Mia+Poulton


 * LOTEHAT Workshop Reflections **

Module 6: Language Learning & Language Awareness Focus: Language & pedagogy/Language & Culture When I look at my list of “language” definitions and reflect also on the statements about language I can see many common threads. In particular the words – communication, socialisation – are common. One word that resulted from looking at the statements was “identity”. This is a topic area that I regularly work on with my students – we look at family, self, Japanese lifestyle comparisons, etc. I was surprised that this word had not come to mind as it is a large focus of my teaching. Students love to focus on themselves and the topics themselves enhance students’ engagement. I would hope that my understanding of language is broad and it motivates me to think about how students experience will deepen their understanding of themselves and the world around them. Do we discuss “What is language?” - “Why do we learn language?” - “What is it for?” – “Why did it develop in the first place?” - “How does it benefit us?”
 * **Module**
 * & Date** || **Reflections** ||
 * 1 ||  ||
 * 2 ||  ||
 * 3 ||  ||
 * 10 ||  ||
 * 5 ||  ||
 * 6 || 23rd March, 2012

How is what/how we teach our students going to realistically benefit them once they leave school? What are they going to do with the language when they leave at school? Share own experiences more with students… Reflecting on language awareness is certainly causing me to think more sensitively about the time I allow and the importance of ensuring that students also reflect on its importance. How does language enter the personal lives of students? Every day in every way – we think in a language. How do students understand the power of language? Through experience – reflecting/observing…(modelling) Problem solving: Using context as a way to allow students to “work out” the meaning of new words/sentence patterns/etc. – very powerful and an opportunity for students to think about the structure of language while focusing on meaning. Also a great activity to develop problem solving skills (essential skill for life-long language learning). Think-Pair Share activities. || Keeping up-to-date with ‘modern’ language changes within the country (さん). Classroom language use… __Classroom Language Use__ __Language use outside the classroom__ __Explicit knowledge of the linguistic system__ __Explicit knowledge of language use__
 * 4 || 23rd March, 2012
 * Module 4(a): Identifying language specific needs…working with language specific annotations**
 * Reflections on language specific annotations…**

…さん・くんのこと Assessment: contribution/intercultural understanding “Underneath the same stars” – A Student Film Competition Free Film Literacy Workshop (CEVN – Learning & Teaching) || What kinds of interactions are typically found in your classroom? discussions prompted by open-ended questions/peer assistance/IRE What are the purposes of different types of interaction? language prior experience of students/connect to previous learning/build relationships/develop understanding/awareness What kinds of participation are best for students’ learning? Is it important that students participate? “active” participation
 * 7 || **23rd arch, 2012**
 * Stream B: Module 7**
 * __Teacher talk and classroom interaction__**


 * Goals of classroom interaction:** create an engaging learning environment, develop thinking skills, assess prior learning of students and future learning goals, practice target language in a meaningful and fun way, give students opportunities to express themselves and share ideas/knowledge/experiences, providing ways to effectively/confidently discuss language and culture

(Answer Task 1: The importance of classroom talk and interaction – Questions)

Investigation: Using target language? || VELS – focus “of (summative), for (formative), as” Shift towards a focus on assessment FOR earning. Of – focus on particular items of knowledge – emphasis on areas for reporting For – move to assessment for learning - Focus on processes of understanding - Focus on feedback to students - Assessment as interactive/mediated/scaffolded/multiple activities/dynamic (focused on progress in learning)/: developmental trajectories of learning inquiry - Assessment for: **“any assessment for which the first priority in its design and practice is to serve the purpose of promoting pupils’ learning”** - Assessment becomes **“formative”** when the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching work to meet learning needs (Black et al 2002) - John Hattie NZ – effect sizes - (most effective – self-report) - Could provide students with guide for assessing own work & models – gradually lessening the guidance from teacher and relying on own goals for improvement and focussing on these - Allowing students to have input into rubric - Developing skill for self-assessment needs to be taught and developed through regular experience – development of skills needs to be scaffolded & prior experience will play a big part – ‘teachers should equip learners with the desire and **capacity** to take charge of their learning through developing the skills of self-assessment’ - Some students may learn by rote/have great memory but as language development becomes more complex the inability to be self-critical will hinder their development - A skill that is lacking in many students Sociocultural theories of learning and their implications: <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Parent view of subject implicates on support for their child learning the subject – greatly affects students’ enjoyment/motivation for language learning. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">The assessment cycle: <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">What to assess: – what to assess “understanding”
 * 11 || **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Module 11 (25th May, 2012) **
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">inherent assessments/discursive assessments/documentary assessments

<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;"> - how to elicit <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;"> - how to judge (self/peer/teacher assessment) <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;"> - how to justify inferences and establish/examine consequences

<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;"> - FROM ‘TASKS’ TO ‘EVIDENCE’

<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">What are your students learning? <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- The lower achieving students are learning vocab/script in isolation/specific grammar patterns <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Higher achieving students are manipulating language content and applying it to a variety of situations/varying/playing around with grammar patterns to suit a greater range of communication situations <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">How do their interpret/figure things out? <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Look at models/use sentence structures & patterns/refer to vocabulary lists/technology/ask the teacher & peers (group work)/look at their own previous work/internet <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">What do they mean when they interact? <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">How do they use their language? <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- role plays/read/learn about cultural information/follow classroom instructions/communicate info. about themselves <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">How are they participating in activities? <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- individual work/pair work/whole class discussions <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">What positions are they enacting in relation to each other and the learning material? <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- understanding of themselves in a global community || <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">1. What do you see as important considerations when selecting or designing assessment tasks? <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Fun factor – motivation to complete task/understanding why they are completing a task/sense of purpose/must be designed in relation to the purpose/ability levels/how can be used in future learning/reporting on the macro skills (summative)/must be achievable in the time provided/scaffolding if beneficial/assess stages not only final outcome/giving feedback that is timely/authentic task <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">2. What sorts of language and intercultural capabilities do you think it is important to focus on in your assessment? <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Language macro skills/appropriate use of skills (intercultural)/ability to apply skills to ‘other’ situations/discourse forms/language and ICT/uses of language/independent research skills/high order thinking/work habits?/using resources to the best advantage (peers/teachers/materials/ICT)/building identity – someone who has understanding & empathy of others from different cultures/Questions: What would a child from country X think if he/she were sitting here now? <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Language knowledge tasks <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Language use tasks <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Tasks for intercultural engagement <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Evaluating design & selection of tasks: prior experience/specific goal/achievable for a variety of ability levels/clearly presented information about task/where to go for assistance <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Construct validity <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Authenticity <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Reliability <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Interaction <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Practicality <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- Impact
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">The processes of formative assessment (reference sheet) **
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Reflection of own assessment practices in relation to the discussion in this module: **
 * 12 || **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Module 12: Ways of assessing (25th May, 2012) **
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Task types for assessment (see slides) **
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Evaluating Assessment Tasks **

<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- consider how tasks relate to each other <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- sequencing tasks <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- traditional paradigm assessment <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- alternative paradigm assessment <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Knowledge is: in isolation from the knower/factual/depersonalised/rule-based/generalistic, etc. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Vs. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Knowledge is inextricably linked with the knower/subjective/socially & culturally driven/is experience-based è <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Considerations of “broader issues such as how to make judgments about process learning, long-term retention of learning, unintended learning outcomes, and self-assessment of learning.” <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">- a shift of focus from judging products of learning and skills <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Where learning outcomes in which we are interested are “dynamic”, we need a new methodology of assessment – flexibility? <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Teacher/rater à <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;"> criteria & standards à <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;"> performance ß <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;"> task ß <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;"> student <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Reading: Teaching & learning languages: a guide <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Weighting of assessment criteria <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Ensure that students have prior knowledge to draw on when questions are very broad and open <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Difficult to assess consistently such as range and type of questions <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Consider what has led the student to the point at which the test is conducted. This should be considered when judgements about student performance are made. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">21st August next PD <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">15th October – Research due <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">14th August – upload part of presentation <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">What I did <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">What I learnt: <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Difficulties with constraints with ICT: network/netbooks/log in passwords <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Where to from here <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Day 4 – opportunity to share a summary of your LOTEHAT project on wiki (power point uploaded by Friday 14th August) <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Assessment for learning web site: <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">[|www.assessmentforlearning.edu.au] || <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Include assessment as part of project (feedback)
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Going beyond tasks **
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Connecting to the standards **
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Contrasting paradigms **
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Shifts in conceptions of knowledge: possible tension **
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Range & nature of evidence **
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Reconsidering tools for making judgements **
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Interpretation of student performance **
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Thinking critically about criteria and standards **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (Group task: Persian assessment task)
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">The social character of language tests **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;"> (analogy with being on stage in the ‘spotlight’)
 * 14 || **<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.66px;">Module 14: Assessment as inquiry **

<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Digital journal: Daily activities (weekly) with pictures and captions è <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Large habitual verb list and noun list & past tense verbs <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">Peer listening tasks: Daily activities (can take from journals) ||

Using technology to provide the means for students to review and reflect on their work and others’ with the aim to improve students’ learning and raise levels of engagement. ||  || How can technology help to provide feedback to students about their LOTE learning and improve levels of engagement and progress? ||  || How can technology enable me to provide opportunities for students to gain meaningful feedback about their work and use this to feedback to inform and improve my teaching? ||  ||
 * Classroom Based Investigation Planner**
 * Focus of Inquiry
 * __ Using technology to provide feedback to students __**
 * Student Learning Question
 * Teacher Learning Question
 * Rationale
 * To investigate ways to utilise technology to assist students to reflect on their learning and improve levels of engagement.
 * Through heightened engagement improve student outcomes.
 * To improve my teaching skills by investigating a greater range of uses of technology. ||  ||
 * Design


 * Deciding the Process (How will the investigation happen? Who will be involved?) **


 * What year level will I investigate and why?

Year 9 Japanese: This is a very challenging group in terms of catering for learning needs. The class is made up of 22 students (6 girls and 16 boys). There is a vast range of abilities and learning needs within the group. In addition, the motivations for learning Japanese are also varied amongst the students and there is an obvious gender imbalance. This class will provide me with many varied opportunities to investigate how I can improve student outcomes through improving quality of feedback.


 * What 'pre-testing' do I need to do? In other words, how will I collect the data to compare my results back to?

I will be able to refer to assessment records collected from Term One. In addition I will create a survey to gain insight into students’ perceived strengths/weaknesses and preferred learning/teaching styles.


 * What data will I gather during the investigation?


 * Student quiz results (either paper quiz or electronic).
 * Samples of speaking tasks (recorded using video and online resources)
 * Samples of writing tasks using Wand Scanner
 * Student and teacher reflections on activities and assessment tasks


 * How will I use technology to assist me in collecting and understanding this data?


 * Video camera
 * Wand scanner for collecting examples of student written work
 * Electronic surveys
 * On line assessment tools


 * Deciding on the Tasks (that students will complete as part of the investigation) **

I plan to use technology as a means of creating a range of activities that will allow students to view their own work and others’. These activities will assist students to develop the skills to reflect on their learning in order to improve their knowledge of Japanese vocabulary, understanding of grammar and familiarity with script. They will also help students to develop their skills with reading, writing, listening and speaking Japanese. An important use of technology will be to assist students to reflect on their learning and consciously make adjustments to improve their ability to use Japanese. Below are some of the questions I will need to consider when designing these tasks.


 * What will be the learning focus of each activity?


 * What types of activities do student find most engaging?


 * How can technology be incorporated in each activity to assist in enhancing student engagement?


 * What evidence can be gathered to reflect student learning/engagement?


 * How can technology assist in gathering feedback about student learning?


 * How can technology assist students to reflect on their own work?


 * How will the activities provide an understanding of student learning that I can use to inform my planning and teaching?


 * What benefit/enjoyment do the students receive from using technology when completing tasks?


 * What benefit/enjoyment do the students receive from using technology to gain feedback about their progress?


 * Deciding on the data to be gathered **

The data I will gather from this process and use in my report includes:


 * Pre-data including feedback from students regarding perceived strengths/weaknesses and preferred learning/teaching styles as well as prior assessment records.


 * Task/activity descriptions and examples


 * Student performances on the tasks


 * Student evaluation of the experience


 * Student evaluation of their learning


 * Teacher reflections/evaluation ||  ||
 * **Implementation** ||
 * Analysis & Reporting ||
 * Analysis ||  ||
 * Reporting ||  ||
 * Evaluation ||  ||
 * Implications ||
 * Implications ||
 * Budget Proposal**
 * **Item** || **Application**
 * (how item will be used/how it links to project)** || **Quantity** || **Item Price** || **Total**
 * Price** ||

Eg. confident, unsure, mixed || Possible ways to address gap || Feature |||| What I know about it |||| What I need to learn about it |||| Possible Ways to Address Gap || Feature |||| What I know about it |||| What I need to learn about it |||| Possible Ways to Address Gap || Feature |||| What I know about it |||| What I need to learn about it |||| Possible Ways to Address Gap ||
 * **// Reflections on Language Specific Annotations //**
 * ** Classroom Language Use ** ||
 * Language Feature |||| How consistently I use this |||| Examples from my Practice |||| How I feel about my capabilities
 * using Japanese in a principled way for regular classroom management/organisation and instruction and discussing and creating classroom environemtn appropriate to the needs of students |||| During every class for limited situations |||| Beginning the class: greetings/settling students/classroom management/ instructions |||| Quite confident, however I don't feel that I make the most of opportunites to immerse students in the language during class. || There are many other ways I use/model language in the class: Many more instructions/information could be communicated in the LOTE - I am thinking about exposing students to pictures of actions, etc. with speech bubbles attached and displaying aorund the room so that they can refer easiily to the instruction/ info. by looking for the relevant pictures and prompting them to review/understand the language being used. ||
 * ** Language Use Outside the Classroom ** ||
 * Language Feature |||| How consistently I use this |||| Examples from my Practice |||| How I feel about my capabilities || Possible ways to address gap ||
 * engaging with contemporary media: newspapers, TV, magazines, etc. for enjoyment |||| Not often enough! |||| I use films and you tube, read children's books (to my own kids) |||| I need to make an effor to explore this further - spare time is a factor!!! || Bringing language in these forms into my home in a way that my family can benefit/take an iinterest. The upside could be that I can pass these fun ways to include the Japanese language into my life onto my students. ||
 * ** Explicit knowledge of the linguistic system ** ||
 * Language
 * commonly used onomatopoeia |||| I have knowledeg of certain sets of onomatopoeia, however I rarely include this vocabulary in my classes |||| Become aware/familiar with a greater variety of onomatopoeia that compliments the topics I am teaching... |||| Find ways to include onomatopoeia in class (I need to remember that students like to know these things - they are fun and relevant to communicating in a LOTE). Example of inclusion: Read "Every where the cow says moo" as part of a topic that includes animals - students will experience Japanese onomatopoeia as well as increase their level of awareness of languages in general. ||
 * ** Explicit knowledge of language use ** ||
 * Language
 * awareness of gender differences in language use |||| aware of the differences however rarely practise using the differences myself - speak plain/desu-masu without attention to gender differences |||| I need to refresh my knowledge and find opportunities practise |||| Watch/listen to Japanese movies/manga more regularly ||
 * ** Attitudes, Values, Cultural & Linguistic Practices ** ||
 * Language
 * awareness of the intertwining of traditional and modern perspectives in Japanese society and how this affects Japanese identities (e.g. perceived homogeneity), practices and language |||| I've experienced first-hand Japan, read books, listened to Japanese friends talk about their lives/opinions, etc. |||| I need to enusre that I am up-to-date in my perceptions of modern Japan and the relationships between the "old & the new" |||| View documentaries, speak with native speakers, read about modern Japan/Japanese lifestyle ||
 * ** Personal Professional Learning Program **
 * Ø Goals, objectives & timeline for future learning ||

SECTION A: Discuss these questions with your table group SECTION B: MY GOALS Set yourself some goals for your use of ICT in your classrooms. Start small and build up, but do challenge yourself. J McCulloch 2008
 * ICT PLAN **
 * What ICT resources have you used in your classroom? ||
 * // From an intercultural perspective //, how did it promote:
 * active construction ** of learning/ideas
 * making connections ** with prior learning, new knowledge, across languages and cultures
 * interaction ** between learners/users of the language
 * reflection ** on language learning and use
 * responsibility ** for learning and for appropriate communication across cultures ? ||
 * Making connections: E.g. interaction between Learners. ||
 * What ICT resources (equipment and programs) do you have access to: Personally? At school? What do your students have access to? ||
 * What opportunities could you create for your students: to ENGAGE with ICT? to CREATE with ICT? ||
 * How would this enhance your teaching of your language? ||
 * What technology would you like to incorporate into your classroom/lessons? ||
 * What technology do your students prefer? What implications does this have for your teaching? ||
 * What ideas for ICT projects do you currently have? ||
 * What technology would you like to incorporate into your classroom/lessons? ||
 * What technology do your students prefer? What implications does this have for your teaching? ||
 * What ideas for ICT projects do you currently have? ||
 * What technology do your students prefer? What implications does this have for your teaching? ||
 * What ideas for ICT projects do you currently have? ||
 * What ideas for ICT projects do you currently have? ||
 * By the end of next week: ||
 * Resources (including how you will get help if needed): ||
 * By the start of Term 3: ||
 * Resources (including how you will get help if needed): ||
 * By the end of Term 3: ||
 * Resources (including how you will get help if needed): ||