scholarly journals Tasks in action in Vietnamese EFL high school classrooms: The role of rehearsal and performance in teaching and learning through oral tasks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thi Bao Trang Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Task Design ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Problem Solving Task

<p>Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has attracted considerable attention in research on language teaching and learning. Numerous publications have made a case for TBLT and the role of tasks in learning. TBLT has been introduced in language curricula around the world, including English as a foreign language (EFL) curricula in many countries in Asia. Yet research into tasks in action from both teaching and learning perspectives is rare with scant examination of decisions on task design and implementation that teachers make in the classroom and how their pedagogical decisions are linked to student learning and engagement. The present research addresses these gaps.  The research was conducted in two phases in a Vietnamese high school where a series of task-based EFL textbooks have been adopted to promote curriculum innovation. Phase 1 was a descriptive study which investigated how the Vietnamese EFL teachers implemented oral textbook tasks through adapting task design and creating classroom activity and how learners engaged in the tasks. The data were collected over two and a half months through classroom observations, stimulated recalls and in-depth interviews with teachers and students. The results revealed that the teachers displayed a strong tendency to adapt or replace the textbook tasks, with specific preferences for open over closed tasks, input-independent over input-dependent tasks and divergent over convergent tasks. They also opted for tasks that are not just 'real world', but 'real' to students. Teacher task choices were found to be guided by their own task experimentation, by clearly articulated beliefs about teaching and learning and by a strong orientation to learner engagement.  Decision making by all the teachers reflected a general commitment to a final public performance of the task by groups of students. This public performance was preceded by rehearsal for the performance, involving students doing the task in pairs or groups to prepare for the performance of the task in front of the class. The terms rehearsal and performance were used because they captured the teachers' and students' orientation and intent as observed in the lessons and explained in the interviews. Rehearsal and performance constituted two of four identifiable stages of task implementation used by the teachers: pre-task, rehearsal, performance and post-task. Both the teachers and students valued the notion of performance as a driving force for the use of English and as a social classroom event to engage students in task work. The centrality of public performance in these EFL classrooms, and a lack of empirical evidence about its impact in task-based learning motivated Phase 2 of the thesis.  Phase 2 specifically addressed the impact of task design and learner proficiency on the occurrence and resolution of language-related episodes (LREs) (Swain, 1998) in task rehearsal and on the subsequent take-up in the public performance of the language items which were focussed on in LREs. Three proficiency groups (n=8 dyads in each) from six intact classes carried out two tasks: one problem-solving task (a convergent task) and one debate task (a divergent task), with a 15-minute rehearsal for their performance. The first group was composed of dyad members of the same higher proficiency (HH); the second group consisted of mixed proficiency dyads (HL) and the third group was lower proficiency dyads (LL). The total data included 48 rehearsals and 48 corresponding performances collected in normal classroom hours. Students were also interviewed after they had finished all the tasks.  The results showed that task design and proficiency affected not only the occurrence and resolution of LREs in task rehearsal but also uptake in the public performance. Specifically, while the problem-solving task induced more LREs, the debate task was more conducive to uptake because the latter task, from the students' perspective, lent itself to performance in ways that the former did not. Overall lower proficiency dyads produced more LREs in rehearsal than higher proficiency dyads. However, it was how LREs were resolved rather than the frequency of LREs that correlated positively with successful uptake in performance. Proficiency also influenced the problem-solving strategies that the learners adopted to prepare for the public performance.  Taken as a whole, this thesis suggests that teacher thinking plays an essential role in transforming tasks in classrooms, and that building in performance to tasks and rehearsal for that performance may contribute to language learning and development. The research has useful implications for task design and implementation, as well as for theory and research methodology.</p>

scholarly journals Tasks in action in Vietnamese EFL high school classrooms: The role of rehearsal and performance in teaching and learning through oral tasks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thi Bao Trang Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Task Design ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Problem Solving Task

<p>Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has attracted considerable attention in research on language teaching and learning. Numerous publications have made a case for TBLT and the role of tasks in learning. TBLT has been introduced in language curricula around the world, including English as a foreign language (EFL) curricula in many countries in Asia. Yet research into tasks in action from both teaching and learning perspectives is rare with scant examination of decisions on task design and implementation that teachers make in the classroom and how their pedagogical decisions are linked to student learning and engagement. The present research addresses these gaps.  The research was conducted in two phases in a Vietnamese high school where a series of task-based EFL textbooks have been adopted to promote curriculum innovation. Phase 1 was a descriptive study which investigated how the Vietnamese EFL teachers implemented oral textbook tasks through adapting task design and creating classroom activity and how learners engaged in the tasks. The data were collected over two and a half months through classroom observations, stimulated recalls and in-depth interviews with teachers and students. The results revealed that the teachers displayed a strong tendency to adapt or replace the textbook tasks, with specific preferences for open over closed tasks, input-independent over input-dependent tasks and divergent over convergent tasks. They also opted for tasks that are not just 'real world', but 'real' to students. Teacher task choices were found to be guided by their own task experimentation, by clearly articulated beliefs about teaching and learning and by a strong orientation to learner engagement.  Decision making by all the teachers reflected a general commitment to a final public performance of the task by groups of students. This public performance was preceded by rehearsal for the performance, involving students doing the task in pairs or groups to prepare for the performance of the task in front of the class. The terms rehearsal and performance were used because they captured the teachers' and students' orientation and intent as observed in the lessons and explained in the interviews. Rehearsal and performance constituted two of four identifiable stages of task implementation used by the teachers: pre-task, rehearsal, performance and post-task. Both the teachers and students valued the notion of performance as a driving force for the use of English and as a social classroom event to engage students in task work. The centrality of public performance in these EFL classrooms, and a lack of empirical evidence about its impact in task-based learning motivated Phase 2 of the thesis.  Phase 2 specifically addressed the impact of task design and learner proficiency on the occurrence and resolution of language-related episodes (LREs) (Swain, 1998) in task rehearsal and on the subsequent take-up in the public performance of the language items which were focussed on in LREs. Three proficiency groups (n=8 dyads in each) from six intact classes carried out two tasks: one problem-solving task (a convergent task) and one debate task (a divergent task), with a 15-minute rehearsal for their performance. The first group was composed of dyad members of the same higher proficiency (HH); the second group consisted of mixed proficiency dyads (HL) and the third group was lower proficiency dyads (LL). The total data included 48 rehearsals and 48 corresponding performances collected in normal classroom hours. Students were also interviewed after they had finished all the tasks.  The results showed that task design and proficiency affected not only the occurrence and resolution of LREs in task rehearsal but also uptake in the public performance. Specifically, while the problem-solving task induced more LREs, the debate task was more conducive to uptake because the latter task, from the students' perspective, lent itself to performance in ways that the former did not. Overall lower proficiency dyads produced more LREs in rehearsal than higher proficiency dyads. However, it was how LREs were resolved rather than the frequency of LREs that correlated positively with successful uptake in performance. Proficiency also influenced the problem-solving strategies that the learners adopted to prepare for the public performance.  Taken as a whole, this thesis suggests that teacher thinking plays an essential role in transforming tasks in classrooms, and that building in performance to tasks and rehearsal for that performance may contribute to language learning and development. The research has useful implications for task design and implementation, as well as for theory and research methodology.</p>

Recovery from memory failure when recalling a memorized performance: The role of musical structure and performance cues

2021 ◽  
pp. 102986492110254
Author(s):  
Roger Chaffin ◽  
Jane Ginsborg ◽  
James Dixon ◽  
Alexander P. Demos
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Music ◽  
Musical Structure ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
Memory Failure ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Written Recall ◽  
Performance Gains ◽  
Over Time

To perform reliably and confidently from memory, musicians must able to recover from mistakes and memory failures. We describe how an experienced singer (the second author) recovered from mistakes and gaps in recall as she periodically recalled the score of a piece of vocal music that she had memorized for public performance, writing out the music six times over a five-year period following the performance. Five years after the performance, the singer was still able to recall two-thirds of the piece. When she made mistakes, she recovered and went on, leaving gaps in her written recall that lengthened over time. We determined where in the piece gaps started ( losses) and ended ( gains), and compared them with the locations of structural beats (starts of sections and phrases) and performance cues ( PCs) that the singer reported using as mental landmarks to keep track of her progress through the piece during the sung, public performance. Gains occurred on structural beats where there was a PC; losses occurred on structural beats without a PC. As the singer’s memory faded over time, she increasingly forgot phrases that did not start with a PC and recovered at the starts of phrases that did. Our study shows how PCs enable musicians to recover from memory failures.

Relationships between Learning Styles and Performance on Problem-Solving Tasks

1986 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 1135-1138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penny Armstrong ◽  
Ernest McDaniel
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
Choice Point ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Problem Solving Task

A computerized problem-solving task was employed to study the relationships among problem-solving behaviors and learning styles. College students made choices to find their way home in a simulated “lost in the woods” task and wrote their. reasons at each choice point. Time to read relevant information and time to make decisions were measured by the computer clock. These variables were correlated with learning style variables from Schmeck's (1977) questionnaire. The findings indicated that subjects who perceived themselves as competent learners take more time on the problem-solving task, use more information and make fewer wrong choices.

scholarly journals Assessment of Assimilation and Academic Performance of Students During Winter and Summer Seasons

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. e639128886
Author(s):  
Abubakar Muhammed Dadile ◽  
Abubakar Muhammad Dadile ◽  
Habu Muhammed Dadile ◽  
Nurudeen Mohammed
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Weather Condition ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Senior Secondary

The study was conducted at Gashua, Yobe State. The weather condition of the area during summer is so terrible to the extent that the majority of inhabitants are searching for ice blocks or cold water to drink in other to feel a bit comfortable. In the school, both teachers and students were not comfortable during summer and winter seasons and these made teaching and learning processes boring. Therefore, the study is aimed at assessing the assimilation and academic performance of students during the vsummer and winter seasons. A random selection of past examination record sheets of students in Yusad secondary school, Gashua was used, and information on their academic performance for summer and winter season were obtain from senior secondary one and two (SS1 and SS2) classes. Ten student record books were selected at random for their academic performance on the subject area of biology. Their scores of the academic performance records were subjected to a descriptive statistics where mean, standard deviation was calculated and Z-test was determined. The results of this study revealed that the summer and winter seasons do not affect the assimilation and results reveals that the academic performance of students varies between - 0.58 in SS1 to - 0.72 in SS2 which means that the summer and winter seasons had no influence on the assimilation and performance of students but might cause inconvenience, unfavorable, disturbance and unsuitable conditions for teaching and learning processes. 

scholarly journals Watching television in a home environment: effect on children’s attention, comprehension and behavior

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E Rose ◽  
Alexandra Lamont ◽  
Nicholas Reyland
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Tv Viewing ◽  
Facilitation Effect ◽  
Environment Effect ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Harmful Effects ◽  
Problem Solving Task

Correlational studies have suggested some harmful effects of television (TV) viewing in early childhood, especially for the viewing of fast-paced entertainment programs. However, this has not been consistently supported by experimental studies, many of which have lacked ecological validity. The current study explores the effects of pace of program on the attention, problem solving and comprehension of 41 3- and 4-year-olds using an ecologically valid experimental design. Children were visited twice at home; on each visit they were shown an episode of a popular animated entertainment program which differed in pace: one faster paced, one slower paced. Children’s behavior was coded for attention and arousal during viewing, attention, effort and performance after viewing during a problem-solving task, and comprehension of the program. The faster paced program was attended to more, but this had no impact on comprehension. Although 3-year-olds showed more attention and effort on the problem-solving task after watching the slower program, both 3- and 4-year-olds completed more problems successfully after watching the faster program. The results provide evidence to counter the ‘harm’ perceived in young children watching fast-paced entertainment programs as where differences were found it was the fast-paced program which appeared to have a cognitive facilitation effect.

scholarly journals Take the plea: the factors that influence innocent individuals to accept plea bargains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley Zannella
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Plea Bargaining ◽  
Plea Bargain ◽  
Fantasy Proneness ◽  
Wrongful Convictions ◽  
Guilty Plea ◽  
Problem Solving Task

Recently, plea bargaining has emerged as a factor that contributes to wrongful convictions. When a Crown offers a reduced sentence or lesser charge to a defendant in exchange for a guilty plea, there is the potential for innocent defendants to plead guilty. However, little is known about the factors that are influencing innocent defendants to accept plea bargains. The current study aimed to investigate the role of false evidence, risk, and modality on an innocent participant’s likelihood of accepting or rejecting a plea bargain. In a laboratory, innocent participants (N = 174) were accused of collaborating with another participant (confederate) on a problem solving task, and offered a plea bargain. Results showed that when participants were told there was an 80% chance of sanctions if they rejected the plea, they were more likely to admit guilt, and accept the plea. Additionally, participants who were high in compliance, high in fantasy proneness, or were younger, were more likely to accept the plea bargain. Implications of these findings for innocent defendants are discussed.

“A Gay Agenda”: Troubling Compulsory Heterosexuality in a South African University Classroom

2021 ◽  
pp. 0092055X2110224
Author(s):  
Dennis A. Francis
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Critical Incidents ◽  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Compulsory Heterosexuality ◽  
Teachers And Students

Not only does teaching about gender and sexuality diversity lead to some very interesting and often emotionally evocative, pedagogical exchanges; it can also create challenging issues for teachers and students alike. This article focuses on what happens when a module that addresses compulsory heterosexuality and schooling is broached in an undergraduate sociology class. More importantly, it offers an analysis of the critical incidents and tensions that pay specific attention to how power, knowledge, and emotion feature in teaching and learning. Using antioppressive and affect theories, this article offers an analysis of how we might understand pedagogical practice, especially as it relates to addressing the power of normative heterosexuality in a university classroom. With reflections emerging from the module, I argue for more sociological theorization and analysis of the role of affect in pedagogies that seek to advance liberatory teaching and learning in the area of anti-heterosexism education.

Legal information acquisition by the public : an exploratory study

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sheila O'Hare
Keyword(s):  
Health Information ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Information Acquisition ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Previous Experience ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Legal Information ◽  
The Public

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This exploratory study applied models of human information behavior and health information acquisition to the acquisition of legal information by the public. A mixed methods approach, consisting of two sequential phases, was utilized. First, an online survey consisting of 45 multiple-choice questions was administered to a Qualtrics panel of 385 individuals without formal legal training who were at least 18 years of age. In the second phase, eleven individuals who met the same screening criteria were interviewed in order to provide additional elaboration upon and clarification of the survey data. In phase 1, frequency of legal information searching and incidental discovery of legal information (information encountering, or IE) was assessed for relationships with personal, affective, contextual, and environmental factors. Findings indicate that individuals who search and encounter legal information more frequently share certain demographic and affective characteristics with their counterparts in the acquisition of health information. Age, income, and previous experience with the legal system were associated with greater legal search frequency. Age, race, and previous experience with the legal system were associated with greater frequency of legal IE. Self-efficacy and vigilance were both associated with frequency of search and IE, though perception of the legal system was not. Subjects searched and encountered more frequently because of curiosity than other situational factors. The role of risk in search and encounter frequency could not be determined. Both exposure to multiple information sources and to multiple mass media sources were associated with greater frequency of legal search and IE. In phase 2, subjects were asked about their searches and IE experiences with legal information, and the role of legal information in their everyday lives, especially as compared to health information acquisition. Findings indicate that members of the public define legal information quite narrowly as tied to lawyers and courts, rather than rights and duties (even provided with a more inclusive definition), and often fail to relate routine encounters with the law to their larger understanding of the legal system. Survey findings were corroborated in terms of source choices, the roles of previous experience, self-efficacy, and avoidance-vigilance. The increased availability of legal information sources through the internet has made it easier for people to find codes and regulations, but has not made it easier to find the information necessary to assess more complex legal issues. Other emergent themes identified in phase 2 included the detrimental effect of attorney advertising and the perception of legal information as disruptive, in contrast to the embeddedness of health information in everyday life.

Technology

2013 ◽  
pp. 135-149
Author(s):  
Rita Gravina ◽  
Helena Pereira-Raso
Keyword(s):  
Social Networking ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
Teaching And Learning Strategies ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Social Networking Tools

Collaboration is an important aspect of how our world functions today and an element at the core of rich learning opportunities. The role of educational institutions is one that provides provoking settings so that learning is deep and sustained well beyond the classroom walls. Learners are currently in a paradigm where they are able to learn at all hours of the day; they are no longer in a framework where learning is exclusive to a classroom. Teachers and students at The Bishop Strachan School are exploring this through the various uses of teaching and learning strategies and enriching these strategies with Web 2.0 applications. This chapter will present early explorations in the school with Wiki pages, social networking tools, such as NINGs, interactive timelines, and real-time applications, such as Google apps. Each of the cases provides an authentic learning experience for students and moves the student’s work out into the world.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document