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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Selected Works

Heather Willis Allen

Sociocultural theory

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Appropriating Conceptual And Pedagogical Tools Of Literacy: A Qualitative Study Of Two Novice Foreign Language Teaching Assistants, Beatrice Dupuy, Heather W. Allen Dec 2011

Appropriating Conceptual And Pedagogical Tools Of Literacy: A Qualitative Study Of Two Novice Foreign Language Teaching Assistants, Beatrice Dupuy, Heather W. Allen

Heather Willis Allen

Guided by a sociocultural theory perspective, this qualitative study explores how conceptual understanding and teaching practices related to literacy evolved for two novice TAs of Spanish during and after an “Introduction to FL Teaching” seminar. In particular, this study sought to answer the following questions: 1. In what ways were participants’ everyday concepts of language learning and teaching evidenced in their reactions to literacy-based FL pedagogy and its application in their local context? 2. What were the conceptual learning outcomes of participation in a one-semester seminar on literacy-oriented FL pedagogy? 3. According to participants, which activities and tools from the …


Embracing Literacy-Based Teaching: A Longitudinal Study Of The Conceptual Development Of Novice Foreign Language Teachers, Heather W. Allen Dec 2010

Embracing Literacy-Based Teaching: A Longitudinal Study Of The Conceptual Development Of Novice Foreign Language Teachers, Heather W. Allen

Heather Willis Allen

Taking a sociocultural theory perspective (Lantolf & Thorne, 2006), this longitudinal study explored the conceptual development of two teaching assistants in a university foreign language department in relation to literacy and language teaching. Findings illustrate the "twisting path" (Vygotsky, 1987, p. 156) of concept development experienced by the two first-time teachers of Spanish as their understandings of literacy and efforts to use tools of literacy evolved over several years. Evidence of the ability to think through concepts of literacy in structuring teaching practices did not emerge for either participant until four semesters after they started teaching, illustrating what a gradual …