INTRODUCTION
The action research is a relatively new investigation method used especially in education which was introduced by Kurt Lewin in 1944 and was developed by various authors including Paulo Freire, one of the most important Brazilian educators. According to Waters-Adams (2006), the main aspect of action research is that it “enhances teachers’ professional development through the fostering of their capability as professional knowledge makers, rather than simply as professional knowledge users”.
In the Lexical method the kind of knowledge the teacher works with is basically “game, experience, language activation, communication needs, tool, awareness, constant reshaping, and exploration”. These items are described in Lexical’s Topic Time Guide and it was what influenced our choice to question one of the main problems we have in our unit: the low number of students in some of our classes. Therefore our concern was:
How should we run Topic Time with one or two students?
When we first decided to analyze this question and which strategies we use to cope with it effectively, the first two things we asked ourselves were: is this questioning really necessary? If so, when is it decisive to adapt Topic Time?
Moreover, we had to interpret this phenomenon through the lenses of the action research: “Trying to understand professional action from the inside; as a result, it is research that is carried out by practitioners on their own practice, not (as in other forms of research), done by someone on somebody else’s practice. Action research in education is grounded in the working lives of teachers, as they experience them.” (Waters-Adams, 2006)
Lexical’s Topic Time is comprised of five actions: context, structure, use, examples, and student’s turn. In our discussions we found out that our main problem was the first step of this routine: context. The context is a situation created between students and teacher to introduce the necessity of a new grammar tool. It was imagined in the Lexical method for an ideal situation involving six students. Nevertheless, this is not the case in several of our classes.
One might think that as long as the student is experiencing the situation in which the new grammar tool is indispensable, Topic Time is doing its job. But the experience process is not always possible as it depends on the number of students. In case we have the ideal number of six students in class, we would have to assume that the other students who were not directly involved in the context were at a disadvantage. Also we may assume the intrinsic importance of the context in helping students to visualize the situation in which the new grammar tool is necessary.
Therefore, we question, what is more important in the context of a Topic Time: seeing the situation created or living it? Consequently, which one should we prioritize while performing Topic Time with a low number of students?
THE RESEARCH
Bearing these questions in mind we started to develop our action research. A questionnaire that each teacher should answer while observing the classes of his co-workers was created. The aim of this method was to develop a qualitative research in order to determine a deductive procedure. We must keep in mind that this kind of research may present some validity problems because of the researcher’s bias, which may happen due to some of the circumstances involved (friends’ judgment, own form of method use, etc.). Nevertheless, we believe that it may shed light on some of the problems we want to investigate.
We selected five groups from different levels that had up to three students (see questionnaires at the end of the paper). The first thing we realized was, in four of the five classes observed, the Setting was changed. Instead of using Setting 13, which is having a volunteer perform a situation with the teacher; the teachers used Setting 23, where the teacher makes an explanation with the class in “U shape”.
Only one of Topic Times seen was performed according to the book’s instructions. And according to our expectations, we could notice that the adjustments were made mainly in the Context, with almost no change in any of the other steps of Topic Time.
DISCUSSION
What we noticed is that the main problem while doing Topic Time with only two students is deciding whether to change the Setting of the Context or not. And based on our observations and debates we realized that it all depends on the students’ profile.
Although it is important to think of a strategy that would solve the problem, we just couldn’t agree on one way, because there isn’t only one solution which would help us cope with all that is involved in doing Topic Time for one or two students. We reached common ground in terms of what must be taken into consideration while doing it.
The first thing you must consider is the profile of your students. Are they collaborative students, and by that we mean students who are willing to take risks and who actually enjoy having room to talk and participate? If that is the case, the best approach would be changing the Setting. Use Setting 23 instead of Setting 13, and create a Context which allows both students to be involved. For example, while teaching Relative Pronouns to a Lexical 7 group with this collaborative profile, the teacher created a Context that would demand the participation of both of them instead of using only a volunteer. The positive aspect is that both students had the opportunity to experience the new grammar tool instead of merely visualizing its necessity, which, in the end, was more profitable for them.
On the other hand, if you are dealing with non-collaborative students, and by that we mean students who are not willing to take a chance and don’t want to get involved in Topic Time, the best approach would be keeping Topic Time in its original form, using Setting 13, and asking for a volunteer, always remembering to take turns; if student A is my volunteer today, next time student B will be. That way you will make the process less stressful for the students, and at the same time you would have the chance to show them that it is okay to take risks, since they will have to be a part of Topic Time at least two times in the module. It is a way of demanding that they leave their comfort zone without making them lose control.
If you have a collaborative student and a non-collaborative one, we think it would be better to use both strategies. Up to Lexical 6 we have an average of five Topic Times per module, with an exception for Lexical 5, in which we have nine. But assuming that there are five Topic Times, a good idea is to mix the two strategies. Use the classic Setting in the first two Topic Times and then, in the last three, change it to Setting 23.
CONCLUSION
Action research is beneficial both to teachers and students, since it aims at improving the immediate learning environment. In this paper the subject we decided to explore was a way to run Topic Time to one or two students within the Lexical method. According to our observation and analysis we recognized that the main problem was related to the context creation. In our search for a solution we identified an important variable which influences our choice to run Topic Time as it instructed or differently: the students’ profile.
The teacher should understand his students and then decide which Setting, either 13 or 23, would work better for them to profit from the grammar topic which has been proposed. This way the main principles of Topic Time are preserved and the student's participation becomes the core of the learning process.
This action research approached a problem teachers face in their everyday practice and for which the Lexical methodology had not provided an answer yet. It could be used very positively to change and reflect upon the practice, to encourage teachers to be knowledge makers and not only knowledge users, and also to encourage individuals to work more collaboratively.
This experience may signify an opportunity for improvement of the Lexical method and the development of a stronger relationship among teachers, coordinators and the pedagogical board.
REFERENCE
CASSEL, Catherine & JOHNSON, Phil (2006). Action research: Explaining the diversity. In: Human Relations Volume 59(6): 783–814. SAGE Publications.
FERRANCE, Eillen (2000). ACTION RESEARCH. Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University
LEXICAL (2009). Topic Time guide. In: Material para prática 2009.
WALLACE, Michael J. (1998). Why Action Research. In: Action Research for Language Teachers: 4-18. Cambridge University Press.
WATERS-ADAMS, Stephen (2006). Action Research in Education. Faculty of Education, University of Plymouth.
QUESTIONNAIRE
UNIT:
No OF STDS:
TEACHER:
TIME: __________
1) Which Setting was used?
2) Which context did the teacher use?
3) How did the teacher involve students in the Context?
4) Has the teacher used a volunteer in the Context?
5) Has he role-played the situation?
6) Did the students produce the expected mistake? If they didn't, what was the teacher’s solution?
7) How was the structure presented?
8) Did the teacher reshape students' production? If he didn’t, what did he do instead?
9) When did the teacher present the use?
10) Did he write a key word on the board? What was it?
11) What else was written regarding use?
12) How did he do the Examples? What were the examples used?
13) Did he separate Examples from Student's Turn? If not, offer details.
14) Did he use a different student's turn?
15) What were his changes? Offer details.
16) Which correction technique was used?
17) Did students respond to it? What were their reactions?
18 Did the teacher follow all the obligatory steps of Topic Time?
19) Did he change the order?
DATA COLLECTED
UNIT: RV 19-22
No OF STDS: 2
TEACHER: ROBERTA
TIME: 19:03
1) Which Setting was used? 23
2) Which context did the teacher use? The teacher started a talk about Michael Jackson.
3) How did the teacher involve students in the Context? She asked them to give pieces of information about M. Jackson and said, “you have to make those two became a sentence using a relative pronoun.”
4) Did the teacher use a volunteer in the Context? No, she used the two students.
5) Did he role-play the situation? No.
6) Did the students produce the expected mistake? If they didn't, what was the teacher’s solution? She asked them to guess how they‘d use the structure.
7) How was the structure presented? She explained through the examples.
8) Did the teacher reshape students' production? If he didn’t, what did he do instead?
No, she asked them to guess and then guided them to the correct use of relative pronouns.
9) When did the teacher present the use? She presented it while she was shaping their production.
10) Did he write a key word on the board? What was it? No.
11) What else was written regarding Use? Nothing else.
12) How did he do the Examples? What were the examples used?
She used the first sentences to create the examples.
13) Did he separate Examples from Student's Turn? If not, give details. No. She asked them to try using the structure since the beginning.
14) Did he use a different student's turn? She used the first act as Student’s turn.
15) What were his changes? Offer details.
She presented the new tool using their first examples and reshaping their production.
16) Which correction technique was used? “Almost there”
17) Did students respond to it? What were their reactions? They got confused, they didn’t know exactly what to do.
18 Did the teacher follow all the obligatory steps of Topic Time? No.
19) Did he change the order? Yes.
UNIT: RV 19-22
No OF STDS: 1
TEACHER: Roberta
TIME:
1) Which Setting was used? 1 and 13.
2) Which context did the teacher use? The teacher asked the students some celebrities’ professions, their marital status and where they lived.
3) How did the teacher involve students in the Context? Giving real examples, selecting a celebrity the students liked and contextualizing.
4) Did the teacher use a volunteer in the Context? Yes
5) Did he role-play the situation? No.
6) Did the students produce the expected mistake? If they didn't, what was the teacher’s solution? Yes.
7) How was the structure presented? The teacher shaped the sentence using a relative pronoun.
8) Did the teacher reshape students' production? If he didn’t, what did he do instead? Yes.
9) When did the teacher present the use? While presenting the new structure.
10) Did he write a key word on the board? What was it? That; who; where; whose; whom; which.
11) What else was written regarding Use?
Where – place; who-people; whose-possession and people; whom – indirect object; that – things and people; which – an object.
12) How did he do the Examples? What were the examples used? Doing the same thing for different celebrities.
13) Did he separate Examples from Student's Turn? If not, give details. Yes.
14) Did he use a different student's turn? Yes.
15) What were his changes? Offer details. She asked the students to write small paragraphs using relative pronouns and connecting the sentences.
16) Which correction technique was used? “Not Exactly” and “Try Again”.
17) Did students respond to it? What were their reactions? Yes, the students tried to produce the correct structure.
18 Did the teacher follow all the obligatory steps of Topic Time? Yes.
19) Did he change the order? No.
UNIT: 30
No OF STDS: 2
TEACHER: MARCO
TIME:
1) Which Setting was used? 1.
2) Which context did the teacher use? He asked the student about their will: “It’s my will that you/ It is important that…”
3) How did the teacher involve students in the Context? By talking directly to them, asking the question in a different way and asking a question they probably would like to answer.
4) Did the teacher use a volunteer in the Context? No.
5) Did he role-play the situation? No.
6) Did the students produce the expected mistake? If they didn't, what was the teacher’s solution? Yes.
7) How was the structure presented?
Original form (American) – be learned; learn
Should + original form (British)
Should learn
Be + past participle
Is/are + past participle
8) Did the teacher reshape students' production? If he didn’t, what did he do instead? Yes.
9) When did the teacher present the use? After the structure was understood.
10) Did he write a key word on the board? What was it?
“my will that”/“important that”/“should be”.
11) What else was written regarding Use? American way and British way.
12) How did he do the Examples? What were the examples used? Shaping students’ sentences: “It’s my will that you learn.” And “It’s important that Lula take care of education.”
13) Did he separate Examples from Student's Turn? If not, offer details. Yes.
14) Did he use a different student's turn? No.
15) What were his changes? Offer details. Not applicable.
16) Which correction technique was used? Rephrasing.
17) Did students respond to it? What were their reactions? Yes, they were able to correct themselves.
18) Did the teacher follow all the obligatory steps of Topic Time? Yes.
19) Did he change the order? No.
UNIT: 20
Nº OF STUDENTS: 2
TEACHER: Suzana
TIME: 17:20
1) Which Setting was used? Picture 11 - Students perform a situation.
2) Which context did the teacher use? Ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend meet in a bar by chance and start a conversation about what they have been doing since they've separated.
3) How did the teacher involve the students in the context? The teacher asked for two students to perform the whole situation as a play.
4) Did the teacher use a volunteer in the Context? Yes, two students.
5) Did she role-play the situation? No.
6) Did the students produce the expected mistake? If they didn't, what was the teacher's solution? They produced the expected mistake using the past continuous.
7) How was the structure presented? As soon as the teacher identified the mistake, she wrote the right structure on the board.
8) Did the teacher reshaped students’ production? If she didn't, what did she do instead? Yes.
9) When did the teacher present the use? Right after the structure.
10) Did she write a key word on the board? What was it? “Since”
11) What else was written regarding Use? –
12) How did she do the examples? What were the examples used?
I have been studying English since ever.
I have been working hard.
I have been doing nothing, especially on weekends.
13) Did she separate Examples from Students’ Turn? If not, give details. -----
14) Did she use a different student’s turn? ----
15) What were her changes?
16) Which correction technique was used? She used “Rephrase it”.
17) Did students respond to it? What was their reaction? They tried to correct themselves.
18) Did the teacher follow all the obligatory steps of Topic Time? Yes.
19) Did she change the order? No.
UNIT: Unit 26
No OF STDS: 2
TEACHER: Suzana
Time:
1) Which Setting was used? 23.
2) Which context did the teacher use? Two students talking about a teacher, one of the two students saw the teacher at a bar, completely drunk, and then they must report that to Suzana.
3) How did the teacher involve students in the Context? She asked them to role-play a dialogue, while she wrote the sentences on the board.
4) Did the teacher use a volunteer in the Context? Yes.
5) Did he role-play the situation? Yes.
6) Did the students produce the expected mistake? If they didn't, what was the teacher’s solution? Yes.
7) How was the structure presented? She put the sentences used in the dialogue on the board.
8) Did the teacher reshape students' production? If she didn’t, what did she do instead? Yes.
9) When did the teacher present the use? After the sentences were written on the board.
10) Did he written a key word on the board? What was it? No.
11) What else was written regarding Use? Examples.
12) How did he do the Examples? What were the examples used?
“She wants oranges.”
“She said she wants oranges.”
She also used a chart from their books to help them understand.
13) Did he separate Examples from Student's Turn? If not, offer details. Yes.
14) Did he use a different student's turn? Yes, she put the examples on the board with their help.
15) What were his changes? Give details. -----
16) Which correction technique was used? They corrected themselves.
17) Did students respond to it? What were their reactions? Yes.
18) Did the teacher follow all the obligatory steps of Topic Time? Yes.
19) Did he change the order? No.