Josephine Milton

In this paper I present data pertaining to the bilingual language use of a student teacher during English lessons in Maltese primary school classes. The case study was undertaken as part of a larger study, however, for the purpose of this paper I will focus only on one student teacher and a selection of her experiences. The impetus for the study came about because I was interested in finding out how English and Maltese, as the official languages of Malta, were used by student teachers while teaching primary school pupils. Classroom observations during the professional practice placement were held to find out whether Maltese, as the L1, was drawn on during English lessons. I also held interviews with the participant to obtain feedback as to when and why the first language was used during the lessons. In the primary school classrooms observed, Maltese was drawn on mainly to ensure understanding and learning, for procedural issues, to address classroom management issues and to establish a friendly atmosphere during English lessons. Both languages were used to mediate learning and to negotiate meaning and understanding.

At times there seems to be a lack of consistency between what teachers state they do and what they actually do in classrooms. This mismatch between practice and beliefs may also be evident in the perception of language use of teachers or student teachers in a bilingual and multilingual setting. This departure from practice in line with stated intentions or beliefs might be undertaken consciously in order to respond to the situation in a responsible manner. In class teachers may engage in practices that do not support their beliefs or intentions about language teaching or learning due to various reasons. In this paper I delve into the experiences of a student-teacher during English lessons in Maltese Primary Schools to explore whether her practices tally with her stated beliefs. Reasons for tensions between stated beliefs and classroom practices will be studied through qualitative data collected through classroom observations, questionnaires and interviews with the student-teacher.

The world is currently experiencing the unimaginable impact of a pandemic. From one day to the other, academics at the University of Malta were forced to shift to working remotely as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Maltese islands. This paper uncovers the lived shared experiences of eight female academics (authors of this paper) who, despite the perceived challenges, considered it also as an opportunity to explore how to conduct research together through online collaboration. This paper thus presents a qualitative study grounded in a narrative inquiry of this collective experience. The collaborative work is informed by: social learning theories influenced by Vygostky; elements from feminist thinking; and literature on collaborative research, online collaboration and academic identity. Our recorded views, as participant-researchers and part of the narrative inquiry, focus on the birth and growth of what we now refer to as the ‘Early Childhood and Primary Education (ECPE) research team’. A thematic analysis of the accounts on our experiences have led to the development of a six-tier framework, the ‘SKRIPT’ framework, for collaborative work in academia. The progressive six concepts identified refer to trust, philosophy, identity, relationships, knowledge and skills. They underpin the inception and course of our online collaborative research experience. The shared stories from which the framework emerged, aim to inspire and encourage other academics to be part of research teams and share their ‘SKRIPT’ of collaborative experiences within online spaces and beyond. Implications for future research are discussed.