The Language Teacher
July 2000

Exploring How Teachers Change

Jack C. Richards



The nature of teacher change is crucial to the field of second language teacher education. As Bailey (1992) and Jackson (1992) have pointed out, change can refer to many things including knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, understanding, self-awareness, and teaching practices. In order to better understand the nature of teacher change a study was sought to clarify the following questions:

How do teachers see their teaching as having changed over time?
What were the sources of change?

A questionnaire was administered to 112 second language teachers. (Only a part of the data is summarized here. See Richards, Gallo and Renandya (1999) for further information). Information was collected concerning the changes teachers reported in their approach to teaching, and the sources teachers reported for those changes.

In describing changes, many teachers described their teaching as more learner centered, more focused on students' purposes for learning, more related to students' interests and daily lives, and more individualized. Teachers mentioned eliciting student contributions, opinions and views during lessons, showing more respect for students' ideas, treating students as individuals who learn differently, and providing more activities such as pair and group work.

Table 1: Changes in Approach to Language Teaching

Category

Frequency

Percent
Learner centeredness

62

22
Basic teaching philosophy

60

21
Materials and resources

43

15
Language learning activities

33

12
Teaching grammar

28

10
Teacher confidence

25

9
Other: Learner errors

9

3
Teaching the language skills

9

3
Teacher effort

7

2
Teaching procedures

4

1.4
The second most common change was in basic teaching philosophy. This category includes changes in methodology, activities, the focus of lessons, and assessment. Many indicated that they now use a mix of methods and strategies when teaching. Some mentioned an emphasis on strategies, processes, thinking, and creativity. Several respondents mentioned using a more interactive teaching style, with task-based, activity-based and project-based lessons.

There were also many comments about the use of a much greater range of resources for teaching. Instead of relying on the prescribed textbooks, teachers use more authentic texts and teacher-made materials. Another change in the area of resources is the introduction of information technology. Many wrote that they now use IT for teaching and lesson preparation.

A fourth category of change was the types of learning activities used in the language classroom, with a greater use of communicative activities, group work, role play, and games during their English language lessons. Grammar teaching was another area of change, with less time spent on grammar rules or drilling, because of a shift in focus from accuracy and grammar to fluency and communication. Others mentioned using an inductive approach such as a focus on consciousness-raising, and teaching and testing grammar in context.

A final category of change related to teacher confidence. Teachers were more approachable and open with students, had better rapport with colleagues and supervisors, and were more able to relax in class.

The respondents were also asked to identify the sources of the changes they reported.

Table 2: Sources of Change

Item

Frequency

Percent
In-service courses

55

49.1
Seminars/conferences

47

42
Student feedback

46

41.1
Self-discovery

39

34.8
Trial and error

37

33
Collaboration

36

32.1
New texts/curriculum

23

20.5
Contact with others

20

17.9
Research

10

8.9
Tired of doing the same thing

9

8
Other

8

7.1
Teaching journal

6

5.4
Feedback from supervisor

5

4.5
The responses indicate that in-service courses, seminars/conferences, and student feedback are the top three sources for the changes the teachers reported. It is not hard to understand how teachers learn and then change based on student feedback. What was surprising, however, were the two highest responses, which may be linked to the fact that the respondents were attending in-service courses at the time they answered the survey.

Of the next three sources of change -- self-discovery, trial and error, and collaboration -- the first two involve teachers reflecting on their own performance. Another source that spurred reflection was reading. The importance of collaboration was also stressed by a number of teachers. The next two categories -- new texts/curriculum and contact with others -- also proved to be useful catalysts for change.

Conclusions

The study confirms that teacher change is multi-dimensional and triggered by many factors. The clear thread running through many of the responses received is that collaboration with colleagues, students, trainers, presenters, and other collaborators offers the support, ideas, and the encouragement necessary to implement positive change. Additionally, reflection and self-appraisal are clearly beneficial for inducing change. A focus on teacher change and how change comes about is thus an important focus for teacher development activities. Teachers can monitor how their own beliefs and practices change through such activities as journal writing, case studies and other methods for reflective analysis. Opportunities to share experiences of positive change can also provide a valuable source of input for in-service courses and teacher education activities.

References

Bailey, K.M. (1992). The processes of innovation in language teacher development: What, why and how teachers change. In J. Flowerdew, M. Brock & S. Hsia (eds.), Perspectives on Second Language Teacher Education. Hong Kong: City Polytechnic of Hong Kong, pp. 253-282.

Freeman, D. (1989). Teacher training, development, and decision making: A model of teaching and related strategies for language teacher education. TESOL Quarterly, 23(1), 27-45.

Jackson, P.W. (1992). Helping teachers develop. In A. Hargreaves and M.G. Fullan (eds.), Understanding teacher development. New York: Teachers College Press, pp. 62-74.

Richards, Jack C, Patrick Gallo and Willy A Renandya. (1999). Exploring teachers' beliefs and the processes of change. Manuscript. RELC, Singapore.



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