Abstract:

From 2021 to 2024, a group of researchers and teachers engaged in a collaborative research project that sought to answer the following question: How can secondary teachers foster the development of their students’ oral communication competence through pragmatic oral activities? Over the course of three years, the team met on thirteen occasions, following the steps of the collaborative research model.

The first stage, co-situation, revealed significant needs related to the teaching of pragmatic oral communication. These needs were amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, which appeared to have disrupted students’ opportunities to develop oral competence in authentic and varied contexts.The cooperation and co-production stages of the model created a space for joint exploration and innovation. Together, researchers and teachers co-constructed pedagogical resources aimed at supporting the explicit teaching of pragmatic oral communication.

Now that the research project is finish, it’s time to look at the practice adjustments teachers made.
This presentation will report on these adjustments, examining how participation in the project influenced both teaching and assessment of pragmatic oral communication. We will present findings drawn from semi-structured interviews, group discussions, reflective journals, and co-constructed materials. Results suggest that teachers became more intentional in planning for oral interaction, more confident in assessing pragmatic aspects of communication, and more attentive to the integration of oral language across the curriculum.

Keywords:

Oral communication, teaching, pragmatic, practice adjustments.