i THESIS APPROVAL The abstract and thesis of Sara Packer

228 Pages·2006·0.73 MB·English

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THESIS APPROVAL

The abstract and thesis of Sara Packer for the Master of Arts in Teaching
English to Speakers of Other Languages were presented March 10, 2006, and
accepted by the thesis committee and the department.

COMMITTEE APPROVALS: _____________________________________
Kathryn A. Harris, Chair

_____________________________________
Kimberley Brown

______________________________________
Xiaoqin Sun-Irminger
Representative of the Office of Graduate Studies

DEPARTMENT APPROVAL: _____________________________________
Stephen Reder, Chair
Department of Applied Linguistics
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ABSTRACT

An abstract of the thesis of Sara Packer for the Master of Arts in Teaching
English to Speakers of Other Languages presented March 10, 2006.

Title: The Magic of Teaching: The Delicate Balance Revealed in an
Experienced Teacher(cid:146)s Reflections

Over years of teaching, I have searched for an understanding of the
elusive dynamics of the classroom and have wanted to identify specific factors
that shift the balance between positive and negative teaching experiences.
To investigate this topic, I used data from the PSU Lab School, a
research project that uses audio and video technology to record ESOL
classes. The data was a small subset of a large collection of teacher debriefs:
short reflections recorded at the end of class on a daily basis by experienced
ESOL teachers who teach English at the Lab School and also have roles as
researchers, in collaboration with researchers from the university.
My analysis is an in-depth qualitative case study of these debriefs,
generated during one ten-week class by one teacher. I transcribed each
debrief and divided it into topics to find out what the teacher reflected on and
how often each topic recurred. I studied the results both qualitatively (in
context and in comparison to my own experience) and quantitatively
(comparing frequencies of occurrence).
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I analyzed days that were satisfying for the teacher and compared them
to days that had negative aspects. Many of the positive classes shared
characteristics such as a good balance between planning and flexibility; the
ability to take advantage of teachable moments; stimulating student inquiries;
and co-learning between teacher and students. The less satisfying classes
had timing and scheduling conflicts; devastating interactions with individual
students; and administrative nightmares, but they also had characteristics of
positive classes as well.
Good days and bad days are a fluid construct that is personal to each
teacher and each teaching situation, but I could still read the teacher stories in
the debriefs and take their wisdom back to my own classroom to improve my
teaching. I felt support from knowing that another teacher(cid:146)s experiences were
similar to mine, and they helped me take the (cid:147)bad days(cid:148) less seriously.
The debriefs are a rich source of information about the topics that
concern teachers. This information can be used in training new teachers and
in supporting veteran teachers to persevere in the classroom.
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THE MAGIC OF TEACHING:
THE DELICATE BALANCE REVEALED IN AN EXPERIENCED TEACHER(cid:146)S
REFLECTIONS

by
SARA PACKER

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS
in
TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES

Portland State University
2006
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank everyone at the Lab School and the Department of Linguistics at
Portland State University who has supported me during this process. My
special gratitude goes to Dominique Brillanceau, whose spirit has made a
permanent impression on mine.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements ....................................................................................i

List of Tables.............................................................................................iii

List of Figures............................................................................................iv

Glossary: Abbreviations and Definitions....................................................v

Chapter 1: Introduction...............................................................................1

Chapter 2: Literature Review......................................................................8

Chapter 3: Methodology...........................................................................26

Chapter 4: Analysis..................................................................................61

Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion...................................................132

References.............................................................................................151

Appendices:
A. Debriefs Divided Into Numbered Fragments..........................155
B. Number of Fragments vs. Number of Words per Debrief.......200
C. Converting Class Dates to Class Numbers............................203
D. Topic Categories I Eliminated or Combined...........................205
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LIST OF TABLES

Table I: Fragments Numbered, with Category Rationale.........................43

Table II: Fragments Assigned to Categories...........................................44

Table III: Fragments By Class Number on Topic Category Grids............46

Table IV: All Comments in One Topic Category From First to Last Class
(Excerpt)...................................................................................................48

Table V: Reliability Check........................................................................55

Table: VI: Samples of Data Reorganization and Classification for Positive/
Negative Assessment Comments ............................................................88

Table VII: Counts of Positive, Negative, and Neutral Assessment Comments
per Class..................................................................................................89
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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Topic Categories from Most to Least Mentioned......................61

Figure 2: Number of Words per Debrief Transcript..................................63

Figure 3: What DB Actually Did in Class.................................................65

Figure 4: Meta-Reflections......................................................................74

Figure 5: Positive, Negative, and Neutral Comments..............................89

Figure 6: Individuals, Pairs, and Small Groups of Students...................116

Figure 7: Timing and Scheduling...........................................................121

Figure 8: DB(cid:146)s Follow-up Plans.............................................................125

Figure 9: Administrative and Lab School Related Comments ...............127

Figure 10: Two Most Common Topics...................................................136
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GLOSSARY: ABBREVIATIONS AND DEFINITIONS

Debrief: Refers to the recorded audio reflections that both of the PRAs create
after each class they teach.

ESOL, TESOL, and ESL
ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages, used mainly to refer
to teachers and classes in countries where English is predominantly
spoken.

TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, as in the
MA TESOL program at Portland State University or The TESOL
Quarterly. In reference to teachers, it means Teachers of English to
Speakers of Other Languages.

ESL: English as a Second Language, used mainly to refer to teachers
and classes in countries where English is predominantly spoken.

Note: ESL and ESOL are generally interchangeable. I use both,
depending on the choice in the source material I am talking
about.

Lab School: A classroom laboratory situation at PSU, where regular
community ESL classes are audio- and video-taped for further study into how
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adult students learn English. For further information consult
www.labschool.pdx.edu.

NCSALL: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy,
funding source for the Lab School project. For further information consult
www.ncsall.net.

PCC: Portland Community College. For further information consult
www.pcc.edu.

PRA: Practitioner/research associate; there are two at the Portland State
University Lab School. Half of their duties involve teaching English at the Lab
School, and for this they are employed by Portland Community College. The
other half of their duties revolve around their role as research associates.
According to the description of the Lab School at www.labschool.pdx.edu,
(cid:147)(cid:133)ESOL practitioners model effective instruction, mentor pre-service
teachers, participate in ongoing research, and engage in local and national
dissemination of the Lab School research findings.(cid:148)

PSU: Portland State University. For further information consult www.pdx.edu.