Description
Taiwan’s bilingual policy mandates increased use of English in class across all education levels. To prepare English language teachers (ELTs), various professional development (PD) programmes were introduced. This study examines four high school ELTs’ teaching practices after completing a PD programme focusing on genre-based pedagogy. Two teachers teach in higher-tier high schools and two in lower-tier schools. The presentation focuses on how they adapted genre-based pedagogy to teaching contexts with varying levels of language proficiency.
Abstract section 3: Content/method
Class observation was conducted for each of the four teachers, focusing on how they adopted and adapted the genre-based pedagogy, particularly the Teaching and Learning Cycle (Derewianka & Jones, 2016). Field notes were taken during the class observation. Following it, an interview was conducted with each teacher regarding the challenges they encountered in adopting the genre-based teaching approach, as well as in their professional development endeavors.
Abstract section 5: References
Derewianka, B. & Jones, P. (2016). Teaching Language in Context. (2nd ed.). South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
- How do high school teachers adapt the genre-based pedagogy in their teaching context of varying levels of language proficiency?
- What challenges arise in implementing the genre-based teaching approach?
Abstract section 1: Relevance
Genre-based pedagogy focuses on guiding students to consider language as ‘linguistic resources’ that construct social meanings that serve social purposes, diverting them from seeing language as a set of ‘grammar rules’. It directly supports the bilingual policy mandate by equipping students with the academic language skills needed for social communication and class participation. The Teaching and Learning Cycle, which integrates the genre-based approach, is a teaching framework that guides teachers in curriculum design that supports students’ independent use of specific genres.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
Focusing on the ‘supported reading and modelling’ stage in the Teaching and Learning Cycle, the study found that teachers of higher-proficiency students tend to facilitate students’ higher-order thinking by discussing the social purposes of particular linguistic patterns in certain genres. On the other hand, teachers in lower-tier contexts dedicate more to guiding students in deconstructing linguistic patterns and rules with substantial modelling. In the interview, teachers have shared their difficulties in adapting their current textbooks into a genre-based teaching approach, as well as the challenges involved in re-calibrating the purpose of ‘learning English.’
| Title | Genre-based pedagogy in diverse proficiency classrooms |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | Junior/senior high-school |