Why do Students Consider Integrated Skills Lesson as

Why do Students Consider Integrated Skills Lesson as a Grammar and Vocabulary Lesson? Betül Doğdu & Dilek Arca

Content • • Exploratory practice (EP) Background Puzzling questions Methodology EP Phases Meetings with management Results & Discussion Implications

Exploratory Practice (EP) ing o d f o y a wa s i e c es i v t l c o a v r n p i tory hich Explora er research w vities i t c a c n i g o the practiti ormal pedago n i n o g n oin utilizing tand what is g nks, 2009). a rs to unde (Allwright & H m classroo 7 principles (Allwright, 2011 as cited in Dar 2015, p. 52): What 1. focus on quality of life 2. work to understand first Who 3. involve everybody 4. work to bring people together 5. work collaboratively for mutual development How 6. sustainable enterprise PLUS 7. minimise the effort utilizing normal pedagogic activities

Background *1 year preparatory class *Modular system *Skill lessons + 1 main course *Students’ misconception of the IS

Puzzling questions 1. Why do the students assume the main course lesson as a grammaroriented vocabulary course rather than a course which integrates all skills? 2. What can be the reason for this misconception? Why do Students Consider Integrated Skills 3. Is it the way the approach is implemented or just the perceptions of the students cause Lesson asthis a confusion? Grammar and Vocabulary Lesson? 4. Does not the integrated skills lesson truly allow students to cross the borders between the receptive and productive skills? 5. Is integrating the four language skills really possible in EFL classes? Does theory work effectively in practice?

Methodology tch ma y s i d u m t s a for ative s t n i l o a s u rea le q e l a c b i s s l *sma out the po d *to fin EP wi th meet 4 instruc ings w to ith m rs anage me *4 instructors w ith 2 to 10 years experience *management: director of So. FL Prep Class corrd inator 5 supervisors 1 MDO member nt

EP Phases Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5 Phase 6 What the Phase Refers to Warm-up Engaging with the puzzle Role-play Group discussion Summarising Evaluation and reflection

Meetings with management *Do you think students consider IS lesson as a grammar and vocabulary lesson? *What might be the reasons for this? *What do you think is the teacher and student perspective to this? *Is there a specific skill that the teachers focus on or neglect in the classroom? *What would you suggest Curriculum Development Office regarding this matter?

Results & Discussion Theme Previous learning habits Synthesis Students’ goals Motivation Code students' background knowledge learning methods that students are used to difficulty in synthesizing different skills students have learnt aims for learning exam oriented learning reaction to skill-based and task-based learning preference of traditional learning methods preference of mechanical activities exam oriented learning

Results & Discussion cont. *All these themes and codes are interwoven into each other. *Our puzzle about the students’ misconception of IS lessons is now also puzzling other stakeholders. *The management and the teachers agree that previous learning habits affect students’ motivation *Both parties think that their motivation is also fostered by their learning goals and their aim to pass the preparatory class. *The management suggests the teachers’ own preference may be to teach grammar more than the skills. *We gained an insight into the learners’ and teachers’ perspectives. *Conducting classroom research in EP framework was not as difficult as it seemed at the beginning.

Implications *Teacher training- observations & peer observations *A study skills programme might be planned. *Explicit grammar teaching in skill lessons *Revision of curricular documents.