Page 100 - Beyond Methods

88
Minimizing perceptual mismatches
9.
The learner (S2) attempts a fairly detailed, bottom-up explana- tion of how to go about solving a problem. This procedural think- ing on the part of S2 is not what the teacher expected to hear, al- though it is correct. She, therefore, gives up on the student without giving any feedback and decides to try another tactic.
Instructional mismatch: This source refers to instructional guid- ance given by the teacher or indicated by the textbook writer to help learners carry out the task successfully.
Episode 4.9
T2 OK...hmm...whatthislessonis...itiscalledadvertisement. It is supposed to help you learn to read advertisements . . . hmm. . .andtheydothatby. . .theygiveyouaparagraphtoread and some question . . . a task to figure out. Read and remember the items . . .
S3 (much later in the class, S3 asks a question) Do we have to mem- orize?
T2 No...no...youdon’thavetomemorize.
The instructional direction given by the teacher is simple and clear enough not to be misunderstood—just read and remem- ber the items. However, S3 was doubtful about what he was ex- pected to do. It became clear during the postobservational in- terview that the word remember in the teacher talk had misled the learner. He associated the word with memorizing. He did not see any sense in memorizing the text and therefore asked a question that appeared to the teacher to be silly, as she con- fided later. Even straightforward instructional guidance can produce unintended effects.
10. Attitudinal mismatch: This source refers to participants’ atti- tudes toward the nature of L2 learning and teaching, the nature of classroom culture, and teacher-learner role relationships. Adult learners, by virtue of their prior experience, have fairly well-established attitudes toward classroom management, and these preconceived notions can easily contribute to the mis- match between teacher intention and learner interpretation. Consider the following episode: