Social negotiation as the basis of effective communication in video conferencing

John MorganUniversity of Wales Aberystwyth

http://users.aber.ac.uk/jpm jpm@aber.ac.ukhttp://www.video.funet.fi/conference/abs/John_Morgan_web.pdf

From discourse to community

• The basis of education and learning

• Idealised transfer of knowledge

• Literacy as a singular concept

• Changes and challenges with increasing diversity have been embraced in education

• Focus on multiple literacies and literacy practices in education today

Contrast with higher education

• Higher education is more traditional in its consideration of what is appropriate in academic communication

• Despite this, there is an increasing focus on

team work, presentations and project work, which leads to types of student interaction that require greater social negotiation

• Widening participation and internationalisationare also creating the need to vary patterns ofcommunication, learning and assessment

From discourse to community

Discourse communities

Emphasis on conformity

Forms shared background knowledge

Ideas articulated formally

Justification through conformity

Communities of practice

Emphasis on differences

Shapes sharedbackground knowledge

Ideas negotiated

socially as a comparisonand possible contrast

Justification throughnegotiated agreement

Challenges for higher education

• In UK HE there is an increasing need to trainstudents in “transferable skills”, which will facilitate greater career prospects prior tograduation

• Changing patterns of interaction, task types, and diversity are also brought togetherthrough the need to embrace new communications media in learning

• Video conferencing offers new opportunitiesfor social negotiation of academic tasks

Video conferencing in the classroom

• Research conducted in classroom settings with international students

• Extended into Leonardo da Vinci funded Invite Project between Masaryk University, University of Castellon, four SME partners in Italy, Slovakia and the Czech Republic and the University of Wales Aberystwyth

• Pilot projects include current students at MUand UWA

SOCIAL TECHNOLOGICALFACTORS DIMENSIONS 4

Social factors and technological dimensions are interrelated characteristics that vary from group to group

Formality 1 Operational 4

Playfulness 2 Cultural 4

Design 3 Critical 4

Considerations of appropriacy (sociocultural factors, negotiation, discussion of style and content)

Participation 5

Considerations of appropriacy

(sociocultural factors, negotiation, discussion of style and content)

Reappraisal of considerations of appropriacy

Community of practice 6

© John Morgan, 2005, jpm@aber.ac.uk, http://users.aber.ac.uk/jpm

Communities of practice• Shared history

• Collective identity

• Reciprocal obligations

• Discourse

new VC participants may not have a distinct sense of shared history

some elements of e.g. being students can give a sense of collective identity, but specific aspects may be very different

at this level of mutual awareness new communities can bond more easily

the patterns of interaction that emerge may vary significantly from group to group

Based on Mercer (2000)

Negotiating design

Establishing reciprocal obligations in and across community groups through…

• social & cultural factors

• operational & technical dimensions

• language & negotiation strategies

…leads to a greater more subtle awareness of collective identity and shared history: a discourseemerges

Video extract 1 (3:00)

Social negotiation of appropriacy of response to avoid exclusion or feelings of inadequate response

“In my opinion there is no correct answer, or any answer can be correct”

“I think there’s something to be said for both answers”

Video extract 2 (2:28)

Covering technical and operational difficulties with summary of video interview as a plan B transition

“We made a video…”“We don’t hear a thing…”“It was an interview, it was about a Turkish restaurant… Maybe we can move on…”

Video extract 3 (5:14)

Negotiating the focus of a follow-up video conferencefrom spontaneous responses to discussion

“The question is if there are any Muslims from the formerYugoslavia… [in the Czech Republic]”

“If you are interested I am able to ask them”

Video extract 4 (2:12)

Follow-up from previous video conference with further information chosen for partner audience interests

“We are doing it just for fun and for discussion and to practice our English skills”“Last time you enjoyed discussing the earth’s population’s limit, so I found some information… I found a UN report…”

Negotiation & design as VC literacies

Discourse communities

Emphasis on conformity

Forms shared background knowledge

Ideas articulated formally

Justification through conformity

Communities of practice

Emphasis on differences

Shapes sharedbackground knowledge

Ideas negotiated

socially as a comparisonand possible contrast

Justification throughnegotiated agreement

• Empowers critical problem solving, which leads to assertive design

• Encourages audience awareness in relation to social features of discourse communities and communities of practice

• Activates strategies for transferability of skills

• Facilitates acquisition of appropriate socio-cultural and literacy practices

From academic to professional

• Negotiation and design strategies work very well as transferable skills between academic and professional life

• Acquisition of strategies allows participants to individualise communication for specific

audiences and partners

• This works with students and is also being used as the basis for developing a training programme for the Invite Project

Continuing research

• The next stage of theoretical work in the Invite Project is to analyse and code

numerous hours of video recordings

• The samples will initially be analysed from • language & negotiation perspectives• social & cultural factors• operational & technical dimensions

• The results will inform development of project materials for professional purposes, which can be adapted to any educational setting

Working papers and conference links

• Welsh Video Network Conference, Aberystwyth, 2005:

• Diverse Conference, Glasgow, 2006:

• Invite Project web site:

• Live Sociology photographic essay:

• Diverse Conference, Lillehammer, 27th-29th June, 2007:

• Diverse Conference, Aberystwyth, dates June, 2009: link to follow

AcknowledgementsThe work presented here could not be done without the help of:

Video conference participantsEL27720 students, University of Wales AberystwythEnglish language students, Masaryk University, Brno

Invite Project partners in the Czech Republic, Spain & UKHana Katrnakova, Masaryk University, BrnoAlena Hradilová, Masaryk University, BrnoLibor Štěpánek, Masaryk University, BrnoBarbora Budiková, Masaryk University, BrnoSantiago Posteguillo, Universitat Jaume I, CastellónJanice de Haaff, UWATechnical support team in Aberystwyth:Tom Fernandez, Information Services, UWANigel Thomas, Information Services, UWAMartin Pugh, Information Services, UWAGeoff Constable, Welsh Video Network & Information Services, UWA

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