How to Handle a TON of Data: UPTAKE Your Question!

[kellogg]

* P2 : How can the teacher get the children to listen instead of looking?

T: Good morning, everyone!

Ss: Good morning, ma'am.

T: How are you today? (Almost every student raises hands.) 범규?!

S1: I'm great.

T: (gestures as if to say "Ask me back")

S1: And you?

T: I'm very good, thank you. 범규, can you ask 진혁?

S1: 진혁, how about you?

S2: I'm great. And you?

S1: I'm...good.

T: Good. 민지, can you ask 태영?

S3: 태영, how are you?

S4: I'm fine. And you?

S3: Um,, I'm OK.

T: I'm OK. We had (sic) two more options. (making "2" with fingers) And you? 음, and 음. Right? (Some nod) So, 광현, please ask 용희.

S5: How are you, 용희?

S6: I'm good. What about you?

T: What about you!

S5: I'm happier than you. (Again!!! --;) They obviously LIKE competing! Can we think of a tool that will allow them to decide? Some kind of scale, with room to write and eval‎uate REASONS?

T: How do you know that you are happier than her? (jokingly)

S5: (grinning) I don't know.

T: (with a smile) OK. 정아, please ask 승진.

S6: 승진, how are you?

S7: I'm very very very good! How about you?

T: How about you!

S6: I'm so-so.

T: I'm so-so?

   OK. Another question. Umm.....지현! WHAT DID YOU DO YESTERDAY?

S7: I'm.........

T: I....

S7: I.....play......

T: I played....

S7: I played...computer game.

T: You played computer games? OK. Everyone! DID ANYONE ELSE play computer games? Please raise your hand (raising my hand) if you played computer games. (Some raise their hands.) 혜련?

S8: I played computer games.

T: I played computer games....?? (making a "I want more" gesture)

S8: Too!

T: Too! OK! Very good. (S8 laughs) Did anyone else play computer games?

   Did anyone else? 진혁?

S2: Me too!

T: Me too! Excellent. Did anyone else play computer games? (pointing to a boy)

S9: Me too.

T: Me too? (points to another girl)

S10: Me too.

T: Me too? (point to another boy)

S11: Me too.

T: Me too. One more. Do you remember? I played computer games too. Me too. And what?

Ss: 아, 알 것 같은데/ 아, 뭐였더라? / 그, 앞은 알겠는데 뒤를 모르겠어.

T: (pointing to a student who raised his hand.) Do you remember?

S12: Did I 인데...

T: Almost, almost..

S12: I did.

T: No...(making a sad face)

S2: Yes, I did.

T: No...(mimics)

S13: I did too?

T: NO~~~!!!(almost crying)

Poor teacher! This DOES suggest that "So did I" is a lot more difficult than "Me too". Remember we explored SEVERAL reasons why this might be the case.

What is interesting is that difficulty USING "So did I" seems to predict difficulty REMEMBERING as well. This suggests that Bakhtin is really right: memory is in some way ACTIVE and there is no such thing as a purely passive vocabulary: "If you can't use it, you lose it!"

Ss: (laugh)

T: It's terrible. Everybody forgot it.

S8: (muttering to herself) So did I?

T: Yes! Once more?

S8: So did I.

T: Everyone?

Ss: (chorally) So did I.

T: So did I. So, I would ask you again. Did anyone else play computer games? 지현?

S7: So did I.

One thing to notice with "So did I" is that it BEGINS with a verb (unlike "Me too"). Semantically, the stress is on the shared activity--the activity is the topic rather than the doer. For this reason, "So did I" has a slightly more ADULT sound than "Me too".

T: So did I. (points to another boy)

S14: So did I.

T: So did I. (points to another girl)

S15: So did I.

T: So did I. Or? (points to another boy)

S2: So did I.

T: OR???

S2: 아, Me too.

T: Me too. Or? (points to another girl)

S16: I played computer games, too.

Does this stress the activity or the actor?

T: Very good. Did everyone understand?

Ss: Yes.

T: OK. Then,,,, 희진, what did you do yesterday?

S16: I do my homework.

T: I,

S16: 아, I did my homework.

T: Excellent! I DID my homework. Did anyone else do your (sic) homework? 태영?

S4: Me too.

T: Me too? (points to another boy)

S1: Me too.

T: Me too? (points to another girl)

S17: So I did. 아, So did I.

T: So did I. Very good. (points to another boy)

S5: I did my homework, too.

T: Very good.

   OK. then, 태환? Stand up, please. What day is it today?

S18: It's... Tuesday.

T: It's Tuesday. OK. Sit down. 승훈! (He stands up.) What's the date today?

S19: It's 8.

T: It's eight?

Ss : (to him) TH. TH.

S19: It's 8th.

T: It's 8th? OK. 경서! (She stands up.) What month is it? What month is it?

S20: It's.... A.. It's A.....

T: It's...A what?

S20: .....

T: You're not sure about the pronunciation, right? 단어는 알겠는데 발음을 확실히 몰라서 그러는 거죠?

S20: (grins) 네..

T: OK, who can help her? (A girl raised her hand) What month is it? 하영?

S21: April.

T: Once more?

S21: April.

T: Yes, that's right. It's April. OK? Repeat after me. April

Ss: (chorally) April.

T: 4월. Right?

    So, I have a question. WE~ (including me and the students),  WE~, I (pointing to myself) and all of you (pointing to the students), WE HAD (making a "have" gesture - I have a certain gesture for the verb "have." Ss know that.) have 의 과거, HAD a birthday party IN (also making an "in" gesture that Ss already know) March. Right?

Ss: Yes. (Some nod)

T: We had ("have" gesture) a birthday party IN( "in" gesture) March. So, I have a question. FOR WHOM, FOR WHOM did we have a birthday party? For whom?

S5: 윤석.

T: For only 윤석?

S5: 윤석, 홍진, 송이,,,I don't know.

Ss: 하영, 태환,,,소희. 승훈. ...

T: Yes, that's right. We had a birthday party for 윤석, 송이, 소희, 태환, 하영, 승훈 and 홍진. Right? BECAUSE, BECAUSE, 송이‘s birthday is IN ('in' gesture) March. 윤석’s birthday is IN (gestures) March. 태환‘s birthday is IN (gestures) March. Right? 홍진’s birthday is,,,not ON (making an "on" gesture), not UNDER ("under" gesture), (Ss laugh) IN (gestures) March. Do you understand?

Ss: Yes.

T: So, I have a question. 지현! WHEN, WHEN, WHEN (shrugging each time) is your birthday?

S7: My birthday,,,January....

T: (gestures "IN")

S7: In January.

T: Can you try that again? Because, listen. 송이‘s birthday IS IN March. 태환's birthday IS IN March. 지현, when is your birthday?

S7: My birthday... in January.

T: When IS! your birthday.

S7: My birthday...is... in January.

T: Yes! My birthday IS IN January. Do you understand?

S7: Yes.

T: 민지! When is your birthday?

S3: My birthday is in April.

T: My birthday is in April! Very good. 혜린! When is your birthday?

S22: My birthday is in....(thinks a while)

T: (very quickly counting on my fingers) January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.

Ss: 와~~/ laugh

S22: My birthday is in August.

T: August! 인태? When is your birthday?

S23: My birthday is in July.

T: Good. 태환, please ask 송이. “When is your birthday?"

S18: 송이, when is your birthday?

S24: My birthday is in March.

T: Very good. Please ask 소희.

S24: 소희, when is your birthday?

S25: My birthday is in March.

T: OK. Attention! (to refresh the atmosphere)

Ss: Attention! (clap their hands twice)

T: A가 When is your birthday? 라고 물었어.(writing A: When is your birthday? on the board) 그러면 B가 “My birthday is in 언제.” (writing B: My birthday is in _______ )라고 말할 수 있겠지. 그다음에 B가 A한테 다시 물어. 니 생일은 언제니, When is your birthday 라고 묻는 것 대신...?

S15: And you.

T: 그렇지요, 첫 번째?

Ss: And you?

T: And you? (writes the sentence on the board) 두 번째?

Ss: How about you?

T: How about you? (writes on the board) 세 번째?

Ss: What about you?

T: What about you.(writes on the board) So, 인태, please ask 태영.

S23: 태영, when is your birthday?

S4 : My birthday is in February. What about you?

S23: My birthday is in July.

T: Good! 경서, ask 정아.

S26: 정아, when is your birthday?

S6: My birthday is in May. And you?

S26: My birthday is in July.

T: OK. Very good.

<Actually, P2 starts here. - How can the teacher get the children to listen instead of looking?)

So, listen! STAND UP, IF your birthday is in May.

Ss: 오월, 오월. (some stand up.)

T: Stand up if your birthday is in May.

Ss: 오월! 일어나라고~

T: No Korean! No Korean. So, 범규(who stood up), is your birthday in May?

S1: Yes.

T: 희진 (who also stoop up),  is your birthday in May?

S16: Yes.

T: OK. Sit down. Stand up if your birthday is in December. Stand up if your birthday is in December.

Ss: (None stands up.) 12월! 12월!

T: No one?

Ss: 없어, 없어. (laugh)

T: Ah,,,no one? That means we will not have a birthday party in December.

Ss: 어엉....(They are sad.)

T: OK. Stand up if your birthday is in January.

Ss: January!

T: One! Two! Only two people?

Ss: (laugh)

T: (facing one of them) Is your birthday in January?

S27: Yes.

T: (facing the other) You too?

S3: Yes.

T: OK. Stand up if your birthday is in June!

Ss : (Only one student stands up so Ss laugh)

T: Only one? So, in June, we will have a birthday party ONLY for 원교!

Ss: (laugh)

T: OK. Stand up if your birthday is in August.

Ss: 8월, 8월.

T: Two people! OK. Sit down. Stand up if your birthday is in November. (Some stand up) One, two, three! OK, sit down. Very good.

It's GREAT data, Jisu. But it often happens when we teach that we lose sight of the big picture--we are so bound up in the moment by moment experience of teaching the trees that we lose our vision of the forest.

Remember that you have a question to answer. It's this:

"How can the teacher make sure the kids are listening and not just looking?"

One of the reasons that I suggested to Dayeong that she UPTAKE the question before she answers is to keep from getting lost in the details of the data. When you have a LOT of data, this is particularly important.

Notice that our question is a "How" question. That means that you might begin your answer like this:

"By ...."

Or:

"The teacher makes sure that the kids are really listening by...."

Once you've finished this sentence, you can quote DATA (a small amount of data) to prove it.

"For example, the teacher ...."

Make sure there's only a SMALL amount of data. Remember that it's just an example. You might actually want to put your supporting data in parentheses, or else quotation marks.

Now, what happens if you CAN'T FIND any data where the teacher ensures that the kids are listening. After all, she ONLY follows up on the students who stand up, and not the kids who are sitting down. So the professor (who is rather strict sometimes) might argue that this is essentially nothing but open pair work, and open pair work is only P1, and not P2.

Look at the question. The question says "How CAN the teacher...?" This means that you can give an IMAGINARY response. Suppose the teacher does THIS:

T: I want a HUMAN CALENDAR. Over here, I want January! January first HERE and then January THIRTIETH over here. What's next? February! Right, so all the February flowers grow here...