Why Do We Teach the Way We Teach? Two Tertiary ESL Teachers’ Reflections on Their Differing Practice

Abstract

Teachers who teach the same topics sometimes teach them differently. This study used classroom observation, post-action reflection and peer discussion among teachers to gather data on differences in how two tertiary level language teachers teach the same workshops, and to share their reflections about why they teach the way they teach and in what ways can they improve. The two teachers were also the two researchers. The Constant Comparison Method was used to group the various data into eight continua along which the teachers differed. The researchers also considered the issue of whether teachers should be urged to teach in a uniform manner. This issue was discussed with reference to the two teachers, as well as to teachers generally. The authors conclude that teachers need not teach the same ways; however, they should communicate with each other about how they teach, and they should strive to support each other. The main theoretical foundation for the study derives from constructivism and the paradigm shift from behaviourism to constructivism, which in education manifests itself as student centred instruction.