Symposium Proposal, NOFA9, May 9 - 11, 2023
Title: Didaktik in Practice; Searching for the What in the How
Discussant: Jörgen Mattlar, Senior Lecturer, Uppsala University, Department of Education
Participants: Jonas Johansson, Fil. lic, Fredrika Nyström, PhD Student, Viktoria Waagaard, PhD Student
Uppsala University, Department of Education
Didaktik in practice; Searching for the what in the how Based on studies from three classroom practices, our symposium aims to discuss two central didactical questions in subject education, namely the content and the organization of teaching and learning: the what and the how.
Our starting point is in the subjects Swedish, Spanish and Civics, with students aged 14-18. We discuss and problematize when the how is foregrounded and the what is elusive and undefined in literary history (Swe), spoken production and interaction (Spa) and disciplinary literacy (Civ).
We want to shed light on the what in relation to the concept Bildung. “In the Didaktik tradition Bildung is what comes out of the unique meeting between students and contents” (Hopmann, 2007:118). This relates to Bildung as grasping the world, inside and outside of the classroom context. Is the content distinguishable in the teaching and learning activities? What happens with the what in subject education when the how is in focus?
References
Hopmann, S. (2007). Restrained teaching: The common core of Didaktik. European educational research journal, 6(2), 109-124.
Individual abstracts:
Scaffolding Language and Content Learning in a Multilingual Civics Classroom
Viktoria Waagaard
Literacy development is fundamental to democracy. Explicit language learning is crucial, in parallel with subject and personal development (Garcia & Li Wei, 2018). A conscious focus on disciplinary literacy, lesson structure (Christie, 1997, 2002), first- and second-order concepts can make the what in teaching and learning visible and can scaffold students’ understanding of words, concepts, analysis and critical thinking (Sandahl, 2015).
This project’s aim is to contribute with ways to widen and deepen discussions about making visible working with words, concepts and analysis. In order to strengthen multilingual and monolingual students’ literacy in civics, investigating words and concepts in classroom work and student texts could be one way.
Analytic frameworks used are curriculum macro genres (Christie, 1997, 2002), expansions of words (Halliday, 2014), first- and second-order concepts of social science (Sandahl, 2015), analyzed in terms of structure elements and activity chains (Christie, 1997, 2002). First-order concepts are facts and words, often linked to specific working areas/themes. Second-order concepts are disciplinary tools that help to organize, analyze and critically review social science, although not linked to specific working areas/themes (Sandahl, 2015).
In classroom observations and student texts, coherent units were mapped to examine the actual structure elements, activity chains and first- and second-order concepts. One finding is that content building is the most common structure element in the classroom work. Advantages of this method is that the material is authentic and the working methods are current. The criticism expressed concerns the difficulty in mapping observations and that first- and second-order concepts are often used overlapping (Sandahl, 2015).
Focusing on lesson structure, combined with a focus on first- and second-order concepts could improve the work of developing and strengthening students’ disciplinary literacy. Literacy and understanding of the democratic society are closely related to equity as well as to the concept of Bildung.
Keywords: disciplinary literacy, thinking tools, civics
ReferencesChristie, F. (1997). Curriculum macrogenres as forms of initiation into a culture. I: Christie, Frances og Martin J. R. (eds.) (1997).
Christie, F. (2002). Classroom Discourse Analysis. A Functional Perspective. New York: Continuum.
García, O. & Li Wei (2018). Translanguaging. Flerspråkighet som resurs i lärandet. Stockholm: Natur & Kultur.
Halliday, M.A.K. & Matthiessen, C. (2014). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. Ny upplaga 2014. London/New York: Routledge.
Sandahl, J. (2015c). Medborgarbildning i gymnasiet. Ämneskunnande och medborgarbildning i gymnasieskolans samhälls- och historieundervisning. Stockholm: Stockholms universitet.
Searching for content in teaching and learning speaking – studying Spanish as a modern language in lower secondary school.
Fredrika Nyström
In the foreign language classroom, the target language is both the means and the medium of instruction. The syllabus of modern languages stipulates the learning aim, the what, as on the one hand acquisition of linguistic and communicative skills, and on the other the content of communication, e.g. vocabulary around everyday activities. (Skolverket, 2021)
In the present study, teachers and students were interviewed about their perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards teaching and learning speaking. The aim is to investigate expectations and experiences about teaching and learning to speak Spanish in lower secondary school. Spoken skills in second and foreign languages are generally considered more difficult to teach, learn and assess than writing, listening and reading. (Goh & Burns, 2012; Thornbury, 2005)
Through content analysis, the data was classified under the didactic questions who, what and how (Jank & Meyer, 1997), in order to identify the essence of each meaning unit. The qualitative analysis of both teacher and student interviews resulted in a wider range of categories under the didactic question how than what. When describing the classroom practices, the learning aim is mainly the linguistic content, typically verbal structures or gender of nouns, and not the spoken skill itself, including its relational, strategic and sociolinguistic competences. Neither is there a focus on the nature of spoken communication, e.g. to understand end express meaning, a result that brings a famous quote to mind: There is all the difference in the world between having something to say and having to say something. (Dewey, 1943/1990, p. 56)
Keywords: modern languages, spoken interaction
References
Dewey, J. (1943/1990). The school and society : and, The child and the curriculum. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
Goh, C. C. M., & Burns, A. (2012). Teaching speaking : a holistic approach. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Jank, W., & Meyer, H. (1997). Didaktikens centrala frågor. In M. Uljens (Ed.), Didaktik - teori, reflektion och praktik (pp. 47-71). Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Skolverket. (2021). Kursplan i moderna språk för grundskolan
Thornbury, S. (2005). How to teach speaking. Harlow: Longman.
What happens with the what in teaching and learning literary history when there is a focus on the how? Jonas Johansson
Previous studies in teaching and learning literature show that upper secondary school students have difficulties in understanding why they should learn literary history (Bergman, 2007; Olin-Scheller, 2006). In reply to that, Johansson (2022) explores what it is in the teaching and learning literary history that sparks students' interest, according to themselves.
As an answer to what it is in the teaching and learning literary history that spark students' interest following content-related themes where found: intertextuality; comparisons between different periods; epochs, authors and works; and aesthetic elements. Johanssons' study also reveals other aspects important for sparking interest in literary history. These aspects emphasise the how rather than being an answer to the question of what. According to the students the teaching should be varied, have a clear structure, be inclusive and the teacher should also be engaged and passionate in teaching. However, these later aspects seem to apply regardless of the content of teaching (Havik & Westergård, 2020; Hirsh & Segolsson, 2020) and not specific to the teaching and learning literary history.
It is against this background the presentation aims to discuss what happens with the what in teaching and learning literary history when there is a focus on the how. Using examples from classroom practice, the how and the what in teaching and learning literary history will be discussed av problematized in relation to the concept of Bildung. Bildung is after all “what comes out of the unique meeting between students and contents” (Hopmann, 2007:118).
Keywords: literary didactics, literary history, teaching of literature
ReferencesBergman, L. (2007). Gymnasieskolans svenskämnen: En studie av svenskundervisningen i fyra gymnasieklasser. [Doktorsavhandling, Lunds universitet]. http://mau.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1404464/FULLTEXT01.pdf
Havik, T., & Westergård, E. (2020). Do Teachers Matter? Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Interactions and Student Engagement. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 64(4), 488–507. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2019.1577754
Hopmann, S. (2007). Restrained teaching: The common core of Didaktik. European educational research journal, 6(2), 109-124.
Johansson, J. E. (2022). Elevperspektiv på vad som väcker intresse för litteraturhistoria. Educare, (3), 98-129.
Olin-Scheller, C. (2006). Mellan Dante och Big Brother: En studie om gymnasieelevers textvärldar. [Doktorsavhandling, Karlstad universitet]. http://kau.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:6137/FULLTEXT01.pdf
2023.
disciplinary literacy, thinking tools, multilingual civics classroom