Computer-assisted Video Communication in

the Primary EFL Classroom: A German-

French Exchange

Euline Cutrim Schmid

University of Education Schwäbisch-

Gmünd

Shona Whyte

Université Nice Sophia Antipolis

2. Bundeskongress Englisch & Mehrsprachigkeit

Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main 22.03.2014

Outline

1. Research Background

2. Research Context

3. Data Collection

4. Research Data

• description of classroom activities

• two short video clips

• teacher interview data

• pupil interview data

5. Conclusion

• live video communication

• young learners of English as

a lingua franca

• IWB for interactional support

Whyte & Cutrim Schmid (forthcoming)

Computer-assisted Video Communication in the

Primary EFL Classroom: A German-French

Exchange

• SMART board

• Notebook software

• Bridgit Conferencing

Software

• Video/audio link +

screensharing

Video communication

http://itilt.eu

7 countries

6 languages

website with video

examples of IWB-

supported classroom

practice with additional

materials

Dutch

English

French

Spanish

Turkish

Welsh

Belgium

France

Germany

Netherlands

Spain

Turkey

UK

primary

secondary

university

vocational

4 sectors

44 teachers, 81 films, 267

video clips

IWB: Limited Interactional

Opportunities

• one learner at IWB in front

of whole class

• technical rather than

pedagogical interactivity

• pedagogical exercises

rather than tasks

(Cutrim Schmid & Whyte, 2012)

New Research Question

How can we support teachers in exploiting IWB affordances with

more impact on classroom interaction?

• authentic communicative situation

• synchronous oral communication

• task-based approach

• visual support for listening and speaking

• pair/small group learner-learner interaction

VC = video

communication

1. videoconferencing: special equipment for

video link (e.g., PolyCom)

2. video calling or video chat: desktop software

or internet browser (e.g., Skype, Google

hangout)

3. web conferencing (e.g., Adobe Connect)

VC research

• Technical problems with sound/image quality (e.g.

Favaro, 2011; Gruson, 2011)

• Practical difficulties establishing collaborative

exchanges (Favaro, 2012, O’Dowd, 2010)

• Familiarization sessions less effective than integrated

enhancement programs (Comber et al., 2004,

Pritchard, Hunt & Barnes, 2010; Macrory, Chrétien, &

Ortega-Martín, 2012)

• Predominance of “practiced routines” and “teacher

mediation” (Gruson & Barnes, 2012, Whyte, 2011)

present study

Extreme test of IWB and VC affordances

● young beginner EFL learners

● English as a lingua franca

● whole-class sessions

action research design

Participants: Teachers

French teacher German Teacher

Generalist primary school teacher Generalist primary school teacher

Twenty years of classroom

experience

Five years of classroom experience

Technologically fluent (experienced

IWB user)

Level of IWB technology expertise

relatively low

Previous experience with VC First experience with VC

Bilingual (French-Spanish) with

special motivation for FL teaching

Recent pre-service training in FL

teaching (communicative and task

based approaches)

Participants: Learners

French learners German Learners

25 pupils - aged 8-9 – third of five

years of formal primary schooling

25 pupils - aged 7-8 – second of four

years of formal primary schooling.

One single 90 minute-session of

English per week (first year of EFL)

Two 45-minute sessions of English

per week (second year of EFL)

General pattern of EFL activities:

whole class

● teacher-led presentation,

● carousel activities, individual

listening exercises, worksheets,

● short closing plenary session

Varied EFL activities:

● lessons taught in English

● storytelling,

● singing,

● role plays, games,

● arts and crafts.

Used IWB regularly in all classes Beginner users of IWBs

Previous experience with VC

exchange (one Skype session)

No previous experience with VC

VC Sessions: Classroom

Organization

German set up: In the German

class the VC sessions were run

as a whole-class activity with

rotating individual activity at the

IWB or camera observed by the

other learners.

French set up: In France the VC

activity was one of three

separate carousel activities,

observed only by the small

group at the interactive display.

Identity Card: First Session

Aim: Learners introduce themselves.

Their interaction is supported by a

prepared IWB file with learners’

names and photos.

90-minute VC activity: Each set of

learners introduced themselves in

turn while a learner in the remote

class dragged and dropped image

and text elements on the IWB page

to construct and identity card for

each speaker.

Follow-up session: learners

pooled their knowledge to

identify the pupils in a large

photograph of the whole

exchange class.

Identity Card

ID Card Session: First Exchange

Isabelle (FR) talks to Sophia (DE)

Analysis of Interaction

• Identity Card Exchange

Strong teacher mediation: pupils’ participation is largely structured

by the teachers, pupils are guided throughout the exchanges by

gesture and verbally, teachers repeat pupils’ utterances and ratify

their actions (very good, super) and supply the missing opening and

closing routines.

Limited learner-learner interaction: Pupils perform with some level

of confidence and show understanding of the interactional nature of

the activity. However, they are still very dependent on teachers’ cues

and support. Direct learner-learner interaction was sometimes

prevented by the teachers themselves.

Funny Animal: Second Session

Aim: Learners describe the “funny

animals” they had drawn in a previous

lesson. Their interaction is supported by a

prepared IWB file with body parts (head,

body and legs) of ten different animals.

90-minute VC activity Learners

described their “funny animals”, while a

learner in the remote class dragged and

dropped the correct body/animal

combinations to the IWB page to

construct the correct funny animal.

Learners then showed their drawings via

the Webcam so that the remote class

could check if their IWB picture was

correct.

Follow-up session in Germany:

learners carried out the same activity

with their peers.

Funny Animal

Funny Animal Session: 8th Exchange

Silvester (DE) talks to Louise (FR)

Analysis of Interaction

• Funny Animal Exchange

Less Teacher Mediation: German pupil Silvester interacts

confidently and independently with the remote class. The French

pupils are less independent, but take initiatives to help each other.

Enhanced learner-learner interaction: French pupils interact

directly with German pupil by using confirmation checks (e.g. Is this

correct?), to which he replies: “yes” or “no”. French pupils are

pleased to check their result against Silvester’s drawing.

Shopping: Third Session

Aim: Learners practice food vocabulary in

an “authentic” shopping situation in the

form of a role play. French learners buy

German products at REWE supermarket

and German learners buy French products

at E. LECLERC.

90-minute VC activity One pupil plays the

shop assistant and two learners play the

customers. They act a dialogue at the

cashier (hello, can I help you, I’d like…, is

that all?, how much is it?, it’s….., and so

on.) and communicate via the Webcam.

The products are then dragged and

dropped to the shopping cart by the shop

assistant and the payment (Euro bills or

coins) is dropped into the cash register

drawer by the customers.

Follow-up session: learners described

the products that were purchased by

the French pupils and also carried out

the same activity with their peers.

Shopping

Aim: Learners practice food vocabulary in

an “authentic” situation, as they prepare a

breakfast table for a learner in the remote

class.

90-minute VC activity Two learners

should imagine they have a guest from the

partner school and need to prepare

breakfast for him/her. They initiate the

dialogue by asking: “what would you like

for breakfast”? The pupil in the remote

class then makes his/her choices (I’d

like….) and the learners drag and drop the

items onto the breakfast table. Pupils can

also ask additional questions, such as:

would you like some butter on your bread?

or how many slices of bread? And so on.

Follow-up session: learners describe

what the pupils in the remote class are

having for breakfast. They also

compare their breakfast eating habits

with the ones from the remote class.

Breakfast Time: Fourth Session

Teacher Feedback: Main

Pedagogical Benefits

1. Enhanced motivation to use the target language

“They made a real effort to bring together everything that they had learned

[…] to mobilize everything they had learned, and we could really see that.“

(French teacher)

“They enjoyed that they were able to interact with the French kids, since they

wouldn't be able to speak with them in their mother tongue. They understood

why they learn English”. (German teacher)

“They sometimes in class they don't really listen to the others. Here they had

to be listening because they had to do something afterwards, and that's

important.“ (French teacher)

Teacher Feedback: Main

Pedagogical Benefits

2. Enhanced self-confidence in the ability to comprehend and use

the target language

“Instead of just introducing themselves in a dumb way and the others

responding by introducing themselves, the IWB was the element that

showed that they had understood. In other words it was an

evaluation in a way. “I have understood what you told me.”’

(interview - French teacher)

“They won self-assuredness in their own possibilities and skills

though the visible feedback on the IWB”. (interview - German

teacher)

Teacher Feedback: Main

Challenges

1. Minimizing teacher mediation

“ I almost had to check myself, did you notice? If they didn't understand I

didn't want to tell them because I wanted that if they make a mistake, that

it would be the others - When we heard them go "oooh" or when they

clapped, I wanted them to have that reaction to show whether it's right or

wrong. But I had to force myself because it's true you want to

[intervene]“ (interview – French teacher)

“ My aim was to give as much responsibility to the kids as possible. It

depended on how the kid managed the situation”. (interview – German

teacher)

Teacher Feedback: Main

Challenges

2. Creating opportunities for spontaneous interaction

“What I would like to do, but I don't know how to implement it, is this

spontaneous thing. In other words for there to be a spontaneous discussion.

For example two children who meet and who want to get to know each other,

go further.” (interview - French teacher)

“I will think about how we could encourage and support more

spontaneous/independent learner-learner interaction” (interview – German

teacher)

Pupil Feedback (Germany): Main

Advantages

1. Enthusiasm and self-confidence

„I found it great that we could talk to the French kids in English“

„We are better (….) We learn a lot of English. They are French and maybe

they don‘t learn English every day. We‘ve learned English since the first

grade“.

Increased interest in intercultural aspects

„ They talked English a litttle bit different from us.“

Enhanced motivation to learn the target language to be able to say more

„We could talk about our grandparents, or if we have cousins or not. And the

country where we take vacation.“

„or find out if someone has a telephone number or we could talk about our

pets.“

Pupil Feedback (Germany): Main

Challenges

1. Little room for spontaneous speaking

„It would be great if we could (also) say: I like video games, I

like cars, or I like helicopter games“.

2. Anxiety during VC interaction

„ When I was at the camera (….) I felt like I was on French TV“

„I found it difficult to talk into the camera because I was so

anxious, and when I‘m anxious I always forget the words.“

Conclusion • It is both possible and worthwhile for young beginners to engage in

live peer communication, and IWB-supported VC interaction offers

a promising platform for this type of exchange.

• Both teachers and learners found the exchange motivating and

useful, with both groups also providing ideas and goals for future

sessions.

• Both teachers expressed special interest in developing

resources/activities that allow more room for “independent actions

and spontaneous speaking" and "independent learner-learner

exchanges”.

• We speculate that more frequent, and less structured exchanges

between small groups of learners over a longer period would permit

more spontaneous interaction and help foster the development of

greater interactional competence.

•Comber, C., Lawson, T., Gage, J., Cullum-Hanshaw A. and Allen, T. (2004), Report for Schools of the DfES

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