Chapter 3: Articulating Beliefs

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UPSI
Beliefs are not necessarily something that
teachers can easily articulate or are
completely aware of (Johnson, 1998).
WHY?
1. No demand from the institution in doing so
2. There is no value placed on such articulation

What influences our beliefs?
Education & its discourse
The way we learn to
think, speak and act
and what we learn to
value in a given setting
school (Gee, 1990)

Work Experience & its
discourse
what you think
constitutes success in
your institution
What you think is
important or necessary
for the institution
The way things are
done in the setting
On-going Professional
Developments
Readings
Presentations
Attending courses
Seminars
Designing a Course
One way for teachers to understand and
articulate our beliefs
Why?
1. It provides us the basis for making choices
A Frame work for Articulating Your
Beliefs
1. Your view of language
2. Your view of the social context of language
3. Your view of learning and learners
4. Your view of teaching
Beliefs About Language
How you view language or what being
proficient affects what and how you teach
Language has been defined in many ways. e.g.
pronunciation, grammar lexis, discourse (Bailey, 1998)
Form, meaning and use (Larsen-Freeman, 1990)
Your beliefs about language will reflect your
beliefs on how it should be learned. e.g.
emphasis on language as rule-governed may translate into
belief that language should be learned accurately without
grammatical errors
Beliefs About The Social Context of
Language
In Sterns view, society or social
context consists of:
SOCIOLINGUISTIC
- It bridges language and social
context
- Concerned with how language
is adapted to fit (or not) the
social context
SOCIOCULTURAL
- Concerned with the
interaction between language
and culture
- Includes different dimensions
of cultures like social values,
attitudes, norms, customs
- Involves understanding both
ones own culture and that of
the target language
SOCIOPOLITICAL
- Concerned with how a
language or social group is
viewed by other social groups
- A critical awareness of how
language is used
- e.g. the beliefs that learners
need to know how to
participate in community, will
influence teaching to help
learners gain access to social
systems