1

Innovation in Language Teaching:

Pedagogical and Technological
Dimensions

In order for the reader to understand the present study of technological

innovation by teachers of a foreign language in state school settings,
and to interpret its implications for other teaching contexts, a certain
amount of background knowledge is required. This chapter sets out
background information in three areas related to our study, specifically
(a) the discipline of language teaching, (b) factors affecting teachers and
how they teach, and (c) the integration of technology in educational
settings.
This chapter starts with an overview of the teaching methodologies
which currently underpin language programmes and curricula in many
parts of the world. It briefly situates communicative language teaching
(CLT) and task-based language teaching (TBLT) in socio-constructivist
educational practice and highlights the challenges and opportunities
these methodologies present for language teachers and learners in
state school settings. It is important for readers to understand these
approaches to language teaching and their differences with more tra-
ditional models to appreciate the goals of the project. This discussion
will also help teacher and teacher educators situate their own contexts
with respect to current language teaching methodologies. Studies of
teacher beliefs are also introduced in this chapter, focusing on Bandura’s
concept of perceived self-efficacy and Borg’s work in teacher cogni-
tion. These frameworks provide the study’s theoretical background in
terms of research questions and methods of exploring the relationship
between teachers’ beliefs and reflections about their teaching on one
hand, and actual observed practice on the other. This is particularly
important if the objective is, as in this case, to trace any change occur-
ring over time. The chapter concludes with a discussion of research
on technology integration, outlining models of technology adoption
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S. Whyte, Implementing and Researching Technological Innovation in Language Teaching
© Shona Whyte 2015
6 Interactive Whiteboards for EFL

in relation to teaching practice and teacher reflection and focusing

in particular on IWB-mediated teaching in the language classroom to
summarise what recent research has established in preparation for the
present study. In this way we set the scene for the study of technological
innovation in language teaching, which is the focus of the book.

1.1 Language teaching and learning theory

The project described in this book aimed to support EFL teachers in

different school settings in France in using the IWB for communica-
tive and task-based language teaching.1 Before going any further, it is
important to define these language teaching methods or approaches
and explain the rationale that underpins them so that readers under-
stand the project orientation. This methodological background is also
relevant to many other contemporary classroom contexts since this
framework informs the design of current language teaching materials
and teacher education programmes in many parts of the world. Yet it
is not the only influence, as we shall see.
Simply put, communicative language teaching centres on ‘the expres-
sion, interpretation and negotiation of meaning’ and seeks to offer learn-
ers ‘practice in communication’ (Savignon, 2007). Task-based learning is
often viewed as particular case of CLT, focusing on the notion of task,
defined as ‘an activity which requires learners to use language, with
an emphasis on meaning, to attain an objective’ (Bygate et al., 2001).
What is striking in these definitions is the absence of either language-
related terms such as grammar and vocabulary, or language skills or
competences such as listening and speaking. Instead, the attention is on
making meaning.

1.1.1 From grammar-translation to communicative teaching:

behaviourist and cognitivist learning theories
CLT and TBLT are therefore quite different from the traditional
grammar-translation and structural approaches to language teaching
and learning which were common currency in language classrooms for
the greater part of the last century. These methods, still used in many
places, include features such as

• carefully sequenced presentation of grammatical rules to develop

declarative knowledge (ability to recite definitions and rules);
• contrastive analysis (close comparison) of native and second lan-
guage features (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation);