Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e
Vol. 4(2), May-June 2011, 17-36
F om “This is impossible” o “I will make he s anda d
highe ”: A close look a in e ac ion in he CLIL class oom
Miquel Àngel Fuen es & Elena He nández
Uni e si a Au ònoma de Ba celona, Ba celona, Spain
(A icle ecei ed 15 No embe 2010; inal e sion ecei ed 14 Ap il 2011)
This pape aims o explo e he complexi ies o s uden s’ in e ac ion in a
collabo a i e lea ning ask se wi hin a CLIL uni in he EFL class oom. By
way o illus a ion, a sample om a 4 h yea class oom g ade in a seconda y
school o Ca alonia has been collec ed. The pape examines, h ough he
s uden s’ ou come, he impac o coope a i e lea ning in a con en - ich
in o ma ion swap ask and discusses he ole o con en and language in eg a ed
lea ning in he class oom. This pape concludes wi h se e al implica ions o
esea ch and p ac ice.
In oduc ion
In e ac ion in he Con en and Language In eg a ed Lea ning (CLIL) class oom has
been p o en o be a key elemen bo h as a medium o he achie emen o he goal and
he goal i sel . Speci ically, in e ac ion among s uden s in ol es nume ous in e es ing
implica ions o empi ical esea ch. This pape ’s ocus is se on how s uden s p ocess
he con en in an in o ma ion swap ask in an English as a Fo eign Language (EFL)
class oom hough coope a i e wo k. This s udy d aws on he esea ch conduc ed by
se e al membe s o he CLIL-SI collabo a i e esea ch eam. S udies like Co ede a
(2010), Escoba and Nussbaum (2008) and Ho illo (2009) analyze he complexi ies o
he jigsaw ask, anging om i s design o he quali a i e and quan i a i e app oaches
aken o analyze said ask. The esea ch desc ibed he e has been ca ied ou by
examining he s uden s’ o al p oduc ions om a quali a i e pe spec i e h ough con en
analysis, suppo ed by con e sa ion analysis., The analysis looks a da a ob ained om
he audio iles eco ded du ing wo sessions and he de ailed ansc ip s o a se o
exce p s aken om hese eco dings.
Escoba and Nussbaum (2008) explo e he lea ning p ocesses in collabo a i e
asks du ing CLIL sessions by analysing he eco dings o se e al s uden dyads du ing
he ask. They ocus hei esea ch on he s a egies used by s uden s which a e common
in all g oups, such as he s uden s’ hie a chical ision o he eache ’s ins uc ions and
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
18
hei s a egies o cons uc he con e sa ion oge he . In u he esea ch on
collabo a i e ask wi hin he same sequence, E ni skaya and Ace os (2008) ocus on he
cha ac e is ics o a ‘didac ical con ac be ween s uden s’ and i s impac on hei o eign
language lea ning and Ho illo (2009) ocuses on he amoun o ime ha s uden s spend
on- ask and o - ask du ing coope a i e ac i i ies. Using p e ious esea ch as he
ounda ion o u he explo a ion, his s udy explo es he complexi ies o s uden s’
in e ac ion in a collabo a i e, in o ma ion-swapping ask
Theo e ical amewo k
The issue o con en and language in eg a ed lea ning (CLIL) has become a signi ican
a ea o s udy among linguis s and educa o s. Desc ibed by Dal on-Pu e (2007) as a
dual- ocus educa ional con ex whe e a o eign language (English, in his case) is used
as a medium o ins uc ion in con en subjec s, he label CLIL has been ho oughly
s udied o i s bene i s o lea ne s s i ing owa ds a speci ic a ge language
compe ence. Ma sh, Ma shland and S enbe g (2001) claim a se o bene i s ha CLIL
en ails o s uden s. Fo ins ance, CLIL is claimed o be bene icial o s uden s when
in oduced as a ool o p omo ing plu ilingualism in educa ion and beyond, hus
suppo ing linguis ic di e si y. I is also conside ed as a help ul ool o he inclusion o
a b oad ange o lea ne s, beyond speci ically p i ileged mino i y g oups. Fu he mo e,
i is a gued ha CLIL enhances he de elopmen o lea ning s a egies and skills, which
a e ela ed o b oade cogni i e applica ions. Rega ding assessmen , he ac ha
s uden s a e assessed no only on language bu also on con en is also claimed o be
bene icial o s uden s, by allowing s uden s o show he b ead h o hei knowledge.
An essen ial pa o CLIL is collabo a i e lea ning. Collabo a i e lea ning
occu s when wo o mo e people a emp o lea n some hing oge he (Dillenbou g
1999). I encompasses a se o me hodologies and en i onmen s in which lea ne s sha e
a common ask whe e each indi idual depends on and is accoun able o each o he .
Collabo a i e lea ning is hea ily oo ed in Dewey’s iews (1938), which implies ha
lea ne s do no lea n in isola ion, bu by being pa o he su ounding communi y and
he wo ld as a whole, and Vygo sky’s (1978) iews, which imply ha he indi idual’s
cogni i e sys em is a esul o communica ion in social g oups and canno be sepa a ed
om social li e, as desc ibed in his heo y o he zone o p oximal de elopmen (ZPD),
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
19
which he posi ed as being “ he dis ance be ween he ac ual de elopmen al le el as
de e mined by independen p oblem sol ing and he le el o po en ial de elopmen as
de e mined h ough p oblem sol ing unde adul guidance o in collabo a ion wi h mo e
capable pee s” (p. 86).
In ela ion o collabo a i e lea ning, coope a i e lea ning e e s p ima ily o an
a ay o highly s uc u ed goals and echniques o lea ning (Ox o d 1997). I can be
de ined as a eaching a angemen in which small, he e ogeneous g oups o s uden s
wo k oge he o achie e a common goal. S uden s encou age and suppo each o he ,
assume esponsibili y o hei own and each o he ’s lea ning, employ g oup ela ed
social skills and e alua e he g oup’s p og ess (Do son 2001). The gene al consensus is
ha coope a i e lea ning can and usually does esul in posi i e s uden ou comes in all
domains (Johnson & Johnson 1998).
Kagan and Kagan (1992) desc ibe ou basic p inciples o coope a i e lea ning
which we e u he de eloped by B ody and Da idson (1998): Posi i e in e dependence
occu s when gains o indi iduals and eams co ela e posi i ely. Indi idual
accoun abili y equi es ha all s uden s a e ac i ely in ol ed and become esponsible
o hei own lea ning. This implies ha each s uden is in cha ge o a sha e o he wo k
and each sha e is key o he success o he g oup. Equal pa icipa ion akes place when
all s uden s ha e he oppo uni y o con ibu e and pa icipa e ac i ely in hei eams.
Finally, Simul aneous in e ac ion e e s o he ac ha in coope a i e lea ning all he
s uden s in e ac du ing he pe iod o ime ha he ac i i y las s.
Acco ding o Kagan (1994), g ouping is essen ial o coope a i e lea ning. The
mos widely used eam o ma ion is ha o he e ogeneous eams. Fu he mo e, he e is
s ong e idence ha he mo i a ion o s uden s is boos ed when g oup g ades and eam
ewa ds a e in oduced in he ac i i y (Sla in 1990). Pica, Lincoln-Po e , Paninos and
Linnell (1996) poin ou ha :
lea ne s wo king oge he in g oups we e ound o display g ea e mo i a ion,
mo e ini ia i e, and less anxie y ega ding hei lea ning, hey we e ound o
p oduce mo e language. I also con ained a g ea e numbe o ea u es belie ed
o assis message comp ehensibili y and he eby o se e as inpu o L2
lea ning. (p. 60)
All o he abo e is closely ied o he no ion o socio-in e ac ionism, whe e language
and lea ning p ocesses a e unde s ood as social phenomena and lea ning is
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
20
acknowledged o occu in and h ough in e ac ion. Thus hese ac o s also play a big
ole in he analysis in o de o unde s and he de elopmen o s uden s’ in e ac ion.
Peka ek Doehle and Ziegle (2007) poin ou ha “language lea ning is unde s ood as
lea ning o deal wi h locally o ganized and sequen ially s uc u ed discou se ac i i ies
and hence oo ed in he lea ne ’s pa icipa ion s uc u es o sequencing ac i i ies” (p.
85).
Fo educa o s ollowing Vygo skian ideas, he eache ac s as a acili a o and
p o ide o assis ance. Teache s acili a e he s uden s' lea ning by p o iding any and all
o ms o assis ance ha migh help s uden s de elop hei language and socio-cul u al
skills. In he second language (L2) class oom, his is in e p e ed as he eache p o iding
hin s o clues, p aising, eminding o e iewing any hing ha L2 s uden s need a a
ce ain s age o an ac i i y. When helea ne s need assis ance, he eache p o ides
sca olding o ensu e ha he lea ne ’s cons uc s g ow mo e complex. The e m
sca olding is i s desc ibed in Wood, B une and Ross (1976) as a me apho o
desc ibe he ype o assis ance o e ed by a eache o pee o suppo he s uden ’s
lea ning. Ine i ably, he ype o in e ac ion ha akes place in he class oom p o ides
key inpu o esea ch.
One dimension o in e ac ion which can ne e be segmen ed om he no ion o
lea ning as a social p ac ice is he concep ion o he s uden s’ ace and how i mu a es as
he ask p og esses. Unde he ligh o poli eness heo y, Go man (1967) in oduces he
concep o ace, which B own and Le inson (1987) u he de elop, desc ibing i as
“ he public sel -image ha e e y membe wan s o claim o himsel ” (p. 61) and
posi ing ha in e ac an s coope a e and assume each o he ’s coope a ion o main ain
each o he ’s ace in in e ac ion, e en hough ha is no a no m o maxim. They also
disce n be ween posi i e ace (an indi idual’s desi e o be liked, espec ed and
app ecia ed by o he s and o ha e his ac ions highly conside ed) and nega i e ace (an
indi idual’s basic claim o eedom o ac ion and eedom om imposi ion).
The choice o con e sa ion analysis as a me hodological ool comes om i s
app op ia eness o Second Language Acquisi ion esea ch, as i can help explain he
e lexi e ela ionship be ween pedagogy and in e ac ion and, he e o e, how he
lea ning p ocess akes place h ough in e ac ion (Seedhouse 2005).
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
21
Resea ch con ex
The audio eco dings we e collec ed a Ins i u Ga ona1 in Ap il 2010. Inciden ally, his
school is cu en ly implemen ing a PELE (P ojec e Educa iu Llengües Es ange es)
p ojec , based on he use o a o eign language o wo k on he cu iculum o con en -
based subjec s. The main objec i e o his p ojec is o imp o e he s uden s’ linguis ic
compe ence in EFL, by means o eaching cu icula con en (in his case Chemis y) in
English. This in ol es wo king in a Con en and Language In eg a ed Lea ning (CLIL)
p og am. As ex a help, he English Depa men coun s on a Language Assis an who
helps a he English and CLIL lessons o he cen e.
The s uden s who appea in he audio and ideo eco dings belong o a 4 h le el
o ESO inclusi e g oup, which co esponds o he las yea o compulso y educa ion in
Spain. They a e mos ly 15-16 yea old s uden s, al hough some o hem a e nea ly 18
because hey a e e aking he cou se. I is ele an o men ion ha his speci ic g oup is
ai ly he e ogeneous. Some o he s uden s a end ex acu icula English classes and
hei le el o compe ence by he majo i y anges be ween an A1/A2 COE le el -
acco ding o he Common Eu opean F amewo k nomencla u e. On he o he hand, some
s uden s show a ai ly lowe le el o compe ence.
In o de o p ese e he s uden s’ p i acy, all names appea ing in his s udy ha e
been subs i u ed by pseudonyms. T ansc ip ions appea ing in his s udy ollow he CA
symbol con en ions e e enced in Richa ds and Seedhouse (2007).
Ac i i y implemen ed
The audio eco dings co espond o an in o ma ion swapping ac i i y based on he
p inciples o coope a i e lea ning. This ac i i y co esponded o a jigsaw ac i i y, whe e
no only he language, bu also he con en (Chemis y) posed an ex a di icul y o
s uden s, who needed o wo k ou con en -speci ic asks enc yp ed in L2. This op ion
was chosen o pedagogical and also o ci cums an ial easons, aking in o accoun he
CLIL p og am ha he seconda y school was implemen ing.
Jigsaw eaching was in en ed and named by A onson, B idgeman and Ge ne
(1978) and was o iginally designed as an answe om educa ion o he social disa ay
ha he acial mix had p oduced in Aus in, Texas. This echnique os e ed collabo a i e
wo k and lea ning among s uden s om di e en communi ies and p o ed o be a
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
22
aluable con ibu ion o socializa ion among s uden s om di e en e hnic g oups
(A onson e al. 1978). Bo h indi idual and g oup accoun abili y a e buil in o he
p ocess (A onson 2008). In ESL class ooms, jigsaws a e a ou -skills app oach,
in eg a ing eading, speaking, lis ening and w i ing.
The implemen a ion o he ac i i y ollowed he adi ional model o a ce ain
ex en howe e , he con en ional me hod o implemen he ask was no designed o
ake in o accoun o eign language speake s. The e o e, an adap a ion o ha p ima y
me hod has been chosen in o de o exploi coope a i e lea ning in he EFL class oom.
Said adap a ion d aws on he Rain o es s eaching sequence (CLIL-SI 2006) designed
and expe imen ed by he CLIL-SI collabo a i e esea ch eam. Di e gences om he
o iginal model include: g oups being he e ogeneous and being o med by h ee o ou
s uden s, lack o a leade igu e, s uden s dealing wi h h ee opics, pe mission o w i e
down up o i e wo ds as eminde s o hei opic and s uden s being allowed o ake
no es o hei pee ’s explana ion bu no o hei own opic.
The Rain o es s sequence2 (CLIL-SI 2006) was used as a basis o he p oposal
o ins uc ions deli e y, measu es o adap and s uc u e he language, he p esen a ion
o he in o ma ion in he expe s’ shee s, he modula ion o he communica i e and
cogni i e challenges, suppo o s uden s, and he c ea ion o he inal quiz.
To implemen he ac i i y a g oup o wo eache s, wo s uden - eache s and one
esea che spli he g oup in wo hal es. The hal es we e o med by a g oup o 10 and
12 s uden s, espec i ely, who wo ked in 3 eams which anged om 3 o 4 membe s.
Bo h hal -g oups we e eco ded. The eco dings comp ise he wo sessions in which he
ac i i y ook place. S uden s we e asked no o s op he eco de du ing he whole
sessions unless he eache said so. The g oup chosen o his s udy is he one wi h 10
s uden s. The en s uden s' g oups we e subsequen ly di ided in o ou g oups o h ee
o ou s uden s. This will be called ‘home g oups’ in he es o he a icle.
These eco dings became a key pa o analysis in he da a co pus. In o de o
cope wi h he complexi ies o he cons uc ion o he s uden s’ exchanges in his o al
ask, con e sa ion analysis was chosen as an app oach which allowed o a ho ough
analysis. Th ough con e sa ion analysis, ce ain communica ion p ocesses can e eal
he mechanisms used by s uden s o mas e hei opic, exchange in o ma ion and lea n
om hei pa ne s. Con e sa ion analysis p o es ha con e sa ion in he class oom
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
23
con ex di e s g ea ly om o dina y con e sa ion. Focusing on he sequen iali y o
code-swi ching and aspec s o he con e sa ion such as epai sequences and u n
alloca ion, his s udy aims a iden i ying he possible egula i ies and pa e ns ha
s uden s use o comple e each s age o he ac i i y.
A e lis ening o he whole da a co pus, da a o analysis was selec ed acco ding
o he quali y o he sound, he ichness o he language exchanges and he s uden s’
p o iles. Once he ele an da a we e selec ed, he ocus was se on he esponse o wo
speci ic s uden s who had di e en lea ning p o iles and esponded o di e en
expec a ions. The able below shows he cha ac e isa ion o he in o man s selec ed and
he esea che s’ expec a ions on hei beha iou when con on ed wi h he ac i i y.
Table 1. P incipal in o man s acked du ing he ask
Main
in o man s Cha ac e isa ion o he in o man Resea che s’ expec a ions on he
in o man
Pau He is e aking 4 h o ESO. Failed he
p e ious English cou se. Low English
le el in e e ence o he es o he g oup.
He will p obably be o - ask mos o he
ime. He will p obably no alk in
English a all. He will p obably gi e up.
Ma He ESL ma ks a e ema kably high in
e e ence o he a e age o he g oup. She is likely o alk in English mos o
he ime. She will p obably be capable o
succeeding in he ac i i y.
In his ask he e a e o he in o man s as well, whose con ibu ions a e no p ima ily
acked bu p o ide ele an in o ma ion in he con ex o exce p s chosen. The
ollowing wo ables show he cha ac e isa ion o he es o he expe and home g oup
membe s.
Table 2. O he in o man s
Subsidia y
in o man s Cha ac e isa ion o he in o man Resea che s’ expec a ions on he
in o man
Ca les
(expe and
home g oup)
Re aking 4 h o ESO. I appea s he will
mos likely pass he cou se acco ding
o his ma ks. Low English le el in
e e ence o he es o he g oup.
As he and Pau a e bo h in he same
expe and home g oups, and also on
good e ms wi h each o he , he will y o
help Pau. He is no expec ed o use much
English. He will p obably gi e up.
Osca
(expe g oup) Re aking 4 h o ESO. He will no pass
he cou se i he con inues wi h his low
ma ks. P one o ge dis ac ed.
He migh no alk in English a all. He
will no y. He will emain silen and
o - ask mos o he ime.
E a
(home g oup) High English compe ence le el
acco ding o he ma ks. Ve y social bu
p one o beha e dis up i ely.
She is conside ed o be capable o
succeeding in he ac i i y bu she migh
no as she will be o - ask mos o he
ime. She will alk in English o en.
Laia
(home g oup) A e age English le el in e e ence o
he es o he g oup. Ve y espec ul o
eache s and classma es.
She is expec ed o y ha d o succeed in
he ac i i y. She will s uggle o alk in
English. She will help he eam ma es.
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
24
Objec i es and Resea ch Ques ions
Coope a i e lea ning has been adi ionally used in he class oom o lea n con en
(Sla in 1990). Howe e , he L2 eache ’s app oach opens a new pe spec i e, using his
app oach o a ain language goals h ough con en . This app oach can be con using o
s uden s, who in he adi ional eache -led lessons ha e he con inuous inpu o he
eache . This s udy ocuses on he use o coope a i e lea ning in an EFL class oom and
i s impac on s uden s, obse ing how hey nego ia e and cope wi h he new in o ma ion
h ough eam wo k. To achie e hese goals, his s udy poses he ollowing esea ch
ques ions:
• Does his ac i i y a ou he lea ning o s uden s wi h di e en cha ac e iza ion
and lea ning p o iles?
• How does he eeling o success in luence s uden s’ lea ning and mo i a ion?
Analysis
Pau shows a low le el o English compe ence acco ding o his ma ks and shows ce ain
discou agemen owa ds he whole educa ional sys em. He has been diagnosed wi h
a en ion-de ici hype ac i i y diso de (ADHD) and is e aking 4 h o ESO. Mo eo e ,
his is he second ime ha he e- akes a cou se, hus eaching he maximum imes ha a
s uden can e- ake a cou se in he cu en Spanish obliga o y educa ional sys em. Fo
class oom managemen pu poses, Pau and Ca les, ano he s uden wi h lowe English
compe ence le el, sha e he same opic in hei home g oup, hus o ming he only home
g oup o ou membe s. This s a egy was chosen by he eache on he spo o
class oom managemen pu poses while aiming a os e ing hei coope a i e wo k and
consequen ly ca e ing o he di e si y in he g oup.
Ma , on he o he hand, shows a high le el o English compe ence in compa ison
wi h he a e age le el o he 4 h o ESO g oup. She akes ex a-cu icula English
lessons. This s uden shows a ela i ely high po en ial o lea ning. Howe e , his
po en ial is no de eloped as he quali y o he con ibu ions du ing he lesson a e no
e lec ed in he exams. She seems o be con en wi h jus passing he subjec s.
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
25
In he ollowing exce p s, he e is e idence o he s ages he s uden s go h ough
du ing he ask de elopmen , oge he wi h in o ma ion on how hey app oach he
con en and how hey nego ia e he p ocedu e and ace he challenges.
Expe g oup, day 1
This i s exce p belongs o he expe g oup eco ded on he 15 h o Ap il, and oughly
s a s a 02’50’’ and ends a 03’07”, las ing o abou 18 seconds.
Exce p 1
Tu n Speake Tex T ansla ion
11 Pau: jo no m’en e o de es I’m no ge ing any hing
12 Osca : yo no me en e o de nada I’m no ge ing any hing
13 Ma c (T): okey (.) so you will ha e o help each o he
14 Pau: no no (.) això és impossible no no (.) his is impossible
15 Ma c (T): i you ead i aloud maybe i will help you (.)
bu i ’s up o you (.) okey/
16 Osca : yo si quie es me ap endo una línea I you wan o I can
memo ize one line
17 Pau: ood addi i es a e subs ancesss (0.5)
18 added o ood (.) ya es á added o ood (.) done
19 Osca : yo la p ime a! I wan he i s one
20 Ma : pe o io que no ’has d’apend e (.) ho has
d’en end e i ja es à bu dude you don’ ha e o
memo ize i (.) jus
unde s anding is enough
This exce p belongs o he ini ial s age o he ask, whe e s uden s join in expe g oups.
This expe g oup is in cha ge o explaining o he es o hei home g oup he p esence
o chemis y in die . This exce p is ex ac ed om he e y beginning o he eco ding
and i shows he i s imp ession om s uden s owa ds he ac i i y. In his i s exce p
he e a e signs o anxie y abou he esolu ion o he ask, as can be seen in u ns 11 o
14. The expe g oup shows ai s o doub and exp ess e bally hei eelings o being
o e whelmed and us a ed.
This g oup is ema kably he e ogeneous, composed o a emale s uden wi h a
high English compe ence le el (Ma ), ano he male s uden wi h a low le el (Ca les)
and wo o he male s uden s wi h a e y low le el (Pau and Osca ). In his exce p he
i s ai s o socializa ion in he g oup can be obse ed, which a ele an ac o o eam
wo k is. S uden s exp ess hei eelings looking o suppo and app o al om he es
o hei eam ma es. S uden s suppo each o he , as can be seen in u ns 11 and 12.
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
32
inco ec . In e es ingly, bo h Ma ’s and Pau’s pe o mance is o e he expec a ions o
bo h he eache s and he s uden - eache s.
Rega ding Pau, aking in o accoun his ajec o y, he expec a ions on his
pe o mance we e ai ly low. He was expec ed o be o - ask mos o he ime, gi e up
he ac i i y soon and no o use English a all. Howe e , he ook he ac i i y se iously
and, e en i i mean a challenge o him, he had he ein o cemen o his eam
membe s, which e en ually led him o mas e he con en and boos his con idence up o
p oducing a speech le elled o he es o his eam membe s. He does use English a lo
mo e han expec ed, using he a ge ocabula y and explaining his pa o his eam
membe s in English. He ge s eally in ol ed and inds his mo i a ion om eeling
con iden a e ha ing mas e ed he con en and being able o explain i in he a ge L2.
He easons he con en and links i o his p e ious knowledge. He gene a es doub s
while p ocessing he in o ma ion and asks his eam ma es o cla i ica ions. He manages
o p oduce a speech in elligible enough o his home eam ma es o ake no es and
manages o ge he con en ac oss.
As o Ma , she was expec ed o alk in English mos o he ime and o succeed
in he ac i i y. The expec a ions on he we e mos ly me . Ma was se in a
he e ogeneous g oup wi h h ee male s uden s who anged om a low o a e y low
English compe ence le el. This au oma ically se he as he mos knowledgeable o he
o he g oup. This led Ma o se he sel in o he ole o he eache and become he
g oup manage and leade o a ce ain ex en . Ma manages he iming, he pa ha each
membe has o mas e , he way he ac i i y is app oached and gi es ins uc ions o he
o he h ee membe s. Mo eo e , she moni o s he eam ma es’ p oduc ions bo h in
e ms o con en and in e ms o language.
Ma also p o ides posi i e ein o cemen and p o ec s he eam ma es’ ace by
using a se o posi i e poli eness s a egies such as hedging, minimising he deg ee o
imposi ion, complimen ing and exagge a ing he app o al. I is also ema kable how
Ma ’s discou se coincides wi h eminine discou se s yle, which is cha ac e ised by
p omo ing coope a ion and by emphasizing con e sa ional wo k (Holmes 2006). Ma ’s
leading ole and i s aci accep ance by he es o he eam membe s u he suppo s
E ni skaya and Ace os’s (2008) indings ega ding he issue o he con ac didac ique
(B ousseau 1997).
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
33
Conclusion
Se e al conclusions can be d awn om he analysis o he da a unde he ligh o
coope a i e lea ning. To begin wi h, i can be obse ed ha s uden s s uggle o c ea e
meaning ou o he con en by ela ing i o hei p e ious knowledge and by easoning.
I is pa amoun o s uden s ha he con en o ms pa o an accep able heo y, ha i is
ins umen ally use ul and ha i can be linked o e e ence poin s p o ided in socie y.
In he da a, i can be obse ed how he p inciples o coope a i e lea ning
desc ibed by Kagan (1994) a e acked; hey a e e iden ly p esen in he cou se o he
ac i i y. S uden s ely on posi i e in e dependence o jus i y hei mo i a ion and
suppo one ano he in he aspi a ion o a common goal. Addi ionally, s uden s de elop
hei indi idual accoun abili y by being and eeling aluable o he ou come o hei
g oup. S uden s pa icipa e equally o a ce ain ex en in he cons uc ion o knowledge
and in e ac simul aneously, cons uc ing hei knowledge coope a i ely. Resol ing
complex p oblem-based asks p omo es he e lec i e inqui y o s uden s, who sha e
hei eelings in g oup and he goal o c ea ing meaning ou o he con en . In o de o
succeed in he ac i i y, s uden s eso o sel -sca olding hei way h ough he con en
by using L1 and easoning ou he new in o ma ion. S uden s in g oup sha e hei
indings, u he in e ac ing wi h he zone o p oximal de elopmen h ough he
p esence o a mo e knowledgeable eam ma e, in an a emp o le el all he g oup
membe s’ knowledge.
The e is e idence in he eco dings ha s uden s wi h di e en ea u es and
lea ning p o iles show esul s which a e beyond he expec a ions and adap a ion o he
ask by nego ia ing and accep ing oles. The analysis also suppo s ha knowledge is
cons uc ed i s in g oup and la e cons uc ed indi idually. This leads o s uden s’
con idence boos ing as a esul o he mas e y o he con en . Consequen ly, hey eel
mo e com o able alking in he a ge L2 once hey ha e nego ia ed and p ocessed he
inpu o he con en wi h hei eam ma es.
A key pa o he ac i i y is ha s uden s manage o le el i o hei own
s anda d. The eeling o success is essen ial o c ea ing a link be ween lea ning and
mo i a ion. As s uden s eel mo e and mo e success ul, hei mo i a ion owa ds he
ac i i y g ows and hei lea ning de elops. Coope a i e wo k p o es o be a pedagogical
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
34
de ice which allows s uden s o sel -adap he ask le el o hei own needs and lea ning
s yles. The esul s ound canno be gene alized, bu di e en s udies ca ied ou by o he
CLIL-SI con ibu o s like Escoba and Nussbaum (2008), Ho illo (2009) and Co ede a
(2010) poin in he same di ec ion.
E en hough he analysis esul s p o ide se e al insigh s in o he cons uc ion o
knowledge in coope a i e lea ning, i also gene a es ce ain doub s which would need
u he esea ch in o de o each a mo e p o ound unde s anding o he implica ions o
coope a i e lea ning in he EFL class oom. Fo ins ance, he ac ha in he esea ch a
numbe o ape eco de s we e in oduced condi ioned he esponse o s uden s o a
ce ain ex en . Would he amoun o English ha e dec eased i he eco de had no been
p esen ? Some s udies ha e p e iously in es iga ed his issue (see, o example, Escoba
and Nussbaum, 2008). Ano he impo an ac o is wha happens o s uden s who ail o
cope wi h he challenge ha he ac i i y poses and decide o gi e up. Fo ins ance,
among he s uden s obse ed, one o hem, Osca , seemed o be qui e los du ing many
poin s o he ac i i y. A e he e ways o e-inco po a e los s uden s o he ac i i y once
i has begun? A e he e ways o p e en such si ua ion? Rega ding he ole o he
eache in he ac i i y, o which ex en should he eache in e ene in o de o help
s uden s wi h special needs?
In summa y, coope a i e lea ning has p o ed o be a aluable de ice o eache s
and s uden s, which os e s bo h hei capaci y o wo k in g oup and au onomously. I
enhances hei sel -con idence and i helps ca e ing o he di e si y o he g oup. This
way o lea ning supposes a mo e mo i a ional a iable in con as wi h he adi ional
eache -led lessons and con ibu es o c ea ing u u e ci izens capable o wo king
oge he , in e ac ing wi h he communi y and opening up o he wo ld.
Re e ences
A onson, E., B idgeman, D. L. & Ge ne , R. (1978). In e dependen in e ac ions and
p osocial beha io . Jou nal o Resea ch and De elopmen in Educa ion, 12: 16-
26.
A onson, E. (2008). Jigsaw class oom. Re ie ed 10 Ma ch 2011 om
h p://www.jigsaw.ne
A kinson, J.M. & He i age, J. (1984). S uc u es o social ac ion: S udies in
con e sa ion analysis. Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess.
B ody, C.M. & Da idson, N. (1998). In oduc ion: P o essional de elopmen and
Coope a i e lea ning. In C.M. B ody & N. Da idson (Eds.), P o essional
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
35
de elopmen o coope a i e lea ning- Issues and app oaches (pp. 3-24). S a e
Uni e si y o NY P ess: Albany NY.
B ousseau, G. (1997). Theo y o didac ical si ua ions in ma hema ics: Didac ique des
ma héma iques. Do d ech : Kluwe .
B own, P. & Le inson S.C. (1987). Poli eness. Some uni e sals in language usage.
Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess.
CLIL-SI (2006). Rain o es s. Seqüència didàc ica pe l’aula AICLE inclusi a. Teaching
ma e ials a ailable a : h p://g upsde ece ca.uab.ca /clilsi/
Co ede a, A. (2010). Uso de la lengua ex anje a en a eas pa a ap ende ciencias en
inglés: ¿hablan inglés? AESLA 25 Yea s o Applied Linguis ics in Spain:
Miles ones and Challenges. Re ie ed 10 Ma ch 2011 om
h p://www.um.es/lacell/aesla/con enido/indice-al abe ico.h ml
Dal on-Pu e , C. (2007). Discou se in con en and language in eg a ed lea ning.
Ams e dam. John Benjamins.
Dewey, J. (1938). Expe ience and educa ion. New Yo k: Collie Books.
Dillenbou g, P. (1999). Collabo a i e lea ning: Cogni i e and compu a ional
app oaches. Ad ances in Lea ning and Ins uc ion Se ies. New Yo k: Else ie
Science.
Do son, J. M. (2001). Coope a i e lea ning s uc u es can inc ease s uden achie emen .
Kagan Online Magazine, 1-11. Re ie ed 17 Janua y 2011, om
h p://www.kaganonline.com/KaganClub/F eeA icles/Inc easeAchie emen .h m
l
Escoba U mene a, C. & Nussbaum, L. (2008). Ta eas de in e cambio de in o mación y
p ocesos de ap endizaje en el aula AICLE. In A. Camps & M. Milian (Eds.)
Mi adas y oces. In es igaciones sob e la educación lingüís ica y li e a ia en
en o nos plu ilingüe ( pp. 159-178). Ba celona: G aó.
E ni skaya, N. & Ace os, J.C. (2008). "We a e a good eam": el con a o didác ico en
pa ejas de ap endices de lengua ex anje a. Re is a Española de Lingüís ica
Aplicada (RESLA), 21: 45-70.
Holmes, J. (2006). Gende ed alk a wo k. Ox o d: Blackwell Publishing.
Ho illo, Z. (2009). A s udy o he on- ask and o - ask ac i i y ca ied ou by eenage
lea ne s du ing a con en and language in eg a ed lea ning ask. The
In e na ional Jou nal o Lea ning, 16(11): 113-136.
Go man, E. (1967). In e ac ion i ual: Essays on ace- o- ace beha io . New Yo k:
Pan heon Books.
Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R. (1998). Coope a i e lea ning. Edina, MN: In e ac ion
Book Company.
Kagan, S. (1994). Coope a i e lea ning. San Clemen e: Resou ces o Teache s.
Kagan, S. & Kagan, M. (1992). Coope a i e lea ning. Kagan coope a i e lea ning. San
Juan Capis ano, CA.
Ma sh D., Ma shland B. & S enbe g K. (2001). CLIL compendium. Re ie ed 20
Feb ua y 2011 om h p://www.clilcompendium.com
Ox o d, R. (1997). Coope a i e lea ning, collabo a i e lea ning, and in e ac ion: Th ee
communica i e s ands in he language class oom. The Mode n Language
Jou nal, 81(4): 443-456 (Special Issue: In e ac ion, Collabo a ion, and
Coope a ion: Lea ning Languages and P epa ing Language Teache s).
Peka ek Doehle , S. & Ziegle , G. (2007). Doing language, doing science and he
sequen ial o ganiza ion o he imme sion class oom. In Z. Hua, P. Seedhouse, L.
Fuen es & He nández
Bella e a Jou nal o Teaching & Lea ning Language & Li e a u e. 4.2
(May-June 2011): 17-36. ISSN 2013-6196.
36
Wei, & V. Cook (Eds.), Language lea ning and eaching as social in e ac ion
(pp. 72-87). Macmillan: Palg a e.
Pica, T., Lincoln-Po e , F., Paninos, D., & Linnell, J. (1996). Language lea ne s’
in e ac ion: How does i add ess he inpu , ou pu , and eedback needs o L2
lea ne s? TESOL Qua e ly, 30: 59-84.
Richa ds, K. & Seedhouse, P. (Eds.) (2007). Applying con e sa ion analysis. London:
Palg a e.
Seedhouse, P. (2005). Con e sa ion analysis and language lea ning. S a e o he A .
Language Teaching, 38: 165-187.
Sla in, R. E. (1990). Coope a i e lea ning. Bos on: Allyn and Bacon.
Vygo sky, L. S. (1978). Mind in socie y: The de elopmen o highe psychological
p ocesses. Camb idge, MA: Ha a d Uni e si y P ess. (O iginal wo k published
in 1960).
Wood, D., B une , J. S., & Ross, G. (1976). The ole o u o ing in p oblem sol ing.
Jou nal o Child Psychology and Psychia y, 17: 89–100.
No es
1 The name has been changed o main ain anonymi y o he pa icipan s and he cen e.
2Didac ic ma e ial a ailable a : h p://g upsde ece ca.uab.ca /clilsi/
Appendix: T ansc ip ion con en ions
Adap a ion o he ansc ip ion con en ions p oposed by Gail Je e son (A kinson and He i age 1984).
= indica es la ching be ween u ns
(1.0) an in e al be ween u e ances (1 second in his case)
(.) a e y sho un imed pause
wo d ela i ely high pi ch
wo d i alics indica e code swi ch o Ca alan
wo d bold ex indica es code swi ch o Spanish
CAPITALS ela i ely high olume
a:: he colon indica es leng hening o he owel
? ising in ona ion, no necessa ily a ques ion
alling in ona ion
/ anima ed o empha ic one
ºwo dº ela i ely quie olume
<wo d> leng hening o he wo d
(xxx) unclea alk
Au ho Re e ences:
Miquel Àngel Fuen es inished his English Philology deg ee (Au onomous Uni e si y o Ba celona /
Uni e si a Au ònoma de Ba celona, 2009) and hen ook wo Mas e deg ees: TEFL (Teaching English
as a Fo eign Language) and TED (Teache s’ Educa ion), also a he Au onomous Uni e si y o
Ba celona, (2010). Cu en ly, he is wo king on he Resea ch in Language and Li e a u e Teaching
Mas e ’s Deg ee (Au onomous Uni e si y o Ba celona, cou se 2010-2011) and is a membe o he
DALE-APECS p ojec as a esea che and echnician.
Email: miquelangel. uen e[email p o ec ed] (p incipal au ho )
Elena He nández holds a Bachelo ’s deg ee in Jou nalism om he Au onomous Uni e si y o
Ba celona (Uni e si a Au ònoma de Ba celona). She has wo ked in communica ions and mass media and
has he own jou nal abou echnology called RFID magazine. She ook he Mas e ’s deg ee in Seconda y
Teache Educa ion in 2010, specializing in English, also om he Uni e si a Au ònoma de Ba celona
(UAB).
Email: [email p o ec ed]
