Gossamer threads

Developing & sustaining interpersonal connections in language classrooms

Rose Senior

Focus of presentation

Description of previous research study and major findings

Current notions: learner diversity, identity, classroom culture

How and why teachers weave webs of connectivity in their classes

Conclusion, questions/comments

The good language class: Teacher perceptions (Senior 1999)

Longitudinal qualitative study using classroom observation & weekly teacher interviews, triangulated by student questionnaires & interviews

Objective: to document the social evolution over time of 8 English language classes in order to identify factors likely to enhance or inhibit the development of social cohesion within each class

Nature of classes

Intensive English language classes Classes: adult migrant/ELICOS 10-week intensive courses (averaging

18 hrs p/w), from beginners to advanced Average class size: 16 Ss Multicultural (balanced or unbalanced) Characterised by diversity in every

possible way

Major findings Teachers value classes that function

cohesively Experienced teachers have an intuitive

understanding of group dynamics principles and seek to teach in line with them

Evidence-based teacher assumption: Correlation between quality of class groups & quality of teaching & learning that occurs within them

Notion of class-centred teaching (Senior 2002)

Formulation of socio-pedagogic theory of classroom practice (Senior, 2006)

Learner diversity and difference Awareness increased by exponential growth

in ELT worldwide: expansion of client base, contexts and purposes for learning

Identification of individual differences in terms of language aptitude, learning style, strategy use, personality, motivation levels, learner beliefs, etc. (psychological factors)

Recognition of influence of social factors: gender, class, ethnicity, cultural background, etc.

Assumption: diversity is a problem

Additional variable: social context of language learning Learners develop speaking skills in variety of contexts Language learners and language speakers bring

individual identities to social contexts (Norton 2000) Often a power imbalance exists between learner and

speaker identities This power imbalance can affect the rate and quality

of second language acquisition Norton’s theory of identity foregrounds the influence

of context, bringing it into the language learning equation

Kramsch’s “third place” hypothesis (1993) Notion that migrants living within unfamiliar

cultures develop “third places” for themselves

“Third places” are like special nooks, crannies or niches: unique cultural spaces occupied by language learners that are somewhere between the cultures with which they are familiar and the culture(s) of the target language

Within these “third places” migrants can forge new identities for themselves

The language classroom as the “third place” (1)

“There should exist a ‘border zone’ between the target language cultures and local cultures . . . which all parties can meaningfully inhabit and within which everyone can interact on equal terms”.

Effective language learning will take place . . . when teachers and learners “are constantly engaged in creating a culture of a third kind through the give-and-take of classroom dialogue” (Kramsch 1993: 23)

The “third place” classroom

Safe haven

Diversity welcomed

& used to build culture

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The language classroom as the “third place” (2) “One of the defining characteristics of a social group

is the shared world which its members accept, and they in turn are accepted as members because they subscribe to the beliefs, behaviours and meanings of that shared world”. (Byram 1997: 17)

“Being allowed and encouraged to make friends among classmates can create a real-time learning community that thrives on its own energy” (Murphey et al. 2004: 92)

The need for a sense of a common shared world which has to be created in interaction with other people (Gudykunst 1994, quoted by Byram 1997: 17)

“The shared world not a static condition”. (Byram, op.cit)

The unique culture of each language class

“As a course evolves over days, weeks, and months, a culture emerges through the interaction of personalities and events. Without an understanding of that culture, many of the events which occur in a particular lesson will be meaningless to the outside observer” (Nunan 1996: 44).

Definition & key features of classroom cultures (Senior)

Collection of mutual understandings shared by members of the class community

Each classroom culture is unique & can never be replicated

Classroom cultures are dynamic, fluid entities that develop & evolve organically

Classroom cultures can be positively or negatively related to learning (depending on their nature and degree of dominance)

Shared classroom understandings developing over time (Senior 2006)

Relate to: The teacher and their accustomed interpersonal

& class management behaviour The teacher’s teaching approach, level of

knowledge, expertise, etc. Behavioural patterns & degrees of proficiency of

individual students Classroom seating, friendship patterns Behavioural norms of class as whole, e.g.

spontaneous collective behaviour such as willingness to laugh at jokes

Shared class history: knowledge of past incidents, events, etc.

Sea of faces

TS S S S S S S S S

S S S S S S S S S

Day One: Student identities are unknown

Q: How should teachers behave?

Options available to the teacher Ignore student differences/identities? Get to know and understand the the identities of all

individual class members? Encourage students to reveal identities by engaging

authentically with learning tasks? Respect students’ right to keep aspects of their

identities hidden from the class group? Allow/encourage student identities to emerge

naturally? Use student identities to enhance the shared culture

of the classroom?

The invisible web of the language classroom

Developing human relationships in the classroom

“Success as a teacher does not depend on the approach or method that you follow so much as on your integrity as a person and the relationships that you are able to develop in the classroom. The ability to build and maintain human relationships in this way is central to effective teaching”. (Sowden 2007: 308)

Notion of rapport “Just as important as the teaching itself is the

relationship that we develop with our classes” (Senior 2008: 4)

Rapport: empathy, understanding where others are coming from, appreciating their point if view, seeking to develop & maintain a connection with them, reaching out, (frequently used to refer to relationship between people with unequal levels of power) (Senior 2008: 5)

Experienced teacher stated that rapport was foundational to her teaching, establishing rapport her primary goal on entering the classroom (Senior 2006: 265)

Teachers develop invisible web by:

Developing relationships with individuals & with the class as a whole

Valuing & respecting all students (including their right to retain a low profile if they so wish)

Acknowledging the unique contribution that each individual can make to the learning & social well-being of the class as a whole

Being encouraging & drawing people out Responding to student initiatives Not behaving in repressive or authoritarian

ways

How diversity enhances class cohesion

Range of class members contribute to social evolution of class group (accords with established group dynamics principles)

Development of multi-faceted, all-embracing classroom culture that values difference, individuality, uniqueness of individuals

Unexpected synergies occur (e.g. Ss from different cultures making friends, working together, sharing experiences, discovering commonalities, etc.)

Can diversity impede the development of class cohesion?

Yes: disparate goals, hidden agendas of problematic individuals, persistent cliques, interpersonal/ intercultural/ intracultural tensions, etc., can sometimes negate all teacher efforts

But, experienced teachers are normally able to use diversity to build class cohesion

And, positive outcomes can result from negative situations (e.g. ethnic tensions being diffused by positive shared learning experiences)

Conclusion

Teachers seek to weave webs of connectivity in their classes: To accommodate diversity/ a range of

student identities within their classes To develop class cohesion/ a ‘third place’

classroom culture To make teaching easier and more

satisfying To enhance student learning

That’s all!

Questions and comments, please

Feel free to email Rose Seniorwith additional comments or

observations:rsenior@iinet.net.au