Investigating teachers' use of exemplars: Difficulties in managing effective dialogues
1. INVESTIGATING TEACHERS’
USE OF EXEMPLARS:
DIFFICULTIES IN MANAGING
EFFECTIVE DIALOGUES
Phil Smyth, The Centre for
Applied English Studies,
HKU
David Carless, Faculty of
Education, HKU
@CarlessDavid
@PhilSmythEAP
2. Sample texts chosen
to illustrate levels of
quality or competence
(Sadler, 2005)
Could be student or
teacher created?
3. Connoisseurship, like
skill, can be
communicated only by
example, not by precept
Polanyi, 1962
Exemplars convey
messages that nothing
else can
Sadler, 2002
4. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY
We don’t know how
teachers share
exemplars
How do teachers
manage fears that
students copy
unproductively?
Decisions taken?
Inhibiting and
facilitating factors?
5. METHODOLOGY
12 participants in an EAP
support Centre
Constructivist grounded
theory approach
Interviews and observations
Participants viewed as a
‘reservoir of observations,
insights, and reflections’
(Alvesson & Karreman, 2011)
Aim to better understand
exemplar use in this context
6. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
Dialogism (Bakhtin) - knowledge is seen as
“emerging from the interaction of voices”
and is concerned with “transformation of
understandings” (Dysthe et al., 2008, p.
124).
Tacit knowledge – (Polanyi) - “We know
more than we can tell.”
Mediated Learning Experience – (Feuerstein)
– “A goal of education is to assist growth
toward greater complexity and integration
and to assist in the process of self-
organization - to modify individuals
capacity to modify themselves.”
9. DIFFICULTIES IN MANAGING
EFFECTIVE DIALOGUE
Student perceptions (or
teacher’s perceptions of
student perceptions?)
Teacher knowledge and
practice of assessment
Knowledge of possible
exemplar processes and
skills in mediating
dialogue
10. STRUCTURED APPROACH –
DIALOGUE NOT VALUED
They (students) prefer a more prescriptive
approach… If it’s prescriptive the students can
just sit and listen and accept everything you
say… (Carl)
Smaller chunks of text are better so students
know exactly what to do. This is what students
want. Getting things done leads to more
student satisfaction. (Anika)
11. DISCOVERY APPROACH –
LIMITED DIALOGUE
My teachers at both high school and university
seldom talked about "assessment criteria".
Students were expected to think of ways to do
their best in a course/assignment. (Gwen)
12. UNMEDIATED DIALOGUE - ANIKA
- Find the writer’s stance in this section
- This time round I’d like you to focus on the structure of the introduction
and the report title
Anika: Can you give me some examples of reporting verbs in this
introduction?
Student 1: Evaluate…
Anika: Yes
Student 2: describe…
Anika: yes, to describe…
13. MEDIATED DIALOGUE – EDDIE
Eddie: So Billy, what else did you like?
Student: The third paragraph… the last sentence… it describes the goals of
their project
Eddie: Do you like this one? (said in a doubtful tone)
Student: well, it gives the purpose but it describes not too specific and not
clearly… so the readers may not know clearly what they are talking about…
Eddie: so you want it to be more specific?
Student: yeh yeh…
Eddie: how could you make it more specific?
Student: perhaps use more data
14. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
PRACTICE
Use several exemplars demonstrating a range of quality during the
course
Encourage students to write their own texts before analysing
exemplars
Use the pre-set criteria as late as possible in the teaching sequence,
after students have drafted their assignment and worked with
exemplars
Develop skills in leading teacher-led discussion. Aim to elicit and
critique students’ understandings of quality through peer and whole
class dialogue
Encourage co-construction of criteria with students. Push students
beyond criteria that focus only on surface features of quality
15. IMPORTANCE OF GOOD DIALOGUE
There is no better way to avoid
instrumentalism than to foster a
culture of collaboration and
negotiation in higher education.
(Dysthe et al., 2008, pg. 129)
