RESEARCHING AS PART OF

TEACHING, WITH AUTONOMY IN

VIEW

AIMS

- To show how researching can combine with teaching in ways which are empowering and useful for learners as well as teachers

- To encourage more autonomy-oriented teacher-research

PLAN

Autonomy!

Autonomy-oriented teacher-research

Feedback

Stories

Reflections

AUTONOMY!

WHAT IS LEARNER

AUTONOMY?

Willingness / ability / responsibility to direct one’s own learning [in collaboration with others]

AUTONOMY-ORIENTED TEACHING

- Increasing students’ input into what goes on in the classroom (Engaging autonomy)

- Enhancing reflection on learning (Developing autonomy)

TEACHER AUTONOMY

One aspect (= ‘teacher-learner autonomy’)

Willingness / ability / responsibility to direct one’s own learning as a teacher [in collaboration with others]

TEACHER-RESEARCH

Teacher-research engages / develops [depends on / springs from?] teacher-

learner autonomy

AUTONOMY-ORIENTED TEACHER-

RESEARCH

AUTONOMY-ORIENTED

TEACHER-RESEARCH

Autonomy-oriented teacher-research engages / develops learner and teacher-learner autonomy!

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN

TEACHING AND RESEARCHING

Teaching vs. researching

• Parallel activities, seen as separate

Researching one’s teaching or one’s learners

• Teaching/learners as objects of inquiry

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN

TEACHING AND RESEARCHING

Autonomy-oriented teacher-research

• The processes of inquiry to understand learners are at the same time developmental for learners, engaging them in decision-making for learning and/or in reflecting on learning (learners as agents in / direct beneficiaries of the process)

FEEDBACK

Consistent teacher-research techniques (in my practice since last century):

Gathering written student feedback (‘think-writing’ / ‘good points’ and ‘points to improve’ / self-evaluation reports) -> Thematic analysis

Also , discussion (with individuals, groups, whole class), note-taking, and summary thereof.

TWO DIMENSIONS OF

STUDENT FEEDBACK

Not student feedback as judgmental / summative:

- i.e. management of teaching from outside

TWO DIMENSIONS OF

STUDENT FEEDBACK

Instead: Student feedback as developmental / formative, connected with:

- teacher self-management ( ‘teacher autonomy’ / ‘teacher development’)

- Increasing student input (‘engagement of learner autonomy’) – ‘feed forward’

- Developing students’ understanding of themselves as learners (‘development’ of learner autonomy)

REFLECTIVE WRITING

At the end of any lesson, students write freely about what they have learned / what they still want to know / what the good points and points to improve were / what they would like to do more of / less of in class.

When students are engaged in self-directed work (inside or outside the classroom), ask them for regular reflective writing (‘What have you done?’, ‘What have you achieved?’, ‘What could you do differently?’, ‘What are you planning?’)

FOLLOWING-UP (‘FEED-

FORWARD’)

- How to respond and how to follow-up are important questions to consider

- There’s a need to publicly acknowledge / summarize, thus enhancing students’ feeling of engagement / increasing their sense of control

- Possibilities of ‘feed-forward’

QUESTIONNAIRES FROM

FEEDBACK

One way to construct a questionnaire is to make questions from individual students’ reflective writing, to see if individual opinions are more widely shared.

Again, follow up / feed-forward

CLASSROOM DISCUSSION

(GROUP, WHOLE CLASS)

When students are engaged in self-directed (group) work, important questions posed orally by the teacher can include ‘What are you planning/doing?’, ‘Why?’, ‘How could you do it better?’, etc.

Share a puzzle or problem with students, to engage their support..

Such kinds of interaction with students form the bedrock of autonomy-oriented teacher-research to the extent that they:

- Enhance a teacher’s understanding (engage / develop teacher-learner autonomy) and

- Involve students in useful reflection on learning (‘developing’ learner autonomy) and/or

- Enhance student input into classroom events (‘engaging’ learner autonomy)

STORIES!

RICHARD’S STORY

If you received an anonymous letter like the following, what would/could you do?

What are the options?

Dear Richard, Ema and Peter

I am one of ELSM student and am writing this letter to say something about our class […] This is not just my opinion […] most of students (at least more than half) seems to be dissatisfied […] The reason is firstly, there are too much discussion rather than input from you. […] I am not sure what feedback you had from all different student, but I strongly believe that not everybody is honest on that issue, as we don’t want to offend against any of you […]

Re-examine previously gathered student feedback

Develop a targeted questionnaire based on letter-writer’s complaints as well as feedback previously gathered, and share results with students

No point doing peer teaching: only 1/19 agreed

Too much discussion and not enough input: 13/19 agreed, 6/19 neutral … nobody disagreed!

I am personally dissatisfied with the course: 5/19 agreed,10/19 disagreed, 4/19 neutral

Most students are dissatisfied with the course: 8/19 agreed, 5/19 disagreed, 6/19 neutral

As a result, in that and subsequent years we:

• Explained the rationale for the course more clearly

• Put in place tutorial arrangements which helped smooth the transition to self-directed work

• But we did not reduce the amount of self-directed work or significantly increase the amount of input

FUNDA’S STORY

KATHERINE’S STORY

REFLECTIONS

What’s the value of ‘autonomy-oriented teacher-research’, i.e. teacher-research in the service of learner as well as teacher autonomy?

Teacher development (engagement/development of teacher-learner autonomy), and , in tandem with that:

enhanced engagement of students’ autonomy

enhanced development of students’ autonomy

SELF-DIRECTED / REFLECTIVE

LEARNING BY STUDENTS

Act

Evaluate

Plan

SELF-DIRECTED / REFLECTIVE

LEARNING BY THE TEACHER

Act

Evaluate

Plan

SELF-DIRECTED / REFLECTIVE

LEARNING BY STUDENTS & THE

TEACHER, TOGETHER

Act

Evaluate

Plan

A ‘VIRTUOUS CYCLE’ OF TEACHER &

LEARNER DEVELOPMENT

T & Ss. act

T. & Ss. evaluate

T & Ss. plan

MY AIMS REVISITED

- To show how researching can combine with teaching in ways which are empowering and useful for learners as well as teachers

- To encourage more autonomy-oriented teacher-research

FOLLOW-UP

Email: R.C.Smith@warwick.ac.uk

Home page: www.warwick.ac.uk/go/richardcsmith

This presentation: www.warwick.ac.uk/go/richardcsmith/bilkent

IATEFL Research SIG: http://resig.iatefl.org