an observational study of literacy, numeracy and language teachers

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Pedagogy in practice:
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_____________ AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF LITERACY, NUMERACY AND LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Prepared by
John Benseman
Alison Sutton
Josie Lander Auckland UniServices Ltd Reports from Auckland UniServices Limited should only be used for the
purposes for which they were commissioned. If it is proposed to use a
report prepared by Auckland UniServices Limited for a different purpose or
in a different context from that intended at the time of commissioning the
work, then UniServices should be consulted to verify whether the report is
being correctly interpreted. In particular it is requested that, where
quoted, conclusions given in UniServices reports should be stated in full. Contents Executive summary 4
1. Introduction 6
2 Literature review 7
2.1 Observational studies of LNL teaching 7 2.2 Quality of teaching 11 2.3 Teaching styles 12 2.4 Teaching methods 13 2.5 Qualifications of LNL teachers 14 2.6 Teacher concerns 16 2.7 Summary of literature findings 16 3 Research methodology 18
3.1 Research instruments 18 3.2 Ethics 19 3.3 Data recording and analysis 19 3.4 Research procedures 20 3.5 Sample recruitment 22 3.6 The observations 23 4 Findings 24
4.1 The teachers 25 4.2 The programmes and context 27 4.3 Generic teaching elements 41 4.4 Forms of provision 60 4.5 Teaching of literacy, numeracy and language 66 5 Summary and Discussion 83
5.1 Teacher status and backgrounds 83 5.2 Physical environment and teaching resources 84 5.3 Generic teaching skills 85 5.4 Forms and types of provision 87 5.5 The teaching of LNL skills 89 6 Concluding comments 91
7 Recommendations 92
References 93 Appendix A - Observation categories coding sheet 95 Figures and Tables Figure 1 - Duration of observations 23
Figure 2 - Age distribution of teachers 25
Figure 3 - Hours of tuition available for learners per week 28
Figure 4 - Average hours teaching per week 35
Figure 5 - Average amount of time per week spent in preparation 35
Figure 6 - Ethnicity of learners observed 28
Figure 7 - Typical layout of a teaching space 30
Figure 8 - Teacher versus learner participation in sessions 42
Figure 9 - Daloz' concepts of challenge versus support 46
Table 1 - Characteristics, funding sources, locations and teaching types of
observation sample 21
Table 2 - Types of facilitative processes used by teachers 59 Table 3 - Types of generic teaching methods used by teachers
60 Table 4 - Generic reading components covered in teaching episodes 72
Table 5 - Teaching of reading techniques used 72
Table 6 - Numeracy teaching techniques 77
Table 7 - Teaching of spelling techniques 78
Executive summary
The aim of this study was to gain an overview of how teachers teach
literacy, numeracy and language (LNL) in New Zealand, by observing 15
literacy, language and numeracy teachers from tertiary institutions,
community organisations, workplaces and private training establishments. The teachers were observed for an average of 167 minutes over two sessions;
they were also interviewed after the first observation session. The sample
included 1:1 teachers, as well as those who teach in small groups and
classes. Data from the observations was recorded on specially designed data
sheets; notes were taken by the observers and both the sessions and
interviews were recorded wherever possible. Main findings (these are discussed in fuller detail in Sections 5 and 6 of
the report) Teacher status and background > teachers were predominantly female, aged 40+ years and Pakeha
> they held a wide range of qualifications, including school teaching
qualifications, but only a small number held LNL-specific or adult
education qualifications
> there were wide variations in the amount of teaching they did per week
and the time they spent on preparation
> they had been able to attend variable amounts of professional
development over the previous year
> some of their teaching positions had less than ideal conditions. Physical environment and teaching resources > there were wide variation in the physical environment and teacher
resources available, from good to much less than ideal
> computers were widely available, but were mainly used for word-
processing rather than computer-aided teaching Generic teaching > all teachers had created positive, supportive learning environment and
they had a high level of commitment to the welfare of their learners
> teachers talked much more than learners(up to 60% of the time), even
in classes
> questioning plays a very prominent role in the teaching process;
however, teachers mostly asked 'closed' questions and did not use
questions as scaffolds for further teaching
> there was some evidence of teaching meta-cognitive skills and limited
amounts of sustained discussion or debate Forms of provision > considerable variations were observed in the length of programmes, the
amount of teaching per week and the actual amount of literacy teaching
that took place within programmes
> teachers used 'authentic' curricula, largely in terms of them choosing
content that was adult-appropriate and topical; there was little
evidence of learner-directed content
> there were wide variations in the amount of LNL teaching that observed
in integrated programmes
> 1:1 and group teaching both have distinctive, positive features Teaching of LNL skills > only a limited number of deliberate acts of reading teaching were
observed by researchers
> most teachers used a relatively small range of teaching methods
> most spelling was taught incidentally and was closely linked to
teaching of reading
> miscues were rarely used as teaching opportunities when learners were
reading
> numeracy teaching was clearly linked to diagnosed learning needs and
numeracy tasks were graded to match learners' skills
> researchers observed only a few sessions where writing was taught;
teachers said they found the teaching of writing difficult and that
writing was often left out of teaching sessions to make room for other
activities
> teachers appeared to use the same teaching strategies for ESOL as for
others for whom English was a first language
> speaking and listening skills were seen as important means of building
social and personal skills and were interspersed with the teaching of
other skills. Recommendations
The study recommended a number of research projects to follow on from this,
including:
> a large scale survey of tutors
> an investigation of how LNL teaching takes place in integrated
programmes
> an action research project that investigates effective ways to
challenge and change tutors' behaviours, as part of on-going
professional development
> dissemination of these research findings to tutors in the field. Introduction
This research study of how literacy, numeracy and language (LNL)[1]
teachers actually teach is the first of its kind in New Zealand, and one of
a small number internationally. It is part of a growing body of research in
this area (Benseman, 2003). The purpose of this study was to start the process of exploring literacy,
numeracy and language teaching by observing how 15 tutors in a cross-
section of LNL contexts actually teach their students these skills. The
results of this study should not be taken as a definitive study where the
results can be generalised to all literacy, numeracy and language teachers
in New Zealand. Rather, as an exploratory study involving only a small
number of teachers and limited observation durations, it is intended to
give a glimpse into what probably goes on in a reasonable number of these
classrooms. As such, we hope that the findings will provoke debate not only
about whether or not our findings are truly indicative of literacy,
numeracy and language provision, but more importantly, what literacy,
numeracy and language teachers should be doing as teachers. In relation to
this latter point, readers are directed to the literature review (Benseman,
Sutton, & Lander, 2005) on effective literacy, numeracy and language
teaching completed in conjunction with this study. Where appropriate,
results from this literature review have been included in the discussion of
the findings from our study. We would like to sincerely thank the literacy, numeracy and language
teachers, managers and learners who courageously volunteered to participate
in this study. All of them gave graciously and generously of their time,
both in letting us observe their teaching and also in follow-up interviews.
We trust that we have done them justice in how we have reported their work
as teachers in what is undoubtedly a demanding, but satisfying, sector. In
particular, we would like to acknowledge the teachers' commitment and
concern for the best interests of their learners.
Literature review
Despite its centrality to literacy, numeracy and language programmes, there
are only a few observational studies of teachers in the process of
teaching. There is a large literature of