Shona Whyte 2015 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6 10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave is a global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978 1 137 47033 1 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Whyte, Shona. Implementing and researching technological innovation in language teaching : the case of interactive whiteboards for EFL in French schools / Shona Whyte, University Nice Sophia Antipolis, France. pages cm (New Language Learning and Teaching Environments) ISBN 978 1 137 47033 1 1. Language and languages Study and teaching France. 2. Language and languages Study and teaching French students. 3. Language and languages Technological innovations France. 4. Interactive whiteboards France. 5. Second language acquisition France. 6. English language Study and teaching French speakers. 7. English language Study and teaching Foreign speakers. 8. Interaction analysis in education France. I. Title. P57.F8W49 2015 418.0078 5 dc23 2014049735 Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India.
Contents List of Figures, Tables and Boxes Series Editor s Preface Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations xii xvi xvii xviii Introduction 1 Part I Researching Innovative Language Teaching 1 Innovation in Language Teaching: Pedagogical and Technological Dimensions 5 1.1 Language teaching and learning theory 6 1.1.1 From grammar- translation to communicative teaching: behaviourist and cognitivist learning theories 6 1.1.2 Communicative and task- based language teaching: constructivist and socio- constructivist approaches 9 1.1.3 Implications for today s language teachers 14 1.2 Teacher beliefs: teacher efficacy and teacher cognition 17 1.2.1 Teacher efficacy 18 1.2.2 Teacher cognition 22 1.3 Technology integration and IWB research 27 1.3.1 Technology integration 27 1.3.2 The IWB in educational settings 28 1.3.3 IWB- mediated language teaching 30 1.3.4 Developmental frameworks for teaching with the IWB 31 1.3.5 Professional development for IWB- supported teaching 32 1.4 Summary of background literature 33 2 Collaborative Action Research and Communities of Practice 35 2.1 Overview 36 2.2 Collaborative action research 36 vii
viii Contents 2.3 Method 43 2.3.1 Participants and teaching contexts 43 2.3.2 Data collection 44 2.3.3 Participant training 47 2.3.4 Filming 50 2.3.5 Interviews 51 2.3.5.1 Learner focus group interviews 51 2.3.5.2 Video- stimulated recall interviews with teachers 52 2.3.5.3 Teacher focus group discussions 53 2.3.6 Questionnaires 55 2.3.6.1 Pre- and post- training questionnaires 55 2.3.6.2 Reactions to project video clips 56 2.3.6.3 itilt website pilot questionnaire 57 2.3.7 Summary of collaborative action research 58 2.4 Community of practice 60 2.4.1 Situated learning 60 2.4.2 itilt Google+ circle 62 2.5 Research questions 64 Part II Teacher Beliefs: Researching Views and Supporting Change 3 Techno- Pedagogical Choices in IWB- Mediated Teaching Activities 69 3.1 Overview of analysis 70 3.2 Technical exploitation of the IWB: access and tools 71 3.2.1 Access to the IWB: teachers or learners? 71 3.2.1.1 Coding framework 71 3.2.1.2 Results 73 3.2.1.2.1 Overall results 76 3.2.1.2.2 Results by educational sector 76 3.2.2 IWB tools and features: objects and actions 78 3.2.2.1 Coding framework 78 3.2.2.2 Results 80 3.2.2.2.1 Overall results 80 3.2.2.2.2 Results by educational sector 82 3.2.3 Summary of findings with respect to technical use of IWB 84 3.3 Pedagogical exploitation of the IWB: objectives and activities 85 3.3.1 Teaching objectives: language skills and subskills 85 3.3.1.1 Coding framework 85
Contents ix 3.3.1.2 Results 85 3.3.1.2.1 Overall results 88 3.3.1.2.2 Results by educational sector 88 3.3.2 IWB- mediated activities: tasks versus pedagogical exercises 90 3.3.2.1 Coding framework 91 3.3.2.2 Results 95 3.3.3 Summary of findings with respect to pedagogical exploitation of the IWB 95 3.4 Summary 97 4 Explaining Innovative Experimentation: Teacher Beliefs, Goals and Competences 99 4.1 Overview 100 4.2 Perceptions of IWB- mediated teaching practice 100 4.2.1 Initial impressions: reactions to first round of video clips 101 4.2.2 Second impressions: reactions to second round of video clips 104 4.2.3 Final impressions: reactions to finished website 106 4.2.4 Pros and cons of IWB- supported language teaching 108 4.2.5 Observing authentic examples of teaching practice 109 4.2.6 Different forms of professional development 110 4.2.7 Encouraging peers to adopt technology in teaching 113 4.2.8 Summary of teacher perceptions of practice examples 115 4.3 Technological efficacy and beliefs about IWB 115 4.3.1 Questionnaire items 116 4.3.2 Questionnaire responses 116 4.4 Engagement with professional development opportunities 119 4.5 Summary: development of teacher efficacy and CoP engagement 122 Part III Learning to Implement Innovation: Stages of Development 5 Starting Out: Early Stages of Technology Integration 127 5.1 Gilles: experienced teacher, stable IWB efficacy 127 5.1.1 Techno- pedagogical profile 128 5.1.2 Efficacy and engagement 130
x Contents 5.2 Clothilde: novice teacher, new IWB user 134 5.2.1 Techno- pedagogical profile 134 5.2.2 Efficacy and engagement 139 5.3 Ivan: high IWB efficacy, low engagement 141 5.3.1 Techno- pedagogical competences 142 5.3.2 Efficacy and engagement 146 5.4 Summary of peripheral participant profiles 148 6 Gaining Confidence: Developing a Technical Repertoire 150 6.1 Aline: experienced teacher, increasing IWB efficacy 150 6.1.1 Techno- pedagogical profile 151 6.1.2 Efficacy and engagement 151 6.2 Helena: experienced teacher, new IWB user 156 6.2.1 Techno- pedagogical development 156 6.2.2 Efficacy and engagement 158 6.3 Eléa: novice IWB user, increasing efficacy and engagement 164 6.3.1 Techno- pedagogical profile 164 6.3.2 Efficacy and engagement 164 6.4 Summary of semi- peripheral participant profiles 169 7 Moving Forward: Towards Innovative Practice 171 7.1 Fabienne: new teacher, high IWB efficacy 171 7.1.1 Techno- pedagogical profile 172 7.1.2 Efficacy and engagement 172 7.2 Bérangère: experienced teacher and IWB user, high engagement 179 7.2.1 Techno- pedagogical profile 179 7.2.2 Efficacy and engagement 181 7.3 Delphine: high IWB efficacy and engagement, pedagogical engagement 186 7.3.1 Techno- pedagogical profile 186 7.3.2 Efficacy and engagement 188 7.4 Summary of core participant profiles 193 8 Developmental Dimensions of Innovation 194 8.1 Dimensions of IWB- mediated teaching 194 8.2 Developmental stages for French itilt project teachers 197 8.3 Developmental framework for technological innovation with the IWB 199 8.3.1 Practical and technical dimensions 200
Contents xi 8.3.2 The pedagogical dimension 202 8.3.3 The reflective dimension 203 8.4 Assessing teaching development towards innovative IWB- mediated language teaching 208 8.5 Further considerations for future research and teacher education 209 8.5.1 Assessment instruments 209 8.5.2 Directions for further investigation 210 Conclusion 213 Appendices Appendix A: IWB and ICT efficacy (itilt pre- and post- project questionnaire) 216 Appendix B: IWB use: tools/features, teacher/learner access, language teaching objectives 219 Appendix C: Reflection on technology- mediated teaching practice 221 Notes 223 References 227 Index 233
Introduction This volume investigates the implementation of technological innovation in language teaching in regular classroom contexts. It reports on a collaborative action research project which aimed to support teachers in integrating the interactive whiteboard (IWB) into the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), as well as to research the process of learning to teach in new ways. It will help practising teachers and teacher educators reflect on innovation in terms of ICT use and methodology, and provide a framework for technology integration to guide professional development. The book is suitable for pre- and in- service teacher education courses, as well as for independent study. Using a case study approach to the integration of IWB- mediated activities by language teachers in primary and secondary school settings, this study documents the development of IWB- mediated teaching practice in relation to the beliefs, goals and competences of nine EFL teachers in France. It shows how teachers with differing experiences and objectives designed and implemented classroom activities using the IWB, comparing their classroom practice with reflective commentary on how they and other teachers used this tool to teach languages. The study also aims to highlight the ways in which a collaborative action research project of this kind can both stimulate and support teachers in innovative experimentation as well as enhance our understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in implementing technological innovation. The book is divided into three parts. Part I reviews background literature on factors affecting teachers implementation of innovation, together with the action research framework used in the project. This will help teachers using the book for independent professional development or those in formal training programmes to situate their practice 1
2 Interactive Whiteboards for EFL with respect to current research and encourage them to consider experimentation in their own contexts. The second part of the book describes the research method used to investigate teachers technological innovation in the classroom and to gain insights into factors affecting change. Here readers have the opportunity to consider the relationships between technological affordances, pedagogical beliefs and objectives, and the design and implementation of learning activities with concrete examples of classroom practice and quotations from teachers. Throughout the book the text includes boxed material in the form of mini- summaries, participant quotes, transcripts of classroom interaction, and reflective questions directed at both teachers and teacher educators. The aim is to encourage critical assessment of different aspects of data collection procedures, analysis and findings, and help readers relate these to their own practice and contexts. In the final part of the volume, case studies of individual teachers are presented as illustrations of three composite teacher development profiles. The findings are then integrated into a developmental framework for technological innovation in the final chapter of Part III. Teachers and teacher educators can relate the proposed developmental stages to their own experience and consider the implications for their own professional development or for the design of teacher education courses and programmes in the areas of computer- assisted language learning (CALL) or technology- enhanced language learning (TELL).
Index action research, 32, 37 8, 41 2, (see also collaborative action research) affordance, 27, 30 1, 33, 65, 69, 70, 80, 153, 155, 177, 210, 214 15, 228 Alexander, J., 63, 98, 226 Bandura, A., 17 21, 65 Beauchamp, G., 31 2, 85, 98, 201 2, 204, 226 behaviourism, 6 8, 14 17, 23, 91, 155, 161 3, 170, 178 9, 196 Borg, S., 18, 22 3, 37, 70, 155 Breen, M., 13, 16 Burns, A., 36 8, 41, 59, 66, 70, 214 case studies Aline (primary teacher), 17, 43, 72, 118, 121, 150 6, 170, 203 4 Bérangère (primary teacher), 43, 118, 121 2, 179 86, 193, 196 7, 202 Clothilde (primary teacher), 43, 118, 121, 123, 134 41, 148 9, 195 Delphine (primary teacher), 43, 118, 119, 122, 185 93, 196 7, 203 5 Eléa (lower secondary teacher), 43, 118, 121, 123, 164 70, 196, 201 Fabienne (lower secondary teacher), 43, 118, 122, 171 9, 193, 196 7, 204 Gilles (university teacher educator), 43, 94, 118, 121, 127 34, 149, 195 Helena (upper secondary teacher), 43, 118, 121, 156 63, 170, 195 6, 201, 203 Ivan (upper secondary teacher), 43, 116, 121, 123, 143 8, 149, 195, classroom examples (see Boxes, xiv) Cobb, T., 16 coding, 71, 74, 78 80, 83, 86 97 cognitivism, 6, 8 10, 17 collaborative action research (CAR), 24, 35 59, 64 5, 108, 213 14 communicative language teaching (CLT), 5 7, 9 17, 23 4, 38 9, 64 5, 70, 85, 177 communities of practice (CoP), 60 6, 119 24 Cutrim Schmid, E., 23, 30, 33, 39, 66, 70, 201, 210 data collection, 41 2, 44 7, 50 8, 64 filming, 38, 41, 45 7, 50 1, 224, 225 interviews, 36, 41 2, 45, 51 4, 209, 221 questionnaires, 36, 42, 45 6, 53 8, 100 7, 209, 216 8 Davis, F., 27 educational sector primary, 24 6, 38 9, 43 4, 52, 94, 202 3, 223, 225, (see also Aline, Bérangère, Clothilde, Delphine) lower secondary, 44, 95 (see also Eléa, Fabienne) upper secondary, 44, 50, (see also Helena, Ivan) university, 44, 94, (see also Gilles) examples IWB-mediated practice, 49, 72, 81, 91 5, 136, 144, 161, 188 professional development activities, see Boxes, xiv filming, 38, 41, 45 7, 50 1, 224, 225, (see also data collection) Google+, 36, 62 4, 119 24, 127, 174 7, 182, 189 90, 223, (see also community of practice) grammar, 6 8, 10 6, 23 4, 39, 48, 65, 70, 87, 168 233
234 Index grammar-translation, 15 16, 23 4 Gray, C., 28, 30 Guichon, N., 27, 48, 70 Hauck, M., see Guichon Hennessy, S., 28 33, 70, 201, 203, 211, 214, Hillier, E., 21, 27, 56, 213, 226 institutional factors, 32, 36, 39 40, 43, 59, 64, 161, 207, 214 interactive whiteboard brands, 47 ebeam, 142, 185 einstruction, 47, 156, 164, 171, 179, 185 Promethean, 47, 134, 150 research, 27 33, 70 SMART, 47, 128, 130, 164 software, 28, 33, 44, 47 8, 50, 81, 84, 93, 109, 128, 154, 156, 167 7, 200, 201, 203, 205 7, 211 tools and features, 48, 71, 78 85, 97, 195 6, 201, 203, 206 9, 219 interactivity, 28, 31 2, 69 70, 111, 191, 203, 207 pedagogical, 166, 207 technical, 28, 31, 177, 184 5, 193, 196 7, 200 1, 207, 215 interviews, 36, 41 2, 45, 51 4, 209, 221, (see also data collection) learner, 36, 41 2, 45, 51 3, 58, 100, 223 semi-structured, 33, 51 2, 221 teacher, 33, 36, 41 2, 45, 51 4, 214, 221 2 video-stimulated recall, 23, 33, 36, 42, 45, 66, 221 itilt project, 20 1, 24, 30, 33, 35, 36, 38, 41, 47 50, 53, 56 9, 62 3, 78, 85, 98, 106, 131, 209, 216, 221 teaching resources, 47 50 video examples, 91 5 website, 50, 52, 53 8, 70 1, 80, 90, 106 15, 168 9, 177, 205, 209 Jewitt, C., 29, 31, 32 Kessler, G., 20 1 Lave, J., 60, 61, 66, 70 legitimate peripheral participation 61, 149, (see also participation) Lewin, K., 37 listening, 6, 12, 15, 72 3, 85 6, 128, 136, 151, 188, 220 London, L., see Hennessy methods see teaching methods mobile devices, 171, 201, 147, 211 12 participation, 60, 121 3, 194 8 core, 182, 193 peripheral, 61, 127, 195 semi-peripheral, 150, 164, 169 70, 195 7 practitioner, 40, 43 4, 64, 212 primary teaching, see case studies professional development, 1 2, 20 6, 30 3, 39 40, 47, 99, 100, 108 14, 124, (see also Boxes, xiv) pronunciation, 15, 31, 87, 88 92, 97, 162, 179, 220 questionnaires, 36, 42, 45 6, 53 8, 100 7, 209, 216 18, (see also data collection) reading, 7, 12, 14, 15, 48, 72 3, 86, 91, 162 3, 220 results, 76 7, 80 3, 88 9, 95 7, 101, 104, 107, 109, 117, 120, 213 15 secondary teaching, see case studies self-efficacy, 18 22, 33, 40, 115 18, 122 4, 200, 211, (see also Bandura, teacher efficacy) situated learning (see also community of practice, Lave, Wenger), 61 5, 213 socio-constructivism, 8 11, 60 4 speaking, 14 15, 34, 75, 85 6, 220 special educational needs (SEN), 29, 43, 44, 185 93 spelling, 87, 88, 89, 90, 117 18
Index 235 task-based language teaching (TBLT), 5 6, 9, 13 16, 24, 39, 64 5, 70, 97, 161, 177, 184 teacher beliefs, 17 24, 30, 32 3, 38 9, 62, 65, Chapter 4, 194 200, 211 14 cognition, 17 8, 22 3, 33, 124, 213 development, 30 1, 114 15, 172, 193 4, 199 200, 208, 213 14 education, 6, 14, 22, 28, 40, 48, 49 50, 64 5, 98, 194, 205, 209 10 efficacy, 17 22, 33, 65, 99 100, 115, 118, 122 4, 213 teaching methods (see communicative language teaching, grammartranslation, and task-based language teaching) technology acceptance, 27 integration, 20, 27 9, 38 9, 69 70, 113 14, Chapter 8 techno-pedagogical competences, 28, Chapter 3 profiles, 129, 135, 142, 152, 157, 165, 173, 180, 186 university teaching, see case studies vocabulary, 7, 11, 12, 14, 26, 31, 70, 79, 87 9, 90 3, 183, 220 Wenger, E., 60, 66, 70 writing, 11 12, 78, 79, 81, 86, 219