Teachers’

pragmatics
knowledge, beliefs,
and practice
GROUP 1
1. Risman_F041201054
2. Adrio Aristadi_ F041201038
3. AQILAH NURJIHAN
PARAMUDIA _F041201053
As a background to the teacher-led

reflection proposed at the end of

the chapter, this section discusses
what constitutes teacher
knowledge especially with regard to
the teaching of pragmatics, areas
in which these knowledge and
beliefs are generated, potential
sources of these knowledge and
beliefs, and their relation to what
teachers do in the classroom
A. Teacher knowledge
The researchers define teacher knowledge
as follows: “a body of professional
knowledge that encompasses both
knowledges of general pedagogical
principles and skills and knowledge of the
subject matter to be taught” (p. 54). For
example, through teacher education,
classroom practice, and experience both
inside and outside the classroom, teacher
knowledge is acquired, formed, refined,
modified, amplified, transformed, used,
and revised.

The components of language teacher knowledge have been

argued to include the following: ■subject-matter knowledge
(e.g., how English grammar works); ■
pedagogical knowledge
(e.g., how to teach and assess); ■ pedagogical-content knowledge
(e.g., how to teach writing); ■
knowledge of learners and their
characteristics (e.g., how they tend to respond to group and
individual tasks); ■knowledge of educational contexts (e.g.,
whether the L2 is a second or foreign language at the elementary,
secondary, or post-secondary level); and ■
knowledge of the
curriculum and educational ends (e.g., whether/how the content
is integrated into language learning).
 It is important to identify what specifically
teachers of pragmatics need to know to
help learners understand others’ intentions
and express themselves as intended in the
given socio-cultural context. The following
chart shows a preliminary attempt to
answer this question:

To teach L2 pragmatics in the classroom, teachers would need to know

instructional and evaluative strategies specifically as they relate to pragmatics
(pedagogical-content knowledge). It would be a teachers’ immediate concern, for
instance, to know how to communicate to their students the importance of
having pragmatic ability in the L2, how to direct learners’ attention to features
of sociocultural context, and how to elicit and assess learners’ pragmatic use of
language.
 Teachers usually have certain ideas that
they know or believe to be true generally
about learning and teaching. The following
list shows specific areas of teachers’
knowledge and beliefs and can stimulate
teacher readers’ reflection as they explore
their own beliefs related to learning and
teaching. Teachers’ beliefs can be their
implicit theories of;
B. Teacher
beliefs and
practice
In many cases teachers
draw on their knowledge for example:
base in ways that influence ■ learning in general; ■ the subject
or determine their matter (e.g., the nature and
instructional, evaluative, characteristics of the target language;
and curricular decisions and the nature of pragmatics in our
case);■ the nature of knowledge (e.g.,
how knowledge is generated or
acquired); ■ (language) learning; ■
(language) teaching; ■ learners and
Classroom practice and teacher
their characteristics; ■ learning to
building of knowledge is often
teach; ■ self (e.g., self-identity and self-
limited by the pedagogical
context (e.g., time available and a
esteem); ■ teacher efficacy (e.g.,
teachers’ perception of their own
number of students). Classroom influence on student learning); ■ the
practice can often be guided by a teacher’s role; ■ the curriculum; and ■
teacher's beliefs. At the same teaching contexts.
time, perhaps because teachers

consider various situational

factors beyond their control,
mismatches between stated
beliefs and actual practice are
sometimes found in research
studies. check this relationship.
 To give an example, imagine we have
an EFL teacher who knows that
speakers differ in how they greet
people in different English-speaking
countries or even within the same
culture, depending on who the
conversation partner is and what the
time is.

Suppose, however,
that she only teaches
her first students a
formal greeting that Is it because she doesn't have
appears in EFL much time forpass the first
textbooks. chapter and don't want to
overload the learners with
some form? Why does she
teach the way she does? It is
Here we see a gap between it
important to ask this
knowledge and practice.
question because if she
Does she teach this way
doesn't teach according to
because is it an established
what she believes and
practice in schools or in
actually a bit annoyed with
textbooks? Is it because in
the way she is currently
learning another language
teaching and why If she
she herself only learned one
teaches this way, she might
example of the habit of
consider changing her
greeting? Is it because she
approach.
believes mastering one habit
is enoughBeginners for
beginners?