Last Thursday for their last lesson,my Upper Intermediate class wrote up a few sentences summing up what they had learned or enjoyed the most on the general English course,in addition they commented on whether interacting with the others helped them with learning English:
Here are their comments:
CLASSROOM DYNAMICS:INTERACTIONS Exploring the interactions that take place between learners in the EFL classroom.Does interaction help with learning a language?
Sunday, July 1, 2012
the interaction hypothesis
on a google search re the interaction hypothesis I found information re Long etc but it mostly focused on teacher to student interaction rather than student to student interaction. Apart from Long,the names Ellis,Pica
feature on the topic of the interaction hypothesis.
feature on the topic of the interaction hypothesis.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Students still prefer to interact with the teacher
In general I have found the students tend to prefer interacting with the teacher rather each other,and when they do interact with each otheg they do it mostly in L1 and not the target languusge of the lesson.This is especially the case with my young learners and the adult young learner Advanced class.
The only exceptions were the IELTS class where they were motivated as their goal wad the IELTS exam.In my present Upper Intermediate class in the first classes they were interacting all the time in English but in the last couple to a lesser degree perhaps the students didn't need to show their ability to speak English.
I have noticed the same thing happening with the Elementary class perhaps after half way through the course the motivation and enthusiasm had decreased.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Interactionist theory
In 'How Languages are Learned' by Lightbown,P.M and Spada,N. (Oxford Universtity Press)the authors discuss the theories of Interactionists,including the Russian psychologist Vygotsky.
The Interactionist opinion on pages 22-26,42-44 plus a definition on page 176 could be useful for appendix of terms related to classroom dynamics and student to student interactions.
From an Interactionist's point of view the learning of a language results from the interplay between the learner and their environment.The majority of interactionists state that language which is modified to suit the capabilities of the learner is an essential key to language acquisition process.
More information on Interactionism (written 17/02/12)
The Interactionist opinion on pages 22-26,42-44 plus a definition on page 176 could be useful for appendix of terms related to classroom dynamics and student to student interactions.
From an Interactionist's point of view the learning of a language results from the interplay between the learner and their environment.The majority of interactionists state that language which is modified to suit the capabilities of the learner is an essential key to language acquisition process.
More information on Interactionism (written 17/02/12)
'How languages are learned' Lightbown P.M. and Spada N. 1999 Oxford University Press,pages: 22-6,42-4,176
Page 22 The Interactionist theory on first language acquisition focuses on the role of the linguistic environment in interaction with the(child's )person's innate capacities in the development of the language and Interactionists greatly consider the importance of the person's environment.
The Interactionists claim that language which is modified to suit the capability of the learner is vital for the process of language acquisition.Interactionists view language acquisition as similar to and influenced by the acquisition of other kinds of skill and knowledge rather than as something which is mostly independent of the person's experience and cognitive development.
A strong interactionist view was the psychologist Lev Vygotsky who worked in the ex-Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s ( Vygotsky 1908).He concluded that language develops entirely from social interaction. He argued that in a supportive interactive environment ,the child / the person is able to advance to a higher level of knowledge and performance than he or she would be capable of independently.He referred to what the child / the person could do in interaction with another ,but not alone as the child /the person , as the child's zone of proximal development.He observed the importance of conversation which children have with adults and with other children and noticed in these conversations the origins of both language and thought.
Vygotsky's opinion of language acquisition differs from Piaget's in which he hypothesised that language developed as symbol system to express knowledge with the physical world.
However,for Vygotsky,thought was essentially internalised speech and emerged in social interaction,
(Vygotsky's theory of the child's zone of proximal development could well be applied to adult learners when learning a language.)
(written 27 th Feb 2012 information from different book: More information re Vygotsky
page 40 'Pyschology for Teachers'Williams,Marion and Burden,Robert L.(Cambridge University Press) 1997
Vygotsky emphasised the importance of language ; interacting with people;not just speech, it signs and symbols as well (NB ! the last part about signs and symbols is a but confusing so I need to check this or delete it) It is by means of language that culture is transmitted,thinking develops and learning occurs.
Vygotsky stated that meaning should constitute the central aspect of any unit of study.Moreover,any unit of study should be presented in all it's complexity,rather than skills and knowledge being presented in isolation.
Info re the role of Mediation:
(page 40 of Psychology for language teachers)An important aspect of the theory by Vygotsky is the concept of mediation.Central to the psychology of both Vygotsky and Feuerstein is the concept of mediation.This is a term used by psychologists of the social interactionist school to refer to the part played by other significant people in the learners' lives,who enhance their learning by selecting and shaping the learning experiences presented to them.
Basically,the secret of effective learning lies in the nature of the social interaction between two or more people with different levels of skills and knowledge.The role of the one with most knowledge,usually a parent or a teacher,but often a peer,is to find ways of helping the other to learn.
Particularly,this involves helping learners to move into or through the next layer of knowledge or understanding.This important person in the child's/learner's learning is known as a mediator.
Vygotsky's most widely known concept is probrably the zone of proximal development,which is the term used to refer to the layer of skill or knowledge which is just beyond that with which the learner is coping(rephrase this to beyond the learner's current level of capability)
Working together with another person,either an adult or a more competent peer at a level that is just above a learner's present capabilities is the best way for the learner to move into the next layer.The concepts of mediation and zone of proximal development are important ones in social interactionist theories.
(from page 42):
Like Vygotsky,Feuerstein considers the role of the mediator as a key factor in effective learning.He identifies the significant part played by the teacher (I could amend this to the learner's peers) in selecting and shaping learning experiences and also children's responses to them.
It can be seen that Feuerstein and Vygotsky quite independently broke new ground in emphasising the social context in which learning takes place,and in providing us with the concept of mediation as a key element in this process.
Vygotsky also focussed on the use of the use of language in all its aspects as a tool in both bringing meaning to and obtaining meaning from learning activities.Moreover,he pointed out the advantages of collaborative work set at a level just beyond the learner's current level of competence.
In addition,both psychologists provide us with ways of helping learners to lesrn how to learn.
Social interactionist theories can provide us with a rich source of ideas which can inform our language teaching practices.(this sentence could be part of analysis or conclusion)
(from page 43):
Social interactionism emphasises the dynamic nature of the interplay between teachers,learners and tasks,and provide a view of learning as arsing from interactions with others.
(the following could be part of an analysis or conclusion ):
Since learning never takes place in isolation,it can be seen the importance of the learning environment or context within which the learning takes place.
Page 22 The Interactionist theory on first language acquisition focuses on the role of the linguistic environment in interaction with the(child's )person's innate capacities in the development of the language and Interactionists greatly consider the importance of the person's environment.
The Interactionists claim that language which is modified to suit the capability of the learner is vital for the process of language acquisition.Interactionists view language acquisition as similar to and influenced by the acquisition of other kinds of skill and knowledge rather than as something which is mostly independent of the person's experience and cognitive development.
A strong interactionist view was the psychologist Lev Vygotsky who worked in the ex-Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s ( Vygotsky 1908).He concluded that language develops entirely from social interaction. He argued that in a supportive interactive environment ,the child / the person is able to advance to a higher level of knowledge and performance than he or she would be capable of independently.He referred to what the child / the person could do in interaction with another ,but not alone as the child /the person , as the child's zone of proximal development.He observed the importance of conversation which children have with adults and with other children and noticed in these conversations the origins of both language and thought.
Vygotsky's opinion of language acquisition differs from Piaget's in which he hypothesised that language developed as symbol system to express knowledge with the physical world.
However,for Vygotsky,thought was essentially internalised speech and emerged in social interaction,
(Vygotsky's theory of the child's zone of proximal development could well be applied to adult learners when learning a language.)
(written 27 th Feb 2012 information from different book: More information re Vygotsky
page 40 'Pyschology for Teachers'Williams,Marion and Burden,Robert L.(Cambridge University Press) 1997
Vygotsky emphasised the importance of language ; interacting with people;not just speech, it signs and symbols as well (NB ! the last part about signs and symbols is a but confusing so I need to check this or delete it) It is by means of language that culture is transmitted,thinking develops and learning occurs.
Vygotsky stated that meaning should constitute the central aspect of any unit of study.Moreover,any unit of study should be presented in all it's complexity,rather than skills and knowledge being presented in isolation.
Info re the role of Mediation:
(page 40 of Psychology for language teachers)An important aspect of the theory by Vygotsky is the concept of mediation.Central to the psychology of both Vygotsky and Feuerstein is the concept of mediation.This is a term used by psychologists of the social interactionist school to refer to the part played by other significant people in the learners' lives,who enhance their learning by selecting and shaping the learning experiences presented to them.
Basically,the secret of effective learning lies in the nature of the social interaction between two or more people with different levels of skills and knowledge.The role of the one with most knowledge,usually a parent or a teacher,but often a peer,is to find ways of helping the other to learn.
Particularly,this involves helping learners to move into or through the next layer of knowledge or understanding.This important person in the child's/learner's learning is known as a mediator.
Vygotsky's most widely known concept is probrably the zone of proximal development,which is the term used to refer to the layer of skill or knowledge which is just beyond that with which the learner is coping(rephrase this to beyond the learner's current level of capability)
Working together with another person,either an adult or a more competent peer at a level that is just above a learner's present capabilities is the best way for the learner to move into the next layer.The concepts of mediation and zone of proximal development are important ones in social interactionist theories.
(from page 42):
Like Vygotsky,Feuerstein considers the role of the mediator as a key factor in effective learning.He identifies the significant part played by the teacher (I could amend this to the learner's peers) in selecting and shaping learning experiences and also children's responses to them.
It can be seen that Feuerstein and Vygotsky quite independently broke new ground in emphasising the social context in which learning takes place,and in providing us with the concept of mediation as a key element in this process.
Vygotsky also focussed on the use of the use of language in all its aspects as a tool in both bringing meaning to and obtaining meaning from learning activities.Moreover,he pointed out the advantages of collaborative work set at a level just beyond the learner's current level of competence.
In addition,both psychologists provide us with ways of helping learners to lesrn how to learn.
Social interactionist theories can provide us with a rich source of ideas which can inform our language teaching practices.(this sentence could be part of analysis or conclusion)
(from page 43):
Social interactionism emphasises the dynamic nature of the interplay between teachers,learners and tasks,and provide a view of learning as arsing from interactions with others.
(the following could be part of an analysis or conclusion ):
Since learning never takes place in isolation,it can be seen the importance of the learning environment or context within which the learning takes place.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Psychology for the Language Teacher
I've been reading certain sections of the book 'Psychology for Language Teachers'especially as it discusses the topic of interaction and interactionist theories plus ideas by the psychlogists Vygotsky and Feuerstein.
In his theory on how people learn Vygotsky wanted to emphasise the importance of social interaction with the learning process stating in the process of interactions between learners the transmission of culture and thinking is developed in addition to learning occurring.
In his theory on how people learn Vygotsky wanted to emphasise the importance of social interaction with the learning process stating in the process of interactions between learners the transmission of culture and thinking is developed in addition to learning occurring.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
TKT Training
Today did some vocational training sessions
Many of the vocational trainers don't really use the TKT web site that much;Asma who's had trouble with her password and recently changed it;actually said her daughter had changed it;choosing a rather comlicated password with many numbers which won't be easy to remember especially as Asma didn't create the password.In Bangkok the students did the same thing when creating their passwords using many numbers and symbols;practically impossible to remember.Another thing that Asma said that although Tunisians have more access to modern technology they were afraid of it or was she just speaking about herself.
Many of the vocational trainers don't really use the TKT web site that much;Asma who's had trouble with her password and recently changed it;actually said her daughter had changed it;choosing a rather comlicated password with many numbers which won't be easy to remember especially as Asma didn't create the password.In Bangkok the students did the same thing when creating their passwords using many numbers and symbols;practically impossible to remember.Another thing that Asma said that although Tunisians have more access to modern technology they were afraid of it or was she just speaking about herself.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Aljazeera English Cafe In Tunis
On Saturday the TV channel Aljazeeera English were filming a debate at the Le Grand Cafe du Theatre in the centre of Tunis as part of their new Aljazeera Cafe Show - a round-table debate featuring five women and one man in the debate,mostly likely discussing the recent election in Tunisia.The show will be broadcasted on TV in three weeks time.Yesterday I met Hafed,who used to work on Radio Mosaique but now works for Aljazeera English.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Teamwork and Dynamics in the language classroom videos
While googling 'Dynamics in the language classroom' I found some interesting Teamwork and Dynamics in the language classroom videos
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Feedback
from Amos:Spending time twice a week at the British council has been a great experience for me and that has really helped me to consolidate, upgrade my basic skills in English.
I also got an opportunity to meet some kind friends and I keep studying English with them generally on Facebook and sometimes with a cup of coffee cups with my friendsin the restaurant.
As you know, my goal is to obtain top scores in either TOEFL or IELTS that will be benefit me and open the way to postgraduate studies.
I have spent this summer improving my English, if you have any information or books don't hesitate to give me.
keep safe and we stay in touch.
from Marwen:Of course interacting with different people help very much :)
from Mounir: Anyway, I have decided to continue my studying English at the British Council, I really miss every one and I miss the class atmosphere, the group everything at the British Council.
So far the feedback received reflects similar interactions that would have happened in the class:Amos very confident in expressing himself and refelcting upon his learning experience and Mounir also expressed his opinions but to a lesser degree.Marwen,like in the classroom,made a very short comment;quiet limiting himself to short comments.
Haven't received any comments,in regards to my question,"Does interactions help with developing/learning English?" from Nizar,Abir and Khouloud and nothing from the students of group 2.
I also got an opportunity to meet some kind friends and I keep studying English with them generally on Facebook and sometimes with a cup of coffee cups with my friendsin the restaurant.
As you know, my goal is to obtain top scores in either TOEFL or IELTS that will be benefit me and open the way to postgraduate studies.
I have spent this summer improving my English, if you have any information or books don't hesitate to give me.
keep safe and we stay in touch.
from Marwen:Of course interacting with different people help very much :)
from Mounir: Anyway, I have decided to continue my studying English at the British Council, I really miss every one and I miss the class atmosphere, the group everything at the British Council.
So far the feedback received reflects similar interactions that would have happened in the class:Amos very confident in expressing himself and refelcting upon his learning experience and Mounir also expressed his opinions but to a lesser degree.Marwen,like in the classroom,made a very short comment;quiet limiting himself to short comments.
Haven't received any comments,in regards to my question,"Does interactions help with developing/learning English?" from Nizar,Abir and Khouloud and nothing from the students of group 2.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Last Day
The students interacted enthusiastically on their last day.
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Group 2 Pre Intermediate
Tuesday did a group questionnaire with Semiah and Anis as group secretaries:Anis for group 1(Mohamed,Dhia and Wassis)and Semih for group 2(Oussema,Ridha and Manel).
Anis and Semih were very good in giving their feedback.
Wassin was quiet as usual though he seems he's got the level to participate more but doesn't seem particularly interested maybe a different topic?
Oussema was also quiet but maybe participated a bit more than
Wassin.Group 2 worked together much better than group 1 at doing and discussing the task and the outcome whilst group 1 was mostly dominated by Mohamed but later he did realise he had to give Wassin an opportunity to speak.
Is it a problem
of age and experience?Wassin
and Oussema are the youngest and perhaps feel less confident in their speaking but Dhia,who is much older is often quiet who could speak and participate more but he over the past few months he has improved.
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
Anis and Semih were very good in giving their feedback.
Wassin was quiet as usual though he seems he's got the level to participate more but doesn't seem particularly interested maybe a different topic?
Oussema was also quiet but maybe participated a bit more than
Wassin.Group 2 worked together much better than group 1 at doing and discussing the task and the outcome whilst group 1 was mostly dominated by Mohamed but later he did realise he had to give Wassin an opportunity to speak.
Is it a problem
of age and experience?Wassin
and Oussema are the youngest and perhaps feel less confident in their speaking but Dhia,who is much older is often quiet who could speak and participate more but he over the past few months he has improved.
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
Monday, June 20, 2011
Group 1 Wednesday/Friday Pre Inter
Last week Abir and Marwen were quiet;especially Marwen,the youngest student was working with the new students and was quieter than usual.However,outside class he's very communicative.
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur? Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Reflecting on some of the students' 'territorial' behaviour for instance,the some of the latecomers (in group 1 as well as group 2) very often chose to sit with the same student/s,even though there wasn't space at the desk to work properly. Nizar who always arrived late for class ( because of his job) often sat with Abir or his preferred partner but not with the new students.
On page 84,of the book 'Group Dynamics in the language classroom',Dornyei and Murphey discuss the classroom environment contribution to group dynamics and state that 'humans,like animals,are territorial by nature,students who sit in the same seat in two consecutive lessons are already apt to think of that palc as theirs.Therefore the students who always sit in the same place or with the same students limit the number of potential interactions with the other students;they put constraints on their using/developing the target language.
Dornyei and Murphey mention that 'having students move around in class,changing seats and partners from the very first lesson,not only keeps them from claiming a permanent position in the classroom,but it can allow them to get comfortable in the classroom working with different partners and in any part of the classroom.
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur? Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Reflecting on some of the students' 'territorial' behaviour for instance,the some of the latecomers (in group 1 as well as group 2) very often chose to sit with the same student/s,even though there wasn't space at the desk to work properly. Nizar who always arrived late for class ( because of his job) often sat with Abir or his preferred partner but not with the new students.
On page 84,of the book 'Group Dynamics in the language classroom',Dornyei and Murphey discuss the classroom environment contribution to group dynamics and state that 'humans,like animals,are territorial by nature,students who sit in the same seat in two consecutive lessons are already apt to think of that palc as theirs.Therefore the students who always sit in the same place or with the same students limit the number of potential interactions with the other students;they put constraints on their using/developing the target language.
Dornyei and Murphey mention that 'having students move around in class,changing seats and partners from the very first lesson,not only keeps them from claiming a permanent position in the classroom,but it can allow them to get comfortable in the classroom working with different partners and in any part of the classroom.
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
Monday, May 30, 2011
Cohesiveness questionnaire group 2 Pre Intermediate Wednesday/Friday 2011
Most of the students,who started in the Elementary class in October continued so only a few new students Nadia,Femi,Mustapha,Meriam,Atef,Alba
On this day of the questionnaire there were 16 students.
The results of the questionnaire for group One:
11 students completely agreed or agreed that their class is better than other groups;nearly 75% of the students in fact three times the percentages of students in group two.
9 students completey agreed or agreed that they would participate in another class if it had similar students.
All the 16 students completely agreed or agreed that the class was composed of students who got on very well.Again all the 16 students completely agreed or agree with the statement that the class was composed of students who liked each other.
15 students completely agreed or agreed that they were satisfied with their class.
12 students completely agreed or agreed that there were some students who worked with the same people.
11(nearly 75%) students added additional comments for the questionnaire whilst only only 3 students(33%) of the students in group two added additional comments for the questionnaire.
I've found that,in general,from the students who have been in the same group since October the cohesiveness seem to be high as they agreed with the following statements:
they would like participate in a similar group,
they get on well with each other,
Joseph who was in group 2 before hasn't always been able to attend to attend all the classes didn't realise that of the students often worked with the same people.
Amos,also from Cameroon is the most perceptive and intelligent in all the answers he has given in the questionnaires and interviews.
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
On this day of the questionnaire there were 16 students.
The results of the questionnaire for group One:
11 students completely agreed or agreed that their class is better than other groups;nearly 75% of the students in fact three times the percentages of students in group two.
9 students completey agreed or agreed that they would participate in another class if it had similar students.
All the 16 students completely agreed or agreed that the class was composed of students who got on very well.Again all the 16 students completely agreed or agree with the statement that the class was composed of students who liked each other.
15 students completely agreed or agreed that they were satisfied with their class.
12 students completely agreed or agreed that there were some students who worked with the same people.
11(nearly 75%) students added additional comments for the questionnaire whilst only only 3 students(33%) of the students in group two added additional comments for the questionnaire.
I've found that,in general,from the students who have been in the same group since October the cohesiveness seem to be high as they agreed with the following statements:
they would like participate in a similar group,
they get on well with each other,
Joseph who was in group 2 before hasn't always been able to attend to attend all the classes didn't realise that of the students often worked with the same people.
Amos,also from Cameroon is the most perceptive and intelligent in all the answers he has given in the questionnaires and interviews.
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
Friday, May 27, 2011
Cohesive questionnaire:Pre Inter 2 class Tuesday/Thursday
Most of the students,who started in the Elementary class in October didn't continue so only the students Akrem,Mohammed,Anis,Simiah and Dhia.
On this day of the cohesiveness questionnare(based on the short questionnare by Clement,Dornyei and Noels(1994)to measure learners's perceptions of the cohesiveness of their learner group.
I adapted the statements and also reworded the negatively worded statements into posyive statements so that the questionnaire had less of a negative influence,(How do know this ?did you try the original questionnaire with another group or whatever)in addition to work out the scoring and to analyse the results.
there were nine students,Dhia was absence due to his work and being away from Tunisia.I've found that,in general,from the students who have been in the same group since October the cohesiveness seem to be high as they agreed with the following statements:
they would like participate in a similar group,
they get on well with each other,
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
On this day of the cohesiveness questionnare(based on the short questionnare by Clement,Dornyei and Noels(1994)to measure learners's perceptions of the cohesiveness of their learner group.
I adapted the statements and also reworded the negatively worded statements into posyive statements so that the questionnaire had less of a negative influence,(How do know this ?did you try the original questionnaire with another group or whatever)in addition to work out the scoring and to analyse the results.
there were nine students,Dhia was absence due to his work and being away from Tunisia.I've found that,in general,from the students who have been in the same group since October the cohesiveness seem to be high as they agreed with the following statements:
they would like participate in a similar group,
they get on well with each other,
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
Monday, May 9, 2011
Pre Intermediate 2 Classes
Group 2 Pre-Intermediate 1 class Tuesday and Thursday;not so many of the students from this class had been in the Elementary 3 class in October;only Alessandro and Dhia remained from this class;there was also Akrem but he had to move to another class because of his timetable at university......
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
Pre Intermediate 1 classes Update
Group 1 Pre-Intermediate 1 class Wednesday and Friday;quite a few of the students from this class were in the Elementary 3 class,which started in October 2010:Mounir,Abir,Khouloud,Amos,Marwen,Nizar,though Samia and Anouar were actually in the other Elementary 3 class(Samia although she was initially quiet and shy at the beginning of the course in Ocotber she had become more confident in interacting with her peers whilst Anouar,also quiet and shy,had only become a little more confident in his speaking and interacting with his peers.Mounir,Khouloud and Amos remained confident as usual and interacted a lot with the others whilst Marwen and Nizar were quiet but confident but still at times could interact more with the others but they often seem to be tired and reluctant to participate.Abir is still extremely quiet and shy and not really interacting any more than at the beginning of the course.
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Closure of group with Ele 3/4 group
Recently(on the 3rd of March) did closure end of course session with my Ele 3/4 Wed/Friday class but the strange thing is Meriam did not come the next class and has not continuing studying on the next course;Leticia didn't come either but that wasn't surprising as she seems busy with her job.
I didn't do end of closure with the other Ele 3/4 class (Tues/Thursday).
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
I didn't do end of closure with the other Ele 3/4 class (Tues/Thursday).
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Revision Ele 4 ( Wednesday/Friday class)
From the book Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms,Richards,J.C.,in the chapter,approaches to classroom investigation,some important procedures are recommended:
Bailey 1990,Porter et al.1990,Walker 1985 state that it's important to make entries on a regular basis and immediately spend time after the lesson in writing up about the lesson
In addition to review the journal entries as some things which were not obviously apparent might appear so later on.
On page 16 Richards,J.C. mentions some reflection questions to guide thé writing of the journal:
What did you set out to teach?
Were you able to accomplish your goals?
What teaching materisls did you use?
What grouping arrangements did you use?
Did anything amusing or unusual occur?
Did you discover anything new?
Did students contribute actively to the lesson?
Were the students challenged by the lesson?
What do you think the students really learned from the lesson?
What did they like most about the lesson?
What didn't they respond to?
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