Ernist 2011 1

French language classroom

interaction: how does it influence

student retention?

Signe Ernist

Macquarie UniversityDepartment of Education

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Issue

• Languages teaching in Australia: crisis (Clyne)

• Students tend to drop languages study after Year 8, having completed the 100 compulsory hours (NSW)

• Second language acquisition in educational context should be continuous and meaningful (Clyne, Lo Bianco, Liddicoat)

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SolutionPresent state of affairs: to make the most

within the reality of subject selection strongly influenced by family advice and

teacher disposition

Classroom interaction: communication

between teacher and students / students and students influencing the decisions to continue languages study

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Question

How does classroom talk influence students’ decisions to continue or discontinue languages study?

Talk in interaction is systematically organised, deeply ordered and methodic (Harvey Sacks, founder of Conversation Analysis)

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Data

• Recorded classroom talk and observations

• Collected over two years in Year 7/8 French language classrooms in an independent girls’ school in Sydney

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Classroom talk

Clear expectations communicated by the teacher reflects the whole school approach

Clear ‘routine’ structure in every lessonstudents know where they stand

(homework checked together – revision with new material linked to it - whole class practice, group practice, group challenge – game, quiz etc - homework given)

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Classroom talk 2

Markers like ‘Attention’ used before asking

students to provide a response

reliable routine

Target language accompanied by hand

movements

helps meaning detection

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Classroom talk 3 Each student has a textbook and an exercise book

responsibility

All written target language accompanied by English translations confidence Classroom talk kept topic centred (no ‘small talk’) concentration

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Classroom talk 4

Merit system in place (stickers)

effort recognised

Teacher works the classroom space

engagement

Teacher’s enthusiastic disposition

students feel that the teacher wants to be there

and teach them – rapport

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Students’ comments

French class is fun!The teacher is fun!We like how we learnWe have different ways of learning, not

just booksThe class is encouragingA good teacher is very important

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Students’ reasons to continue studying To travel, to study, to have a job

To understand more about world

To continue what has been started

Family / background

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Students’ reasons to continue studying • Fun / enjoyable language program

• Fun teacher

Strict but understanding and flexible

Enthusiastic

Approachable

“She is there because she wants to

teach us!”

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A language supportive whole

school approach that is

communicated to the students

by an enthusiastic teacher

does make a difference!

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Selected references• Clyne, M. (2005). Australia's Language Potential. Sydney:

UNSW PRESS.• Curnow, T. J., & Kohler, M. (2007). Languages are

important: but that's not why I am studying one. Babel, 42(2), 20-24,38.

• Heritage, J. (1984). Garfinkel and Ethnomethodology. Oxford: Polity Press.

• Liddicoat, A. J., Scarino, A., Curnow, T. J., Kohler, M., Scrimgeour, A. & Morgan, A.-M. (2007). An Investigation of the State and Nature of Languages in Australian Schools. Canberra: DEST.

• Lo Bianco, J. (2006). Arguing for Perspective in LOTE: Reflections on public debate, language and the public interest. Languages Victoria, 10(1), 16-29.

• Seedhouse, P. (2004). The interactional architecture of the language classroom: a conversation analysis perspective. Oxford: Blackwell.

• Seedhouse, P. (2005). Conversation Analysis and language learning. Language Teaching, 38, 1-23.