Teacher as facilitator: Optimizing learning for students’ L2 success Dr. Fennema-Bloom The University of Findlay Graduate TESOL/Applied Linguistics Program KSAALT 2017
Write down three ideas you have in regards to what makes an effective teacher.
Teaching-Learning is Symbiotic not Cyclical Teach Learn • Facilitate • Make connections • Provide Information • Comprehend ideas • Plan lessons and • Think critically activities • Practice retrieving • Model engagement information • Develop resources • Assess outcomes Acquire Know • Use knowledge • Demonstrate knowledge • Perform • Explain knowledge
To be an effective teacher 1. Understand how the brain works in the learning process
Information Processing Model Sight Sound Touch Smell Taste http://jaredmgriffin.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/information-processing-model.jpg
How much can your WM hold? Preschoolers • Two items of information Pre- • Three – seven items adolescence • Average of five items • Five – nine Items Adult • Average seven Sousa, D. (1995). How the brain learns: A classroom teacher’s guide. Reston, VI: National Association of Secondary School Principal, p. 15.
Factors that Affect Memory Processing 1. Perceptual register • In just a millisecond it uses the individual’s experience to determine the data’s degree of importance. • This is influenced by Long-term Memories, aka prior* or background* knowledge. 2. Threat • Anything that is perceived as a threat takes higher priority diminishing the processing of data. 3. Emotion • When an individual responds emotionally the limbic system overrides the conscious thought/complex cerebral processes.
Types of Knowledge Background Knowledge Prior Knowledge • Implicit Knowledge that a • Explicit knowledge that a learner learner has gained through has gained through formal exposure to society and training interaction with others
How does learning occur? Sense Meaning Learning The sense that Comprehensible something is relevant input and output and/or meaningful to the student
What can influence sense and meaning? Cognitive Belief System Our belief system and view of the world around us. Self-Concept The way we view ourselves in that world, developed through a series of experiences.
Purpose of teaching To create as many pathways and associations as possible in order to access long-term memory Kinesthetic Auditory Visual
Retention Lecture = 5% After 24 Hours Reading = 10% Audio-Visual = 20% Demonstration = 30% Discussion Group = 50% Practice by Doing = 75% Teach Others/Immediate Use of Learning = 90% Sousa, D. (1995). How the brain learns: A classroom teacher’s guide. Reston, VI: National Association of Secondary School Principal, p. 43.
Retention within a Learning Events http://mwalker.com.au/ Originally from Sousa, D. (1995). How the brain learns. Reston, VA : National Association of Secondary School Principles, p. 38.
Some simple “truths” • The brain goes through physical and chemical changes each time we learn. • More neural pathways are created when repeated stimulation occurs and the number of associations increase. • There is almost no long-term retention without rehearsal. • During a learning event, we tend to remember best what comes first and then what comes last, often the middle is thrown away (SLA – Perceptual Salience Theory).
Every time we retrieve something from long-term memory for active use in short-term memory we are “relearning” it.
To be an effective teacher 2. Understanding the role of the teacher and how this plays out in retention and retrieval
Communicative Approach • Views language as a system of communication thus the Reading purpose and the goal of language teaching is for the students to communicate in the target language through Listening Writing Speaking
Roles of a teacher Facilitator Assessor Resource Information Developer Provider Role Model Planner
Roles of a teacher Mentor Student assessor Learning Facilitator Curriculum assessor Disciplinarian Facilitator Assessor Resource Information Material Developer Lecturer Developer Provider Project Developer Practitioner Role Model Planner Student Assessor Curriculum planner Curriculum Evaluator Class Organizer
Good Classroom Facilitators Reduce Teacher Talk Time and Increase Student Talk Time • Studies in Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) show that teacher talking time (TTT): • Was counter productive • Leads to student under-involvement • Leads to a lack of adequate student language production time • Enables student to take less responsibility for their own learning outcomes (c.f. Dellar, 2004; Lynch, 1996; Scrivener, 2005; Zaro & Salaberri , 1995…)
Good Classroom Facilitators Plan lessons to optimize learning • Plan your lessons to focus on the natural brain cycle for a learning event that limits your instructional phase and optimizes student production time • Adopt a basic five phase lesson plan with the possibility of recursive phases of instruction
Five Phases Lesson Plan Opening Mini Lesson* Guided Practice* Independent Closing Practice* • 3-5 minutes Presentation Practice • 3-5 minutes • Activities • Activities Production • 8-10 minutes • 10 minutes • Agenda Building • Learning summary • Activities • Activities • 10-20 minutes •“Do Nows ” • Homework • Introduce new material • Model the task • Activities • Baiting • Baiting/Foreshadowing • Offer clarification • Guided discussion • Group/pair production • Reviewing • Drill • Individual production Recursive
Teacher Role in Each Phase Opening Mini Lesson (Presentation)* Teacher Directed Guided Practice (Practice)* Student Centered Teacher Centered – – Independent Practice (Production)* Role of Teacher Teacher Directed Role of Teacher – Closing Assessor Information Student Centered Role of Teacher Facilitator Provider - Role Model Teacher Directed Planner Role of Teacher Student Centered Guide Facilitator - Resource developer Assessor Role of Teacher Assessor Facilitator Planner * Lesson Dependent Recursive stages
Good Classroom Facilitators Understand how to implement ‘activity systems’ Engeström (1999)
Good Classroom Facilitators Manipulate classroom interactions • Select the correct interactional frameworks that best meets the activity’s outcome • Try to include two-three frameworks in each lesson to optimize movement and construct distinct learning events
10 Interaction Framework Individual Pair Work Collaborative Divided Group Group Group Presentation Horse Shoe Circular Roving Teacher Traditional Interaction Centered
Interaction Framework 1: Individual
Interaction Framework 2: Pair Work
Interaction Framework 3: Collaborative Group
Interaction Framework 4: Divided Group
Interaction Framework 5: Group Presentation
Interaction Framework 6: Horse Shoe
Interaction Framework 7: Circular Interaction
Interaction Framework 8: Roving
Interaction Framework 9: Teacher Centered
Interaction Framework 10: Traditional
Good Classroom Facilitators Reduce negative emotions and threats Trust in their Trust in Establish Trust Trust in you peers themselves Know your Background Prior Future Students Co- Communicate With them Not at them construction Reduce Safe Errors are language Have fun environment natural anxiety
References • Engeström, Y. (1999). Perspectives on activity theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. • Dellar, H. (2004). Rethinking Teacher Talking Time, TESOL Spain Newsletter, http://www.tesol-spain.org/newsletter/hughdellar.html • Lynch, T. (1996). Communication in the language classroom . Oxford University Press, USA. • Scrivener, J. (2005). Learning Teaching. A guidebook for second language teachers. Oxford: Macmillan. • Sousa, D. (1995). How the brain learns: A classroom teacher’s guide. Reston, VI: National Association of Secondary School Principal. • Zaro, J. J., & Salaberri, S. (1995). Handbooks for the English classroom storytelling. UK: Macmillan Heinemann .
Thank you! Contact: fennema-bloom@findlay.edu University of Findlay College of Liberal Arts Department of Language and Culture TESOL/Applied Linguistics Program 1000 North Main Street Findlay, OH 45840
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