QIF Language Arts Pre-Service Teacher Education Development Programme Workshop 1: Day 4 Focus on Meaning in Classroom Interaction 10 th December, 2011.

QIF Language Arts Pre-Service Teacher Education Development

Programme

Workshop 1: Day 4

Focus on Meaning in Classroom Interaction

10th December, 2011

Review: Principles of Social Constructivism

1. Focus on learning not on performance.

2. View learners as co-constructors of meaning and knowledge.

3. Establish learner – teacher relationships that are built upon the idea of guidance not instruction.

4. Engage learners in tasks that are seen as ends in themselves and which build upon previous learning.

5. Promote assessment as an active process of uncovering and acknowledging shared understanding.

6. Recognise that the contexts in which learning takes place will play an important part in shaping the quality and depth of learning.

Classroom Talk: Following up students’ contributions

Look at the following sample of classroom interaction from the Tanzania transcript:

T Where was the picture taken? Yes, please? IS1 In the aeroplane. RT In the aeroplane. Good, yes. In the aeroplane. F

What do the letters I, R and F stand for?

InitiateRespondFollow up (or Feedback)

Purposes of the teacher’s follow-up moves

Follow up moves are not so common in every day conversations outside the classroom. Yet they are very common indeed in classroom talk between teacher and students.

What are some of the functions and purposes of a teacher’s follow up move?

Look at the I-R-F exchanges on the handout, and try to determine the teacher’s purpose behind the follow up move (in bold) in each case.

Form-focused and Content-focused follow up

The ‘F’- move

Form-focused Content-focused

Evaluative Discoursal/ Conversational Directed at individual Directed to whole class

student Backward-looking Forward-looking To promote accuracy To encourage fluency

Follow-up ‘Acts’ in the language class

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Task: Identifying follow-up acts in a transcript

Look at the Tanzania transcript and the table showing the follow-up moves. In your groups, try to complete the table by:

1. Identifying whether each follow-up move is ‘form-focused’ or ‘content-focused’

2. Identifying the follow-up acts the teacher uses in each move.

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Strategies for effective, interactive follow up

Good teachers:

• Listen to what students’ say• Show interest in the content of what they say (as well as being aware of

how they say it)• React and are responsive• Exploit opportunities to engage with students as co-conversationalists• Balance focus on meaning with focus on form, according to the aim of the

activity

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Looking at lesson transcripts

Look at the two lesson transcripts provided (one from Egypt, and the other from Tanzania).

1. Comment on the ways each teacher follow up on their students’ contributions and the follow up acts they use.

2. In whose class would you rather be a student, and why?

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Using lesson transcripts in our teacher education classes

How could you make use of lesson transcripts as material in your own teacher education classes?

How can you get hold of examples of classroom interaction?

Could you ask your students to record and make transcripts of their own classes during their Teaching Practice?

How would such an exercise benefit their professional development?

Learner-centred teachingSome dimensions of L-C teaching:• Learner engagement: focus on learning, not teaching• Learner needs, including special needs• Learner interests• Learner wishes• Learner goals• Learner differences, including Learning styles• Individualisation• Personalisation• Inclusion and Respect for diversity• Collaborative learning• Role of teacher

Collaborative reconstruction task: Dictogloss

1. A short, dense text is read to the learners (twice) at normal speed.

2. Learners make notes while it is being read.

3. In small groups learners pool their notes and try to reconstruct text.

4. Each group presents its own reconstructed text. 5. The various versions are analysed and compared, and amended in

light of discussion.

6. Learners compare their versions with the original.

Dictogloss examplefrom Thornbury 1997

Original Version There was a young woman from RigaWho went for a ride on a tiger

They returned from the rideWith the woman inside

And a smile on the face of the tiger.

Dictogloss example (cont.)

Reconstruction 1 (Individual Student) There was a woman from Riga who were on a

tiger to make a ride. When they come back the woman was in tiger and tiger was smiling.

Dictogloss example (cont.)

Reconstruction 2 (Group of 3 students) There was a woman from Riga who go for a ride

on a tiger. The tiger come back with the woman inside and a smile on the tiger.

Dictogloss example (cont.)

Reconstruction 3 (Whole class: 9 students) There was a young woman of Riga who went for a

ride on a tiger. The tiger returned with the woman inside and a smile on its face.

Reference:Thornbury, S. (1997) ‘Reformulation and

reconstruction: tasks that promote noticing. ELT Journal 51/4: 326 - 335

Texts for dictoglossGARLIC, THE GREAT HEALER

All through history people have used garlic for healing. People used it in India and China over 5000 years ago. Because it is a natural medicine, it is a safe antibiotic. During World War I, for example, doctors used garlic juice because it helped stop infection.

• (from Wajnryb 1990: 32)