Learning by Teaching: The “Learner-to-Learner Review” Strategy

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Abstract

This study explored the perception of a teaching strategy designed to be implemented in English Pedagogy at Universidad Andres Bello, Viña del Mar, Chile. The strategy stemmed from a task based on learning by teaching which was devised to fulfil the need to encourage metacognition, collaborative group work, emotional competency, and to expose pedagogy students to an earlier than usual experience of teaching before undergoing their internships. It was assumed that the participants’ perception of the strategy would be mostly positive based on theories sustaining similar teaching strategies, such as “Microteaching” and “Lernen durch Lehren” (German for “Learning by Teaching”), (Grzega, 2005). A survey was conducted during the experimental implementation of this strategy, which has taken place within a three year period. As a result, the task has been perceived by teachers and learners themselves to have had positive outcomes in the improvement of their competencies, involving EFL learning, group work, fostering metacognition, and developing teaching skills. Therefore, it may be suggested that the strategy favours overall competencies of future EFL teachers.


Analysis of L2 Spanish learners’ strategic communication and the effects of intervening communicative factors

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Abstract

Resumen: El propósito del presente estudio fue comprender las dificultades que encuentran estudiantes de español como L2 al comunicarse cara a cara en este idioma mediante estrategias de comunicación. Para ello se analizaron tres variables: nivel de competencia, tarea e interlocutor, y cómo la posible interacción de estos tres factores influye la comunicación estratégica de estos estudiantes. El marco analítico utilizado se basó en la taxonomía de Dörnyei & Kormos (1998) y en las estrategias interaccionales y paralingüísticas de Dörnyei & Scott (1997). Se utilizó una metodología basada en tareas para la recolección del discurso oral en dos contextos: dos tipos de parejas con distintos niveles al realizar dos tipos de tareas. Esto se complementó con la recolección de protocolos verbales inmediatamente después de las interacciones cara a cara. Los resultados de este estudio confirmaron los efectos de la interacción de estas tres variables en la mayoría de las categorías de estrategias analizadas. Las asociaciones que se observaron entre las variables fueron luego corroboradas mediante un análisis cualitativo, el cual además entregó información con relación a las dificultades que experimentaron los estudiantes al tratar de comunicarse en su L2 y cómo lograron tal comunicación. Desde una perspectiva pedagógica, estas estrategias podrían facilitar la interacción oral en la L2, tanto dentro como fuera del aula, contribuyendo así al proceso de aprendizaje de los estudiantes.

Abstract: This paper focuses on the way Spanish L2 learners communicate in face-to-face interactions via communication strategies. The aim of the study was to determine whether the learners’ strategic behaviour was influenced by three variables in interaction with one another: proficiency level, task and interlocutor. Dörnyei & Kormos’ taxonomy (1998) was used as the main analytical framework together with the interactional and paralinguistic CSs presented in a previous review (Dörnyei & Scott, 1997). A task-based methodology was used to collect spoken data from two settings, that is, two types of dyads of a different level when carrying out two tasks. This was complemented with the learners’ verbal reports on their linguistic behaviour immediately after their interactions. The findings confirmed a 3-way interaction between the variables as affecting most of the categories of strategies analysed. The qualitative analysis of the learners’ interactions and verbal reports corroborated the types of associations obtained revealing further information on the difficulties that the learners encountered when trying to communicate in the L2 and how they managed to get their message across via their strategic behaviour. From a pedagogical perspective, CSs may be seen as facilitators of learners’ L2 oral interaction, inside and outside the classroom, thus as aids in their own learning process.

Palabras clave

Estrategias de comunicación (EsC), Interacciones, Estudiantes de L2

Keywords

Communication strategies (CSs), Interactions, L2 learners