LCB – Taller didáctico

Teacher: Gladys Baya

Student: María Pérez Armendáriz

Observation 1
Lesson Breakdowns1
Date: May 21st, 2008
No. of students: 15
Age: 16-17
Level: Intermediate
Book: Activate! B2, Elaine Boyd & Mary Stephens, Longman.
Topics: word families; reading: "Tough Love"
Duration of the lesson: 80 min

Background
A lesson breakdown, as the term is used here, is a very broad term for an interruption to a
lesson, covering anything from minor hiccups to a major impasse. It is a point in a lesson
when due to a communication problem or misunderstanding, the lesson is unable to proceed,
whether for an individual or group of students or for the whole class. It can happen between
teacher and student or in student-student interactions. And, of course, it may not happen at all!
However, in all types of communication there is the potential for misunderstanding and
therefore breakdown and repair. In the language learning classroom, where the target
language being learned is also the medium of instruction, it is highly probable that
breakdowns, small or large, will occur.
It is important to note that the term 'breakdown' is not a negative laden term and does not
imply hostility or failure. Furthermore, the language used to negotiate the breakdown is itself
meaningful and valuable and as such, constitutes an important source of real input for
language learners. One might call it the very heart of the communicative classroom. Essential
as it is to the processing of language, the learner's experience of the negotiation of meaning is
integral to learning.

Lesson summary
The students were practicing for a term test in two weeks. The teacher assigned a reading
from the book. The students had to read the article and then match a list of statements to the
corresponding paragraph of the reading and justify their decision. They could carry out the
task individually, in pairs or in small groups.
Before checking the correct answers, the teacher asked a few students to read one paragraph
each.

1
Topic taken from Classroom Observation Tasks, Ruth Wajnryb, (CUP, 1992).

LCB – Taller Didáctico – Observation 1 – María Pérez Armendáriz 1

Analysis

Source of L used for repair and Seriousness of

What happened?
breakdown negotiation breakdown
Ss stopped doing A S from another In Spanish, the T tells the class major
their task and started course walked in to be quiet and continue
talking loudly to borrow a seat working
Loud banging noise A S slammed a The T said 'Finished?' and the minor
dictionary on a S said 'No.'
desk
T shushed a S A S insulted There was no L or negotiation minor
someone aloud involved more than a 'shhh'
and a look from the T
Several Ss are S from another The T said 'What are you major
talking about another class put his head talking about?' The S answered
subject through a window in Spanish but took a few
to ask a question minutes to leave
Constant background S was listening to In English, the T asked the minor/major
noise coming from music at a very student to turn the device off.
within the classroom high volume As he did not hear her, she got
closer and told him in Spanish
the same instruction

1. In the far right column of the chart categorise the instances of breakdown as 'minor'
or 'major', where 'major' is defined as interrupting the smooth flow of the lesson.

2. In the case of the breakdowns you observed:

a. Could the breakdown have been avoided altogether?
Two of the breakdowns were difficult to avoid since they were interruptions coming from
outside the classroom. But, for example, the case of the student listening to music could have
been avoided by setting some rules from the beginning, either of the year or of the every
lesson if necessary.
b. Could it have been repaired more efficiently?
The 4th interruption was difficult to avoid, but it would not have been so difficult to prevent it
from spreading throughout the lesson. Some students had finished the task and continued
talking about another subject while the rest finished. The teacher should have had something
extra to keep those students who finished early occupied.

3. In the instances of breakdown that you collected, consider:

a. The pattern of interaction at the time of a breakdown.
The patterns of interactions were always T↔S. The only ones 'negotiating' were the teacher
and the student (or students) involved in the breakdown.
b. The language used by the teacher and students in the attempt to negotiate meaning
and repair the breakdown.
The teacher tried at first with English, but in some cases, seeing that her attempts led
nowhere, she resorted to Spanish. The students always responded in Spanish. There was no
attempt to deal with the situation in the target language.

LCB – Taller Didáctico – Observation 1 – María Pérez Armendáriz 2

Now comment on the value that the experience and encounter might offer for the
learner.
In this particular case, no one learned anything, so there is no major value to draw from the
experience. The teacher did not seem interested in doing much about the lesson as a whole
and the students behaved as expected from a teenagers that are bored and someone calls their
attention: they say 'OK', stop for a short time, and then continue with what they were doing—
related or not to the subject.

In the light of the fact that breakdowns are a usual part of normal conversational/
interactional language flow, how do we weigh up the value of the language experience
for the learners versus the interruption to the smooth flow of the planned lesson?
The ideal would be a perfect lesson where everything goes as planned, but I think that every
language experience is valuable to one's development, and if there is an interruption to the
flow of the lesson we should take advantage of it. If the breakdown allows it and it is
appropriate at that moment, the teacher should take the opportunity to expand on what has
happened and encourage their students to try to solve the issue the best way they can with the
knowledge they have. This will help develop their negotiation skills for other kinds of planned
activities.

4. In the face of a breakdown, what can a teacher do to:

a. Heighten the value of the breakdown for all the class?
If the breakdown is a matter of meaning for one or two students that would help the rest of the
class, then she can devote some time to clearing doubts or explaining.
b. Minimise the interrupting effect on the lesson?
Find a way to get the students back to work without undermining the importance of an
interruption in a lesson. The goal would be to have them focus again so as to prevent the
lesson to be wasted on a long discussion.

Reflection
How aware are you of breakdowns in your lessons and the language used to negotiate
and repair meaning?
Depending on the importance of the breakdown, there will be a change in the language. If it is
an issue that far exceeds the common issues of the English lesson—such as someone getting
hurt—it will most likely require the teacher to answer in the mother tongue to give comfort.
If the issue is a simple matter of disagreement, the teacher could take advantage and try to get
everyone to participate but under the condition that they have to manage in English.

Have you learned anything through this observation experience that you would like to
pursue further?
Not really. There was not much to consider since the teacher did not do much and devoted
half her time to talking to 'the observer'. The teacher quickly dismissed the interruptions and
with them any chance to teach something to her students.

LCB – Taller Didáctico – Observation 1 – María Pérez Armendáriz 3