Again, posting late due to some weird google account entrance related problems
Week 3 solo task.
1) The whole idea of transcribing and ways to use it. When I first heard? read? of the idea I felt very skeptical, since at the point I imagined transcribing the whole class with no particular purpose in mind (to sort of 'look at it later and realize something) which looked laborious, cumbersome and boring, although even at the time I could see some value of it (i.e. for it being a more objective account of the lesson that your own feeling as a teacher). When I realized you could actually transcribe just a short bit of what was going on in the classroom with the particular focus in mind, it made so much more sense to me. First, it becomes easier, second, you could involve the students (as it can also be quite useful for them), and, as I mentioned earlier, it's more objective. Sometimes, it also leaves room for unexpected discoveries. I.e. during week one when we had to transcribe a part of the lesson, while transcribing mine I noticed that in the group of three students working together during the part of the class, one was not contributing at all. Something I missed during the lesson completely!
2) Reflecting without judgement is quite tempting, but difficult. You... sort of.. have to reach that specific state of mind to be able to avoid judgmental comments as such. Things I tend to do way more often then I'd like. On the other hand, it's liberating, as it offers a new look. I.e. like the idea of counting the correct and incorrect words in the students' utterances or how many words in general the students managed to produce during one stretch of speech. I like it a lot since it offers factual information and you as a teacher do not have to provide any evaluation.
Week 3 solo task.
1) The whole idea of transcribing and ways to use it. When I first heard? read? of the idea I felt very skeptical, since at the point I imagined transcribing the whole class with no particular purpose in mind (to sort of 'look at it later and realize something) which looked laborious, cumbersome and boring, although even at the time I could see some value of it (i.e. for it being a more objective account of the lesson that your own feeling as a teacher). When I realized you could actually transcribe just a short bit of what was going on in the classroom with the particular focus in mind, it made so much more sense to me. First, it becomes easier, second, you could involve the students (as it can also be quite useful for them), and, as I mentioned earlier, it's more objective. Sometimes, it also leaves room for unexpected discoveries. I.e. during week one when we had to transcribe a part of the lesson, while transcribing mine I noticed that in the group of three students working together during the part of the class, one was not contributing at all. Something I missed during the lesson completely!
2) Reflecting without judgement is quite tempting, but difficult. You... sort of.. have to reach that specific state of mind to be able to avoid judgmental comments as such. Things I tend to do way more often then I'd like. On the other hand, it's liberating, as it offers a new look. I.e. like the idea of counting the correct and incorrect words in the students' utterances or how many words in general the students managed to produce during one stretch of speech. I like it a lot since it offers factual information and you as a teacher do not have to provide any evaluation.
Dear O, you are not the only one who during my years of advocating transcribing has been skeptical; I think that being skeptical is healthy. Heather Thomas whose article I suggested you all read was also skeptical.
ReplyDeleteThere are few if any MA programs or CELTA or other courses that put transcribing and analyzing what we do at the center of their programs.
Yet in so many other areas--sports, surgery, counseling, recording is standard. Ditto for all service companies in the world.
As you say in your second point and your first point you notice things you cannot notice while teaching. And counting simple things like errors and number of words you say and students say is very revealing.
In ga2, Vocabulary Role Play the teacher says 446 words and the students said 37. The lesson was a reading lesson but there was the reading of like 3 words. One of the comments the teacher made was "What might that look like?" This question has 5 words--all function words with only grammatical meaning. Yet her focus is on individual words--found, planted and trowel.
In a discussion of the class with the person who wrote the book the video is part of the author raises not one question about this lesson. She says it is a sample of exemplary teaching. I think that the reason so many students in the US cannot read is that they are taught like the teacher in this video teaches.
No reflection, no analysis. No looking at the transcription!
A huge flaw in our field is this lack of skepticism. That is why I was pleased that you were skeptical about transcribing. We have to be skeptical about everything that we are told. That is why I say believe nothing I say.
You discovered the value of transcribing You did not learn the value from me.
All the best.
John