Workshop 2
Understanding How We Use
Language for Different Purposes
Workshop 2
Supporting Student’s
Literacy learning
Slide 1
Interactions
Who?
How?
About what?
E.g. Andrea
Met her in the staffroom
before school – face to face.
Discussed the film
festival.
• Include interactions you had with a family
member or friend, with people at work, or
with a stranger
• Was it speaking by phone or face-to-face; or
writing using email, text letter, note etc?
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 2
Field, tenor and mode
• The field:
– What the communication is about - the field.
– What is the content matter or topic of the
communication?
• The tenor:
– Who you are communicating with - the tenor.
– Who are the people taking part in the communication?
• The mode:
– How you are communicating - The mode.
– Is it spoken or written communication and what media
are used?
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 3
Using language for different purposes
Language Continuum
Informal [
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Formal
Text 1“It’s Bill’s 50th on
Saturday. How about
coming to our place for
lunch? About midday?”
Text 2 “Hello Fred. I
was wondering if you
received the invitation
to Bill’s 50th birthday
party? It’s at our place
on Saturday and will
start at midday. I hope
you can come.”
Text 3 You are cordially
invited to attend a
luncheon party in
celebration of William
Smith’s 50th birthday.
The luncheon will
commence at 12.00pm
on Saturday 16
November 2010 at 2
River St. Pretty Bay.
Spoken [
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Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 4
Field Tenor and Mode
Context
Field – What was the
text about?
Tenor – Who was
taking part?
Mode – Was the
communication
written or spoken?
Typical language
patterns
Text 1
Text 2
Text 3
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 5
Activity One
Oral interaction
• Two volunteer participants do an activity
while others sit in a circle around them.
• Using the available materials volunteers
jointly construct an object that could be
used to do something in the kitchen.
• Observers note down the language being
used.
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 6
Activity two
Oral interaction
• ‘Teacher’ comes into group and asks
questions about what they made.
• Volunteers show their construction
and explain to the ‘teacher’ what it is
and how they made it.
• Observers note down the language
being used.
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 7
Activity three
Oral presentation
• ‘Volunteers’ imagine they are reporting
back to a class.
• Describe and explain what they made as
well as the decisions made in its
construction.
• They may choose to do this as a group
selecting one or two people to deliver the
presentation.
• Volunteers prepare their oral presentation .
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 8
Activity Four
Group negotiated text
• Volunteers are preparing their oral
presentation
• Observers contribute to a group
negotiated oral text.
– written prompts
– diagrams etc.
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 9
Independent Practice
• Volunteers present their report to
the rest of the group (Text 3).
• Add the typical patterns of language
to the table
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 10
Typical patterns of language used
1. Constructing an object
• Frequent commands
• Contractions
• Pronouns rather than names– that one
• Idioms – back to the drawing board
• Present /future tense
• Conversational / dialogic
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 11
Typical patterns of language used
2. Talking to the teacher
• Questions/ statements
• Evaluations - good work
• Less taken for granted
• Fewer idioms
• Present/ past tense
• Dialogic
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 12
Typical patterns of language used
3. Oral presentation
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Longer stretches of language
Statements
Fewer pronouns
Mainly past tense
Generalisations
monologic
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 13
Typical patterns of language used
4. Group negotiated oral
presentation
• Longer stretches of language
• Statements
• Fewer pronouns
• Mainly past tense
• Generalisations
• Monologic
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 14
Reflection
• What did you learn from this session?
• What skills/help/understandings did
you need to be able to participate in
the activities?
• How did you feel while doing and /
after completing the session?
• Have you ever observed the language
used by students before? If so how did
it help you to find out more about your
students?
• Will you use/adapt the fishbowl activity
in the work you do with students?
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 15
Homework Task
Read and be prepared to
comment at the next workshop
on the professional reading on
Register at the end of your
workbook.
OR
Observe the use of register in
the classroom
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 16
Glossary
• Words on the poster?
• Any words you want to note to find
out more about (Google, ask a
colleague)
• Add to the Glossary page at the end
of your workbook
Workshop 2
Session 2
Slide 17
Conclusion
Develop understandings of the
role of oral language in learning
Explore how language use is
determined by its context,
purpose and audience
The Strong Literacy and Numeracy in Communities Pilot was funded by the Australian
Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations as part of the
Education Revolution – Improving Our Schools – National Action Plan for Literacy and Numeracy