This document explores teachers' beliefs about English language teaching. It discusses the sources of teachers' beliefs, which include their own experiences, what works best, established practices, personality factors, and educationally-based principles. It also addresses teachers' beliefs about why English is important, how it should be taught, learning approaches, the teacher and student roles, and evaluating teaching as a profession. The document provides questions for teachers to reflect on their own beliefs and ways to observe each other's teaching to compare beliefs.

1. Exploring
Teacher´s
Beliefs

2. The Source of Teacher's Beliefs
Teacher thinking
1. Their own experience
2. Experience of what works best
3. Established practice
4. Personality factors
5. Educationally based or research-based principles

3. Beliefs about English
❖Why do you think English is an important language?
❖Do you think English is more difficult to learn than other languages?
❖What do you think the most difficult aspects of learning English are (e.g. grammar,
vocabulary, pronunciation)?
❖Which dialect of English do you think should be taught (e.g. British, American..)?
❖Do you think it is important to speak English with a native like pronunciation?
❖How does English sound to you compared to other languages you know?
❖What attitudes do you think your learners associate with English?
❖Do you think English has any qualities that make it different from other languages?

4. Beliefs about Learning
Teacher Assumptions
Acquiring organized principles
Teacher as a resource person
Language Data is found everywhere
Teacher assists learner to become self-
directed
Forming hypotheses about language input
Learner Assumptions
● Acquiring a body of language
● Teacher has knowledge the learner does
not
● Teacher imparts knowledge through
activities
● Learning consists of structural rules and
vocabulary

5. Beliefs about Teaching
Discuss the the answers you wrote about questions in the quiz you took.
How similar or different are you beliefs about teaching?
How do your beliefs about teacher student interaction influence what goes on in the
classroom?
Similarities Differences
Student-Teacher Interaction

6. Beliefs about the...
Program
❖ Culture of the institution
❖ Collective decisions &
beliefs
❖ Distinct philosophy
Curriculum
❖ Decentralised curriculum
planning
❖ Need-Based Curriculum
❖ A Range of Teaching
Methodologies
❖ Learner-Based
Classrooms
❖ Autonomous Learning
❖ Authentic Materials

7. Beliefs about Language Teaching as a
Profession
1. How would you characterize English teaching (or the language you teach) as a profession?
2. What changes do you think are necessary in the languae teaching profession?
3. What kind of training do you think languae teachers use?
4. What kind of professional development activities best support teaching'
5. What kind of support for professional development is available at the school you are familiar
with?
6. What is the most rewarding aspect of teaching for you?
7. Do you think langauge teachers should be evaluated throughout their careers? If so, what
form should this evaluation take?

8. Follow-up Activities
Journal
Activities
Lesson Report
Tasks
Investigation
Tasks
Classroom
Observation Task
Peer Observation Task
Describe
assumptions
about the way
you teach and
plan.
Deal with
situations
experienced in
the classroom.
Self-Report
Form: designed
to monito s-s
interaction during
the lesson
Write
Click and
indicate if you
agree or
disagree.
Questions 22
and 23 choose
an answer.
Teacher´s
Beliefs
Inventory
Interview a
classroom teacher
about the method of
teaching. Identify
the key
assumptions which
characterize the
method or
approach.
Invite a colleague to
observe your lessons.
a. How would you
describe the
approach to
teaching I am
using?
b. How would you
describe my role in
the classroom?
c. What roles do my
learners have in my
classroom?
How does this correspond
to your own beliefs?