Facilitating dialogue in the adult EAL classroom: Acknowledging learners, teachers and the curriculum

Abstract

Ostensibly, the orientation towards learning outcomes in adult English language and literacy delivery ensures that the focus is on standardised skill development and knowledge acquisition of students. Such measureable development is seen as foundational to broader employability skills and job readiness. It is an agenda however which ignores the socio-cultural differences of learners and their aspirations of integration with mainstream society. It also ignores the transformational potential of the classroom and the dialogical interactions between all class members to act as catalysing agents for change. Based on a case study design and a conceptual framework anchored in dialogical theory, this paper explores the social space of the contemporary adult learning classroom and its potential to act on the socio-cultural confidence of learners. It shows that the classroom is a space of multiple stakeholders and diverse tensions. Through generating a shared ethos, teachers can enhance both dialogue and mutual learning. Opportunities for student transformation are hindered however by a standardised curriculum which fails to hear the aspirations of learners and management models which prioritise their own needs.