Why this Blog?
I am participating in the second course in the BYU/ESL Endorsement through Distance Education Program (BEEDE). As I put together my project for the first course, I was wishing I could just post it online. I asked our facilitator if I could try doing my project for this, the second, course on a blog, and she agreed.
This is still a work in progress.
Now I'm thinking this would be even better as a web page.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Strategies Practiced or Suggested During the Course
1. Knowledge Treasure Hunt
Students have completed some sort of pre-assessment (perhaps an opinionaire?) and are each given one sample card and the worksheet. Each card contains a subtopic of the subject being studied. It also contains an example for that topic. Students add another example (preferably personal), then move about the room, talking one on one with the other students, sharing their examples. They record on the worksheet the examples they receive. The teacher moves around, first checking student-generated examples for relevance (and appropriateness), then listening to student-sharing.
2. Think, Pair-Share
3. Teach CORE CONCEPTS of words first before teaching features that distinguish one word from another.
4. Round Robin Writing (3-12) There is heading on each of several papers. The student writes for a set amount of them (2 minutes, if desired), and then passes the paper on to the next student. Each student has an opportunity to write about all of the topics.
5. Inside/Outside Circle
Students have completed some sort of pre-assessment (perhaps an opinionaire?) and are each given one sample card and the worksheet. Each card contains a subtopic of the subject being studied. It also contains an example for that topic. Students add another example (preferably personal), then move about the room, talking one on one with the other students, sharing their examples. They record on the worksheet the examples they receive. The teacher moves around, first checking student-generated examples for relevance (and appropriateness), then listening to student-sharing.
2. Think, Pair-Share
3. Teach CORE CONCEPTS of words first before teaching features that distinguish one word from another.
4. Round Robin Writing (3-12) There is heading on each of several papers. The student writes for a set amount of them (2 minutes, if desired), and then passes the paper on to the next student. Each student has an opportunity to write about all of the topics.
5. Inside/Outside Circle
Monday, February 2, 2009
Notes on Session 10 of Understanding Language Acquisition
Notes on Session 10 of Understanding Language Acquisition
Notes on Session 9 of Understanding Language Acquisition
Notes on Session 9 of Understanding Language Acquisition
Notes on Session 8 of Understanding Language Acquisition
Notes on Session 8 of Understanding Language Acquisition
Proficiency Levels Defined
Proficiency Levels Defined
Beginning Level
Beginning Level -- BICS
Beginning Level -- CALP
Intermediate Level
Intermediate Level -- BICS
Intermediate Level -- CALP
Advanced Level
Advanced Level -- BICS
Advanced Level -- CALP
Beginning Level
Beginning Level -- BICS
Beginning Level -- CALP
Intermediate Level
Intermediate Level -- BICS
Intermediate Level -- CALP
Advanced Level
Advanced Level -- BICS
Advanced Level -- CALP
Notes on Session 7 of Understanding Language Acquisition
Notes on Session 7 of Understanding Language Acquisition: Stages for Development and Errors: Tools for Advocacy
Language learning is a gradual and nonlinear process.
Errors provide a window into language development and serve as a guide to teacher feedback. (7-4)
Every learner is in a route toward proficiency. The path of development is systematic and relatively fixed. Regardless of native language background, all students follow the same developmental path:
-- learning to ask questions
-- negating sentences
-- using word endings
-- learning some aspects of English before others (Annela Teemant, 7-6)
Interlanguage means that the language of a second language learner is systematic. It is between the system of the native language and the target language.
. . . language errors are not random -- a language system underlies them -- it's patterned.
(Cheryl Brown Mitchell, 7-6)
My own example: I have an Hispanic student who puts an "e" in front of "s" words -- very consistently. This is because she knows the rule in Spanish: When "S" is followed by a consonant, it has the short "e" sound in front of it.
Articles and Prepositions
The articles a, an, and the and prepositions such as of are common high-frequency English words, but they are difficult aspects of English to master. No amount of teaching or correction in the intermediate states of learning will make learners use them correctly. (Diane Larsen-Freeman, 7-7)
In English, rules for articles and prepositions are "complex, arbitrary, and idiomatic." (Joy Reid, 7-7)
This is something I noticed with my second language learners at Utah Valley University. These were students who had been through the ESL program, then many of them would come into my reading and writing classes. They did leave out articles, and confuse prepositions. I told them that they just needed to continue to hear and read a lot of English. Is it helpful to study the Fry Phrases? See examples at http://www.tfsd.k12.id.us/ot/Fry%20Phrases.htm
"My advice for students is "Find your proofreader, but don't have them write on the page or give a rule. Just listen to what a native speaker would see and say in each case." (Joy Reid, 7-7)
Formulaic Speech
Formulaic speech is memorized and unanalyzed chunks of language. They use chunks of language that they hear or read, without really understanding what they are saying.
Formulaic to Patterned to Analyzed Speech (Cheryl Brown Mitchell, 7-8)
Strategies of Language Learners (Is the text suggesting that we teach them to use these strategies, or do many learners just do these automatically?)
-- [Beginning language learners] grab hold of useful phrases.
-- [More proficient language learners] turn to dictionaries. The student I'm focusing on studies a thesaurus. Students do need to be taught how to use the dictionary. Many of my seventh grade students don't know how to use it.
-- Ask friends to translate.
-- Listen carefully to native speakers. (Annela Teemant, 7-8)
A student will try a new form at home, then with friends, but will often wait to use it with the teacher until he feels more confident using it. (paraphrase from Elaine Tarone, 7-8)
She also says there are six fairly set stages in the acquisition of questions, then seems to give three stages or patterns for using a new form. (Elaine Tarone, 7-8) I'm confused!
What Teachers Can and Can't Do
Teacher work (careful instruction, meaningful interaction, and appropriate feedback)
"will not change the route, but it can increase the students' learning rate and raise their ultimate level of success in learning English. We can help students learn faster and go farther." (Annela Teemant, 7-9)
Teachers can help by --
-- activating previous knowledge, pointing out similarities between English and their native language
-- Helping students notice
-- vocabulary
-- grammatical features
-- Help students develop
-- accuracy
-- fluency
(Annela Teemant, 7-9)
Accuracy or Fluency
At different times, teachers will emphasize either accuracy or fluency, since both need to be developed. ("Kumar" Kumaravadivelu, 7-9) [Sometimes you correct their grammar or usage, and sometimes, you just encourage them to express themselves.
When I taught college students who had recently "graduated" from the ESL program there, I often had to tell them (especially the East Asian students) to NOT stop to look up every word they didn't understand. I encouraged them to try to get the gist of what they were reading, and if they had extra time, they could go back and study details and particular words. Otherwise they would work for hours and still not get the assignments done. I had similar advise for their writing. They just needed to get their thoughts down on paper as best they could, then go back in improve. In fact, I give the same advice about reading and writing to my students who are native speakers of English.
Language learning is a gradual and nonlinear process.
Errors provide a window into language development and serve as a guide to teacher feedback. (7-4)
Every learner is in a route toward proficiency. The path of development is systematic and relatively fixed. Regardless of native language background, all students follow the same developmental path:
-- learning to ask questions
-- negating sentences
-- using word endings
-- learning some aspects of English before others (Annela Teemant, 7-6)
Interlanguage means that the language of a second language learner is systematic. It is between the system of the native language and the target language.
. . . language errors are not random -- a language system underlies them -- it's patterned.
(Cheryl Brown Mitchell, 7-6)
My own example: I have an Hispanic student who puts an "e" in front of "s" words -- very consistently. This is because she knows the rule in Spanish: When "S" is followed by a consonant, it has the short "e" sound in front of it.
Articles and Prepositions
The articles a, an, and the and prepositions such as of are common high-frequency English words, but they are difficult aspects of English to master. No amount of teaching or correction in the intermediate states of learning will make learners use them correctly. (Diane Larsen-Freeman, 7-7)
In English, rules for articles and prepositions are "complex, arbitrary, and idiomatic." (Joy Reid, 7-7)
This is something I noticed with my second language learners at Utah Valley University. These were students who had been through the ESL program, then many of them would come into my reading and writing classes. They did leave out articles, and confuse prepositions. I told them that they just needed to continue to hear and read a lot of English. Is it helpful to study the Fry Phrases? See examples at http://www.tfsd.k12.id.us/ot/Fry%20Phrases.htm
"My advice for students is "Find your proofreader, but don't have them write on the page or give a rule. Just listen to what a native speaker would see and say in each case." (Joy Reid, 7-7)
Formulaic Speech
Formulaic speech is memorized and unanalyzed chunks of language. They use chunks of language that they hear or read, without really understanding what they are saying.
Formulaic to Patterned to Analyzed Speech (Cheryl Brown Mitchell, 7-8)
Strategies of Language Learners (Is the text suggesting that we teach them to use these strategies, or do many learners just do these automatically?)
-- [Beginning language learners] grab hold of useful phrases.
-- [More proficient language learners] turn to dictionaries. The student I'm focusing on studies a thesaurus. Students do need to be taught how to use the dictionary. Many of my seventh grade students don't know how to use it.
-- Ask friends to translate.
-- Listen carefully to native speakers. (Annela Teemant, 7-8)
A student will try a new form at home, then with friends, but will often wait to use it with the teacher until he feels more confident using it. (paraphrase from Elaine Tarone, 7-8)
She also says there are six fairly set stages in the acquisition of questions, then seems to give three stages or patterns for using a new form. (Elaine Tarone, 7-8) I'm confused!
What Teachers Can and Can't Do
Teacher work (careful instruction, meaningful interaction, and appropriate feedback)
"will not change the route, but it can increase the students' learning rate and raise their ultimate level of success in learning English. We can help students learn faster and go farther." (Annela Teemant, 7-9)
Teachers can help by --
-- activating previous knowledge, pointing out similarities between English and their native language
-- Helping students notice
-- vocabulary
-- grammatical features
-- Help students develop
-- accuracy
-- fluency
(Annela Teemant, 7-9)
Accuracy or Fluency
At different times, teachers will emphasize either accuracy or fluency, since both need to be developed. ("Kumar" Kumaravadivelu, 7-9) [Sometimes you correct their grammar or usage, and sometimes, you just encourage them to express themselves.
When I taught college students who had recently "graduated" from the ESL program there, I often had to tell them (especially the East Asian students) to NOT stop to look up every word they didn't understand. I encouraged them to try to get the gist of what they were reading, and if they had extra time, they could go back and study details and particular words. Otherwise they would work for hours and still not get the assignments done. I had similar advise for their writing. They just needed to get their thoughts down on paper as best they could, then go back in improve. In fact, I give the same advice about reading and writing to my students who are native speakers of English.
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