Re:Homework

[kellogg]

Lesson 2. Where is York Street? -Grade 6-

FT: Let's play a game. It's game time!

Ss: Yeah...(do not sound very excited) <0 uptake, 0 variation, not reversible) There's no variation in the THEME, but there is certainly variation in the words. Now, the teacher DOES use "Yeah", in the very next line. Doesn't this mean it's reversible?

FT: Oh, no no no.....It should be like YEAHHHHHHH!!! <0 uptake, 0 variation, not reversible) What about the word "Yeah"? Isn' t that uptake?

Woosem, it's a game time!!! <0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

Which is correct?

a) It's game time! (first turn)

b) It's a game time! (third turn)

Why is the correct one correct?

Why is the wrong one wrong?

Why did the "native speaker" make this error?

KT(Woosem)&Ss:(KT courages the students do shout together) YEAHHHHH!!!<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

Clear example of uptake.

FT: Oh...not enough...Everybody, now it's a amazing game time....!!!!<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)]

Now, you can see that the FT is no longer taking the lesson at all seriously. You can also see that he has turned the grammatical error into a COMPOUND error and is actually forcing the children to repeat it.

T: Everybody, now it's a amazing game time....!!!!

(There are TWO errors in the article in one sentence, one phonological and one lexicogrammatical. That's pretty amazing!)

Perhaps one reason the children are less than enthusiastic about this game is that it's not very clear how to win.

KT& Ss: YEAHHHHHHHHHH!!!<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

FT: OK. This game is Woosem's favorite game, isn't it?<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

KT: Yes, I play this game every Friday with president Lee myung-bak.<2 uptake, 2 variation. reversible>

Ss: Ha,ha.ha.....<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

Hayeong--this is a very good example of language play, as opposed to play language.

FT: OK. Behind. Woosem, Where is the school? <0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

KT: It's behind the bank.<1 uptake, 4 variation, reversible)

FT: Very good. Where is the bank?<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

What about "bank"? Isn't that uptake? And isn't "Where is the" an example of uptake from the previous initiate?

KT: It's ...(looking at the students to help her)behind the hospital.<1 uptake, 4 variation, reversible)

Notice that Ms. U has decided to count functors. Good move!

FT: Where is the hospital?<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible) But if we are going to count functors, then "Where is the" is three words of uptake. Isn't it? And surely "hospital" is an example of variation.

Perhaps Ms. U is saying that it's variation but it's not SYNTAGMATIC variation, because it's actually PARADIGMATIC. But we have a map to look at, and we are supposed to be imagining a single context. So it's syntagmatic as well, isn't it?

KT&Ss: It's behind the post office.<1 uptake, 4 variation, reversible) If we are going to count functors, should we count the copular ('s") as well?

FT: Good. In front of. Woosem Where is the park?<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible) But if we are going to count functors, then "Where is the" is three words of uptake. Isn't it? And surely "the park" is an example of variation.

KT: It's in front of the bus stop.<1 uptake, 6 variation, reversible) But if we are going to count functors, then "in front of" is three words of uptake. Isn't it?

FT: Very good. Where is the post office?<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible) But if we are going to count functors, then "Where is the" is three words of uptake. Isn't it? And surely "post office" is an example of variation. Or are you only counting IMMEDIATE uptake?

KT&Ss: It's in front of the hospital.<1 uptake, 6 variation, reversible) But if we are going to count functors, then "in front of the" is four words of uptake. What about "hospital"? Or are you only counting IMMEDIATE uptake?

FT: Where is the bank?<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible) But if we are going to count functors, then "Where is the" is three words of uptake. Isn't it? What about "bank", which was previously mentioned in this extended exchange?

KT&Ss: It's in front of the school.<1 uptake, 6 variation, reversible) But if we are going to count functors, then "in front of the" is four words of uptake. Isn't it? Or are you only counting IMMEDIATE uptake? If so, why?

Notice the category of "reversible" doesn't seem useful, except perhaps to note that in a game ALL turns are reversible, since theoretically ANYONE can play any role.

But is that true HERE? This brings us back to the question: is it really a game? How do I win?

FT: OK. next to, near, beside. Woosem, where is the post office? <0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

KT: It's next to the museum. It's near the museum. It's beside the museum.<4 uptake, 9 variation, reversible)

FT: Where is the post office?<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

KT&Ss: It's next to the bookstore. It's near the bookstore. It's beside the bookstore.<3 uptake, 12 variation, reversible)

FT: OK. Good! Woosem. They seem to ready to play the game.<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

KT: Yes, I think so. So, Mr, Smyth, how do we play the game?<0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

FT: OK, this is how you play the game.(tapping KT teacher in her shoulder) It's behind the hospital. <4 uptake, 3 variation, reversible) <0 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

KT: Ummm it's behine the......what?( KT fails to deliver the sentence to the student in front of her) < 3 uptake, 1 variation, reversible)

FT: It's behind the h-o-s-p-i-t-a-l!<3 uptake, 1 variation, reversible)

KT: Ok....it's behine the h-o-s-p-i-t-a-l.<4 uptake, 0 variation, reversible)

This script is when the students were practicing the key sentences for the game. Uptakes and variation are mainly taking place when students repeat the sentences right after their teacher said. In this case, the sentences are also reversible. But meaningful variation does not occur because they are just supposed to repeat the sentences which their teacher spoke.

Wait a minute! Repetition is not meaningful? Why not?

Zeeto: Hi, I'm Zeeto.

Julie: Hi, Zeeto. I'm Julie.

When Julie repeats "Hi, Zeeto" isn't this repetition? Isn't it meaningful? Isn't it meaningful repetition?

Compared to this scene, I can see many variation happening when my students do 'their mission' of each class. They are supposed to say one sentence to me or NT the time they are leaving English Classroom. They do not just repeat the sentence but they are supposed to make up one sentence on their own using the key structure they learned in the class.

ONLY variation is meaningful? Why?

I have seen most of time my students are interest in making the sentence on their own using funny or silly words, which I would say meaningful.

You can see that by "meaningful" Ms. U really means something like "interesting". But that reduces analysis to a kind of movie criticism.

It's NOT like that. It's actually quite a serious form of scientific research. That's why other people are interested in it.

Movie criticism is not really replicable. If you read a movie review and then go to the same movie you will probably NOT have the same kind of response to it.

But when we do scientific research we need to do it in such away that our results are replicable. That is, for THREE YEARS, you are supposed to keep your data so that any reader who asks for it can be shown the data, and can replicate your analysis from it.

Just as when you play a game, you have to answer two fundamental questions. In a game these are:

a) How do I win?

b) What do I get?

In scientific research, these are more like:

a) How can I replicate what you did?

b) What can I get out of it for what I do?

Take a look at the "flow chart" that I set up for Minkyeong. That answers a). But in order to set up a flow chart, you need to be able to say something about b). I think that the construct of "meaning" doesn't mean very much; it simply means something like "interest", and I would argue that in this data, the "interesting" parts are actually NOT very meaningful (the jokes suggest only that FT and KT are not very serious about the game!)

Despite the main purpose of the English curriculum is to enhance students' communitive ability, the main activity of current English class is easy to end up just repeating main sentences.

Don't people communicate through sentences?

 So, I could often see many students who seemed to perform very well in the class but have hard time talking to the foreign teacher in person.

What about talking to the KT?

So I am trying to give as much chance as possible to the students to make up their own story, for example, letting them make their own story for Role-Play. Students look much interested in doing so.

It seems to me that "interest" is not very interesting to us.

Children are interested in lots of things that have no educational value whatsoever. They are interested in many of the same things that adults are interested in: food, violence, and sex, even if they don't actually understand the last two the same way that adults do.

Actually, boredom is much more interesting. Children get bored when something is too difficult, and also when it is too easy. Perhaps BOREDOM is the real key to the zone of proximal development!

Are the kids in the data bored? Yes, the beginning seems to suggest that. The teacher's response to this is to get them to shout. Does this make them interested? Yes, it probably does. But....

[woo연soon]

Thank you, professor, for your comment and I have to say it was not easy to analyze the sentences. I am not very clear which one i should count as uptake, variation and riversible. I hope we have some time to talk about analyzing sentences properly this coming Thursday.^^ One more thing, I really enjoyed the strawberries with my 2 kids. Thank you again. ^^