Pedagogical scaffolding can be achieved for Chinese classes using Weibo by employing various techniques. For beginner classes, continuity is established through connecting vocabulary, tutorials and worksheets to account registration. Contextual support comes from materials like vocabulary lists and tutorials. More advanced classes see less need for support and more individualized contingency. Across classes, handouts on useful accounts facilitate handing student control over to using Weibo independently. Analyzing teaching videos and Weibo posts shows how scaffolding techniques help students meet objectives like signing up for and engaging with Weibo.

1. USING WEIBO FOR CHINESE
CLASSES: FROM THE PERSPECTIVE
OF PEDAGOGICAL SCAFFOLDING
Yinghua Cai
MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, 2013
Monterey Institute of International Studies

2. BACKGROUND
•
Since July 2012, I have experimented with the idea of using Weibo, a Chinese
social networking tool, to teach college-level Chinese classes. I taught three
content-based classes related to Weibo to adult students in the 2012 Summer
Intensive Language Program (SILP) at the Monterey Institute of
International Studies (MIIS). In Fall 2012, through a student-run language
club, Beyond Yourself in Language Development (B.U.I.L.D.) at MIIS, I
taught an advanced-level interest course named Chinese Social Media, which
incorporated a Weibo group as the main channel for class participant
communication. In retrospect, I found my own teaching experience with
Weibo not only worthy of documentation but also worthy of further analysis,
which may shed light on teaching with social networking sites (SNSs) as well
as pedagogical scaffolding in general.

3. WEIBO （微博）

4. DEFINITION OF WEIBO
• Kai-Fu Lee, Founder of the Chinese venture capital
Innovation Works, explains what Weibo is and why it
is important on LinkedIn. He says,
• “Weibo literally means „micro-blog‟, and some have
called Weibo „the Chinese Twitter‟. But more
accurately, Weibo is a 500-character Twitter with
Facebook look-and-feel, in a country with very few
high-quality traditional media. Weibo is offered by
several companies, with Sina having a leadership
position.”

5. SOCIAL NETWORKING IN FOREIGN
LANGUAGE EDUCATION
•
McBridge (2009)
•
Antenos-Conforti (2009)
•
Baran (2010)
•
Friday (2010)
•
Johnson (2011)
•
Kabilan, Ahmad & Abidin (2010)
•
Mills & Chandra (2011)
•
Raguseo (2010)
•
Harrison & Thomas (2009)

6. SCAFFOLDING
•
The game consists of an initial contact, the establishment of joint attention,
disappearance, reappearance, and acknowledgement of renewed contact. These
obligatory features or the “syntax” of the game occur together with optional
features, such as vocalizations to sustain the infant‟s interest, responses to the
infant‟s attempts to uncover the mother‟s face, etc. These “non-rule bound” parts
of the game are an instance of the mother providing a “scaffold” for the child
(Bruner & Sherwood, 1975, p. 280).

7. SCAFFOLDING
•
In parallel with Vygotsky‟s (1978) concept of an expert assisting a novice,
Wood et al. (1976) described scaffolding as the support given to a younger
learner by an older, more experienced adult and identified certain processes
that aid effective scaffolding:
•
Gaining and maintaining the learner‟s interest in the task.
•
Making the task simple.
•
Emphasizing certain aspects that will help with the solution.
•
Control the child‟s level of frustration.
•
Demonstrate the task.

8. PEDAGOGICAL SCAFFOLDING
Van Lier (2007)

9. CASE STUDY
•
Van Lier (2005) suggested that case studies are very useful for graduate
students in SLA; not only should they study classic case studies in the field
but they should also conduct their own small case study to bring to life the
theoretical knowledge introduced in the textbooks and research articles.
•
As for the potential topics for case study, van Lier (2005) proposes that the
role of technology in SLA is in need of case study research.
•
Furthermore, Duff (2008) concludes that online language development and
use is one emerging field for case study research given the increasing use of
computers and the Internet in language education.

10. SOCIAL NETWORKING AND
PEDAGOGICAL SCAFFOLDING
•
Although language teachers shared their teaching experience in using SNSs
such as Facebook and Ning (Damron & Forlano, 2009), in-depth analyses of
their own teaching practice in terms of pedagogical scaffolding are still
lacking (van Lier, 2007). Huang (2012) discusses scaffolding with backward
design when dealing with 4 Weibo Genres and suggests potential class
activities to be included in Chinese classes ; however, more work still needs
to be done with regard to pedagogical scaffolding (van Lier, 2007).

11. RESEARCH QUESTION
How can pedagogical scaffolding be
achieved for Chinese classes using Weibo?

12. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

13. MATERIALS
• lesson plans
• handouts
• tutorials
• reflection notes
• Weibo posts
• observer feedback
• teaching videos

14. RESEARCH QUESTION
How can pedagogical scaffolding be
achieved for Chinese classes using Weibo?

15. PROCEDURES AND ANALYSIS
•
For the three SILP classes, I watched the three teaching videos multiple
times and transcribed part of the class interaction. Based on the videos, I
matched students‟ behaviors (verbal and/or non-verbal) with the expected
learning outcomes (course and/or lesson objectives). Once expected learning
outcomes were observed, I identified relevant course materials and teacher
behaviors, which contributed to such “achievement”. My teaching
reflections, including what worked well and what did not, were used as a
reference to back up my interpretation of the “achievement”.
•
For my Chinese Social Media class, I collected all the posts in the Weibo
group, and matched them with course and/or lesson objectives. If students‟
posts showed desirable learning outcomes, I identifed relevant course
materials and teacher behaviors, which contributed to such “achievement”.
The observer‟s feedback, in this case, will be used as a reference.

16. PROCEDURES AND ANALYSIS
• If students have met certain course objectives and completed
designated tasks in a lesson, then my pedagogical scaffolding can
be viewed as “achieved”. After that, by closely looking at the
lesson plans and course materials, my observer‟s feedback, as
well as the teaching videos and posts in the Weibo group, I will
identify and explain van Lier‟s (2007) salient design features of
pedagogical scaffolding, which involves continuity, contextual
support, intersubjectivity, contingency, handover/takeover, and flow
on both the course level and activity level, where “achievement”
has been observed.

17. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
• CAN-DO STATEMENT

18. SILP INTERMEDIATE: STUDENTS CAN
SIGN UP FOR A WEIBO ACCOUNT.
• Continuity: Task connections (Vocab-Tutorial-WorksheetRegistration)
• Contextual support: Vocabulary list, tutorials, tutorial worksheet
• Intersubjectivity: Peer scaffolding (unintentional)
• Contingency: Individual consultation during account registration
• Handover: Handouts (people worth following)
• Flow: Four skills involved, first-time using the tool, excitement

19. SILP ELEMENTARY: STUDENTS CAN
SIGN UP FOR A WEIBO ACCOUNT.
• Continuity: Task connections (Vocab-Tutorial-WorksheetRegistration)
• Contextual support: Vocabulary list, tutorials, tutorial worksheet
• Intersubjectivity: Peer scaffolding (unintentional)
• Contingency: Individual consultation during account registration
• Handover: Handouts (people worth following)
• Flow: Four skills involved, first-time using the tool, excitement

20. SILP ADVANCED: STUDENTS CAN SIGN
UP FOR A WEIBO ACCOUNT.
• Continuity: Task connections (Vocab-Tutorial-Registration)
• Contextual support: vocabulary list, tutorials
• Intersubjectivity: NA
• Contingency: Individual consultation with the instructor
• Handover: Handouts (people worth following), presentation prep
• Flow: NA

21. CHINESE SOCIAL MEDIA CLASS:
STUDENTS CAN ENGAGE IN WEIBO
GROUP CONVERSATIONS.

22. STUDENT GOAL SETTING (EXAMPLES)

23. LIMITATIONS
• Researcher bias
• Limited in terms of the instructional time, number of
students, nature of the program and/or class

24. VALUE
• Learner training (e.g., Dickinson, 1996; Jiménez Raya,
1998; Wenden, 1991; White, 2008)
• Promoting learner autonomy
• In-service and/or pre-service teacher training

25. Questions?
Suggestions?
Anything you want to share?
Contact: yinghua.cai.chloe@gmail.com