Consciousness Raising Activities in some Lebanese English Language Classrooms: Teacher Perceptions and Learner Engagement

Abstract

The article starts from the premise that approaches to the teaching of English can only be assessed in the particular settings where they may be used. Cultures of learning, teachers’ and students’ beliefs and prevailing material conditions will all have a bearing on how a particular approach is received. In the case study reported on here, four teachers implemented a consciousness-raising (CR) approach to grammar instruction with nearly 200 students in years 7, 8 and 9 of a Lebanese secondary school. The teachers’ and students’ reactions to the particular set of activities trialled were recorded in teacher diaries and reports and through interviews with the teachers and their coordinator, and discussions with the participating students. Both teachers and students felt generally positive towards the approach. The prevailing culture of learning, which encourages learner autonomy and an analytical approach to language, seems to have contributed. It was found, however, that in order to avoid discrepancies in the use of metalanguage and classifications and to allow insights from CR to be used in language production-for-practice, CR would need to be an integral part of the regular integrated skills syllabus