Language Learning: French autoethnography

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Phase 2

An example might help to clarify the relationships we are looking for here in Phase 2: If we consider French language TV as an example resource, then we can see that different types of French TV programme have been found in the data:news; Tele matin; advertisements; game shows. All resources are potentially inter-connected, but the relationships that have been identified within the data between the French language TV resources and other resources can be described as follows:

Resources are categorised in the Ecology of Resources according to the role that they play and the French Language TV resources are organised into the same category as Video and Film; Audio and digital technologies, the paper resources, such as the dictionary and language course books and the language materials made by the Learner, and, very importantly the people with whom the learner interacts. There is the potential for the French Language TV resources to be part of an ‘influences’ relationship with all the other resources in the People and Tools category. And as with other People and Tools category resources, one can also see an ‘influences’ relationship between the French Language TV resource and resources from the Knowledge and Skills category: The French language: its syntax, semantics, living form and the skills people need in order to be able to use it. The French Language TV resource has an ‘influences’ relationship with resources from the Environment category too: the living accommodation where the TV set most frequently viewed was located, for example.  

The Blog entry for 28 April offers some data with examples of some of these ‘influences’ relationships – I have identified resources for learning from the People and Tools category in blue, from the Knowledge and Skills category in green and those from the Environment category in red:

As I sat in front of the TV doing my homework ready for class I was amused to note that I find the gentle flow of French conversation in the background useful. This is a very different situation to that in force when I last learnt French many years ago when TV and homework certainly did not mix. I feel I am benefitting from my decision to spend a section of the day in French immersion as far as possible. This was helped with a good start from William, who was on good form this morning and aided by my understanding a little more of the one o-clock news. I was very amused to see the tractors in Paris as farmers protested about falling prices and stricter regulation: they would prefer to return to the EU rules. The farmers had taken their tractors to Paris and had travelled from Place de Nation to Place de la Bastille and from Place de la Bastille to Place du Republique If I understood the bulletin correctly the Parisians who were interviewed seemed, as ever, patient and understanding of the protest despite the fact that it seemed to be blocking much of the traffic. Mind you I don’t think any motorists were amongst those interviewed. Now that I am back in France, after coming from England, I continue to notice the difference in people’s attitudes to industrial action here.

Notice that I have not categorised the individual items in the description of the one o’clock news report: the tractors in Paris as farmers protested about falling prices and stricter regulation: they would prefer to return to the EU rules. The farmers had taken their tractors to Paris and had traveled from Place de Nation to Place de la Bastille and from Place de la Bastille to Place du Republique. These are identified within the resource identified as the news bulletin, which was part of the one o-clock news.

We can also explore the filters and the potential ‘influences’ relationships between these filters and the resources that we have identified, as well as the potential ‘influences’ relationships between the different filters. We can see in the data example above that the fact that there is homework indicates the existence of the Opinion Learning/philosophy filter and since the homework emanated from the language school then the filters of Management, Administration, and Commercial structure all come into play. These filters are also relevant to the rented accommodation where the learner is watching the TV. The learner is an English speaker and therefore her experience of the French Language TV resource will be filtered by The English Language. The TV bulletin is about a strike by French farmers and therefore thePolitical/Economic filter is relevant too. The influence of the Time filter is also clear in the text, for example: spend a section of the day in French immersion and the one o-clock news. The Media ethos/editorial filter influences the TV reports and the Distribution, Power, and Network Service Provision filters will have influenced the availability of the TV and its programs to the learner.

Other data sources can also be used to clarify the relationships within this TV learning experience. For example, if we look at the diary entry for the day that the Blog entry refers to i.e. 27 April, we can see the record of watching breakfast TV between 7-8 am, hence the reference to William: the Breakfast TV host, in the Blog text. There is no direct reference to the one o-clock news in the diary, but there is reference to completing the homework mentioned in the Blog post. There is also reference to some resources viewed on ‘about.com’ that deal with prepositions; to listening to the audio course; to working on making some verb conjugation sheets (which were subsequently uploaded to the blog); and to watching the news later in the day at 8pm.

The blog entry read:

My particular issue today has been prepositions, particularly when used to describe going to and from places. I have noted previously how I find these little words difficult to handle, so I have decided to focus on these for the Franglais today. I have also added the following resources: Regular Verb Examples – Present, Past Participle and Future
Key Irregular Verbs – Present, Past Participle and Future

This indicates the relationship between the blog and the paper resources and between these and the on-line resources at ‘about-com’.

Here is an extract from the material on ‘about-com’ to which the blog entry refers.

French Prepositions - Les Prépositions

Prepositions are the little words that are placed in front of nouns in order to indicate a relationship between that noun and a verb, an adjective, or another noun.

The following is a list of the most common French prepositions with links to detailed explanations and examples. 

We could also look at other instances of TV watching within the data to explore what other resources, filters and relationships can be identified, so that we can build up a clearer understanding of the French language TV resources and its relationships. For example, the regular references to watching the 8pm news.