Computer-assisted Video Communication in the Primary EFL Classroom: A German-French Exchange Euline Cutrim Schmid & Shona Whyte Paper presented at the 2. Bundeskongress Englisch & Mehrsprachigkeit Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main 22.03.2014

1. Computer-assisted Video Communication in
the Primary EFL Classroom: A German-
French Exchange
Euline Cutrim Schmid
University of Education Schwäbisch-
Gmünd
Shona Whyte
Université Nice Sophia Antipolis
2. Bundeskongress Englisch & Mehrsprachigkeit
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main 22.03.2014

2. Outline
1. Research Background
2. Research Context
3. Data Collection
4. Research Data
• description of classroom activities
• two short video clips
• teacher interview data
• pupil interview data
5. Conclusion

3. • live video communication
• young learners of English as
a lingua franca
• IWB for interactional support
Whyte & Cutrim Schmid (forthcoming)
Computer-assisted Video Communication in the
Primary EFL Classroom: A German-French
Exchange

4. • SMART board
• Notebook software
• Bridgit Conferencing
Software
• Video/audio link +
screensharing
Video communication

5. http://itilt.eu

6. 7 countries
6 languages
website with video
examples of IWB-
supported classroom
practice with additional
materials
Dutch
English
French
Spanish
Turkish
Welsh
Belgium
France
Germany
Netherlands
Spain
Turkey
UK
primary
secondary
university
vocational
4 sectors
44 teachers, 81 films, 267
video clips

7. IWB: Limited Interactional
Opportunities
• one learner at IWB in front
of whole class
• technical rather than
pedagogical interactivity
• pedagogical exercises
rather than tasks
(Cutrim Schmid & Whyte, 2012)

8. New Research Question
How can we support teachers in exploiting IWB affordances with
more impact on classroom interaction?
• authentic communicative situation
• synchronous oral communication
• task-based approach
• visual support for listening and speaking
• pair/small group learner-learner interaction

9. VC = video
communication
1. videoconferencing: special equipment for
video link (e.g., PolyCom)
2. video calling or video chat: desktop software
or internet browser (e.g., Skype, Google
hangout)
3. web conferencing (e.g., Adobe Connect)

10. VC research
• Technical problems with sound/image quality (e.g.
Favaro, 2011; Gruson, 2011)
• Practical difficulties establishing collaborative
exchanges (Favaro, 2012, O’Dowd, 2010)
• Familiarization sessions less effective than integrated
enhancement programs (Comber et al., 2004,
Pritchard, Hunt & Barnes, 2010; Macrory, Chrétien, &
Ortega-Martín, 2012)
• Predominance of “practiced routines” and “teacher
mediation” (Gruson & Barnes, 2012, Whyte, 2011)

11. present study
Extreme test of IWB and VC affordances
● young beginner EFL learners
● English as a lingua franca
● whole-class sessions

12. action research design

13. Participants: Teachers
French teacher German Teacher
Generalist primary school teacher Generalist primary school teacher
Twenty years of classroom
experience
Five years of classroom experience
Technologically fluent (experienced
IWB user)
Level of IWB technology expertise
relatively low
Previous experience with VC First experience with VC
Bilingual (French-Spanish) with
special motivation for FL teaching
Recent pre-service training in FL
teaching (communicative and task
based approaches)

14. Participants: Learners
French learners German Learners
25 pupils - aged 8-9 – third of five
years of formal primary schooling
25 pupils - aged 7-8 – second of four
years of formal primary schooling.
One single 90 minute-session of
English per week (first year of EFL)
Two 45-minute sessions of English
per week (second year of EFL)
General pattern of EFL activities:
whole class
● teacher-led presentation,
● carousel activities, individual
listening exercises, worksheets,
● short closing plenary session
Varied EFL activities:
● lessons taught in English
● storytelling,
● singing,
● role plays, games,
● arts and crafts.
Used IWB regularly in all classes Beginner users of IWBs
Previous experience with VC
exchange (one Skype session)
No previous experience with VC

15. VC Sessions: Classroom
Organization
German set up: In the German
class the VC sessions were run
as a whole-class activity with
rotating individual activity at the
IWB or camera observed by the
other learners.
French set up: In France the VC
activity was one of three
separate carousel activities,
observed only by the small
group at the interactive display.

16. Identity Card: First Session
Aim: Learners introduce themselves.
Their interaction is supported by a
prepared IWB file with learners’
names and photos.
90-minute VC activity: Each set of
learners introduced themselves in
turn while a learner in the remote
class dragged and dropped image
and text elements on the IWB page
to construct and identity card for
each speaker.
Follow-up session: learners
pooled their knowledge to
identify the pupils in a large
photograph of the whole
exchange class.

17. Identity Card

18. ID Card Session: First Exchange
Isabelle (FR) talks to Sophia (DE)

19. Analysis of Interaction
• Identity Card Exchange
Strong teacher mediation: pupils’ participation is largely structured
by the teachers, pupils are guided throughout the exchanges by
gesture and verbally, teachers repeat pupils’ utterances and ratify
their actions (very good, super) and supply the missing opening and
closing routines.
Limited learner-learner interaction: Pupils perform with some level
of confidence and show understanding of the interactional nature of
the activity. However, they are still very dependent on teachers’ cues
and support. Direct learner-learner interaction was sometimes
prevented by the teachers themselves.

20. Funny Animal: Second Session
Aim: Learners describe the “funny
animals” they had drawn in a previous
lesson. Their interaction is supported by a
prepared IWB file with body parts (head,
body and legs) of ten different animals.
90-minute VC activity Learners
described their “funny animals”, while a
learner in the remote class dragged and
dropped the correct body/animal
combinations to the IWB page to
construct the correct funny animal.
Learners then showed their drawings via
the Webcam so that the remote class
could check if their IWB picture was
correct.
Follow-up session in Germany:
learners carried out the same activity
with their peers.

21. Funny Animal

22. Funny Animal Session: 8th Exchange
Silvester (DE) talks to Louise (FR)

23. Analysis of Interaction
• Funny Animal Exchange
Less Teacher Mediation: German pupil Silvester interacts
confidently and independently with the remote class. The French
pupils are less independent, but take initiatives to help each other.
Enhanced learner-learner interaction: French pupils interact
directly with German pupil by using confirmation checks (e.g. Is this
correct?), to which he replies: “yes” or “no”. French pupils are
pleased to check their result against Silvester’s drawing.

24. Shopping: Third Session
Aim: Learners practice food vocabulary in
an “authentic” shopping situation in the
form of a role play. French learners buy
German products at REWE supermarket
and German learners buy French products
at E. LECLERC.
90-minute VC activity One pupil plays the
shop assistant and two learners play the
customers. They act a dialogue at the
cashier (hello, can I help you, I’d like…, is
that all?, how much is it?, it’s….., and so
on.) and communicate via the Webcam.
The products are then dragged and
dropped to the shopping cart by the shop
assistant and the payment (Euro bills or
coins) is dropped into the cash register
drawer by the customers.
Follow-up session: learners described
the products that were purchased by
the French pupils and also carried out
the same activity with their peers.

25. Shopping

26. Aim: Learners practice food vocabulary in
an “authentic” situation, as they prepare a
breakfast table for a learner in the remote
class.
90-minute VC activity Two learners
should imagine they have a guest from the
partner school and need to prepare
breakfast for him/her. They initiate the
dialogue by asking: “what would you like
for breakfast”? The pupil in the remote
class then makes his/her choices (I’d
like….) and the learners drag and drop the
items onto the breakfast table. Pupils can
also ask additional questions, such as:
would you like some butter on your bread?
or how many slices of bread? And so on.
Follow-up session: learners describe
what the pupils in the remote class are
having for breakfast. They also
compare their breakfast eating habits
with the ones from the remote class.
Breakfast Time: Fourth Session

27. Teacher Feedback: Main
Pedagogical Benefits
1. Enhanced motivation to use the target language
“They made a real effort to bring together everything that they had learned
[…] to mobilize everything they had learned, and we could really see that.“
(French teacher)
“They enjoyed that they were able to interact with the French kids, since they
wouldn't be able to speak with them in their mother tongue. They understood
why they learn English”. (German teacher)
“They sometimes in class they don't really listen to the others. Here they had
to be listening because they had to do something afterwards, and that's
important.“ (French teacher)

28. Teacher Feedback: Main
Pedagogical Benefits
2. Enhanced self-confidence in the ability to comprehend and use
the target language
“Instead of just introducing themselves in a dumb way and the others
responding by introducing themselves, the IWB was the element that
showed that they had understood. In other words it was an
evaluation in a way. “I have understood what you told me.”’
(interview - French teacher)
“They won self-assuredness in their own possibilities and skills
though the visible feedback on the IWB”. (interview - German
teacher)

29. Teacher Feedback: Main
Challenges
1. Minimizing teacher mediation
“ I almost had to check myself, did you notice? If they didn't understand I
didn't want to tell them because I wanted that if they make a mistake, that
it would be the others - When we heard them go "oooh" or when they
clapped, I wanted them to have that reaction to show whether it's right or
wrong. But I had to force myself because it's true you want to
[intervene]“ (interview – French teacher)
“ My aim was to give as much responsibility to the kids as possible. It
depended on how the kid managed the situation”. (interview – German
teacher)

30. Teacher Feedback: Main
Challenges
2. Creating opportunities for spontaneous interaction
“What I would like to do, but I don't know how to implement it, is this
spontaneous thing. In other words for there to be a spontaneous discussion.
For example two children who meet and who want to get to know each other,
go further.” (interview - French teacher)
“I will think about how we could encourage and support more
spontaneous/independent learner-learner interaction” (interview – German
teacher)

31. Pupil Feedback (Germany): Main
Advantages
1. Enthusiasm and self-confidence
„I found it great that we could talk to the French kids in English“
„We are better (….) We learn a lot of English. They are French and maybe
they don‘t learn English every day. We‘ve learned English since the first
grade“.
Increased interest in intercultural aspects
„ They talked English a litttle bit different from us.“
Enhanced motivation to learn the target language to be able to say more
„We could talk about our grandparents, or if we have cousins or not. And the
country where we take vacation.“
„or find out if someone has a telephone number or we could talk about our
pets.“

32. Pupil Feedback (Germany): Main
Challenges
1. Little room for spontaneous speaking
„It would be great if we could (also) say: I like video games, I
like cars, or I like helicopter games“.
2. Anxiety during VC interaction
„ When I was at the camera (….) I felt like I was on French TV“
„I found it difficult to talk into the camera because I was so
anxious, and when I‘m anxious I always forget the words.“

33. Conclusion
• It is both possible and worthwhile for young beginners to engage in
live peer communication, and IWB-supported VC interaction offers
a promising platform for this type of exchange.
• Both teachers and learners found the exchange motivating and
useful, with both groups also providing ideas and goals for future
sessions.
• Both teachers expressed special interest in developing
resources/activities that allow more room for “independent actions
and spontaneous speaking" and "independent learner-learner
exchanges”.
• We speculate that more frequent, and less structured exchanges
between small groups of learners over a longer period would permit
more spontaneous interaction and help foster the development of
greater interactional competence.

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