Teacher talk at ly tu tan high school, hanoi and its implications for effective classroom interactions

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** LÊ THANH HOA TEACHER TALK AT LY TU TAN HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM INTERACTIONS (VIỆC SỬ DỤNG NGÔN NGỮ CỦ A GIÁ O VIÊN TẠI TRƯỜ NG THPT LÝ TỬ TẤN, HÀ NỘI VÀ NHỮNG GỢI Ý ĐỂ ĐẠT ĐƯỢC SỰ TƯƠNG TÁ C HIỆU QUẢ TRONG LỚ P HỌC) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Hanoi, 2012 VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES ***************** LÊ THANH HOA TEACHER TALK AT LY TU TAN HIGH SCHOOL, HANOI AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM INTERACTIONS (VIỆC SỬ DỤNG NGÔN NGỮ CỦ A GIÁ O VIÊN TẠI TRƯỜ NG THPT LÝ TỬ TẤN, HÀ NỘI VÀ NHỮNG GỢI Ý ĐỂ ĐẠT ĐƯỢC SỰ TƯƠNG TÁ C HIỆU QUẢ TRONG LỚ P HỌC) M.A Minor Programme Thesis Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, M.A Hanoi, 2012 iii ABBREVIATIONS CLT = Communicative Language Teaching EFL = English as a Foreign Language FLT = Foreign Language Teaching IRF = Initiation/Response/Follow-up T1: Teacher T2: Teacher T3: Teacher TTT = Teacher Talk Time STT = Student Talk Time iv LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Description of the teachers 18 Table 2: Description of the subjects of the study 19 Table 3: Students‟ opinion on lecture mode 25 Table 4: Students‟ opinion on their paticipation in class 26 Table 5: Students‟ opinion on wait-time 26 Table 6: Students‟ opinion on the teacher‟s correction 27 LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Amount of teacher talk, student talk and other activities 21 Chart 2: Percentage of teacher talk in total class time 22 Chart 3: Ways of Initiation 23 Chart 4: Ways of Follow-up to No and Incorrect Answer 24 Chart 5: Ways of Follow-up to Correct Answer 25 v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements i Abstract ii Abbreviations iii Lists of tables and charts iv PART ONE: INTRODUCTION I Rationale of the study II Purpose of the study III Scope of the study IV Method of the study V Significance of the study VI Organization of the study PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 The oretical background of classroom research 1.1.1 Interactions in EFL classes 1.1.2 The structure of classroom discourse 1.2 Theoretical background of Teacher Talk 1.2.1 Definition of teacher talk 1.2.2 Role of teacher talk 1.2.3 Framework of teacher talk 1.2.4 Amount of teacher talk 12 1.2.5 Features of teacher talk 13 1.3 Summary 15 CHAPTER TWO: METHODOLOGY 16 2.1 Setting of the study 16 vi 2.2 Method of the study 17 2.3 Data collection 18 2.3.1 Participants 18 2.3.2 Data collection instruments 18 2.3.3 Data collection procedures 20 2.4 Methods of data analysis 20 2.5 Summary 20 CHAPTER THREE: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 21 3.1 Data analysis 21 3.1.1 Analysis on teacher talk amount 21 3.1.2 Analysis on ways of teacher talk preferred by teachers and students 23 3.1.3 Analysis on students‟ opinion for effective teacher talk 25 3.2 Findings and Discussions 29 3.2.1 The amount of teacher talk time (TTT) of the total class time 29 3.2.2 Ways of teacher talk preferred by teachers and students 30 3.3 Summary 32 CHAPTER FOUR: IMPLICATIONS 33 4.1 Implications for educational administrators 33 4.2 Implications for the teachers 33 4.3 Implications for the students 37 4.4 Summary 37 PART THREE: CONCLUSION 38 I Summary of main findings 38 II Limitations and suggestions for further study 39 References………………………………………………………………………………I Appendices IV PART ONE: INTRODUCTION I Rationale of the study Language teaching is a complex process involving many interrelated factors LarsenFreeman (2000) points out: language teaching can be summarized into three fields: language learner/learning (How to learn); language/culture (What to Learn); teacher/teaching (How to teach) Since the 1960s, the research on classroom discourse has grown rapidly Before that, teaching methodology has been explored and an effective teaching method is tried to be found Since teaching methods don‟t play a decisive role in language classrooms (Long, 1981a), the focus has shifted from teaching methods to teacher talk in classroom process Just as Ellis (1985:143) points out: “Classroom process research, as Gaies calls the study of communication in the classroom, has taken a different form The earliest was interaction analysis … An alternative approach focused only on the language used by the teacher when addressing second language learners It sought to tabulate the adjustments which occur in teacher talk ” Teacher talk is an indispensable part of foreign language teaching in organizing activities, and the way teachers talk not only determines how well they make their lectures, but also guarantees how well students will learn (Cook, 2000: 144) According to pedagogical theory (Cook, 2000; Chaudron, 1988; Zhao, 1998), the language that teachers use in classrooms determines to a larger degree whether a class will succeed or not In English classrooms, teachers‟ language is not only the object of the course, but also the medium to achieve the teaching objective Both the organization of the classroom and the goal of teaching are achieved through teacher talk Appropriate teacher talk can create harmonious atmosphere and, at the same time, promotes a more friendly relationship between teachers and students and, consequently, creates more opportunities for interactions between teachers and students Learning English in Vietnam takes place mainly in classrooms and is usually done under the guidance and supervision of teachers Classroom language is the chief source of foreign language learning and, in some places, the only source It functions not only as a major source of language learning but also as a tool by which a foreign language is taught Until recently, teacher talk in the EFL classroom was considered to be a problematic area for language teachers For one time, it was thought that “good” teacher talk meant “little” teacher talk, since too much teacher talk deprived students of opportunities to speak However, it should be the “quality” rather than the “quantity” that counts “Good teacher talk” should be judged by how effectively it was able to facilitate learning and promote communicative interactions in the classroom Since a better understanding of the use of teachers‟ language can undoubtedly help students improve their learning, and students can make a better use of teacher talk to learn the target language, it is necessary to some research on teacher talk from both theoretical and practical perspective Personally, the researcher always thinks that teacher talk is one of the most important keys to success in the teaching and learning of a foreign language, so she devoted her time researching for the thesis: “Teacher Talk at Ly Tu Tan High School, Hanoi and its implications for effective classroom interactions” with its application to her and her colleagues‟ teaching of English at Ly Tu Tan High School, where she is working II Purpose of the study The aim of the research is to investigate the nature of teacher-student interaction in English classes at Ly Tu Tan High School In general, it has three purposes First of all, it is to investigate the current situation of the teacher talk amount at Ly Tu Tan High School, Hanoi Secondly, it aims at finding ways of teacher talk preferred respectively by teachers and students Finally, it is to provide teachers with some implications for effective teaching The study aims at answering the following research questions: What is the amount of teacher talk time (TTT) of the total class time in English classes at Ly Tu Tan High School? What are the ways of teacher talk preferred respectively by teachers and students? What should be done to improve classroom interactions? III Scope of the study Teacher talk is such a broad and interesting theme that it requires the work of generations of scholars and researchers if it is to be thoroughly investigated Therefore, within the framework of this paper, the researcher has no ambition of touching upon all aspects of this fascinating segment of FLT In this thesis, an attempt was made to study teacher talk in speaking classes, especially a speaking period of Unit 15: CITIES in the English 10 textbook to investigate the amount of teacher talk in the process of interactions between teachers and students and to discuss ways of teacher talk in initiating an interaction and following up a student‟s response preferred respectively by English teachers and 10th-form students at Ly Tu Tan High School IV Method of the study Both quantitative and qualitative methods are employed to carry out the study That is, the data serving analysis and discussion were collected by means of: - Reviewing the related document on interactions in language classes, structure of classroom discourse, amount of teacher talk and features of teacher talk - Observing classrooms and audio-recording - Conducting questionnaires V Significance of the study Teacher talk has always been given a significant position in language teaching Nevertheless, how to make teacher talk enhance foreign language teaching and learning effectively often poses great problems to both teachers and students This study is important in some aspects First, it may serve as an empirical study to investigate teacher talk Then, it can also be taken as a reference for teachers to get a better understanding of classroom interactions Finally, some suggestions for making the classroom interactions more communicative are provided VI Organization of the study This study is composed of three parts: Part One: The Introduction presents the rationale, purpose, scope, method, significance and the organization of the study Part Two: The Development consists of four chapters - Chapter One: Literature Review establishes the basic theoretical background from the literature on classroom research and teacher talk - Chapter Two: Methodology describes the overall picture of how the research was carried out from the first step of determining the research design to the last step of gathering the results Specifically, this chapter contains details of the setting, the collection of the data for the research and methods of data analysis - Chapter Three: Data Analysis and Findings interprets the results of the study This chapter attempts to provide answers to the posed research questions and present the findings with some comments as well - Chapter Four: Implications suggests some ideas for educational administrators, teachers and students so that teacher talk in class can be improved Part Three: The Conclusion summarizes the main findings in the study, emphasizes implications for more communicative teacher talk and points out the limitations and provides some suggestions for further study on the field II 18 Long, M.H (1981a) Input, interaction and second-language acquisition New York 19 Long, M H., & Sato, C J (1983) Classroom foreigner talk discourse: Forms and functions of teachers' questions Newbury House 20 Malamah-Thomas, A (1987) Classroom interaction Oxford: Oxford University Press 21 Maslow, A H (1954) Motivation and personality New York: Harper and Row 22 Mc Carthy, M & S Walsh (2002) Discourse Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 23 McCarthy, M (1991) Discourse Analysis For Language Teachers Cambridge University Press 24 Mehan, H (1979) Learning lessons: Social organization in the classroom Cambridge: Harvard University Press 25 Moon, J (2000) Children Learning English Oxford: Macmillan 26 Myhill, D., Jones S., & Hopper, R (2006) Talking, listening, learning Effective talk in the primary classroom Open University Press: Philadelphia 27 Nguyễn Quốc Tuấn, Lê Văn Canh, Nguyễn Thị Mai Hoa, Hoàng Thị Xuân Hoa, Đỗ Tuấn Minh, Nguyễn Huyền Minh, Lương Quỳnh Trang (2007) Cẩm nang Dạy Học tiếng Anh THPT Nhà xuất Giáo Dục 28 Nunan, D (1989) Understanding Language Classrooms New York: Prentice Hall 29 Nunan, D (1991) Classroom interaction Sydney: National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research 30 Nunan D (1991)Language teaching methodology: A textbook for teachers Cambridge University Press 31 Richards, J.& Lockhart, C (1994) Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 32 Sinclair, J M., & Coulthard, R M (1975) Towards an analysis of discourse: the English used by teachers and pupils Oxford: Oxford University Press 33 Sinclair, J and Brazil, D (1982) Teacher Talk London: Oxford University Press 34 Thornbury, S (1996) Teachers research teacher talk ELT Journal 50/4: 279-89 35 Tsui, A (1995) Introducing classroom interaction London: Penguin 36 Ur, P (1996) A Course in Language Teaching Cambridge: Cambridge University Press III 37 Van Lier, L (1996) Interaction in the Language Curriculum: Awareness, Autonomy, and Authenticity London: Longman 38 Vygotsky, L S (1962) Thought and language Cambridge, MA: MIT Press 39 Zhao, X H (1998) Study of teacher talk in the intensive reading course at a university level Foreign Language World, 2: 17-22 IV APPENDIX Appendix 1: Survey questionnaire for students (English version) The survey questionnaire is conducted to investigate non-specialized 10- form students’ opinion on teacher talk in the Speaking period of Unit 15 at Ly Tu Tan High School Please give your answers sincerely as only this will guarantee the success of the investigation All the information provided by you is solely for the study purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your cooperation! *Personal information: Please give some personal information by ticking the appropriate box or writing short answers Your gender : male female Your class : ……………………… How long have you been learning English? : ……………………… PART I Put the ways of initiating and following-up an activity in class in order of priority (Rank number for the most preferred, the number increases with the less preferred: 2, 3…) You‟d like your teacher to initiate interactions with: question invitation direction You‟d like your teacher to follow up no and incorrect answers with: inform prompt encouragement criticizing ignoring You‟d like your teacher to follow up correct answers with: acknowledgement V comment PART II Tick(√) the space that is appropriate to your opinion Opinion Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree The teacher should explain everything to students (new words, structures, pronunciation, meaning of words…) The teacher should give students chance to talk and discuss in class The teacher should give students sufficient time to think about the answer The teacher should correct all students’ errors Please give your own suggestions on how you would like the teacher talk to be in order to improve your classroom interactions _ _ _ _ _ _ _ VI _ _ PART III Tick(√) the box which is right to you How long is the teacher talk time on average in the speaking period of 45 minutes in your class?  A less than 15 minutes  B between 15 - 25 minutes  C more than 25 minutes 10 In your opinion, the teacher talk time in the speaking period of 45 minutes in your class is: A too little B little C sufficient D much E too much 11 In your opinion, the teacher talk time in the speaking period of 45 minutes in your class should be:  A less than 15 minutes specifically: ………………………  B between 15 - 25 minutes specifically: ………………………  C more than 25 minutes specifically: ……………………… VII Appendix 1: Phiếu điều tra nghiên cứu dành cho học sinh (Vietnamese version) PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA NGHIÊN CỨU Bảng câu hỏi nhằm phục vụ việc nghiên cứu ý kiến đánh giá học sinh lớp 10 không chuyên Anh việc sử dụng ngôn ngữ giáo viên tiếng Anh Bài 15, dạy Nói trường THPT Lý Tử Tấn Các câu trả lời mà em cung cấp quan trọng nghiên cứu Các liệu điều tra sử dụng cho việc nghiên cứu, không mục đích khác Xin cảm ơn hợp tác em! * Thông tin cá nhân - Giới tính: nam nữ - Lớp: - Em học tiếng Anh bao lâu? PHẦN I Hãy đánh số phần em lựa chọn theo trật tự mà em yêu thích ; từ thích (1) đến thích (theo thứ tự tăng dần: 2, 3…) Em muốn giáo viên bắt đầu tương tác cách: Đưa câu hỏi dẫn dắt Mời gọi học sinh trả lời Ra lệnh học sinh trả lời Em muốn giáo viên phản hồi với câu trả lời sai học sinh cách: đưa đáp án đưa gợi ý để tìm đáp án khích lệ , động viên học sinh để tìm đáp án phê bình, nhắc nhở học sinh lỗi sai phớt lờ câu trả lời sai học sinh VIII Em muốn giáo viên phản hồi với câu trả lời cách: công nhận đáp án đưa nhận xét PHẦN II Hãy đánh dấu (√) vào ô phù hợp với ý kiến Ý kiến Rất đồng ý Đồng ý Bình thường Khơng đồng ý Rất khơng đồng ý Giáo viên nên giải thích thứ cho học sinh (từ mới, cấu trúc, cách phát âm, nghĩa từ…) Giáo viên nên tạo hội cho học sinh nói thảo luận lớp Giáo viên nên dành đủ thời gian để học sinh tìm câu trả lời Giáo viên nên sửa tất lỗi mà học sinh mắc phải Các ý kiến khác mà em muốn đưa để việc sử dụng ngôn ngữ giáo viên học Nói đạt hiệu _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ IX _ _ PHẦN III Hãy đánh dấu (√) vào ô trống mà em cho Thời lượng nói trung bình giáo viên tiếng Anh tiết học Nói 45 phút bao nhiêu?  A 15 phút  B từ 15 đến 25 phút  C 25 phút 10 Theo em, thời lượng nói giáo viên tiếng Anh tiết học Nói 45 phút là: A B C đủ D nhiều E nhiều 11 Theo em, thời lượng nói giáo viên tiếng Anh tiết học Nói 45 phút nên khoảng:  A 15 phút Cụ thể là: ………………………  B từ 15 đến 25 phút Cụ thể là: ………………………  C 25 phút Cụ thể là: ……………………… X Appendix 2: Survey questionnaire for teachers (English version) The survey questionnaire is designed to investigate English teachers’ opinion on teacher talk in the Speaking period of Unit 15 at Ly Tu Tan High School Please give your answers sincerely as only this will guarantee the success of the investigation All the information provided by you is solely for the study purpose, and you can be confident that you will not be identified in any discussion of the data Thank you very much for your cooperation! PART I Please give some personal information by writing short answers or ticking the appropriate box Your gender : male female Your age : ……………………… Your years of English teaching experience: ……………………… PART II Put the ways of initiating and following-up an activity in class in order of priority (Rank number for the most preferred, the number increases with the less preferred:2, 3… ) You would like to initiate interactions with: question invitation direction You would like to follow up no and incorrect answers with: inform prompt encouragement criticizing ignoring XI You would like to follow up correct answers with: acknowledgement comment Appendix 2: Phiếu điều tra nghiên cứu dành cho giáo viên (Vietnamese version) Bảng câu hỏi nhằm phục vụ việc nghiên cứu ý kiến đánh giá giáo viên tiếng Anh dạy Khối 10 việc sử dụng ngôn ngữ giáo viên tiếng Anh Bài 15, dạy Nói trường THPT Lý Tử Tấn Các câu trả lời mà anh / chị cung cấp quan trọng nghiên cứu Các liệu điều tra sử dụng cho việc nghiên cứu, khơng mục đích khác Xin cảm ơn hợp tác anh / chị! PHẦN I * Thơng tin cá nhân - Giới tính: nam nữ - Tuổi: - Anh / Chị dạy tiếng Anh bao lâu? PHẦN II Hãy đánh số phần anh / chị lựa chọn theo trật tự mà u thích ; từ thích (1) đến thích (theo thứ tự tăng dần: 2, 3…) Anh / Chị muốn bắt đầu tương tác cách: Đưa câu hỏi dẫn dắt Mời gọi học sinh trả lời Ra lệnh học sinh trả lời Anh / Chị muốn phản hồi với câu trả lời sai học sinh cách: đưa đáp án đưa gợi ý để tìm đáp án khích lệ , động viên học sinh để tìm đáp án phê bình, nhắc nhở học sinh lỗi sai phớt lờ câu trả lời sai học sinh XII Anh/ Chị muốn phản hồi với câu trả lời cách: công nhận đáp án đưa nhận xét Appendix 3: Teacher observation checklist Teacher: ………………………………… Date:…………………………………… Class: …………………………………… Unit: ……………………………… …… Time Stages Activities  provide review of previous work as warm – up exercise for students  state lesson objectives and review the agenda  provide opportunities for students to become familiar Warm-up with lesson materials  check students‟ background knowledge on the topic/ lesson - Others:  use appropriate presentation style(s) for content (lectures, discussion, demonstration, role play, game )  give adequate/ appropriate explanation of new concepts  respond to students‟ questions ( answer Qs immediately, deferred Qs for later ) Presentation  periodically check students‟ comprehension ( ask general Qs, ask content-specific Qs, ask Ss to express in their own words ) - Others:  give practice activities during class XIII  monitor/ assist students (individuals, pairs, groups) Practice  use a variety of communicative strategies for practice of language skills and content (individually, in pairs, in groups) - Others:  give students time to apply what was learned (in a new situation during the lesson, in their own situation after the lesson )  give students time to share their application/ work (pairs/ Application groups/ whole class)  give student an opportunity to comment each other‟s work as appropriate - Others:  evaluate students‟ application of concepts (use communicative activity, a test )  give students an opportunity to evaluate the lesson, as Evaluation appropriate (use written reflection, oral feedback ) - Others:  give students opportunities to review materials over time (assign homework, use review game, discussion )  give students opportunities to ask questions Wrap-up  give students a task to further investigate content ( assign homework, link with future lessons ) - Others: XIV General Notes * What went well in this class? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ * What suggestions for improvement? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ *Additional Comments: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ XV Appendix 4: Unit 15: CITIES; B Speaking Task Complete each question in A with a suitable word in B A B When was the city ? a people 2.What is the like? b area What are the _like? c population How many _ are there? d founded What is the of the city? e parks What is its _? f transport Task Work in pairs One reads the information about New York and the other about London Then ask and answer questions about the two cities London New York Founded: 1624 Founded: 43 AD Population: million Population: million Area: 946 square km Area: 1610 square km National holidays: days National holidays: 14 days Many high buildings Few high buildings One big park Five big parks People: friendly, open People: formal, reserved Transport: convenient Transport: convenient XVI Example: A: When was New York founded? B: It was founded in 1624 And what about London? A: It was found in 43 A.D Task Read and practise the dialogue A: So we‟ve learned a lot about New York and London Let‟s make some comparisons between them B: All right First, the area of London is 1610 square km, and that of New York is 946 square km, so London is larger A: That‟s right But its population is as big as that of New York Both cities have a population of million B: Yes, but New York has more high buildings than London Work in pairs / groups Make similar comparisons between London and New York, using the information in Task Task Work in groups Tell each other which of the two cities you prefer and give reasons Example: I prefer London to New York because it has more parks, and… ... investigate the current situation of the teacher talk amount at Ly Tu Tan High School, Hanoi Secondly, it aims at finding ways of teacher talk preferred respectively by teachers and students Finally,... study The study aimed to investigate the current situation of the teacher talk amount at Ly Tu Tan High School, Hanoi and to find ways of teacher talk preferred respectively by teachers and students... the study: ? ?Teacher talk at Ly Tu Tan High School, Hanoi and its implications for effective classroom interactions? ?? This research is of a quantitative one in which the researcher investigated