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| Subject: Re: Final version | |
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Author: marilia |
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Date Posted: 17:21:17 08/23/10 Mon In reply to: Luciano Valadares 's message, "Final version" on 14:40:02 08/23/10 Mon > hi, This sentence in the midle of the work has two words ``relevant` It is relevant that the author still points out that the research area is relevant: 1- What is the role of theory and previous studies in >the article. > >The first article chosen “A case study on foreign >English teachers’ challenges in Taiwanese elementary >schools” (article 1) mentions the little work done on >the field of teaching language abroad. Three teachers, >from South Africa, are sent to a town in Taiwan to >teach English in a secondary school. After some time, >they started to face some difficulties with the >students and also problems understanding the culture. > >The article refers to two important previous studies, >which support the research. One of them is by Verity´s >(2000): > > “…she documented her sense of lost expertise as a >novice teacher in the Japanese context. Although she >was a well-established teacher in her home context, >Verity felt much stressed from having to cope with >unfamiliar administrative demands such as large >classes in Japan.” > >The other is conducted by Gingerich (2004) .From her >studies she concludes that: > >“…the knowledge that teachers bring from their home >context (general pedagogical knowledge) and how this >knowledge is utilized and transformed in the new >context to develop a set of knowledge needed for >English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teaching >(pedagogical content knowledge), which involves >arriving with a plan and making adjustments…” >“Her study also “highlights the need for teachers to >understand the multiple contexts surrounding their >work, including that of the classroom, the school, and >the larger society (pedagogical context knowledge).” > >The theories mentioned in the articles are being used >to clarify and bring a new light on the teacher’s >report, explaining with previous experiences some of >the teachers feelings as shown in some examples: > >“Amy: “I’m a very sensitive person. When students >misbehave, I sometimes think that” Are you misbehaving >because I’m black? (field-note, 2006/12/05). >“I don’t understand why people want American accents >here” (field-note, 2006/12/28) >May: “I hate teaching phonics.” or “Teaching this >stuff is so boring” >Ivy’s: The Grade 2 can’t understand my instruction >because of my accent? >That’s not true. Language itself is a problem to these >kids.” > >These reports prove the consistency, veracity and >relevance of the former studies. The ESL teachers in >the new environment did not seem to adapt to the >culture of the new country, to the school’s policies >and yet, they did not seem to be at ease with >unfamiliar situations. > >With a careful analysis and examination of the >theoretical literature previously published, the >teachers might have been more prepared to face the new >challenges and problems which arouse with the students >in the classroom and also might have been better >prepared to deal with their own feelings of inadequacy >in a new environment. We also conclude that the role >of the theory, although relevant is not enough to >fully assist these teachers in their practice as >teachers abroad, as the author states in the >discussion: > >“To function more effectively in the Taiwanese >context, they need to be equipped with more what >Gingerich (2004) terms pedagogical content knowledge >and pedagogical context knowledge”. To be more >specific, they need to make adjustments to address the >learning need of their students and gain more >knowledge about the classroom, school, and societal >contexts.” > >What the study is saying is well stated by the author: >“ The current study is an attempt to address this gap >in the literature” > >The second article chosen, “ From Principles to >practice: Teachers´ uptake of principles from >instructed language learning to plan a focus on >language form in content lessons”(article 3) mentions >the extensive work done on the field of second >language research but also mentions “few descriptive >accounts detailing the ways in which this input has >been used by secondary content teachers to plan for >student’s language and content needs.” > >The research was developed in a New Zealander school, >after realizing the problems both, native and >non-native students were having with English language. >These problems were related to the understanding of >English language meaning in depth which resulted in >difficulties in other subjects, and also >difficulties in producing academic writing work. As it >says on the article: “Many secondary students, not >just new learners of English, need informed >language-oriented pedagogy that benefits native >speakers as well as non native speakers.” > >On article 3, differently from article 1, the >researchers rely on the theory published, which is the >basis to trigger the whole project, as we can >understand from the statement below: > > “This paper…“examines the ways in which teachers draw >on their knowledge of second language acquisition to >distil principles that provide a link between a >language and content needs analysis and the subsequent >design of an unit of work” > >Throughout the text the author mentions the need to >search for assistance in previous work, building an >interconnection between theory and practice before >establishing an action plan. > >Many of the theoretical material covered in this area >was utilized : “At the beginning of the study each >participant was given a Project Manual containing >summaries of the theoretical input covered in the >TESSOL program”. > >The constant revision of their action was based on >teacher’s perception of various student’s needs, and >also the constant reflection, pause and reference to >previous studies, as it says on the text: “To find new >direction for their pedagogical action, they paused in >their discussion and turned for assistance to the >literature - the summaries of articles in the Project >Manual”. > >The theories mentioned in the article assisted in the >set up of the work, during the work and also on the >results interpretation, all of it being crucial to the >article as a whole. In conclusion, the role of theory >was to provide a framework in which the research was >carried out and also to work as a bridge linking >previous knowledge with practice. > >2- Do the article writers provide readers with some >sort of justification for their work? > >After having read and analysed the articles chosen, we >feel that the article writers surely provide the >readers with justification for their work. From the >very beginning, we can notice on the abstract >presented in both works, that they immediately >foretell what the research intends to discuss. The >abstract serves then to introduce the main idea of the >work, giving the most important facts in order to >justify their study, as we can see on the lines below . > >Article 1: by Cheryl Wei-yu Chen, Yuh-show Cheng >“… many people from English-speaking countries go to >foreign land to work as English teachers.” >“…there is little research on these teachers’ >teaching-abroad experiences. The current study is an >attempt to address this gap in the literature.” >“…They also confronted various problems…” >“The study calls for a better preparation for foreign >English teachers…” >Article 3: by Susan Grey: >“… there are many native speaker students whose >learning difficulties are linguistic in origin and >require a language-oriented pedagogy in all curriculum >areas.” >“… there are few accounts documenting the ways in >which these have been used by secondary content >teachers.” >“This paper describes the ways in which a pair of >secondary content teachers used principles in an >action research project to focus on form when planning >a task-based lesson sequence.” > >In the introduction, the authors start to develop >their justification by presenting the problem, >followed by the official statements and previous >researches announcements which were published >concerning the case in study. This is done after the >author has presented a vast theoretical argument based >on previous research made by many experts on the >subject analysed. After that, the authors claim the >need of such a study since there is a substantial lack >of publishing on this subject, which makes his/her >work relevant, valuable and original. > > >Article 1: >“Intercultural team teaching,… are well documented in >the literature (e.g., Aline and Hosoda, 2006; Crooks, >2001; Park 2007).” >“While many studies have documented how team teaching >is practiced between these two groups of teachers >(e.g., Luo, 2006, 2007), team teachers’ voices are >rarely heard. Even rarer is a documentation of foreign >English teachers’ experiences in the local context.” >“The current study, based on the experiences of three >foreign English teachers working in the Hsinchu >Program, is an effort to offer such an account.” > >Article 3: >“ This section examines the need for form in secondary >school curriculum planning and theoretical input for >such an approach.” >“There is extensive theoretical input from second >language research that teachers might draw on for such >planning. However, there are few descriptive accounts >detailing the ways in which this input has been used >by secondary content teachers to plan for students’ >language and content needs.” >“…educational systems are challenged to develop >language-oriented pedagogy that benefits native >speaker as well as non-native speaker students.” >“The New Zealand national curriculum, for instance, >argues that each teacher needs to provide specific >guidance with the specialist vocabulary, the reading >demands, and appropriate ways of conveying knowledge >in each subject area (Ministry of Education, 2007).” >“This paper uses and extends the view of form proposed >by Ellis et al. (2002) which incorporates >phonological, graphological, lexical, and grammatical >form to include discoursed aspects of language. This >focus beyond the level of the sentence to text >structure is critical for the language demands of >academic writing.” > >After having presented the arguments and spoken about >the theoretical literature in which the researches are >supported, the authors start to develop the work >explaining its purpose, as seen: > >Article 1: >“The current study is a qualitative case which >focuses… schools. It is part of a larger study which >examines… team teaching.” > >Article 3: >“As co-ordinator of one such programme and a former >secondary content teacher, I wanted to examine…in >their teaching. … I was interested in the relevance of >input for secondary content teacher.” > >From now on the writers also explain the methods used >in the researches, the findings achieved and the >conclusion of their works. > >3- How do the article writers validate their own >thoughts and conclusions? > >The writers validate their own thoughts and >conclusions studying, reading, going to workshops and >observing researcher’s works that bring them support >and knowledge to produce and empower their own studies >and experiences. That is to say, they can get their >own conclusions based on data collections and >consequently they focus on the recurrent issues that >need to be improved. > >The article one focus their studies on the spread of >English as the global language. Because of this, as >they said, “many people from English-speaking >countries go to foreign land to work as English >teachers.” > >This article is based on the study conducted by >Gingerich (2004). She observed the problems and >difficulties that three English teachers from South >Africa had in their classes. It is part of a larger >study which examines local and foreign English >teachers’ collaboration and professional development >in intercultural team teaching. > >To write the article, data were collected via >different methods including: interviews, >questionnaires, classroom observation, field notes, >research journals and document inspection. All the >interviews were recorded and transcribed for further >analysis. > >In addition, writers follow all the steps mentioned >above, they will analyze the data and information, >aiming to solve problems or at least try to settle >them. In this article they noticed the deficiencies >related to the teachers and gave solutions to be >followed. > >It was said that for students to gain maximum benefits >of intercultural team teaching, the participating >foreign teachers need to be better prepared for the >challenges they may face in an unfamiliar educational >system. Snow (2006) states that foreign English >teachers should be encouraged to reflect on their >teaching regularly so that, their teaching is guided >by more informed decisions. In the case of the Hsinchu >Program (Taiwanese program), this reflection can take >many forms, such as engaging in casual conversations >about the lesson they taught together with their >team-teaching partners, writing a reflective journal >and exchanging it with their partners and conducting >action research to investigate a certain aspect of >team-teaching. It is hoped that with better >preparation and continued professional development, >foreign English teachers can thrive and contribute >their teaching expertise to the foreign land. > >In the article 3, the author demonstrates her worry >about students that are learning English through >immersion in the mainstream curriculum. According to >her, there are many native speaker students whose >learning difficulties are linguistic in origin and >require a language-oriented pedagogy in all curriculum >areas. > >After Reading her article, we can say that Susan Gray >develops a work with a validity character. She uses >not only her words, but she tries to justify with >other authors words or with words of people who has a >credit position in society. She also searches and >quotes other theories that could dialogue with the one >she works with. > >To justify her central arguments, she quotes authors >like Ellis, Fisher, Westerman, Pica among others. >Quoting Pica’s words while justifying her work: > >“ … he observed when considering data from a wide >range of content-based classrooms where the target >language was English that students’ language >production was ‘fluent, but linguistically inaccurate` >(p. 343); attention in the class was directed to >meaning rather than form.” > >And explain that in her paper: > > “uses and extends the view of form proposed by Ellis >et al. (2002) which incorporates phonological, >graphological, lexical, and grammatical form to >include discoursal aspects of language. This focus >beyond the level of the sentence to text structure is >critical for the language demands of academic >writing.” > >Here, once again, when she says: “…proposed by Ellis >et al (2002)” she is looking for theoretical >justifications. Another important point is that she >not only substantiates the principles of the research, >but she also defines specific terms as in “Sardo Brown >(1993, p. 63) defines teacher planning as ‘the >instructional decisions made prior to the execution of >plans during teaching`.” > >Defending her affirmation that many secondary >students, not just new learners of English, need >informed language focused planning and that each of >the secondary learning areas has its own language, >she demonstrates that there are other authors that >said that, so she puts it in parenthesis “(Bullock >Committee, 1975; Vollmer, 2006)” and continue >explaining that educational systems are challenged to >develop language-oriented pedagogy that benefits >native speaker as well as non native speaker students. > >It is relevant that the author still points out that >the research area is relevant: > >“there is renewed interest in earlier work in language >across the curriculum issues which guided teachers to >focus on the reading and writing demands in their >subject areas (for example, Davies and Greene, 1984; >Lunzer and Gardner, 1979; Morris and Stewart-Dore, >1984 and the Council of Europe’s current project on >Languages of Education).” > >Another point used to give validity to her work is >the mention of the New Zealander national curriculum: > >“it argues that each teacher needs to provide specific >guidance with the specialist vocabulary, the reading >demands, and appropriate ways of conveying knowledge >in each subject area (Ministry of Education, 2007).” > >The author also searches for the words of the Ministry >of Education that English language learners will >‘‘need explicit and extensive teaching of English >vocabulary, word forms, sentence and text structures, >and language uses” (Ministry of Education, p. 16). > >And in the conclusion was shown the principles chosen >to assist teachers in their instructional decision and >the way teachers have put principles into practice, >using a descriptive account. This validates her >research showing teachers experiences in their own >teaching as well as those of their students. And she >justifies: > >“The descriptive account also enabled a critical >examination of the theoretical input in one TESOL >teacher education programme teachers in the study used >principles as a pivot between the needs analysis and >subsequent planning and as the criteria for selecting >and sequencing the learning activities.” > >So, the author always underlies her words through >theoretical ones, doing this she transmits the idea of >being a good researcher and get readers´ confidence. > >4- How important is the description of procedures and >methods adopted in the study being reported. > >The description of procedures and methods adopted in >the study is very valuable since it is the main >source for the credibility of the work. To be trustful >the researchers must rely their study on gathering >observable, empirical and measurable evidence. With >this data the authors can provide evidences for their >utterances. > >The detailed explanation of procedures and methods >adopted in the research tells how the author intends >to deal with the issue presented as well as provides >the work plan and describes the necessary activities >to achieve the ultimate goal of the project. It also >allows others researchers the opportunity to verify >results by attempting to reproduce them in other >studies. > >Article 1 is a research based on a qualitative study. > The data collection had begun in August , 2006 and >lasted until June, 2007. The study focused on three >South African teachers’ performance in the classroom, >their background information and their previous >professional experience. > >After analysing the data collected the authors >conclude that the common problem suffered by those >three teachers was their doubt on their accent. It >was also showed how ironic was the hiring procedure of > the Taiwanese School. In other words, those three >teachers were hired for being considered English >native speakers, and so they had also suffered for >not sounding genuine native speakers. Therefore, the >only conception accepted by Taiwanese people was that >English speakers need to sound like Americans. > >One important fact that happened during the research >period was the prejudice suffered by the two black >teachers in relation to the students and some >co-workers. May and Ivy were the only two black female >teachers in the Hsinchu Program during the school year >of 2006. May was very upset that School C was turning >Ivy down; Mei-ling remarked that May accused Ivy’s >colleagues of being racist in one of their casual >conversations. In one informal conversation with the >first author, May also talked about her sensitivity >towards racism in these words, “I’m a very sensitive >person. When students misbehave, I sometimes think >that ‘Are you misbehaving because I am black?” >(fieldnote, 2006/12/05). This incident may have >interfered in their work discouraging one of then to >continue teaching in Taiwan. > >The final conclusion that the authors had taken is >that to students in Taiwan benefit from this program, >(which hires foreign English teachers) the teachers >should be more prepared to deal with unfamiliar >situations in a new environment. > >Article 3 reports the use of the qualitative research >tradition based on Silverman´s (1993) teachings. The >author used, as she said: > >“a hybrid methodology adapting guidelines from case >study research (Merriam, 1998; Stake, 1995, 2000; Yin, >1984) and from action research ( Cohen et al. 2000; >Elliot, 1991; Ellis, 1997b; McTaggart, 1997) to make >visible the activity of planning. The theoretical >input and conceptual tools of the TESSOL programme >provided the materials for planning.” > >On dealing with the qualitative research it is >important that the procedures are well detailed and >analyzed. The results achieved will have a greater >impact on the research conclusion than they would have >in a quantitative one. > >Being in contact with the language provides the >students with the ability of communicating well and >making themselves understandable, but not to use the >form correctly, mainly because in the class meaning is >privileged rather than form. The studies show that >most students of English (even native speakers) don’t >know surely how to manage the differences between >written and spoken language. So, the attention is >called for the responsibility teachers have while >helping the students to overcome these difficulties. > >The conclusion of this article is that teachers should >not take students’ knowledge for granted and the form >of a language is something that should always pointed >out as a part of the language as important as grammar >or meaning. > > >References: > > >href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_psycholo >gy#Quantitative_methods">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E >ducational_psychology#Quantitative_methods > >href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method">h >ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method > >href="http://www.meaning.ca/archives/archive/art_how_to >_write_P_Wong.htm">http://www.meaning.ca/archives/archi >ve/art_how_to_write_P_Wong.htm [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
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