The Future of Education

Recent research in the area of conversation analysis and reflective practice of L2 classroom interaction calls for a "data-led" way forward with a particular focus on recorded data and transcripts of the latter (Walsh and Mann 2015). Despite its acceptance as a valuable tool not enough data extracts of how reflective practice is actually done are available. So far, reflective practice of micro-teaching or transcripts is mostly conduced individually and in written form (cf. Walsh and Mann 2015: 351). These practices may however hinder personal growth due to “institutional constraints” (ibid.). This presentation answers Walsh and Mann’s call for “more concrete descriptions of [how] RP” (ibid.) can take place collaboratively by contrastively analysing exemplary transcripts of spoken reflective processes and pre-service teacher’s engagement with provided tools in reflective practice phases. The data was collected within the context of two university seminars for future teachers of English as a Second or Foreign Language focusing on the teaching of vocabulary and the teaching of writing skills in Thuringia, Germany, in winter term 2019/2020. A substantial part of the presentation will be contributed to a critical discussion of the use(fulness) of transcripts in 21st century EFL teacher training.

Keywords: Reflective practice, transcripts, teacher training, micro teaching, conversation analysis, L2 interactional competence.

References:
[1] Walsh, Steve and Steve Mann (2015). Doing reflective practice: a data-led way forward. English Language Teaching Journal 69:4. 351-362. doi:10.1093/elt/ccv018