Stepping in the Same Stream Twice: A Dynamic Systems Look at Group Work in the ESL Classroom

Abstract

The beauty of teaching is that no matter how many times you have taught the same course, you cannot go back and re-teach any class, even if you wish you could. Each class moves along in its own way like a stream, following a fairly predictable path while taking surprising (yet logical) turns and twists over time. Time, as far as we know, is irreversible, but by looking at your classroom as an open, self-organizing system whose flow emerges as it progresses, you can prepare for the next class by making some very effective changes – changes that may seem small but that have a significant impact on the identity of the class and the flow of learning that emerges over time.