Action research project

We designed an action research study to answer an issue related to teaching English in Primary classrooms.
We used the following steps to create the components of our written plan:
1. Write an area-of-focus statement.
2. Define variables.
3. Develop research questions.
4. Describe the membership of the action research group if necessary.
5. Describe if you will need to undertake any negotiation.
6. Develop a timeline.
7. Develop a statement of resources.
8. Develop data collection ideas.

1. Area-of-focus statement: 

We have noticed that our pupils tend to speak in Spanish rather than in English when working in groups. In addition, only some children usually speak and the others keep in silence. Hence, the objective of this action research is to get the pupils use the L2 when doing group work and also to get participation of all the group members. 

2. Variables 

Due to the problem stated above, at first, some hypothesis could be formulated: 

- It might be possible that using a smiley faces ranking during the group work our pupils would be more willing to get involved in the discussions talking in English. 

- The pupils who do not speak during the group work may feel that their opinion and/or participation are not valued. 

- Pupils could not know how to do group work taking roles. 

3. Develop research questions. 

- Do they know enough language to express their opinions, agreement and disagreement, ask questions, etc. in the FL? 

- Is the group atmosphere comfortable enough to encourage shy pupils to speak using English Language? 

- Do some of the members of the group try to impose their opinion to their partners?
- Do they know how to assign roles so that everyone has a task to better the group work? 

4. Description if we will need to undertake any negotiation. 

Since one of the means we will use to gather information is the interview, we will ask parents for permission to tape- record their pupils so we could keep evidences of these interviews and analyze the results. In addition, we will need the collaboration of other teacher’s areas to contrast the pupils’ behaviour and participation when doing group work in other subjects. 

5. Developing a timeline.

The first part of this research will take a period of two months, within the first term, specifically during November and December, in order to have enough time to put in practice the actions needed and get a real progress during the whole school year period. 

6. Developing a statement of resources: 

- Teacher’s checklist. 

- Tape recorder. 

- Questionnaire form. 

7. Develop data collection ideas. 

In order to collect all the information needed we will use the following tools: 

- Questionnaire. 

- Interview. 

- Classroom observation when working in groups

Classroom behaviour

The concept of interactional competence refers to the rules that students are expected to follow in order to participate appropriately in lessons (learning particular patterns of interaction and behaviours both vis-á-vis the other students):

• Teachers establish their own rules for appropriate classroom behaviour. Teacher and pupils know the etiquette of classroom interaction.

• Teachers also establish their own rules and procedures for class work: Students need to know their grouping (when they should work individually, when it is appropriate to seek other’ students assistance or cooperation). While some teachers establish expectations and procedures for appropriate classroom behavior very early on with a new group of students, others do not make their expectations clear, which can lead to confusion on both the teacher’s and the learners’ parts. When students are unclear to what the teacher’s rules are, they may behave in ways the teacher find inappropriate. The learner behavior may be influenced by cultural factors.

• Knowing when to ask and answer questions. In FL classroom, students are expected to participate actively, since answering questions is often regarded as a way of practicing the language. Teachers generally expect learners to ask questions during a lesson. But each teacher and culture will establish the extent to which they will encourage active student participation. Students may also have different expectations about when asking questions in the classroom.

• Knowing how and when to get assistance or feedback in completing a task. Learners also learn rules operate for getting help during a lesson.

• Knowing appropriate rules for displaying knowledge. The process of arriving at a shared understanding of the appropriate rules for displaying knowledge in a classroom is clearly an important issue for teacher and learners. It may take some time to discover what assumptions govern the other party’s behaviour.

We can design a Ranking behaviour in the classroom. Pupils can think how they can solve problems with their classmates and to have a good behaviour.  Pupils can choose and tell the items of your ranking. Get an agreement about the items together and build a Ranking behaviour. 

 

Classroom management: video watching

Reading activity

When reading in the classroom, You can choose a story (a traditional tale, a reader, a video story, etc.) or any other (complete) written text that you like.

In this case we have chosen “TheGruffalo’s Child”, written by Julia Donaldson.

According to the introduction of Grellet's Reading Strategies for Developing Reading Skills (pages 3-25) we considered what you learnt when you read it when planning the way to implement this story in a level of the primary education.

3rd cycle of primary: 5th grade 

Pre-reading: 

Arrangement: circle to tell stories. 

First, teacher shows the storybook to pupils in order to enhance their curiosity and anticipate the content of the story (Previewing and Predicting). They watch the pictures of the book and the teacher will ask questions such as: What are they? Are they bulls? Are they buffalos? Are they bears? How they look like? Do they have horns? Do they have any tail? Where are they? 

They pass the pages of the book trying to guessing what happens, helped by the questions the teacher asks. This way the pupils can develop their powers of inference and anticipate the content because when learning to approach reading it is always better to start from the most general to the most particular. Hence, after understanding the plot and main events of the story, they will focus on things like vocabulary or something more specific. 

After have seen and guessed what happens in the book, the teacher reads the story aloud so that they can check if their suppositions were right and the pupils will have a reference of the sounds, pace and intonation of the text (pronunciation, stress, rhythm and variation). The teacher will encourage participation through repetition of the refrain (such as “The snow fell fast and the wind blew wild”). 

While-reading: 

The pupils read the text silently, because when reading aloud they can not focus well on understanding. Also, while reading pupils will have to recognize the important elements of the passage through complete this chart (this way pupils will learn to do Skimming, because the things that they will have to take into account are the key to understand quickly the text). It is important to give them exercises with no straightforward answers, such as this star:

If they find any word they do not know the meaning, they will try to find it through the context: relating it with the pictures and asking a partner (no more than 5 words each because later the individual reading they will be arranged in groups and will share their new vocabulary). Finally, they can check in the dictionary or ask the teacher.

After reading, they will be provided two split hand outs. One with the Big Bad Mouse's parts of the body and another with the description of his physical appearance, with which pupils will have to match the sentences to the picture and complete the sentences with one missing word.

          

In addition, they will compare the characters of the story using these pictures: How the Gruffalo's child knows the snake, the fox or the owl are not the Big Bad Mouse? What evidence can you find? (Scanning).

In pairs, they compare their hand-outs and answer the following questions justifying their answers:

1. Give your opinion about the end of the story. (The teacher may invite them to read again the end of the story to formulate their opinions and justify them through learning to do intensive reading).

2. Image that you are a Gruffalo’s Child. What will you do if you see a Big Bad Mouse?


Post-Reading:


Group work. They will share their previous answers and will come to a group conclusion.

Then, they will decide if the Mouse was friendly or not. Finally, they will create a different ending for the story and every group will tell it to the rest of the class using what they want to show it, e.g. role-playing, reading a new ending, creating a song, etc...


During this activity we formulated 6 questions related to the text (2 for each of the Bloom's Taxonomy higher-order thinking skills: Analyse, Evaluate, Create):


Analyse

What happens in the story? Write it down using this star as a guide.





How the Gruffalo's child knows the snake, the fox or the owl are not the Big Bad Mouse? What evidence can you find? (Compare the characters of the story).

Evaluate 

1. What do you think about the end of the story? the end of the sad or happy ending? Give your opinion about the end of the story.

2. Decide in groups. How would you prove the Mouse was friendly or not?

Create 

1. Can you invent/create a new ending for the story?

2. Image that you are a Gruffalo’s Child. What will you do if you see a Big Bad Mouse?

Record Keeping

                                    

1. Why record-keeping?

Teachers can use systematic observation as a tool to assess their pupils’ performance. They can check the performance of linguistic and non-linguistic skills (such as interest, motivation, attitudes,…).

 Furthermore, teachers must reflect on what they and their learners are doing and why, and thus explore their own practice. Trying to find answers to questions that arise in the classroom is part of everyday teaching.

2. Who is it for?

Teachers, pupils (a group of children, one particular individual or the whole class), parents.

3. Does it really match up with the original purpose?

It is directly related to assessment and goal settings.

4. What happens to the data collected and recorded?

After they collect and analyse data from their classrooms, teachers must reflect on the results and develop an action plan for what changes need to be made. The next step would be to observe the effects of those changes. It a cyclical process.

5. Who actually uses it and for what purpose?

Teachers can use record-keeping as a tool for structured/systematic observation.

6.  Could it be organized more rationally to save time and effort?

     Recording can be planned as a mechanism for assessing learning and teaching.  

7. Would computerized records assist?

Teachers could record evidences for each pupil (what is useful for reporting his/her progress) in the day-to-day running of the class. The goal of recordkeeping within a computer program is to assist in measuring the progress of students. The strength of students’ s skills can be discovered through recordkeeping. It could have a positive effect on students’ learning process, if they are allowed to access and follow the academic plan as well as measure their own progress.

Assessment Checklist (Record Keeping)

Student’s Name	1st Session	2nd Session	3rd  Session	4th Session
The learner is able to work in class.
The learner is able to do his/her homework.
The learner is able to behave in the proper manner/properly.
The learner is able to participate in class.
The learner is able to work properly in groups.
Notes Student’s  Assessment Checklist Unit: C= Competence N=non-competence W= working on

PRACTICAL RESOURCES

We want to share with you some practical activities that we have proposed for Primary:

• an ICT activity

          

     The Groundhog Day Project
(click on the link for additional information)

     

• a Storytelling: 'The Gruffalo' by Julia Donalson

Storybooks can offer a novel alternative to the coursebook and provide the starting point for all kinds of related language learning activities. Inntroducing and exploiting this type of materials in the teaching learning process needs are careful planning. We have to choose them wisely. It is not enough that the learners enjoy them. They have to include valuable learning points potencially useful/ accesible/relevant for learners.

Teachers can select from an authentic (existing children’s literature) or adapted materials. Until quite recently many of the storybooks used in FL classroom were adapted and simplified versions of popular tales. Authentic materials (realia) are readily available, inexpensive, and appropriate for all skills levels and not difficult to implement. Moreover, they provide students with a variety of long-term benefits. They introduce students to the foreign culture.

          The Gruffalo (click on the link for additional information)

  

• and a non-ICT activity: 'The Tiger who came to tea' by Judith Kerr. 

          The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. 

          Who could it possibly be?

          What they certainly don`t expect to see at the door is a big furry, stripy tiger!

     

          This modern classic picture book is perfect for reading aloud in the classroom!!!

          The Tiger who came to tea (click on the link for additional information)

                     It is a great book to use to foster this creative play and get children using their imagination.

                   A tea set for promoting Oral interaction.

                     (Self-made) Puppets 

We hope you enjoy!!!

Using ICTs in the Primary classroom

                                                                            

Using just a textbook as the only material in the Foreign language classroom doesn' t seem to be the most recommendable option.

ICTs provide a huge amount of possibilities to find materials on the web or to design them ourselves. That way we can access different cultural realities and develop a much more open-minded attitude.

Acording to Gordon Lewis ("Internet and Young Learners"), the internet provides children with a window on the outside world. It connets people from all corners of the earth throught information on websides or shared projects. When used thoughtfully, ICTs activities can promote tolerance and bring children together.


When using tecnology we need to consider how best it can be used and how it can complement our classroom-based work so it becomes integrated inyo our overall plan of work.

1. We shall consider how ICTs can contribute to our`s pupils learning. 
2. We will look at methodology for using different types of technology.

The benefits for young learners

ICTs can contribute to the global development of our pupils and complies with the psychological, linguistic, cognitive, social and cultural objetives of most language teaching programmes.

Using the internet in the FL classroom has many tangible benefits. The multimedia possibilities allow us to introduce content in diverse ways and thus appeal to learning styles or "intelligences" of more children.

                                                                          

ICTs materials that we can use in class:

• words processors
• web based activities. We can create the activities we want pupils to learn in a funny way
• electronic dictionaries
• multimedia programmes, there are lots of them adapted to the different educational levels and needs
• authoring programmes
• presentations
• flashcards (they can be easily created)
• ...

Interactive whiteboards and laptops in the FL classroom can add a new dimension to teaching and routine lessons.

Using Glogster: is a social network that allows users to create free interactive posters, or Glogs. 

A "Glog", short for "graphics blog", is an interactive multimedia image. It looks like a poster, but readers can interact with the content.

Examples:

the weather

Means of Transport 

Halloween 1: 

Halloween 2:

In this task we try to design a Glog using this tool. We Chose a topic for primary and design a poster in which we include activities for the different learning styles (Gardner's multiple intelligences) considering also the different skills (reading, writing, speaking, conversation, listening).

Dealing with EFL Terminology

Assess

To gather data in order to make informed decisions (from “assidere”, meaning “to sit beside”).

Formative assessment

Frequent and ongoing assessment, completed en route to mastery; ongoing assessment could be considered as “checkpoints” on students’ progress and the foundation for feedback given- the most useful assessment teacher can provide for students and for their own teaching decisions.

Summative assessment

Completed after the learning experiences; usually requires students to demonstrate mastery of all the essential understandings, though they can be explored over several different tasks; gravable.

Affective Factors


Motivation

Teacher is devoted to helping student learn

Student cares about learning and wants to improve

Trust
Teacher is encouraging, constructive, sensitive to student's feelings

Class/peer relationships and attitudes support student's learning

Student feels safe to admit difficulties and uncertainties


Task Factors


Knowledge
Teacher understands the key aspects and difficulties of the task

Criteria

Teacher identifies and explains well the qualities sought

Student understands clearly what is needed

Goals

The broad, general purposes behind a program, course or curriculum.

Standards
Teacher sets standards appropriate to student

Through descriptions and examples, the standards are explained

Student understands the standards and accepts them as appropriate

Structural Factors

Connections

Final version of task can benefit from the formative assessment

Work on subsequent tasks can benefit from the formative assessment


Purposes

Formative use of task is not undermined by parallel summative use



Process Factors

Balance

Feedback gives attention to strengths as well as weaknesses

Checklist:

A list of behaviors, attributes, or tasks with which teachers tally students' evidence for mastery.


Feedback

Telling students what they did, no evaluative component, and helping them compare what they did with what they were supposed to do.

Self-assessment
Teacher helps student to develop self-assessment skills.

Student takes increasing responsibility for his/her own learning.

Peer involvement
Teacher encourages collaboration among students to improve work.

Peers learn to be constructive and generous in offering feedback.

Monitoring

Teacher monitors student's work to track both process and progress

Insight
Teacher detects misunderstandings or other obstacles to success

Teacher detects exciting possibilities in student's work


Timing

Feedback is given at times when student is most receptive to it

Selectivity

Feedback addresses mainly the aspects likely to have biggest benefit

Rubric

A smaller-scale continuum of scores in which each score correlates to clear descriptor of performance.

Uptake

This term is sometimes used generally to refer to what a learner notices and/or retains in second language input or instruction. Lyster and Ranta’s (1997) definition refers to a learner’s observable inmediate response to corrective feedback on his/her utterances.

Wisdom

Feedback is convincing, appreciated, and useful to student