Imaginary practice: Discourse strategies used in EFL episode teaching...

Imaginary practice: Discourse strategies used in EFL episode teaching虚实之间：高中英语片段教学话语策略

黄军生福建教育学院December 2, [email protected]

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Focus 4Cs

C – Create the episode through goal setting

C – Create the whole through episodes

C – Create dialogues through monologues

C – Create authentic contexts through imaginary practice

以目标创设片段以片段创设整体以独白创设对话以假想创设实境

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Preview Introduction Episode teaching: What’s different? Classroom discourse Create the episode through goal setting Create the whole through episodes Create dialogues through monologues Create authentic contexts through imaginary practice Implications & limitations Awareness & expertise (Conclusion)

4Cs

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1. Introduction

A philosophical distinction: the whole and its parts

What about episode teaching?

“The whole is more than the sum of its parts”(Aristotle)

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Events in Fujian

The honour-teacher selection

(August 15, 2010)

The expert/master teacher selection

(October 17, 2010)

The teaching-skill contest 2010

(December 20, 2010)

The teaching-skill contest 2012

(November 16 – 25, 2012)

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A pleasant surprise

English was spoken in all the episode teaching sessions without exception.

“Use English if possible, and use Chinese when necessary” “尽量使用英语，适当使用母语”《高中英语大纲 ( 实验修订版 ) 》（ 2000 ）（刘道义， 2006a ： 49 ）

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The Research Team

卢健、严淑琼、杨华娟、姜蕴、陈文浩、朱玉、周大明、黄军生Teaching design Episode teaching Reading aloud

EFL (Primary) Miss Yan Miss YanMiss Yang

Miss ChenMiss ZhuDr Huang

EFL (Junior) Miss YanMiss ChenMr LuMiss Jiang

Miss YanMiss ChenMr Lu

Miss ChenMiss ZhuDr Huang

EFL (Senior) Mr Lu Mr ZhouDr Huang

Dr Huang

(March 23, 2011; 2012) 7

What about “talking about

lesson”?

Negotiating the meaning of episode teaching

(June 4, 2011)

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Questions What is episode teaching situated in the community of

teaching practice in Fujian? What are the key features? How do EFL teachers do episode teaching in practice? What are the implications for classroom instruction? What are the potential limitations of episode teaching?

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2. Episode teaching: What’s different? A working definition

片段教学，指教师根据教学设计，在缩短课堂教学时间、规定教学内容及操控课堂环境等条件下，上的“微课”，以展现相对完整的常规课堂教学过程，达到展示、训练或评价教师整体专业教学能力之目的的教学实践活动。 (黄军生 , 2012 ：65)

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Design features Subject: Pre- or in-service teachers Nature: An activity of teaching practice

(A micro-lesson with a specific focus)

Purpose: To present, train & evaluate teaching expertise

(As an approach to teachers’ professional development)

Prerequisite: Time, content, setting & behaviors under control

micro-lesson

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Mini-lesson, lesson section, or talking about the lesson?

A mini-lesson: the contracted version of a regular lesson

(with the integrity in contents & procedures)

A section of a regular lesson:An integral part of a regular lesson

(without the integrity in contents & procedures)

Talking about the lesson: (A brief introduction to a regular lesson

– how & why)

Introducinghow & why

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5Ps（刘道义， 2006a, b)

（刘道义， 2010 ）

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Justifying “episode teaching”- Episode: an event that is distinctive and separate although part of a larger series (Merriam-Webster )

- Episode teaching can be viewed as a brief unit of action as well as an integral part of a larger series

ProductionPresentation

Preparation

PracticeProgress

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Microteaching (Allen, 1967)

Stanford Teacher Training Programs

Stanford Teacher Training Programs Mainly for pre-service teachers and later extended to in-service teachers A short micro-lesson (5 – 20 minutes) Two major elements: (1) teach-reteach cycle

(2) focus on individual teaching skills Two major limitations: (1) emphasis on individual skills and less

attempt made to integrate these skills(2) gap between the “shallow water” of teaching and the “deep end” of the real classroom(Hargie et al, 1978)

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14 teaching skills (Allen, 1967)

Stimulus variation Set induction Closure Silence and nonverbal cues Reinforcement of student participation Fluency in asking questions Probing questions Higher-order questions Divergent questions Recognizing attending behavior Illustrating and use of examples Lecturing Planned repetition Completeness of communication

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10 teaching skills ( 袁昌寰， 1999)

Introduction Presentation Mechanical drills Practice Questioning Variability Designing and organizing activities Visual aids Reinforcement Closure

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Trial teaching 12 teaching skills

Leading in (to the topic) Goal-setting Presenting the content (a group of words, a paragraph of the text, a text …) Focusing on skills (teaching listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar,

vocabulary, thinking, text, strategies, culture …) Focusing on language use Reading aloud Retelling Storytelling Designing activities/tasks Organizing activities/tasks Handwriting Summarizing

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Four skills in the 2010 contest

Skill Criterion Time (Min.) Percentage

Teaching design

Analysis of students and textbooksAnalysis of goals and theoryAnalysis of key points and difficultiesTeaching processesAssignments and intentions

60 20%

Episode teaching Contents, methodology, results, quality 15 40%

Handwriting Content, arts 5 15%

PPT making Content, design, technique, arts 60 25%

Total 140 100%

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Skills in the 2012 contest (Senior)Skill Criterion Time (Min.) %

Teaching design

Analyzing goals & rationales (15%)Analyzing students & textbooks (15%)Analyzing key points and difficulties (20%)Designing teaching processes (50%)

60 25%

Episode teaching

Contents (35%)Teaching methods (35%)Effect (15%) Teacher quality (15%)

15 35%

Talking about lesson(300-word script)

Talking about contents (60%)Teacher competence (40%)

60 (45 + 15)

20%

Reading Comprehension & generalization (60%)Expression (40%)

10 20%

Total 145 100%20

Skills in the 2012 contest (Junior)Skill Criterion Time (Min.) %

Teaching design


60 25%

Episode teaching


15 35%



60 (45 + 15)

20%

Reading aloud &Translation

Reading aloud (50%)Translating the underlined parts orally (50%)

10 20%

Total 145 100%21

Skills in the 2012 contest (Primary)Skill Criterion Time (Min.) %

Teaching design


60 25%

Episode teaching


15 35%



60 (45 + 15)

20%

Reading aloud Pronunciation & Intonation (50%)Effect (50%)

5 20%

Total 140 100%22

3. Classroom discourse

Definition the oral interaction between teachers and their

students and between students themselves that takes place in a classroom context.

(Thoms, 2012: S8)

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Categories Teacher-student interaction & student-student interaction Verbal interaction & nonverbal interaction Dialogue & monologue Teacher talk

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Local three-part sequence

- Are you ready?

- Okay, let’s go.

- Over, check the key.( 朱介文， 2011, 《福建基础教育研究》 )

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IRF/IRE pattern

T: Amy, what do we call words that describe? [I]

S: Adjectives. [R]

T: Adjectives, good. [F/E]

I = Initiation

R = Response

F/E = Feedback/Evaluation(Sinclair & Coulthard, 1975)

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4. Creating the episode through goal setting 2010 Topic (Senior) Women of achievement

(M4/U1, NSEC )

Using language:

“Speaking & writing”

2012 Topic (Senior) Visiting Britain

(M4/U12, SHE)

Language Focus:

“Reading”

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Topic

(2012)

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The goal setting A model of goal setting for episode teaching (M4/U1, NSEC)

片段教学目标设计模式

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Goal Setting Learning Goal Teaching Goal

Speaking GoalHelp students describe a person orally

Teach how to use adjectives appropriately

Writing GoalHelp students write a description of a person

Teach the structure of a descriptive text

Focus on episode teaching

Persons: Lin Qiaozhi, or

Madam Curie, Song Qingling,

Song Zuying, Deng Yaping,

English teacher …

Achievements & qualities

Initiate Ss into talking about the woman

Write a description of the woman you have talked about

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Example 1: Opening remarks (1)

1) Well, boys and girls, just now we read a passage about women of achievement (Writing “Women of

achievement” on the board), right?

2) Who did we talk about and read about?

3) Yes, Lin Qiaozhi, right?

4) Next, we’ll do some speaking and writing.

5) Before we do that, we’ll review and do some tasks.

… (S1, 2010)

AnalysisCohesion & coherence

Sequence:

just now …

next …

Before …

Contents:

Reading

Speaking

Writing

Goal of episode

teaching:

Speaking & writing 33

Example 2: Opening remarks (2)Well, Boys and girls, today we’re going to learn about an interesting place. Before that, I’d like you to enjoy a song. OK, let’s listen to it … Well, do you know it? Let’s sing together! Yes, along to the music, OK?

“London Bridge is falling down, falling down …” [Singing, smiling and clapping]

OK, is that a wonderful and beautiful song, isn’t it? OK, talking about the song … What’s the title? Yes, “London Bridge”. Where is London Bridge? Yes, of course, it’s in London, right? and London is the capital of Britain. Today, we’re going to take a trip to Britain. The title … (Writing the title, “Visiting Britain”, on the board) … (S1, 2012)

AnalysisSequence:

Today

Before that

Today

Relevance:

London Bridge is in

London.

Goal-setting:34

Example 3: Closure

[…] (After the presentation of 12 minutes)

1) So, today we’ve learned “Women of achievement”.

2) We’ve read about a passage about Lin Qiaozhi.

3) We’ve also talked about another woman of achievement.

4) And we also know how to write about a person, right?

5) … and also learn how to check with yourself and try to evaluate others.

6) Here, let’s see who is better …

7) Today’s topic is about women, maybe, today girls performed better.

8) I hope you (boys) will cooperate with each other very well later.

AnalysisCohesion & coherence

Discourse markers:

“So, right, here”

Summary

Result / Product

Assessment

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9) Here is the assessment for you: …

10) Here is the homework for you: …

- discussing your writing and checking it in pairs and in groups;

- choosing the best one to put on the bulletin board; - searching the Internet www.women.com for further information about more famous women

(S1, 2010)

AnalysisAssessment

Homework

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5. Creating the whole through episodes Example 4: An interview (task)

[…] (Leading to speaking)

1) Let’s welcome S1 and S2, please come to the blackboard to have a dialogue.

2) OK! S1 and S2, who would like to do (an interview), for example, one is the

interviewer and the other is the interviewee.

3) So, S1, you will act as the interviewer and S2 as the interviewee.

4) You’ll have a dialogue.

5) Please try to make all of your classmates understand what you are talking about.

6) (Turning to the class) Listen carefully … [Pause 5’’]

Analysis Preparation (Activating)

2 students

Purpose

Roles

Whole class (Presentation)

(Practice)37

7) OK! S1 and S2, thank you very much, and go back to your seats.

8) Just now S1 and S2 talked about a woman you know.

9) They never mentioned her name in their dialogue, but from the information, you know she is … [Writing “Your English teacher”]

10) I’m sorry to write out the three words “Your English teacher” [Smiling modestly].

11) Maybe I’m not that good enough to be a great woman, to be a woman of achievement.

12) Thank you very much for admiring me and I hope I can do better for you to set a good example for you to follow.

13) Now, let’s come to the second part. You’re required to write a passage: […] (S4, 2010)

Analysis

(Production)

Comments

Associating with T

Affective elements

Progress

(Moving on to writing)38

Example 5: Hamburger writing (task)

[…] (Leading in writing)

1) So(Clapping), today, I want to give you a task, a task (Writing “Task” on the board) to talk about a girl classmate.

2) Select one you think she is a girl of achievement. 3) …That is the task of today’s writing practice, writing practice.

4) Now, before you set down, get down (to) your business, what should you do first?

5) I want you to write down someone, someone, a girl in your class.

6) We’re talking about hamburger writing.

Analysis Preparation

(Activating)

A task situated in class

Initiate the task

Analogize writing to hamburger

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The use of Metaphor

7) Hamburger, have you ever eaten or seen a hamburger?

8) Yes (Smiling) or No (Frowning)?

9) So, it’s a pity. Look at the screen (Drawing a “hamburger” on the board).

10) On the screen, you can find …

11) What’s this?

12) Yes, the top bread (Writing “top bread” on the board).

13) What’s this?

14) Yes, the meat.

15) And what’s this?

16) Yes, the base bread.

17) Very good!

18) Oh yes, some students said it’s junk food.

19) Yes, I’m sorry.

Analysis Presentation

(Enabling task)

Repetition

(but not answer)

A linking device40

20) If you eat too much hamburger, it will affect your shape.

21) You may gain weight, right?

22) I don’t want to gain weight and I want to keep slim, keep healthy, right?

23) OK, how to make a hamburger (a) healthy food? … [Pause 5’’]

24) OK, let’s look here.

25) I want you to use this kind of writing.

26) It’s called hamburger writing.

27) That means you can divide your writing passage into three parts: Paragraph 1 (is) just like the top bread, yes, your first paragraph is topic;

Analysis

Pause: allowing time for

Ss to think

Repetition

Defining by analogizing:

Para. 1 – Top bread – Topic

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28) Paragraph 2, the body of your writing; Paragraph 3, you can write something else.

29) You know, that is the three layers of your hamburger writing.

30) Now is that junk food?

31) How to make it a healthy thing?

32) Yes, some students … yes! add some vegetables to make it healthy, very good!

33) So you can add some vegetables.

34) That means something, such as topic sentence or introduction, the vegetable.

35) How to make it (more) healthier?

36) Yes, we add some more, such as fruit.

37) You can cut it into slices and make it juicy.

AnalysisPara 2 – Body;

Para 3 – ?

Solution 1:

Add vegetable

(Introduction or topic sentence)

Solution 2:

Add fruit

(beautiful adjectives)42

38) How to make a passage juicy?

39) Yes, adjectives, use some beautiful adjectives to make it juicy and healthy.

40) OK, what about the last one?

41) Just like the base bread, mm … in case it falls apart, right?

42) Yes, you may draw a conclusion.

43) Yes, remember: we now talk about the hamburger writing before your task, hamburger writing.

44) So, now turn your book to Pages 8 and 7

[…]

(S2, 2010)

Analysis

Para. 3 – Base bread – Conclusion

(Practice) (Progress)

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6. Creating dialogues through monologues Example 6: Questioning

Questioning with selective responses:

1) Hamburger, have you ever eaten or seen a hamburger?

2) Yes (Smiling) or No (Frowning)?

3) So, it’s a pity … (S2, 2010)

Questioning with self-response & repetition:

1) What’s this?

2) Yes, the top bread.

3) What’s this?

4) Yes, the meat.

5) And what’s this?

6) Yes, the base bread. (S2, 2010)

Analysis

Question or responses?

Affective elements

Response & repetition?

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Questioning with self-responses:

1) In this passage, we’ve learned how to describe people.

2) How to describe a person?

3) Use different adjectives to describe a person …

(S7, 2010)

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Example 7: Request

Asking for volunteering:

[…] (After introducing Lin Qiaozhi to Ss)

Who would like to talk about, about another woman like Lin Qiaozhi, who has achieved …, who has made great achievements? Any volunteers? (S1, 2010)

Analysis

Inviting

Formulaic chunks:

Who would like to…?

Any volunteers?

Self-correction

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Inviting individuals:

[…] (Introducing to a group competition)

1) Let’s find out who will get most points.

2) Well, Mary, your group is talking about, about whom?

3) About Song Qingling …

4) Appearance?

5) She is beautiful (and) elegant.

6) Her childhood?

7) Well, Johnson? […]

8) What about her achievements here, Susanna? […]

9) Ah … Katherine, please come here. […]

(S1, 2010)

Analysis

Inviting & questioning

Response & repetition

Different ways of invitation:

Mary … about whom?

Well, Johnson?

What about …Susanna?

Katherine, please …

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Example 8: Discourse markers“and, or, but”: discourse connectives

“now, then”: temporal

“Oh, Ah”: markers of information management

“so, because”: markers of cause and result

“Well”: marker of response

“You know, I mean”: markers of information and participation

“Right”: agreement: e.g. “Yeah, right!”

attention: e.g. “Right! Open your books on page 7.”

question: e.g. “So, all of the members should be speakers, right?”

checking or confirming: “Lin Q. is a woman of achievement, right?”

“OK”: starting a talk or question: e.g. “OK, let’s go on to item B.”

“OK, any questions so far?”

agreement, approval, understanding;

emphasis: e.g. “OK, everybody, it’s time to do a speaking task …”48

Discourse markers

Schiffrin (1987) defines discourse markers as “sequentially dependent elements which bracket units of talk” (p. 31);

Why analyze discourse markers?

“The analysis of discourse markers is part of the more general analysis of discourse coherence.” (Schiffrin, 1987: 49)

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Example 9: Defining & repeating

1) Modest, she is a star, but she is always ready to help somebody else, right?

2) As we know, she was very energetic, energetic, even though she was very tired after work, she tried her best to help one who needed help, energetic …

3) … and modest, you know modest, m-o-d-e-s-t, modest means that even though a person is very great, she has made a very great achievement, she has never been too proud, so we say she is modest.

4) “Modest” is good for everyone in … in the classroom, good for you and for me … (S4, 2010)

Analysis

Defining

Defining & repeating

Defining, repeating and focusing on form and meaning

Defining the situated meaning

Paraphrasing

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7. Creating authentic contexts through imaginary practice Example 10: Imagining students’

responses

1) OK, let’s have a competition.

2) Oh … (Pointing and putting up her hand) I saw your eyes, your shining eyes, yes, Lily, please!

[…]

(S2, 2010)

Analysis

Nonverbal language

Eye contact

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Example 11: Imagining students’ feelings

1) Yes, the winner is Group 1.

2) Let’s give them a big hand (Clapping)!

3) Thank you! They did a very good job.

4) OK, Groups 2, 3, and 4, please don’t be disappointed because we have more activities today …

(S2, 2010)

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Example 12: Imagining students’ performance

1) What qualities do you find in them?

2) Yes, some students … Oh, yes, I hear you.

3) You must have prepared for them very carefully.

(S2, 2010)

1) Here, let’s see who is better …

2) Today’s topic is about women, maybe, today girls performed better.

3) I hope you (boys) will cooperate with each other very well later.

(S1, 2010)53

Example 13: Imagining students’ different views

[…] (After introducing “hamburger writing”)

1) Oh, yes, some students said it’s junk food.

2) Yes, I’m sorry.

3) If you eat too much hamburger, it will affect your shape […] (S2, 2010)

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Example 14: Acting out

1) Yes, better cooperation, better class, yes, great! (Thumbs up) (S1, 2010)

1) … and I’ll give you five minutes (Walking around the class, pretending to discuss with students: “Ah, if you want to describe a person, you should use some factual words, right?” and then back to the front).

2) OK, I’ve found several good examples. (S3, 2010)

1) […] (During the group discussion)

(Coming up to a student and murmuring): Yes, great! You’re talking about your mother.

2) I admire your mother, too.

3) I met her when I came to your home … (S5, 2010)

Analysis

Indicating approval

Imagining interaction with Ss

Interacting with Ss

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Example 15: Using metaphors

Now I’d like you to think about a question. When people are visiting Britain, Chinese people are visiting Britain and British people are visiting China, what kind of problems they may come across? OK, let’s use a metaphor here. Maybe, there is a deep water here, in English, we may call it “trouble water”, the differences between the languages and the differences between the cultures. What can we do to deal with them to come across this water? (Drawing the water) Yes! … What a brilliant answer! To build a bridge (drawing the bridge). …

AnalysisCreativity :

- Metaphor 1:

“Trouble water”

- Metaphor 2:

“To build a bridge”

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Example 15:

…What is this bridge? What we’re doing in today’s class? This bridge is actually the awareness of cultural differences, right? So, you know that we should be aware of the difference between British and Chinese cultures, and we also need to work on the language, English, to communicate with Westerners more fluently without difficulty... (S1, 2012)

Analysis

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Example 16: Making pauses work

1) You should do it and cooperate with each other.

2) Well … (A pause: 5’’)

3) OK, who would like to present your work on the screen?

(S1, 2010)

1) OK, how to make a hamburger a healthy food?

(A pause: 3’’)

2) OK, let’s look here.

(S2, 2010)

Analysis

Indicating students’

group performance

Allowing time for

students to think

about the question

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Example 17: Making errors work

1) (Writing “determination” on the board, but making a spelling mistake “diter…”) Oh … thank you for correcting me, thank you very much!

2) So, we can say they are determined, they … are …determined (Slowly), right?

(S2, 2010)

3) Visting China (S1, 2012)

Analysis

Imagining students are

correcting her error

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8. Implications & limitations The implications for episode teaching

Teachers’ at-post training 岗位练兵 (Teacher professional development)

Integrating teaching skills Integrating theories and practice Related to teachers’ experiences of classroom instructions Making teaching expertise assessable Based on the teaching design and on the emergence of

brainwave as well60

The limitations of episode teaching

Gap between the imaginary practice and the classroom realities

Teaching act in unnatural settings Lack in the complexity of language teaching Lack of comprehensive assessment systems Lack of theoretical supports (from the ECS, for example) Need a multidimensional integration (as part of teaching

expertise) Need more empirical evidence

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11 strategies for teacher professional development

Workshops Self-monitoring Teacher support groups Keeping a teaching journal Peer observation Teaching portfolios Analyzing critical incidents Case analysis Peer coaching Team teaching Action research (Richards & Farrell, 2005)

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9. Awareness & expertise (Conclusion) The image of episode teaching

Parts: episode teaching sessions;Whole: the teacher’s (overall) expertise of teaching;A regular lesson: the parameter of time and contents

Imagined practice (Shadow-boxing practice)

Episode teaching (with the relative integrity in teaching processes)

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4As for 4Cs

Awareness

A – Awareness of learningA – Awareness of teachingA – Awareness of languageA – Awareness of context

Expertise

C – Create the episode through goal settingC – Create the whole through episodesC – Create dialogues through monologuesC – Create authentic contexts through imaginary practice

for

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与 2013年参加教学技能高研班的高中英语骨干教师共勉：英语片段教学四句要诀：

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ReferencesAllen, D. W. (Ed.). (1967). Micro-teaching: A description. CALIF: Stanford University.

Richards, J. C., & Farrell, T. S. C. (2005). Professional development for language teachers: Strategies for teacher learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Schiffrin, D. (1987). Discourse markers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Sinclair, J. M., & Coulthard, R. M. (1975). Towards an analysis of discourse: The English used by teachers and pupils. London: Oxford University Press.

Thoms, J. (2012). Classroom discourse in foreign language classrooms: A review of the literature. Foreign Language Annals, 45 (1), 8-27.

刘道义主编， 2006a ，《新高中英语教学 100 问》，北京：人民教育出版社。刘道义主编， 2006b ，《新高中英语教与学》，北京：人民教育出版社。刘道义， 2010 ，基础外语教育改革发展的历程，北京：“国培计划”讲座（初中英语）。袁昌寰主编， 1999 ，《中学英语微格教学教程》，北京：科学出版社。黄军生， 2012 ，英语片段教学中教师语言意识及实践智慧，《福建基础教育研究》第 7 期

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