Pedagogical choices in the English classroom : a case study in a Maltese church secondary school

Abstract

The pedagogical options available to a teacher are many, and the choices that a teacher makes in the classroom are crucial to the learners’ educative experience. Pedagogical options range from choice of materials, patterns of interaction, classroom activities, homework policy, classroom management, to student groupings among others and this study explores the thought processes that underpin such decisions. Through interviews, questionnaires, and observations, the implications for teaching and learning of such decisions and the environments that they encourage or discourage are investigated. Student responses to student-centred and teacher-centred practices, and how these affect student collaboration and classroom management are also explored. The scenarios that develop from the two participating teachers’ pedagogical decisions is described and compared to the literature, showing the great importance of a balance between student-centred and teacher centred practices, all the while maintaining a focus on students’ needs.