Controversies In Second Language Writing

The Intangible Internal Factors of the L2 Teacher

Casanave speaks a lot about the impact that the second language teacher’s background and ingrained personal beliefs have on their classroom. The teaching style used may or may not be in sync with the teacher’s professed teaching philosophy. This is something that carries a great deal of importance for the students and the second language teacher. Students pay attention to explicit expectations from their teachers and when they begin to sense implicit expectations that do not mirror the expectations they have been given through explicit instruction they can become confused and discouraged. On the same token, the teacher who may not realize that there is a discrepancy between their self professed teaching philosophy and the actual acts of their classroom teaching might also become confused about why the interactions with her students are not as productive as she might have expected.

Our individual personalities, our memories of our own educational upbringing, and various other variables related to our innate individuality all manage to materialize some way in our classrooms as we teach. According to Casanave, “whether we realize it or not at the time, these intangible internal factors influence decisions we make in the classroom” (11). Casanave posits that we bring our own experiences with second language learning into the classroom and this affects the way we believe our students should be taught and the way we decide our moral obligation to our students when teaching them. She talks about the way teachers can sometimes question their own teaching decisions as they wonder whether or not to make students do assignments that they did not enjoy when they were students. Many of the teaching decisions made involving class structure, materials used, and the enforcement of certain policies often depend upon the personal reaction of the teacher.

For example, in a recent Reflective Practice meeting titled, “If your course were a video game…” there were some very heated views on how engaging or entertaining a course should be. There were some teachers who were very excited about seeing in which ways they could make their class like a video game. By that, I mean challenging, engaging, rewarding, and a pleasurable experience that compels students to interactive in a positive and productive manner. To do this, some teachers were willing to consider giving bonus points, prizes, flexible options for writing and revision. Others, however, were somewhat outraged at the concept of “catering” to students with rewards and incentives beyond the negative punishments that would accompany a lack of participation and attendance. I would not go so far as to say that either group is inherently right or wrong in their views towards what proper teaching and learning should consist of, but I would say that their own feelings on learning and personal experiences with being taught might be a very real factor in their reactions.

I was fascinated by this chapter because it was so unerringly on point with a lot of issues I’ve been noticing when I observe teachers teaching or students learning or students discussing the way they are being taught. I can ever see the same kinds of thoughtful negotiations concerning teaching philosphy taking place during our graduate classes as we struggle to understand each others viewpoints and priorities even when they do not meet our own expectations and beliefs.