Clare Painter University of Sydney ISFC 2012

1. Guidance in the context of shared experience: the role of interaction in language and literacy development Clare Painter University of Sydney ISFC 2012

2. our predisposition to teach • a back-up strategy has survived in the many species that are specifically social: the same lifelong chemistry-plus-environment strategy that results in children who are primed to learn also results in adults who are primed to teach. The selective sensitivity of the child gets tuned to a reliable source of information, reliable because that source -- other people in its community -- has similarly evolved to provide just that kind of information (e.g. about the local language in use in the community in that generation). The child sets off a teacher-response in adults just as adults set off a learner-response in children (this is stronger the younger the children are) (Lemke, 1995:160 [emphasis added]).

3. outline • Oral language development: orientations discouraging an interest in the adult role • Evidence from SFL case studies on the role of interaction and adult guidance • Reflections on interaction in literacy education

4. why does the ‘teaching’ role of the adult get effaced ? • the ‘nativist’ orientation from linguistics • Chomsky (LAD), Fodor, Bickerton (protolanguage), Gleitman (‘syntactic bootstrapping’, Hyams (parameters) Pinker (‘semantic bootstrapping’) • language is separate from cognition – grows and matures like any bodily organ • only role of environment is ‘triggering input’ for the innate ‘language acquisition device’ • mother tongue is impervious to teaching

5. MacNeill’s example Child: Nobody don't like me.Mother: No, say 'nobody likes me'.Child: Nobody don't like me.(Eight repetitions of this exchange)Mother: No, now listen carefully; say 'nobody likes me'.Child: Oh! Nobody don't likes me. McNeill, D. (1966 p.69)

6. “There is surprisingly little evidence that reinforcement, or indeed any sustained form of explicit teaching plays an important role in language learning. Indeed there exists some experimental evidence which suggests that explicit instruction in the child’s first language fails to be facilitating.” Foder, J.A, Bever, T.G. & Garret, M.F. The psychology of language 1974: 455

7. why does the ‘teaching’ role of the adult get effaced ? • the constructivist orientation from psychology • children construct their own knowledge from interaction and play with the material environment • ‘discovery learning’ (cf Rousseau) Jean Piaget 1896-1980 - stage theory of cognitive development: ‘readiness’ is all “each time one prematurely teaches a child something he could have discovered for himself, the child is kept from inventing it and consequently from understanding it completely” (cited in PH Mussen (ed) (1970: 715) - language simply follows on from self-managed cognitive development - development is from ‘radical egocentrism’ to gradually becoming social

8. SFL

9. SFL case studies of first language development in the home Derewianka, B (2003) ‘Grammatical metaphor in the transition to adolescence.’ In Simon-Vandenbergen, A M et al (eds) Grammatical Metaphor: Views from Systemic Functional Linguistics Amsterdam / Philadelphia PA, Benjamins: 142-165

10. some recurring themes from SFL case studies • child is developing a resource for ‘making sense’ of experience (learning language while learning through language) • the child’s language follows a developmental trajectory: • protolanguage  transition  phase III (into language) • generalisation, abstraction, metaphor (with language) • child’s strategies for learning are ‘semantic strategies’ (cognition as meaning)

11. equally important “The learning of the mother tongue is also an interactive process. It takes the form of the continued exchange of meanings between the self and others. The act of meaning is a social act.” Halliday (1975:140/ 2004: 301)

12. drawing on… Human selves are born not as individuals but as sociable persons seeking other human selves … Trevarthen 2009: 511 in a (pre-linguistic) ‘proto-conversation’ Both actors, adult and infant …move together in dialogue, alternating and synchronizing moves to generate cycles of …address and reply… (Trevarthen 2009: 512) the mother’s voice “draws the infant consciousness into attentive focused states, leads to alternation of messages and leaves lasting impressions” Trevarthen 2009: 514)

13. 1. baby Emma at 6 mo. M involves her in ‘clap handies’ game 2. boldly trying out on a new person… 3. … but when “uncomprehending, he responds with a sarcastic laugh” she lowers her head and eyes in a classic gesture of shame Trevarthen, C 1998:40

14. Halliday, 1980: the adult as ‘tracker’ “The caregivers not only exchange meanings with the child, they also construe the system along with him… [refers to Condon’s use of the term ‘tracking’ in relation to speakers’ monitoring each other’s contributions] …Now when we come to study the infant’s language development we find the concept of ‘tracking’ is fundamental here too. Not only do the caregivers track the process, [i.e. text] they also track the system. Child and adult share in the creation of language. The mother knows where the child has got to (subconsciously; she is not aware she has this knowledge, as a rule), because she is construing the system along with him; she brings it into play receptively, and stores it alongside her own more highly developed system -- which had been construed along similar lines in the first place” Halliday (1980/2004:199) ‘The contribution of developmental linguistics to the interpretation of language as system.’

15. tracking is in order to interact and guide effectively

16. guiding into dialogue (1;1;15) (M switches light on) H: da! M: That’s the light, isn’t it? the light (1;2;0) M: Where’s the light? Where’s the light? (H looks at her intently, then up at light) M: It’s there, isn’t it? Where’s the light? H: dja (points at looks at light) M: Yes H: (points) da M: Yes, clever boy H: da; da; da; dja; da (points at another light) M: Mm, that one’s not on

17. guiding into dialogue the ‘standard action format’ (Ninio & Bruner, 1978) M: Look! (attentional vocative) C: (touches picture) M: What are those? (query) C (vocalises and smiles) M: Yes, they are rabbits (feedback and label) C: (vocalises, smiles, looks up at M) M: (laughs) Yes, rabbit (feedback and label) C: (vocalises, smiles) M: Yes (laughs) (feedback) cf Brown – the original word game; the ‘naming game’

18. Theorised in terms of Vygotsky’s ideas and described as “scaffolding” “steps taken to reduce the degrees of freedom taken in carrying out some task so that the child can concentrate on the difficult skill she is in the process of acquiring” (Bruner, 1978: 19) here – attending to the picture, attending to the name, taking a dialogic turn

19. Lev Vygotsky 1934 Thought and Language 1962 Translated into English 1980s Beginnings of take-up in English speaking world 1896-1934 • – language (and therefore social interaction) mediates cognitive development • learning takes place in the ‘zone of proximal development’ (ZPD) • region between learner’s level when performing solo in some task and the level that can be achieved under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers • the developmental trajectory is from ‘inter-mental’ (mediated by speech) to ‘intra-mental’ (contra Piaget) • “That which the child is able to do in collaboration today, he will be able to do independently tomorrow” (Vygotsky, 1978: 216-7 • learning in the ZPD is enabled by more expert others through ‘scaffolding’ (Wood, Bruner and Ross, 1976) and ‘guided participation’ (Rogoff, 1990)

20. scaffolding: the asymmetrical dyad

21. interacting with books (1;8; 11) (pushing an open picture book at M) H: Doing; doing (demanding tone) M: (puzzled at first) Oh; what’s he doing? Is that what I say? H: (beams) M: So, what’s he doing?... • (2;1;23) (H looks at a picture book by himself) • H: What’s that? (pointing at picture) • -- Train • - No. What’s that? • - Tusk • - That’s right. TUSK! (2;1;23) history of shared experience allows adult to pass conversational ball back language comes to consciousness in process of being learned adult language gets appropriated – here at level of discourse

22. the ‘naming game’ continues 2;7;1 (M and S Looking at a picture book) DK1 K2 DK1 K2 K1 DK1 K2 K1 K1 K2f K1 K2f I R I R E/F I R E/F attentional query feedback and label query feedback and (‘recasting’ label) feedback with label M: And do you remember what that is? S: Mm M: What is it? S: It’s a house M: It’s a house, special house. And what’s it made of? S: Oh (pause) snow. M: Yes, that’s right; It’s made of ice S: Made of ice M: And it’s called igloo. S: Igloo shared experience: of the genre, involving typical ‘pedagogical’ exchanges

23. 2;7;1 (M and S Looking at a picture book) DK1 K2 DK1 K2 K1 DK1 K2 K1 K1 K2f K1 K2f I R I R E/F I R E/F attentional query feedback and label query feedback and (‘recasting’ label) feedback with label M: And do you remember what that is? S: Mm M: What is it? S: It’s a house M: It’s a house, special house. And what’s it made of? S: Oh (pause) snow. M: Yes, that’s right; It’s made of ice S: Made of ice M: And it’s called igloo. S: Igloo shared experience: of the genre, involving typical ‘pedagogical’ exchanges of the text (do you remember?)

24. 2;7;1 (M and S Looking at a picture book) DK1 K2 DK1 K2 K1 DK1 K2 K1 K1 K2f K1 K2f I R I R E/F I R E/F attentional query feedback and label query feedback and (‘recasting’ label) feedback with label M: And do you remember what that is? S: Mm M: What is it? S: It’s a house M: It’s a house, special house. And what’s it made of? S: Oh (pause) snow. M: Yes, that’s right; It’s made of ice S: Made of ice M: And it’s called igloo. S: Igloo shared experience: of the genre, involving typical ‘pedagogical’ exchanges of the text (do you remember?) adult talks about language it’s called…

25. 2;7;1 (M and S Looking at a picture book) DK1 K2 DK1 K2 K1 DK1 K2 K1 K1 K2f K1 K2f I R I R E/F I R E/F attentional query feedback and label query feedback and (‘recasting’ label) feedback with label M: And do you remember what that is? S: Mm M: What is it? S: It’s a house M: It’s a house, special house. And what’s it made of? S: Oh (pause) snow. M: Yes, that’s right; It’s made of ice S: Made of ice M: And it’s called igloo. S: Igloo shared experience: of the genre, involving typical ‘pedagogical’ exchanges of the text (do you remember?) adult talks about language it’s called… adult offers new language for appropriation

26. 2;8;29 S: Look Mummy baa baa black sheep M: Oh, that’s not a sheep, that’s a dog with a woolly coat. It’s called a poodle. Poodle. S: Oh, poodle (later) S: That’s not a lamb, no

27. SFL: the text – system relation • “…From acts of meaning children construe the systemof language, while at the same time, from the system, they engender acts of meaning. When children learn language they are simultaneously processing text into language and activating language into text” (Halliday [1993] 2004: 341)

28. instantiation The relation between the meaning potential as a whole and the particular choices of meanings, wordings and soundings actualised in an individual text, on a specific occasion ‘system’ (potential) instance (text) ‘act of meaning’

29. instances from which the child construes the system are jointly constructed • What’s it made of? • Oh. Snow • Yes, that’s right, • it’s made of ice • Made of ice • And it’s called igloo • Igloo

30. In interaction: simultaneous creation of text and construal of system What’s it made of? Oh. Snow Yes, that’s right, it’s made of ice Made of ice And it’s called igloo Igloo ‘system’ (potential) instance (text)

31. the system (the climate)…[is] the pattern set up by the instances (the weather), and each instance, no matter how minutely, perturbs these probabilities and so changes the system (or keeps it as it is, which is just the limiting case of changing it. (Halliday 1992: 26/ 2002: 359)

32. scaffolding monologue on the basis of shared experience

33. Scaffolding stories (Nigel, around 1;9, recalling an outing with Mum) N: Bumblebee M: Where was the bumblebee? N: Bumblebee on train M: What did Mummy do? N: Mummy open window M: Where did the bumblebee go? N: Bumblebee flew away (Halliday, 1975: 99) Adult takes on burden of sequencing and structuring Child contributes events

34. (2;0) (H returns from shopping trip with F) H: Stick! M: (baffled) Stick, eh? H: Horse M: Oh, you’ve had a ride on a horse (a routine shopping mall event) H: Ride on horsey; ride on horsey ‘gain! adult ‘recasts’ child’s initiation to clarify it child extends meaning (2;1;24) (H has spent day with M) F: Where did you go today? H: To beach F: What did you do? H: (silence) adult scaffolds with relevant Q child responds and extends meaning M: Did you get wet? H: Yes, girl got all wet too. Crying

35. upping the ante Nigel: Try eat lid F: What tried to eat the lid? Nigel: Try eat lid F: What tried to eat the lid? Nigel: Goat… man said no… goat try eat lid… man said no (Later) Nigel: Goat try eat lid…man said no. M: Why did the man say no? Nigel: Goat shouldn’t eat lid (shaking his head no) good for it. M: The goat shouldn’t eat the lid. It’s not good for it Nigel: Goat try eat lid… man said no…goat shouldn’t eat lid (shaking his head] good for it (Halliday, 1975: 112)

36. So far… examples of adult scaffolding into dialogue (proto-conversations, protolanguage exchanges, shared observations) into the pedagogic genre of the naming game into monologue (recounts and anecdotes) all enabled by shared experience

37. The direction of adult guidance?

38. guiding the child to reflect on the meaning system 1. semantic categories 2;7;9 (talking about recent outing) S: That baby cry- crying M: Yes, it was; well babies do cry a lot when they’re little 2;7;3 S: That dog got a shaky tail M: Yes, dogs wag their tails when they’re happy 2;8;12 (M and S looking at a picture book about circus) S: Is that the clown? M: Yes; that’s the clown ‘cause he’s got a big red nose; clowns often have red noses

39. guiding the child to reflect on the meaning system 1. semantic categories 2;7;9 (talking about recent outing) S: That baby cry- crying M: Yes, it was; well babies do cry a lot when they’re little 2;7;3 S: That dog got a shaky tail M: Yes, dogs wag their tails when they’re happy 2;8;12 (M and S looking at a picture book about circus) S: Is that the clown? M: Yes; that’s the clown ‘cause he’s got a big red nose; clowns often have red noses the role of adult elaborating responses in making adult system ‘visible’

40. unique e.g. Mary unique e.g. Mary specific e.g. that baby specific e.g. that baby generic e.g. babies child’s system being instantiated adult’s system being construed

41. Solo efforts a year later – reflecting on categories (3;7;5) (S talking to M about the ‘big shoes’ at the door) S: Hal has [big shoes] and you have and Daddy has; grown-ups have (i) self elaborations on adult model (3;8;1) M: …dogs are animals S: No, they aren’t; dogs aren’t animals M: Well, what’s an animal then? S: Um, giraffes are animals M: Oh, I see, you think animal is only for zoo animals S: Yeah (ii) interactive explorations (3;8;7) S looking at animal jigsaw puzzle pieces) S: There isn’t a fox [i.e. on jigsaw]; and there isn’t – is a platypus an animal? (3;8;14) M and H have been talking about dolphins being mammals) S: Are seals dolphins? M: No, but seals are mammals too; they aren’t fish

42. Guiding the child to reflect on the meaning system 2. using definitions 2;8;18 (S has been singing Mary had a little lamb) S: Fleece, not feece, no; not teece; not teece (laughing) M: No, not teeth F: (sings) Teeth were as white as snow S: No, not teeth, fleece M: Yes, fleece; fleece is the wool on the lamb. All the lamb’s soft wool is called the fleece S: (No response) 2;11;15 (S overhears the word pet in talk between M and brother) S: What’s a pet? M: A pet is an animal who lives in your house: Katy’s our pet. (later same day) S: What’s a pet called?

43. compare ‘ostensive definition’ linguistic definition

44. Solo efforts a year later – reflecting on language (3;7;5) (S in bath about to be shampoo-ed) M: Put your head right back in the water (trying to get the hair wet). Come on, drown. S: Not drown!! Drown is go down to the bottom and be dead (3;7;8) (M and S enter house dripping wet with rain) M: (to F) Oh, we’re drowned! S: What does drown mean? M: Means we’re all wet (3;7;10) S: Maybe it’s going to sprinkler. You know what sprinkler means? It meanslittle raindrops. And sometimes sprinkler is click on (?unclear); that means squirt at people (3;8;27) S: Ooh, listen! Look it’s- it’s hail. See the ice; you know, hail is balls of ice (3;10) (S bringing M a complex lego structure, carrying it gingerly) S: Balance means you hold it on your fingers and it doesn’t go on the floor

45. guiding the child to reflect on meaning as process

46. as processes of construal (inner semiosis) – seeing, knowing, thinking, remembering • (2;7;1) (Bedtime book reading) • M: Going to have this one first? • D’you know what the name of this tiger is? • He’s called (pause) Growl! • S: Mm, Growl • M [reads text]… • ‘Your shadow” chuckled Trumpet • Do you know what a shadow is? • S: Mm • M: You see my shadow, here on the book • See that? See my hand? See the shadow of my hand. Shadow, fingers moving; see the fingers moving • [reads on in text] • M: The pond is like a mirror, you see • And do you know what Growl was frightened of? • He was frightened of his own face in the mirror, in the pond, his own reflection

47. (3;8;1) (M asks S if he knows a word in their book) S: No M: It’s an animal S: Rabbit? M: No, it’s ‘dog’ S: Dog’s not an animal! M: Yes it is… [further talk omitted] What is it, then? S: It’s- it’s just a dog M: Yes, but dogs are animals S: No, they aren’t; dogs aren’t animals M: Well, what’s an animal then? S: Um, giraffes are animals M: Oh, I see, you think animal is only for zoo animals S: Yeah M: Dogs are animals, too; they’re tame animals. And cats, cats are animals too. Did you know that? Bro: (chipping in) And people, were animals S: We’re not.

48. 3;5;24 S: That’s for later [i.e. fruit] for porridge, if Daddy buys some more porridge M: If Daddy makes some porridge S: No, no, buy some porridge M: You buy the oats, you don’t buy the porridge S: Do you make porridge? M: Yes, you know that, you’ve seen Daddy make porridge S: Oh (pause) you put the muesli in, and all of it in and then let it go and then it turns into porridge 4;4;10 S: Hey, Mum, can dolphins eat boats? M: No S: Why? M: They don’t want to eat boats; they eat fish. Are you thinking of Pinocchio (recently seen movie)? S: Yes M: Oh, that was a whale. But they don’t really swallow boats.

49. as processes of verbalising (external semiosis) – say, tell (1;8;11) (pushing an open picture book at M) H: Doing; doing (demanding tone) M: (puzzled at first) Oh; what’s he doing? Is that what I say? H: (beams) M: So, what’s he doing?...

50. verbalising as semiotic identity relation (2;6;22) (M and S open a picture book) M: Hal wrote his name in this book. See, that says ‘Hal’ S: Hal; Hal’s book M: Yes, it was Hal’s book (2;7;3) (F hanging up S’s coat at kindy) F: There’s your peg; See (points at label) that says Stephen S: ‘S’ (pointing) ‘S’ (2;7;1) (S pointing at words in picture book) S: That’s same as Hal and that’s same as Daddy… and that’s Mummy M: I tell you what – this one is ‘sun’ there; see and this one says ‘snow’… M: That says eskimo S: Oh, eskimo M: And you know what that says? That one says whale S: Mm, whale (2;7;13) M: Here’s our Peter Rabbit book S: (points to random word) That says Peter Rabbit