Starting in Term One 2010-11, we have been organizing a session – to be held once every two weeks – where those currently teaching, whether in the Centre for Applied Linguistics or elsewhere, can come together to reflect on their current practice and share ideas arising from it.

This is a new group, under the umbrella of the Centre’s English Language Learning, Teaching, and Assessment (ELLTA) research group. We have not fixed an agenda in advance but are looking to see what directions for teacher-research might emerge from our discussions.

Richard Smith and Rose Woodford

Meetings in Term 3:

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Meetings in Term 2:

The Reflective Practice Group (for all those currently teaching) continued to meet every two weeks.

Meetings in Term 1:

Week 9 - Wednesday 1st December - 2-3.30pm - Room A1.07: Metaphor for the Classroom

We had an interesting discussion around the following:

Think about how you feel about your classroom. What do you feel is actually happening in your classroom? What is the role of the teacher and the learners in the classroom? How do they relate to each other? How do they communicate? Who holds the power? Choose a metaphor that describes your image of the classroom. Consider why you have chosen this metaphor. What are the aspects of this metaphor that describe your perceptions of what is actually happening when learners are in the classroom?

We also agreed that meetings this term had been enjoyable and useful and to continue meetings every two weeks in Term 2

Week 5 - Wednesday 3rd November - 2-3.30pm - Room A1.07:

• Focus on recent 'successes' in our teaching (sharing examples of ‘things that went well’ and thinking about why)
• any issues/puzzles/questions arising from recent practice

Week 3 - Wednesday 2-3.30pm - Room A1.07: teaching new classes - how we feel / how we break the ice / questions of identity

Discussion during the first session focused on anxieties that we/students may feel prior to teaching a new class and how we can reduce anxiety, and related issues of revealing oneself/'being oneself' or taking on a persona as a teacher.

A blog facility is available here in case we decide that using this would be useful.