In the latest post in his series on what distinguishes the very best language teachers, Interchange author Jack C. Richards explores the importance of learner-focused teaching.
Although teaching can be viewed as a type of teacher performance, the goal of teaching is to facilitate student learning. The extent to which the focus of a lesson is teacher- rather than learner-focused is reflected in the following aspects of the lesson:
- The amount of talking the teacher does during the lesson
- The extent to which input from learners directs the shape and direction of the lesson
- The extent to which the teacher’s primary preoccupation during the lesson is with such things as classroom management, control, and order
- The extent to which the lesson reflects the teacher’s lesson plan
Some teachers, however, achieve a more learner-focused approach to teaching in their lessons, and this is reflected in characteristics like these:
- The degree of engagement learners have with the lesson
- The extent to which learners’ responses shape the lesson
- The quantity of student participation and interaction that occurs
- The learning outcomes the lesson produced
- The ability to present subject matter from a learner’s perspective
- The teacher’s ability to reshape the lesson based on learner feedback
- The extent to which the lesson reflects learners’ needs and preferences
- The degree to which the lesson connects with the learners’ life experiences
- The manner in which the teacher responds to learner’s difficulties
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- We see these different perspectives on lessons in how two teachers responded to the question, “What constitutes an effective language lesson from your perspective?”
Teacher A: It’s important to me that I achieve the goals I set for the lesson and don’t skip things I planned to cover. I need to feel I did a good job on covering the different stages of the lesson – the presentation phase, the practice stage, and the free production stage for example.
Teacher B: To me the most important thing is that the students enjoyed themselves and had useful practice. And that the lesson was at the right level for them – not too easy or too difficult so that they felt it was really worthwhile coming to class today.
Or in the two teachers’ view of their teaching philosophy:
Teacher A: I believe the best lesson is a well-planned lesson. I find it much easier to teach when I have a detailed plan to follow. I find that I am more likely to use the time efficiently in the classroom if I know exactly what I will do and what I expect students to do during the lesson.
Teacher B: I believe every child in my class has got the capacity to learn, even if he or she is not aware of it. Every learner is a winner. I try to encourage each student to discover what he or she is good at and to help them be successful at it.
You can find all the references for this series of posts here.
Read all the posts in this series:
Competence and Performance in Language Teaching #1 – Introduction
Competence and Performance #2 – The language proficiency factor
Competence and Performance #3 – The role of content knowledge (i)
Competence and Performance #4 – The role of content knowledge (ii)
Competence and Performance #5 – Teaching skills
Competence and Performance #6 – Contextual Knowledge
Competence and Performance #7 – The language teacher’s identity
Competence and Performance #8 – Learner-focused teaching (i)
Competence and Performance #9 – Learner-focused teaching (ii)
Competence and Performance #10 – Pedagogical reasoning skills
Competence and Performance #11 – Theorizing from practice
Competence and Performance #12 – Membership of a community of practice
Competence and Performance #13 – Professionalism