title: Teaching time telling and examining the relative effects of rate-building and rate-controlled practice on the retention and generalization of the time cues

authors: Mathews, Subin Tom

subjects: time telling

abstract: The present study aimed at replicating some of the procedures used in the existing empirical research on teaching time telling in a population which has not previously been used, i.e., adults with mild intellectual disabilities. The first part aimed to train three adults with mild intellectual disability and with minimal skills to tell the time to the nearest 5 min interval. The target skill was trained in 12 phases and each phase consisted of acquisition training, discrimination training and review training. A multiple-probe design was used over phases. The results showed that the procedures used in the training were effective in establishing time telling with these intellectually disabled adults. The training had brought about 55 to 67 percent improvements in the time telling skills of all three participants and the target behaviour was acquired by all the participants in 48 to 65 days, with at least 30 min of training each day. The common discrimination errors encountered, the general effectiveness of the training program, the application and the social relevance of the trained skill are discussed. The second part of this study aimed at comparing the relative effects of “fast practice”, “slow practice” and “no practice” on the retention and generalization of the time telling skills, when amount of practice and reinforcement was controlled across conditions. An Alternating Treatments, repeated measure, within-subjects design was used. The results indicated that, while periods without practicing led to the deterioration in the accuracy of skill, retention or generalization of the skill was not enhanced by rate-building to a fluency performance standard over the same amount of rate-controlled practice. Limitations of the study to provide firm conclusions are discussed.

text: Teaching time telling and examining the relative effects of rate-building and rate-controlled practice on the retention and generalization of the time cues The present study aimed at replicating some of the procedures used in the existing empirical research on teaching time telling in a population which has not previously been used, i.e., adults with mild intellectual disabilities. The first part aimed to train three adults with mild intellectual disability and with minimal skills to tell the time to the nearest 5 min interval. The target skill was trained in 12 phases and each phase consisted of acquisition training, discrimination training and review training. A multiple-probe design was used over phases. The results showed that the procedures used in the training were effective in establishing time telling with these intellectually disabled adults. The training had brought about 55 to 67 percent improvements in the time telling skills of all three participants and the target behaviour was acquired by all the participants in 48 to 65 days, with at least 30 min of training each day. The common discrimination errors encountered, the general effectiveness of the training program, the application and the social relevance of the trained skill are discussed. The second part of this study aimed at comparing the relative effects of “fast practice”, “slow practice” and “no practice” on the retention and generalization of the time telling skills, when amount of practice and reinforcement was controlled across conditions. An Alternating Treatments, repeated measure, within-subjects design was used. The results indicated that, while periods without practicing led to the deterioration in the accuracy of skill, retention or generalization of the skill was not enhanced by rate-building to a fluency performance standard over the same amount of rate-controlled practice. Limitations of the study to provide firm conclusions are discussed.

year: 2010

title: Dynamic conceptions of input, output and interaction: Vietnamese EFL lecturers learning second language acquisition theory

authors: Nguyen, Van Loi

subjects: conceptions

abstract: Although research into language teacher learning and cognition and teaching innovations oriented to communicative tasks has been abundant, little has addressed EFL teachers’ learning and conceiving of SLA principles underlying task-based language teaching. The study reported in the present thesis aims to fill this gap, specifically investigating teachers’ learning and conceiving of the notions of rich comprehensible language input, and authentic output and interaction, referred to as ‘SLA facilitating conditions’. The study explores three issues: teachers’ conceptions of the SLA facilitating conditions based on their practices in the tertiary English classroom; teachers’ perceptions of implementing the conditions, including factors affecting the implementation; and teachers’ perceived learning or change as a result of the process. Data for the study were obtained from six Vietnamese EFL lecturers who voluntarily participated in two short professional development workshops focusing on language input, and output and interaction. The data collection process was cumulative, beginning with pre-workshop interviews, followed by collection of lesson plans, lesson-based interviews, reflective writing, observation of lesson recordings, and a questionnaire. Analysis and interpretation followed a process of triangulation, and drew on the author’s knowledge of the context and the teachers’ backgrounds. The results showed that the six teachers held contextualised conceptions of language input, and output and interaction. Although they believed that these conditions are important for language learning, their conceptions based on their implementation of the conditions reflected a synthetic product-oriented view of language learning and teaching. The teachers demonstrated an accommodation of the notion of comprehensible input into their existing pedagogical understanding, and revealed a conception of language output oriented to accuracy and fluency of specific target language items. Tasks and activities for interaction were mainly to provide students with contexts to use the target language items meaningfully rather than to communicate meaning. Most teachers delayed communicative tasks until their students were acquainted with the language content of the day. Such conceptions and practices had a connection with both conceptual/experiential and contextual factors, namely their prior training and experience, time limitations, syllabus, and students’ characteristics. The study also showed that although the teachers’ perceptions of the feasibility of promoting rich language input and authentic output and interaction were neutral, they thought promoting these conditions was relevant to students’ learning, congruent with their pre-existing beliefs about teaching English, and this granted them a sense of agency. The teachers also reported they became more aware of input, and output and interaction in teaching, confident, and purposeful in actions, and some reported a widened view of English language teaching. The study confirms that teacher learning and cognition is conceptually and contextually conditioned (Borg, 2006). In terms of this, it provides a model of how EFL teachers’ learning SLA is constrained by prior pedagogical beliefs and contextual conditions. In conjunction with previous research, the study provided evidence to suggest that communicative and task-based language teaching would appear to run counter to existing beliefs about teaching and practical conditions in Asian EFL situations. This lends support to a more flexible organic approach to employing tasks, perhaps considering the extent to which and in what ways communicative tasks are pedagogically useful to the EFL classroom. An implication is that for any new approaches like task-based language teaching to be incorporated into teachers’ existing repertoire, teachers’ conceptions of language input and interaction, and the conceptual and practical constraints influencing their thinking and practice should be considered and addressed. In a broader sense, approaches to teacher education and development should take a constructivist perspective on teacher learning, taking into account the local context of teaching and teachers’ existing cognition.

text: Dynamic conceptions of input, output and interaction: Vietnamese EFL lecturers learning second language acquisition theory Although research into language teacher learning and cognition and teaching innovations oriented to communicative tasks has been abundant, little has addressed EFL teachers’ learning and conceiving of SLA principles underlying task-based language teaching. The study reported in the present thesis aims to fill this gap, specifically investigating teachers’ learning and conceiving of the notions of rich comprehensible language input, and authentic output and interaction, referred to as ‘SLA facilitating conditions’. The study explores three issues: teachers’ conceptions of the SLA facilitating conditions based on their practices in the tertiary English classroom; teachers’ perceptions of implementing the conditions, including factors affecting the implementation; and teachers’ perceived learning or change as a result of the process. Data for the study were obtained from six Vietnamese EFL lecturers who voluntarily participated in two short professional development workshops focusing on language input, and output and interaction. The data collection process was cumulative, beginning with pre-workshop interviews, followed by collection of lesson plans, lesson-based interviews, reflective writing, observation of lesson recordings, and a questionnaire. Analysis and interpretation followed a process of triangulation, and drew on the author’s knowledge of the context and the teachers’ backgrounds. The results showed that the six teachers held contextualised conceptions of language input, and output and interaction. Although they believed that these conditions are important for language learning, their conceptions based on their implementation of the conditions reflected a synthetic product-oriented view of language learning and teaching. The teachers demonstrated an accommodation of the notion of comprehensible input into their existing pedagogical understanding, and revealed a conception of language output oriented to accuracy and fluency of specific target language items. Tasks and activities for interaction were mainly to provide students with contexts to use the target language items meaningfully rather than to communicate meaning. Most teachers delayed communicative tasks until their students were acquainted with the language content of the day. Such conceptions and practices had a connection with both conceptual/experiential and contextual factors, namely their prior training and experience, time limitations, syllabus, and students’ characteristics. The study also showed that although the teachers’ perceptions of the feasibility of promoting rich language input and authentic output and interaction were neutral, they thought promoting these conditions was relevant to students’ learning, congruent with their pre-existing beliefs about teaching English, and this granted them a sense of agency. The teachers also reported they became more aware of input, and output and interaction in teaching, confident, and purposeful in actions, and some reported a widened view of English language teaching. The study confirms that teacher learning and cognition is conceptually and contextually conditioned (Borg, 2006). In terms of this, it provides a model of how EFL teachers’ learning SLA is constrained by prior pedagogical beliefs and contextual conditions. In conjunction with previous research, the study provided evidence to suggest that communicative and task-based language teaching would appear to run counter to existing beliefs about teaching and practical conditions in Asian EFL situations. This lends support to a more flexible organic approach to employing tasks, perhaps considering the extent to which and in what ways communicative tasks are pedagogically useful to the EFL classroom. An implication is that for any new approaches like task-based language teaching to be incorporated into teachers’ existing repertoire, teachers’ conceptions of language input and interaction, and the conceptual and practical constraints influencing their thinking and practice should be considered and addressed. In a broader sense, approaches to teacher education and development should take a constructivist perspective on teacher learning, taking into account the local context of teaching and teachers’ existing cognition.

year: 2011

title: Haere mai rā

authors: Maxwell, Te Kahautu

abstract: Whakaeke (entrance). Lyrics composed by Te Kahautu Maxwell, Musical score composed by Te Whānau Mitai. Performed by Ōpōtiki Mai Tawhiti (Kapa Haka group) (3mins)

Waiata Tira: Aroha
Whakaeke: Haere mai rā
Mōteatea: Te Pātere a Te Turuki
Poi: Iarararararī
Waiata ā ringa: Taku Mana Māori Motuhake
Haka: Waiwharangi
Whakawātea: Āio

text: Haere mai rā Whakaeke (entrance). Lyrics composed by Te Kahautu Maxwell, Musical score composed by Te Whānau Mitai. Performed by Ōpōtiki Mai Tawhiti (Kapa Haka group) (3mins)

Waiata Tira: Aroha
Whakaeke: Haere mai rā
Mōteatea: Te Pātere a Te Turuki
Poi: Iarararararī
Waiata ā ringa: Taku Mana Māori Motuhake
Haka: Waiwharangi
Whakawātea: Āio

year: 2020