Read the following short case study:

"Chen’s first language is Mandarin. She mostly understands texts when reading but at times struggles to understand and process what is being said in live events such as new course briefings. She finds that she often understands the words but is confused why some topics are mentioned during the briefing that don’t seem to be relevant."

Consider the following questions and propose some responses in relation to your own teaching practice:

What are the key issues the student is facing within this learning situation?
How as a teacher can you respond to support the student?
How could you adapt your teaching practice to pre-empt some of the challenges the student is facing?

Once you have thought through each question move on to the next page to explore some suggested actions from the literature.

Reflections

The following audio provides some reflections from the session leader and a colleague discussing particular aspects of the case study.

Drawing upon the wider research literature, the following strategies have been identified as good practice examples for responding to the issues highlighted within the case study.

Suggested strategies:

GSA briefs should be stand-alone written documents. Students should be able to get from the brief all the information they need to engage effectively with the assignment.
When introducing the brief it is useful to follow the same structure, the same headings and subheadings, as used in the brief.
In the written brief it is useful to include specialist vocabulary, and terms that it would be good for students to engage with and research.
In a verbal introduction to the brief it is useful to keep vocabulary more general, and if it's necessary to introduce ‘target’ vocabulary or terms, to spend time explaining these. If you contextualise terms/vocabulary through examples in the verbal introduction, it would be useful to also include these examples in the written brief.
The written brief should be available in advance of its introduction. Even a day in advance will allow second language students, and all students, to self-study, become familiar with the context and vocabulary, prepare questions, and better engage with a verbal introduction.
Visuals and examples improve communication, alongside both the written and spoken word. Any visuals or examples introduced should be available on the VLE for self-study before and after the verbal introduction.

Manage listening expectations at all times

Similar to the sign posting found in academic writing, there should be few real surprises for students when they are listening to a brief being introduced, going off on a tangent, or using anecdotal stories can cause confusion. When listening, second language students require high levels of concentration. If a student is thinking, “Why is this significant?”, then concentration, and therefore understanding, can be interrupted.

To return to the case studies please click: Exploring Your Practice