Coconstruction of Learning in Pair Interviewing

1
Co-construction of Learning in Pair Interviewing

• Yumi Ohashi
• Fukuoka Jo Gakuin University
• Fukuoka, Japan

2
Value of pair interviewing

• Pair interviewing creates interaction
• Interaction provides learning experience
• Effectiveness of peer assistance
• Childrens performance can provide feedback to
  classroom teaching
• Learning opportunities are socially constructed.

3
Sociocultural Theory

• A holistic view of SLA, based on Vygotskys work
• Learning is
• not individual
• holistic, collaborative, social, interactive

4
The zone of proximal development (ZPD)

• the interactional space within which a learner
  is enabled to perform a task beyond her own
  current level of competence, through assisted
  performance. (Ohta, 2000)
• Context bound nature of the ZPD dependent on
  interaction between the teacher and learners.

5
Microgenesis

• Dynamic developmental change that occurs moment
  by moment over a short time in social
  interaciton.
• Observation of microgenesis reveals the process
  of learning Developmental approach to SLA
  research

6
Pair interviewing

• creates interaction and learning/teaching
  experiences.
• allows the teacher to observe interaction and
  identify further learning.

7
Research Implications

• Pair interviewing as an assessment method for
  creating learning opportunities and the ZPD in
  interaction
• How is teacher peer assistance provided in
  interaction?
• How does task frame assist pupil learning?
• How does learning emerge in interaction?
• How does pupil performance inform effective
  classroom teaching?

8
Study

• Participants six Year 3 six Year 5 Japanese
  children.
• Pair interviews
• Warm up
• Picture recognition and action/verbal response
• Conversation (personal information)
• Categorization of pictures
• Identification of differences between 2 pictures

9
Analysis method

• Sociocultural discourse analysis (Microgenetic
  process)
• Task arrangement
• Intended action/learning
• Assistance (teacher and peer assistance)
• Emergence of learning (microgenesis)

10
Analysis 1 Teacher assistance

• Warm up activity Comprehension and physical
  response
• Intended action/learning by children
• Comprehension of the instruction
• Put the ball in the basket
• Providing appropriate physical response

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Excerpt 1

• R ok. what about. Simon says touch your nose.
  Touch my nose. Ok. sit down. No? ok. Simon says
  put the books into the basket.
• Hanako what?
• Hanako which one?
• Akiko this one, isnt it
• R uh put. put
• Hanako do you mean throw in?
• R into the basket
• Akikoyes, yes, yes
• R ok. you are very good. You did very well. Sit
  down.

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First attempt

• Collaboration
• Fine-tuned assistance by the teacher
• Modeling
• Repetition
• Evaluative feedback
• Childs contribution
• Seeking assistance
• Guessing the meaning
• Repeated trial
• Task arrangement
• Meaningful and enjoyable

13
Excerpt 2

• R ok. are you ok? can you put the egg on the
  table.
• Hanako this is an egg isnt it.
• R can you put the egg on the table
• Hanako move?
• R yes
• Akiko wow. Great.
• Hanako Its peeling
• AkikoHanako ((laugh))
• Hanako this is a big egg.
• R yeah this is a big egg.

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Second attempt

• Collaboration
• Fine-tuned assistance by the teacher
• Evaluative feedback
• Repetition/modeling
• Childs contribution
• Guessing the meaning
• Repeated trial
• Evaluative feedback (by Akiko)
• Task arrangement
• Repetitive use of the language
• Meaningful and fun

15
Analysis 2 Peer assistance

• Task Picture recognition and action response
• Intended action/learning
• Comprehension of instructions
• Understanding prepositions between

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Excerpt 3 (1)

• R can you put the cake.
• Hanako cake?
• R yes. can you put the cake between the boy and
  the girl
• Hanako what ?
• Akiko you know
• Hanako so?
• Akiko its just like hot.. hot and cold
• R and?
• Akiko and you know?

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Excerpt 3 (2)

• 10.Hanako hot and
• 11.R in the middle
• 12.Akiko mild.mild
• 13.Hanako mild
• 14.Akiko mild means in between doesnt it
• 15.Hanko so is it here?
• 16.Akiko no not there
• 17.R in the middle
• 18.Hanako is it here?
• 19.R yes between the boy and the girl. Very
  good. Ok. Akiko?

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Analysis 2 Peer assistance

• Collaboration
• Fine-tuned assistance by the peer-pupil
• Providing a clue
• Linking the new language and the language they
  already know
• Showing analogy
• Modeling
• Repetition
• Evaluative feedback
• Childs contribution
• Seeking assistance
• Guessing the meaning
• Repeated trial
• Microgenetic development
• Accomplish the task, Learning the meaning
• Developing Akikos meta-linguistic knowledge

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Analysis 3 The ZPD and feedback to classroom
teaching

• Task Identification and description of
  differences
• Intended action/learning
• Vocabulary
• Structures
• There is _______. There isnt ______.
• This is _______. This isnt _______.
• It is ________. It isnt _________.

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Excerpt 4

• Hanako this part is missing
• R oh what do you say?
• Hanako a window is missing ((with an English
  accent))
• R how do you say in English?
• Akiko this window. This window. Its not window
  
• R ok, very good
• Akiko This window. Its..yes window
• Hanako yes
• R very good yes

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The ZPD and a lost opportunity

• Creative language use
• This window, its not window, its yes window.
• For the ZPD to be created
• Task arrangement (identification of differences)
• Learner readiness (Awareness of negation)
• Learner intention (to describe the difference)
• Teacher assistance (Missing)
• Learner perception of assistance (Missing)
• Akikos ZPD could have been created if the
  teacher had provided assistance.

22
Findings

• Pair interviewing creates interaction
• Interaction provides learning experience
• Effectiveness of peer assistance
• Childrens performance can provide feedback to
  classroom teaching
• Learning opportunities are socially constructed.

23
Limitations

• Difficulty of task arrangement
• Children see different learning goals
• Timing
• Too self-conscious, hesitant child
• Quiet children
• Pupil performance is influenced by each other
  Whose performance?

24
Practical implications Creating
learning/teaching in pair interviewing

• Create childrens engagement Make the experience
  enjoyable, creative motivating
• Use of puppets, toys, realia
• Use fun and playful activities including puzzles,
  games, hands on activities
• Pairing and grouping reduce stress are enjoyable

25
Practical implications Creating
learning/teaching in pair interviewing

• Dont be afraid of deviating from the original
  plan. Grab contingently appearing teaching
  opportunities.
• Provide usable and accessible assistance for
  learning to occur
• Show model language use
• Be responsive
• Provide developmentally appropriate corrective
  feedback
• Provide clear evaluative feedback