Pedagogical Innovations Within The Lmd Reform In Algeria: Shifting From Teacher-centeredness To Learner-centeredness In Efl Teachers’ Practices
Keywords:
Algeria, Bologna Process, EFL teachers, learner-centeredness, LMD reform, pedagogical innovation, teacher-centerednessAbstract
Shifting from teacher-centeredness to learner-centeredness is one of the pedagogical innovations advocated by the LMD reform in Algeria. The present paper reports on the prevailing teaching paradigm implemented by EFL teachers and the pedagogical practices they most commonly employ in their classrooms. The study involves thirty-two EFL teachers representing eight universities across Algeria. It builds on the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS) developed by Conti (2004) designed to measure the extent to which teachers support the principles of adult learning. Results show that despite over a decade since the implementation of the LMD reform, EFL teachers remain strongly teacher-centered (M=118.90, SD=11.73), with 84.4% scoring below the mean threshold for learner-centeredness.Furthermore, analysis of the data indicate that the activities most frequently fulfilled by the teachers are first those that aim to create a supportive atmosphere for learning and then those which address students’ prior knowledge and relate it to their current experiences. However, the practices that reveal teachers’ view of their role as facilitators rather than providers of knowledge and those that foster students’ sense of responsibility are found to be less common among the participants. The findings of the study can be used to inform professional development to address the discrepancy between the teaching style recommended to be adopted in higher education and what EFL academics implement in their classrooms in order to align with the objectives of the LMD reform, which is inspired by the Bologna Process, as well as with the pedagogical innovation they promote.
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