The Methodological Approach

The methodological approach to take in an action-research is something very important. Since I want my research-action to be worthwhile for me and even others, I think that the collect of data is something that I must take very seriously. This method will help me understand the progress made by the students when confronted with my approach. It will also help me to see the pitfalls of my approach so I can readjust myself after.
Since my goal is to make students talk by enriching their vocabulary with songs, my activities will be centered around discussion which is an important part of the MELS program in ESL classes. I think that interaction is the best way to practice English since you learn from others as much as from yourself. What I would like to do is to choose a simple but thought-provoking song about a hot topic like war, environment, or racism as examples. Good examples would be the songs Masters of War or Blowing in the Wind by Bob Dylan. Students would have to listen to the song and fill the blanks on a sheet with missing words. Then I would discuss the meaning of the song with them and try to get some reactions on the subject to activate their prior knowledge. I would also explain and help them with difficult words. The first part of the activity will serve as scaffolding so the students know how and when to use this new vocabulary. All the words and expressions would be noted in a notebook that they can refer to during conversations with their peers. However, the best way to see if students have understood the meaning of the song is by putting them in small teams so they can discuss the song. I like the idea of a debate where two students chose a side and two others defend the other point of view. This way, I would be able to see who’s speaking English (since it is the main goal with this activity) and it would be easy for me to keep a list of names with multiple criteria to keep track of the progression of each student. Since they would be in small groups, it would be easier for me to see who is speaking and who is not. If some students are shy and don’t seem to participate, I can take them one at the time while the rest of the team discuss, and engage a conversation with them that relate to the song and vocabulary we have just seen.. The goal here is not to give them any privilege, but to put them in a situation where they feel more comfortable and secure to engage a conversation. The data would be collected by taking notes on how students interact during the discussions. I would go around the classroom and listen to each team while they discuss. The kind of criteria on my sheet would be the following:
- Are they able to use specific strings of words from the song?
- Do they use these strings of words in the good context?
- Are they able to rephrase these strings of words in their own words?
- Are the students using any strategies to communicate and understand?
- Do students always speak English?
Another method would be to see if they are able to pronounce the words correctly. Listening to the song while reading the lyrics will help them to catch on the meaning of the song as well as with the pronunciation of certain words. By working with strings of words, students will be able, with the help of the rhythm of the song, to pronounce these words correctly with the appropriate stress and intonation. I would use the same method as mentioned above to evaluate the progress of the students. All this data would be collected in a journal. This journal would be very useful to see the progress of each student.