A01 cohe4573 01 se fm. Qxd

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G R O U N D I N G I N T H E T E A C H I N G A N D L E A R N I N G O F L 2 P R A G M A T I C S
behavior. It deals with a real issue (a puzzle, rather than a problem) in the
teacher ’s local context. Although improvement of instruction through change may
result from the newly gained understanding, action for change is neither required
nor promoted. After your initial reflection on your beliefs and practice in Activity 2.1
above, use the information, “Guide for exploratory practice,” and conduct further
reflection individually or with a colleague. Identify an area of inquiry related to
your teaching based on this reflection.
2
Following the “Guide for exploratory practice,” design your data collection,
collect, and analyze your data individually or collaboratively with your students 
or colleagues if applicable.
3
If your newly gained understanding of your classroom practice warrants any
change in practice, make an action plan for change, and implement it in your
classroom. Observe how it might affect student learning, attitude, or motivation.
4
Reflect on how you feel about your initial beliefs and practice, given your current,
deepened understanding of classroom practice and the potential role of
pragmatics.
5
Share your inquiry and findings with the whole group.
6
Go back to the original cycle. Find another inquiry and follow steps 1–5, above.
Discussion/wrap-up
Because the guide for exploratory practice provided below is rather brief, interested
teachers are invited to read more about exploratory practice and action research
24
and
see actual examples in the literature.
25
Exploratory practice is a reflective tool with
which teachers can gain a more explicit, and often more sophisticated, understanding
of their beliefs and practice. Teachers’ knowledge and expertise are likely to expand as
they engage in the recursive cycle of reflection promoted in exploratory practice.
Information: Guide for exploratory practice
26
Steps involved in exploratory practice
1
Observe, reflect, and contemplate on your current teaching independently 
or collaboratively with your colleague. Identify an area of inquiry you wish to
further explore.
24
See for example, Allwright (2001, 2003); Burns (1999); Richards and Lockhart
(1996); Wallace (1998).
25
Examples conducted by actual classroom teachers include: Haley (2005); Johnson
(2002); Tsui (1993); and various others in Richards and Lockhart (1996).
26
Adapted from Allwright (2001).

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T E A C H E R S ’ P R A G M A T I C S : K N O W L E D G E , B E L I E F S , A N D P R A C T I C E
3 5
27
Adapted from exploratory practice/action research conducted by an anonymous
teacher learner (Ishihara 2008a).
2
Design a doable study that you can conduct in your classroom, involving the
collection and analysis of data. Depending on the nature of your inquiry, your
data may be drawn from just one portion of a lesson, or they may be drawn
from a series of sessions over time. That will depend on what you choose to
explore with regard to your practice. You may wish to collaborate with your
colleague in this process and also to involve your students if appropriate.
3
If applicable, implement change that was found to be suitable through 
your exploration. Further observe and reflect on any positive or negative
consequences that your enhanced understanding or the change may bring
about in your classroom.
4
Reflect on this newly gained explicit knowledge of your teaching or on the
change brought to your practice. Then revisit your initial beliefs and practice
in light of this deepened understanding.
5
Discuss or write about your exploratory practice for professional development
(e.g., newly gained explicit knowledge of your briefs and practice, and
possibly a conference presentation/dissemination).
6
You are invited to repeat this recursive cycle of processes 1– 5 as a means of
professional development.
Examples of exploratory practice
27
1
A teacher’s initial reflection. How can my students best learn pragmatics?
Should I teach them pragmatic norms directly (deductive learning) or lead
them to self-discover them (inductive learning)? Selected inquiry: Which
approach to L2 pragmatics do my students prefer for learning about how 
to make requests – a deductive or inductive one?
2
Study designed and implemented by the instructor. Find two comparable
segments in the teaching of requests; one to be taught deductively, the 
other to be taught inductively. Teach these two sections with the different
approaches and conduct an informal learner survey or interview in order to
discover their preferences. The teacher’s findings: Learners found it more 
time-consuming to learn inductively but for most, it was a more enjoyable 
and memorable approach.
3
Action plan for the teacher. Try incorporating inductive learning into the
teaching of pragmatics to the extent that it is deemed appropriate. Observe
students’ reactions and reflect on their motivation and development.

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