8) Oral & Written Interpersonal Communication

Question 0

Describe the ACTFL Rating Scale for speaking at these levels:

• novice
• intermediate
• advanced
• superior

Answer 0

1) NOVICE : can communicate minimally w/formulaic and rote utterances, lists and phrases
2) INTERMEDIATE: can create w/lang, ask/answer simple questions on familiar topics, and handle a simple situation or transaction
3) ADVANCED: can narrate and describe in all major time frames, and handle a situation with a complication
4) SUPERIOR: can support opinion, hypothesize, discuss topics concretely and abstractly, and handle a linguistically unfamiliar situation

Question 1

What does it mean to be “proficient” in a language?

Answer 1

the ability to use language to perform global tasks or language functions within a variety of contexts/content areas, with a given degree of accuracy, and by means of specific text types.

Question 2

Explain “low,” “mid,” and “high” sub-levels within the ACTFL speaking proficiency levels.

Answer 2

1) LOW: use linguistic energy to sustain requirements; show less fluency/accuracy; more lapses in vocab; more self-correction
2) MID: mix of quantity (how much can say) and/or quality (efficiency and effectiveness with which message is communicated), and some degree of features of the next level
3) HIGH: communicate w/confidence, capable of functioning for at list half of the time at the next level but can’t sustain it w/out difficulty or intermittent lapses

Question 3

What kind of speaking practice do students need at the “NOVICE” ACTFL speaking level?

Answer 3

acquiring concrete vocabulary in context through activities such as TPR to acquire and retain it well; using contextualized vocabulary in short conversations and oral presentations; developing a personalized vocabulary

Question 4

What kind of speaking practice do students need at the “INTERMEDIATE” ACTFL speaking level?

Answer 4

engaging in spontaneous conversations on familiar topics related to self and personal environment, as well as work and/or school; asking questions; speaking in complex sentences (with dependent clauses); participating in simple survival situations (eg: making invitations, asking for directions, ordering a meal); negotiating meaning in conversations; interpreting what a conversational partner says

Question 5

What kind of speaking practice do students need at the “ADVANCED” ACTFL speaking level?

Answer 5

conversing in a participatory manner; speaking in paragraphs (or extended utterances) using connector words such as adverbial expressions, subordinating conjunctions, and ordinal numbers (eg: therefore, although, before/after, first/second, etc.); narrating and describing in present, past, future; participating in situations with unanticipated complications (eg: losing one’s luggage, reporting a car accident)

Question 6

What kind of speaking practice do students need at the “SUPERIOR” ACTFL speaking level?

Answer 6

discussing topics concretely and abstractly; supporting and defending an opinion through development of a logical argument, hypotheses and extended discourse; circumlocuting in the absence of specific words/expressions; conversing in linguistically unfamiliar situations

Question 7

Explain the difference between “natural discourse” and “traditional instructional discourse.”

Answer 7

1) INSTRUCTIONAL: teacher/student act out institutional roles; tasks are concerned with transmission/reception of info and are teacher-controlled; focus on knowledge as a product and accuracy
2) NATURAL: more fluid roles established through interaction; tasks that encourage equal participation in the negotiation of meaning; focus on the interactional process itself and on meaning

Question 8

What makes “interpersonal communication” interpersonal?

Answer 8

• 2+ speakers engaged in convo and exchange of info
• face to face/phone; spontaneous; not scripted/read/memorized
• meaningful; has objective/reason for communicating
• “info gap”–needs info/doesn’t know how other will respond
• since spontaneous, must listen to and interpret other speaker
• negotiate meaning (asking for repetition, clarification, confirmation)
• natural convos have pauses, repetition, restatement,self-correction
• use gestures/circumlocution to make self clear or w/unknown word

Question 9

Explain the term “Willingness to Communicate,” or “WTC.”

Answer 9

the probability of speaking in the TL when free to do so

major factors: motivation and anxiety
brings together: motivational processes with communicative competencies and perceived self-confidence

Question 10

When looking at WTC, explain the difference between “situational influences” and “enduring influences.”

Answer 10

1) SITUATIONAL: those that are transient and unique to the immediate situation (desire to talk to specific ppl, topic knowledge)
2) ENDURING: those that represent long-term characteristics of the environment or person that apply to almost any situation (intergroup relations, learner personality, communicative competence)

Question 11

What are the 6 layers of the pyramid model of WTC, from top to bottom?

Answer 11

1) communication behavior (L2 use)
2) behavioral intention (WTC)
3) situated antecedents (desire to com. to person; self-confidence)
4) motivational propensities (interpersonal/group motivation)
5) affective-cognitive context (intergroup attitudes/social situation/communicative competence)
6) social/individual context (intergroup climate, personality)

Question 12

What implications does WTC have for L2 instruction?

Answer 12

1) extroverts = higher WTC w/new vocab in unfamiliar situation
introverts = higher WTC in familiar situations
Why? Es like change/novel situations; Is prefer familiar/routine
2) lower WTC if: try to use L2 but native speaker responds in L1
3) low WTC situations: lack of self confidence when communicating w/strangers and/or when they feel they are being criticized by the listener, especially for accent and grammatical errors

Question 13

Review: what are features of effective “Teacher talk” and classroom interaction?

Answer 13

• maximum use of comprehensible TL that contributes to goal/topic
• max amt of IRF (initiation-response-feedback) to stimulate meaningful convo and push learners to perform at higher levels
• integrates authentic oral/printed texts that reflect natural language use and bring context and interest to the classroom
• incorporates subject-matter content into lang learning experience

Question 14

What are “Instructional Conversations” (ICs)?

Answer 14

• discussion-based lessons geared towards creating opportunities for students’ conceptual and linguistic development
• teachers use to facilitate convo w/students on topic/theme that is interesting to them and intellectually challenging, while providing them with assisted performance
• aka: “responsive teaching” – how mom’s teach kiddos lang

Question 15

How should teacher set up IC’s (“instructional conversations”)?

Answer 15

1) unexpected discourse events are exploited (teachable moments of interpersonal talk: management tasks; Ss q&a/comments)
2) Ss have opportunities to take multiple turns in a given convo
3) Ss practice taking the floor in convo
4) Ss have sufficient time to respond as convo participants
5) a variety of responses are accepted
6) short answers permitted where they would naturally occur
7) Ss encouraged/taught how to respond to statements made by their classmates to develop connected/coherent convos
8) teacher = facilitator/guide; provides assistance/scaffolding

Question 16

How can teachers encourage effective “Turns-at-Talk” when teaching interactive skills?

Answer 16

1) tolerate silences/refrain from filling gaps b/n turns
2) look at any potential addresses of S’s utterance (may not be you)
3) teach Ss floor-taking gambits; don’t grant the floor
4) encourage Ss to take longer turns (beyond 1-2 sentences)
5) extend exchanges w/individual Ss to include clarification of speaker’s intentions/your understanding; don’t cut off too soon

Question 17

In order to interact spontaneously with others, Ss need to incorporate ‘routines’ (Yorio 1980) which are:

Answer 17

words, phrases, or sentences that are predictable in a typical communicative situation by members of a speech community

1) situation formulae
2) stylistic formulae
3) ceremonial formulae
4) gambits

Question 18

Explain the difference between these four ‘routines’ needed to interact spontaneously:

1) situation formulae
2) stylistic formulae
3) ceremonial formulae
4) gambits

Answer 18

1) culturally specific (ex: saying ‘had to be there’ during funny story)
2) written interpersonal comm. (ex: ‘to whom it may concern’)
3) ritualistic interaction (ex: “Dearly beloved, we have gathered…”)
4) maintain smooth flow of convo

Question 19

In interpersonal communication, what are “GAMBITS” and what three functions do they serve?

Answer 19

• devices that help the speaker maintain the smooth flow of convo
  1) discourse organizers introduce/frame what speaker is a/b to say
  2) strategies to maintain convo flow (ex: signaling wanting to speak)
  3) pause filters that buy time while thinking of word (ex: um)

Question 20

The research on “gambits” points to two implications for FL teachers. What are they?

Answer 20

1) Ss incorporate gambits into their speech if they receive direct training and practice in gambit use
2) natural conversations (ex: ICs) are an effective context for eliciting gambit use

Question 21

Gestures are also important in interpersonal communication. Describe the difference between:

1) iconic gestures
2) metaphoric gestures
3) illustrators
4) deictic gestures

Answer 21

1) ICONIC: refer to lexical terms (run in place to show ‘run’)
2) METAPHORIC: illustrate concepts (ex: ‘think outside the box’)
3) ILLUSTRATORS: indicate images (ex: water by “splashing” water)
4) DEICTIC: point out objects in immediate environment/space/time

Question 22

What are four strategies Ss use during pair-work TL activities?

Answer 22

1) talk about talk (metatalk–como se dice)
2) talk about task (metacognitive talk–idk if I’m right, you first…)
3) use of English (often combined w/#2; normal; can still achieve TL)
4) whispering to oneself (mediation behavior; appears early in L2 acquisition; suppressed in adults/use diminished over time)

Question 23

In the context of student discourse characteristics of communication in pairs/groups, explain the term ‘repair.’

What are its 3 components?

Answer 23

mechanism used to deal w/trouble speaking/hearing/understanding

1) TROUBLE SOURCE (anything judged to impede communication)
2) REPAIR INITIATION (indication there is trouble to be repaired)
3) OUTCOME (success/failure of the repair attempt)

Question 24

What implications do studies on ‘repair’ in pair/group interpersonal interactions have on language teachers?

Answer 24

1) repair possible only if Ss have opportunities for meaningful convo
2) repair=evidence of Ss becoming self-regulated in lang
3) long turns at talk provide many opportunities for use of self-initiated, self-repair strategies

Question 25

How can teachers enhance small group communication (ie: what 4 strategies can they train)?

Answer 25

1) use of follow-up questions
2) requesting/giving clarification
3) correction/repair
4) requesting/giving help

Question 26

In “task-based instruction” define what a ‘task’ is.

Answer 26

activity in which:

1) meaning is primary
2) listeners are not given other ppl’s meanings to regurgitate
3) relationship/comparable to real-world activities
4) task completion has some sort of priority
5) assessment of task is in terms of outcome

Question 27

Explain ‘task-based instruction.’

Answer 27

• enables Ss to interact w/others using TL as a means to an end
• communication=expression/interpretation/negotiation of meaning
• requires 2+ autonomous participants
• focus on leaners’ use of lang, not the instructor’s

Question 28

Explain the term ‘cooperative learning.’

Answer 28

Ss work in pairs/small groups of 4-5 to help one another complete a given task, attain a goal, converse, or learn subject matter

• each person in group has a responsibility
• Ss depend on one another as they work to complete their task

Question 29

Explain the difference between “task-based instruction” and “cooperative learning.”

Answer 29

TBI: enables Ss to interact w/others using TL as a means to an end

CO-OP: each person in grp has responsibility; Ss depend on one another as they work to complete their task

Question 30

What is an “information gap activity” or “IGA”? What are some examples?

Answer 30

one student has info that another student does not have but needs

• problem solving (offer advice/recommendations)
• sharing personal experiences
• cooperative projects
• movement activities
• paired interviews
• role-playing
• discussion tasks
• imaginative activities

Question 31

What are some guidelines to structuring cooperative learning and interactive activities?

Answer 31

1) ensure need to cooperate to complete the task
2) keep small; start/w pairs; no larger than 5
3) set stage: motivate the act w/drama, actions, visuals
4) set clear goals; describe outcomes clearly to Ss
5) Ss know/have the TL necessary to complete task
6) exact directions for each step of task; model sequence
7) set time limit to help Ss feel accountable; loud kitchen bell = bien
8) circulate: monitor use of TL, offer assistance, check progress
9) have system for getting Ss attention
10) elicit responses at random from each group after activity

Question 32

What are some examples of oral interpretation tasks?

Answer 32

• role play scenarios using cultural/linguistic protocols in context
• verbally support/refute P.O.V. of a native w/citations to authentic txt
• debate issue from p.o.v. of native and target cultures
• analyze possible TL utterance by determining likelihood of being said and by whom
• respond to open-ended q’s relating to authentic text

Question 33

What are 5 implications of current research regarding the role of interpersonal speaking and advanced-level functions in literary discussion?

Answer 33

1) discussions in lit courses have potential to incorporate advanced proficiency goals
2) lit classes need to included variety of interaction patterns to provide for elaborated responses
3) potential of lit discussion to move Ss into advanced speak. tasks
4) lit instructors need to know the ACTFL proficiency guidelines
5) critical need for more research

Question 34

What is “computer-mediated communication” or CMC?

Answer 34

real-time interaction in which lang uses negotiate meaning in written forms. Message = typed and displayed immediately on screen. During online negotiation, learners attend to input, feedback, and output similarly to the way they experience face-to-face interaction

Question 35

What are the 6 types of teacher feedback?

Answer 35

1) explicit correction (you should say…)
2) recast (reformulates Ss response w/no errors)
3) clarification request (‘pardon me, what do you mean by X?’)
4) metalinguistic feedback (comments/questions w/out providing correct form–indicate error–‘can you find your error?’)
5) elicitation (repeats part of Ss’ utterance and pauses to allow to complete the utterance at place where error occurred)
6) repetition (repeats Ss erroneous utterance to highlight error)

Question 36

In relation to teacher feedback, what are “corrective confirmation checks?”

Answer 36

teacher provides learner w/an appropriate L2 alternative in the form of a question, such as: “Did you mean ‘he goes?’”
-call attention to problem in a more unambiguous way

Question 37

What are 10 implications regarding the research on error correction and feedback in the classroom?

Answer 37

1) Ss benefit most when feedback focuses on comprehensibility
2) strategies that most help focus on form: elicitation, clarification requests, metalinguistic feedback, repetition
3) signal to learner that it is a corrective response
4) recasts ONLY if used in salient manner if learners are cognitively / linguistically ready to notice their corrective value
5) student-generated repairs help to access/hypothesize ab TL
6) class envi.=encourage to step outside traditional learner role
7) less-specific repair initiations w/Ss; modified input
8) better fluency/comprehensibility=avoid coercing corrections
9) feedback includes comments to help Ss focus on neg. of mean.
10) Ss= increasingly responsible for lang accuracy to improve orally