Case Study #1: Grammar, Tasks, and Attention

Abstract

Doubtless every teacher has at some point encountered difficulties with the level of class participation in a given group. These difficulties may manifest themselves in the form of a lack of focus or concentration, extended periods of off-taskness, or general listlessness. It is tempting to attribute such behavior to shortcomings on the part of the student, and assume it results from immaturity, shyness, lack of sleep, or embarrassment. Whatever the reason, the instructor may conclude that nothing can be done about it. But the laying of blame at the student's feet (as well as the instructor's insouciant despair) can be misguided if it is based on the presupposition that the subject matter is independent of the way in which it is presented. And nowhere is this more true than in a foreign language classroom, where the object of study is also the medium of presentation, as Jamie Rankin points out (this issue). The instructor is hardpressed to know if it is the student, the material to be learned, or the way that the material is introduced and sequenced that is at fault; there is a constant danger of communication running aground on inadequate expressions or false interpretations of intention. Faced with just such difficulties in my section of German 102 (Beginner's German), I decided to pursue an action research study in order to understand the dynamic of the class, reflect on my own methods, and reconsider the assumptions on which they were based. The project began by eliciting multiple perspectives on my teaching. Initially, the observation of the classroom dynamic consisted simply of my own personal notes and recollections written down immediately after class. These were later supplemented by notes from colleagues who observed my class on several occasions, as well as by videotaping. Based on these observations and discussions with my colleagues, I came up with a plan for interveningthat is, for implementing a change, both in my preparations and in the method of presentation of the material-and carried it out under similar observation. My initial notes, which began early on in the semester, led me to two sets of problems-those I saw in my students, and those I came to see in my teaching style. As for my students, the most obvious was a lack of engagement. This took the form either of a reticence to speak at all, or, when prompted, of the production of sentence fragments. Moreover, I noticed that many students often broke into English, even in response to my German. The students' use of L1 suggested to me that some of the students regarded the material they were learning merely as a abstracted set of rules, not as a valid medium for talking about things that really mattered to them. My own problems, as I understood them at thatpoint, had to do with my explanation ofvarious in-class tasks and exercises, but more important, the preponderance of grammar in my lessons. The role of grammar became important to me when I witnessed what might be called a confrontation in the class. One of my students, a graduate student in classics, asked me a technical grammar question. Before I could even reply, two other students-both undergraduatesimmediately provided the answer, as if to say: We understand this technical grammar lingo, too! This i cident prompted me to reflect on how I emphasized grammar explanations and grammatical correctness. Perhaps my most immediate reaction to the situation described here was a sudden realization of the potentially alienating effect of grammati-