Teacher Candidates Practice Oral Language Functions Using Digital Video RecordingMartha E. CastañedaMiami UniversityOhio Foreign Language Association ConferenceMarch 9, 2010, Columbus, OH

Audience•Methods Teachers?

•Researchers?

•Language Teachers?

What language proficiency do FL teachers need?•Foreign Language instruction should be

delivered in the Target Language, “95-100% of the time” (Curtain & Dahlberg)

•“Foreign Language teachers must be able to provide effective oral input that is characterized by fluency and spontaneity” as well as “speak in paragraphs and in major time frames” (ACTFL, n.d.).

What level of proficiency do FL teachers need?•ACTFL/NCATE standards

▫Advanced Low

•State of Ohio▫Intermediate High

What are the criteria for each level?•ACTFL has developed proficiency

guidelines

• participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social, professional, and abstract topics

• support opinions and hypothesize using native-like discourse strategies.

Superior

• converse in a clearly participatory fashion

• initiate, sustain, and bring to closure a wide variety of communicative tasks

• satisfy the requirements of school and work situations

• narrate and describe with paragraph-length connected discourse.Advanced

HighMidLow

• create with the language by combining and recombining learned elements, though primarily in a reactive mode

• initiate, minimally sustain, and close in a simple way basic communicative tasks

• ask and answer questions.

Intermediate

HighMidLow

• ability to communicate minimally with learned material.

NoviceHighMidLow

How do you measure proficiency?•Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI)

▫Widely Accepted▫Standardized▫Measures how well a person meets the

criteria▫Valid and Reliable (Swender)▫Trained Interviewer▫Rated using holistic methods

Four Phases of OPI•Warm-up•Level checks and probes•Role-plays•Wind-down

•Mock OPI

How can we help teacher candidates achieve this goal?•“[p]rograms would benefit from more

research in the area of oral proficiency development, specially on the types of learning experiences that would best facilitate attainment of Advanced-Low oral proficiency” (Glisan, 2006, 25)

Digital Video Recording•Foreign Language methods class•Comfort level via self-efficacy scale (pre)•Assignment: Create six digital video

recordings practicing certain language functions at each level

•Comfort level via self-efficacy scale (post)

• participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social, professional, and abstract topics

• support opinions and hypothesize using native-like discourse strategies.

Superior

• converse in a clearly participatory fashion

• initiate, sustain, and bring to closure a wide variety of communicative tasks

• satisfy the requirements of school and work situations

• narrate and describe with paragraph-length connected discourse.Advanced

HighMidLow

• create with the language by combining and recombining learned elements, though primarily in a reactive mode

• initiate, minimally sustain, and close in a simple way basic communicative tasks

• ask and answer questions.

Intermediate

HighMidLow

• ability to communicate minimally with learned material.

NoviceHighMidLow

Podcast Assignment•Video vs. Audio•iTunes U•Podcasting room•Podcast vs. digital video recording•Trial digital video recording

• participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social, professional, and abstract topics

• support opinions and hypothesize using native-like discourse strategies.

Superior

• converse in a clearly participatory fashion

• initiate, sustain, and bring to closure a wide variety of communicative tasks

• satisfy the requirements of school and work situations

• narrate and describe with paragraph-length connected discourse.Advanced

HighMidLow

• create with the language by combining and recombining learned elements, though primarily in a reactive mode

• initiate, minimally sustain, and close in a simple way basic communicative tasks

• ask and answer questions.

Intermediate

HighMidLow

• ability to communicate minimally with learned material.

NoviceHighMidLow

Sample Videos•Introduction•Describe•Ask Questions•Needs•Narrate•Opinion•Resolve a Situation

Findings: General Benefits•“Especially since it was my first time

doing this sort of thing [creating digital video recordings of herself], I was able to actually watch myself on the recording, I was able to notice the mistakes I was making”

•“I had to look up a ton of vocabulary that I maybe should have known”

Findings: General Benefits•“in the conversation courses I had to

answer the same type of questions but not in so much detail or length.”

•“forcing me to speak in paragraphs really helped me”

•“definitely gets me thinking, realizing what I need to work on”

Findings Self-Efficacy scale

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

PrePost

Intermediate Advanced Novice Superior

Findings: Reason for lower self-efficacy?•“we were more challenged than we

expected on the podcasts and therefore doubted our abilities after completing it”

•Before completing the assignment, we “might possibly be overconfident”

•“I realized that I still have a lot to work on with the language.”

Findings: Overall•“Telling me you can’t study is going to freak

me out. It is self defeating. Thinking that I can be prepared, we can prepare for it, it gives you more confidence”

•“Even though I still had apprehensions after watching myself and the podcasts I had created, I at least felt much better prepared and that I know what to expect when it came time for the interview [the OPI]”

Findings: Things to improve•“it was awkward talking to yourself”•“more spontaneity would be beneficial”

Considerations for preparing teachers and teaching•Provide opportunities for students to

watch themselves speaking•Practice functions explicitly•Practice paragraph length discourse

My vision of the OPI--Practicing oral proficiency in a non-threatening and comfortable environment that covers all major language functions.

Portfolios + OPI• Portfolios

▫Written Work ▫Oral Work▫Reflections on both

• The culminating component of the oral portion of the portfolio would be a recorded OPI.

• A full length OPI would be expected for French III and IV.

• One OPI/modified OPI per year of language. ▫Building.

Incorporating the OPI in classroom•Example #1

•French IV: Trains

•The goal is to have spontaneous speaking. Problems can be either real or fiction.

Student perspective: My own experience

Comments / Questions ?