Brokering dialogue between teachers and secondary students to co-construct appropriate pedagogy in small classes

Abstract

This paper positions itself at the intersection of the interrelationship between three key areas of classroom research: pedagogy, student voice, and teachers' professional development. Its starting point was the question of how, and to what extent, teachers employ a different pedagogy in reduced-size secondary classes in Hong Kong. In particular, the study from which this paper is drawn sought to examine the pedagogical changes that experienced teachers might adopt in their classes as a result of reflecting on their students' feedback. While teachers appear to universally welcome smaller classes, there is a substantial body of research which suggests that teachers do not change their practice when moving from large classes to smaller ones. This is in spite of the powerful teaching opportunities that small classes are supposed to offer. There is some acceptance that specific teaching strategies are required in small classes to properly exploit the learning opportunities available (Blatchford, 2011). This paper will report on how two teachers working in reduced-size secondary classes of the same grade adapted their pedagogy as a result of a brokered dialogue between myself as researcher, adopting the role of professional academic imagined by Schwab (1983), and 45 grade 10 students from the teachers' classes. Research was carried out over the course of one academic year. First, students' perspectives on studying in a reduced-size class were elicited before they were invited to suggest ways of improving the teaching and learning in their respective classes. These interviews were transcribed and subsequently presented to the teachers of these classes. After some time for teachers' reflection, the two educators were interviewed to gauge their opinions on what the students had reported in the earlier interviews. At a later stage, their teaching was observed to determine whether, and to what extent, the two teachers had attempted to incorporate changes based on the feedback from pupils. Findings demonstrate that teachers responded positively to their students' perspectives, despite initial apprehensions. They also shed more light on the importance of teachers' and learners' own reflection of learning, rather than just the teaching. The study shows that pupil voice is a very powerful and constructive trigger for enacting teachers' pedagogical change and developing our understanding of students' learning processes. Implications for teachers' professional development and good practices in reduced-size classes will also be presented.