Presentation at ECML conference "Crossing Continent: EPOSTL around the World"

1. EPOSTL Conference
18 February, 2014 at European Centre for Modern Languages
A Case Study: Implementation of
EPOSTL in Teaching Practice for
Foreign Language Activities
Takenori YAMAMOTO

2. Background

3. History of
Foreign Language Activities
0~
02
2
1~
01
Compulsory Subject
2
0~
00
2
2~
9
19
Pilot Study
Educational Area (Compulsory)
Educational Area (Selective)

4. 21 National Universities (in 2010)
and more

5. Adaptation of EPOSTL

6. EPOSTL
JACET SIG (2010)
J-POSTL

7. Adaption of J-POSTL
to Foreign Language Activities

8. Purpose

9. to adapt/implement EPOSTL (J-POSTL)
into Foreign Language Activities
!
to find out the participants’ learning
during teaching practice

10. Questions to be solved
• Which J-POSTL descriptors are appropriate
for Foreign Language Activities?
!
• How do the selected descriptors effect
student teachers’ learning in teacher
education for Foreign Language Activities?

11. Design

12. Selecting
descriptors from
J-POSLT through
discussion
Conducting
survey in order
to check
appropriateness
of selected
descriptors
Implementing
descriptors &
conducting
interview

13. • Changing words
(students→pupils)
Selecting
descriptors from
J-POSLT through
discussion
• Discussion
“Which descriptors are needed
especially for teachers of
Foreign Language Activities?”
by two graduate students and
the researcher

14. • Survey
1 “not appropriate” ~
4 “very appropriate”
Conducting
!
survey in order
Subjects
to check
appropriateness two elementary school teachers
two university teachers
of selected
!
descriptors
one sample t-test
H0: μ=3

15. • Implementing&interview
Implementing
descriptors &
conducting
interview
During teaching practice
Before teaching practice
understanding descriptors
1st evaluation
!
During teaching practice
2nd evaluation
interview
!
After teaching practice
3rd evaluation
interview

16. !
Interview
!
Implementing
descriptors &
conducting
interview
“What did you do in teaching
practice?”
“Why did your evaluation
change?”
“How do you think about
using descriptors?”

17. Results

18. Selecting descriptors from J-POSLT through
discussion
47 descriptors were selected
• I can understand the personal, intellectual
and cultural value of learning other
languages
• I can locate and select listening and reading
materials appropriate for the needs of my
learners from a variety of sources, such as
literature, mass media and the Internet

19. Selecting descriptors from J-POSLT through
discussion
continued...
• I can plan lessons and periods of teaching
with other teachers and/or student teachers
(team teaching, with other subject teachers
etc.)
• I can decide when it is appropriate to use the
target language and when not to.

20. Selecting descriptors from J-POSLT through
discussion
Removed descriptors…
• I can evaluate and select texts in a variety of
text types to function as good examples for
the learner’s writing
• I can recommend dictionaries and other
reference books useful for my learners.

21. Conducting survey in order to
check appropriateness of selected descriptors
All 47 descriptors were evaluated as
appropriate statistically

22. Conducting survey in order to
check appropriateness of selected descriptors
statistic shows...
• 25 descriptors were significantly evaluated as
“appropriate”.
• 10 descriptors were evaluated as
“appropriate” (SD=0)
• 12 descriptors’ effect size showed that these
descriptors were “appropriate”

23. Implementing descriptors & conducting interview

24. Implementing descriptors & conducting interview

25. Implementing descriptors & conducting interview
Transcription of interview (student B)
• A lot of the evaluation (of the descriptors)
become lower because I felt I lost confidence
(through teaching practice). I could not do
what I wanted to do. I could not use any skills
and knowledge I learnt in university

26. Implementing descriptors & conducting interview
Transcription of interview (student B)
• I felt confused with the difference between
what I learnt in university and what I am
learning during teaching practice. For
example, university teachers taught me to do
classes only in English. But my mentor told
me choose English or Japanese based on
pupils’ comprehension.

27. Implementing descriptors & conducting interview
Transcription of interview (student A)
• I think that the evaluation of some
descriptors went up because I could do them
in my first lesson. Additionally, I failed to do
some descriptors before, but I reflected my
failure on my lesson plan. So now I feel “I can
do them”

28. Implementing descriptors & conducting interview
Transcription of interview (student A)
• There are some descriptors which do not
relate to my experience in teaching practice.
But I think it is very good for me. I can tell
clearly what I know from what I don’t know.
Then I want to learn what I don’t know
through university lectures or research
studies.

29. Implementing descriptors & conducting interview
enhancing
further learning
strengthening
confidence
finding gaps of
experience at
school and uni
finding
connections of
experience at
school and uni
needs for new
learning at uni
finding skills/
knowledge
students don’t
know

30. Implementing descriptors & conducting interview
requiring a lot of time to
understand & evaluate
descriptors

31. Discussion

32. Questions to be solved
• Which J-POSTL descriptors are appropriate
for Foreign Language Activities?
• How do selected descriptors effect students’
learning in teacher education for Foreign
Language Activities?

33. Questions to be solved
• Which J-POSTL descriptors are appropriate
for Foreign Language Activities?
47 descriptors from J-POSTL

34. Questions to be solved
• How do selected descriptors effect students’
learning in teacher education for Foreign
Language Activities?
further learning
confidence
new learning at uni
Development as
teachers of Foreign
Language
Activities

35. Research during the whole period of
pre-service teacher education
Research with large number of
participants & different universities

36. Thank you