TEACHER EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT STUDENT I/D : xxxxxxxx

CENTRE FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS

MA ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

STUDENT ID NUMBER: xxxxxxxx

PROGRAMME: MA IN ELTMM/ICT

MODULE NAME: TEACHER EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT – ET977-6

MODULE TUTORS: xxxxxxxxxx / xxxxxxxxxxxx

WORD COUNT: 3,273

ASSIGNMENT QUESTION:

6. Outline a process of peer or co-operative development. Discuss briefly a possible context for
such a process. Explain the process, materials and support that might be needed. Discuss, with
reference to literature, what the aims of such a process might be and what kinds of outcomes
you would envisage. Provide comment on how this kind of process might be evaluated and
discuss specific criteria that might be helpful. If you have undertaken any co-operative or peer
development (particularly if you have transcripts), you can reflect on the process and detail
your experience in terms of development.

DATE DUE: 12 NOON on 28 MARCH 2012

EXTENSION GRANTED UNTIL 25 APRIL 2012

DATE SUBMITTED: 2 APRIL 2012

In completing the details on this cover sheet and submitting the assignment, you are doing so on the
basis that this assignment is all your own work and that you have not borrowed or failed to
acknowledge anyone else’s work

Please X this box if you agree to this statement X

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TEACHER EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT STUDENT I/D : xxxxxxxx

INTRODUCTION

‘Well you go to your classroom. You want to teach so well.

You think you’ve done your best but you just can’t tell.
So you have to reflect and ask yourself why.
You prepared it so well but your lesson was so dry.
So reflect on your own or with a critical friend.
Reflect on what you did and try not to pretend, yes.
Reflect, reflect and please do not neglect
to try out something different next time..’
(‘Reflective Practice Blues’, lyrics by Adrian Underhill, iatefl conference, Glasgow, 2012. i)

Reflective practice in teacher professional development is employed because of ‘the belief

that teachers can improve their own teaching by consciously and systematically reflecting on
their teaching experiences’ (Farrell, 2008:1). Many teachers reflect by themselves or in very
informal ways with colleagues and they do this, quite probably, with some intention to
improve their teaching practice. In this paper, I will discuss the merits of reflective practice
alongside the setting up of a Co-operative Development Group in a particular context. I will
discuss the process involved, its aims and will provide an evaluation of it. In addition, I will
explore the benefits of teacher-initiated rather than externally imposed reflective practice and
the tendency for some teachers to blame anything other than themselves.

CO-OPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT: AN OVERVIEW

Co-operative Development (CD) is an exploratory spoken discourse practice of dialogic

character, which provides a space for teachers, MA and doctoral students (Edge, 2011) to
reflect on their teaching/learning experiences as the basis for self-development. Teachers,
particularly, ‘can look back on events, make judgments about them, and alter their teaching,
behaviours in light craft, research and ethical knowledge.’ (Valli in Farrell, 2008:1)

According to Farrell (2007:123-4), there are different kinds of teacher development groups,
which he describes as school peer groups, district-level teacher groups and virtual teacher
groups. The latter are becoming more commonplace with online support groups, such as the

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new Twitter based #ELTchat group. Whatever the construction, a group requires four
ingredients, according to Richardson (in Farrell, 2007:125). In summary, these are:

- The feeling of safety, allowing each participant to be able to open up and discover
who they are personally and professionally.
- A connection with others in the group.
- An agreed passion about what the group is trying to achieve and that it will make a
difference.
- A gratitude for the group’s existence and a solidarity which binds the above features.

Professional development (PD) is frequently encouraged within an institution but the manner
of its delivery and its often enforced nature are at odds with what is probably effective. For a
teacher to benefit more fully from PD it needs to have an optional, willing, intrinsic
motivational quality to it. I am personally interested in how the idea of ‘best practice’ is
something which cannot easily be imposed from above but organically developed from
within. A teacher who is also an effective reflective practioner can benefit greatly from
structured CD sessions which, I believe, are at odds with random, staff-room discussions with
little structure. Not only can CD be a proper place for reflection-on-action (Hatton and
Smith, 1995:45), but also a place for reflection-for-action (Killon and Todnew, 1991), a
desired outcome of what has taken place during class for future change:

We undertake reflection, not so much to revisit the past or to become aware of the
metacognitive process one is experiencing (both noble reasons in themselves) but to
guide future action (the more practical purpose).

- (ibid:15)

When reflecting-on-action, a teacher is being self-critical, a social reconstructionist. This

reflection to be a more effective teacher might be framed by external criteria, such as ‘best
practice’, or something else which is imposed, for example, by a government authority. ‘Best
practice’, as an idea, might be influenced by model examples but not by a prescriptive,
imposed teacher development scheme which aims to get the best of out of teachers for some
kind of external evaluation. Hobbs (2007:405) is one researcher critical of forced self-
reflective practice, in that requiring individuals to be open and honest in the context of
assessment tends to provoke strategic response and often hostility. Teacher development
remains ‘independent of, though much better with the support of the organisation, school or
system’ (Underhill in Mann, 2005:105). The teacher’s role in an institution might be more

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readily set against the teacher’s own standards. The higher a teacher’s own standards are and
the more intrinsic their motivation to take part, the more effective, I would argue, they are
going to be in a process of CD.

CD aims to enable a distinct discourse and is consciously very different from everyday
conversation or academic debate and exchange (Edge, 2011). Within CD there are roles for
the Speaker, who generates the topic of discussion, and Understanders, everyone else in the
session who listen and make a number of CD ‘moves’ (Edge, 1992). While the Speaker
articulates his or her thoughts, the Understanders support the Speaker by maintaining a non-
evaluative role. They should not advise, argue or ask leading questions. It is quite different,
therefore, from a debate or a socratic dialogue in which a collaboratively agreed conclusion is
aimed for.

Dialogic discourse (Mann, 2008) refers to a person’s individual dialogue, verbal and non-
verbal with his or her thoughts in pursuit of balance or equilibrium. The Understander,
therefore, acts as a mirror, reflecting back what the speaker says, to create a better
understanding. Edge (1992) originally outlined nine facilative moves, based on Egan (1986),
and grouped under exploration, discovery and action. In the first phase, the most important
of these moves to get right is reflection (Mann, 2002), a ‘core’ move in that an element of
reflection is facilitative in other moves. In the second phase, the Understander can go further,
drawing out themes to help the Speaker connect his or her thinking, challenging, which
attempts to highlight contradictions in thinking rather than arguing against an idea, and
disclosing. Finally, Understanders might try to set goals for the Speaker or plan for future
action. This is important if the Speaker wants to ‘move beyond talk and into the realm of
learning through conscious experience’ (Edge, 2002:108).

A CDG can move unconstructive complains and general chat about an institution to more
focused discussion. Such development groups can focus on teaching materials and course
design (Mann, 2005:111). Understanding can be constructed through structured talk. It is not
staff room chat and provides a counterbalance to otherwise potentially destructive
spontaneous, conversations which routinely take place in an institution. Farrell (in
Mann:ibid) uses the term ‘critical friendships’ and offers advice on how to develop these,
building ground rules at the early stages, defining each participants’ role, time frames and
discussing the teacher’s readiness for reflection. The roles according to Farrell (2007:126)

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might extend to shapers, implementers and experts who brings different skills, although in
CDG outlined by Edge these are more streamlined to simply Speaker and Understander.

PREVIOUS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I have been involved in professionally developing ‘critical friendships’ before, at King Saud
University (KSU), Riyadh, where a group of level 6 teachers came together to discuss how to
implement a syllabus imposed upon them, share lesson plans and how best to handle the
somewhat lethargic learners at this institution. Management warmly welcomed it, but did
nothing to implement it themselves. It was, as I suggested earlier, up to the teachers’ intrinsic
motivation and to provide more effective learning. There was, however, an extrinsic force
here, in that every teacher had to undergo an observation which had a bearing on their future
employment at KSU. There was no specific outline of this how group was evaluated. The
teachers did not meet on a regular basis and it was entirely optional. It did, nonetheless,
provide an opportunity to be critically constructive and for those with ideas or particular
skills, such as creating a wiki with students, share resources, technical ‘know-how’ and to
support other employees.

CO-OPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT IN PRACTICE

I will now describe an experimental CDG set up by students at the University of Warwick,
focusing on one session in particular. All the participants were firstly introduced to the
concept early in the MA programme and encouraged to form a group by one of their
professors. He noticeably employed reflective devices during the otherwise non-CD seminars
on this very subject, using phrases like ‘So, can I just clarify…’, ‘so you are saying that…’
and ‘am I right in thinking that….’. This group consisted of five other teachers or teacher-
trainers, representing a wide variety of backgrounds and educational settings, although only
three are featured on the transcript extracts. One of these three had previously been involved
in a group of this nature and offered her advice on the ‘Understander’ role. The ability to
reflect was, as already stated, critical, and despite no previous experience one other student
managed to take the advice about the role on board immediately. As this was a first session,
the other two generally observed and developed their Understander role in subsequent
meetings.

This CDG produced a number of different issues which mostly focused upon research ideas
and/or setting up an online teacher training site. Each Speaker brought their own particular

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concerns, quickly adopting the CD approach to try to untangle current problems with
something that was professionally real and/or personally worrying.

In actuality, this first session was far more personal than professional although these can be
connected. This Speaker went into the session ‘metaphorically naked’ without having
prepared anything for the session. He confessed from the outset that he suffers from
depression, anxiety attacks and a perceived polarised behaviour. He admitted to being a
perfectionist and that he had high (professional) standards. He often compared current
performance with previous better performances and suggested this was a possible reason for
becoming anxious. He confessed to having had counselling in the past and that a similar
honest approach employed there could be useful in CDG. In addition he saw the opportunity
to develop critical friendships in a ‘safe’ setting. His objectives seemed to be to unload some
thoughts about how much his personal feelings affected, positively or otherwise, his teaching
performance. Finally, he believed that a thirty minute session was unlikely to produce any
future action and, in that sense, was neither reflection-on-practice nor reflection-for-practice.

The subsequent group sessions were much more about a specific idea, research proposal or
method of teaching. But the first speaker learned through these other sessions that ‘the
undiluted purpose of CD is to move through increased awareness toward action, toward doing
something’ (Edge, 2002:92) For Understanders to maintain focus in order to assist this, the
Speaker must first set up a purpose, an objective in the first place. On this occasion the
purpose was somewhat lacking, at the outset, although it became clear that his ‘problem’ was
part of a desire for the speaker to understand why he is often emotionally polarised and
suffers from panic attacks related to work.

VIDEO RECORDING

At this point I would like to point out that the Speaker not only recorded the audio of his own
session, but also videoed it. Using video in the classroom has been used to highlight areas
where teaching could be improved (Bailey, Curtis and Nunan, 2001:117-132). Although
willingness to be videoed is not always welcomed by teachers, it can provide insights into
improving technique and to cut out bad habits and mannerisms. Since viewing a video does
not require another observer, the potential loss of face in certain contexts can be minimised.
It can still be shown to others or a process of stimulated recall with critical friends could yield
a great deal of understanding (ibid, 2001:118). Being videoed can overcome what Labov
termed the ‘observer’s paradox’ (ibid, 2001:127) – the idea that the act of observation

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influences what is being observed and can, in fact, be exacerbated by the presence of
recording equipment and/or camera operator in the room. Often, however, it is quickly
forgotten and, in time, the observed teacher adjusts and behaves more naturally.

Non-verbal clues can also be obtained from videoed CD sessions, although it may not always
be practicable. Furthermore, a certain honesty and level of trust is required by the Speaker.
Stolen video evidence might not be appreciated.

I will now discuss four short extracts from this one session as part of a CDG that I was
personally involved with. The recording was made on 27 October 2011.

EXTRACT 1:

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DISCUSSION

In the above extract, the Speaker outlines how he does not understand why in certain teaching
situations, almost without warning, he goes from one extreme to the other, either incredibly
confident or the opposite. The Understanders gradually have to find ways to respond to the
personal information they are hearing. Jenny’s first move (001-003) is to seek clarification on
what the Speaker has said to that point. He sets the scene by saying he has been counselled
many times, but wishes to keep the session about the ‘professional’ rather than the ‘personal’
although listening to the whole session these are clearly entwined. This extract is around
eight minutes into the session and this is a major reflective interjection. The speaker,
subsequently, feels the need to pinpoint the problem. Cala tries to speak in (017) and
eventually makes a move (023-025) acknowledging that the Speaker has already got some
answers to why this happens. It is nothing new and the Speaker has spent a long time trying
to understand it, especially by mentioning what he knows of cognitive behaviour and
situational response.

EXTRACT 2:

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EXTRACT 2 continued:

DISCUSSION

In this extract the Speaker states he had no problems teaching in Saudi Arabia and says this
quite bluntly, even gesturing, as can be seen in the video, by throwing his hands up unable to
explain this fact. Jenny (014-022) challenges this unexplainable statement with a move
which possibly was an attempt to elicit an idea for future action. She focuses the Speaker’s
attention initially by asking what was special about that particular situation, before seeking
clarification on how other teachers were ‘suffering’. Having done this she sits back and
listens, murmuring, along with Cala, to show continued attention. The speaker is, therefore,
encouraged to think about the reasons why he coped in Saudi Arabia, for example,the group
dynamics with other teachers and the feeling that he was not suffering alone, which might
have been his perception in other situations.

EXTRACT 3:

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EXTRACT 3 continued:

DISCUSSION

In extract 3, the Speaker is aware that the nature of CD is conscious that he has revealed
some quite intimate details, but continues to emphasise the connection between ‘the personal’
and ‘the professional’, before ending his turn abruptly by saying he will stop talking. Jenny
then begins (021-030) to theme (connect) the reasons behind the Speaker being able to cope

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in Saudi Arabia. She attempts to show that there are explainable factors behind the Speaker’s
different responses at work, suggesting that when he could share difficulties with other
teachers, he was less likely to blame his own high standards. She leads the other
Understanders in exploring a deeper understanding to the problems the Speaker faces.

EXTRACT 4:

DISCUSSION

This final extract appears to be a very monologic contribution from the Speaker about
teachers playing the ‘blame game’. He had just given his own opinions on the students ii and
then turns on some of his colleagues. Having indicated why other teachers may have had
good reasons for not blaming anything but themselves. For example, teachers would blame
cultural aspects for students’ general laziness, a tendency for learners to memorise and not to
apply critical thinking skills. Teachers, themselves, can become lazy in the face of infectious
‘blame culture’. The Speaker here was trying to show that he didn’t blame the cultural

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conditions and suggested there was more that could be extracted from the students. The
previous theme, established by Jenny, continues here as she makes a ‘discovery move’ to
explore whether other teacher’s attitudes affected the Speaker’s own practice.

CONCLUSION

Reflective practice can develop a deeper understanding, enable professional growth,

confidence and provide action points for future practice. It may be unreasonable to expect all
teachers to engage in reflection at every stage (Farrell, 2008:4) but it can have many benefits,
especially if properly structured using a CD framework. I am firmly of the opinion that CD
should be teacher-initiated, not imposed externally by an institution or employer. That is not
to say that there cannot be benefits of the latter, such as a contract being renewed or an
increase in remuneration. Reflective practice is often dismissed because of the internal
workings of teachers who like to play the blame game, but this acts as a barrier to real
professional growth.

This whole module has been an example of reflective practice itself. This is because I was
the Speaker in the session described. By transcribing my own session, I am coming to a better
understanding of what I would need to do in the future. This assignment, therefore, has acted
as a kind of effective counselling, which I have had in real life but without the long-term
benefits. Maybe this is because, on this occasion, it involved talking to ‘critical friends’
rather than a professional stranger.

Not only can it be invaluable to take part in these kinds of groups but it is also ideal to
document them. Otherwise, action plans are quickly forgotten. That is why I also believe
that recording devices should be employed if possible. I recognise, however, this is not for
everyone. Many teachers do not feel able to open up in this way and do not seek reflective
practice knowingly. For them, there is probably a third way, one that doesn’t involve them
playing the ‘blame game’ or have the need to initiate or take part in a Co-operative
Development Group.

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Word Count: 3,273 (note: does not include 2 endnotes and words in transcript/text boxes
which are screen captures)

12
i A video of Adrian Underhill performing ‘Reflective Practice Blues’ at the iatefl conference, Glasgow,
March 2012, can be seen here: http://tinyurl.com/7j5p8vb

An extended version of the audio and transcribed extract 4 can be seen on the video version.

References

Bailey, K., Curtis, A. and Nunan, D. 2001. Pursuing professional development: the self as source.
Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.

Edge, J. 1992. Co-operative development: professional development through co-operation with

colleagues. Harlow: Longman

Edge, J. 2002. Continuing Cooperative Development: A Discourse Framework for Individuals as

Colleagues. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

Edge, J. 2011. The Reflexive Teacher Educator in TESOL: Roots and Wings. New York, London:
Routledge.

Farrell, T. S. C. 2007. Reflective Language Teaching: From Research to Practice London:

Continuum

Farrell, T. S. C. 2008. Reflective Practice in the Professional Development of Teachers of Adult

English Language Learners. CAELA Network Brief. Ontario: Brock University found at:
http://www.teslontario.net/uploads/research/ReflectivePracticeFinalWeb%20Farrell.pdf. accessed 1
March 2012.

Hatton, N and Smith, D. 1995. Reflection in teacher education: towards definition and
implementation. Teaching and Teacher Education. 11:33-39.

Hobbs, V. 2007 'Faking it or hating it: can reflective practice be forced?’ Reflective Practice, 8:3,
405-417.

Johnson, K. E. and P. R. Golombeck (eds) 2002. Teachers’ Narrative Inquiry as Professional

Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Killon, J. and Todnew, G. 1991. A process of personal theory building. Educational Leadership.
48:14-16

Mann, S. 2002. Talking ourselves into understanding. In Johnson, K. E. and Golombeck, P. R.

(eds.), 195-209.
Mann, S. 2005. The language teacher’s development: State-of-the-Art Article. UK: Cambridge
University Press.

ten Have, P. 2007. Doing Conversation Analysis: A Practical Guide. (2nd ed.) London: Sage

Underhill, A. 2012. ‘Reflective Practice Blues’. http://tinyurl.com/78onbo9. Filmed by me and

uploaded from my own camera, 21 March 2012.

ii

‘…please do not neglect to try out something different next time’

Appendix (i)

Transcript conventions used (from ten Have, 2007)

(.) 0.5 second gap/silence

(1.0) 1 second gap/silence

> < faster than surrounding talk

↑ raised intonation

↓ falling intonation

[ ] overlapping

= latched utterances

[xxx] inaudible

◦ ◦ quieter than surrounding talk

Appendix (ii) - enclosed CD of audio and visual extracts from the

session