Lessons from

Online learning
Ross Thorburn
September 29th 2020
Who am I?
Using data to improve classes
observers’
paradox
observing unseen
Which activity will create more communication?

Directions role play Shopping center design

 sentence stems

mall map shopping list

 Directions role play: excerpt 1
1. Teacher: So, you’ve got to say, is there, is there a clothes shop?
2. Student: Is there a clothes shop, yes there is. You can buy a coat…
3. Teacher: On the…
4. Student: On the first floor.
5. Teacher: Is there a gift shop?
6. Student: Yes, there is. You can buy a present on the first, floor.
7. Teacher: Is there a bookshop?
8. Student: Yes, there is. You can buy a storybook. It is on the fifth floor.
9. Teacher: Is there a pet shop? Is there a pet shop?
10. Student: Yes, there is.
11. Teacher: Is there? Is there a pet shop? I want to buy a dog.
wo xiang qu tian an men guang chang
12. Student: No there isn’t.
13. Teacher: Is there a sports shop?
14. Student: Yes, there is. You can sportswear on the third floor.
 Directions role play: excerpt 1
1. Teacher: So, you’ve got to say, is there, is there a clothes shop? 1. Initiation
2. Student: Is there a clothes shop, yes there is. You can buy a coat… 2. Response
3. Teacher: On the… 3. Initiation
4. Student: On the first floor. 4. Response
5. Teacher: Is there a gift shop? 5. Initiation
6. Student: Yes, there is. You can buy a present on the first, floor. 6. Response
7. Teacher: Is there a bookshop? 7. Initiation
8. Student: Yes, there is. You can buy a storybook. It is on the fifth floor. 8. Response
9. Teacher: Is there a pet shop? Is there a pet shop? 9. Initiation
10. Student: Yes, there is. 10. Response
11. Teacher: Is there? Is there a pet shop? I want to buy a dog. 11. Initiation
12. Student: No there isn’t. 12. Response
13. Teacher: Is there a sports shop?
14. Student: Yes, there is. You can sportswear on the third floor.
 Directions role play: excerpt 2
1. Teacher: So, is there a coat? Is there a coat?
2. Student: Yes, there is.
3. Teacher: You can buy one on…
4. Student: You can buy coat on… You can buy coat on first floor.
5. Teacher: On the first floor, fantastic, good. On the first floor,
great. Alright. Is there a present?
6. Student: You can… You can. You can buy, buy present on. You
can buy present on a fourth floor.
7. Teacher: On the fourth floor, lovely. Is there a storybook?
8. Student: You can buy storybook on fifth floor.
9. Teacher: On the fifth floor, fantastic. Is there trainers?
wo xiang qu tian an men guang chang
10. Student: Trainers. You can buy trainers on on second floor.
 Directions role play: excerpt 2
1. Teacher: So, is there a coat? Is there a coat? 1. Initiation
2. Student: Yes, there is. 2. Response
3. Teacher: You can buy one on… 3. Initiation
4. Student: You can buy coat on… You can buy coat on first floor. 4. Response
5. Teacher: On the first floor, fantastic, good. On the first floor, 5. Feedback, Initiation
great. Alright. Is there a present?
6. Student: You can… You can. You can buy, buy present on. You 6. Response
can buy present on a fourth floor.
7. Teacher: On the fourth floor, lovely. Is there a storybook? 7. Feedback, Initiation
8. Student: You can buy storybook on fifth floor. 8. Response
9.
wo xiang qu tian an men guang9. chang
Feedback, Initiation
Teacher: On the fifth floor, fantastic. Is there trainers?
10. Student: Trainers. You can buy trainers on on second floor. 10. Response
instructions
blank shopping
mall plan
 Shopping center design: excerpt 1
1. Teacher: Alright, what else do you want? You’ve got two more.
2. Student: Eh, I go to the park!
3. Teacher: The Park? You want to have a park in your shopping center?
4. Student: Yes.
5. Teacher: Okay, so we’ll say an indoor park. Okay. What do you want to have in the park?
6. Student: The many flower.
7. Teacher: Many flowers. Okay, cool alright. What is your shopping center called?
8. Student: Called?
9. Teacher: What’s the name of your shopping center?
10. Student: The [pause] oh the first-floor park is, oh, ha.
11. Teacher: Do you have a name?
wo xiang qu tian an men guang chang
12. Student: Eh, the name is the [pause] good shopping
 Shopping center design: excerpt 1
1. Teacher: Alright, what else do you want? You’ve got two more.
2. Student: Eh, I go to the park!
3. Teacher: The Park? You want to have a park in your shopping center?
4. Student: Yes.
5. Teacher: Okay, so we’ll say an indoor park. Okay. What do you want to have in the park?
6. Student: The many flower.
7. Teacher: Many flowers. Okay, cool alright. What is your shopping center called?
8. Student: Called?
Negotiation of
9. Teacher: What’s the name of your shopping center? meaning
10. Student: The [pause] oh the first-floor park is, oh, ha.
11. Teacher: Do you have a name?
wo xiang qu tian an men guang chang
12. Student: Eh, the name is the [pause] good shopping Successful outcome
 Shopping center design: excerpt 2
1. Teacher: What about a Minnie Mouse… Sorry?
2. Student: (draws in extra borders on the diagram) One, two, three…
3. Teacher: You want more shops?
4. Student: And dancing!
5. Teacher: A dancing shop?
6. Student: No, dancing, oh… (L2)
7. Teacher: A dance school
8. Student: No. No. A [pause] dancing school
9. Teacher: A dance school. Dance school, okay. (Types “Dance School”)
Good, very, very nice. I like the shopping center. Do you like it?
10. Student: Yes, and… Sing. Sing school.
wo xiang qu tian an men guang chang
11. Teacher: Singing school. Okay.
 Shopping center design: excerpt 2
1. Teacher: What about a Minnie Mouse… Sorry?
2. Student: (draws in extra borders on the diagram) One, two, three… Student taking control
3. Teacher: You want more shops?
4. Student: And dancing! 4. Pushed output
5. Teacher: A dancing shop? 5. Reformulation
6. Student: No, dancing, oh… (L2) 6. Pushed output
7. Teacher: A dance school 7. Reformulation
8. Student: No. No. A [pause] dancing school 8. Accurate form
9. Teacher: A dance school. Dance school, okay. (Types “Dance School”)
Good, very, very nice. I like the shopping center. Do you like it?
10. Student: Yes, and… Sing. Sing school.
wo xiang qu tian an men guang chang
11. Teacher: Singing school. Okay.
 Average Meaningful Communications Per Minute
3.5

3.0
3
#Occurances of Meaningful Communication per Minute

2.5

2.0
2

1.6
1.5

1.2

0.5

0
Birthday Party Invitation Directions Role Play Shopping Center Design Favorite Food Survey
Activity
 Using data to
improve teaching
 How do you observe

10,000 teachers…

…with 10 observers ?
 Teaching quality distribution
Number

Quality
 Teaching quality distribution
Number

Find these teachers!

Quality
开心度 新老师
Which do you think
was best predictor of
‘poor’ teaching?

涂鸦 对话比
例
老师
表情
互动
 看课不合格率
60%

53%

50% 48%

40% 38%
36%

30%
26%

20%

10% 8% 7%

0%
开心度 涂鸦 互动 综合打分 老师表情丰富度 对话比例· 新老师看课
 看课不合格率
60%

53%
Use these to ‘locate’ problem teachers,
then use trained observers
50% 48%

40% 38%
36%

30%
26%

20%

10% 8% 7%

0%
开心度 涂鸦 互动 综合打分 老师表情丰富度 对话比例· 新老师看课
 Teaching quality distribution

How to move the

Number

curve forward?

Quality
Who wants to develop?
Who wants to develop?
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