Dictionary Definitions

A dictionary definition: vignette

Several authors have provided a definition for vignette. Some of them have defined a vignette as a type or personal narrative that describes an event shortly after it has taken place. (Pintos & Crimi, 2010). This view seems to be supported by Erickson (1986), who states that the narrative vignette “is based on field notes taken as the events happened and then written up shortly thereafter” (as cited in  Angelides, Panayiotis, Gibbs & Paul, 2006, para. 12). According to Polou (2001), vignettes are “short descriptions of hypothetical persons or situations which contain the information necessary for the respondents to base their judgements upon” (Idem, para. 4).

In conclusion, not only are vignettes used to describe a real case but they are also meaningful, since they provide professionals with the resources to analyse a specific situation, receive feedback and reflect upon their practices.

References

Angelides, Panayiotis, Gibbs, & Paul (2006) Supporting the continued professional development of teachers through the use of vignettes. Retrieved September 2010, from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3960/is_200610/ai_n17197617/print

Pintos, V., & Crimi, Y. (2010) Unit 2: Personal Narratives in Teaching. Buenos Aires. Universidad CAECE. Retrieved September 2010. from

http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=7214

A dictionary definition: an outline

According to Pintos and Crimi (2010) an outline is a type of writing that involves summarising texts  by means of following a logical hierarchical structure. In order to write an effective outline it seems to be necessary to consider the purpose of writing it and the readership in order to be consistent. As regards the format an outline must have, it is important to consider aspects such as parallelism, coordination, subordination and division. According to Purdue OWL (2007),  “Each heading and subheading should preserve parallel structure. If the first heading is a verb, the second heading should be a verb.” It is also important to keep a hierarchy within the outline. For example, the information that appears in the heading should be more general that the one that appears in the subheading. (Purdue Owl, 2007)

All in all, outlines are organised summaries that rank information under different headings and subheadings, arranged in a logical format. Outlines could be written “to summarize what you have read or to brainstorm what you are about to write.” (Pintos & Crimi, 2010, p.22).

References

Pintos, V., & Crimi, Y. (2010) Unit 1: Building up a community of teachers and prospective researchers. Buenos Aires. Universidad CAECE. Retrieved August 2010, from

http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=6856

Purdue OWL. (2007). Developing an outline. Retrieved August 2010, from http://owl.englihs.urdue.edu/owl/resource/54/01/

A book critique on From teacher to manager: Managing language teaching organizations

White, Hockley, van der Horst Jansen, and Laughner (2008) strike the readers with an utterly suggestive title. From teacher to manager: Managing language teaching organizations (2008) could be considered an essential book in the field of teaching management. According to White et al. (2008),

[A]nyone moving from a classroom to a supervisory or managerial role needs to extend existing skills relevant to their new job, as well as acquire new competencies and a new managerial perspective. This book is intended to be a contribution to such development (p.1).

White et al.’s book is divided into ten clear and well-organized chapters, expressed in straightforward language and friendly to teachers who approach management for the first time. Especially noteworthy is the authors’ ability to engage the reader from the very beginning. This is achieved by means of including Reflection sections in each chapter, which aim at involving the reader into the topics discussed. Also, the inclusion of  Task sections at the end of every chapter prove to be very effective so that managers-to-be can put into practice the theory learnt. In addition, this book also includes an appendix with suggested answers to the tasks and a very useful index too.

The authors of this book seem to suggest that any teacher wishing to set up his or her own language school, or simply wishing you climb up the career ladder will appreciate the information provided in it. From hiring staff to budgeting, all the aspects of managing a language teaching organisation have been taken into account by these authors.

All things considered, the authors’ wish that “From Teacher to Manager will meet the needs of newcomers and practising managers, (…) and will lay a foundation for whatever specialized training and development they may undertake in the future” (White et al, 2008, p.4) seems to have been accomplished. Not only has White et al (2008) presented useful theoretical information but he has also provided the reader with insightful tasks.

References

White, R. et al (2008) From teacher to manager. Managing language teaching organizations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Reflecting on teaching practices

The analysis of critical incidents seems to be an essential step in teaching development. Unfortunately, it is not common that student-teachers are faced with case studies while they are studying at the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) college, which undermines the idea that teachers should learn how to cope with unexpected situations only through practice and experience. More often than not, teachers graduate from TEFL College without having received the necessary training to solve common classroom problematical situations.

Critical incidents are described as a pre-service and in-service teacher education strategy. The idea is to integrate theory and practice. The diversity of teachers and the possibility for the reflexive analysis of classroom events, often solved in a spontaneous way, are the basis of this powerful strategy. (Fernández González, Elórtegui Escartín.& Medina Pérez, 2003)

According to Rahilly and Saroyan (1997), the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) “allows to collect qualitative and quantitative data about classroom teaching and teaching thinking” (as cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010, p.9). Therefore, the importance of dealing with critical incidents in a TEFL class lies on the benefit that student-teachers and graduate teachers can draw from sharing experiences, exchanging solutions to problems and analyzing possible courses of action. By doing so, teachers are able to acquire more problem-solving strategies and gain valuable insight into classroom management techniques.

Having considered the benefits of reading and analyzing critical incidents, I wonder why is it that this practice is not common in all TEFL and other educational institutions in general? It seems that if student-teachers were asked to analyse case studies while they are still studying, they would be better prepared for dealing with unexpected classroom situations once they graduate.

References

Fernandez, Gonzalez, J., Elortegui Escartin, N., & Medina Perez, M. (2003). Los incidentes críticos en la formación y perfeccionamiento del profesorado de secundaria de ciencias de la naturaleza. Revista Universitaria de Formación de Profesorado, 17-001. Zaragoza. España: Universidad de Zaragoza. Retrieved September 2010, from

http://redalyc.uaemex.mx/redalyc/src/inicio/ArtPdfRed.jsp?iCve=27417107

Pintos, V., & Crimi, Y (2010) Unit 2: Personal Narratives in Teaching. Buenos Aires. Universidad Caece. Retrieved September 2010, from

http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=7214

A demotivated student

Context:

The incident takes place in a bilingual school during a Literature class with a pre- IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) level. The class is composed of 14 boys and girls, whose ages range between 14-15. Students start reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding  in April. Their teacher is experienced in preparing students for the IGCSE exam. This is her 5^th year teaching this class and her 3^rd year working in this school. But this is the first time she teaches this group of students so she does not know them very well.

Problem Description:

One student, who used to contribute very interesting ideas in previous classes, when dealing with poetry, starts to show signs of de-motivation by not taking his book to the class and by remaining silent. Sometimes, he starts reading another book in class. When confronted by his teacher, he says he has already read Lord of the Flies but he is not able to answer questions on the book. He does not submit any essay and therefore, he does not pass the first term.

Possible Causes:

Ø      He cannot afford to buy the book

Ø      He has already read the book and does not want to read it again

Ø      He has already read the book and did not like it

Ø      He is a rebel and does not take his books to any class in general

Ø      He is not interested in sitting the IGCSE exam

Ø      He is lazy and does not want to write

Ø      He feels he is not good neither at speaking nor at writing and does not want to give it a try/ does not want to be ridiculed by his classmates

Possible Solutions:

Ø      Give him a list of possible books for him to select which one he would like to read

Ø      Tell him he could borrow the book from the school library

Ø      Talk to him about the importance of learning strategies dealt with in class such us: taking notes, underlining, highlighting and finding quotations to justify for opinions.

Ø      Talk to him about his interests and  find out if he would like to sit for the exam

Ø      Ask him why he thinks he is not doing well in Literature

Ø      Talk to him and ask him why he did not write any essay.

Ø      Talk to other teachers to find out information about this student.

Strategies

After talking to other colleagues of the same course, the teacher finds out that this student does not take his books to any other class and seems to be demotivated in all the classes he is taking. Even though he has an excellent level of English and his use of language and pronunciation are among the best in his class, he does not participate much and does not seem to show interest.

The teacher decides to talk to her coordinator about him. The information she receives is that that is her student’s first year in the school and apparently, he does not have a very good relationship with his classmates. He passed his entrance test with a very high mark and it is a pity he is not doing well.

One day the teacher has the opportunity to talk to him face to face and in a relaxed atmosphere. All his classmates have left on a trip and he is the only one who has decided not to go. Therefore, she has to teach a class only for him. This moment is memorable because she can really listen to him with all the time in the world and understand what is happening to him and why he feels so demotivated.  The main reason why he feels this way is that he resents the fact that his parents decided to send him to a different school. He used to feel really comfortable in the previous one, and he had close friends there. The teacher asks him why his parents had taken that decision and his answer was certainly not anything that she had expected. His younger brother had passed away and that very same year the authorities of his school decided to expel his elder brother for misbehaviour, disregarding the fact that this was intrinsically connected with the fact that he found it very hard to cope with his little brother’s death. Of course, his parents thought the authorities’ decision was too hard and therefore, they enrolled both children in a new school. When he finally realized that his parents were not going to accept to enroll him again in his old school, it was too late, he had already failed many subjects.

The teacher also asks him about Literature in particular because he seemed to be an avid reader of other authors and he tells her that in his previous school he used to read much more and he felt in this school they were taking too long to read a novel. She asks if he would like her to offer him a list of other books for him to do extra reading and exercises and compensate for the low mark in the first term and he accepts the challenge.

Having a personal interview with her student was essential in order to improve the teacher-student relationship and improve student’s motivation. We may learn a lot from this incident. Sometimes teachers may feel attacked by our students’ comments or attitudes because they do not really listen to them. Learners may have very interesting things to teach us. It seems to be important that we keep and open mind while being empathetic and supportive. In this way, we could build a much healthier relationship with our students.

As a conclusion, writing a critical incident report based on your teaching experience may become a very fruitful exercise since it involves reflection. According to Kain (2010), “The critical incident technique provides a systematic means

for gathering the significances others attach to events, analyzing the emerging

patterns, and laying out tentative conclusions for the reader’s consideration.” (p. 85). By writing and analysing real teaching situations, teachers may learn how to deal with different unexpected situations and reflect on their own teaching practices.

Reference

Kain, D.(2004) Owning Significance: The Critical Incident Technique in Research. Foundations for Research Methods of Inquiry in Education and the Social Sciences. New Jersey. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Retrieved September 2010, from

 http://www.contaduria.uady.mx/seccip/articulos/libros_online/educacion/LawrenceErlbaum2004FoundationsforResearchMethodsofInquiryinEducationandth.pdf#page=86

Defining a discourse community

Throughout the years, many scholars have analysed the term: discourse community.  But one definition that has become widely spread in academic circles, is the one provided by Swales (1990 as cited in Pintos, 2009, p.13). The purpose of this paper is to address the six characteristics, which Swales (1990) considers are necessary to define a discourse community, and find evidence on different papers to support his theory.

According to Swales (1990), one of the basic criteria that define a discourse community is sharing common goals. This idea seems to be supported by Kelly Kleese (2004) when she states that the members of a discourse community develop a common discourse that involves shared knowledge, common purposes, common relationships, and similar attitudes and values. The same criterion appears to be validated by Wenzlaff and Wieseman (2004). Following their research, one of the aspects that contributed to the success of the cohort program they studied was that teachers worked in teams towards the same goal, which lead to the conclusion that teachers need teachers to grow with.

A second criterion proposed by Swales (1990) is that a discourse community should provide information and feedback. If we consider Wenzlaff and Wieseman’s study, it could be concluded that one of the main purposes of the discourse community they described was to provide constant feedback on teachers’ practices. The interactions among the teachers were essential to the success of the program: “The community too, changes through the ideas and ways of thinking that its new members bring to the discourse” (Putman & Borko, 2000, as cited in Wenzlaff & Wieseman, 2004, p.1).

The importance of interaction has also been considered by Hoffman-Kipp, Artiles and López Torres (2003): “Teachers interact with colleagues in goal-directed activities that require communication and the exchange of ideas where reflection itself is not contained wholly in the mind of the individual but is ‘distributed’ through sign systems and artifacts that are embedded in the social activity of the school community” (p.3). This would support Swales’(1990) third criteria, which refers to the importance of interaction among the people involved in this community.

The other three criteria comprise: sharing  a specific genre, highly specialized terminology and  a high level of expertise. On the one hand, evidence to support these characteristics could we found in Bizzell (1992), who states that a discourse community “is a group of people who share certain language-using practices… (that) can be seen as conventionalized by social interactions within the group and its dealings with outsiders” (as cited in Kelly-Kleese, 2004, p.2). The sharing of a specific jargon is also described by other authors. “Teachers also mediate their labor through cognitive mechanisms as they learn scientific concepts (…)” (John-Steiner & Mahn, 1996, as cited in Hoffman-Kipp, Artiles & López Torres, 2003, p.5).

On the other hand, there are authors who consider the power and influence that certain writers may have above other members of the same discourse community. Kutz (1997), for example, defines communicative competence as what one must know in order to use language appropriately in particular discourse communities. In other words, “communicative competence implies that ‘individuals and groups with greater skill in using (and manipulating) the language system will exercise power in naming and thus controlling how others will view social reality” (Bowers, 1987, as cited in Kelly-Kleese, 2004, p.2). This notion was also perceived by Zito (1984): “within a discourse community, only those qualified by some socially institutionalized agency may engage in such discourse and be taken seriously” (as cited in Kelly-Kleese, 2001, p.3)

All things considered, it could be concluded that the basic criteria that Swales (1990) proposes in order to define a discourse community are also taken into consideration by other authors when they provide their own definitions. In addition, some concepts which appear in Swales (1990) were developed more in depth by other authors, who analysed the implications of communicative competence.

References:

Hoffman-Kipp, P., Artiles, A. J., & Lopez Torres, L. (2003). Beyond reflection: teacher learning as praxis. Theory into Practice. Retrieved October 2007, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NQM/is_3_42/ai_108442653

Kelly-Kleese, C. (2001). Editor’s Choice: An Open Memo to Community College Faculty and Administrators. Community College Review. Retrieved October 2007, from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HCZ/is_1_29/ai_77481463

Kelly-Kleese, C. (2004). UCLA community college review: community college scholarship and discourse. Community College Review. Retrieved October 2007, from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HCZ/is_1_32/ai_n6361541

Pintos, V., & Crimi, Y. (2010) Unit 1: Building up a community of teachers and prospective researchers. Buenos Aires. Universidad Caece. Retrieved August 2010, from

http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=6856

Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Wenzlaff, T. L., & Wieseman, K. C. (2004). Teachers Need Teachers To Grow. Teacher Education Quarterly. Retrieved October 2007, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3960/is_200404/ai_n9349405

Why opening my own blog? Well, certainly it is an idea that would never have crossed my mind... The truth is I was asked to open a blog as part of a project for a class I'm taking at University: English for Academic Purposes. The aim of this blog is to reflect upon different topics and/or articles dealt with in class. I truly hope you find the experience of reading "me" interesting and contribute with your own views.

Looking forward to your comments!

M. Laura Veltri