TEACHING TASKBASED TEACHING: APPROPRIATION THROUGH IMITATION

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TEACHING TASK-BASED TEACHING APPROPRIATION
THROUGH IMITATION

• Anne Feryok
• University of Otago
• anne.feryok_at_otago.ac.nz
• TBLT Conference
• Hawaii 2007

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Sociocultural theory and second language teacher
development

• The sociocultural turn (Johnson 2006)
• Participatory appropriation (Singh Richards
  2006)
• How does this occur?
• Means of mediation are appropriated
  (object/other/self regulation of the means)
• Imitation is a key means of appropriation
  (Vygotsky, 1986 Tomasello, 1999 Lantolf and
  Thorne, 2006)
• Distinct from mimicry and emulation
• Imitation involves recognizing not only the goal
  of an activity but also understanding the means
  employed to achieve that goal

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Context and Programme

• Context of the study
• Malaysia adopts English medium for math and
  science instruction
• Recognizes content teachers may lack language
  skills
• Sends master teachers for programme
• Design of the programme
• 10 weeks in New Zealand teaching content through
  English
• 10 weeks in Malaysia designing a teacher
  development workshop
• Opportunities for participatory appropriation
• 25 lectures, 75 experiential activities

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Research Questions

• Did the teachers learn to use language teaching
  practices, particularly tasks?
• If so, did they learn to use them through
  imitation?
• Did their tasks resemble task exemplars?
• If so, how?

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Research Design

• 4 teachers, 4 curriculum areas
• Notes, peer microteaching videotapes lesson
  plans
• Compared early and late microteaching of tasks
• Part 1 language teaching practices (tasks
  criteria)
• Focus on meaning
• Gap
• Choice of language resources
• Clearly defined outcome
• Part 2 imitation (design features of task
  exemplars)
• Input medium of information presented to
  students (eg text cloze)
• Operations what students do with the
  information(eg, complete)
• Conditions how information is presented and used
  (eg, shared, two-way)
• Participation structures how students (
  teacher) are organized (eg, pairs)

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Reliability

• Task? Inter-rater reliability
• Tape 1 100 Tape 2 95
• Task criteria? Inter-rater reliability
• Tape 1 81 Tape 2 80
• Imitation of design features? Intra-rater
  reliability
• Tape 1 100 Tape 2 84

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Findings Trying Tasks

• Peer microteaching 1 3/4 try tasks
• Peer microteaching 2 4/4 try tasks
• Key belief value of experiential learning by
  doing
• Teachers believed tasks were useful for learner
  language
• While doing activities the learners have to
  communicate using language, the more they
  communicate the more they improve their language
  (Biology)
• The students will indirectly learn language
  while they are doing tasks (Physics)
• Teachers believed tasks were useful for teacher
  development
• For the teacher training module, I will have to
  include workshop sessions so as to give time and
  practice to design task-based activities.
  (Physics)
• Gather everything that we have learn here and
  put as a model for our training programme
  (Maths)
• Teachers believed one of their own tasks was to
  consider their context
• Modification can be made to suit with Malaysian
  curriculum (Chemistry)

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One Task Exemplar

• Original Modify an individual exercise on
  biological classes
• Input Graphic organizer
• Operations Assemble parts into whole
• Option 1
• Conditions split information, two-way
  interaction
• Participation social
• Option 2
• Conditions split information, one-way
  interaction
• Participation social

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Biology Teacher

• Peer microteaching 1 used input type, did not
  use same operations, did not address conditions,
  participation
• Peer microteaching 2 used input type,
  operations, conditions, participation
• Chart split information, one way interaction
• Graphic organizer split information, two way
  interaction

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BIOLOGY achieving success
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CHEMISTRY struggling with success
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Discussion Making progress

• Early
• accepted goal of promoting language use try
  tasks
• had difficulty with means of promoting language
  use how tasks stimulate language use
• Late
• became better at means of promoting language use
  

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Possible explanations

• Tasks design features of inputs and some
  operations were familiar from content teaching
• Easy to recognize, easy to emulate
• Task features of conditions and participation
  structures were less familiar
• Not so easy to recognize, not so easy to imitate
• Require understanding of how design features work
  to stimulate interaction

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Progress through SCT imitation?

• Object regulation emulating goals
• Focus on input and operations materials for task
• Other regulation recognizing means for
  interactions
• Focus on conditions and participation
  interactions for task
• Self regulation imitating means for achieving
  goals
• Establishing the connection between materials
  interactions
• Data shows discontinuous nature of learning
• Gaining, losing, regaining control over
  object/other/self regulation
• Evidence of teachers learning within their ZPD

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Implications Opportunities

• Opportunities for imitation (materials design,
  being students, microteaching) acknowledged
  need to develop skills, get feedback, revise
• Cyclical approach with lots of support effective
  for developing confidence to face major change to
  entrenched practices
• SCT imitation broadens understanding of teacher
  development processes

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LIST OF (CITED) REFERENCES

• Johnson, K, E. (2006). The sociocultural turn
  and its challenges for second language teacher
  education. TESOL Quarterly 40, 235-257.
• Lantolf, J. P. and Thorne, S. L. (2006).
  Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second
  language development. Oxford OUP.
• Singh, G. and Richards, J. C. (2006.) Teaching
  and learning in the language teacher education
  course room A critical sociocultural
  perspective. RELC 37/2, 149-175.
• Tomasello, M (1999). The cultural origins of
  human cognition. Cambridge, Mass MIT.
• Vygotsky, L. (1986). Thought and language.
  Cambridge, Mass MIT.