This article was originally published in 2009 in the English Language Teaching Journal 63/4, 393-396. It is available at http://eltj.oxfordjournals.

org/

ONLINE FORUM REPORT Class-centred teaching

Rose Senior
This is a summary of an online discussion hosted by the IATEFL Teacher Training and Education Special Interest Group (TTEd SIG) in December 2008. Background It is now generally recognised that a positive classroom climate is beneficial for language learning particularly in classrooms where student participation in communicative tasks is required. Class-centred teaching (CCT) is a new term in language teacher training and education that provides a framework for understanding the relationship between the behaviour of classroom teachers and the establishment of classroom climates that enhance learning. Class-centred teachers are alert to clues provided by individual students, by groups of students and by the collective behaviour of the whole class. They then subtly adjust their teaching and class management practices in line with their perception of what is best for the class at any given time. Motivated by a desire to encourage their classes to develop and then maintain an overall spirit of cohesion, class-centred teachers respond in principled ways to the myriad unanticipated classroom events and behaviours that are a natural part of classroom life. Class-centred teachers recognise the power of the overall class group to influence the behaviour of individuals. Once group processes that are supportive of teaching and learning have been set in motion the need to spend time controlling student behaviour is reduced. Sensing that their classes are behind them, teachers find themselves able to teach in more creative and engaging ways. The notion of CCT emerged from a grounded theory study of the beliefs and classroom practices of experienced English language teachers teaching on intensive courses for adults in Australia (Senior 1999). By highlighting the fact that the classroom behaviour of class-centred teachers is governed by both social and pedagogic imperatives (to encourage their classes to function as groups while at the same time teaching effectively), CCT can be termed a socio-pedagogic theory of classroom practice (Senior 2006a: 27983). The discussion The TTEd SIG online forum provided the opportunity for language teacher trainers and educators from around the world to respond to the following question: Might the concept 1

of class-centred teaching provide a useful framework for language teacher training and/or development? An introductory reading on CCT (Senior 2006b) was posted on the website and SIG members were invited to respond to the above question. Over a period of eight days a vibrant discussion ensued, with 120 postings generating approximately 30,000 words coming from one or more teacher educators in the following countries: Argentina, Cyprus, England, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain and Zimbabwe. The discussion covered a range of topics and issues relating to CCT, with many individuals making multiple postings as they became increasingly involved in the collective dialogue. It is only possible within the limits of this report to present a selection of the insights that were shared and discussed. Recognition of the concept of CCT It was clear from the outset that the term class-centred teaching made sense to SIG members, with several contributors pointing out that CCT reflected what good teaching was all about and what good teachers did anyway. In the words of one contributor: I have to admit when I first started reading about CCT I thought Oh, here we go again. Another meaningless term about what we ought to be doing. But then I realised that it not only made an awful lot of sense, but it also gave me words for what I had always failed to describe. . . . It's so difficult to define what that `je ne sais quoi' is that makes a teacher successful. Participants agreed that CCT involved something more profound than simply creating lively, fun-filled classroom atmospheres and that it was an ideal worth working towards. Several participants made the connection between CCT and the creation of learning communities characterised by a generosity of spirit towards others and commitment to the group learning process. For one participant the term class-centred teaching captured the concept of seeing the class as a culture in and for itself, while for another CCT represented both a philosophy and a set of processes and techniques. CCT as a framework for teacher training/education Discussion arose as to whether CCT can be taught, is naturally acquired, or is innate. Participants agreed that it was something that could develop in a variety of ways and that it needed to be both experienced and somehow felt. Participants considered that it took some teachers a long time to become class-centred in their approach, while for others the process happened relatively quickly. Participants agreed that at the in-service level mentorships, peer observation and watching DVDs of teachers teaching and managing their classes was the best way of raising awareness of CCT plus encouraging teachers to reflect on their own practice. The topic of classroom dynamics was raised in relation to CCT, with participants agreeing that an understanding of the stages of group development was useful for language teachers. However, participants differed as to the value of providing input sessions on classroom dynamics at the pre-service level. Some participants said they did so already, others wondered whether there would be space in already-crowded 2

introductory programs such as the CELTA for yet another input session, while others considered that awareness-raising activities might be wasted on trainees who lacked classroom experience. The point was also made that artificially-assembled practice classes were culture-free and did not reflect true teaching situations anyway. Discussion-group members with teaching and/or teacher training experience in countries with educational systems in which teachers are traditionally regarded as authority figures and students as passive recipients of knowledge drew attention to a range of constraints on the implementation of CCT. They identified not only practical considerations such as large classes, restricted lesson time and exam-driven syllabuses, but also strong cultural pressures to teach in line with the prevailing educational norms of the country concerned. One participant noted that when a group of teachers from Cameroon returned to their classrooms after successfully completing a training course run by western educators they reverted to behaving in strict and domineering ways, in contradiction to everything they had seemingly learned. Additional points discussed During the course of the forum a range of additional issues related to CCT were raised. One participant wondered whether, since similar social processes occur in both teams and groups, it might be better to conceptualise language classes as teams. The consensus was that language classes share more characteristics with groups, in that individuality and being yourself are more highly valued in groups than in teams. However, it was pointed out that the value of teams is that they are highly goal-focused: everyone knows that all team members need to pull together if the group goal is to be achieved. In view of this point, it might be preferable for teachers working in exam-focused educational cultures to conceptualise their classes as teams. The question was also raised as to whether language classrooms should function as havens in which students were protected from the harsh realities of the outside world, or whether they should prepare students for life by encouraging competition between individuals within the class. In support of CCT one contributor pointed out that collaboration and team-work were what was needed for success in the real world, anyway. Towards the end of the discussion one participant gave a timely reminder of the danger of assuming that good practice in one context was readily transferable to another, saying: I congratulate you for coining the term and triggering discussion on this issue. It is what I have been preaching and practising my whole professional life. However, I am not too confident that there are universals in this respect. What may be considered friendly on the part of a teacher in a certain context may make students feel uncomfortable in others. And, lets not talk about teachers who do not adhere to a CCT approach, as if they had a disease they need to get over as soon as possible!

Concluding remarks It was clear from the extent of the discussion that the topic of CCT resonated with participants. However, it also became evident that, for CCT to gain wider acceptance as an additional framework for teacher training and education, a set of guiding principles that reflect the key precepts of CCT needs to be developed. References Senior, R. 1999. The good language class: teacher perceptions. PhD thesis, Edith Cowan University, available online: http://adt.ecu.edu.au/adt-public/adt-ECU2006.0002.html Senior, R. 2006a. The Experience of Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Senior, R. 2006b. Class-centred teaching is successful teaching. English Teaching Professional 46: 71.