Towards Integrating Form‐Focused Instruction and Communicative Interaction in the Second Language Classroom: Some Pedagogical Possibilities

Nassaji, Hossein

doi:10.1111/0026-7902.00065

Cited by 52 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(20 reference statements)

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“…All three information gap tasks were based on widely available, published activities whose contributions to L2 learning processes and outcomes have been discussed in review articles (e.g., Nassaji, 1999;Pica et al, 1993) and documented through empirical research. Versions of the tasks can also be found in professional reference books (e.g., Ur, 1988).…”

Section: Consistency With Goals and Methods Of Teachers And Researchersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classroom Learning, Teaching, and Research: A Task‐Based Perspective

Pica

2005

The Modern Language Journal

122

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In an increasing number of second language (L2) classrooms, teachers and researchers are taking on new roles and responsibilities. From these new perspectives, they are developing similar concerns about L2 learning processes, which they typically express in ways that reflect their different backgrounds and goals. To support learning, teaching, and research in the L2 classroom, researchers and teachers have attempted to develop activities that both address their concerns and accommodate their differences on a long-term basis. This article reflects my participation as a researcher in this context and presents the ways in which the teachers and students with whom I have worked have turned to information gap tasks to serve many of our needs. The first part of the article describes the contributions of information gap tasks as seen from our learning, teaching, and research perspectives. The second part describes the issues and challenges we have faced in integrating and implementing them. Then the third part presents an approach that we have developed for designing information gap tasks both as authentic activities for teaching and learning and as reliable instruments for research. Examples of our tasks are provided, together with excerpts from the discourse of their classroom implementation. These excerpts reveal the effectiveness of the tasks in drawing students' attention to form, function, and meaning in ways that we considered vital to students' L2 learning.THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF SECOND language (L2) learning and teaching are dynamic enterprises, subject to continued debate, development, and change. In recent times, some fascinating changes have occurred within the L2 classroom, as participants have broadened their roles, extended their responsibilities, and collaborated in their activities. What was once, and remains in some places, a formal setting for instruction and practice, has become in other places a center for purposeful communication and meaningful exchange. This article focuses on this other classroom context, its challenges and its and opportunities. It begins with the participants, the students and teachers, and then turns increasingly to researchers including me.

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Section: Consistency With Goals and Methods Of Teachers And Researchersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Classroom Learning, Teaching, and Research: A Task‐Based Perspective

Pica

2005

The Modern Language Journal

122

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“…Long (1991) originally conceived FonF as incidental attention to form induced reactively in response to grammatical problems that occur during meaning-focused lessons. Others, however, have taken a broader perspective, arguing that FonF should not be limited to incidental reactions to learner problems and can indeed take different forms (e.g., Doughty & Williams, 1998b;Nassaji, 1999;Nassaji & Fotos, 2004Williams, 2005). Doughty and Williams (1998b), for example, suggested that FonF can be achieved both reactively and proactively, that is, both in response to learner errors and by addressing specific linguistic forms in a predetermined manner.…”

Section: Participation Structure In Adult Eslmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The role of incidental Focus on Form (FonF) has recently received considerable attention in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) (Doughty & Williams, 1998a, 1998bEllis, 2001;Ellis, Basturkmen, & Loewen, 2001a, 2001bLoewen, 2005;Long, 1991;Long & Robinson, 1998;Nassaji, 1999Nassaji, , 2010Nassaji & Simard, 2010;Williams, 2001Williams, , 2005. Incidental FonF refers to attention to form that arises naturally and spontaneously "in lessons whose overriding focus is on meaning or communication'' (Long, 1991, pp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Participation Structure and Incidental Focus on Form in Adult ESL Classrooms

Nassaji

2013

Language Learning

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This study examined the role of incidental focus on form (FonF) in adult English‐as‐a‐second‐language classrooms. Specifically, it explored the extent to which the amount, type, and effectiveness of FonF were related to differences in classroom participation structure, that is, the organization of classroom talk within which FonF may occur. The data consisted of 54 hours of audio‐ and video‐recorded classroom interaction collected over two 12‐week semesters from 35 lessons at three levels of language proficiency: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The data were transcribed and coded in terms of types of FonF (reactive vs. preemptive, and student vs. teacher initiated) and types of participation structure (whole class, small group, and individual one on one). Individualized posttests were developed and administered to each student 1 week after each classroom observation to assess the effectiveness of FonF. The results revealed that incidental FonF occurred rather frequently in all classrooms but its occurrence varied depending on the type of participation structure. The results also demonstrated a relationship between participation structure and the effectiveness of FonF as well as an interaction between participation structure and class levels. These findings highlight the role of classroom participation structure as an important contextual factor that may impact the provision and success of incidental FonF.

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“…Annotations in PDC are informed by research and findings on 'focus on form,' an increasingly popular field in second-language (L2) acquisition (SLA) (e.g., Ellis 2001;Nassaji 2000;O'Rourke 2005;Williams 2001), particularly for developing strategies to help learners acquire lexical items and reuse them adequately. Pedagogically speaking, many empirical studies have concluded that an experiential approach to teaching L2 should be enriched by form-focused instructional methods (Nassaji 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pedagogically speaking, many empirical studies have concluded that an experiential approach to teaching L2 should be enriched by form-focused instructional methods (Nassaji 2000). From a theoretical standpoint, some of the findings revealed by research on form-focused instruction (FFI) draw on information-processing theories and other aspects of cognitive psychology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modes of Annotation in the Video-Based Corpus FrancoToile: Developing a Design Method

Caws

Arneil

2017

KULA

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In corpus linguistics, texts are typically annotated in order to focus the attention on: (a) the form of the text or words, and (b) the structure of sentences (that is, morphological and syntactic tagging). Yet, when dealing with language learning and the development of skills other than just linguistic ones, other types of annotations are needed. Annotating with either a specific learner or pedagogy in mind often engages the researcher in more complex issues than the ones just related to corpus linguistics. In this article, we report on the methods used to create a digital library of videos and annotated transcripts called FrancoToile (http:// francotoile.uvic.ca). As a needs-driven corpus, FrancoToile includes annotations within the video transcripts in order to help users develop their cultural and linguistic literacies in French. These annotations must relate directly to the purpose of the system (the development of cultural and linguistic literacies) and to the specific skill or competency that we hope language learners will gain. We analyze learning needs, modify the software, and observe and engage with users on an ongoing basis to create a language tool that will better address users' needs. This approach of incorporating user feedback increases the usefulness of the annotated videos. We continue to seek means to encourage the involvement of users, both teachers and learners, in the process of corpora editing and content building.

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Towards Integrating Form‐Focused Instruction and Communicative Interaction in the Second Language Classroom: Some Pedagogical Possibilities

Cited by 52 publications

References 14 publications

Classroom Learning, Teaching, and Research: A Task‐Based Perspective

Classroom Learning, Teaching, and Research: A Task‐Based Perspective

Participation Structure and Incidental Focus on Form in Adult ESL Classrooms

Modes of Annotation in the Video-Based Corpus FrancoToile: Developing a Design Method

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