51e Congrès De La SAES, Atelier 24 - Didactique Et Acquisition Des Langues, 21/05/11

New technologies in primary English teacher training

Shona WhyteEquipe LiDidaBases, Corpus, Langage, UMR6039Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis

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Threefold argument:

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1. ICT

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new technologies are the only salvation for FL teaching in French schools

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BUT

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only if teacher cognition research informs training

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AND

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this research can inform wider questions of classroom acquisition

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Learning to teach with videoconferencing in primary FL classrooms

✤ Special issue of ReCALL on CALL and CMC Teacher Education research: enduring questions, emerging methodologies

✤ Edited by Nicolas Guichon and Mirjam Hauck

✤ September 2011

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Plan

✤ Introduction

✤ Background

✤ Project

✤ Findings

✤ Conclusion

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Introduction

✤ “1000 visioconférences pour l’anglais à l’école primaire”

✤ VC links for primary EFL classes

✤ longitudinal project:

✤ 8 practising primary teachers

✤ 6 months

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Background

Literature

✤ Borg (2009): teacher cognition

✤ Cutrim Schmid (2008): IWB for EFL

✤ Develotte, Guichon, Kern (2007): VC

✤ Gruson (2011): VC in French primary EFL

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Context

✤ generalist teachers

✤ whole-class teaching, rote learning

✤ CER

✤ centralised recruitment/promotion

✤ masters training

Shona WHYTE, Nice whyte@unice.fr efl.unice.fr

Project

✤ videoconferencing in English between pairs of primary classes in the Alpes-Maritimes

✤ 8 (6) generalist primary teachers; 2 teacher trainers; researcher as participant observer

✤ “resource” (experienced EFL teacher) to “recipient” (novice EFL teacher) class

✤ 6 months: initial training => first VC sessions (Jan-June 10)

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“recipient” “resource”

W V

C E

J M

Shona WHYTE, Nice whyte@unice.fr efl.unice.fr

Project: data

✤ pre-training questionnaire (FL, ICT experience)

✤ video recordings of VC sessions

✤ learner focus-group interviews after VC sessions

✤ learner drawings of VC experience

✤ teacher and trainer contributions to asynchronous discussion group

✤ video-stimulated recall interviews

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Project: VC set-up

✤ whole-class to whole-class communication

✤ IWB + VC equipment at front of class; panel of 4-6 speakers at front of class; other pupils observing from desks

✤ session format: opening ritual (date, weather) > vocabulary review > one or two games (bingo, hangman) > story and/or song > close (class debriefing)

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Project: VSR interviews

✤ VC videos segmented into activities (opening ritual, games) and shared online

✤ teachers invited to select successful/failed/puzzling episodes

✤ 45-90 minute interview with researcher

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Project: participant profiles

✤ coding of interview transcripts

✤ teacher orientation:

✤ teacher (E)✤ teaching (J, W)✤ learner (V)✤ learning (M)✤ technology (C)V: “they want to

show what they know”

M: “they only saw the fun side [of the

IWB] and they hadn’t noticed the

concept we wanted them to learn”

E: “since it’s a new thing I can’t

rely on references. Even

if you look on internet there’s

no sample lesson plan”

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Project: participant profiles

“recipient” “resource”

W teaching V learner

C technology E teacher

J teaching M learning

What different concerns do teachers

have?

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Project: teacher concerns

1. effective VC teaching

2. second language learning

3. teacher role and learner participation

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How do different teacher concerns affect classroom interaction?

Shona WHYTE, Nice whyte@unice.fr efl.unice.fr

Findings (1) Effective VC teaching

Hangman

✤ selected by teacher J as successful activity

✤ remote class sets word (topic: emotions)

✤ speakers in J’s class take turns to guess a letter

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Findings (1) Effective VC teaching

Teachers value:

✤ “what works”

✤ collaboration, teamwork

✤ learner enjoyment

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Findings (2) Second language learning

Bingo

✤ selected by teacher J as unsuccessful activity

✤ speakers in J’s class take turns to call out words (body parts)

✤ other learners in both classes check off

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Findings (2) Second language learning

Teachers focus on:

✤ “what works”

✤ collaboration, teamwork

✤ learner autonomy

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Findings (2) Second language learning

NOT

✤ L2 difficulties

✤ opportunities for FL learning

✤ reflection on teaching

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“Maintenant pour l'année prochaine c'est ça, c'est à dire

avoir ce, ce, ben ce vocabulaire c'est pas ce vocabulaire mais, cette

capacité à dire […] je voudrais que ça ils l'aient, pour pouvoir se

dégager justement de ces situations, mais, en anglais” (M)

Shona WHYTE, Nice whyte@unice.fr efl.unice.fr

Findings (3) Teacher & learner participation: 2 patterns

rehearsed performances with no teacher intervention

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T1

P1

P2

T2

P1P2P3P4

T1

“triangular” interactions: T1-P1-(P2) + T2-P2-(P1)

Shona WHYTE, Nice whyte@unice.fr efl.unice.fr

Findings (3) Teacher & learner participation

Consequences

✤ little or no spontaneous learner-learner interaction in FL

✤ memorised routines in rehearsed settings

✤ learner stress in triangular settings

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Conclusion

✤ researcher participation promotes sharing, communication, and reflection

✤ specific FL teacher training is essential

✤ technology training must be embedded in FL context

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Teachers can and do self-train with new

technology, but cannot identify the affordances of the new tools unless they

receive help in identifying effective language learning practices. Conversely, it is difficult for trainers to discover and pass on such useful practices without having participated in

specifically directed technology training themselves in the first

place.

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http://unt.unice.fr/uoh/learn_teach_FL/

research can inform training; development of training resources can inform research

Shona WHYTE, Nice whyte@unice.fr efl.unice.fr

✤ Borg, S. (2009). Teacher cognition and language education. London: Continuum.

✤ Cutrim Schmid, E. (2008) Potential pedagogical benefits and drawbacks of multimedia use in the English language classroom equipped with interactive whiteboard technology, Computers & Education, 51: 1553–1568.

✤ Develotte, C., Guichon, N., and Kern, R. (2007) «Allo Berkeley? Ici Lyon... Vous nous voyez bien? Etude d'un dispositif d’enseignement- apprentissage en ligne synchrone franco-américain à travers les discours de ses usagers. ALSIC, 11 (2): 129-156.

✤ Gruson, B. (2011). Analyse comparative d’une situation de communication orale en classe ordinaire et lors d’une séance en visioconférence. Distance et Savoirs, 8: 395-423.

✤ Whyte, S. (to appear). Learning to teach with videoconferencing in primary EFL classrooms. ReCALL.

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