The Teacher-Student Communication, Receptive and Productive Skills, Formal and Informal Contact - Case Study Example

THE ANALYSIS Institution: Name: Table of contents Ellis lesson plan………………………………………………………………………………….3 Section 1 overview ……………………………………………………………………………..4 The teacher-student interaction …………………………………………………………………5 Section II-Teachers talk ……………………………………………………………………...….6 Simplifying………………………………………………………………………………6 Delivery………………………………………………………………………………….6 Paralanguage……………………………………………………………………………..7 Input……………………………………………………………………………………..8 Receptive………………………………………………………………………………..9 Section 3…………………………………………………………………………………………11 Receptive and productive skills ………………………………………………………12 Formal and informal contact …………………………………………………………..13 The student’s feedback …………………………………………………………………14 References ……………………………….……………………………………………………..15 The analysis Ellis lesson transcript T Listen Normal speed: teacher putting emphasis on the points T This is story about….my story….this weekend… The speech is slowed and emphasis is on the target language T ok Slowed T Are you ready Slowed and exaggerated with emphasis on the intonation, target language and there is concept checking T Are you ready….ready… Slowed…emphasis on the concept T Ok… Normal speed T Tomorrow afternoon am going to buy a present for my son …listen because it is his birthday very soon Normal speed, the teacher initiates various gestures towards the students T On Saturday am going to have lunch with my daughter Normal speed with emphasis on the target language T And on Sunday am going for a walk with all my children…ok.. Normal speed with emphasis on the target language T again Asks a question…normal speed S Again please Response from students-normal speed T Tomorrow afternoon am going to buy a present for my son Normal speed with emphasis on the target language S Which one Students asks a questions T This one The teacher shows a picture of the son…teachers gestures to the photograph. Normal speed T Because its his birthday very soon Emphasis is on the target language and concept checking T No writing Rising intonation T Don’t write just listen Emphasis on the target language… listen Normal speed T Tomorrow afternoon am going to buy a present for my son because his birthday very soon Normal speed…initiates gestures to the student T On Saturday am going to have lunch with my daughter….you know my daughter? Normal speed with emphasis on the target language S Yeah Normal speed Am gonna have lunch with my daughter Normal speed And on Sunday am going for a walk with all my children Normal speed T Three ideas….actions for the students to think Gestures towards the students, rising intonation with emphasis on the target language T Tomorrow afternoon am going to buy a present for my son Normal speed with emphasis on the target language T Listen, and watch…look Emphasis on the concept with rising intonation T Tomorrow am going to buy a present Normal speed T Watch these words Demonstration with normal speed….. S Class response (a) Students responds to the class demonstration T Watch again Emphasis on the demonstration T Tomorrow afternoon am going to buy a present Normal speed with emphasis on the target language S {Class response} buy a Class response, normal speed T Tomorrow afternoon am going to buy a present Normal speed T Watch these words Gestures with the hands towards the students S {Class response} aaa Response from the class reacting to class teachers gestures T Tomorrow afternoon am going to buy a present…a present Normal speed with emphasis on the target language and the concept T Tomorrow T How many words Teacher seeking a response from the students by asking a question S Twelve Response from the students using a normal speed. Section 1 overview The main issue in the education is to enable the students to take part in learning in multicultural contexts so that to make new meaning available to all the students and to build a linguistic diversity that ensures a learning for all. Therefore, it is important for pedagogies with TESOL to have a dual focus that is creating a space to value and language development as well as create a space to value the linguistic resources students have with them. The multilingual and multicultural contexts of learning contribute to various questions concerning the best ways to teach language in addition to the fact that the competencies of students vary widely. Students and teachers therefore, require ways to develop the required instructional content and at the same time student continue to learn the language that mainly construes it (Bartels, 2005, p. 78). Therefore, it is evident that the content is relevant to the interests/needs of the students. It is important to note that learning a language is one of the best ways of learning the world and the various social relations. It is evident that the teacher was in a position to recognize the potential of conducting a close textual analysis of the sentences while at the same time acknowledging the ability of the students to take part in the cognitively demanding task. It is also relevant that the context provides an integral link between content and language. It is evident that the linguistic choices of the teacher construct certain meaning, which the students can conceptualize in class in a range of ways of orienting or representing the same information. The relevancy of the content to the children’s needs makes it possible for learners to understand the language/target language and used in different situations. The teacher-student interaction Furthermore, the success and development of a class relies on the collaborative sharing and exchange of ideas, feelings and thoughts between two or more people. Therefore, the students not only increase their language store but also are capable of using their language store. Therefore, interaction is a significant concept for English language teachers. Bartels (2005, p. 78) in his study points out that interaction facilitates interaction this is because of linguistic and conversation modification that take place in the discourse and that offer learners with the necessary input they need. Therefore, through the interactions, the learners have the chance to not only understand but also use language that may be considered incomprehensible. Furthermore, they may have more input and hence additional opportunities for output. There are some elements of invitation as the teacher applies the presiding language and acts like a host. Additionally, in some instances, the teacher uses imperative sentences. There are responses. Responding moves are defined as the actions which are taken up by the students as a result of the initiation from the teacher. It is evident that the students respond to the questions posted by the teacher and hence actively take part in the class activities. Section II-Teachers talk Simplifying According to Barcroft (2008, p. 89) the language that teachers use in class or the teacher talk can have a tremendous effects on the success of interactions they experience with the students. The teacher talk falls into various categories that include making up transitions, giving feedback, giving directions, direct instructions, checking understanding and warm-up chats. Input can be simplified in a number of ways that include teachers using shorter sentences, using repetition and common known vocabulary. The teacher makes use of direct instruction input and is presented using gestures and visuals such as photographs to convey meaning. Delivery Moreover, the teacher uses her voice as her key regalia and hence it is authentic and comprehensible. The pronunciation is authentic and the intonation, speed and emphasis remain so real. The teacher further uses normal tone when introducing new structures or vocabulary and the model used is clear and simple. The teacher does not use the chalkboard. The teacher makes use of simple vocabulary and maximizes the involvement of the learners by ensuring that they effectively determine the meaning of the vocabulary items/key words in the sentence and uses the concept of repetition to ensure that the students get it right. Paralanguage On the paralinguistic aspects, there is evident of the sociolinguistic competence from the teacher. The teacher has the ability to adequate her utterances to meet the specific context. Furthermore the teacher has strategic competence in that she has the ability to correct, define and make adjustment on the course content to meet the communication situation thus making teaching a success. It is important to note that non-verbal communication has implications on both the learners and the teachers. For example, the teacher uses a number of gestures such as listen, don’t write, think among others. Furthermore, towards the end of the lesson, it is evident that the teacher has developed and applied non-verbal repertoires that entail use of fingers to represent words as well as expressions and gestures to indicate tense, time as well as other linguistic features in emphasizing some important sections of the text. The teacher has effectively used non-verbal cues that have assisted in a wide range of classroom practices through adding extra dimension to the target language. For example, the teacher successfully increases the participation of the learners, gives clear instructions, improves the learners listening skills, builds the student’s confidence and improve the learners’ performance. Slade & Eggins, (1997, p. 78) in his study points out that non-verbal communication can assist the teachers to successfully control the class. Additionally, the teacher can encourage good performance of the teachers. For example, in order to encourage the learners to actively take part in various learning activities, by asking them questions. The participation of the students as illustrated in the set up further depends on the arrangement of the desks and chairs. This is because the students have a better eye contact with the teacher and hence they participate more in the class. Based on the observation, it is important to point out that a foreign language teacher need to be aware of the significance of non-verbal communication in teaching language and communication skills. Finally, on the teachers talk, the teacher effectively applies the delivery skills for example there is pitch, speed and pitch and intonation. For example, the teacher uses a normal speed while reading the sentences at times pausing and varying pitch and intonation for the purpose of emphasis. Input The teacher applies input and it is the most significant aspect in the communicative language teaching. It is evident that the teacher pays systematic attention to both structural and functional aspect of language. The teacher provides input in teaching language in form of written. The teachers’ content is authentic because she talks about personal life drawing the content from her story. According to Slade & Eggins (1997, p. 56), an authentic text is one that is produced for not only communicating meaning but also for language-teaching purposes. According to Mercer (1995, p. 78), authentic source serve as the main source used for the teacher as the input are significant in developing the curriculum. Using authentic texts, the teacher has effectively identified the textual materials that linguistically appropriate for the class. The texts match the students’ proficiency and are appropriate for the age. The selection of the authentic texts is varied based on the student’s needs. The teacher focuses on the students identifying key words, selected texts and main ideas and they are shorter and highly contextualized. This makes the learners to apply their background knowledge as a support. For example, the teacher uses his own personal story. Furthermore, the teachers emphasizes on the identification of the key ideas as well as all supporting details. There is also identification of the varied perspectives on the course topic and the students’ ability to make inferences. This is evident through the responses given by the students. Furthermore, the teachers input are a reflection is a higher extent of complexity. They are longer and are a reflection of a complex discourse that is drawn from various topics ranging from personal to students general advice. The context created by the teacher enables the students to focus both on the linguistic and content features. The receptive skill The students show receptive skill in the language learning. Consequently, listening offers content or input that is important for learning. The teacher provides the students with the receptive input in form of instructions and lectures and discussion. They also receive input via other students asking question and providing responses in the class. The teacher provides listen activity that vary in length and the listening process is two minutes. The listening is accompanied with comprehension tasks whereby the students are required to relate to specific or general information in the texts provided by the teacher. The teacher repeats the text three times an aspect that is important in the listening process. Brazil (1997, p. 90), points out that an opportunity for listening is essential. This is because of different speed of talk, accents and other factors can profound the comprehension. The teacher uses visual cues such as pictures. This makes it easier for the students to understand the language context. This is because spoken language used by the teacher is less grammatically complex and is more redundant compared to written form. However, there is also the concept of speaking that shows that the students to some extent are productive. There is students’ spoken production in terms of communicative interaction. The teacher encourages the students to use language for purpose of information exchange in the class i.e via the responses. Section 3 Receptive and productive skills Cook (2000, p. 56) emphasizes that in teaching a TESOL class, it is important for teachers to balance between different language skills in order to ensure effective learning. This is because some learners find it easier to learn via reading other than listening and/or vice versa. Various research on production and research have focused on either receptive or productive size of the vocabulary learned. Additionally, there is minimal study that compares productive and receptive learning among the students. Nonetheless, the research on learning various word pairs give suggestion that the type of learning productive or receptive affects the amount of knowledge that learners gained. Bartels (2005, p. 90) points out that if words are learned in a receptive manner, then it is possible for the learners to attain receptive knowledge. The mentioned is an excellent explanation for why the receptive vocabulary of the learners might be larger compared to the productive vocabulary. Moreover, provided that the in most cases the language learning in most cases is productive, it is possible for the learners to gain the receptive knowledge compared to the productive knowledge. Slade & Eggins (1997, p. 78) in his studies however argues that it is important to consider form and meaning as the significant aspects of vocabulary knowledge. Therefore, in certain situations they are regarded as inappropriate in measuring the relative efficacy of the language tasks. For example, the expectation is that offer learners with both form and meaning for example learning keyword technique, learning word pairs or effectively learning the glossed sentences may be helpful in promoting semantic knowledge among the learners. Nonetheless, it may be further expected that context in the learning mainly from the glossed-sentence task further contributes to further knowledge of grammar and syntax. Nunan (2006, p. 90) that argued that there is likelihood of L2 learners benefiting from only texts that are syntactically, lexically and rhetorically less dense compared to those that are less authentic. They further argue that simplified texts are warranted. This is because they are likely to exhibit. It is also important for the teachers to have a working knowledge as well as system of language in addition to the role of language components specifically coherence, meaning, grammar, social conventions and communication strategies. It is therefore important for teachers to draw specific attention to the kind of language and its application in the classroom settings an aspect that is important in both first and second language learning (Dalton & Seidlhofer, 1994, p. 78). It is also significant for teachers to have sufficient knowledge on academic and the kind of language that is required for instruction mostly found in, assessment textbooks, classroom and other key areas. Furthermore, recognizing the existing differences between academic language and conversational language is important in the conversational language proficiency. The mentioned is a reality that poses linguistic and cognitive challenges (Joyce & Burns, 1999, p. 56). Formal and informal contact The environment plays a key role in the second language learning. Some learners have argued that learners are likely to learn if they have the opportunity to use the language outside the classroom. Some researchers have argued that informal contact and formal instruction contribute to the second language learning and it is important in second language learning. Furthermore, in the teaching language, it is evident that the performer needs to know the language rule. Therefore, it is important for the learners to have a correct representation of the language learning. The mentioned is an important requirement (Bartels, 2005, p. 17). In the learners, talk in the classroom can be perceived in various ways. As pertaining to learning, it is useful output. The relationship between learning and student talk. Dalton & Seidlhofer (1994, p. 67) argues that student who are considered to perform better in learning language. Consequently, the student as a learning strategy can use some kinds of learners talk in the classroom setting. Questions are regarded as important in language learning. Burns (2001, p. 18), refers to questions of students as an important in the target language. The teacher seems to ask the student question for the purpose of clarification, for example the student is requesting the teacher for repetition and explanations. In a distinct level, student talk can offer sufficient data for language learning, for example language learning two output, the language classroom might offer into the language errors. The student’s feedback Additionally, the students provides feedback in the classroom lessons. According to Abercrombie (2000, p. 64)., it is important for the learners to provide feedback for the teacher’ it is questions. It is important for the learners to direct the questions to the teachers. It is important to note that numerous questions asked in the classroom are the ones that teacher-learner knows the question to the answer asked. The intention is to discover not only what the learner knows but also make the learner to be actively involved in the learning process. Nonetheless, teacher feedback also takes place. This is because the responses are questions that need answers (Wiley, 1999, p. 56). When the students are asked questions, nonetheless, the learners in most cases do not feel that it is their responsibility for the rest students in order for them to hear the answer of the teacher to the question. Furthermore, the student’s response are genuine. It is widely accepted that the notion of learning of learning a second language from a different perception classroom setting is so different from the natural setting (Moll, 1990, p. 78). Questions have risen concerning the characteristics of the language learning environments. The informal environment is regarded as being familiar to the natural environment that children to acquire their first language. The informal learning makes children to be exposed to high quantities of natural quantitative language that are linguistically rich in structure and content. From the recording, it is further evident that for the teacher to ensure effective learning, the learners are exposed to different vocabulary as well as different sentence structure to facilitate their learning capabilities. The teacher identifies the words and phrases correctly in a multiple times in order to ensure that the students grasp the concept. The teacher further ensure that activities and classes via the repetition are not boring. This makes the learners to ensure the program long enough and thus master the new concepts in the course. For example, the students at the end of the lesson can accurately tell the number of words in the sentences read by the teacher. Chamot & O'Malley (1998, p. 78), argue that for learners to successfully establish the association between meaning and word, it is important for the teacher to convey the meaning in a comprehensible manner. In order to ensure that the learners get the exact number of words in every sentence, the teacher present every word in a number of ways. For example, the teacher uses pictorials to enhance the learning. In conclusion, the teacher puts into consideration the aspect of not forcing the language learners to focus on sentence formation as this can interfere the course objective at the beginning of every sentence. The teacher should therefore give learners an opportunity to absorb every individual meaning of the key words at their own pace and they are not required to apply the elements immediately in their immediate concept. References Abercrombie, D. (2000). Paralanguage. In Laver, J., Hutcheson, S. eds. Communication in face to face interaction. Harmondsworth: Penguin. P. 64 Barcroft, J. (2008). Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition: A Lexical Input Processing Approach, Foreign Language Annals Vol. 37 No. 2 Bartels, N. (2005). Applied linguistics and language teacher education. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Brazil, D. (1997). The communicative value of intonation in English. Cambridge: Cambridge university press. Burns A. (2001). Analyzing spoken discourse:implication for TESOL. In burns , A, Coffin, C. (eds). Analyzing English in a global context. London: routeledge. Chamot, A.U. & O'Malley, J.M. (1998). “The cognitive academic language learning approach: A bridge to the mainstream.” TESOL Quarterly, 21 (2). Washington, DC: TESOL Cook, G. (2000). Discourse (language teaching: a scheme for teacher education). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Dalton, C. & Seidlhofer, B. (1994). The language of speech and writing. London:Routledge. Joyce H. & Burns, A. (1999). I see what you mean. Using spoken discourse in the classroom: a Handbook for teachers. Sydney: National Center for English Language Teaching and Research. Mercer, N. (1995). The guided construction of knowledge: Talk amongst teachers and learners. Clevedon, Avon, England: Multilingual Matters. Moll, L. C. (1990). Vygotsky and education: Instructional implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Nunan, D. (2006). Research methods in language learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Slade, S & Eggins, D. (1997). Analyzing causal conversation. Oxford: Oxford University Wiley, R. (1999) " An investigation of foreigner talk register in and out of the classroom." MA Paper, Dept of Linguistics, USC. Read More