1. Please read the syllabus and Map of 6631carefully. Under the Course Resources tab, click on these items to view as a Word document. Print it if you like. I strongly recommend that you print the Map of 6631 and post it in a visible spot near your computer.
3. 1.3 Assignment: Create a Homepage
4. 1.4 Online Discussion: Practice
Also this week, we need to get familiar with the Discussion Board. So just to make sure everything’s working, please do the following:
* I’ve entered a discussion post that includes a question that everyone should respond to. (Since we’re a literacy class, the question is what was the last book you read, and/or what was a book you remember enjoying as a child?)
Introductory Assignment: Burning Questions?
Please complete this assignment by Monday, July 6, 10pm.
Your first assignment (while ungraded) will help us share some hot topics in adult ESL literacy instruction, and it will also help us make sure this "assignments tab" is working properly...
So, try submitting a Word document here. Create a Word document, and in it just list 1-2 "burning questions" you have about ESL literacy. What's on your mind about this topic? Then, come back here. Click on the name of the assignment above ("Introductory Assignment: Burning Questions?"). It should walk you through submitting an assignment. See how it goes!
I'll compile these questions later and post them for everyone to see. While I hope that the scope of the course will cover most of your questions, keep in mind that it's only a 2-credit class, and we can't possibly cover everything... : )
Patsy
Unit 2: Adult Learners
Week of July 6, 2009.
1. 2.1 Adult Learners
What do you think? How do adult learners differ from younger learners?
How are adult learners different from younger learners? Is teaching adults all that different from teaching children?
Many of you may have had experience teaching children, whether your own or perhaps in a formal school setting. Some of you may be trained as elementary teachers or high school teachers. All of these experiences are extremely valuable in teaching adults, and they will enhance our discussion. You’ll find that there is actually a great deal of overlap in these two fields.
Stop to think and write:
What do you think? How do adult learners differ from younger learners?
Take a moment to gather your thoughts on the above question and put them in writing in a notebook or a blank screen. You won't turn this in, but I would like you to take a couple of minutes to just write down your response to this question. Think of it as a journal entry. (There will be a various "stop to think and write" moments throughout the course, so you may want to start a notebook page or a Word file where you can easily add your thoughts on various questions.)
My Answer: Adult learners that come volunatrily on their own to classes like ESL are more motivated to want to learn the particular subject or lesson than younger learners that are "forced" to learn in a environment where they are "required" to attend or participate. Adult learners have more experience in life than younger ones, so they have stories they can draw back or share with their teachers. Lastly, adult learners are somewhat easier to teach and are less distracted to listening to what you have to say to them-especially during Sunday school at my local church I teach once a month!!
What does it mean to be a refugee? How is that different from an immigrant? An international student? A guest worker?
While we won’t devote too much time to the ins-and-outs of immigration, it is helpful to know as much as you can about your students and to understand something about their journey. As Parrish points out, “While you cannot possibly know everything about every learner in class, understanding students’ situations can help teachers become more responsive to learner needs and more understanding of what learners are going through as they adjust to a new life.”
Start by taking a look at these two pages; they're in one Word document above. The first is a list of glossary terms related to immigration, and the second is a demographic chart of immigrant groups is Minnesota.
Open this Word doc: Immigration in MN for a glossary of immigration terms and a demographic breakdown of who's in Minnesota.
It's available just under the section title, 2.2 Refugees and Immigrants.
ONLINE DISCUSSION
Yurie and Thida, Task 1.1.
In your textbook, turn to page 1. It’s OK if you haven’t read the chapter yet, that comes next. Read and complete Task 1.1 on pages 1-2. After you’ve jotted down some notes on the chart, go to the Discussion Board (under Communication in TOOLS) to share your thoughts.
Talk about the advantages and disadvantages that Yurie and Thida have in their immigration paths. What strikes you about their situations?
Yurie's advantages:
-college educated
-completedthe highest of ESL courses
-blends in more with the "predominately" Caucasian American race (e.g. especially the rural "America")
-has a younger child in the U.S. that can teach English to her
disadvantes=>
-misses the "professional status" and respect back home (Russia)
*he is one of many that come here. I hear stories of "professionals" coming to America and become taxi drivers or other low "status" professions because their degree is not accepted here.
I have ESL students with college degrees and they are probably "looked down" around our community because they get "categorized", "labeled", or "stigmatized" as one "group of migrant workers" that do the same job-milk cows.
Thida's Advantages:
-more close family knit and support
-has two younger childrenborn in the U.S. that can teach English to her
disadvantages=>
-no formal education and no literacy
-relies on public assistance, so she probably works hard and long hours; thus not able to attend ESL classes as much
-face "racism" depending on the community she lives in, which she is probably "labeled" as a "gook" as people around her might "ignorantly" not distinguish her as a unique, distinct individual Asian ethnic group. I've been grouped that depending on the way I may look (e.g. haircut styles) on a particular day. For example, the movie "Gran Torino"-the Hmong family was labeled as a "gook" by one Clint Eastwood's character (Korean War Vet). I thought "gooks" were first labeled during-after the Vietnam War?
I’ve put you into small groups for this discussion. Make at least 2 original, substantive entries and at least 2 responses to others’ entries. This discussion will close on Monday, July 13, at 5pm.
Discussion Boards
I've created 12 "threads" here, one for each of the issues below. Choose 2 or 3 that you'd like to talk about. To enter this forum, click on the title of this forum (Unit 2: Adult Learners) and then click on the "thread" you'd like to discuss.
You do NOT need to make an entry for each one. Just choose 2-3 in which you have an opinion, story, example, etc. to share.
1. Busy, complex lives-family, work, faith, community obligations
2. Transportation and child care difficulties
3. Role reversals within families
4. Rather 'set' expectations of what school "is" and what teachers "should" do
5. Fragile egos, hesitancy to take risks in front of others
6. Cultural issues: beliefs about gender, race/nationality, age, etc. (both among students and between students and teacher)
7. Culture Shock: resistance and/or attraction to English and US culture
8. Physical health issues
9. Trauma, mental health issues
10. Discrimination due to appearance, accent, ethnicity, lifestyle, etc.
11. Extensive life experience, talents and interests beyond school.
12. Motivation to learn, succeed
#1 Subject: RE: Busy, complex lives
Others:
Author: Esther C
Posted date: Sunday, July 5, 2009 5:55:08 PM CDT "One of my Spring students came to the U.S. from Mexico when she was in high school. She learned English as a Foreign Language in school, and had high school English in the U.S., but she's uncomfortable about very small errors in her English. She is an at-home mom. She is married to an American, and her mother lives with them. Her mother doesn't work either, but she helps take care of her granddaughter. My student and her mother take turns going to English class so there's always someone to care for the child. The mother is in my Summer class right now. It's very inspiring to see them sacrifice for each other. "
Author: Vivian L
Posted date: Monday, July 6, 2009 4:21:55 AM CDT "Yeah, its the same here. Many of my students work 10 hours, then come to class at 6 pm then go back to work for another 2 hours sometimes. Their coffee cups are full & their eyes are red, but they show up (not required) & are eager to learn. It's nice to see that my efforts are not wasted :)
vivian
Author: Adrienne P
Posted date: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 11:32:26 AM CDT "..I also tutored adults on the side, including a pharmacist who was bound and determined to get a job working in England. She had taken the tests to do so many times in the past and not passed. She worked long hours and then I would meet her at her house, focusing on passing the required tests. I think it took a few more attempts but I heard from her after I left that she'd made it and was living/working in England.
Adrienn
Author: Juliana B
Posted date: Monday, July 6, 2009 10:42:35 AM CDT "Work can really get in the way for many students...obviously they need to work to be able to live! What often happens is that our students will learn enough English to get an entry level job and then will be lured into earning money rather than learning English. Many eventually return and continue to improve their English so that they can enroll in a program at our College, but this can be a long drawn out process.
Several young women work at local factories, in addition they have family obligations.They are so exhausted that they often miss class, and when they do come they are too tired to achieve much. Their attendance is sporadic so it is hard for them to make any gains; couple that with the fact that they do not need to speak English at work or at home and it is easy to see how they will stay stuck in those jobs for a while."
Author: Eric C
Posted date: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 3:31:48 AM CDT "This is more or less the comment I made under motivation: Students have busy and complicated lives that can make it more difficult to attend each day of classes and to be on time. When and if I return to teaching Adult Ed. in the US, I want to find ways to help motivate my learners to be in class as much as possible, and also provide them learning opportunities that can help fill in the gaps created by missing class. Perhaps online access and prepared course handouts could be of help.
Eric"
#2 Subject: RE: Transportation and Child Care Difficulties
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Sunday, July 5, 2009 8:07:09 PM CDT "One of the sites I teach at has a problem with both of these issues. Transportation issues have been particularly hard for the program manager because we have not had luck finding a stable location to hold class that is within walking/biking distance of the populations we serve. Many of our students are unemployed so they do not own a vehicle. We have no public transportation. A good many of our students get rides with other students or with one of the instructors, walk, or ride a bicycle. One student rides his bike 5 miles, crossing the river on a highway to get to class. Needless to say attendance falls during bad weather.
We are at a new site again this year. The alternative is to hold class at the college, but that is several miles out of town and totally out of reach for many students.If the new site doesn't work out I'm not sure what the next step is. Our retention rates suffer in part because of location.
The child care is not as pressing a problem at my site. We have several students who bring their child/children to class but most have been well behaved. There was only one child that was very disruptive to the class and the student stopped coming after two visits. Since we meet two nights/week and have several couples attending class they sometimes rotate evenings in order to share child care and still be able to make class one night each. It isn't perfect, but it is better than not coming at all. We also have sites with child care available."
Author: Juliana B
Posted date: Monday, July 6, 2009 10:23:33 AM CDT "Transportation isn't too big of a problem for our students who live within the city limits of Eau Claire (WI) as there is fairly good bus servic; although it can be very time consuming with the need to transfer downtown for many riders. The greater challenge is for those students coming from neighboring towns and rural communities. We have had several groups who have ridden together, but if the driver is sick or the van doesn't work, many of your students are unable to attend.
An even greater challenge is child care. The Technical College where I teach, used to have a child care center on campus. We still have a Child Care program and are urging our administrators to foster a collaboration between our Chid Care faculty/students and our ESL students who need services (and may someday be students in that program). Our local Literacy Volunteers provide free child care which draws many of our students."
#3Subject: RE: Role Reversals within Families
Others:
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Sunday, July 5, 2009 7:49:35 PM CDT "I met this summer with our program manager and the principal of the grade/high school our site is located at to discuss how we can help parents regain their role as parent in the family again. The school district is over 50% Hispanic and there are many families struggling with role reversals because the parents are so far behind the children in picking up the language and customs of the US. We are going to have one activity per month that is built around the Adult ESL class lessons that involve the families and surrounding community. One idea we tossed around was to have a night where the parents teach their children a skill. It could be anything from cooking a traditional family meal to passing down oral history of the family. The main idea was to put the parent back in the role as teacher and guide. I'm excited to see how it works out as we won't have our first event until mid-September. We are planning them around Mexican holidays such as Day of the Dead, and Independence Day so we have more of a theme to work with."
Author: Lara F
Posted date: Monday, July 6, 2009 10:22:56 AM CDT "Some of the role reversals I see with our refugee students are between men and women. Many of our women, especially from rural African communities, are uneducated, which means when they come to the United States it is the first time they are able to freely go to school and encouraged to get a job that earns money. For the men, in coming to the United States they lose a lot of status and power, so instead of having a respectful job they are now working production side by side with their wives and maybe sitting by them in an English class learning basic skills."
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Monday, July 6, 2009 1:31:39 PM CDT "Lara,
How does that play out in class with the couples? Is there ever a case where the husband/partner refuses to allow the wife/partner to continue her studies? I have had at least two couples where the husband no longer allows the wife to attend class because she has surpassed his skill level. It is a tough situation for both and something I could see causing friction in a marriage.
Patti"
Author: Lara Frey
Posted date: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 9:23:17 AM CDT "Patti,
Sometimes what I see happening if the woman is progressing more quickly than the husband is the woman will adjust her ability in class to be the same as her husband. Sometimes if I know there are issues between couples I will divide them up and have them attend classes at different times. Usually I get the impression that some of the men in our pre-literate classes are embarrassed by being in a class with so many women because for some men being in a classroom with women is culturally embarassing...it is in those instances when I try to find a cultural broker type person who can explain the importance of Englis literacy skills and that in America men and women are treated equally."
Author: Lara F
Posted date: Thursday, July 9, 2009 9:12:37 AM CDT "What I find interesting about role reversals is that in the families I have observed the reversals are happening with the parents and children and also with the parents, meaning everyone's roles are in flux. It saddens me to see so many families just struggling to figure out new norms...maybe back in their countries it was OK to beat one's wife or children but now that behavior gets one put into jail. Children threaten their parents with 911 calls...my adult students are constantly asking what do they do?! Husbands end up in jail for abuse and children get separated from the family by child protection. Sometimes we bring in a police officer to explain family/domestic issues, many times students come away from those sessions feeling empowered to better handle their children and the changes."
#6 Subject: RE: Cultural issues: beliefs about gender, race/nationality, age, etc. (both among students and between students and teacher)
Author: Sal Monteagudo
Posted date: Tuesday, July 7, 2009 9:47:10 AM CDT
Wow, great stories!! I'm sure there are more out there. There are racism, ethnicism, and all types of prejudices out there. As "educators", I feel we can be part of that solution in our global society on educating one another on these issues. That's why I love this "job"!! We all can "make a difference" one person/invididual at a time!
I used to have a student from Bulgaria and also mentioned about his "negative" feelings on Gypsies. I never knew much about this group until he mentioned this and I started to re"search" about them.Did you know that they were part of the group that Hitler "hated" and put in concentration camps-along with Jews, disabled people, homosexuals, etc..? Maybe if we showed them some educational videos (e.g. Schindlers' List, Band of Brothers, Life is Beautiful, etc...) or clips of scenes of the "atrocities"-our students will have a change of mind -heart??
Pairing students is definitely a challenge! Most of my students are migrant workers from Mexico, so some weeks-my other students feel "outnumbered" or feels like the "outcasts". However, I try to do some activities (e.g. bring food from different cultures and have a "social" break to get to know one another) to "bridge the differences" in our classrooms. One time I was trying to do a group learning lesson activity with a Ukrainian student and 3-4 Mexicans students. This Ukrainian student opted out and wanted to work on the computer-Rosetta Stone-by himself. I kind of felt bad and was puzzled on what I should've done/do? Unfortunately, I haven't seen that Ukrainian student ever since (1 1/2 month ago). I have his e-mail, so I try to keep in touch with him (haven't got a reply yet) and I'm hoping he'll come back again.
#7 Subject: Culture Shock: resistance and/or attraction to English and US culture
Subject: Sal (Morris, MN)-younger and older generation approach...RE: Culture Shock: resistance and/or attraction to English and US culture
Author: Sal Monteagudo
Posted date: Monday, July 6, 2009 2:36:53 PM CDT
I took Anthropology back in college and it taught me about cutlure shock. Born and raised in the U.S., I've grown to be somewhat self-centered, ethnocentric (our culture is the "center of the universe"), and individualistic. Through my faith and meeting people from different cultural backgrounds in college interested me in "wanting" to learn about other cultures besides my own. My local church recommends us to travel abroad and explore to see how "good we got it here" (blessed) at least once a year. Well, I went to Mexico and the Philippines in 2001 (first time traveling abroad since I was 3 yrs. old) at age 24. These experiences opened my eyes more of how this world is a lot bigger!!
When I started teaching ESL (2004) as a volunteer, I was able to "somewhat" relate to our students' cultural shock being in the U.S. I try to make them as comfortable as I can by learning how to greet them in their own language. From my years of befriending international studnets in the college town (University of Minnesota-Morris) I teach and live at, I've been able to "welcome" them more in our rural college community (5,000+). I notice the "younger" students I teach are very into the U.S. mainstream culture (e.g. movies, music, sports, etc...). For example, my "Russian" students from Ukraine love "hip hop" and would ask me about some Hip Hop stars here. The "older" student I teach (e.g. from Mexico) dont' really mention about the "pop-culture". Thus, I try to approach these different generations in a different way of teaching ESL. For example, I use more multi-media (e.g You Tube) tools with the younger students. Does anybody have a similar or different approach? tips? advice?
#10 Subject: blending in the community....RE: Discrimination due to appearance, accent, ethnicity, lifestyle, etc.
Author: Sal Monteagudo
Posted date: Monday, July 6, 2009 10:54:10 AM CDT
As part of the list under disadvantages of Thida , I put facing "racism" with the severity depending on the type of community she lives in. From personal (past and current) experience, she would probably be labeled as a "gook" as people around her might "ignorantly" not distinguish her as an individual or unique Asian ethnic group. I've been grouped that way depending on my looks (e.g. hairstyle) depending on a particular day. I've been labeled almost in all different racial stereotypes: "gook", "karate" guy, "terrorist" from the "Middle East", "Mexican"-people taunting me in Spanish, etc... Ever seen the movie-"Gran Torino"? The Hmong family featured in this movie was "labeled" as a "gook" by Clint Eastwood's character (Korean War Vet). I thought "gooks" were first labeled during-after the Vietnam War? Anyways, I mentioned Thida would face more discrimination than Yurie ("blends" more in a predominately rural "Caucasian-White" community) because of more of the appearance-especially in a predominately rural "Caucasian-White" community. I've personally seen this in my (Morris, Minnesota) community where I teach -between the "Mexicans" and "Russians" that work around here.
Author: Juliana B
Posted date: Monday, July 6, 2009 11:03:49 AM CDT
"
Some of our students have complained about racial profiling in our small (62,000) town. Many of our Mexican and Asian students have been pulled over when driving, for no apparent reason. This can be a somewhat terrifying experience depending on their immigration status and their English proficiency.
Hi Julianna,
yes, I've heard about this "racial profiling" not only in small towns, but the big cities (e.g. it was and still is in the news awhile back in minneapolis). I'm very involved in community activism (learned it from my college days) here and I work with several community groups (e.g. Human Rights Commission, Morris Police Department, etc..). I'm currently heading a committee on issues like these, which I feel our community is doing well so far as the "ethnic-minority" population continues to grow. I personally encourage you to report these "complaints" to a local community group-do you have a Human Rights commission (under city government)? The Morris Chief of Police has given me translated brochures to hand to my ESL students to better communicate with them on legal issues. I'm looking at inviting community leaders to our classes for better community building steps in "bridging" one another.
Proud Stevens County-Morris Resident since 99',
Sal:)
p.s. feel free to contact me for more tips, suggestions, feedback, etc...
READING ASSIGNMENT
Read Parrish Chapter 1, Part I (pages 1-7).
3. 2.3 Cultural Adjustment Checklist
In your textbook, on pages 20-21, read through the assignment Cultural Adjustment and Adult Learners.
This assignment needs to be submitted by July 21, 2009, 10pm.
Identify a learner or another immigrant/refugee for this assignment. You can choose a student, colleague, neighbor, friend, anyone who is an immigrant or refugee to this country. If you don’t know much about this person, you may need to find a time to meet or for a phone interview.
Read the detailed assignment description in your syllabus.
When you are finished, submit your assignment via the Assignments tab.
NOTE: In my experience, it’s easy to get carried away with this assignment. It’s fascinating to talk with a new American, and no doubt you’ll have a lot to say. However, try to focus on the key issues and the two follow-up questions in the assignment. Keep in mind that the Cultural Adjustment assignment is worth just 15% of your final grade… IMPORTANT NOTE: When you submit your assignment, please save it as "LastName_CAC.doc"
*see (Monteagudo_CAC_graded.doc)
There are a number of websites available to help you complete the above assignment and to give you more information about the countries and cultures your students come from.
I’ve compiled a number of websites with brief descriptions in a Word document that you can access here. Some of these links may be outdated, please let me know if you hit one that’s no longer working! Thanks, I appreciate it. In addition, I know many of you know of lots of other online resources. I hope you'll share with us all if you find a particularly good site. Thanks!
Linked near this section's title above are some additional resources. They are also available under Course Resources, External Links.
National Immigration Forum
http://www.immigrationforum.org/
Information about immigration policies and trends from immigrant rights group. Particularly useful for teachers new to working with immigrants are the "Immigration Facts."
Cultural Orientation Resource Center http://www.cal.org/co/
This website offers up-to-date information about refugees and their concerns. It also includes Fact Sheets with pertinent country and cultural background about such groups as the Sudanese, Iraqi Kurds, Somalis, Haitians, and Cubans.
Students Name:
1. Country of origin:
2. Reasons for Coming to the U.S:
3. Age at which the person emigrated:
4. Financial Resources:
5. Difficulties in the journey/ Extent of life disruption and trauma during war:
6. Immigration status:
7. Education and level of literacy in the first language/previous exposure to English and other languages:
8. Extent of family separation:
9. Experience living in another country:
10: Status of cultural group/amount of discrimination they face:
Students Name: "Jose"
1. Country of origin: Guanjuato, Mexico
2. Reasons for Coming to the U.S: "better and more opportunities" (paraphrase)
3. Age at which the person emigrated: 26 (3 months ago from today-Wednesday, July 15th of 2009)
4. Financial Resources: Employed through a local dairy farm
5. Difficulties in the journey/ Extent of life disruption and trauma during war: It's been only 3 months only and he told me he really hasn't missed his family (7 siblings that all live in Mexico still)...yet! He has friends that work with him that has made the transition to "America" easier, so he has a great support
6. Immigration status: "migrant stutus"
7. Education and level of literacy in the first language/previous exposure to English and other languages: graduated from high school only and no post-secondary education so far. Just a recent "newcomer" to "America" (3 months only), so his English proficiency is in the "beginning level" (got only 17 of 24 questions right on the CASAS: Form 32-common questions that he and others get wrong were the phone #)
8. Extent of family separation: 7 siblings back at home still
9. Experience living in another country: first time living outside of his country
10: Status of cultural group/amount of discrimination they face: He told me hasn't really faced any "challenges" or "problems" on this social issue yet!
--What especially struck you or surprised you about this person’s journey?
I've been teaching many "migrant workers" from Mexico the past 5+/- years now, so I've been accustomed to understanding their journey. What really struck me was that this student came on his own, which he's been only in the country for only 3 months!! I usually have "new" students come with a previous student. When Jose came to my classroom just this past Wednesday (July 15th of 2009) by himself, I knew he's an ambitious-motivated student "wanting" to learn ESL. These are the easiest and funnest students to work with!!
--What would you like to share with others about what you found out?
Besides the information above, I would like to share that Jose was very soft spoken and quiet, but I feel he might become the "opposite" as his confidence builds up-this will take some time. I'm hoping he'll come back next week or soon in the future-depending on the workload they have. Unfortunately, I hear "rumors" (from a community member that helps manage the dairy farms-about 4 or so-in this county or region) that "business" has been slow with our "economy". I'm not sure if this is going to impact the number of students we'll be getting from this farm; however, I've been encouraging some of them lately to look at other possible careers and challenging them to explore their "gifts" and "talents".
> ONLINE DISCUSSION
Highlights from Cultural Adjustment Checklists
In the discussion board, submit a couple of highlights from your cultural adjustment checklist (once completed) to your small group. What especially struck you or surprised you about this person’s journey? What would you like to share with others about what you found out?
Since this written assignment isn't due until July 21, the discussion will be open from now until Monday, July 27, to give you time to share what you've learned from your cultural informants. The discussion will close on Monday, July 27, at 5pm.
Unit 3: Second Language Acquisition, Part 1
Week of July 13, 2009.
...We’ll spend most of our time here talking about Second Language Acquisition (SLA). And that—SLA— is your first of many, many acronyms! As with any field of expertise, SLA has its own jargon. Some of the terms can be a little mysterious! Let’s start with a little “alphabet soup” to get acquainted with some important terms.
Alphabet soup
The following two links will give you some practice with ESL "jargon." Just like any profession, language teachers have their own set of unique abbreviations and terms. I've inserted two Word files at the top of this section (just under the section title again); one is blank and one has all the answers.
Look at the blank one first and try to fill it in, and then try the following online practice activities. When you're finished, you should be able to fill in all of them! If not, the second page of the document has all the correct answers...
What do you think? Read and complete the following survey: SLA Survey. It’s in a .doc file whose link appears at the top of this page, directly under the title of this section, 3.1 Second Language Acquisition, Part 1. It's taken from an excellent book, How Languages are Learned, by Lightbown and Spada (Oxford University Press).
Do it quickly—don’t over-think. This is just to start our conversation about second language acquisition. When you’re through, go the discussion board and talk briefly with your small group. These questions can guide your discussion.
What's a question on the survey that you feel especially strongly about?
The question that I feel strongly most about and I strongly agree is #5-"The earlier the better"...Not just only in school programs, but through the support of family too. I think of my niece (5 yrs) and nephew (2 yrs) where their parents come from different cultures speaking different languages. My brother (their dad) has Filipino (Tagalog speaking) parents and my sister-in-law ((their mom) has Hmong parents. When these kids get babysat by different grandparents, they probably pick-up their different languages (Tagalog and Hmong). In addition, my niece loves watching Dora the cartoon, which Spanish is taught. I feel my niece will be able to "have a greater likelihood in learning successfully" when she gets older due to this "earlier-age" exposure to more than several languages (English, Hmong, Tagalog, and Spanish)-as long as she continually learns them throughout her years going to school. When I visit these "kids", I try to teach as many words from some of these languages. Has anybody found any research data to support this? I just have heard "something like this" through past conversations.
Or was there question on the survey that you didn't know how to answer?
I actually left #10 blank-"Teachers should use materials that expose students to only those language structures which they have already been taught". I guess I'm not really sure because I've use interactive technolgy (e.g. videos online) with my "new" students and it's on material that I'm not even sure if they've already been taught. I use a "teach and learn" method where I just "try" new material and see what happens. I then learn from these past experiences and teach in a different way in the future. What type of materials do you all use?
What's something you'd like to know more about?
Is there actually a ranking on what is the "best way" language learners acquire a "second language"? Does it very on the age of the learner?
Post at least one original entry and two responses to others about this survey. I’ll leave this fairly open-ended. See where your discussion takes you! Please post your entries by 5 pm on Monday, July 20, 2009.
READING ASSIGNMENT
Now we’re ready to dig in to the world of SLA. Start with this reading assignment:
Now that you know a little about these basic theories, it’s time to go a little deeper into one area. In the announcements tab, I’ve assigned you to a group (one of the above theories).
* Visit the announcements area and see which theory you need to read about. You do NOT need to read about all four, just the ONE you've been assigned to.
* Print off the SLA jigsaw questions posted in the Course Resources area.
* Come back here to find further on-line readings associated with that theory.
* Prepare the questions for your ONE theory (NOT all of them!).
NOTE: Right now you do NOT need to prepare all the readings and questions, just the ones within your group. Your peers will fill you in on all the rest in the discussion board! When you’re ready, visit the discussion board for a “jigsaw” conversation. See below.
*Innatism
Erin, Jonathan, Lara, Sal, Eric, Kristen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_grammar
Universal grammar-
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "
Universal grammar (UG) is a theory of linguistics postulating principles of grammar shared by all languages, thought to be innate to humans (linguistic nativism). It attempts to explain language acquisition in general, not describe specific languages. Universal grammar proposes a set of rules intended to explain language acquisition in child development...
Chomsky's theory
Linguist Noam Chomsky made the argument that the human brain contains a limited set of rules for organizing language. In turn, there is an assumption that all languages have a common structural basis. This set of rules is known as universal grammar....
Evidence and support
[edit] Neurological evidence
Recent (2003) evidence suggests part of the human brain (crucially involving Broca's area, a portion of the left inferior frontal gyrus), is selectively activated by those languages that meet Universal Grammar requirements.[3]"...
Criticism
Elman et al. argue that the unlearnability of languages assumed by UG is based on a too-strict, "worst-case" model of grammar....
http://bogglesworldesl.com/glossary/innatism.htm
- ESL/EFL Glossary: A Guide to applied linguistics terminology.-"innatism: This is the theoretical view that children have an innate knowledge of the structures of language. Children are born with a knowledge of Universal Grammar (or as called by Krashen a language acquisition device) that gives them access to the universal principles of human language. It is because of this innate knowledge that children can learn a complex language with relatively little input. Innatism can be contrasted with interactionism, a theory where meaningful interaction along with innate knowledge combine to make language acquisition possible. "
http://bogglesworldesl.com/glossary/universalgrammar.htm "universal grammar: This is an innatist view that all people are born with some knowledge of language. Linguists use this hypothesis to explain how it is we can acquire a language with a 'poverty of stimulus' or not enough input to account for the complexity of output. Essentially, we are all born with the capacity for any kind of language. This is not to say we are born with knowledge of the particular rules of our own language, but rather general or universal principles of all languages. This innate knowledge allows us to select a particular language based on a few instances of input and produce very complex output that we he have never encountered as input. One example of a kind of principle proposed by universal grammar theorists is the innate parameter. Essentially, we are born with parameters of language and minimal instances of input will allow us to figure out how to set the parameters for our own language (keep in mind this is a subconscious process). Evidence for this is found in the head-first or head-last parameter of language, which has been uncovered: In English, phrases are head-first: that means that a noun is at the head of a noun phrase, a preposition is at the head of a prepositional phrase, and verb is at the head of a verb phrase. Our innate parameter is such that if one of these phrases is head-first, they all will be. And hence a few utterances whereby a child understands that a preposition heads a prepositional phrase will allow the child to correctly construct other phrases too. In Korean and Japanese, prepositional phrases are head-last and accordingly, so are the other phrases. This will resonate well with any English speaker who has studied Japanese or Korean and discovered that everything seems to be backwards. The Innatists claim that this is an example of the parameter having been set differently."
Group II Innatism:
1. What is Universal Grammar?
"...Universal grammar proposes a set of rules intended to explain language acquisition in child development...."
"..innate knowledge that children can learn a complex language with relatively little input.."
2. How do different theorists believe it relates to L1 development and L2 development?
"..Elman et al. argue that the unlearnability of languages assumed by UG is based on a too-strict, "worst-case" model of grammar...."
3. What evidence is there that adults DO have access to their UG?
"Evidence and support
[edit] Neurological evidence
Recent (2003) evidence suggests part of the human brain (crucially involving Broca's area, a portion of the left inferior frontal gyrus), is selectively activated by those languages that meet Universal Grammar requirements.[3]"
Presence of creole languages...
"One example of a kind of principle proposed by universal grammar theorists is the innate parameter. Essentially, we are born with parameters of language and minimal instances of input will allow us to figure out how to set the parameters for our own language (keep in mind this is a subconscious process). Evidence for this is found in the head-first or head-last parameter of language, which has been uncovered: In English, phrases are head-first: that means that a noun is at the head of a noun phrase, a preposition is at the head of a prepositional phrase, and verb is at the head of a verb phrase. Our innate parameter is such that if one of these phrases is head-first, they all will be. And hence a few utterances whereby a child understands that a preposition heads a prepositional phrase will allow the child to correctly construct other phrases too...-//bogglesworldesl.com/glossary/universalgrammar.htm
4. What are some views on the relationship between this theory and instruction?
"...involves far more than imitation. Many others have supported Chomsky's view that language learning is an innate process rather than a behavioral one, and a number of the theories that followed have helped to shape the current communicative, learner-centered approaches most prevalent in language teaching today."-"Teaching Adult ESL-A Practical Introduction by Parrish, Betsy (Chapter 1 pp. 12)
Recap: After you’ve checked which of the four theories you are assigned, prepare the questions associated with THAT theory. Then come to the discussion board to talk in your “jigsaw” group.
By discussing within your group, you should gather enough information to answer all the remaining questions!
While you are not going to turn these questions in to me, they are valuable to keep on hand throughout the course.
This Online Discussion requires at least 2 original, substantive entries to your group, and at least 2 responses to others in your group. Please post your entries your entries by 5pm on Monday, July 20, 2009.
What the heck’s a jigsaw??
Good question. Think of a jigsaw puzzle—each person brings a ‘piece of the puzzle’ to recreate the whole…
“A jigsaw reading” means that each person in the group is an ‘expert’ in a different area and will share some highlights of his/her reading. This way you get the important points of all the readings, but don’t have to do them all!
“Jigsaws” can be used with ESL students, too! Assign each person part of a reading, for example, and then group them so they report on their portion to a group or to complete an exercise…A great interactive, cooperate task
For a summary of the three theories we’ve learned about in Unit 3, see this handout: SLA Theories. It’s another Word document whose link is directly under the title of this section.
3. 3.2 Written Task #1, Defining Key Terms
ASSIGNMENT: Written Task #1
Written Task 1: Defining Key Terms in Adult ESL (5% of final grade)
This assignment needs to be submitted by July 21, 2009.
On page 19 of Teaching Adult ESL, there is a checklist of key terms for chapter 1. BRIEFLY define each of the 17 terms and submit your assignment via the assignments tab. It is listed under the Written Task 1.
*see (Monteagudo_WT1_graded.doc)
acculturation-" a merging of cultures as a result of prolonged contact" (from merriam-webster.com)
Sample: I've been seeing an increase of the local Mexican "migrant workers" in the nearby dairy farms "dating" or "getting married" with the local "gals" in town minority culture-"a sociological group that does not constitute a politically dominant voting majority of the total population of a given society (culture)" (from wikipedia.org)
Sample: There are very few Non-Caucasians (e.g. African, Asian, Latino, Native, etc...) Americans here, so they don't get their "voice" heard much here. I "try" to be that voice for them in the committees I serve in this rural-small college community. dominant culture-"..one that is able, through economic or political power, to impose its values, language, and ways of behaving on a subordinate culture or cultures"... (from encyclopedia.com)
Sample: The majority European ethnic groups here are Scandinavians, German, and Irish. assimilation-"..
4. Sociology. the merging of cultural traits from previously distinct cultural groups, not involving biological amalgamation..." (from dictionary.reference.com)
Sample: My parents immigrated here to St. Paul, Minnesota-USA around the early 70's. They didn't teach me their "native" language (Filipno-Tagalog) as they wanted me to "blend" easier than they did. However, I've learned the basics as I appreciated my cultural background more during my college years. intergenerational tension-"internal (e.g. psychological) and external (e.g. social) conflict between generations within a family" (from )
EXAMPLE: "...Children whose residency is relatively shorter are less likely to show depressive symptoms and subsequently to engage less in negative coping behavior than are those who have resided longer in the U.S. These children tend to experience more unhealthy coping behavior than do children having stable relations with their parents at home. The implication of this study is discussed, and possible intervention methods are suggested. ... (from Intergenerational Conflict in Korean Immigrant Homes and Its Effects on Children's Psychological Well-Being by Author: B.C. Ben Park informaworld.com) learner centered-"Instruction that employs all the principles of criterion referenced instruction for the benefit of meeting the needs of the learner. (from dictionary.babylon.com)
Sample: My parents and "us" (siblings and I) had a difficult time in our "teen years" growing-up. "We" wanted to be more "American" (e.g. sports, music, "rebel", etc...) like our peers, which our parents had a difficult time understanding the culture (e.g. ESPN, MTV, etc...) of the "younger generation". I remember my parents would say, "When I was your age, we....". communicative competence-"a speaker's internalized knowledge both of the grammatical rules of a language and of the rules for appropriate use in social contexts." (from dictionary.reference.com)
Sample: I've learned to use a "life applicable" task of "Patient-Doctor Dialogue" into my Lesson Plan in teaching ESL in my classroom. This came out of one of my online classes (via Hamline), which I'm able to incorporate both "Language Forms" (pp. 10 Parrish) & "Language Skills". Behaviorism-"...also called the learning perspective (where any physical action is a behavior) is a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things which organisms do — including acting, thinking and feeling—can and should be regarded as behaviors.[...-(from wikipedia.org)
Sample: Working with autism people at my workplace, I "try" to teach them "good manners" (e.g. "please", "thank you", etc...). It doesn't happen overnight! It takes a series of "mimicry" or "repetition" (pp. 11-12 Bailey). In my ESL classroom, we spend a lot of time repeating letters (e.g. A, B, C,...) and letter associated words (e.g. Apple-Animal, Bed-Baby, Cow-Class,...) in learning the Alphabet.
silent period-"...preproduction stage (Krashen's "order of acquisition hypothesis")..when they (students-learners are not all in the same stage to acquire different areas of language) are able to take language in, but not produce it......-(from Teaching Adult ESL by Betsy Parrish)
Sample: From my personal experience working with young autistic adults in the field I currently work, each individual's brain development varies person to person. Many of these autistic adults were put in "special ed" classrooms to separate them from the "majority" of their "higher developed" peers. However, each individual is different from group to group. I'm currently teaching a young (25 years old) adult w/autism various words, which he probably wouldn't able to grasp at a younger age. He was probably "able to take language in, but not produce it" at the particular age he learned it. comprehensible input- only way we acquire language, according to Krashen (paraphrased from wikipedia.org)
Sample: When I teach ESL in my classroom, I try to get an assessment (e.g. profile background, analyze the questions they got wrong in the CASAS, interview or informal conversations, etc...) of each individual student the "best as I can" to see what they currently know-level of learning. I then "step-up a notch" and challenge them to learn something "in addition" to what they already know. We try to "set goals" that are achievable through various strategies-teaching methods (e.g. repeating vocabulary or reviewing what we learned from the previous lesson). acquisition vs. learning-
"..Language acquisition vs. language learning
There is an important distinction made by linguists between language acquisition and language learning. Children acquire language through a subconscious process during which they are unaware of grammatical rules. This is similar to the way they acquire their first language. They get a feel for what is and what isn’t correct. In order to acquire language, the learner needs a source of natural communication. The emphasis is on the text of the communication and not on the form. Young students who are in the process of acquiring English get plenty of "on the job" practice. They readily acquire the language to communicate with classmates.
Language learning, on the other hand, is not communicative. It is the result of direct instruction in the rules of language. And it certainly is not an age-appropriate activity for your young learners. In language learning, students have conscious knowledge of the new language and can talk about that knowledge. They can fill in the blanks on a grammar page. Research has shown, however, that knowing grammar rules does not necessarily result in good speaking or writing.r A student who has memorized the rules of the language may be able to succeed on a standardized test of English language but may not be able to speak or write correctly....-(from Language Acquisition vs. Language Learning
by Judie Haynes
-
Should grammar be taught to young elementary age English language learners? Learn what the difference is between language acquisition and language learning.)
Sample: I've learned from a previous online course (via Hamline) that Grammar shouldn't be part of the "lesson plan", but taught in "small bites" when it comes in a particular teaching situation. I remember I was teaching to some students about one of my lesson themes (e.g. "Alphabet"). One of the students started to ask about a particular "grammar" question (e.g. past or present tense), which I thought was the "excellent" time to teach grammar-during a conversation. Monitor hypothesis-
"..explains the relationship between acquisition and learning and defines the influence of the latter on the former. The monitoring function is the practical result of the learned grammar. According to Krashen, the acquisition system is the utterance initiator, while the learning system performs the role of the 'monitor' or the 'editor'. The 'monitor' acts in a planning, editing and correcting function when three specific conditions are met: that is, the second language learner has sufficient time at his/her disposal, he/she focuses on form or thinks about correctness, and he/she knows the rule...."-(from Description of Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition-sk.com.br)
Sample: Again, I've learned from a previous online course (via Hamline) that we shouldn't "interrupt" a learner just to "correct" them on a "language error" (e.g. grammar). This might disrupt their train of thought-especially when telling a story. I usually begin my classroom session by asking my student-"How was your weekend?". When I notice a "language error", I usually take note and wait for the "opportune" time to "correct" their "language error". I don't want to disrupt their story as they might forget to share rest of the details of it. I've been in many conversations with friends, family, co-workers, or whoever and they "joke" or "disrupt" in the "middle of my story" and I forgot what else I was going to share. I think it's rude and it might lower a students self-esteem or confidence-especially amongst his/her peers in a large group classroom setting. Affective Filter hypothesis -"embodies Krashen's view that a number of 'affective variables' play a facilitative, but non-causal, role in second language acquisition. These variables include: motivation, self-confidence and anxiety. Krashen claims that learners with high motivation, self-confidence, a good self-image, and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for success in second language acquisition. Low motivation, low self-esteem, and debilitating anxiety can combine to 'raise' the affective filter and form a 'mental block' that prevents comprehensible input from being used for acquisition. In other words, when the filter is 'up' it impedes language acquisition. On the other hand, positive affect is necessary, but not sufficient on its own, for acquisition to take place."-(from Description of Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition-sk.com.br)
Sample: As the previous sample above, teachers need to do everything as possible to "lower" the "affective filter"-any anxiety that prevents the student to learn to their potential. I was watching (video "classroom" assignment from a previous online class) a "mentor" (Robert) that teaches to the dairy farm managers. He told me when he visited my classroom to say "good" or "good job" as much as possible when a student repeats (e.g. alphabet exercise) something you said. This encourages the student and builds their confidence. Interactionism-"It was Georg Simmel who first stated that "society is merely the name for a number of individuals connected by interaction." In the U.S., John Dewey, Charles H. Cooley, and especially George Herbert Mead developed symbolic interactionism, the theory that mind and self are not part of the innate human equipment but arise through social interaction — i.e., communication with others using symbols. For symbolic interactionists, the individual is always engaged in socialization or the modification of one's mind, role, and behaviour through contact with others. Other theorists, such as Alfred Schutz, drew on phenomenology to extend interactionism, an effort that led to the creation of fields such as sociolinguistics and ethnomethodology, the study of people's sense-making activities..."-(from Britannica Concise Encyclopedia-answers.com)
Sample: Role-play activities is just one of many good interaction activities where learners can help "modify each others' language" BICS-"..are language skills needed to interact in social situations, for example, when speaking to a friend on the telephone. BICS refers primarily to context-bound, face-to-face communication, like the language first learned by toddlers and preschoolers, which is used in everyday social interaction...-(from From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )
Sample: I hear that going to another country (e.g. Mexico) where you are totally immersed in a foreign language (e.g. Spanish) will help one learn it as a second language. CALP-"...is a language-related term which refers to formal academic learning, as opposed to BICS. In schools today, the terms BICS and CALP are most frequently used to discuss the language proficiency levels of students who are in the process of acquiring a new language. These students typically develop proficiency in BICS well before they acquire a strong grasp of CALP or academic language. As a result, students may initially appear fully proficient and fluent, while still struggling with significant language gaps....-(from From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
more: Explaining BICS and CALP
by Judie Haynes from everythingesl.net "..English language learners (ELLs) employ BIC skills when they are on the playground, in the lunch room,on the school bus, at parties, playing sports and talking on the telephone. Social interactions are usually context embedded. They occur in a meaningful social context...
...refers to formal academic learning. This includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing about subject area content material. This level of language learning is essential for students to succeed in school. Students need time and support to become proficient in academic areas....
Sample: Each student that walks into our open class site have a different and unique learning background in English. I try to cater to these differences to help them learn ESL quickly and sufficiently with the time permitted. It's very difficult when they leave the classroom setting because they go back to their workplace or place of residence where they are surrounded by their familiar surroundings (first language) most of the time. critical period-"hypothesis...the extent to which the ability to acquire language is biologically linked to age. The hypothesis claims that there is an ideal 'window' of time to acquire language in a linguistically rich environment, after which this is no longer possible...-(from From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Sample: I try to teach my 4+ yr. old niece and 2+ yr. old as much as I can because it's a "critical period" or time for them to absorb as much knowledge (e.g. learning Filipino, Spanish, or basic English vocabulary words). I've noticed the results already (with my niece) as I've been teaching (I volunteer as a Sunday School teacher here in Morris once a month) her some "cool" words (e.g. "Praise the Lord", "Halleluah", "Jesus", etc...) since she was an infant and she says it a lot now!
Unit 4
Second Language Acquisition, Part II
Sunday, July 19 - Sunday, July 26, 2009
Language Learning Experience Interview Questions (21 Kb)
Our Language Learning Experiences
ONLINE DISCUSSION:
Our Language Learning Experiences: An Interview
3. 4.3 Factors that Affect SLA
Language learning is a complex process, as we’ve discovered in the last couple of Units! So many factors are at work: personality, motivation, age, aptitude, learner preferences, learner beliefs, etc. ....
While no additional reading is required for the following online discussion, you may find these resources of interest:
Knowledge of the second language
Students' prior knowledge of the second language is of course a significant factor in their current learning. High school students learning English as a second language in a U.S. classroom may possess skills ranging from conversational fluency acquired from contacts with the English-speaking world to formal knowledge obtained in English as a foreign language classes in their countries of origin. The extent and type of prior knowledge is an essential consideration in planning instruction. ...
Classroom interaction
Language learning does not occur as a result of the transmission of facts about language or from a succession of rote memorization drills. It is the result of opportunities for meaningful interaction with others in the target language. Therefore, lecturing and recitation are not the most appropriate modes of language use in the second language classroom. Teachers need to move toward more richly interactive language use, such as that found in instructional conversations (Tharp & Gallimore, 1988) and collaborative classroom work (Adger, Kalyanpur, Peterson, & Bridger, 1995).
Age-Related Factors in Second Language Acquisition http://www.language-learning-advisor.com/age-and-language-learning.html "..The following two reports were sponsored by the US Department of Education and show the effect of age and language learning from two different perspectives. The Older Language Learner shows some of the myths surrounding adult language learners, and Myths and Misconceptions about Second Language Learning shows the same from the perspective of working with children. These reports were produced mainly for teachers and educators, but they clearly show that people of any age can be accomplished language learners, particularly self-motivated adults. In addition, they show how learning style and different learning methods can have a powerful impact on our success rate as language learners. ...
OLDER LEARNER STEREOTYPES
More recent research in neurology has demonstrated that, while language learning is different in childhood and adulthood because of developmental differences in the brain, "in important respects adults have superior language learning capabilities" (Walsh and Diller, 1978). The advantage for adults is that the neural cells responsible for higher-order linguistic processes such as understanding semantic relations and grammatical sensitivity develop with age. Especially in the areas of vocabulary and language structure, adults are actually better language learners than children. Older learners have more highly developed cognitive systems, are able to make higher order associations and generalizations, and can integrate new language input with their already substantial learning experience. They also rely on long-term memory rather than the short-term memory function used by children and younger learners for rote learning...
HELPING OLDER ADULTS SUCCEED
Three ways in which teachers can make modifications in their programs to encourage the older adult language learner include eliminating affective barriers, making the material relevant and motivating, and encouraging the use of adult learning strategies. ...
On the other hand, providing opportunities for learners to work together, focusing on understanding rather than producing language, and reducing the focus on error correction can build learners' self-confidence and promote language learning. ..
Teaching older adults should be a pleasurable experience. Their self-directedness, life experiences, independence as learners, and motivation to learn provide them with advantages in language learning. A program that meets the needs of the adult learner will lead to rapid language acquisition by this group...
ONLINE DISCUSSION: Factors that Affect SLA
Factors that Affect SLA.
View or print the following document: Factors Affect SLA. A link to it appears at the top of the page, under this section title.
Similar to the Unit 2 Adult Learning discussion, choose 2-3 factors you'd like to post about. You do NOT need to brainstorm ideas for each one.
Your comments could be from your teaching/learning experiences, readings, etc. This is NOT something you will turn in, it will prepare you for the discussion below.
Post entries in the discussion board with your thoughts on 2-3 factors, along with any other commentary you’d like to share. Please be fairly brief. Read others’ responses and jot down ideas to complete the chart. While you will NOT turn this in to me, these are important concepts that warrant note-taking.
=>Learner Beliefs
=> Learner Preferences
Subject: RE: Learner Preferences
Author: Lara F
Posted date: Monday, July 20, 2009 3:01:17 PM CDT
Last modified date: Monday, July 20, 2009 3:01:17 PM CDT
Total views: 17 Your views: 1
I think it is imporant for a teacher to understand that students are all going to be learning in different ways and prefer one style over another. As a teacher I try to mix up activities in the classroom so student can focus on oral skills and literacy skills...and to give time for conversation, interaction, group work and individual work. Hitting all of the different learning preferences can be a challenge but I think it makes the class more interesting to teach.
Author: Jill M
Posted date: Monday, July 20, 2009 4:32:14 PM CDT
Last modified date: Monday, July 20, 2009 4:32:14 PM CDT
Total views: 13 Your views: 1
Erin and Lara, I agree with you both...if we do not use teaching strategies to meet various students different learning styles (visual, audio, tactile, etc.) we may lose them (bore/overwhelm). I think it is important to incorporate many teaching strategies to ensure we try to meet various academic needs. I think in order to address all learning styles...using writing/reading activities, powerpoint, listening, cooperative learning, etc.) will ensure we teach to all learning preferences. Jill
=>Motivation and Attitudes
Subject: Sal-Goal Oriented (e.g. occupational, school work to help child, etc...)
Author: Sal Monteagudo
Posted date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 10:55:21 PM CDT
Last modified date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 10:55:21 PM CDT
Total views: 10 Your views: 2
-I student who is “goal oriented” (e.g. occupational-communicate at the dairy farm, school work-teach child, etc…) is motivated to learn. When we have “new” students register in our classes, they fill-out a MARCS Form (e.g. basic information). A lot of students are puzzled with one of the last questions-rank top 2 goals from a list, what is your goal? Many probably don’t understand the terminology or meaning of “goal”. I remember I had to explain the definition several times, However, there are many that I had to explain to them that their #1 goal is to “learn English”, which is probably the “main reason” why they come here. I then go further by asking, “why do you want to learn English?” I can tell some of them already know when they answer quickly, but some I have to explain-give them some possible suggested answers. -I student who is “goal oriented” (e.g. occupational-communicate at the dairy farm, school work-teach child, etc…) is motivated to learn. When we have “new” students register in our classes, they fill-out a MARCS Form (e.g. basic information). A lot of students are puzzled with one of the last questions-rank top 2 goals from a list, what is your goal? Many probably don’t understand the terminology or meaning of “goal”. I remember I had to explain the definition several times, However, there are many that I had to explain to them that their #1 goal is to “learn English”, which is probably the “main reason” why they come here. I then go further by asking, “why do you want to learn English?” I can tell some of them already know when they answer quickly, but some I have to explain-give them some possible suggested answers.
Author: Susan H
Date: Monday, July 20, 2009 9:43:13 AM CDT
Subject: RE: Motivation and Attitudes
Hi Yvonne,
Motivation to me is the KEY to learning or achieving anything in one's life (my opinion). Motivation gets you moving and without it, well you know what happens. You can see this in all facets of life so it should be of no surprise of its importance in 2nd language acquisition. You can witness it in those students who come totally prepared and ready to learn, then you have the student in the back who is almost asleep. This is one reason I so love tutoring adults, they WANT to learn. This is important to me as a tutor, as I believe my time is valuable and I want to spend it with those individuals who are willing to make a commitment to learning.
Subject: RE: Motivation and Attitudes
Author: Jill M
Posted date: Monday, July 20, 2009 10:48:49 AM CDT
Last modified date: Monday, July 20, 2009 7:14:42 PM CDT
Total views: 22 Your views: 1
Sue
Susan, I agree that ELLs work harder and practice more if they are motivated (there is an immediate need to learn the language). I work with a lot of parents who really want to be able to help their children with homework, communicate with teachers, go to the grocery store (as Deci and Ryan stated... intrinsic needs are great). When there are specific needs that require language acquisition, I believe the motivation level increases and students attend class more often and want to practice using the language more....Jill
=>Personality
Author: Susan H
Posted date: Sunday, July 19, 2009 5:03:46 PM CDT
Last modified date: Sunday, July 19, 2009 5:03:46 PM CDT
A positive attitude towards self and others, along with a positive attitude toward one's own language and the 2nd language can significantly enhance one's proficiency in learning L2. The personality trait of extroversion seems to enhance a student's ability to learn a 2nd language (more so than those individuals who are introverted). Students who are extroverted are likely to seek out speakers of the 2nd language and not shy away from situations in which they may be required to speak. Students who tend to have a high level of anxiety may have more difficulties in learning L2 than those students who do not. Anxiety in general has shown to interfere with the learning process overall.
Sue
Author: Esther C
Posted date: Sunday, July 19, 2009 10:11:40 PM CDT
Last modified date: Sunday, July 19, 2009 10:11:40 PM CDT
Total views: 21 Your views: 1
It does seem that being extroverted can be a bit of a help all the time! I had a Syrian student whose first language is Arabic. I taught her the words introverted and extroverted and had her write an essay about her experience in learning English using those words. She wrote that she felt like an extrovert in Arabic, but an introvert in English. She has a high monitor and her affective filter is always up because her work environment is extremely stressful, which she carries into her personal life. I could see she acted in spite of her fear to speak in English. She was very lonely though. I wish I could have helped her more, but it seems that being introverted is not easily overcome when trying to learn English.
Author: Susan H
Posted date: Monday, July 20, 2009 9:31:28 AM CDT
I do feel for those individuals who are more introverted, maybe this is where a one on one tutor or conversation partner would benefit until they are able to build up their confidence.
Sue
=> Aptitude
=>Intelligence
Author: Juliana B
Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 1:51:14 PM CDT
Subject: RE: Intelligence
This is kind of a tough one because it seems like it is hard to separate intelligence from educational experience.Most of the standardized tests are literacy based (although some are oral language measures) and many are culturally bound. We know that educational attainment in L1 affects acquisition and learning in L2. Is there a good measure of intelligence that is not academically biased?
Reply
Subject: Sal-IQ, assessments?...RE: Intelligence
Author: Sal Monteagudo
Posted date: Friday, July 24, 2009 8:38:01 AM CDT
Last modified date: Friday, July 24, 2009 8:38:01 AM CDT
Total views: 4 Your views: 4
Yes, assessments!! I remember from the previous online course on this topic-very sensitive topic because of the many factors behind it. There is one study on how some of these L1 students ("new" immigrants in public school system) are very knowledgeable , but would do bad in a test given to them in their "second language" (e.g. English). Some of these test may not take account of this L1 status because of their poor "second language" skills. There were cases that assessments should be given in their "first language" form to assess their "true" knowledge because they get "counted out" from the rest of their peers, which some were "held" back in school.
Subject: Sal-educational background...RE: Intelligence
Author: Sal Monteagudo
Posted date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 10:56:12 PM CDT
Last modified date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 10:56:12 PM CDT
Total views: 5 Your views: 2
-their level of education also play a role
(We have a list where “new” students can check that pertains to their educational background (e.g. finish high school, college, etc…). I “try” to determine what level pre-test to give to them based on their educational background, which the test results shows at times. However, we “teachers’ must be careful to not discriminate due to their educational background they check off. That is why I also try to have a dialogue with them prior to giving this pre-test too. We actually have a good size amount of college-level students in our classes because of the positions (e.g. veterinarians) at the dairy farm sites they work at. I along with some community members were surprised at first when I started teaching of the significant amount of these highly educated “farm workers”!!
=>First Language, proximity to TL, status, literacy, etc
Subject: RE: First Language, proximity to TL, status, literacy, etc.
Author: Susan H
Posted date: Sunday, July 19, 2009 4:51:03 PM CDT
Last modified date: Sunday, July 19, 2009 4:51:03 PM CDT
Some research has shown that that 1st language proficiency has a great influence on 2nd language proficiency. The skills necessary for reading and writing are transferred from L1 to L2. If the students 1st language is highly developed, it provides a foundation to build on in the 2nd language.The learners orientation and attitudes towards literacy in general has an impact on their proficiency to learn. Was there literacy in the home? Did their parents read to them on a regular basis? If the 2nd language is somewhat related to the first language (grammatical rules, vocab etc) this would make learning L2 easier. The more alike the 2 languages, the easier the transfer.
Sue
Author: Erin M.
Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 1:19:33 PM CDT
Subject: RE: First Language, proximity to TL, status, literacy, etc..
I don't know exactly how this relates to the previous points but I once had a kindergarten Hmong student. At conferences, his mother shared that she had come to the U.S. as a child and did not know Hmong well enough to speak only in Hmong to her son just as she did not know English well enough to only speak English. Therefore, she spoke a mix of each to her son. It was not something I had heard of before. I did not continue at that school to find out what happened with the student. He already spoke English fairly well though. I was sad to hear that the mother did not have a strong grasp of L1 or L2 and wondered if not knowing L1 well enough affected her ability to learn L2?
Author: Juliana B.
Posted date: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 1:43:54 PM CDT
Last modified date: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 1:43:54 PM CDT
Total views: 12 Your views: 1
I don't know exactly how this relates to the previous points but I once had a kindergarten Hmong student. At conferences, his mother shared that she had come to the U.S. as a child and did not know Hmong well enough to speak only in Hmong to her son just as she did not know English well enough to only speak English. Therefore, she spoke a mix of each to her son. It was not something I had heard of before. I did not continue at that school to find out what happened with the student. He already spoke English fairly well though. I was sad to hear that the mother did not have a strong grasp of L1 or L2 and wondered if not knowing L1 well enough affected her ability to learn L2?
That is so interesting - I have never heard of it, but it makes sense. If lack of literacy skills impacts acquisition of L2, it is easy to imagine a lack of proficiency in oral skills would impact it as well. She had a double whammy! At least there wouldn't be much interference from the L1. It would be interesting to hear if she has taken any ESL classes.
Author: Juliana B
Posted date: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 1:37:47 PM CDT
Last modified date: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 1:37:47 PM CDT
Total views: 16 Your views: 1
In my students I have seen evidence of the impact of the proximity factor. For instance, my Vietnamese students struggle much more with initial and ending sounds than do my Spanish speaking students. In one of our readings it identified Vietnamese as one of the more complex languages to learn (for English L1) along with Korean and Arabic. This could have to do with the character based text vs. sharing the same alphabet, as well as the tonal aspects of the spoken language.
Literacy in L1 seems to have an enormous impact on learning L2. Our non-literate or pre-literate students have so many more hurdles to run. Not only do they need to learn sound/symbol correspondence and all the phonemic rules, they have to learn how to hold a pencil, how to form letters, how to read left to right and top to bottom.... No wonder the progress is slow.
Author: Kristin M
Posted date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 11:59:43 AM CDT
Last modified date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 11:59:43 AM CDT
Total views: 8 Your views: 2
In my students I have seen evidence of the impact of the proximity factor. For instance, my Vietnamese students struggle much more with initial and ending sounds than do my Spanish speaking students. In one of our readings it identified Vietnamese as one of the more complex languages to learn (for English L1) along with Korean and Arabic. This could have to do with the character based text vs. sharing the same alphabet, as well as the tonal aspects of the spoken language.
Literacy in L1 seems to have an enormous impact on learning L2. Our non-literate or pre-literate students have so many more hurdles to run. Not only do they need to learn sound/symbol correspondence and all the phonemic rules, they have to learn how to hold a pencil, how to form letters, how to read left to right and top to bottom.... No wonder the progress is slow.
I've noticed the type of writing system of studens' L1 plays a role, too. Students I've had from China often try to "memorize" English words by shape or arrangement of letters, rather than decoding. It seems to me that this is related to the fact that Chinese is logographic, and words aren't "sounded out." However, this strategy works well for some of the English "sight words" where it is useful to just memorize them by how they look. It seems like we need both strategies for English...
=> Age of the Learner
Subject: Sal-"minority" amongst younger peers...RE: Age of the Learner
Author: Sal Monteagudo
Posted date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 10:57:16 PM CDT
Last modified date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 10:57:16 PM CDT
Total views: 11 Your views: 3
-Low-self confidence due to stereotypes of “old age” they hear frequently.
-feel like the “minority” amongst younger peers
(I was teaching a group of migrant workers from Mexico and noticed a student that “stuck-out” from his peers. He was a gray-haired older gentleman. I notice he felt out of place as his peers were a lot younger.)
Reply
Sal,
You are right on in that observation. Having more than a few grey hairs myself and having been in classes with 99% early twenty-somethings I know the feeling all too well.
The best thing to do for the older students in that situation is to emphasize their experience and draw from their life knowledge as well as reassuring them regularly.
When the light comes on and both groups realize that there are many forms of knowledge you can have a magical mix in the classroom. The younger students are sometimes drawn to the elder one(s), respecting and admiring them for all their wisdom and courage.
It can also be the case that the younger students may not have an open relationship with their own parents/grandparents but the safety of the classroom allows them to interact with an older student in a much less threatening manner. The older student also can connect to the younger ones and come out of that shell to blossom and thrive.
Patti
4. 4.4 Assignment
Reflection on Second Language Learning (20% of final grade)
This assignment needs to be submitted by August 4, 2009.
Purpose: for the student to demonstrate understanding of behaviorism, innatism, Krashen’s Monitor Model, and Interactionism, and to reflect on how these theories play out in real life.
Instructions: After reading about and discussing various Second Language Acquisition theories, write a 3-4 page reflection (PLEASE DOUBLE SPACE) that addresses the following points:
*see (Monteagudo_SLA_graded.doc)
Consider your own foreign language experience. Which theory (or better yet, which combination of theories) best supports your learning process/your teachers’ assumptions about second language learning?
For me, the combination of all theories best supports my learning process about second language learning. I believe we are all built differently and uniquely as "learning" individuals. I feel there is no "wrong" or "right" theory of acquiring a second language. It's like the many scientific theories on creation or evolution, which one scientist can say he/she has the "right" theory. There can be all these research and studies, but there is no way to represent "everybody" because we are all created to be unique individuals-there is no one that has the exact DNA (even biological twins!) or exact chromosome structure. Below, I will share my experiences of my personal acquisition of the Spanish language using the combination of these theories: Behaviorism, Innatism/Krashen, and Interactionsim.
I took Spanish for the first time during my freshmen year in high school (1991-1992). I took this particular language because I thought I would use it more later in life than the other languages offered (e.g. French). It was also recommended by my high school counselor and others to help prepare me for college, which was a big motivator to do well in this class. As I shared earlier in one of the discussion boards, many colleges required at least 2 years of a second language as a prerequisite. For example, when I was admitted to the University of Minnesota-Morris in 1995, I had to take a entrance exam to determine if I can be tested out of taking a second language. I past, but I still took a couple of language classes (intermediate level) in Spanish just to fill in my course work-still undecided on my major at the time of my freshmen year in college.
My first year of "Beginning Spanish", I can remember listening to many audio tapes. We as a class had to repeat some basic terminology (e.g. "hola"-hello, "bueno"-good, etc... ) words or phrases (e.g. "como estas?-how are you?, "muy bien"-very good, etc..). This Behaviorism Theory method is known as Audiolingual Method (ALM), which the "teaching relied haveily on use of memorization of set dialogues and extensive repetition and drilling" (pp. 11 Bailey's "Teaching Adult ESL"). My teacher (Mrs. Farrell) would use different types of formats (e.g. chalk board, cassatte tapes, or the overhead projector) to have us learn new vocabulary words. I feel this was very effective at the time because it got us to use many of our sesnes (e.g. sight, hear, etc...) to help memorize these "unfamiliar" words that became more "familiar" as we see or hear it more. I decided to dig-up my old high school papers, which I still keep in my storage to this day. I'm currently looking at my notebook, which has only a couple pages of notes (not sure where the rest are). I wrote down some vocabulary words (e.g. "querer"-to want, "caer"-to fall, "dar"-to give, etc..) in past tense ("preterito"-"quise", "caiste", "diste", etc..), which writing down what we were taught was another way to help learn these new words instead of just watching or listening to our teacher. However, as stated in Bailey's book-"language production is not based on predictable, set dialogues" (pp. 11 Bailey). In my ESL classes I teach, I usually cover vocabulary words based on "unexpected" moments when a particular subject or topic comes about during a class session. I looked at my archive of "cheat cheats" (e.g. name of students, background info, what they are learning or need to learn, etc...) from May 20th of this year and I wrote down "waiter" and "waitress". I remember I was trying to explain to one of my students the definition and difference between the two while he was working on the Rosetta Stone software program. I feel vocabulary words like this is a good time to teach when the student comes to a word he/she is unfamiliar with instead of learning it when he/she is in a different setting. For example, if I want to learn about a particular word (e.g. strikeout), I feel it would be easier to learn it when there is a "theme/topic" (e.g. sports-baseball) around that word is being discussed or taught. Bailey added on that "Language use can be unpredictable and it will vary depending on the contexts in which is produced" (pp. 11). When learning "unfamiliar" words repeatedly for a long time, we can lose the train of thought and forget many of the words (e.g. mostly the words in the middle of a long list). My suggestion is still do some repeating, but only the word(s) (e.g. waiter, waitress, etc..) after it was brought up during a certain context of a topic/theme during a particular lesson (e.g. visiting a restaurant).
Innatism/Krashen: It was during my second-third year in Spanish during high school when we started to practice longer phrases or sentences in Spanish. Our teacher would have us watch videos (e.g. day time soap opera sitcoms) in Spanish. We were able hear regular conversations in the language we've been learning for years now. As young "immature" high school students, the video were effective because it got our attention. I remember my class would be laughing, which these videos were entertaining. It was not a boring video, which some of our high school classes can lose many of my classmates attention if it wasn't the "right" environment. Then during the holidays-especially Christmas, many of us looked forward going to class! Our teacher would coincided her lessons based on these special days. Our teacher played "Feliz Navidad" in the cassatte tape and would have us sing-a-long to this popular song. To make it easier for us to learn, she would have these words written down in a big poster board-great visual (Table 1.5 pp. 13 Bailey). She would then use her pencil and had us repeat the lyrics of the songs, word-by-word, which I thought was very effective because I can still sing it to this day! This song made such an impact to my classmates that we would even sing it outside of class for fun. Music seem to be a great form to teach a language depending on the genre targeting the specific learner.
There are always some "counter learning factors" or "affective filters" for any student learning a "new" language-no matter your age. It all depends on how each individual student handles these "everyday" and sometimes unexpected anxieties that come from inside (e.g. students/peers acting up in the middle of class) or outside of the classroom. Growing-up in my high school years, I thought it was challenging as it is now. For me, I feel I can handle these challenges better because of my increase of maturity, experience, and faith-level. It was a "different-story" (e.g. family "issues", peer pressure, etc...) back in high school, which I feel affected my abilities to learning a second-language "more" effectively. I remember just sitting in my desk pondering about my "problems" from outside of school, which I sometimes wasn't paying attention to what my teacher (in other classes too) was teaching us. Fortunately, I graduated in the top 5% of my graduating class of 36, but I feel my high grades really didn't show the knowledge I acquired during my 4 years in high school.
Interactionism Theory: Our teacher would have us go into small groups in certain classroom activities. It's been such a long time, so I can't really remember what we actually got into small groups for. I just remember that some of my peers would love to just joke around when they would get together with their friends, so it wasn't always the best learning strategy for us-"high schoolers"! We did some small group exercises where we just could speak "Spanish" only to each other, which I thought was a very good activity. I look back and feel that if we did this more, it would've been more effective. When we are forced into an environment where a language we are learning is spoken or heard all the time, we can learn more than an environment that is the opposite. For example, I
stated this in the Discussion Board (Subject: Sal-constant exposure...RE: Jean+Sal+Celia+Susan
Posted date: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 11:10:46 PM CDT) for Unit #3...
"Yes, I agree that the "first" language can interfere a student trying to learn a "second" language. I think about my peers when they travel abroad (for an extended certain amount of time) and they pick-up the language there easier when they are "surrounded" by it constantly than if they learned it from a classroom (located in a area where their "native tongue" is spoken). I keep hearing that it's easier and quicker to learn a "second language" (e.g. Spanish) when they actually "go" to that country (e.g. Mexico) that speaks it compared to learning it in a classroom setting (students leave the classroom environment and they start speaking their "native tongue"). That is why I tell my students (e.g. dairy farm workers) I teach ESL to that they need to go home (e.g. dairy farm residence with same peers speaking the same "native tongue") and practice what we learned or expose (e.g. watch American "English-speaking" shows, movies, etc...) themselves to English as much as possible. I try to invite them to as many "local community social" events to have them practice what we learn too.
In the other side, I believe interaction is very important. However, it isn't always necessary. In the Discussion Board for week three (Course Discussions: Unit 3: Second Language Acquisition Jigsaw on Monday, July 20, 2009 1:11:17 AM CDT), I posted this...
"
I feel there is no "right" or "better" theory because there are no humans exactly alike, which we are created and built uniquely and differently (different chromosomes).
"interactive input is more important that non-interactive input"
what theory would be the "best" for children or young adults with a "developmental disability" (e.g. autism)?
For me, I learned how to swim on my own during college. I took swimming lessons as a child and just couldn't learn (e.g. interactionism) from my instructors or anyone. I don't know, is this a good analogy? Ok, here is another one, we have GED students that come to our classroom in the same time with our ESL students. Many of our GED students tell us that they just couldn't learn in a school setting. They tell us they do better learning on their own. I feel we are all unique individuals and we learn differently..."
In conclusion, I feel learning the second language in high school was contributed by many different factors. These factors were not the result of just one theory, but a severalcombination of these three "main" theories stated above. Doing this assignment has taught me that I can learn from my "past mistakes-challenges" (e.g. affective filters) that I encountered as a student learning a second language and teach current-future students "more" (e.g. consider using music in my teaching) effectively.
5. 4.5
As you know from Unit 3, Krashen's Affective Filter theory is widely accepted in the language teaching world. If someone is highly stressed, tired, fearful, uneasy, or otherwise has a "high" affective filter, it is very difficult for learning to take place. This is just one of many areas that affects learning.
ASSIGNMENT: Written Task 2
Written Task 2: Promoting Second Language Acquisition (5% of final grade)
If you are already teaching, reflect on and write about these questions:
What are you doing to make input comprehensible to your learners?
What I am doing to make input comprehensible to my learners is to make it as much fun and interactive as possible to help go "beyond" their "current proficiency level". Before I do this, I take an assessment or survey using a "Student Profile" question and answer sheet (under GoodnewsMorris Literacy Project: Students) to get to know where they are at. I ask them what do they specifically want ("meaningful") to learn English for? I then share my "itinerary" list of possible topics to learn from (see Liberal Arts: English-Classroom Tips, Materials, etc..), which I've been able to linked it to the three major languages (e.g. Espanol, Russian, Portuguese) of my students I teach in my particular classroom. I use a variety of available technological resources in our classroom: Rosetta Stone Software Program, Videos (e.g. youtube) on the computer, and other websites (e.g. Google Map) depending on the specific topic. Some "realia" I use depends on the topic too. For example, one of the most common questions many of our students (mostly from Mexico) get wrong in the Pre-Test (CASAS) we give to help assessed where "new" students are after registration (MARCS form) is the differences in American coins (e.g. quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies, etc...). I specifically use actual coins and put it in their hands, so then can visually see and touch it. I do this during a video (Money, Money, Money!). I found on youtube (under GoodnewsUSA American: English). This is just one example of many topics (e.g. order of dates, phone numbers, etc...) I start with after each "new" student take these exams because it gives me an idea where to start from-based on the errors or mistakes they got wrong in this particular test.
One of the first topics I usually start with many of my "new" students is the "Alphabet". I "try" to "build redundancy into my teaching" by having them learn in various ways just to get it in their head! I start with the letter "A". I would write it in upper and lowercase form. I then ask each student to come up with a "basic" word (e.g. apple, adult, animal, etc...) that starts with "A". I then write each word out and if it's easy, I try to draw a picture of it too. I do this "redundant" (repeating each letter in various ways) activity for each letter. I then have them say the whole alphabet or even sing it. I would ask them the vowels next and transition to an activity covering this part of the alphabet. I recently started printing out a worksheet of all the letters where they can practice writing it underneath, so they can keep learning the alphabet out of the classroom when they go "home".
What are 3 things you could do to make input comprehensible to your learners that you haven't thought of before?
Some additional 3 things I could do to make input comprehensible to my learners that I haven't thought of before are:
1-Use flashcards (e.g. Alphabet Flashcards (Set B) from eslflashcards.com, Alphabet Flash Cards with Pictures from teacherspayteachers.com, Alphabet Pictures from eslhq.com, etc...) that my student with limited literacy can "achieve tasks" to "demonstrate understanding through pointing to pictures and sorting them".
2-Do community setting "field trips" for social interaction activities. I've thought of this before, but I just haven't implemented this for specific topics/themes from my current "itinerary" lesson. I took a student from Brazil once and walked around town. I specifically took him to a local computer store as he was in the market to buy a personal computer. However, this was possible because he was my only student in our community setting location ("La Tienda"-a "Mexican" store that we used to have "open classes" in certain dates and times of the week) at this particular session. I'm not able to do this with the ESL and GED classes I volunteer at the local elementary school on Wednesday evenings. This possible "field trip" activity would have to be a schedule lesson with some of my students. I would take them to the grocery store and go through several activities: learn the alphabet by naming particular products, giving directions to find particular items in the store, and learning how to communicate at the "check-out" line after purchasing an item.
3-Just recently (this past Wednesday, July 22nd of 2009), I was chatting with a student from Ukraine about a movie ("Borat") we both have watched in the past. Yes, it was a funny movie, which the student and I just couldn't help stop laughing as we talked about it. I just realized I can add this to my current lesson plan on fun topics to talk about, which is a big conversation (e.g. Conversation Questions
Movies-
A Part of Conversation Questions for the ESL Classroom. from iteslj.org) topic for many people. I would like to use "famous lines" or "quotes" from movies. Also, we can talk about foreign films from each individual students' countries. I actually remember a student from Brazil referred me to a movie, which I put on my personal site for notes on this unique nation. Watching movies from these different countries-particularly the ones where most of my students I teach are from will be a cultural educational enhancement experience as a teacher.
What are you already doing that serves to lower the Affective Filter in your classroom?
What I'm already doing that serves to lower the Affective Filter in my classroom are various activities prior, throughout, and after the classroom session. We have an open class, so we have expected and unexpected students (both GED & ESL) that come in anytime between 6p-8pm on Wednesday evening at the local elementary school (profiled in my Homepage). Due to the unexpecations each evening, I try to come to the classroom early to get everything ready to lower any type of affective filter the students might face or even myself. When I first stated to volunteer as an ESL-GED teacher 4-5 years ago, I wasn't sure what to expect. I learned as I go and would get tips from our regular consortium meetings in Alexandria, which is where our "overseers" are in this part of Minnesota. I honestly admit that I really didn't really learn a lot of the "hands on experience" to be a "better" ESL teacher until I took these online classes through Hamline University. Getting back to what I do to prepare for the classroom site, I like to get the computers running. As we all know, computers take awhile to boot up and when opening a software program (e.g. Rosetta Stone)-it takes a longer time. I try to get all this ready, so when I get an ESL student "last minute" come to our classroom-I can immediately get them try to use the software program after they fill-out their registration (MARCS) form. There are times when I'm aleady helping a GED student (e.g. correcting their test) and I don't want to waste any of these students (GED or ESL) "precious" time. I have been trying to recruit more volunteers in the past, but many are college students and they can commit for only a certain period of time from their busy schedule. I know because I used to be one and being a student at the local university (very highly academic and demanding) is very challenging. I myself can get very stressed out trying to help all these students, so I've learned to prepare the classroom site to make it flow easier from helping one student to another.
During the class session, what I do to continue to keep the affective filter low would be carrying a "cheat sheat". We can get so many students in one period of time and I can easily forget their names. What I do is carry a small "pad-like" sheet of paper and take notes: name, where they are from, advice to give, or any characteristic details to help distinugish these students individually. I even take a picture of the classroom with my camera phone, so I can remember how they look next time I see them. In the MARCS (registration) form, there is an option for each student to share their e-mail address. I make sure it's ok to e-mail them for future news: class schedule, community social gatherings, etc... More imporatnly, I like to e-mail some advice or tips that I jot down during our classroom session. Some of our students are not able to come to classes each week due to their workload, so its a way to keep in touch with them too.
What are some others ways that you could create a classroom environment that is conducive to learning?
Some others ways that I could create a classroom environment that is conducive to learning for my students are recruiting more "volunteers" in our local program. This would be my number one priority as I've briefly shared earlier (lowering the active filter for my learners) that it's very challenging to "spread myself thin" in helping both GED and ESL students in our "open classroom" each Wednesday evening. I've been able to have recruit a volunteer recently, but he was unemployed and he's trying to look for something that he gets paid with the time he commits. Overall, I can't really see any other BIG way because we have a great class site-local elementary school. It's equipped with computers -labtops too, maps, and different rooms for individuals that need privacy. Another great idea that I've been pondering to do sometime is having "teacher evaluations" (e.g.
Teacher Evaluation:
New Directions & Practices
from teacherevaluation.net)
-similar to what we fill out every time we finish an online class here (Hamline) and other places (old alma mater-University of Minnesota-Morris) too. I think it would be great to get my students perspective on how the class is going before they "exit" out of the program. The biggest problem I can see with this is knowing when our students are going to actually finish. Many of our students come and they don't know if they will ever return. However, there are some students that know because they have a time frame with the "last" day they plan to be here in this area.
If you are not teaching, respond to the these questions:
What are 3 ways a teacher can make input comprehensible to learners with very limited English? What are some ways a teacher can lower the Affective Filter in the classroom?
Suggest a number of things you would do to create a classroom environment that is conducive to learning.
PLEASE DOUBLE SPACE your assignment. It should be 1-2 pages.
“It is important to keep the following in mind in your role as a teacher of adult learners:
* Adults are capable of acquiring a second language.
* Adult learners need ample and accessible language input; provide extensive practice with listening to authentic language in your classroom. Support that language input with visual aids and other tools for making language comprehensible.
* Adult learners need meaningful and authentic opportunities to use language in order to acquire language; help your learners to learn beyond the classroom and to become active members of their communities.”
--Parrish, p.18
Unit 5
Reading in a Second Language
Sunday, July 26 – Sunday, August 2, 2009
1. 5.1 Introduction to L2 Reading
One thought I’d like you to keep in mind throughout the unit is that
literacy empowers learners.
“Attaining literacy in English broadens learners’ opportunities in their communities, homes, and jobs. It allows them to attain certain jobs, help their children with schoolwork, and correspond with teachers and others in the community. ESL educators have the task of determining their learners’ literacy needs and selecting approaches and contexts for teaching reading and writing that are the most suitable for them.”
--Parrish p.157
First, let’s start by doing a quick survey.
· Print out the Word document at the top of this section, entitled Rdg Survey.
· Rate your opinion, quickly. Don’t overthink—we’ll revisit these later.
· Save this paper for later.
Reading Survey (20.5 Kb)
READING
Turn to page 125-126 in Parrish. Do Task 5.1 and jot your thoughts in a notebook or a blank screen. This is just for you to gather your thoughts, no one will see it.
* What are Choua’s literacy needs? What kinds of texts does she need to read?
Basic reading to understand going through mail-junk and important!
Basic words relating to mail. Maybe teach her how to write and mail a letter. Start teaching the basic alphabet.
* What unique challenges does she face?
If she cannot read mail, she might get some important mail from the city, state, or federal that might be very significant. She might get bills that need to be paid off
2. 5.2 How do we read?
Take a look at the Hmong story cloth (pa ndau) above. What’s going on? Can you “read” the story? Take a moment to create your own story before reading the explanation below.
In the upper half of the story cloth, there are scenes of harvesting corn, pounding rice, and feeding animals. The third tier of images shows shamanistic ceremonies and the bottom tier shows traditional courting customs. The mother of the bride is furious when she learns from a messenger that her daughter has been seduced by her would-be husband and threatens the messenger with a stick.
Now look at the above text. Can you answer the following questions?
1. What is the purpose of the text?
2. Where might you find this text?
3. What information is given?
4. Who is the audience for this text?
Unless you can read Chinese, you didn’t necessarily understand a great deal of the text, but you were able to surmise a great deal through context and your own experiences. You probably recognized it as an advertisement, likely an electronics store of some kind. You could probably figure out where the name of the store, where item names, etc. are listed, as well as maybe point out the address.
Now take a look at this French sample and see if you can answer the questions below:
Le gouvernement a proposé, jeudi 29 janvier, un protocole d’accord sur les salaires et le temps de travail des fonctionnaires aux sept fédérations syndicales qui les représentent. Ce document prévoit que la fonction publique sera progressivement concernée par le passage aux 35 heures, mais il ne dit pas quand. La CGT et la FSU, qui demandaient que le mouvement soit lance au 1er janvier 2004, deplorent cette absence de date. Le gouvernement propose une hausse des traitements de 2,6% pour les années 2002 et 2003.
1. An agreement is proposed for ___________ and ___________.
2. There are _______ unions.
3. Work hours will move to _______ hours a week.
4. The government plans to increase salaries by __ % in 20 __ and 20___.
Consider the following:
· What helped you understand this French text?
· Did you find yourself reading it differently than the Hmong and Chinese texts above?
· How so?
For example, in the French sample, you may have used more decoding skills- there were words that may have been recognizable to you.
Anything else?
All this without being able to “read” it in a traditional sense!
3. 5.3 What's involved in reading?
Look at case of Omar. He’s having difficulty understanding a reading passage. Is his issue with decoding or with something else?
Omar, a young immigrant from rural Venezuela, sat dejectedly in the tiny corner we called a lab, hands wrapped around his thin cheeks, head bowing over a reading passage assigned by his teacher. "I don't understand. I can't do the worksheet." He was attempting to read a passage about an Appalachian family living in an abandoned bus. "I don't understand these words; this story says that these people are living in a bus. I don't understand. People don't live in buses.”
(from The ESOL Adult and the Push Towards Meaning, by Judith Rance-Roney)
Take a moment to gather your thoughts.
* What’s going on here? Why is Omar having difficulty?
ONLINE DISCUSSION: What’s involved in reading?
What’s Involved in Reading.
“Reading” in the traditional sense has basically referred to sounding out words, or decoding. We teach folks the alphabet, they learn the sounds, they put them together to form words, then sentences, then paragraphs…right?
Or is there more to it?
How did you manage to “read” the Hmong story cloth,
First of all, pictures are very helpful, which past experiences of seeing these pics was very helpful in interpreting the meaning. However, I didn't get the last part about the "shamanistic ritual" and the "threatens the messenger with a stick". I actually have a Hmong story cloth in my living room, which tells the story of the "Birth of Jesus" (Christian-"three kings", "Joseph & Mary", "sheep", etc...). I got this from an annual event, "Hmong New Year" (November during Thanksgiving weekend), in St. Paul-Minnesota. My sister-in-law is Hmong and I grew-up with many friends from this rich-culture, so I've been exposed to the story cloth many times.
the Chinese ad,
I don't understand Chinese, but have read (partially) a book on interpreting the Chinese writings. I didn't really have to understand the Chinese language because like the Hmong cloth-pictures helped. I could tell it was some sort of electronic store catalog or ad (something that we get in the Sunday paper). However, I couldn't figure out some of the items (e.g. top right corner picture-it look like a cloth-mouse pad? or the middle center picture-tray??).
and the French passage?
French is a latin root language, which Spanish is also. Some Spanish language (3-4 years) was helpful, but I didn't understand some other words-especially the acronyms (CGT,FSU?). What made this a little harder to interpret compared to the Hmong & Chinese one is there were no pictures. Remember as a kid, we love to get books with pictures? Books (this last activity) with words and no pictures requires a little more patience, which some of our students have to endure. I feel we "teachers" can lower their "active filter" by making our teaching easier to understand by using as many visuals (e.g pictures) or "making language comprehensible" (pp. 13 Bailey).
What strategies were you using (besides decoding)? What experiences were you drawing on?
Join the conversation in the discussion board to “unpack” some of these issues. You can react to the various tasks you just did, or attempt to answer this big question:
What’s involved in reading?
Please make at least 2 original, substantive entries and at least 2 reactions to others’ comments. Please finish posting by 5 pm on Monday, August 3.
2. Read “Reading and Adult English Language Learners,” Introduction and Sections 1 & 2 (pages 1-32).
“Reading, like listening and speaking, is interactive in nature and open to various interpretations. A text doesn’t just transmit information, as shown in Figure A. It involves information going from the text to the reader and back. A text means something different to each of us because of what we bring to it.
The ways we read a text depend on prior knowledge, our needs, expectations, the context in which we are reading, as well as our own interpretations, experiences, and culture. This interaction is depicted in Figure B.”
--Parrish, page 130-131
4. 5.4 Teaching reading
Bottom Up Reading.doc (19.5 Kb)
Three Approaches to Teaching Reading (139 Kb)
Whole Language and Phonics (21 Kb)
Teaching Reading: Bottom - Up
You’ve already read about bottom-up, top-down, and balanced approaches to reading, and many of these issues came up in our discussions. Just to clarify, take a look at the first two pages of this adult reading textbook:
From Laubach Way to Reading, New Readers Press
Teaching Reading: Top - Down
These two ‘first pages’ above wonderfully illustrate the differences between bottom-up and top-down approaches to reading. Bottom-up approaches assume that reading is ‘built’ from letters and sounds to words and focus on decoding.
Top-down approaches work to ‘construct meaning’ by beginning with a context. They picture an apartment building, several families, and the characters that will be followed throughout the textbook. From a meaningful, relevant context, we can then go move to working with print.
See these handouts for clarification (located under the section title at the top of the page):
1. Bottom-up reading "· focus on decoding letter by letter, word by word, sentence by sentence.."
Top-Down Approach to Reading:
· begins with meaning
· conceptually-driven
"As Frank Smith points out, "The more you know, the less you need to find out." In other words, the more readers know in advance about the topic to be read, the less they need to use graphic information on the page." (Vacca, Vacca & Gove, 1995)
2. Three Approaches to Teaching Reading \
What does a "balanced approach"
to reading instruction mean?,
Sebastian Wren, Ph.D. from educationoasis.com "
There have been, over the years, two general instructional approaches that have governed reading education. They have gone by many names, but today they are generally known as Phonics and Whole Language approaches. These approaches to reading instruction reflect very different underlying philosophies and stress very different skills. The philosophy underlying the Whole Language approach is that reading is a natural process, much like learning to speak, and that children exposed to a great deal of authentic, connected text will naturally become literate without much in the way of explicit instruction in the rules and conventions of printed text. The philosophy underlying the Phonics approach is quite different -- Phonics advocates argue that in order to learn to read, most children require a great deal of explicit instruction in the rules of printed text.
Whole Language and Phonics Approaches
A young child in a Whole Language classroom is provided with simple, predictable and repetitive text -- frequently the text is already familiar to the child, making it that much easier to understand. Emphasis in a Whole Language classroom is not placed on reading precision and accuracy, but on comprehension and appreciation -- children are not expected to read the text verbatim, they are allowed to insert and substitute words as long as the story still makes sense, and as long as the child is understanding the gist of the story. The primary goal of the Whole Language teacher is to foster a love for the act of reading authentic and connected text, and to keep the process of reading instruction uncontrived.
In a Phonics classroom, by contrast, a great emphasis is placed on reading precision, and children are encouraged to read the words exactly as they appear on the page. Children are explicitly taught "rules" about the way words are written and spelled, and they are taught spelling-sound relationships. After a teacher provides an explicit lesson in a particular Phonics rule (e.g. if the last letter of a word is an "e," then the first vowel is usually long), the child is presented with a passage of text that contains many words consistent with that rule (called decodable text); this provides the child with the opportunity to apply each Phonics rule on a variety of words in the context of a passage. The goal of the Phonics teacher, then, is to instill children with the Phonics rules and the common spelling-sound relationships, and to teach children to apply this knowledge in sounding-out each word they encounter, making the assumption that comprehension and appreciation will be a natural consequence of accuracy.
Some people have characterized the fundamental difference between these two philosophies as being a debate between whether reading is "top-down" or "bottom-up." The Whole Language advocates state that reading is "top-down" in that the meaning of the text is dependent upon the background knowledge and understanding that the reader brings. The reader forms hypotheses and makes predictions, and only samples the text occasionally to confirm those predictions.
By contrast, the Phonics approach could be described as "bottom-up" -- Phonics advocates argue that if a person is able to correctly decode text, meaning and understanding will follow. The text contains the message, and through the act of decoding the text, the reader discovers what that message is.
The Great Debate (a.k.a. The Reading Wars)
Educators have debated over which is the best approach to teach children to read for many years. The ancient Greeks began reading instruction by teaching the letters and the letter-sound relationships, and children did not attempt to decode any real words until they had mastered these basics. In the middle of the 19th century, the great education reformer Horace Mann criticized the Phonics-like approach to reading instruction that was prevalent at the time, describing letters of the alphabet as "bloodless, ghostly apparitions." He advocated more of a "whole word" approach to reading instruction. Late in the 19th century and early in the 20th century, the pendulum swung back towards "skills and drills" based instruction, such as the McGuffy readers and the Beacon readers. Before the second World War, the pendulum of education back swung back again with the publication of the Scott Foresman's "Dick and Jane" reading books that were more repetitive, emphasized simple words that were supposed to be in the child's "sight vocabulary," and which were highly predictable. Thus, the "look-say" approach to reading instruction became the predominant approach to reading instruction. In the midst of the Cold-War era, Rudolf Flesch published "Why Johnny Can't Read," which suggested that the look-say approach was more than merely educationally inappropriate, he characterized it as a threat to democracy. The pendulum once again swung back towards Phonics, but in addition, this book added very political overtones to what was already becoming a very heated debate. In the 1980s, educators rebelled against the contrived drills and worksheets that were common in the Phonics curricula; the pendulum swung back towards Whole Language and more "authentic" reading lessons, and the volatile nature of what has come to be known as "the Great Debate" became even more politically charged.
With social and political conservatives having embraced Phonics as a traditionalist, back-to-basics approach to reading instruction, liberals embraced Whole Language, describing the Whole Language approach as more "democratic" and even using terms like "elitist" and "racist" to describe the Phonics philosophy.
Arguably, the Great Debate, or what some have more appropriately dubbed the "reading wars," has been one of the most destructive forces in reading education. The battles have grown from ideological differences to personal, politically charged attacks on character. Teachers, and more importantly children, have been caught in the crossfire.
Recently the National Academy of Sciences released an analysis of research in reading instruction called Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. In the preface to this book, the committee that authored it expressed their hopes that the research-based information provided in their report would "mark the end of the reading wars." They state that, "The study reported in this volume was undertaken with the assumption that empirical work in the field of reading had advanced sufficiently to allow substantial agreed-upon results and conclusions that could form a basis for breaching the differences among the warring parties." Their intent was to provide information about research-based reading instruction without regard to ideologies or sides in the reading wars. It was clearly their intention to simply promote the best information available about reading and reading instruction, and to ignore which "party" had promoted it in the past. Still, reviews of the report summarized the content with overly simplistic statements such as "researchers call for a balanced approach to end the reading wars."
A Balanced Approach
In fact, very few educators today would describe themselves as strict advocates of either a Phonics approach or a Whole Language approach -- most would describe their teaching as "balanced," which, on the surface, has a great deal of appeal. Educators nationwide are promoting a "balanced" approach to reading instruction in an effort to bring an end to the reading wars. However, while an end to the reading wars could not possibly be more desirable, it is important to remember that a compromise between these two approaches to reading instruction will not necessarily result in the single, best approach. If either Phonics or Whole Language was even close to being the panacea of reading education, then there would not be a Great Debate. The fact is, there is not much evidence that either the Whole Language approach or the Phonics approach is particularly effective. As Marilyn Adams has said, "We have known for 30 years that Phonics did a better job at teaching reading than Whole Word -- and now Whole Language -- instruction. But, you know, it never was that much better." Neither approach has been sufficiently effective, so why do we assume that a compromise between these two approaches will provide educators with the most effective approach possible?
While the pendulum of reading instruction has swung back and forth several times, reading performance for children has remained quite stable, and unfortunately, quite poor. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has been used to assess major areas of education including reading performance since 1969. In 30 years, despite the different approaches to reading education that have prevailed at different times, reading scores have not really changed appreciably; about 40 percent of this country's forth graders have always performed in the "below basic" category, while approximately 5 percent have been ranked in the "advanced" category at the other end of the distribution. Around the world, not just in the U.S., when either a Phonics approach or a Whole Language approach is adopted, an unacceptably large percentage of children fail to learn to read. According to the 1992 NAEP, most teachers in the U.S. adopted what they described as a balanced approach to reading instruction, but still the scores remained unacceptably low.
Problems with a Balanced Approach
One possible contributing factor in the stability of the NAEP scores despite teachers moving to a more "balanced approach" to reading instruction stems from the fact that most people do not agree what the term "balanced approach" means. A balanced approach could be generically described as "mixing some Phonics with Whole Language," but how this is accomplished in any particular classroom is unclear. The eclectic approach, as some have come to call it, sometimes involves teaching Phonics first, and then "graduating" to Whole Language approaches. Alternatively, the Phonics instruction may be explicit, but children might be given more opportunities to read connected, authentic literature. Or, lessons prescribed by Phonics and Whole Language may be intermixed in the hopes that different children will benefit from different "styles" of teaching. Similarly, it is not uncommon for teachers to use an amalgam of decodable text and predictable, repetitive text in a diplomatic approach to balanced literacy instruction. The argument is often made that the best elements of each philosophy can be utilized while the worst are eliminated, but how are we to decide what the "best elements" are? Should we assume that the two approaches represent the entire world of reading instruction, and that the "best elements" are to be found in one camp or the other? It is possible that some combination of the two approaches will work better than either approach alone did, but is it necessarily the best possible approach for each individual child?
Science to the Rescue
Research in reading is providing us with approaches and understanding that neither "camp" was able to provide -- fresh ideas and new ways of thinking about reading and reading instruction that are not consistent with the tenets of either traditional Phonics or Whole Language philosophies are being substantiated and validated through empirical research. Teachers are now being encouraged to look beyond the restrictions of the traditional approaches to reading instruction, and to use research evidence to gain an understanding of the reading process that allows them to make clearer and more purposeful instructional decisions. More importantly, teachers are able to use the information provided by research to customize instructional strategies to individual children's needs -- rather than creating lessons based on a philosophy or an approach, teachers can examine a child's development in reading and respond with appropriate instruction.
As long as educators are in any way expected to base their educational decisions on the issues, debates, politics and polemics of the Great Debate, and as long as we limit our horizons to approaches and philosophies that have been advocated by one faction or another, there is no reason to believe that real progress in reading education will ever be made. Phonics approaches may be improved by incorporating elements of Whole Language instruction, or vice versa, but it is doubtful that the best approach to reading instruction will be scavenged from these two philosophies, and it is even less likely that any instruction that is not squarely centered on the individual student's learning needs will ever be universally effective.
Rather than picking the best elements from these two approaches, it seems sensible to simply ask what information about reading and reading instruction has been supported by research, and move forward from there. If we focus on what research has said about how children learn to read, and if we truly focus on the educational needs of each individual child that is learning to read, then we do not need to concern ourselves with striking any sort of balance or making any compromises in our reading instruction. Educators should not be asking whether a lesson is Phonics-based or Whole Language-based, they should be asking whether a lesson is going to help a specific beginning reader to learn to read.
The most troubling aspect of the debate over Phonics, Whole Language and balanced approaches to reading instruction is that the interest and debate almost always focuses on the lessons and activities that a teacher should deliver (and the order in which those lessons and activities should be delivered). A typical Phonics teacher plans lessons weeks or months in advance. So does a Whole Language teacher. So does a teacher who is trying to balance these two approaches. But if instruction is to be customized on individual students' learning needs, teachers need to become more adept at planning lessons to focus on areas of instructional need that were revealed through artful assessment and observation of individual students. Lesson plans can be thought out in broad strokes in advance, but if instruction is to be truly effective, lesson plans need to be constantly revised to accommodate new assessment information, and lessons need to be customized to suit the learning needs of individual students. The Great Debate over reading instruction does not help teachers to develop more assessment driven, individualized instruction strategies.
As stated earlier, an end to the Reading Wars could not be more desirable, but the debate will not end as long as the focus of reading instruction is on the teacher and the activities and materials. The focus needs to shift to the student and the individual learning needs that can be revealed through ongoing, diagnostic assessment. Only when all teachers learn to diagnose student reading skills and respond with focused, deliberate instruction will literacy be available to all children.
3. Whole Language and Phonics
Whole Language Practices
· Project-based learning · Reading, writing, listening, speaking skills development· Language Experiences · Writing using inventive spelling from the beginning of instruction · Little attention paid to errors· Use of ‘whole’ texts "Phonics Tasks:
· Concentration
· Bingo
· Same/different
· Identify rhyming words: group rhyming families
· Create sound groups
· Find words that start with…
· Find sight words
Reading Instruction
Trends in reading instruction, as with any profession, change over time. You may be able to recall how YOU learned to read as a child. Was it through basal readers, “Dick and Jane” books? Look Jane, see Spot run…? Or do you remember having word walls, doing inventive spelling, creating group stories?
What do you remember about learning to read in your first classrooms?
Now think about kids today, maybe your own, your grandchildren, or friends’ children. How are they learning to read? Much differently? Or has the pendulum swung away and back again in that amount of time?
Reading instruction trends sway from whole language to more phonics based approaches, with some programs/teachers embracing both through more balanced approaches. The same trends are present in second language reading, although perhaps less visibly and certainly drawing less attention.
We’ll be working with these in more detail, but broken down to its bare minimum, reading instruction includes the following:
5 Areas of Reading Instruction
(from “Put Reading First” by the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement and the National Institute for Literacy, 2001.)
Phonemic awareness: the ability to notice, think about, and work with the individual sounds in spoken words
Phonics knowledge: the understanding that there are systematic and predictable relationships between written letters (graphemes) and spoken sounds (phonemes), and the ability to use these relationships to read and write words
Fluency: the ability to read a text accurately and quickly; fluent readers focus their attention on making connections among the ideas in a text and their background knowledge
Vocabulary: the words we must know to communicate effectively
Comprehension: the reason for reading; it is purposeful and active
ONLINE DISCUSSION
Reading Survey Reactions
We’ve talked about many issues related to reading in this Unit, and I’d like to give you a chance to gather your thoughts, ask questions, clarify your reactions, and see what others are thinking.
First, find that survey you did at the beginning of this Unit (Rdg Survey).
Using a different color or marking system, do the survey again.
Join the discussion entitled Reading Survey Reactions.
* Have your ratings changed at all? In what areas?
Severl ratings changed, but by not much (only 1 more or less). Except, for the first question (went from 4 to 2)-". Reading involves a process of decoding sounds, words, then sentences". I feel from "past knowledge & experiences" are more helpful than "decoding" word for word. Like, in the first handout (Bottom-up reading)...
Top-Down Approach to Reading:
· begins with meaning
· conceptually-driven
"As Frank Smith points out, "The more you know, the less you need to find out." In other words, the more readers know in advance about the topic to be read, the less they need to use graphic information on the page." (Vacca, Vacca & Gove, 1995)
After the assigned reading and the handouts, I've moved more towards "top-down" or "Whole Reading" approach. Just like that activity exericse (French sample in this Unit's course content-2. 5.2 How do we read?). I might not know every single French word, but knowing some from my past similar "Latin root-language (Spanish)" experience-I'm able to get the context of the "French Sample".
Just as Bailey put it-"The ways we read a text depend on prior knowledge, our needs,expectations, the context in which we are reading, as well as our own interpretations, experiences, and culture. (see Figure A & B on pp. 131).
* If your ratings haven’t changed, are your thoughts on the topics more clear/solid now? In what ways?
Please make at least 1 original, substantive entry and at least 2 reactions to others’ comments. Please post by 5pm Monday, August 3, 2009
First print out this table: Russian Rdg Reaction Chart, located at the top of this section, under the title.
Jot down your reactions to each item on the chart.
Choose a couple of areas you’d like to share or talk more about.
Join the discussion entitled Russian Reading Reactions.
Please make at least 2 original, substantive entries and at least 2 reactions to others’ comments. Please post by 5 pm on Monday, August 3, 2009.
Russian Reading Reactions.
Unit 6
ESL Literacy Instruction
Sunday, August 2 – Sunday, August 9, 2009
Characteristics of Fluent Readers (19.5 Kb)
Schema Theory (19 Kb)
ESL Literacy Instruction
When a child learns to read in her first language, say around the age of 6, she already has a tremendous oral vocabulary. The words her teachers present in writing are familiar to her; she's already able to speak with confidence on a great number of topics. This is not the case for adults learning to read in English. They are working on both oral and written language simultaneously, making the process more complicated.Many ESL students have better speaking skills than reading skills, while others are more comfortable reading and writing than conversing. This 'mismatch,' while at times puzzling and even frustrating, is totally normal. As teachers, we have to tap into the strengths they bring to us in order to build the skills they need. As with all good teaching, we must begin with what they know.
What are characteristics of fluent readers?
-no stuttering, smooth flow when reading, good pace, able to pronounce many of the words, varies tone of voice level with the "mood" of the word, etc...
Then, click and take a look at the handout provided above (Characteristics of Fluent Readers), under the title of this section.
Schema Theory
"...The reader's expectations, opinions, feelings, prior experiences with the topic, etc. all play an important role in how he/she will read and respond to a text. This idea, that text alone does not carry meaning, is called Schema Theory.
In teaching reading, we talk about "activating schema." This is the idea of getting students READY to read a text. The more they know about what is coming, the more they'll gain from the text.
"...his time spent "pre-reading" will pay you back many times over in student participation and comprehension...
*TIP:
Let's do another example together. Take a look at the text of this medicine label. Imagine how confusing it could be to students if simply 'handed-out' to be read. But if we first prepare students for reading, they'll experience much more success.
ONLINE DISCUSSION
Activating Schema: The importance of pre-reading.
Join the discussion in the discussion board about pre-reading. Some questions to think about:
How could we build schema before introducing the above texts?
1-Fishing
I would first ask my student(s) if they like fishing. If yes, I would ask questions dealing with their fishing experience. For example, have they fished back at their own country and what type of fish. I then would personally show my fishing pictures that I have posted on a slideshow on a personal website. As an individual into the environment (e.g. I have a all-season State Park pass), I would show a state map of where the lakes are located. I live (west-central Minnesota) in a very agricultural area, which I would share about some "polluted" (e.g. farming chemicals-pesticides) lakes to be careful when getting a certain number of fish to eat. I would then show possible areas of high mercury after reading the text-after doing some of my own research!
I actually have shown my fishing pictures in the past when talking about our weekend. I usually first ask my students what they did the past weekend as an informal activity before doing a formal activity lesson. Depending on what theme or topic they share about their weekend, I would go further on the same-line and expand more on it. For example, I shared this in a previous online discussion at another class through Hamline, so forgive me if you might've heard this before:
One of my students share about his trip to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, so I ended-up doing a "last minute" lesson on U.S. Presidents. I began by asking, who are the U.S. Presidents featured in this federal monument? I didn't do this at the time, but I would then go into one of our G.E.D. workbooks-Social Studies-in our classroom and have the student read more on this topic. Another possible reading activity would be having them read more background history out loud from the Mount Rushmore website.
2-This is Just to Say
I would first ask each individual student what their favorite fruits are (U.S. and/or "native country"). I would then have them explain more about the fruit. Some other possible questions relating to the poem would be: How do they like to eat their fruit-cold or warm? How do they keep it cool/warm? For example, I love cocount juice, which I store it in my basement where it's cool during the summer months. Sometimes, I even keep my beverages outside during the winter time (above zero), which is a "natural" freezer during cold months in Minnesota. I would ask the student(s), if they do something similar like this back in their own country?
What other pre-reading activities have you used with students?
What do you think about taking time to build schema?
Share you thoughts and experiences, and ask any questions!
Please make at least 1 original, substantive entry and at least 1 reaction to another's comments. Please complete your postings by 5pm, Monday, August 10, 2009
2. 6.2 Approaches to ESL Literacy Instruction
READING ASSIGNMENT
Read Parrish, Chapter 2, Approaches and Program Options in Adult ESL. Pages 25-46.
Approaches in Adult ESL
As you read in Chapter 2 of Parrish, there are a variety of instructional approaches in adult ESL. It's important to keep in mind that very rarely does a teacher or a program strictly adhere to only ONE approach. As you read on page 26, teachers and schools create courses that vary widely depending on so many factors:
*
Who are the learners and how do they learn best?
*
Why are they learning English?
*
What experience have they had with formal and informal education?
*
What are their view of teaching and learning?
*
What are the overall goals of the program?
*
Who decides or mandates these goals?
Even within one unit or within a day's lesson, a teacher may use elements of the natural approach (perhaps allow students to have time for extended listening or reading), then use a pair or group task that reflects communicative language learning, then do a functional lifeskills task that looks more like competency-based education, and then turn to a content-area like citizenship before giving students time to work on a project they've begun (project-based learning)…
It's important to become familiar with various approaches to extend our "repertoire" of instruction, to give ourselves more choices for teaching that will better serve our students. By learning about a wide range of possibilities, we're better able to make good choices for our own learners.
ASSIGNMENT: Written Task #3
Written Task 3: Approaches in Adult ESL (5% of final grade)
This assignment must be submitted by August 18, 2009.
After reviewing the approaches discussed on pages 29-37, complete the chart on your own paper. As indicated, BRIEFLY name the core principle/s of each approach and 1-3 sample classroom practices. This may be done in "bullets"-- complete sentences not necessary!
1-Teacher displays visual (flash cards) of a person with body parts labeled
3-Learner hold up yes/no card according to whether the teacher said the right or wrong word
*Note: "...to allow learners to demonstrate their understanding of language forms and vocabularly before they are able to produce the language.."
Competency: Returning and item to the store
Sample activity: Each of the other students in class is given an item to return; some are given a receipt; some have item in the box; some have item with no packaging
Follow up: Did you get a refund, a new item, or a store credit? Why? Did you get what you wanted? What were the store policies and how did they affect you?
*note "what is taught rather than how it is taught
"..role-plays, discussions, or debates..samples of authentic languages, for example, news reports, articles, or taped interviews...
*note: "Practice activities should represent real-world uses of language that correspond to the strengths, wants, and needs of the students in the class."
"project-based learning; reading, writing, listening, speaking skills development; language experiences; writing using inventive spelling from the beginning of instruction; little attention paid to errors; use of "whole" texts"
*note: not seen as a method of teaching
"Citizenship: Learning about Americanhistory and systems of government becomes the basis for instruction, along with the language needed to read about and answer the questions about that content.
*note: learners take part in language activities that are typical of any communicative classroom: prreading, prelistening, role-plays, or discussions
n"content evolves from learners' real-life issues and concerns (emergent curriculum) , problem posing is central to the approach, followed by problem solving, emphasize dialogue, etc..
*note: "..it is a philosophy, a way of thinking about students and their ability to think critically and to reflect analytically on their lives"
On page 40 of Teaching Adult ESL, Read Task 2.5.After reviewing the approaches and program options outlined in chapter 2, complete the chart on your own paper. As indicated, BRIEFLY name the purposes for learning and suitable approaches to teaching in this setting. This may be done in "bullets"-- complete sentences not necessary!
"to function in society (e.g. occupation-"make a living income"); learn how to look for a job; prepare a job application, resume, and an interview; and "maintain" a job or accelerate in their career-job potential)
Cone experience.jpg (223.923 Kb)
MI: Theory and Practice in Adult ESL (33.5 Kb)
Song wonderful world.jpg (286.211 Kb)
Reaching Everyone: A Multifaceted Approach
Now that you're familiar with a variety of instructional approaches to teaching adult literacy, lets talk more specifically about how individual students learn.
"Far too often, teachers find themselves teaching as they were taught. All of us learn differently, and what may have worked well for you may not work well for the students you find yourselves teaching."
-- Parrish, p. 27
Individual learning preferences have a tremendous impact on how successful a student will be in a particular classroom setting. "Howard Gardner suggests that there are at least seven intelligences that learners draw on to process and understand the world. Different learners may have some intelligences that are stronger than others, and approaches that are responsive to multiple intelligences are more likely to appeal to a broader audience of learners" (Parrish. p.27).
*
Verbal/Linguistic
*
Musical
*
Logical/Mathematical
*
Spatial/Visual
*
Bodily/Kinesthetic
*
Intrapersonal
*
Natural/Environmental
The chart below illustrates these different intelligences. Can you find your own strongest intelligences?
"All learners benefit from developing multiple means of processing information, as Gardner and others have shown, so a multifaceted approach to teaching is going to provide a richer learning environment for all students, one that is responsive to the multifaceted ways in which individuals learn language."
--Parrish, p. 27
Click on this link for a fun activity that reviews the various Intelligences. Imagine being at a busy restaurant, waiting for a table. Various other parties are waiting as well. Which person is exhibiting which intelligence?? http://www.hamline.edu/instech/sla/intelligences/Publish/intelligences.swf
ONLINE DISCUSSION: Multiple Intelligences
Multiple Intelligences: Reaching Everyone.
In the discussion board, I've created a thread for each of the seven intelligences. Choose 2-3 threads, and share examples of activities or tasks you could do in the adult ESL classroom that would cater to that particular intelligence.
For example, for the "natural/environmental" intelligence, a group of students could take a nature-walk and collect various items they find such as a pinecone, leaf, flowers, etc. After returning to the classroom, they could place these on a piece of large paper and label them. Then they could talk and write about what items they might find if they were to go on a nature-walk in their own country. Would the items collected be different? How?
This Online Discussion requires at least 2 original, substantive entries to your group, and at least 2 responses to others. Please complete your postings by 5pm on Monday, August 10, 2009.
Note: I've linked a short additional reading to the beginning of this section. It's entitled MI: Theory and Practice in Adult ESL.
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Verbal/Linguistic
Others:
Author: Philip L
Posted date: Saturday, August 8, 2009 6:20:26 PM CDT "Jill,
Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes, what a great idea!
I have used the game "Simon Says" which gets to kinesthetic learners as well as auditory. It is something we have fun with.
Phil
Author: Adrienne P
Posted date: Thursday, August 6, 2009 6:21:14 PM CDT "Hi. I like to do a game called Salad Bowl. I actually learned it at a social Christmas party with friends, but started using it in class.
You cut up a bunch of pieces of paper, hand each student 10 or so (more if it's a small class), ask them to write a word on it (pick something - anything from fruit to famous buildings to whatever you are studying), put them all in a bowl. Divide the group into teams. Each team picks a leader, the leader draws a paper out of the bowl and has 1 minute to give his/her group clues and they have to guess the word. The leader cannot say the word on the paper, cannot say "it starts with _______" and cannot point to it if it's in the room. If they get it, the leader draws another paper & does the same - until 1 minute is up. They get 1 point for each correctly guessed word. The other teams listen. Then it's the next team's turn.
It gets pretty rowdy & fun.
Adrienne
Author: Philip L
Posted date: Sunday, August 9, 2009 1:24:02 PM CDT "..After preparing a story with vocabulary and a variety of schema identified in this lesson, and after I have read the story to them, I have tried to have pairs of students read to each other. One silent and listening and the other reading.
Without any preparation, I have tried reading a story to students where they no printed copy before them. I ask them to identify words or phrases that they hear. I may read again and ask again. Sometimes even a third time. Because I have a range of skills, usually I ask the less skilled to go first and almost always they can identify words or phrases. The second and third time more is identified. Sometimes I ask what the story is all about. Often times they have the gist of the story by now. We are ready to read from their own copies or listen as I read...
Author: Jonathan E
Posted date: Sunday, August 9, 2009 3:34:05 PM CDT "How about a cloze activity based on job want ads. Distribute a list of job titles with many more than needed to fill in the blanks, and then a collection of want ads with the job titles/ descriptions missing. The class would need to discuss what each job title on the list was and what a person in that job did. Then divide the class into teams (with a variety of intelligences in each) and have them fill in the job titles appropriate to the ads. This could even be made competitive by giving a set amount of time to complete (on the clock so to speak) or some prize to the team finishing first with the most correct answers."
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Musical
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I would first ask each individual students what genre or type of music they like. If they like "Rock"...
... I would show this music video w/lyrics and have them watch and listen to the video first. Then I would play it again, but do it slower and follow the song word by word and learn some new vocabulary, grammar tips, and/or pronunciation exercises.
Others:
Author: Heidi M
Posted date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 5:53:47 PM CDT "This is an area of learning I would love to learn more about! I remember learning so many useful things (counting by fives, pronouns, US history) through Grammar Rock on Saturday mornings! I can still recite from memory the entire preabmle to the US constitution from the song I loved watching Grammar Rock! I even bough the complete DVD set, and I am just itching for an opportunity to use it, but would love to hear how others might use something like this in a specific lesson plan! Any ideas?"
Author: Jonathan E
Posted date: Sunday, August 9, 2009 8:00:28 PM CDT "I was interested in your comments about learning Italian via songs, I attempted the same thing with Brazilian Portuguese with some success, it for sure helped my pronunciation. I wonder if songs could be a good way to practice problem sounds?"
Author: Celia M
Posted date: Sunday, August 9, 2009 3:51:51 PM CDT "I too love to incorporate music into classes! I usually pick music based on content, overlap with vocabulary worked on in the classroom and student interest.
I’ve used many, many different songs for different purposes, among them: “It’s a Wonderful World” to review colors; "Long Black Veil" to review class vocabulary, minimal pairs and initiate conversation for a unit on crime and punishment; “ Fast Car” to review opposites and tie into a class discussion on relationships and the effects of poverty; and "Free Falling" to review present progressive. I also find that once music is played often in class, students enjoy bringing in their own music that they have heard on the radio or have in their personal collection to share and work on/ demystify in class.
After students have heard the song a couple of times for the activity, and read the lyrics I like to try to encourage them to sing along with it to get some subtle work on rhythm and pronunciation! The trick is the teacher has to sing too!"
Author: Esther C
Posted date: Sunday, August 9, 2009 6:57:56 PM CDT "I started using a textbook by Tina Kasloff-Carver and Sandra Fotinos-Riggs called A Conversation Book. In the newest edition, they added chants by Carolyn Graham. I didn't know whether the students would think they were cheesy or love them, but I tried it out last week. My lowest level student who has spoken only a handful of complete sentences in the past 8 weeks, started singing the chant after the music ended with virtually no accent and right on beat! She must have musical/rhythmic intelligence, and she clearly enjoyed singing the chant. It was a complete surprise and it was evident that I should have used the chants sooner to support musical intelligence. I plan to incorporate more jazz chants even in lessons not in A Conversation Book."
*see 205 1 2 I like you Holiday Jazz Chants by Carolyn Graham, from youtube.com
Many of our students use come from countries that use a different metric system (e.g. kilometers), so I would teach them the difference and possibly showing them the conversion system
Others:
Author: Erin M
Posted date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 1:59:25 PM CDT
Last modified date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 1:59:25 PM CDT
Total views: 22 Your views: 1 "I had a similar experience when I was teaching about reading labels at the grocery store. Everyone had a good grasp on which item was the least expensive but many students struggled with looking at the price per ounce of an item. It was quite difficult for them to understand that it could be better to buy something that costs more but you get a higher quantity rather than just buying the item with the lowest cost. I ended up searching for more examples and spending more time on that than I had planned. I did feel it was a good skill to at least know as most of my students were the main grocery shoppers in their households. "
Author: Heidi M
Posted date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 9:26:01 PM CDT 'This is an area I would like to learn more about. In the TEFL certification course, we had an exercise as students that involved logic/mathematic learning and how to design a lesson utilizing this form of intelligence.
The lesson began by putting the class into groups of 4-6 by counting off. Next, the teacher handed out one worksheet per group. The worksheet consisted of a drawn diagram with a numbered list of instructions, one sentence/instruction per number. Each group was then given a small cloth sack filled with various Leggo pieces. Students needed to work together as a group to assemble the Leggo pieces to match the diagram on the worksheet following the step-by-step (numbered) instructions.
This lesson was designed to prepare ESL students for vocational environments that required these skills (i.e. assembly jobs in factories). Oytside of this classroom practice session for teachers, I have never taught a lesson like this. I think this lesson could be easily adapted to teach a wide variety of language skills - introduce vocabulary, verb tenses and thinking in a chronologic pattern, which is very useful in academic writing. "
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Spatial/Visual
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Others:
Author: Vivian L
Posted date: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 9:14:56 AM CDT "I like doing picture dictations. hand 1 student a photo & have them dictate to another as to what to draw. This is great because it produces a lot of negotiation for meaning which in turn, leads to better comprehension. this mutual comprehension is achieved by using each others input rather than relying on the teachers help.
vivian
Author: Barbara A
Posted date: Friday, August 7, 2009 8:15:10 PM CDT "A possible visual/spatial activity might be to have the students illustrate the sequence of events as presented in a short story. After reading the story as a group, the students would be handed a sheet of paper with four squares, numbered 1 through 4. Simple drawings would be made within each square to convey the story line. "
Author: Philip L
Posted date: Saturday, August 8, 2009 6:37:36 PM CDT "Terrisa, et al,
I have tried to teach comparisons (tall, taller, tallest...etc short, shorter, shortest) by lining students up in front of the room. It is visual/spatial; but also kinesthetic.
Phil"
Bodily/Kinesthetic
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Soccer is a universal sport, so I would love to use it in one of my lessons on " prepositions of location". I thought of this during one of my weekly classes, but never had the opportunity to implement this..
I would have them watch the video (above) and then go outside and actually use a soccer ball. While learning, we can have fun by kicking the ball around as a physical exercsie and mind break too!!
Others:
Author: Yvonne C
Posted date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 1:18:46 PM CDT "
This game won't work for older adults but for young adults or highschoolers it is fun when you see that they are getting bored and need some activity. You put chairs in a circle. 1 chair for every student, but not for the teacher. The teacher starts out the game by standing in the middle of the circle and saying "I like people, but I really like people with brown hair". Everyone with brown hair has to jump up and change seats. The person who was in the middle of the circle also has to grab a seat. Thus, 1 person is left standing in the middle and the game continues. It's a great way to practice clothes, personal description words, etc. You can take it to whatever level the students take it to."
Yvonne
Author: Erin M
Posted date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 1:50:27 PM CDT "
I like to have students move around as much as possible. Our class is at night and many people work all day and then come to class or are going to work after class. One way I do this is to have students write on the board. I usually have students write sentences about a particular reading or activity we have done and then have them work in partners to write a couple sentences. I then have them write their sentences on the board. I do not make any corrections. I then have different groups correct the sentences of other students and use a different color marker to show their changes on the board. I then make any corrections that still need to be made after this and I have all students help me find any mistakes. I do not ever ask who wrote what sentence as I do not want people to feel uncomfortable. I find students pay much closer attention to the corrections and students visibly improve from week to week."
Author: Kristin M
Posted date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 6:36:28 PM CDT "I like to do something called Dictate and Dash with reading comprehension. It sounds complicated, but it's really not. It helps to model it the first time, of course. So, after we've read any type of simple story or passage, I will ask the students to write 4 sentences: 2 true statements about the story and 2 false. That night, or before class the next day, I will type their sentences (consolidating some so that I have about 20) in large font on pieces of paper that I will tape on the board. Students work with a partner. One partner is the runner/"dictator" and the other is the writer. The runner goes up to the board, reads the sentences, tries to remember as much as possible, and dictate it to their partner who writes. The catch is that they need to dictate to their partner only the true sentences, so that gets them thinking about the content as well as the words. It takes many times back and forth to the board, but students are practically knocking each other over to get there first. There is a prize for the pair that finishes first, after I've checked for accuracy. "
Author: Juliana B "I like to use manipulatives whenever possible. For instance, when we study adjectives that describe people, I use some laminated "paper people" that I made. Some are tall, some short; some heavy, some thin; some average. They have removable heads with different colors and types of hair (long, medium length, short; red, blonde, brown, and black; straight, curly, wavy....) I also have all these words on laminated cards. I'll tape the figures on the board and write a name above each one. Then I have the students break into groups, each group with all of the words needed to describe each figure. I have them stand to work at a table together. When they are done they go visit the other teams' tables and make any corrections that are needed. Lastly each team will go to the board and affix one or two of their sentences under the corresponding figure.
We do a similar type of exercise with rooms of the house and the furniture found in each one (using prepositions). And one with household chores using action verbs."
Author: Lara F "I once worked with a squirrelly group of Somali Bantu women and just being in a classroom was tough. I did some "assembly line" activities with them where each person had a specific task, they had to count and watched the other persons work. The end product was a book which we then used for reading practice. The activity gave them a change to move, practice counting and at the end we used what they had just created/put together."
Lara
Intrapersonal
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Others:
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 8:38:17 PM CDT "They could write a "time capsule" letter to their young child/children describing their journey to the U.S. and experiences learning a new language and culture. How did they fit in and how did they feel outsider. Who helped them along the way and what wisdom would they like to pass on as a result of their journey.
Author: Terrisa F
Posted date: Saturday, August 8, 2009 12:41:01 PM CDT "Those class journals seem like an excellent way to really allow students a place to be reflective and/or metacognitive about their lives and studies. I think I gravitate towards those because I want to see evidence of their writing levels and make those personal connect
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Monday, August 10, 2009 9:30:16 AM CDT " Jonathan,
I think you could adapt each activity to the level you want. Obviously a pre-literacy student would have problems with the writing tasks, but you could turn it into a group activity and have the more advanced students write what is dictated by the beginners with stronger oral abilities. You would also have to be more tolerant of the writings of lower level students with the written tasks. The important thing to remember, as shown in the demonstration video for this unit, is to allow the text to be the student's own.
The music can work at any level. I used pictures of people with different emotions on their faces to introduce the vocabulary and build schema in a beginning level class and the following class I brought in a variety of music and asked them to match a picture to the music. We also talked about how they felt during the piece, but it was not an in depth discussion or analysis of the music. With my intermediate group the discussion turned into sharing our own musical talents or dreams of talents. I discovered I had a very good guitar player, a choir singer, and a conservatory trained classical pianist in the class!!
Best of luck to you.
Patti
Author: Terrisa F
Posted date: Saturday, August 8, 2009 12:44:47 PM CDT "intra - is with self
inter - between others
I'm sure you know that but the words look pretty similar -- just shows we read the whole word and not the parts so much....
Author: Ashley Z
Posted date: Monday, August 10, 2009 1:35:44 PM CDT "I would consider including writing activities or perhaps a blogging activities which cronicle explaining the answer to a question prompt invovling and individuals experience.
Perhaps the student could discuss aspects of themself in their writing like what is the biggest fear and how did they overcome it? In an adult language learning class with a focus on carreer development or exploration, a reflection writing activity may be appropriate and have them explain what qualities make them the best candidate for the job. You could provide students with enough scaffolding such as a word bank and it could be in reaction to a piece of literature that they already have read like retelling a story from their perspective, if they were in that characters position, what would they do.
Intrapersonal Intelligence through Assessment
I believe the portfolio assessment would be an excellent way to play up on intrapersonal intelligence of your studnets. In this way you could having learners look at their works and think about and analyze their English language learning growth and development . They can chart their development and have a journal response or a VIDEO/AUDIO log of their reflections on their progress. You could also give students surveys to promote self inquiry .
Me Reply: 'Great idea on blogging, which I love to do myself. Expressing oneself through writing is like an art too, which I remember doing journals in high school. I would add scrapbooking as a possible activity too."
* Interpersonal
Others:
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Monday, August 10, 2009 9:43:27 AM CDT "Jean, your post reminded me of a game I use in class.
Has anyone used the game, Just a Minute? It is like Password (for those of you old enough to remember that game). One student or group of students has a card with eight related words on it (things that are round, things you do with your hand) and they have to describe the word to the other student/group in order to get them to guess the word.
My students, all levels, love this game. You can tailor it to fit vocabulary you have studied like body parts and although it is a bit easier with high beginning and up it can work with beginners. I will take the team with the words out in the hall and make sure they all understand the words as well as give them some help with how to describe(what color is it? is it a food? how is it used? etc.) the item.
I have been pleasantly surprised by which students participate in an enthusiastic way. We have learned new vocabulary and areas they are interested in learning about using this game."
Related Sites: $10,000 Pyramid, from tv.com "The History of this game show is legendary as the new big money word game from Bob Stewart called THE $10,000 PYRAMID debuted on March 26-30, 1973 on CBS-TV. American Bandstand star Dick Clark hosted the show for a half-hour of word association, word communication and cash giveaway activities. The 6 categories (subjects) are shaped in a PYRAMID form. Each of them has 8 words (things) will be described in 30 seconds (Half-minute). The Team consisted of 1 star and 1 contestant (The Champions & The Challengers). The 1st Team scores 24 points (earlier is 27 points) or less wins. Ties will be used play 2 letters from the Alphabet (A-Z) to add 8 points (originally 9) to 24 (27 pts.) to make 24 (27) or greater points wins and goes to "The Winner's Circle" where a team could win $10,000 for the contestant...
$100,000 Pyramid game show bonus round -- Down to the wire
"Pyramid game show bonus round, down to the wire. In the winners circle, the contestant is playing for $10,000. Jamie Farr is giving the clues. Did they win the bonus round? Watch! Hosted by Dick Clark. This is the $100,000 Pyramid. "
Author: Esther C
Posted date: Sunday, August 9, 2009 6:44:51 PM CDT "In multi-level classes, I like a speaking/writing activity that uses a comic strip with no words. First the students have to label vocabulary in the cartoon. Then they write short sentences under each clip using grammar they know (present tense for beginners, past tense for int. and adv.). When they are done, we set out to construct the captions as a group, allowing the beginning students to offer theirs first. I encourage them to discuss ways of improving the captions until they come up with their best group answer. I write the captions on the board as we go along, adding my suggestions once the group has finished. When we're done we have a funny story that we all helped write together."
Related Sites: My Comic Strip,from ac-nancy-metz.fr
*see Create - ESL Resources for more other types of fun activities!
Author: Yvonne C
Posted date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 12:59:55 PM CDT "I would take my students every once in awhile outside to soak up nature and to write a poem. This was for a high school class and we were required to do a certain amount of creating and studying of poetry. The students were never inspired in the class, but outside we could read poetry, talk about it and they would write some themselves.
Yvonne"
Author: Heidi M
Posted date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 5:49:21 PM CDT "..My family makes maple syrup every spring - tap the trees, collect the sap, cook it down and bottle it. I adapt this lesson about my favorite condiment to teach a variety of language forms/functions.
For a naturalist intelligence lesson, I bring in maple tree branches, a hand drill, spiles, buckets and lots of finished samples of syrup. I basically do a syrup-making demo, and ask the students to take turns volunteering as my helper. In this way, I can teach new vocabulary, specific parts of speech (e.g. adjectives or adverbs) and verb tenses, just to name a few. ..
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 8:17:11 PM CDT "Heidi,
That sounds like a great lesson. I bet they enjoyed it. We made quesadillas one night when we had access to a kitchen and served the other classes. It was fun and they enjoyed learning to follow directions while actually making the item.
Patti"
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Diet, Foods, Groceries, Beverage-Drinks, etc... for recipie activity ideas!
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009 8:14:35 PM CDT "This lesson would involve more than just Naturalist, but it would target that group. I would ask what kind of plants they grow in their gardens and where they get the plants every year. For a class project we could plant seeds for the most common plants (tomato, hot pepper, sweet pepper) and sell the plants toward the end of the Spring semester at one of the community activities...
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Foods: Agriculture, Horticulture-Gardening, Farming, etc...
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Friday, August 7, 2009 9:15:47 AM CDT "
Eric,
Reconsider taking them outside. It can lead to unexpected lessons that are very meaningful to the students. We had an ice cream stand near our class site and one hot evening we decided to treat them to ice cream so we walked through the park to the stand.
Along the way students asked about the words for driveway, shelter (for picnics), lawn ornaments, speed bumps, crosswalk, playground equipment, baseball diamond, tennis court, mosquito,etc.... "
Author: Celia Martin-Mejia
Posted date: Sunday, August 9, 2009 4:56:40 PM CDT "...After going over the basic vocabulary for things (trees, flowers, bushes, etc.) you could have students write about what kind of plants/ trees are in their country. Then have them compare it to this country (the area they are in). If students are interested in plants or growing things, you could go over different types of common agriculture in your particular area...
In addition to the short article on Multiple Intelligences that I linked at the top of this section, I've also linked "printable" versions of the following two other items. The first is an example of catering to the "musical/rhythmic" intelligence by creating a cloze activity from a song. The second is the "Cone of Experience" that I find is a good reminder about keeping your classroom active and varied, so that everyone learns!
4. 6.4 Special Issue: Low-Literacy Adults
Tips for Level Zero (23 Kb)
Low-Literacy Handout (640 Kb)
Quite often, teachers of adult ESL find students in their classes who have had no previous education, and do not read or write in their first languages. This presents a tremendous challenge both for the learners and their instructors. Some students have never held a pencil before, have never seen their names in print, and have no understanding that all these scribbles on the page carry meaning…
So, where to begin? How can we best serve these students? While some of you may work with more advanced learners, perhaps even college students, many of you may now or someday work with low-literacy learners. Due to the many challenges and "rethinking" that such learners present to us, they deserve special attention.
This next section will help us conceptualize the many strengths and strategies that these learners bring to our classrooms, as well as the difficult path they are on as they begin to read for the first time in a new language.
Handouts are posted above regarding this topic:
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Low-Literacy handout (This handout will be referred to in the Low-Literacy Video below. You'll want to print it out before you view that.)
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Tips for level zero
The "Lingo"
A variety of terms float around the field to refer to low-literacy learners, or those learner who are not literate in their first languages. Here are a few, to avoid confusion…
Pre-Lit (Pre-literate)
Non-Lit (Non-literate)
Low-Lit (Low-literacy)
Level Zero
Limited Formal Schooling (or LFS…this term is more often used in K-12)
As we'll see in the next box, some of these terms are misused. Pre-Literate and Non-Literate are actually separate groups. However, many folks use the terms interchangeably when referring to students who don't have strong literacy in their first languages.
Note: Generally, the terms are pretty negative, and focus on the 'deficit', or what students don't know. This is highly unfortunate, because these students are intelligent, talented, respected adults who bring with them incredible coping strategies and a rich base of experiences that we can draw from as we plan and teach.
First, some definitions…
What does "literacy-level" mean?
My definitions are adapted from Haverson and Haynes 1982 and Shank 1986. The definitions refer to the students' literacy and education in their native languages.
Pre-Literate students
These learners have had no contact with print in their native languages. They represent a group for which there is no written language, only an oral language. Included in this category are students from an oral tradition whose language has only recently developed a written form. It should be noted that pre-literate students may be so only temporarily. Pre-literate learners may encounter print in their native languages later in life, or after immigration to the United States.
Non-Literate students
These students have no reading or writing skills but come from a language group that does have a written form. Their literacy level is due to their lack of education rather than a lack of print environment. It may be that there is a written language, but that the learners lived in rural areas where it could not be easily accessed and was not needed for daily life. Another possibility is that learners' society was disrupted by war for several years, so that public education has been nonexistent for a generation of learners.
a href="http://mw1.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semiliterate">Semi-literate students
Learners in this category have had very little formal education in their native language, probably not more than 3-4 years. They have had some exposure to print in their native languages and may be able to recognize some common words by sight.
In the classroom with adult second language learners, here are some principles for best practices:
6 "Do's" in Reading Instruction
1. Make the introduction of literacy meaningful.
Reading something that makes sense is much easier and more interesting than reading something that does not.
2. Demonstrate the link between oral and written language.
The understanding that print carries meaning is a difficult one; students need many opportunities to interact with texts which contain familiar language.
3. Recognize that phonics and grammar instruction play a partial but vital role in teaching reading.
Adult learners will appreciate and benefit from some explicit instruction, but take care to balance top-down and bottom-up approaches.
4. Promote reading and writing as enjoyable activities.
A person who enjoys reading is motivated to read, will read more, and by doing so, will be a better reader. The same idea applies to writing.
5. Show relevance of course content to students' lives.
Adult students need to see how course material relates to them. Teachers need to find out, affirm and build from the rich experience that they bring to the classroom.
6. Build on students' knowledge, strengths, talents.
Schema building prior to reading is especially important, as is giving learners opportunities to excel by tapping into their many intelligences.
Partially adapted from the National Center for Bilingual Education's Teacher Resource Guide: "Developing Literacy in English as a Second Language" 1987 by E. Hamayan (Illinois Resource Center) and M. Pfleger (Center for Applied Linguistics)
VIDEO: Low-Literacy Presentation
During the on-campus version of this course, I do a presentation focusing on working with low-literacy adults. There is a video of this presentation below.
Before you watch the video, you'll want to download the handout entitled "Low-Literacy Handout" (if you haven't already). It's located at the top of this section.
Differences between literate & Non-Literate students:
-no reference/background skills
-L -> R
-writing
-lower upper case
-slower progress
-content-adult appropriate?
-input-comprehensible: gestures, pictures
possible activities (e.g. family flashcards, house duties, stories for students to share w/photos, etc..) w/visuals
* work with the skills they have
Another simple way to use Language Experience Approach is to base a story on a picture. By choosing an interesting picture that's likely to encourage lots of language use, we can get students talking. From this conversation, we can write down the story that emerges. This way, the story is from them, and its uses their words.
Here's an example with very beginning, low-literacy students.
First, we talked about this picture (from The Basic Oxford Picture Dictionary Workbook).
This is the text that the students created orally, and I wrote it down on the board:
Night. At the hospital. Woman go have a baby. Man, husband helping. He gives her drink.Now day time. Sun outside. Two babies! Brother and sister. Man hold baby. Woman hold baby. Doctor helping. Now man is father. Now woman is mother. Happy family.
Now what? We have this interesting text that is very meaningful because it uses their words. How can we work on literacy skills from here? Below are some ideas:
Follow-up activities with this LEA story:
We work with these pictures, with this text, and establish a firm understanding of what's been written on the board. Students read chorally, read with a partner, and then read silently. They copy the text in their notebooks. They cover the text and retell the story to each other, and to me. Now that meaning is quite clear, we look at it again and begin to work with the words:
·How many times do you see "baby"? Circle them.
· Underline hospital, have, husband, helping, hold, happy. What do you notice about these words?
· Use a different colored pen. Circle mother, brother, father. What are the last 4 letters of these words? How does this sound?
· I write MOTHER on the board. I have a student come up and change the M to BR. Now what word do we have?
Tomorrow, I'll have the text printed on slips of paper, and after we remember the pictures and story, they must reorder the sentences. More advanced students will have smaller bits of language to re-order (phrases or single words). I'll prepare a cloze text with missing words for them to fill in. I'll prepare a "circle the word" sheet for them to listen and complete. Then we'll do some written work with "H" and "ther" words (sorting, matching same/different sounds, substituting letters and sounding out).
ONLINE DISCUSSION
Q & A about Low-Literacy Learners.
What questions do you have about working with students with limited literacy in their first languages? If you've worked with such students, what advice do you have?
This discussion is optional, but highly recommended. I'll check in often to give my two cents, and I hope you will, too.
The passage in the beginning of Unit 6 is about (drum roll, please)…LAUNDRY. Read it again with this in mind. See how important it is to build schema!?
End of Unit 6.
Author: Jean N
Posted date: Sunday, August 2, 2009 8:19:01 PM CDT
Last modified date: Sunday, August 2, 2009 8:19:01 PM CDT
Total views: 29 Your views: 1 "
I have observed a respected colleague work with low literacy students along with 18 other students of varying skills. The student is mainstreamed (if I may use that term)--copying from the board, doing worksheets, etc. The teacher has appropriate expectations, shows the student how to do some decoding, some whole language, and also finds upper level students to work one on one with the alphabet, numbers, days of the week, months and so on. I am amazed at the progress. The task to me seems daunting and yet one step at a time as fast as the student can master the material."
Author: Jill M
Posted date: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 8:59:20 PM CDT
Last modified date: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 8:59:20 PM CDT
Total views: 16 Your views: 1 "
Jean, I have worked in multilevel classrooms and really love to watch how the upperlevel students help the lower-level students....the more advanced students seem to have such an empathy for the beginning students and are extremely patient...I am also blessed to have had many available work-study students/literacy volunteers/service-learning college students available to help work 1-1 with lower level students...it's amazing how quickly they can catch up to other students with individual attention. Jill
Another Thread topic:
Author: Barbara A
Date: Friday, August 7, 2009 9:06:22 PM CDT
Subject: RE: Low-Literacy Learners "I am very curious where experienced ESL teachers begin with a group of this level. I Know exactly what to do with American adults who lack literacy skills, but am not sure of the direction to proceed with ESL students at this level. I have tried using a structured, sequential approach with ESL students and that seemed to work well. I do not want to waste anytime. I want to follow the lead of teachers that have tried various approaches and have discovered the best path. So any words of wisdom, would be greatly appreciated."
Barbara
Author: Philip L
Posted date: Saturday, August 8, 2009 11:37:36 AM CDT
Last modified date: Saturday, August 8, 2009 11:37:36 AM CDT
Total views: 9 Your views: 1 "Barbara,
My wife teaches a pre-lit class for adults. She starts with the basics of beginning sounds, letter recognition, etc.
Phil
Another Thread Topic:
Author: Patsy V
Posted date: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 10:38:23 PM CDT
Last modified date: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 10:38:23 PM CDT
Total views: 14 Your views: 1 "
I agree--and this goes for literate students as well-- finding ways to help students "shine" is always worth it. We can build literacy lessons around just about anything-- why not build literacy lessons around what your students already know and like to do? Whether is changing the oil in a truck, gardening, taking care of infants, cooking, accounting, or rocket science...if we find out what our students are good at, we can build English and literacy development around those themes, and students will get to experience success and "show off" their unique talents in the process! Now that's a memorable class...
Author: Philip L
Date: Saturday, August 8, 2009 6:16:07 PM CDT
Subject: RE: Low-lit learners "
Doesn't anyone have a better term to use than lower lit, lower students, lower end.....? Maybe it is just me but it feel like I am putting the student down. I am not one who is big on political correctness but "beginning learner", "early adopter"...., I don't know....
The reason I am concerned is that I also find people some times deal with peopl e who don't speak their language well by talking louder and slower and sometimes acting like that person isn't very intelligent.
Sorry about my rant. It is a personal pet peeve.
Phil
Author: Patsy V
Posted date: Saturday, August 8, 2009 8:35:38 PM CDT
Last modified date: Saturday, August 8, 2009 8:35:38 PM CDT
Total views: 5 Your views: 1 "
Phil,
Just to clarify terms-- we're talking about students who do not have first language literacy. That is, they are not simply "beginning", they come to class perhaps having never held a pencil and having no experience with print in any language. This requires a distinction from other students who are literate in their first language, but are just beginning their study of English.
Commonly used terms to sufficiently describe such students with low first-language literacy are "low-literacy" or "literacy-level" learners. In the K-12 world, such students are often referred to as having "limited formal schooling" (LFS). Another phrase one hears is "students with little or no prior education."
A website that might be of interest: www.leslla.org
Hope this helps,
Patsy
Related Resources
Adult Basic Literacy Skills - Cabarrus Literacy Council
"The Adult Basic Literacy Skills program assists adults, aged 16 and older, with beginner & intermediate adult reading comprehension, pre-GED & GED preparedness, and also basic computer skills. (video production by brightcast.com) "
-Children Focus:
Reading : How to Teach Basic Reading Skills
"Teaching basic reading skills begins with vocabulary building of high-frequency words, such as "at," "all," and "the." Introduce basic words with picture books, put them on a word wall and let children become familiar with them with tips from an experienced teacher in this free video on education"
"#
Step 3
Teach the basic sight words. There are numerous websites that provide sight words or go to a teacher, most are happy to provide a list of sight words. Practice these words over and over again because they form the base of reading.
"
sequence of making coffee making mint tea
-taught vocabulary (coffee, chocolate, tea, pot, etc..)
-asking students what steps are next
-have students actually make the tea in front
-correction: let student find what's wrong
-list key words and have students circle them on the board
-distributes handouts of what was written in the board
-cut out each sentences and have them arrange the order
-for advance students: cut each sentence by individual words and have them arrange it in order
-use as many different activities
-had each student go up front and read their strips of words/sentences in order
had students stick flashcards next to the word on the board
picture sequence cut outs
Unit 7
ESL Literacy Instruction II
Sunday, August 9– Sunday, August 16, 2009
1. 7.1 Contextualized Language Teaching
But when we talk about "communicative" language teaching, we are looking at language study differently. Language study becomes a vehicle for language use, for real-life application. We are studying with clear purpose. The language classroom is not a place where a language is simply analyzed and drilled, it is a place where we prepare to live and function in that language.
In many ways, we are lucky to teach in the U.S. Our students are already living in the target language culture, and many of them have abundant opportunities to practice their English daily. What we teach can be immediately practical and holds real-life benefits for our students.
One way I like to think about the ESL classroom is that it is the "safe place" to take risks, gain confidence, and practice before going "out into the world" to use English. Our classrooms need to, as closely as possible, mirror the real-life English needs of our students.
Parrish writes, "We explore activities that promote natural use of language so that learners gain confidence in using English in the safe environment of the classroom. As with any type of lesson, teaching begins with understanding your learners' strengths, wants, and needs" (p. 51).
Read the following non-sense paragraph, Zippling Icks, and then answer the questions (just to yourself) in the yellow box.
Zippling Icks
Mr. Fram loves to zipple icks. He can zipple both cloppy icks and komoppy icks with no problem. He is a man of many talents. Yesterday, he shibbled a mumby in the morning, and still he had time to virdle a zockle in the afternoon!
All the fridders admire Mr. Fram for his amazing abilities.
This is an extreme example, but a good one. We cannot effectively teach people to communicate if we focus only on pieces of language. Without meaning and relevance, our students will have nothing to say.
One way to create and maintain meaning in our classes is to keep lessons contextualized. This means that we strive to find real-life themes that our students are interested in and need, and we integrate language skills into those themes.
2. 7.2 Contextualized Language Teaching, Continued
READING ASSIGNMENT
Read Parrish, Chapter 3, Contextualized Language Teaching, pages 51-88.
To sum up, here are two excellent quotes:
"Language teaching is most effective when instruction is provided in a context that is meaningful to students' lives. This is especially true for adult learners, who bring years of experience to the classroom. Best practices in English as a second language (ESL) education integrate language and content instruction."
--The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
Parenting for Academic Success: A Curriculum for Families Learning English
"The message is a simple one: that people learn best when learning starts with what they already know, builds on their strengths, engages them in the learning process, and enables them to accomplish something they want to accomplish."
--Elsa Roberts Auerbach, University of Massachusetts
Making Meaning, Making Change
Life Skills Reading Video
Let's take a look at a context-rich reading lesson. This video is of a Life Skills reading lesson focusing on laundry. As you're watching, consider these questions:
· What did you like about this lesson?
The teacher challenges the students to come up with "new" vocabulary words by asking what types of clothes are there:
underwear, t-shirts, pants, panythouse, etc..
Then she asks, what two ways of washing clothes. This sets up the next activity of looking at tags of clothes and how to follow instructions.
already teaching students what they know
· What didn't you like?
· What types of things are students doing throughout the lesson?
they already have the vocabulary
read labels (temp>cycle->dry)
use worksheets
· What's the role of the teacher?
to build the student's confidence on what they are learning is something they know a lot more than what they think
· Comment on the progression of the lesson/activities.
· Other reactions?
Note: You don't need to watch the entire video. If after 10-15 minutes you feel like you've got the gist, feel free to move on. However, it's a good video if you care to watch it to the end!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO: mms://hopkins.hamline.edu/gse/esl6631/Life_Skills_Reading_Video.wmv
This video clip is copyrighted by Logman Publishing Group, 1992. Permission to use it was obtained from Copyright-holder. It is only available to students enrolled in this class. You must not: save it to your computer; revise it; and/or copy or distribute it.
ASSIGNMENT (This is NOT to be turned in.)
In your book, review the section on Contextualized Language Teaching, pages 54-57. The chart on p. 57 is especially helpful to visualize what a lesson should include.
Do Task 3.2, p. 58. You'll be reading a lesson plan and looking for specific properties. This is NOT an assignment you will turn in, it's for you to explore how a lesson is put together and how to incorporate the good practices we've discussed.
NOTE: There are a variety of example lesson plans in your book in this chapter and in the reading and writing chapter (chapter 5). These lesson plans will serve as "templates" as you write your final lesson project for this course.
IDEA: Phonebook Activity-have students look-up different services, businesses, friends, etc...
3. 7.3 The Learner Centered Classroom
In learner-centered teaching, a lot of time and effort goes into planning. This is closely linked to the idea of Contextualized Language Teaching that we discussed earlier in this Unit. We constantly seek out themes that will be of interest to our learners, and integrate various language skills within those themes. For example, instead of just focusing on past tense, we can create a theme about travel, and embed the grammar of the past tense into the topic by having students talk and write about the last trip they took...
In Learner-Centered Teaching, we strive for a number of things. In your book on p. 7, you have the following list:
What does learner-centered mean?
*
Learners' knowledge and experiences are validated.
*
Learners have active roles in the classroom.
*
Learners make choices about content and classroom activities.
*
Learners control the direction of activities.
*
The content of instruction is relevant to the students' needs and interests and draws on their experiences and and knowledge.
*
Classroom interactions and tasks are authentic.
*
Teachers use authentic language in their interactions with learners.
*
Learners acquire strategies that help them learn inside and outside of the classroom without the help of a teacher.
*
Teachers listen actively for themes that emerge from learners.
*
Teachers constantly assess teaching and learning in relation to learners' needs.
The following discussion will help us "unpack" some of these ideas and share ideas on how the above principles of Learner-Centered Teaching come to life in the classroom.
"A learner-centered view of teaching acknowledges that adult learners come to your class with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Because of their limited ability to communicate and express themselves in English, that knowledge and experience may feel locked inside of them.
"
--Parrish, p. 7.
ONLINE DISCUSSION
The Learner-Centered Classroom
The Learner-Centered Classroom.
In the discussion board, I've created threads with each of the principles of Learner-Centered Teaching. (see below)
Choose 2-3 of these principles to talk about. If you're teaching or have taught, give examples of the ways you have incorporated these principles into your teaching. If you aren't teaching, think about your own experiences as a learner and share some ideas about how to make these principles part of the Adult ESL classroom.
What does learner-centered mean?
*
Learners' knowledge and experiences are validated.
I got this idea from a previous online course (ESL 6638 Assessment of the Adult ESL Student Online), which I "assess" new students through a survey-"Student Profile Goal Sheet". I "try" to have them fill this out the first/second day they come to class. There are questions for them to answer to help me find a little more about them (e.g. past jobs, interest/hobbies, etc...)
Others:
Author: Terrisa F
Posted date: Friday, August 14, 2009 1:42:50 PM CDT "Utilizing learners' knowledge and experiences brings into action the powerful forces of creating an emotional connection to the topics/skills and validating what they already know. The emotional connection helps new information stick. The validation gives them confidence that what they already know is important and recognized.
We have an example in common... I like that video of the class learning to read and use garment labels. The teacher started them off with talking about types of clothing. She made the point that she was setting context -- but just as important, she was using the words that the students already knew. She used this same validating and activating student knowledge throughout the lesson. She transitioned to washer/dryer use by again using what the students knew already. I think she has the right idea. Where in every lesson can I bring out what the students already know? and use that as the foundation to build upon while affirming the knowledge?"
Author: Adrienne P
Posted date: Saturday, August 15, 2009 6:13:11 PM CDT "I just wrapped up a 3-week culture reading/writing class where I could teach anything I wanted. What I taught mostly was what the students wanted. They all expressed the desire to have everything we did center on culture - American and that of their home countries. In this way, we contrasted and compared and dove into the differences and similarities in all the cultures in terms of whatever subject we were discussing. They were all given ample time to express things about themselves, their ideas, their home countries and traditions. They were all very curious about each other. The whole class was based on their knowledge and experiences and expanding their information about other parts of the world. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Adrienne
*see GoodnewsEverybody.com Cultures, Ethnicities, Multicultural, Nationalities, Races, etc...
My Reply:
Author: Sal M
Posted date: Sunday, August 16, 2009 8:31:59 PM CDT "I love the contrasts and comparisions of two cultures on certain lesson topics. I did one topic on health-visiting a hospital. I asked the students what it was like visiting a hospital back at their home country compared to America. I just couldn't believe the stories they shared, which made me more grateful of our health care (despite the current political controversy right now!) system or service (more likely)! Having them share first what they know gives us "teachers" an idea to what direction to go on relating to the topic/lesson."
*
Learners have active roles in the classroom.
Author: Vivian L
Posted date: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 7:12:34 AM CDT 'i like what i just read in the parrish book : 'as the teacher, dont be the movie star..or center of attention.' let the students take front stage basically. i love having my students write on the board, correct each others mistakes, read to each other, do pair work. etc...of course, im in the background assisting where needed.
vivian"
Author: Jill M
Posted date: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 9:13:32 AM CDT "
Vivian, I know as a student in a face-to-face class I do not learn as much with just lectures...I definitely learn more when participation is encouraged....I agree that group work, jigsaw activities, discussions, etc. will definitely help students retain information more than just "telling" them information. I always remember the Confucius say regarding this..."tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand".....I think our entire premise is not to just get students to remember (repeat)...but to truly understand by actually doing....Jill "
Author: Philip L
Posted date: Friday, August 14, 2009 11:14:51 AM CDT "
I have not yet started a year with my own class slated for the semester or year but I am very interested in Co-operative Group Learning by Johnson and Johnson from the U of Minnesota. I have taught in a K-12 classroom and used this method but never with adult ESL students. It would take time to teach the various skills of group work but if effective it would make any group work from then on immensely more productive and involve each student over time in a variety of roles.
*
Learners make choices about content and classroom activities.
I also got this idea from a previous online course (ESL 6638 Assessment of the Adult ESL Student Online). I currently have over 16 topics/themes for students to choose to learn ESL from. These topics (e.g. Alphabet, Daily Life Math Skills, Weather, Reading a Map, Hospital Visits, etc...) came about through my 4-5 years of teaching ESL from assessments and just looking at what are the common needs of learners. I post this list on my personal website and I have a "translation link" in the three major languages (Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian) of my learners for easier viewing. I usually show this after getting to know my students the first-second day.
Reply:
Author: Lara F
Posted date: Friday, August 14, 2009 10:29:47 AM CDT "
Sal,
I have done surveys with students and they can be tricky. What has worked best with our learners is to bring the survey into the class and do a whole lesson on survey taking and then have the students take the survey. I am also required to do surveys for our accredidation process so those surveys need to be done in class because the vocabulary is so complicated.
For class surveys about what students want or need to learn we generate a survey with a list of ideas and limit the number of choices because some students will mark everything. These surveys have been the most helpful for me as a teacher but I need to do them in class otherwise I do not get a response.
Lara
Others:
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Monday, August 10, 2009 3:49:13 PM "While all the others are either on computers, working with a tutor, or doing a group activity on their own I ask each student a series of questions. I ask if they feel the level of the class they have been placed in is appropriate (too easy, too difficult, just right). I ask them which activities or lessons they thought were the most helpful to them outside the classroom. I ask them how they feel about working in groups and working alone. I ask them for ideas and activities I haven't covered or ones for which they would like more information or practice. If our program is considering program changes I will ask them what they think or if they have other suggestions. If they say they want to practice writing I ask them what kind of subjects or type of writing they need and ask them to think about some topics for the upcoming classes. If they want more practice with speaking I ask them what kind of situations they have encountered where they wanted to speak but had difficulty participating. I will again ask them to think of suggestions or role playing ideas for upcoming classes. I will ask them if they have any special vocabulary needs for their work or home life."
*
Learners control the direction of activities.
*
The content of instruction is relevant to the students' needs and interests and draws on their experiences and and knowledge.
*
Classroom interactions and tasks are authentic.
*
Teachers use authentic language in their interactions with learners.
*
Learners acquire strategies that help them learn inside and outside of the classroom without the help of a teacher.
*
Teachers listen actively for themes that emerge from learners.
Author: Heidi M
Posted date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 12:21:25 AM CDT "With my private Japanese students, listening for "themes" is crucial to keeping the content relevant. I am currently teaching an entire family! The father has a good functional grasp of English grammar and basic vocabulary, but is seeking only a litttle help here and there with what he refers to as slang (what we use everyday, i.e. wanna, gonna, hafta, etc - all the casual "na" verbs), the mother was the original seeker of the lessons, and she is very good at reading and writing, and particularly pronunciation, which is unusual for Japanese, but is sterotypically excruciatingly shy about speaking. Then there are the kids, a 4-year-old boy and and a 2.5-year-old girl, both excruciatingly adorbale, and at the perfect age to absorb English like little Sham-Wows! ;)
I try to come up with a lesson plan every week that reaches each family member on at least some level. We all sit around their kitchen table and it's up to me to make it happen! (@-@). I usually start with a very basic worksheet for listening regarding a specific grammar point/language function, such as expressing positive and negative opinions using the verb "like." I speak, they listen and circle the key words they hear on the worksheet. Then they write simple sentences using this language form. This usually progresses to an impromptu "casual conversation" - exactly what the customer(s) ordered!
The Japanese are typically much more comfortable with a standard rote lesson - the non-communicative approach! ;) To ease them into communicative speaking, I start with rote reading/writing lessons and then seguay to listening (with worksheets).
I then do my best to stay very topically ambiguous and let the family choose the topics, but continue to include the specific language form to talk about the topic. In this way, they are learning safely with me how Americans typically converse, but with topics that they choose.
For example, my first lesson with them was "likes and don't likes with because." The mother is crazy about the actor Leonardo Dicaprio (sp?), so I ask her what she likes about him, leading by example with "I like so-and-so because...who do you like? Really, why?" The father is interested in talking about Japan, so I do the same with him on that topic. The kids listen intently and of course start to imitate what the adults are doing. I then ask them what they like or don't like and why, always modeling the target language (I like/don't like ___ because ____). ..
*
Teachers constantly assess teaching and learning in relation to learners' needs.
When "new" students register (MARCS form) and take a "Entry" exam (CASAS) to see what level of English they are at, I try to "assess" where they are at based on their background information, test results, and my simple conversation in getting to know them. I look at what questions they get wrong in the test and see if there is some type of "theme", which I've somewhat see some based on the group I've assessed so far:
-understanding the "7 digit" (local) phone numbers
-date order (today is Tuesday, August 11th of 2009=> 8/11/09)
-difference of American coins (e.g. pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, etc...)
Others:
Author: Kristin M
Posted date: Thursday, August 13, 2009 5:43:29 PM CDT "I have found the use of dialogue journals to be a helpful assessment tool. It gives the student the opportunity to ask questions, or share concerns or confusion about class topics in a more private forum. It also gives me the chance to see where the students may be struggling, and to give personalized feedback."
Author: Celia M
Posted date: Friday, August 14, 2009 11:30:48 AM CDT "At our site we do an initial “needs assessment” of student’s backgrounds and interests which is shared with all volunteer tutors. This is followed up half with through the quarter with “tutor evaluations” done by the students. Since 99% of our students are Spanish-speakers, the evaluations are done in Spanish and then compiled and translated by the coordinator and the results are given to the volunteer tutors. The evaluations cover everything from student satisfaction with the class, the effectiveness of the tutor’s methodology (in simpler words!), and what they would like to do more of in the rest of the quarter (games, pronunciation, work vocabulary etc.). The coordinator compiles and interprets the answers, and gives feedback on ways the volunteers can better meet student’s needs or adapt their lessons/methodology to satisfy their student’s interests.
Since tutors are volunteers if there seems to be an unusual number or negative responses, a tutor observation by the coordinator is triggered. The observation also includes volunteer follow-up support via help with lesson planning, modeling classes, or co-teaching with the volunteer in order to better support both the volunteer and learners."
Author: Barbara A
Posted date: Saturday, August 15, 2009 3:20:51 AM CDT
Lots of numbers as you can see, so I've came up with a lesson plan on numbers or Logical/Mathematical (one of the Multiple Intelligences from Unit #6)
4. 7.4 Lesson Planning
Strategies for Reading Comprehension (28 Kb)
READING ASSIGNMENT
While you read this chapter previously, take a moment to review the brief section entitled "Developing Reading Lessons" and the sample lesson plan that follows, found on p.139-142.
This should help clarify how reading lessons are put together in terms of pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading.
The following video is of a Narrative Reading Lesson. The class is discussing President's Day. It demonstrates pre-reading, reading, and post-reading. As you watch, consider these questions:
· What did you like about this lesson?
Has a picture (visual) of the Presidents w/name
Had the students read a bio of the President
Then the teacher read it out loud
Again, she had them read it to themselves, but have them circle words that are "unfamiliar"
Then she wrote it (e.g. again, one room cabin, "strong" leader, etc..) on the board
Had students guess the meaning
Had the students give non-verbal gestures (yes-thumbs up, no-thumbs down) when answering questions: Q: Who won the war, north or the south? Did Abraham Lincoln die because he was sick or was shot?
Recall information from article: Q: What job? (easiest-yes or no answers)
PART II
-Sorting sentence strips
Used overhead and had the students work together how to "order" or "sort" the sentence strips chronologically (e.g. facts about Abraham Lincoln)
-Cloze
Had the students fill-in-blanks of the story
-Oral: Retell Story
Had the students individually summarize what they read, which builds confidence
-Homework
Vocabulary-draw a line from word and meaning
Question: Fill blank
· What didn't you like?
Her glasses look too big for her-lol! The story of the Civil War was not fought solely on "slavery", which is just like how Christopher Columbus discovered America. However, it's due to our educational system.
· What types of things are students doing throughout the lesson?
· What's the role of the teacher?
· Comment on the progression of the lesson/activities.
· Other reactions?
Great video, which gave me some ideas on a reading activity for my classes
Note: You don't need to watch the entire video. If after 10-15 minutes you feel like you've got the gist, feel free to move on.
Click here to view video: mms://hopkins.hamline.edu/gse/esl6631/Narrative_Reading_Video.wmv
This video clip is copyrighted by Logman Publishing Group, 1992. Permission to use it was obtained from Copyright-holder. It is only available to students enrolled in this class. You must not: save it to your computer; revise it; and/or copy or distribute it.
Reading Comprehension Handout
There's a handout linked at the top of this section. Take a look, and print if you'd like. It's entitled Strategies for Reading Comprehension. It describes a variety of techniques you can incorporate into reading lessons to help students improve their skills.
Lesson Planning Good Practices:
>Lessons are learner-centered.
>Course content is contextualized. Contextualized lessons are framed in terms of a real-life context, meaningful practice, and application and extension opportunities.
>Lessons focused on reading are framed in terms of pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading activities.
ONLINE DISCUSSION
Reading Instruction Realities
How do you feel about the following classroom realities…
…and what do you do about them, if anything? If you've not taught, what might you do, or draw from your experiences as a student.
· Bilingual dictionaries in class (electronic and books)
Very helpful!! I have it in the major three languages (Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian) of the students we get in this area. The Spanish was has been the most beneficial, which many of my students like it so much that they even ask me to order one for themselves. I've bought 7-10 already within the past 4-6 months for my "Spanish-speaking" students through amazon.com.
Others:
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Monday, August 10, 2009 5:56:35 PM CDT "I don't mind the use of bilingual dictionaries, when used in the right context. If we are doing a group exercise and I see a student leafing through a dictionary or punching in an entry as if they are working independently I will make a mental note of it. When we are finished or during a break I will talk about underlining words to look up or ask about later. I will point out that many students have questions about the same words so we will be going over the meaning together after the reading if it wasn't covered before the reading. I try to convey the importance of following along to get the main idea and seeing how much of the reading is understood without looking up words.I also encourage the students to ask first so they have practice asking questions and to give other students practice explaining the meaning of a word in English...."
· English-English dictionaries in class
Another helpful material, which many of my students (GED too) ask to use to help explain some words that are not covered in the bilingual dictionary
· Students writing translations of words in margins of texts
When we have our students use the Rosetta Stone Software program, I decided to creat a worksheet w/columns for them to write the score (# correct and # wrong) for each lesson. Also, I have them write "unfamiliar" words that they don't understand and we then look it up together (when I'm available) in a dictionary. They write it in their own language to help understand the meaning at times too
· Students making lists of unfamiliar words
Subject: Sal-worsheet for Rosetta Stone activity...RE: Students making lists of unfamiliar words
Author: Sal Monteagudo
Posted date: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 12:25:03 AM CDT "When we have our students use the Rosetta Stone Software program, I decided to create a worksheet w/columns for them to write the score (# correct and # wrong) for each lesson. Also, I have them write "unfamiliar" words that they don't understand and we then look it up together (when I'm available) in a dictionary. They write it in their own language to help understand the meaning at times too.
*Note: I have yet to try this, but I should look at all my students sheets and type a list of all the words they've wrote and rank the "most common" ones! I can then make a list of these as a future reference. Any other suggestions?"
Others:
Author: Jill M
Posted date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:08:31 PM CDT "I think it is really important for students to make lists of unfamiliar words...when I see a student write down an unfamiliar words that we have just discussed...I jot it down and compile a list of these words so I can review them in future lessons to test their recall. I have also previously mentioned T charts...this is another area I like to use these charts for...unfamiliar words....students often write the word on one side of the chart and draw a picture or write the definition in their L1 so they remember it in the future...if I were learning a new language, I think I would have a notebook filled with lists of words....Jill"
Author: Kristin M
Posted date: Thursday, August 13, 2009 9:49:32 PM CDT "I like students to keep vocabulary notebooks, too. I encourage them to use one that is small enough that they can keep it with them throughout the day, jot down any new or unfamiliar words they encounter, and then bring it to class to talk about meaning and share with their classmates..."
Author: Ashley Z.
Posted date: Saturday, August 22, 2009 1:38:30 PM CDT "My experience shows having students write words at are unfamiliar to them is helpful. A resource that I like to use is the "Words I use when I write"... I rec'd a free copy of this dictionary at the MN TESOL conference. Its basically a skeleton of high frequency words which are frequently misspelled with blank spots under each letter to add new words.
Instead of asking me to spell a word when we are doing a writing exercise they can look it up in their personal dictionary. If it is not there, they can ask me or a friend . When I write words down that they dont know on the board, they can add it to their dictionary.
I recognize that it is effective to have students actually work with these unfamiliar words so they actually remember them. In the video of the reading lesson on President's Day, the teacher had students read and circle words they were not familiar with. When she went back to discuss the unfamiliar words, maybe an additional homework assignment could be to add the words to their dictionary and also categorize the words into parts of speech or something and have them write a new sentence with a few of the words.
As the teacher in the video commented, by acknowledging the words that students don't know by having students write down , it lets them know you recognize what is frustrating them and they can move on to keep reading or whatever and then come back to the words they don't know.
"
· Students asking each other what words mean in L1
They look it up their L1 dictionary and then we look it up in L2 to expand their vocabulary in both languages
· Students who are determined to understand every word
· Students copying entire texts into their notebooks from your hand-outs or textbook
When I see students doing this, I can see they are very ambitious. I then encourage their peers to do the same. These students can be good role-models to their peers too.
· Students reading aloud to themselves quietly during silent reading time
I somtimes get students doing this when using the Rosetta Stone Software program, which I encourage all of them to do. However, there are some "quiet" or "shy" students that don't even read it outloud, which it supposed to be a "pronuncation" activity. There are students that don't feel comfortable doing this while there are others in the classroom too, so we "teachers" have to respect that.
· Students who are hesitant to read aloud in class
I then give my students an option to go to another room if they feel more comfortable when there are no people around.
· Students who read a great deal more slowly or quickly than the rest of the class
I would try to encourage them to take their time to lower their active filter (reduce any anxiety from peers). I would then put in my notes that I should try to find some time to work 1:1 with them. They might feel more comfortable in small group activities.
I've created threads for each of the above issues. Choose 2-3 to comment on in the discussion board.
Please post at least 2 original substantive comments, and at least one 1 response to classmate's posting. Complete postings by 5pm on Monday, August 17, 2009.
5. 7.5 Authenticity
Keeping it Real.doc (49.5 Kb)
Authenticity
The key to effective contextualized langauge lessons is that they include a variety of practice acivities that use language in real-life, meaningful ways...Perhaps the most important factor is that lessons have learners using language in ways that are as authentic as possible. Whever possible, learners should take on roles in class that replicate the roles that they need to take on outside of the classroom....Nothing we do in a classroom can be truly authentic. That said, we do want to strive to replicate real-world langauge use as much as we possibly can.
--Parrish p.56
As I've mentioned before, we want our classrooms to mirror the language of the "outside" world, since that is the language our students need! Part of doing that is in our own interactions with students: using natural language, not oversimplifying or changing our speech so much that it no longer sounds like how Americans talk. Another piece of authenticity has do with the texts and materials we choose to use in class.
Authentic texts are texts that are created for native speakers of English. They are texts that are produced for public use that are unmodified. Authentic texts were NOT especially designed for classroom use, or for people learning English. Basically, an authentic text is anything that native speakers of English might read in the course of their daily lives:
newspapers
magazines
novels
advertisements
brochures
food packaging
billboards
work memos
appliance instructions
greeting cards
pamphlets... etc etc.
What else can you think of?
Phone Book, Bills, Campaign "Stuff", etc..
"Unauthentic" materials, then, are those items created for the purpose of teaching English. Generally, they are published materials such as textbooks, and they contain leveled, simplifed language that is often very "unauthentic" sounding. There is certainly a place for ESL textbooks (I use them all the time), but generally it's a good idea to supplement your regular textbook (if you use one) with lots of authentic, real-life materials, too.
How do you use authentic and unauthentic materials? If you have a particularly good book or material you'd like to recommend, please feel free to mention it in the discussion board, or email the group.
NOTE: I've linked an article about using authentic materials to the top of this section. It's entitled Keeping it Real. If you've taken the Oral Skills course, it may look familiar!
6. Unit 7 Life Skills ReadingVideo
ESL Techniques
Types of clothes (same video as under Page 4 of 7)
7. Unit 7 Narrative Reading Video
Unit 8: Pulling it All Together
Week of August 17, 2009.
1. 8.1 Writing in a Second Language
Writing in a Second Language
Writing in a Second Language
To get us started thinking about ESL writing, here's a riddle for you:
How is writing like swimming?
Give up? Here's what Psycholinguist Eric Lenneberg once noted:
Human beings universally learn to walk and to talk but swimming and writing are culturally specific, learned behaviors. We learn to swim only if there is a body of water available and usually only if someone teaches us.
We learn to write if we are members of a literate society, and usually only if someone teaches us.
Just as there are non-swimmers, poor swimmers, and excellent swimmers, so it is for writers.
TASK
To get a sense of what it's like to write in another language, I'd like you to write for 5 minutes in your L2.
If you haven't studied a foreign language very much: you can even just write random words from a language you've heard used, whether it's counting 1-10 in Spanish or saying hello in a few different languages. Whatever you can do is OK.
If you have studied a foreign language (and most of you have!), take out a pen and paper and just WRITE for 5 minutes in that language. Anything at all is OK, but if you need a topic to get going:
· The house you grew up in
Yo vive en a naranja de casa Este de Saint Paul until yo fue deci-ocho anos. Lo fue el ano cuando you fue to la universidad por el primero tiempo. Conozco mucho amigos tan un hijo, cual juego con mi otro hermano y hermana. Yo tiene un gran y divertido tiempo. Nosotros jueguemos mucho diferente deportes: beisbol, Americano de futbol, y mucho otro juegos-especialmente durante verano. Mi padre y madre decidir a vive aqui porque mi tia vive unico uno mila de aqui. Mi tia trabaje un 3M, cual es unico 1 mila el otro (way).
· Personalities in your family
After 5 minutes, reflect on this L2 Writing experience:
What is easy about writing in your second language?
What's hard?
What would you like a tutor/teacher to tell you about what you wrote? What help would be useful? What would you NOT find useful?
I can remember most words, but I couldn't remember the past, present, and future tense part. I haven't wrote in L2 for a long time, so I ready forgot many words. I had to look some words up in the Spanish-English dictionary, which took awhile. It actually became frustrating as I wasn't writing with the flow. I also needed total concentration with as less outside distraction as possible. I would like a tutor/teacher to help find these words instead of me looking up the dictionary to speed up the flow of the writing process. However, it might be more beneficial to find the meaning by myself. The type of help that would be useful would be a sample written by the teacher to give me a better structure on how to write..maybe? A review of some past, present, and future tense. What would not be beneficial would be the teacher just giving me the answer right away or the "correct way" (e.g. tense form) that would cause me to not learn from it and apply it to the next word. For example, the word in Spanish that I struggle with was "to go" or "ir"=> "fue" or "was" in the past tense. "It was more on the Vowel-alternating verbs, also known as stem-changing verbs"
I had to google for this site above to help explain.
Others:
Author: Philip L
Posted date: Sunday, August 16, 2009 8:10:28 PM CDT "
What is easy about writing in your second language? What's hard? What would you like a tutor/teacher to tell you about what you wrote? What help would be useful? What would you NOT find useful?
This post is difficult for me. Because my first L2 was Latin and I never learned to write; my L3 was German and I never was taught to write; and my L4 was Mende which I became initially fluent orally/aurally but never saw it written.
So...let me answer in theory according to what I have learned in working with students . I would want the teacher to give me specific feedback both good and corrective. I don't want "atta boys". I want, "this is good the way you chose to punctuate or I might suggest that you could break that long sentence into two".
Being critisized without being shown how to correct would be painful and not helpful. Be careful about giving too much feedback. Too much can be confusing and could overwhelm. Pick an area to focus on.
Phil"
Author: Celia M
Posted date: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 10:14:47 AM CDT "Good point about focusing correction, especially at beginning even intermediate levels. I remember getting papers back that were just filled with red ink (another thing I avoid!) and there were so many corrections with little explanation of why they were being corrected. I remember having to "edit" these papers to include the corrections. I would just re-write them they way the teacher had corrected them and turn them in without really understanding or processing my mistakes."
Author: Heidi M
Posted date: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 10:46:23 PM CDT Red ink is definitely something to avoid! In schools in Japan, underlining or circling in red ink indicates a correct answer, so handing a paper back full of red ink to a Japanese ESL student might convey the opposite message! Knowing your students home culture regarding error correction in writing is definitely helpful! I also think discussing with the class how they would like to received error correction in writing woudl also be very helpful"
ONLINE DISCUSSION: Reactions to L2 Writing
Reactions to L2 Writing.
Share your reactions to the L2 writing task above in the discussion board.
Find your name, and write what you think about the above questions.
Please complete at least 1 original posting and 1 reaction to someone else's by 5pm Saturday, August 22, 2009.
Please note the Saturday close date; this is due to Hamline's summer schedule.
What's hard?
What would you like a tutor/teacher to tell you about what you wrote? What help would be useful? What would you NOT find useful?
2. 8.2 Process vs Product
In chapter 5, you already read about Extensive Writing (a letter of complaint to a landlord, or academic writing for class) and Everyday/Functional Writing (jotting down phone messages, completing registration forms).
Parrish writes:
"In teaching writing to ESL learners, there have been two divergent approaches to writing instruction: product-oriented and process-oriented.
Writing tasks that follow set conventions and for which the reader has specific expectations, for example, checks or time cards, may merit a more product-oriented approach to teaching. These types of functional tasks are not open to interpretation by the writer, and often follow conventions that are specific to our culture. Extensive writing tasks, on the other hand, can benefit from the stages of brainstorming, drafting, editing, and rewriting in a process-oriented approach."
From Parrish, p.147
Look at this list of writing needs identified by two different groups of ESL students. Which writing needs might benefit from a product-oriented approach, a process-oriented approach, or a combination of the two?
Intermediate-level adult ESL
Completing vacation slips=>product-oriented approach
Writing notes to teachers=>product-oriented approach
Filling out applications for jobs=>>process-oriented approach
Taking phone messages=>product-oriented approach
Writing monthly reports as work=>combination of the two
Writing resumes and cover letters=>process-oriented approach
Advanced Pre-academic ESL
Writing responses to readings=>product-oriented approach
Writing short essays=>process-oriented approach
Writing a research paper=>process-oriented approach
On page 151 of your text, Table 5.7 describes a process-oriented approach to writing:
Process-oriented Approach to Writing
Following that table, on pages 151-153, is a sample lesson that outlines this process.
Take a moment to re-visit that lesson plan. This will help clarify how the parts of process-writing happen in the classroom.
Good Writers:
· Focus on a goal or main idea in writing
· Perceptively gauge their audience
· Spend some time (but not too much!) planning to write
· Easily let their first ideas flow onto the paper
· Follow a general organizational plan as they write
· Solicit and utilize feedback on their writing
· Are not wedded to certain surface structures
· Revise their work willingly and efficiently
· Patently make as many revisions as needed
What do you think of this list?
Anything you disagree with? Anything you'd like to add?
Principles in Teaching Writing
--Incorporate practices of "good writers"
--Balance process and product
--Account for cultural/literary backgrounds
--connect reading and writing
--provide as much authentic writing as possible
--frame instruction in terms of prewriting, drafting, and revising stages
As you can see from this last bullet point, writing lessons are typically organized similarly to reading lessons, in terms of
Pre-Writing, Drafting, and Revising.
4. 8.4 Learner Writing Needs
Learner Writing Needs
Just as there as various learners, there are various writing needs. What is important for a 19-year old college hopeful may be different that the writing needs of a 45 year-old restaurant worker. How we teach writing in our classes is largely determined by the students, their strengths, their difficulties, and their goals for learning.
Picture the following students.
· What types/examples of writing is each likely to need in English?
· What ideas come to mind as far as writing-focused lessons for each?
1. Vera
This elderly Russian-speaking woman lives in an apartment complex for seniors. She lives alone and socializes only with Russian speakers. Her son lives a few miles away and deals with most of her day-to-day needs. Vera is isolated, bored, and motivated to learn. She is not in great health, and lost her husband a few years back. She was a nurse in Ukraine, and she's been in the U.S. 3 years. You are her volunteer tutor.
· What types/examples of writing is each likely to need in English?
I'll probably encourage her to do some writing about herself (e.g. life story), which her experiences can intrigue others. There is a annual book project the Minnesota Literacy Council encourages volunteer teachers to get their students to contribute. It's called "Journeys: An Anthology of Adult Student Writings", which students of ESL/ELL from all over the state contribute (e.g. stories, poems, etc..) each year.
Writing short essays=>process-oriented approach
This might get Vera to "get out of her shell" and socialize with others through this writing when "Non-Russian" readers (e.g. in the community if her's get submitted to the local paper with her permission) take an interest to ask her questions on her experience. This "Project-based Learning" (Unit #6) activity might open-doors to many community connections to interact with others that she may never socialize with prior to this activity. We (Morris, Minnesota) have an annual event called Annual International Country Fair, spearheaded by the local college-university, that gives the opportunity for students and community residents to share their travel experience abroad. I did a table one year showing about my experience going to the Philippines (where my parents were born). I try to encourage my students to come to this annual event and table with me if I get the chance each year.
· What ideas come to mind as far as writing-focused lessons for each?
Others:
Author: Esther C
Posted date: Sunday, August 16, 2009 9:48:51 PM CDT "This is an interesting situation. As Vera's tutor I would use LEA stories to draw upon her wealth of experience being a nurse in the Ukraine. I would listen to her stories and make vocabulary lists that could help her before she writes each story the first time. I have a conversational English text with a supplemental everyday writing task workbook that I'd use with her.
Part of me wonders why she would need writing instruction at her age and in her circumstances, but if she is motivated to learn, I suppose that wouldn't matter. I would show her how to write correspondence like postcards, so that she could send them to her son to show him she's learning. I would also try to incorporate conversation and perhaps even see if I could get a small group of learners together so that Vera could make some new friends. I might even show her how to use a computer and e-mail so she can keep in touch with her new friends by writing between classes."
Author: Patricia F
Posted date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 9:30:21 AM CDT "...The independence and confidence she would gain would also be good for her.Once we get past basics (it doesn't say if she knows any English at all) I would plan some functional writing to deal with the bill paying. I like Esther's ideas with involving her with technology, maybe paying bills on line in addition to writing checks to get her started.A keyboard would also be a good place to practice the new alphabet.
To balance the project-oriented tasks she could work on personal correspondence. I might work with the seniors in the complex and find those unable to write because of medical conditions (arthritis, Parkinson's,etc.). Having been a nurse there is a good chance Vera likes to help others.Vera could be the hands of those unable to write while learning about the writing process. English speakers could read letters they want to answer as she follows along and they could work on the reply together. This would also get her more involved socially with people nearby.Being isolated is not making her health any better.
As she progresses with her writing I might suggest she look into being a volunteer either at the hospital or perhaps a tutor in the adult literacy program. Her L1 skills could be a great asset to her community.
Author: Celia M
Posted date: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 11:26:12 AM CDT "Great ideas! I like that you thought of things that she could do practice English every day at home (grocery lists, phone messages) to make it a practical application."
2. Ahmed
This 21-year old man arrived in the U.S. from Somalia (by way of Nairobi) 6 years ago. He recently finished an American high school. He works at the airport full-time and holds a second job at a gas station to help support several siblings and elderly parents, as well as extended family in Kenya. He loved his science classes in high school, and dreams of going to college to become a medical technician or something science-related. He did OK in high school, but struggled with reading and writing. He knows that more education will lead to better pay. He just enrolled in an evening ESL class at a community college that is required before he can enter a degree-program there. You are his reading and writing instructor.
· What types/examples of writing is each likely to need in English?
· What ideas come to mind as far as writing-focused lessons for each?
3. Shoua
This 35 year-old mother of 7 is on public assistance. Her kids range in age from 2 to 18. She and her husband share child-care responsibilities so that he can work second-shift, and she can go to school in the mornings. She was a farmer in Laos, and lived for several years in a refugee camp in Thailand. She has very little previous schooling (some native language literacy classes in the camps), but she's been in the U.S. for 12 years and can speak quite well. Her reading and writing skills are slow, but progressing. Her 5-year time-limit on MFIP (welfare) is ending in a few months, and she'll need to find a decent job. She is taking daily classes at a community-based non-profit. You are her FWE (Functional Work English) instructor.
· What types/examples of writing is each likely to need in English?
· What ideas come to mind as far as writing-focused lessons for each?
4. Jose
This 40 year-old man from El Salvador is in the U.S. mostly to earn extra money. His wife and 2 children remained in San Salvador, and he works in an assembly job full-time and also at Old Country Buffet on weekends. He studied English for a few years as a young man, and his contact with people at work has helped him increase his vocabulary and oral skills a great deal. He hopes to get a better paying job and send for his family to join him here in the States. While his English is already at an intermediate level, he thinks that better written skills will help him move into better-paying management positions at work. He is taking an ESL class through the public school's Adult Literacy program. You are his reading and writing instructor.
· What types/examples of writing is each likely to need in English?
Based on the previous assignment and chapter (Ch. 6 Parrish, p.147), I would reccomend practice on...
Writing monthly letters/reports as work=>combination of the two (product & process-oriented approach)
I would first go through some vacabulary words (e.g. Business English Vocabulary Lesson for ESL - Project Management Vocabulary 2=> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMn1sY-3Fe4) , but first have him share (activitating schema) more about what type of work he does in both of his jobs to see what words he might want to focus on. I would then do a series of exercises (e.g. scaffolding -providing a sample text w/key information left out, sentence starters, and parallel writing-using a written model ) using some of these vocabulary words (e.g. schedule) on the board and in worksheet handouts emphasizing on these vocabulary words.
"The______ requires us to complete the first phase by January 1st" schedule (noun) "Richard has_______ a meeeting for all department heads on Wednesday morning at 10:00." scheduled (verb)
One can teach some basic grammar through these exercises too.
*NOTE: I'm not a business expert, so I would probably invite an individual I know in town that used to own a ethnic store (La Tienda) and have her share some ideas or even come speak about what it takes to run a business.
· What ideas come to mind as far as writing-focused lessons for each?
"This section focuses on other documents that you will probably need to write at some point. The most common of these is email, which, as you will see, is much less formal than written letters. Each of the three document types is introduced by an example document and is followed by a guide to writing that particular type of document.
Reports
Memos
Email "
OLD COUNTRY BUFFET RESTAURANT MANAGER, from careerbuilder.com "If you are an outgoing, self-motivated individual with 2+ years of management experience and a passion for the restaurant industry, you have found your next career."
Others:
Author: Esther C
Posted date: Sunday, August 16, 2009 10:03:33 PM CDT "Jose sounds like he could be one of my current students! For Jose, an intermediate learner, I would use a Business English writing text. In addition I would probe him and the other students for what kinds of writing tasks they might have to do at work.
As a manager, Jose might need to make schedules, do inventory, return defective items (with reasons), write job descriptions and procedure manuals, advertise open positions in newspapers, etc. I would bring in examples of these from different kinds of jobs so students could study the format. I'd help them tailor each one to their career fields, while keeping the basics the same. I would also search for manager job descriptions to help familiarize students for the demands of such a position. Better than average grammar would be a requirement for managers too, so I would work that in, making sure it's contextualized."
Author: Yvonne C
Posted date: Monday, August 17, 2009 11:27:06 AM CDT "Jose sounds like he needs some good authentic business texts to read and some real-life writitng. Perhaps learning how meetings are run in businesses and learning how to write agenda's and business items like that.
Probably the first thing I would do is try to find out what kind of job exactly he is trying to pursue and then find some magizines with articles in that buisness field for him to study and write about.
Yvonne"
Author: Susan H
Posted date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 10:08:31 AM CDT "Jose will need help in writing a resume and cover letter. Depending upon his job interest, we could work specifically on a resume and cover letter for what interests him. It would also be helpful for him to have an understanding of writing office correspondence, memos, and most especially how to navigate via email (as so much of this information is now done electronically). It may be beneficial for him to have some classes in Microsoft word and beginner excel.
Sue..
ONLINE DISCUSSION: Writing Needs
Writing Needs.
After reading the above box, visit the discussion board and share your thoughts on at least two of the students (Vera, Ahmed, Shoua, Jose).
· What types/examples of writing is each likely to need in English?
· What ideas come to mind as far as writing-focused lessons for each?
Please post about at least 2 of these 4 learners by 5pm Saturday, August 22, 2009.
Please note the Saturday close date; this is due to Hamline's summer schedule.
5. 8.5 Responding to ESL Writing
Writing Samples Collection (239.819 Kb)
So you gave a writing task to your students, and they diligently wrote their best work on a topic you've been studying in class. You reach for the stack of short essays and pick up your pen to respond... Then it hits you...what on earth will you say to them? How will you respond to the writing they've shared with you?
Responding to student writing is tricky business. Second language writing, by its nature, may have many errors, may be organized differently than we expect, and sometimes is very unclear. What can you write in response to your learners' writing that will be honest, clear, and most importantly, helpful?
Let's look at one piece of student writing, and at a couple of ways to respond.
How are these two responses different? Which would you find more useful?
They pretty much represent the two ends of the spectrum: the first is responding mainly to the content of the writing, and the other is responding entirely to errors in usage.
One thing we know about writing is that correcting every error for students is highly discouraging, and has very little impact on their writing in general. It's a better practice to choose 2-3 areas that need improvement and focus your comments on those.
How we determine how best to respond to a piece of writing has much to do with WHY the student wrote it.
Our first question should be, "What was the purpose for writing?"
In the previous section we looked at the difference between product and process writing, and explored what kinds of writing may fall into each category. These two approaches to teaching writing parallel the two extremes for responding to student writing. One is focused on creating a correct and polished product, and the other is focused more on the process itself: the content, organization, and ways to expand. Just as some writing is necessarily "product" oriented (say a resume or an accident report at work), so will our responses to writing correspond to these purposes.
Here are some guidelines from Parrish, p. 157.
· Always begin with a response to the content of what learners have written. Provide feedback on what is clear in their writing: I like the way you described your family members with so much detail.
· When responding to longer pieces of writing, consider content, organization, discourse, (e.g. topic sentences, transitions), syntax, vocabulary, and mechanics (e.g. spelling, punctuation) (Brown 2001).
· Develop consistent conventions that your learners can understand: sp for spelling, T for tense, underlining for wrong word choice. There are many editing conventions, but it is often best to develop a set of editing marks with your students so you know the marks are understood.
· Provide opportunities for peer review and revision through conferences or group time.
· Develop a realistic sense of what a given learner is capable of producing and do not expect perfection or try to rewrite their work.
From Parrish, p.157
Let's look at some more pieces of writing. The following piece was written following a review of the past tense in the context of how our lives have changed in recent years. The writing prompt was, "Write about your life three years ago." The purposes for writing were to practice narrative writing fluency and use the simple past tense. The student will be asked to improve and expand this draft of her writing for a second draft.
How would you respond?
There are some more writing samples available at the top of this section. The document is entitled Writing Samples Collection. Go ahead and view this document; print it if you like. After taking some time to read and consider responses to the writing samples, go to the following discussion board forum.
ONLINE DISCUSSION: Responding to ESL Writing
Responding to ESL Writing.
In Unit 8 at the top of section 8.5, you'll find a document entitled Writing Samples Collection. Go ahead and view this document; print it if you like. After taking some time to read and consider responses to the writing samples, go to the discussion board.
I've set up a thread for each of the 4 writing samples in the document you viewed. Choose 2-3 to respond to. What would you tell this student?
Please post about at least 2 of these writings by 5pm Saturday, August 22, 2009.
Please note the Saturday close date; this is due to Hamline's summer schedule.
I'll start of, "I like how your shared about the steps when visiting a doctor when your son is sick.."
Then I'll teach this student about using past tense, adding "th" on numbers, work on punctuatons, and work on spealling as a less of a priority based on the goals of this writing exercise. I'll show a sample writing paper or even a video relating to this topic as a model for the student to compare. Depending on the number of students present in a given "open classroom" evening, I"ll try to have "peer review and revision through conferences or group time" (Parrish pp. 157).
Others:
Author: Yvonne C
Posted date: Monday, August 17, 2009 12:04:50 PM CDT "I think that correcting this paper would be too frustrating for the student and overwhelming. I think I would use this paper as a way to guide the student into writing different parts to the paper. Perhaps a pre-writing activity to list all of the symptoms her son had and then together we could make some sentences together and then she could make some herself. Brainstorming and learning new vocabulary would really help her.
Yvonne"
Author: Jill M
Posted date: Thursday, August 20, 2009 5:53:36 AM CDT "Erin, I agree with you...the student used a lot of important vocabulary and needs encouragement...because this student is obviously a very beginning writer...I would do as you suggest and try to build confidence. It is so important to focus on the positive with students at this level so they are not afraid to write again in the future. ESL students often interpret correction as failure; therefore I would ask relevant questions about the experience with the doctor, the earache, etc. I think the number of corrections that need to be made are overwhelming and the student willeventually learn how to correct these mistakes in the future with more language lessons (reading, speaking (so they can hear their mistakes), and writing)....Jill"
My Reply:
Author: Sal M
Posted date: Thursday, August 20, 2009 8:26:12 PM CDT "Isn't there a saying (for behaviors, but can also be applied for English writing too if that's ok)...
"for every correction you make, you should give two compliments."
This would be a great challenge for "us" teachers!!"
I'll start of, "I like how your shared about your "likes" and "dislikes" of winter..."
Then I'll teach this student about punctuations (e.g. commas, periods, etc..) to improve fluency of the writing. I'll show a sample (parallel writing) writing paper or video relating to this topic as a model for the student to compare. Depending on the number of students present in a given "open classroom" evening, I"ll try to have "peer review and revision through conferences or group time" (Parrish pp. 157).
Winter Images http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5imFZHfSLI
*this will be a great music video to play in the background of the classroom during a brainstorming session prior to the students writing activity on this particular topic!
Others:
Author: Yvonne C
Posted date: Monday, August 17, 2009 12:08:08 PM CDT "One approach to this would be to create a dialog with the student and ask them more questions about their writing and tell them a little about what you like and dislike about winter. I've seen lots of journals in classes done this way where there is a dialog between student and teacher and through the dialog the teacher can help the student focus their writing and ask them to elaborate about certain items. I think it can be rewarding for the student.
Yvonne"
#3 Educational Experience
This is a process-oriented approach, so from Parrish (p. 157):
I'll start of, "I like how your shared about your early educational experience ..."
Then I'll give some pointers on the following: "When responding to longer pieces of writing, consider content, organization (e.g. 3rd paragraph identation should be move back), discourse, (e.g. topic sentences, transitions), syntax, vocabulary (e.g. COMMON USAGE PROBLEMS-principal, principle), and mechanics (e.g. spelling-inn=>in, punctuation (3rd paragraph: comma (,) after "After a moment")". Other mechanical problem: Capitalization - Pronouns: Name of person-ali hassan, halima; usage of past participle-sit, sat, seat; stand, stood; etc.. I'll show a sample (parallel writing) writing paper or video relating to this topic as a model for the student to compare. Depending on the number of students present in a given "open classroom" evening, I"ll try to have "peer review and revision through conferences or group time" (Parrish pp. 157).
Others:
Author: Jill M
Posted date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 2:11:10 PM CDT "I totally agree with the previous recommendations to help this student improve his writing. I may also suggest that he read each paragraph out loud to see if he can hear any mistakes on his own. I had a student I worked with for an entire semester on her papers for a radiography class. Initially, her sentence structure needed a great deal of help and she was missing many words. I began by helping her with organization and sentence structure/mechanics by reading the information out loud and inserted the missing/inaccurate information so she could hear how much clearer the information became..... By the end of the semester,she read her papers out loud to me and caught 90% of her own mistakes. She progressed a great deal in a very short time period. Jill"
Author: Celia M
Posted date: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 11:43:32 AM CDT "Wow, what a powerful story… Since it is such a long essay, and there are not too many mechanical errors, I might focus more on flow and organization. I had a class where we took an essay we wrote, cut it apart by paragraph, exchanged it with a partner and the partner was in charge of trying to put it back together by the way they thought it flowed. It helped organize thoughts in a more linear way and peers caught some errors or asked for clarification on ideas. Once we had peer-revised it and re-wrote it, we turned it in to the teacher and they edited it for clarification and mechanical errors. We edited it one last time and turned it in. I really liked that project and think it could be adapted to higher levels of ELL and definitely in the case of this student."
Adult ESL teachers often don't put a great deal of emphasis on writing, especially in the lower levels. Sometimes writing is seen as something that more advanced or pre-academic students need more, and that beginning students need the survival skills of listening and speaking. While I certainly can see why they might think this, I think writing has a place from Day 1. The reason is simple:
Writing is language slowed down.
When we converse, the language happens FAST. You can't go back and erase, and the listener is waiting and maybe already responding before we're through talking! Writing allows the entire process to slow down. We can think, formulate, strategize, edit, choose words carefully, and most importantly, take our time. Writing is a place where we can try out new language without the pressure of a waiting listener. And writing adds the visual component of language that helps make it memorable. How many of you write things down if you want to really remember them??
We often think of grouping language in terms of written skills (reading and writing) and oral skills (listening and speaking). Even these graduate courses are grouped this way! But let me show you another way of thinking about these four skills:
Receptive Skills
Reading
Listening
Productive Skills
Writing
Speaking
Writing has an impact on how we speak. They are both "productive skills," times when we are producing language.
The impact of a strong writing component in the adult ESL classroom can be tremendous in so many ways. Whether it's through the remarkable practice of Dialogue Journals (pages 153-154) or through frequent short answers or essays or narrative writing projects, writing can be extremely empowering and extremely beneficial for learners.
Beyond Basic Literacy: Literacy is empowering.
In order to become full participants in our communities, we must be literate. Ours is a literate culture, and many of the benefits of living in this society are dependent on high literacy skills: voting, advocating for one's rights at work, etc. We cannot take part in a democracy without being able to read. Without literacy, we cannot help our children succeed at school or move up from low-paying, entry-level jobs. Literacy is empowering.
Read to Learn
In your supplemental text, in Section 3, the authors discuss yet another need for literacy: reading to learn. They write, "Learners can both learn to read and read to learn...The act of reading itself exposes us to language that we process as we seek to gain information that is important and meaningful." By reading more and better, we not only learn the content of what we're reading, but we increase our language skills as well!
Take a moment to review this section of your supplemental text. It discusses excellent practices, such as extensive reading, that can benefit our students immensely.
How to Edit Your Writing : Why Writing Skills Are Important
"Refresher course for basic writing skills. Learn Why Writing Skills Are Important in this free self-editing lesson for writers and job seekers."
Practical & Creative Writing Lessons : How to Teach Writing
"Teaching to write begins with basic handwriting lessons, spelling lessons and sentence structure tips. Pass on the art of writing to future generations with tips from a produced playwright in this free video on writing."
You have one final, comprehensive assignment for this course. The assignment is an annotated, literacy-focused lesson plan, based on an AUTHENTIC reading of your choosing.
The Annotated Lesson Plan is due a few days after our course concludes, in order to give you the benefit of ALL 8 units before you need to create and turn in this lesson plan.
The Annotated Lesson Plan is due via the assignments tab by September 2, 2009. It is worth 35% of your final grade.
I'll list the assignment description here, and it is also available in your syllabus.
Sample:
How do I get to Jerry's U' Save (store, gas, fishing bait service) from here (Schools)?
I would take a left on Columbia Ave (going southeast & south) all the way and pass (stop sign) Green River Road. Then I would take a right (going north west) on Atlantic Avenue or “Main Avenue”. I’ll find Jerry’s U Save to my right-side (convenience store in the second building from the corner).
9. 8.9 Conclusion
Final Words
It's been my pleasure to work with you all this term! I hope you've learned a lot and have enjoyed this medium of study... I look forward to reading your final projects, and also to seeing your course evaluations and hearing your feedback on how this experience was for you.
Course Evaluations are now done online through the secure Piperline login. From the Hamline home page, click on Piperline and follow instructions to fill out course evaluation. If you have trouble, please let me know. Please fill out your comments soon after finishing Unit 8 and assignments!
There may also be a supplemental evaluation that will concern this online format specifically. I'll let you know when/how to do that soon, if applicable. Thanks in advance-- your feedback is important to me personally, and to the program as a whole.
To sum up, here's a wonderful quote from Betsy Parrish:
Attaining literacy in a second language means far more than learning to decode and write words. Literacy involves activities that are conducted in rich social contexts between and among individuals. Attaining literacy in English broadens learners' opportunities in their communities, homes, and jobs. It allows them to attain certain jobs, help their children with school-work, and correspond with teachers and others in the community. ESL educators have the task of determining their learners' literacy needs and selecting approaches and contexts for teaching reading and writing that are the most suitable for them.
"SABES promotes high quality adult basic education services through training, support, and resources that improve the skills and knowledge of practitioners and strengthen programs"
*referred during Unit #3-Discussion Group on Theories "This updated edition is a practical reference guide which compares the relevant features of a student's own language with English, helping teachers to predict and understand the problems their students have.
Learner English has chapters focusing on major problems of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and other errors as well as new chapters covering Korean, Malay/Indonesian and Polish language backgrounds.
" Learner English (Accompaniment) [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio CD)
by Michael Swan
Michael Swan (Author)
*referred by Celia M-M (Discussion Board: Age of the Learner in Unit #4) "..Working with children I find that classes, due to attention spans, go a lot slower and need to be much more physical and tactile. Also since the concept of time is so fluid for children and short term memory plays a huge role in their learning, words and phrases need to be repeated over and over again for them to start to “stick.” Children also do not have the language “framework” to build on that adults do and need to be taught things that we take for granted in adults, like the difference between a noun and a verb. We are often awed by children who at age 7 are bilingual, perhaps not taking into account that they started as a baby with their parents and actually have 7 years learning the language. Children also have much smaller and less complex vocabulary and speech patterns than adults and although they may seem adept in comparison to their adult counter-parts, perhaps it is just us judging them on a different scale of expectations…..
"Tue, Jul 21, 2009 -- Su09-53224: Bilingualism and Children clip
A friend forwarded this link to a short video from WCCO news about children and bilingualism. They interview Elaine Tarone, my former professor at the U of M, who currently is the director of the Center for Advanced Research in Language Acquisition. Thought you might find it interesting!"
*referred by Proferessor Patsy (Wednesday, July 22nd of 2009)
"Actually this is a shopping website but you can access it in lots of different languages...some of my other favorite educational websites have already been mentioned..."
"....Language fluency is used informally to denote broadly a high level of language proficiency, most typically foreign language or another learned language, and more narrowly to denote fluid language use, as opposed to slow, halting use. In this narrow sense, fluency is necessary but not sufficient for language proficiency: fluent language users (particularly uneducated native speakers) may have narrow vocabularies, limited discourse strategies, and inaccurate word use, and may be illiterate. Native language speakers are often incorrectly referred to as fluent.
In the sense of proficiency, "fluency" encompasses a number of related but separable skills:
* Reading: the ability to easily read and understand texts written in the language;
* Writing: the ability to formulate written texts in the language;
* Comprehension: the ability to follow and understand speech in the language;
* Speaking: the ability to speak in the language and be understood by its speakers.
To some extent, these skills can be separately acquired. Generally, the later in life a learner approaches the study of a foreign language, the harder it is to acquire auditory comprehension and fluent speaking skills – however, the Critical Period Hypothesis is hotly debated. Reading and writing a foreign language are skills that can be acquired more easily after the primary language acquisition period of youth is over, however.
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