Pedagogical Intervention
The current chapter is aimed at evidencing the application of the actual research proposal. It presents the type of study, the researcher’s role, the context of the study and application, the participants involved, and the definition of the data collection instruments and procedures. It also intends to prove their validity and reliabilty, considering future consult and research in the same area of study.
Methodology
Language learning strategies instruction is Chamot, Barnhardt, El-Dinary and Robbins (1999) proposal for identifying and understanding the particular roles teachers and learners acquire when using learning strategies. When writing using natural practice, in theory young university learners may seem to have no interest in domestic issues, but in the practice, they have been keen on developing lessons about home issues such as food preparation. Thus, selecting the elaboration of an artifact to develop practicing naturalistically has guided the process into the identification of new learners’ roles such as risk-taking and class-control.
This instructional approach that centers its attention into the learners’ role, has focused on the “students’ learning processes, as well as on products and outcomes” (1999: 37). “Teachers focus not only on technically ‘correct’ language use, but also on the message that students are trying to communicate at the reasoning behind their responses…During the students’ explanations, the teacher can point out when students use strategies, specially if they seem unaware that they are doing something strategic…”
Using Instructional Approach as the methodological tool to develop the intervention process has been opportune to identify the adequate strategies, select and design the artifacts implemented in the lessons and as independent work tasks.
Data Collection Tools
- Questionnaires
Questionnaires are not time consuming in their applications and provide answers to specific questions in non-face-to-face situations (Burns: 1999), two questionnaires focusing on obtaining data about students’ feelings about their learning process will be applied. They will lead us to a more inclusive selection of strategic artifacts and activities to be implemented in the classroom, in the preliminary stage. During the while stage, being carried at present, another questionnaire will be applied to obtain information on how students feel during the process and if they are applying the strategies that they are apparently using and registering throughout their portfolios. In the closure stage, a final questionnaire will help find and define to what extent the procedures applied as learning strategy were relevant and consciously used by the students during the implmentation stage.
Enhancing Descriptive Paragraphs through Practicing NaturalisticallyGroup 2 – Implementation of the Practicing Naturalistically Cognitive Learning Strategy
Questionnaire (Survey) No. 2 for the Students
September 18th / 2010
Dear learner,
You have completed the first term of the English course you are taking, and you have already been practicing a specific cognitive learning strategy with the purpose of helping you improve your writing skills. This is practicing naturalistically. Please take 10 minutes to read and respond the following survey, marking in one square with an X, according to your personal considerations. So when it is required please provide the necessary information.
Remember that the purpose is to know your feelings during this first stage of the implementation and help you improve the writing process.
A: How you understand the Practicing Naturalistically learning Strategy:
1. How do you feel when developing the writing learning guides every Friday?
A. | This is a good activity to help improve your writing. You feel fine. |
B. | You feel a little overwhelmed since this is too much work to do. |
C. | It has been a new experience for you: You are writing while you practice writing. |
D. | It has been very complicated. You find it difficult to understand the instructions. |
E. | You think this has been a very difficult way to practice. You would prefer using other strategies to improve your writing. For example: _______________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ |
2. When you are implementing the PN learning strategy in class, you find the following advantages:
A. | You can apply your knowledge immediately in a real and useful composition. |
B. | You felt you were really communicating with someone. |
C. | You can express ideas related with your everyday life and your own interests. |
D. | You can use simple everyday language that you are learning in the English classes. |
E. | You can organize your ideas in a way that is easy to understand. |
F. | You can develop your creativity, even though you are suggested to write a specific type of text. |
G. | Others? What? ______________________________________________________________________ |
3. Regarding your teacher support training you to use the PN learning strategy PNLS
A. | She has been clear and you can understand her explanations and instructions. |
B. | She has clearly explained the strategy, but her instructions to solve the tasks are not as clear. |
C. | She has given you clear examples in which you can apply the PN strategy. |
D. | She gives you the adequate feedback to improve your writing tasks after you develop them. |
E. | She encourages you to use the rubrics and the list of conventions for writing so that you can understand the writing process and comprehend the feedback through the annotated versions that she gives you. |
F. | Other? What? __________________________________________________________________ |
4. When you are practicing naturalistically during the writing sessions, you find the following disadvantages:
A. | There is not relation between the strategy and the manner to improve your writing level. | |
B. | You find the strategy very complicated and overwhelming for your general level of English. | |
C. | You think you can do simpler tasks to practice writing and you could get better results effortless. | |
D. | You think the strategy is very exigent and it demands too much work and effort for your level. | |
E. | You have to prepare too many things to be able to solve your writing tasks. | |
F. | You cannot solve most of your tasks simply with the contents you regularly practice in the English class. | |
G. | Others? Which ones? ________________________________________________________________ | |
Link to the While Stage questionnaire:
In traditional assessment, students were expected to solve written quizzes at once, fill in forms or tests in order to provide a number of correct answers to questions related to concepts acquired over a learning process term. This way they were graded quantitatively according to standards focused on the increment of the progress of the skills according to a raising numerical register in the teacher’s grading book. At present, assessment entails the students’ involvement in their own learning process, so that they are challenged with projects in which they can find and solve real life needs and problems. Because traditional systems to assess did not provide a continuous and meaningful relationship with evaluation, and considering it was summative, but not evidenced through results beyond grades, portfolios appeared as a tool to register a whole process that first involves the subject assessed as the first and main responsible of his learning process, able to self evaluate and work on improving his own process continuously, according with his own interest and efforts. When involving the student in this assessment process, a portfolio appears to be an important assessment and self assessment tool that empowers the learner for him to work on continuously and systematically improving his achievements.
The main tool used along the Implementation stage will consist of the learning guides through which PN will be implementation, as a strategy to provoke natural and meaningful practice of the langauge, by encouraging the learners to write real messages, as if they are keeping in touch with a real native spaker who does not speak Spanish. I have considered Jennifer, or Jenny, as my main character. She will be sending messages to my learners so that they have to develop writing tasks to send to her as a reply. Here I have a link from to my product number two in the implementation stage. Students will listen to Jennifer asking them to tell her about their hometown. They will write letters, or mails or postcards to reply. The real practice consists of the fact of getting a real message and respond it, so having students truying to respond in the target language.
