The following message is from David J. Rosen, please read on ~
Best...Jackie Taylor, List Moderator, jataylor at utk.edu 

 

________________________________

From: David J. Rosen [mailto:djrosen1 at gmail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 8:06 AM
To: The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List
Subject: Critical thinking and learner leadership scenario

 

Cynthia, Marty and others,

 

Sometimes learners, as individuals or as a group, have a strongly-held
opinion, for example about how their English language class should be
taught. Their view of what the class should be like is based on their
experience in school in their own country/countries. It involves having
a textbook, memorizing passages of text, and having the teacher stand in
front of the class and lecture, especially lecturing about grammar.

 

Their teacher may have a different view about how the class should be
organized, for example that it should include some language learning
games to reduce anxiety in producing sentences in the new language and
for practice. The teacher may also believe that the new language being
learned should be used to discuss issues of concern to the students in
their workplace (for example whether or not they are being exploited at
work, and if so what they can do about it, an issue,let's say, that some
students have asked about). 

 

Suppose some of the learners hold a meeting to discuss this and that one
learner steps forward to tell the teacher they want a textbook and
grammar.

 

Is this learner leadership? Is it critical thinking? Is it activism? How
should a teacher who believes that learner leadership and critical
thinking are important respond to this? Does this scenario resonate with
anyone who has taught adults English? 

 

David J. Rosen

djrosen at comcast.net

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