Become a Better Facilitator: Investigate Your Teacher Talk

1. Become a Better Facilitator: Investigate Your Teacher Talk Amy McCarthy SFSU M.A. TESOL Conference December 2, 2011

2. Do Your Classroom Discussions Ever Look Like This?

3. Would You Prefer Them to Look Like This?

4. Introduction: Project and Motivation • Low-intermediate non-credit class at Canal Alliance • Wanted to expand learner participation • More learners involved • Responses to each other • Investigated my teacher talk during class discussions • Audiotaped & transcribed

5. Presentation Overview • Background • My Project • Findings • Future Directions • Implications/Suggestions • Practical Tips

6. Background: What is Value of Teacher Talk in Discussion? • Sociocultural Perspective: Learning as social & collaborative (Antón, 1999; Foster & Ohta, 2005) • Teacher-learner interaction is model (Antón, 1999; Lee & Ng, 2010) • Scaffolding; e.g., vocabulary (Ko et al., 2003) • Building of classroom rapport (Byrne, 1987; Nyugen, 2007) • Teacher-fronted and learner-centered not mutually exclusive (Antón, 1999; Jacknick, 2009)

7. Background: What Kind of Teacher Talk? • Teacher in role of facilitator • Facilitative talk: How do we define? • Harder to define because less formulaic (Clifton, 2006)

8. Background: How to Study Teacher Talk? • Varied Approaches • Focus on specific features; e.g., questions • Use of quantitative ratios (Reinders et al. 2003; Wei, 2008) • Conversation Analysis: Qualitative -- teacher talk as part of jointly-constructed interaction • Context specific • Teacher investigation (Thornbury, 1996; Walsh, 2003) • Recording of interaction: “mirror-like ‘objective’ view of what goes on in class” (Schratz, 1992 as cited in Richards & Lockhart, 1994)

9. My Project: Context • Low intermediate non-credited integrated skills class at • Open enrollment: 14-20 Ss per night • From Latin America: Mexico, Guatemala, & El Salvador • Whole-class pre-reading discussions: • activating prior knowledge, predicting

10. My Project: Research Questions • What are existing patterns in teacher talk during class discussions? • How does my teacher talk affect learner participation? • What happens if I modify teacher talk? • Intentionally broad • “One can discover no more .. than one’s method of inquiry permits” (Heap, 1982, as cited in Lee, 2007)

11. My Project: Action Research Approach • “Self-reflective, critical, and systematic approach to your own teaching context” (Burns, 2010) • Reflective Intervention: From thinking to doing

12. My Project: Action Research Process • Three Cycles: 12 weeks • Action and Observation • Audiotaped & transcribed interaction • Reflection • Analyzed data & identified patterns • Kept Reflective Teaching Journal • Identified modifications to teacher talk • Further Action and Observation • Gradually introduced modifications in talk • Audiotaped & transcribed again

13. My Project: Method of Analysis • Initial quantitative analysis • Tally of features • e.g., clarification requests • Little insight into how teacher talk affected participation

14. My Project: Method of Analysis • Switched to primarily qualitative analysis • Insights from Conversation Analysis • Intimidating: terminology & transcription protocols • Interaction as jointly constructed • How does teacher talk create or block participation? • Turn-Taking Patterns: e.g., teacher-learner-teacher • Learner Initiation • Contingency

15. Findings: Example – Turn-Taking Patterns • Please look at Excerpt 1 (blue handout) • What do you notice about turn-taking pattern? • Does the teacher follow up after learner turn?

16. Findings: Turn-Taking Patterns • First Taping: somewhat rigid turn-taking • Learner turns bracketed by T turns • T follow-up move somewhat automatic • Minimal wait time after learner response (Garton, 2002) • My teacher talk blocking participation

17. Findings: Turn-Taking Patterns • Identified modifications to teacher talk • Consciousabout allowing wait time after learner response: time for others to respond • Conscious about making my follow-up move optional • Second Taping: more flexible turn-taking • Learners respond directly to each other • More learners participating

18. Findings: Example – Learner Initiation & Contingency • Learner initiation • Beyond direct response to my Q • Building on topic or bringing up related sub-topic (Adapted from Garton, 2002) • Contingency • “quality of interaction where the design of each turn is thoroughly dependent upon and reponsive to its prior turn” (Wong & Waring, 2010) • Please look at Excerpt 3 (blue handout)

19. Findings: Learner Initiation & Contingency • First Taping: • Took up learner initiative about ½ the time • Lack of contingency • Following own agenda • My teacher talk not supporting participation

20. Findings: Learner Initiation & Contingency • Identified modifications to teacher talk • Consciousabout learner initiation • Conscious about making my comments contingent • Keep in mind pedagogical goals: not too tangential • Second Taping: More space for initiation and contingency • Learner initiative taken up • Not just T, other learners responding • More learners participating

21. Future Directions • Focus on preparing students to participate • Raising awareness • Providing language and practice (Maeda, 2010; Sarosy & Sherak, 2002) • Continued focus on wait time • after learner response • Follow Action Research approach again

22. Implications / Suggestions • Biggest benefit: More awareness of interaction patterns (Thornbury, 1996; Walsh, 2003, 2006) • Investigate your teacher talk: understand & modify practice to be better facilitator • Action Research: take reflective teaching to new level • Useful insights from Conversation Analysis • Gradual process: like learning language

23. Practical Tips • Transcription very valuable, but be strategic • Saw patterns that weren’t obvious upon listening • Transcribe at least two discussion segments • Time consuming: later on, listen only • Introduce changes in teacher talk gradually • Allow time between tapings • Discuss with others • Don’t be too hard on yourself!

24. Many Thanks! • M.A. TESOL Professors & 891 Classmates • Advisors: Dr. Abeywickrama & Dr. Olsher • April Shandor • My wonderful students at Canal Alliance • My family • My cats, who sat by my computer while I worked on this project