guided by in their everyday practice.

Aim and focus of the workshop
The aim of the workshop is to involve its participants in reflection on one of the aspects of their practice and the principles underlying it. They will be encouraged to share ideas on their understanding of learner autonomy and how it can be developed. The questions raised are: What is learner autonomy? What should learners do to take more responsibility for their learning? How can the teacher facilitate the process?

These questions are nothing new. There are numerous publications which deal with the issue of learner autonomy, one of the most well-known being Learner Autonomy. A Guide to Developing Learner Responsibility by Scharle and Szabo, in the Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers series (4). However, although teachers generally agree that it would be good to have more responsible learners, our training practice has revealed that the assumptions teachers hold about “autonomy” in the teaching/learning process vary significantly. Russian teachers’ educational background can hardly provide them with guidance regarding “freedom and ability to manage one’s own learning” (p.4), since Russian national culture, as is the case with many other countries, would generally endorse a tightly controlled classroom with clearly defined roles of both teachers and learners, with the teacher traditionally perceived as “a font of wisdom”. Yet, the information age sets its own priorities, making life-long learning part of a young person’s reality in this rapidly changing world. So, if we do not try to develop the ability for independent learning in our students, we may be preparing them for failure, not success, in their future professional lives.

Structure of the workshop
In this workshop, the participants take part in a series of interactive activities. They will mostly benefit from engaging in discussion of the assumptions that underpin their teaching and sharing experiences and ideas. In an international setting, it is likely to provide some new insights into how the concept of learner autonomy should be treated, and how a practitioner can develop further in order to make the teaching/learning process more effective in preparing learners to use L2 in the real world. The presenters will initiate the discussion, monitor its progress and summarise the most important points arising from it.

Workshop activities

1. “Shaking up”
Step 1. (Individual reflection)
Complete the questionnaire below. Consider the following statements to indicate your opinion about each one, by ticking the relevant box 1 to 4.

1 means you strongly agree. 3 means you disagree.
2 means you agree. 4 means you strongly disagree.
1 2 3 4
1. Teachers should always know the right answers and provide students with them.
2. Students learn more effectively when they take responsibility for their own learning **.
3. Encouraging students to correct each other’s work only serves to fossilize those mistakes in their memory.
4. It is the teacher who should decide on the materials and the tasks to be done by the learners.

Step 2. (Small group discussion)
• Work in small groups and discuss your opinions.
• Choose the most controversial issue.
Step3. (Plenary)
• Put forward the most controversial issues and discuss them in a plenary.
Step 3. (Individual reflection and small group discussion)
 Choose one of the two questions that follow and think about it for 3-4 minutes, writing your answers down.
 Share your ideas in small groups.
1. What should teachers do to develop learner autonomy? (What do you do in your classes?)
2. What students need to de to become more responsible and autonomous learners?
Step 4.(Reflection)
• Complete the quotation ‘The authority of those who teach is often … to those who want to learn.’ (Cicero)
Step5. (Plenary)
Share your ideas with other participants.

2. Metaphorically Speaking
Step1. (Individual reflection and small group discussion)
• Think of a metaphor for your ESP/ELT classroom
• Discuss them in small groups
Step 2 . (Plenary)
• Choose a volunteer to describe the images of your group
• Pick up a poster (from those suggested by the facilitators) and together with representatives of other groups rank the posters reflecting teachers’ perceptions of the process of learning from more teacher-oriented to more learner-centered
• Discuss the underlying assumptions.

Some examples of posters (produced by participants of the TD course in 2005-2008)
• Flower garden (T - sun/rain, Ss - flowers)
• Walk in the forest (T - path, Ss - travellers)
• Organs (T - heart, Ss - brain)
• Woodcarving/Jewel making (T - carpenter/jeweler, Ss - wood/stones)
• Circus (T - tamer, Ss - lions)
• Interconnected vessels

Discussion
Discussion that generally follows the above activities concentrates on what teachers and learners should do in and outside the classroom to foster learner responsibility, students’ active involvement in their own learning.

Much of responsibility for success in language learning rests with individual learners, and their ability to take full advantage of the opportunity to learn. We, language teachers, should heighten their awareness of how to learn, focus on helping our students find, process and apply the information they have found. Teacher’s instruction should help learners become more conscious of the strategies they use or could learn to use - why and when specific strategies are important, how to apply appropriate language learning strategies, how to transfer them to new situations.

Therefore, the role of the teacher should undergo profound changes. The teacher’s status can be no longer based only on hierarchical authority. The teacher’s primary role is to guide and assist discovery. They should create conditions conducive to the learners’ reflection on their work and cooperative development. The new, challenging functions are to be taken on by the teacher, such as facilitator, helper, guide, consultant, advisor, coordinator, and co-communicator.

What often happens in the classrooms so far is vividly described in the following extract from a TD course participant’s diary:
“Some teachers are afraid of creative and clever students, those who ask questions. They want them to be silent and listen. They are not interested in students’ opinions. Some teachers love students too much and ‘water’ them with knowledge. They let them wait for the result to come with the teacher’s help and stay passive. Some teachers look at their students as if they are enemies to fight against. They never try to be patient, tolerant or understanding. Some teachers give all the freedom to students and prefer to observe them without interfering in the process. Students do whatever they want without clear goals or tangible results.” (Yelena Mescheryakova, a university teacher of English)

What should teachers do to develop learner autonomy?
Teachers should share information with learners about planning the classroom process, delegating tasks and decision to them. The process of learning for the students should become more self-directed, problem-oriented and action-based.
Teachers show students the variety of available strategies of learning, encourage them to explore and expand their abilities. They make sure that their teaching is targeted at the real needs of the students. They should also be flexible enough to allow for adjustments that would make the learning/teaching process more relevant to their students’ situation. They clearly establish expectations and provide for consistent control.

The first step towards reaching the goal of autonomy could be a well-thought through system of tasks and activities which integrate all the skills; a better organization of students’ individual research, wider use of the Internet. Teachers let learners make tests and correct mistakes, produce materials for the classroom. They should stimulate their students’ desire to search for information by themselves, which would benefit both teachers and learners, as students can gradually gain greater confidence, involvement and proficiency.

What do students need to do to become more responsible and autonomous learners?
Learners should, first of all, develop awareness of their new role in the process of learning and teaching and understanding of its importance for their future life in the rapidly changing world. They should be prepared to be more active, which involves taking risks. Learners should realize that they can be the source of materials and activities. If students bring to class what is important to them, it motivates them, stimulates interest in the subject and guarantees their maximum involvement. Students’ active participation in lesson planning and preparation of materials can help meet their needs, and make learning meaningful, efficient and relevant to their future occupation. Students learn to reflect on their learning styles and strategies, consciously developing those that are effective for them. They rely on each other. Peer teaching and team tasks train them to work cooperatively, which is a very important social skill. Each has to make a valid contribution that fosters everybody's learning. When students take more responsibility for what happens in the language classroom, more learning occurs, and they should realize it.

Conclusion
The workshop aim can be considered to be reached if meaningful discussion has occurred, in the process of which teachers were able to compare their beliefs and professional experiences with those of the others, have aired their ideas and, ideally, got some insights into what they can change about their ways of teaching and learning. The term “life-long learning” is a fairly recent addition to an educator’s vocabulary but teachers have always known that to be successful in their profession they have to learn continually, and most of us have been doing so throughout their careers. However, teaching being what it is – work done mostly in the confines of the classroom with only one’s learners to observe the process, it has proved very beneficial for teachers to have an opportunity to come together with colleagues, both those who are experienced and new to the profession, and to reflect on our practice, thus getting inspiration to continue this neverending process of learning, teaching and learning further.

References:

1. Simon Winetroube, Ludmila Kuznetsova (eds). (2002) Specialist English Teaching and Learning – the State of the Art in Russia (Baseline Study Report). The British Council, St. Petersburg: Petropolis., p 82, 104.
2. op. cit., p 76.
3. Almabekova, O.A., Gogol, O.V., Guralnik, T.A., Zinkevich, N.A., Kuznetsova, L.B., Penkova, T.V., Petrashova, T.G., Pshegusova, G.S., Rudenko, T.P., Safronenko, O.I., Suchkova, S.A., Cheremisina, I.A.. (2005). ESP Teacher Development Course St. Petersburg: SPSU.
4. op. cit., p 9
5. Scharle, A., Szabo, A. (2000) Learner Autonomy. A Guide to Developing Learner Responsibility. Cambridge Handbooks for Language Teachers, CUP.