Teachers’ pragmatics:

knowledge, beliefs,
and practice

Noriko Ishihara

Chapter 2
What we have talked about earlier last week

– what pragmatics is,

– how it is intertwined with culture,
– and why it is important to teach it in the L2 classroom

shift the focus to

what the teacher brings to the learning and
teaching of pragmatics.
A pragmatic situation

– The teacher asks Peter to help with the plans for the class trip.
– T: OK, so we’ll go by bus. Who lives near the bus station? Peter, could
you check the bus times for us on the way home tonight?
– P: #No, I can’t tonight. Sorry.
– Was the last part appropriate/correct? Yes NoIf there was a problem, how
bad do you think it was?
 Pragmatic competence

– Functional knowledge represents the knowledge of using

linguistic forms to realize pragmatic functions, such as using
would you to make a request,
– while sociolinguistic knowledge is the knowledge of using
linguistic forms appropriately according to different situational
variables (e.g., social status, familiarity, power relationship,
and degree of imposition), such as choosing polite forms when
speaking to people of higher social status.
 Teachers

– We know that teachers’ backgrounds, knowledge, experiences, and

beliefs have an impact on what and how they teach. As stated earlier, a
primary intention of this book is to help narrow the gap between what
is currently known about how language is pragmatically used and how
that information is (or is not) taught in the classroom.
The books focus…

– making available to teachers research-based information about

how language is used pragmatically.
– as well as by demonstrating effective approaches to the teaching of
pragmatics.
Question
what do you think?
– If given an appropriate theoretical framework, language teachers
can devise instructional strategies on their own.
– Or
– the knowledge and skills necessary to do an effective job of
teaching L2 pragmatics 2 may not come automatically to all
language teachers, and specific preparation focused on
instructional pragmatics is needed.
Qualifications of effective teachers of
pragmatics
would include:
a) an awareness of diverse pragmatic norms in a speech community,
b) the ability to provide metapragmatic information about target
language pragmatic norms,
c) the ability to develop and assess L2 learners’ pragmatic competence
(Bardovi-Harlig [1992].
 As a background to a training course

The participants should

– to reflect critically, for example, on their language learning and teaching
experiences, what they have learned and further professional
development, and what they believe are effective instructional strategies
in general and for the teaching of pragmatics in particular.
 teacher-led reflection

– discussing the nature and components of teachers’ knowledge,

beliefs, and practice.
– this awareness can also help teachers develop an analytic eye as to
their own nature and process of professional development.
 Teacher knowledge, beliefs,
and practice
– Through teacher education, classroom practice, and
experiences inside and outside of the classroom,
teacher’s knowledge is, for example, acquired, shaped,
refined, modified, reinforced, transformed, used, and
revised.
 The components of language teacher knowledge

– ■ 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).
how are these categories applied to the teaching of
L2 pragmatics?

– The answer is in table on page 23

– At a friend’s home Ann and Bill are both 35 years old and are good
friends. Ann borrowed a computer magazine from Bill. Unfortunately, Ann
spilled coffee on the magazine and damaged it. She is now returning it to
Bill.
– Bill: What happened to my magazine?
– Ann:
– Bill:
 five contextual factors:

– severity of offense, offender’s obligation to apologize,

likelihood for the apology to be accepted, offenders’ face loss,
offended party’s face loss, and social distance and
dominance.
– Findings showed that in situations where Japanese and
American apology patterns were the same, learners had
positive transfer from Japanese apologies,
Teacher beliefs and practice

– Teachers knowledge influence or determine their instructional,

evaluative, and curricular decisions.
– For example, how teachers view the nature of language or that of
learning may translate into how they believe language can best be
learned.
– she may rely only on a standard variety or alocal pragmatic variation
– Do you want to come with me?)
In a classroom

– If still another language teacher believes that students learn

language through repetition and memorization, she may select
simple drills of a request phrase, “Can you . . . ?” as her preferred
activity for lower-level learners to learn to make a request.
Where does it come from?

– Based on the instruction in some language textbook the teacher has

been exposed to, or is it perhaps traceable to her past language
learning experience?
– he learned a great deal of L2 pragmatics through film himself ?

– if teacher learners read about the benefits of computer-assisted

language learning in their teacher preparation course, it tends to
influence their method of teaching pragmatics
 Teachers are affected in complex
ways by…
– experiences as a (language) learner in the classroom;
– experiences outside the classroom;
– established instructional practices in the educational community;
– theories, approaches, methods, or techniques informed through teacher
preparation and other professional development opportunities;
– personality factors (e.g., being extroverted or introverted); and
– classroom teaching experiences.
 More ….

– Classroom practice and teachers’ knowledge construction are often

constrained by the instructional context (e.g., the available time and the
number of students).
– Teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practice are also affected by the larger
context of curriculum, community concerns, policies, and educational
institutions. Classroom practice may often be guided by teacher beliefs.
At the same time, perhaps because teachers see various situational factors
as beyond their control, a mismatch between a stated belief and actual
practice has sometimes been found in studies investigating this link.
 a gap between knowledge and practice

– How are you?

– I am fine thanks?

– teacher who knows that speakers greet people in different English

speaking countries in different ways, or even within the same
culture, depending on who the conversational partner is and what
the occasions are.
Why does she teach the way she
does?
– she teaches that way because it is an established practice in the institution or in the
textbook.
– because when she learned another language, she was taught only one example of a
greeting routine herself.
– because she believes that mastering one routine is a sufficient start for beginning learners.
– because she did not have much time to spend on the first chapter and did not wish to
overload her learners with too many forms
Remedies ….

1. enhancing L2 learners’ pragmatic ability, then we would

recommend that they attempt to align their practice as much as
possible with their knowledge and beliefs.
2. But if her decision to limit instruction to one standard greeting was
based on a lack of instructional time, it helps to have that explicit
realization; she may be more likely to incorporate variation when
more instructional time is available.
Remedies ….

3. Participate in a professional development workshop on instructional

pragmatics and came to believe that pragmatics can be incorporated in a
manner that beginners can benefit, she might change her future
curriculum to allow more time for pragmatics.
Discussion

– Teacher knowledge and beliefs are recognized as a dynamic system

that is subject to change in relation to, for instance, teachers’
professional development and experience.
– Because various events happen simultaneously at multiple levels in
the classroom, much of teachers’ knowledge of their own teaching
may remain below the level of consciousness.
Discussion

– In the area of language teacher education, teachers’ reflective

practice has been promoted through various means, such as
narrative inquiry, action research, and exploratory practice. These
reflective tools can empower teachers when knowledge of their
own beliefs and practice becomes more accessible to them.
Discussion

– We recommend that teachers routinely engage in reflective practice

for further reasoning of their own teaching. Because learning
through reflection can be enriched, supported, and furthered by
dialoguing with oneself or with colleagues
– Chapter 2 is over.
– Thanks.