Culturally Sensitive EIL Pedagogy

Towards a Culturally Sensitive EIL Pedagogy

Throughout this class we have learned so much about our future students in our classrooms and what types of backgrounds they might come from. Learning about different cultures and learning about how to be sensitive towards other cultures and ways of living puts everything into perspective. We are going to come across so many different cultures and Englishes in the classroom and we are going to have to know how to respond to multilingualism and multiculturalism. At the same time we are going to have to recognize that our English speaking students are also going to have very different variations of Englishes and come from homes who have different attitudes and beliefs about language and language learning.

We are also going to come across students who hail from countries who have idealized westernization. They are going to learn about American culture and while doing so they are going to learn stereotypes and things that are just not true. In the classroom we need to be able to be sensitive to that fact while showing them that learning through stereotypes isn’t the best way to learn because most of the time these stereotypes are just not true. Another issue we are going to come across is other students in the class being stereotyped against. Through taking these TESOL classes I have realized that every classroom is going to be different and every student is going to come from a different background and as teachers sensitivity is a big issue that we must learn. 

Language Variations and Ideologies

Language Variations language ideologies

It is so interesting to me that in the one city I will be teaching in (Chicago) there will be hundreds of different Englishes that I am going to see, right in my classroom. To me this is exciting and fascinating and because I have taken so many TESOL classes I know that this is indeed a great thing rather than a negative which some teachers might think. Before taking TESOL classes I did not really know how I was going to address some language issues in the classroom, and to be honest with you I still don’t know perfect ways to deal with language diversity.  This is why I am so excited to actually be in the classroom to gain experience and confidence. Because so many of my future students are going to be coming from different households with parents whose ideas and principles about language are going to differ. I am going to have many different Englishes as well as different languages completely. I am going to have so many students who are going to depend on me to teach them the language skills they are going to need to thrive. This makes me extremely excited and stressed all at the same time but I cannot wait to get in the classroom.

Recently in my history of the English language class we have learned about African American English and while sitting in the class I found many similarities between what we learn in this class and what was being taught that specific day. We talked about how AAE can either be seen as a variety of English or its own classification of English but either way we must treat the students who speak AAE with the respect that they deserve. Just because AAE is not “standard” English the students who speak it are just as intelligent as the students who do not. At the same time we must teach “standard” English to ever student while still supporting their home language. The similarities in the class made me happy because there are students in that class that do not take TESOL courses and it is nice knowing that they we are all being taught similar practices. 

Week 14

Language Planning and Policy

Language planning and policy apply directly to education and the US has a great responsibility to meet the needs of all children of all languages in the classroom. Along with different languages in the classroom these students are going to come from different homes that speak different Englishes. Teachers in these classrooms have big decisions to make about how do accommodate these students who come into the classroom with different language backgrounds. In a single classroom there can be multiple languages and there is no way a teacher can be fluent in 25-30 languages. Because there is no official or national language in America

Bilingual education is fascinating to me as a non-bilingual ESL pre-service teacher. The goal of these classes is to cultivate bilingualism and not just teach in English and that is a big concern of mine if I were in that position. In any classroom nurturing both the children’s home language and English is a big goal. All teachers should be up to date about ESL teachings and always be stepping back in the classroom asking themselves if they are doing enough for the ESL students. A big part of cultivating bilingualism not only takes place in the classroom but also at home. The language climate at home, how parents and children feel about language and how they support it makes a big difference in the classroom.

To me, family language policies are particularly interesting because I grew up in a home that only spoke English, so my parents never had to make these decisions about what languages to speak at home. Bilingualism is a great goal to strive for and I understand why parents push bilingualism so much. It is not just about communicating with family members, even though that is a good reason, it is about connecting with the past of the family and feeling a sense of self when becoming competent in the child’s first language.

Beliefs and ideas about language differ from family to family. Both the children’s environment and how the child is being raised comes into play in bilingualism. With both parents working, after school activities, number of children, babysitters, reasons for raising the child bilingual and other daily stresses bilingualism may be hard to achieve, even if it is a high priority for the parents. Internal and external reasons for bilingualism do affect the success of bilingualism. 

Week 13

Multilingualism, World Englishes and Diglossia

The fact that there are 700 non-native speakers, 350 more than native speakers really surprises me. It also makes me wonder, if the number of people who are non-native English speakers doubles the number of native speakers why are we as a society not doing more to accommodate these speakers, especially in school settings. Students are going to be coming into our classrooms from inner circle countries, outer circle countries where English is a second language and from expanding countries where English is a foreign language. As a pre-service teacher it is imperative that teachers know that each and every one of our students have individual needs and wants when it comes to language learning and we must know how to learn and address these needs. As a pre-service teacher it is important to know the difference between students who come from inner circle countries, outer circle countries and expanding circle countries because their needs and experiences are going to differ.

Knowing the history of the student’s countries concerning globalization and nationalism is something every teacher should strive to know and understand. The student’s teacher should take time to understand the culture and the history of the country especially concerning language. Teachers also need to learn about the individual student; his or her motivation or more importantly their investment to language. Knowing the student on a personal level will be instrumental in every aspect in the classroom but especially with their language learning skills. Knowing about their home country’s language history and the individual child will inform you about problems they may have in the classroom.

Globalization

Globalization

The world is a lot smaller today due to technology. Over the weekend I Facetimed my cousins in Ireland, in a matter of seconds we were talking and looking at each other through our phones. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and blogs have not only made it easier for us to communicate ideas and thoughts faster and more efficiently but it has introduced us to other ways of living. We can now get inspiration from cultures we didn’t even know existed ten years ago and that is a wonderful thing. As Ryuko Kubota states “Globalization implies increased local diversity influenced by human contact across

cultural boundaries as well as speedy exchange of commoaities and information.” While I stated that I think the world is getting smaller, meaning that within seconds we can Google Earth places thousands of miles away and get much more information about different cultures than ever before, Friendman says the world is today is flat. He says that individuals can “stay in their own locale while participating in a globally linked economic and information system.” These ideas about globalization would be classified in the area of globalization as universalization because it is spreading common objects and experiences to everyone that is interested in seeing them. It can also be an example of globalization as deterritorialization because with all of this sharing eventually an object or an idea may not belong to just one culture now.

The circles of English have become more interchangeable because the use of English in outer circle countries as well as immigrants moving into inner circle countries. The world is not only just learning about each other’s cultures through the internet but joining together in such a big way with English. What happens to the other cultures while immigrating or learning English, is there a big identity loss going on? We have talked a lot about identity loss in class and how detrimental it can be. When looking at the immigrant narratives we discussed that some of the immigrants felt a loss of identity when learning English and they felt like they were losing a piece of themselves that they did not want to lose. Imagine people going through this identity loss without immigrating, is globalization going to feel like a loss of self to the people learning English even thought they are living in the same country as they always have? Is culture going to slowly tear away?

Race and Stereotypes

Race and Stereotypes

The terms race, ethnicity and culture are extremely hard to nail down with one definition, they are broad terms that people define differently. The similarities with these terms are that they are thoughts that categorize people; these terms either group or divide people. These terms can lead to racism which can lead to heated discussions and can even lead to wars and destruction. Racism and stereotypes exist, no matter how unfortunate it is hate and racism are alive in America. As a pre-service teacher I struggle with the idea that children will be coming into my classroom with ideas of hate towards their other classmates or even me because of what they hear at home. Students are going to judge others on how they look or where they come from because it is what they have grown up with at home. It is awful but it is the truth. One of my many worries is knowing how to deal with this prejudice and discrimination in my classroom. Racism will not be tolerated in my classroom but there is no way that I am going to hear every single conversation between my students or see every eye roll or mean face that these students may encounter. Dealing with these issues will be difficult but it is essential that we deal with it head on instead of sweeping it under the rug and letting it cultivate into something much bigger. In ELL classrooms today there are so many different races represented and I want to teach my students that this is an amazing thing; these students can teach each other so much about culture and ways of life if they open their eyes to it.

As poisonous as they are cultural and racial stereotypes are out there and even young students are well aware of them. The best thing we can do as leaders in the classroom is educating ourselves and not letting these stereotypes effect our thinking. In Kuma’s article the idea that TESOL professionals stereotype based on social identity. “if our students fail to interact in class the way we expect them to, or if they fail to show that they engage their minds the way we want them to, we readily explain their behavior in terms of culture and cultural stereotypes”(Kuma 717). As educators we have a responsibility and we must be critically aware and understanding.

Week 8: Materials and Methods

Materials and Methods

The materials an ESL teacher decides to use have a great effect on the whole classroom environment. The decision making of what texts and materials that should be used, when they should be used and to whom should use them are important decisions and should not be looked over. As a pre-service teacher it is a little overwhelming to look at all the aspects and the individual student’s needs that goes into planning and rearranging the curriculum.

I agree whole heartedly with what Cortazzi and Jin say about culture and communication, “communication in real situations is never out of context, and because culture is part of most contexts, communication is rarely culture-free.” Because the classroom is filled with different cultures it is a difficult job to lay out the materials to use in the classroom. Text books can be an extremely helpful medium to help the student learn but it should never be the only material used, the teacher should not depend on the text to do the teaching. Texts should be resources for successful learning but never the “teacher”. This is why I had a hard time reading this particular chapter because it made it seem like textbooks were the end all be all of resources and materials used in the classroom. There are wonderful texts out there that should be used in the classroom but I do not think that they should be the only materials used. Language learning should be done in a natural setting, I’m not saying that textbooks do not have a place in the classroom but they should only be used as a resource.

Because every student has unique needs the materials and texts should be catered for the individual student. The class should have many different resources; ones that support oral, visual and audio learning styles. Text, pictures and sounds all effect students differently and I think it would be important to integrate all types of learning styles into the curriculum.

I learned a great deal in the Methods and Pedagogy TESOL class and one of the most important things from that class is to mold your curriculum around your students and to make the classroom individualized for the students. A teacher should not take one “method” and replicate it year by year, the students do not get their needs met that way. Instead the teacher should see what the students need and go from there, that might be combining some methods or just forming a unique one. 

Week 6-ESL writing

Culture, Context and Writing

We again get a different definition of culture in the Hinkel chapter, which reinforces the idea that culture is not a concrete thought it changes and differs from person to person. Hinkel defines culture as “the pattern of meanings embodied in symbolic forms, including actions, utterances, and  meaningful objects of various kinds, by virtue of which individuals communicate with one another and share their experiences conceptions and beliefs.”  He also says that successful communication depends on sociocultural factors and underlying matters in society and that people “express meaning to realize a social goal.” Language is a way to express goals within a society and personally. I am currently enrolled in English 241, the history of the English language and I am  amazed about how much I did not know about the language I speak every day, the language I depend on to communicate and survive. Learning about how the English language came to be and how it works compared to other languages is really eye opening. I never realized how different languages actually are in means of syntax and the makeup of cultural differences in the language.

Coming up with a definition for culture has been difficult for us to come up with, everyone has a different concept of what culture means and what culture does. With this being said it will be tricky to characterize culture in the second language classroom, especially because there can be various cultures in one classroom. The students who are learning English as a second language are dependent on the teacher to represent culture effectively. Even if the goal of the class is not learning culture these ESL students are going to learn a significant amount about the culture. In the study Hinkel talks about these students changing their identity while learning more about the culture. These students changed everything from their looks to their names to be immersed into the culture, even though they have been in the country for a long time.

When it comes to ESL writing in the classroom as a pre-service teacher I found it disheartening that NES subjects thought that ESL student’s writings were less effective compared to their own writings. Even though this is off-putting it does make sense. These students come from languages that have a completely different syntax than the language they are learning. With planning, writing and revising ESL writers are struggling. This is good information to know as a pre-service ESL teacher although it is not fair to judge an ESL student without reviewing their work or comparing an ESL student to their NES peers.  

Week 5: Kang's study, A Step from Heaven

I was excited to read Dr. Kang’s study because I have been in three of her TESOL classes and she was the first teacher I had in any TESOL class. Even though I have had Dr. Kang in all of these classes I have never read her published work and I was very curious to examine her work. When I read the title of her study Korean-Immigrant Parents’ Support of Their American-Born Children’s Development and Maintenance of the Home Language I got excited all over again because being an Early Childhood pre-service teacher I always find myself interested in the child, even in class I picture classroom scenarios in an early childhood setting. So needless to say I was looking forward to reading Dr. Kang’s study and I was happy this was assigned to us and that Dr. Kang is going to come into class to discuss it with us. How many articles have we read for countless classes where we never get to ask follow up questions to the author? Today we will get to talk about the article with the author and discuss her work.

Pairing Dr. Kang’s study with A Step from Heaven took what Dr. Kang wrote about and made it real. I pictured Young Ju as a child in these very real households. Last week we read about immigrant narratives and the fear that many have about the loss of identity in a new country and both Kang’s study and A Step from Heaven address this concern. It was interesting to me that Kang suggests that families reflect their language use and teaching strategies in order for their children to obtain and maintain their home language which can be a challenge. This is a major challenge for second language learners because they are living in America and feel like that is a part of their identity now but they still want to hold on to the other side of their identity. It can be confusing for children as we saw in the case of Young Ju. Young Ju did not want to seem “weird” or “different” around her American friends and her parents fear she is losing her Korean heritage. At the same time Young Ju and her mother have many other concerns such as her father’s alcoholism and poverty. I like how the book made it seem real, all of the situations and immigration hardships were true with what we have been studying in class. The book and study went hand in hand and I am looking forward to discussing it with Dr. Kang!

Questions for Dr. Kang

How can immigrant parents successfully advocate a new language and culture while still cultivating their first language and culture?  Is it important for both parents to speak both languages to the child or like in Mrs. Moon’s case is it enough to have just 1 parent speak the second language?

Week 4: Language and Identity

There are many different language learners and it would not be fair to categorize them as motivated versus unmotivated or extraverted versus introverted. There are many factors that go into the process of second language learning. To learn a language the student has to be exposed to it, hopefully in a natural setting, and practice it. This is hard to do when the student has no idea what their social identity or has a very low opinion of themselves in the language learning.

Motivation plays a big role in second language learning, without motivation or an active goal in mind the student can fall off course. Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are important but if the student does not have a need for the language that is growing inside of them it will be hard to learn and use the language. Even though Norton’s study concluded that motivation does not necessarily aid in successful language learning in every case it helps the students become invested in the language. The student must be invested in second language learning or else they may feel like they don’t have a need for it and therefore not learn the language or culture at the best of their ability. Learning the language in a natural setting can help shape and form an individual’s language identity. Teachers can help students form their own language identity by having discussions in the correct target language, use journals and diaries to not only practice their writing skills but to reflect and examine the communication opportunities they have experienced. Talking to other language learners can also build a language identity because they can compare experiences.  

People have more than one identity. For example I am a woman, an American, a daughter, a sister, a pre-service teacher, etc. This list can go on and on and it is important to know that people are made up of more than one identity. After reading the Pavlenko article it would be a great lesson for second language learners to write their own personal narrative on who they are their personal identities and sharing them with their peers and teacher. This can be a growing experience for the student; they can share their identity with their peers and understand that they fit in. 

Week 3: Exploring culture

“His goal of education was that its goal should not be efficiency and power but a search for knowledge and understanding. Someone looking for perfection and power should not go into the profession of teaching. Things go wrong all the time, classes go off track and there are power struggles in the classroom. This is what is beautiful about teaching, not one day is alike and the teacher grows and learns every day as much as the students do. Knowledge and understanding are the goals good teachers have for their students. Every student is different and not every student learns the same way or at the same pace and this is a challenge for teachers because their pedagogies change and having one set method does not work. Teachers have to change to accommodate their student’s needs. The quote about Socrates hits the nail on the head and made me think about the goal of education and the roles of the teacher in the classroom. I’m not sure if I agree with Confucius’ view of the role of teachers to answer questions. While I agree this is an important aspect for a teacher I would think it is more important to evoke the students, give them all the support and knowledge they need so they can find the answers themselves and have the teacher as an aid if they get off track.

Communication is an essential role in the classroom. Teachers have to know their students and learn how to communicate the best way to them to aid in their learning. If there is no communication in the classroom no one is learning anything. Culture can be a communication barrier and it is the teacher’s role to both understand the student’s culture and teach the student’s about culture as well. This can be done by having an ongoing conversation about the student’s personal culture. By talking to each individual student regularly about their culture this aids in understanding and also helps preserve the culture in the student. By continually talking about the student’s culture it makes the student more proud and less apprehensive about being different.

“Culture is a total way of life for a particular group of people.” Wintergerst explains that culture is life for a group of people. I’ve never experienced living in one culture and being moved into another but I could only imagine how difficult and challenging it would be. Not only do these students feel pressure to fit in and do well in school they also have to learn a new culture. This can be a confusing time for these students and by referring and talking about culture and language constantly students gain a better understanding and become more comfortable with it. 

Morgan: Teaching Culture chapters 3&4

Morgan states that everything he has read about culture has given him a different perspective on culture and he can relate to every one of those perspectives. In class last week we discussed our personal definition of culture and I found myself agreeing with everyone’s definition. Because the idea of culture is complex, there are many different perceptions that can relate to different people. Culture means something different to different people but if one takes the time to comprehend and value that culture understanding grows.

The three components of culture are products, practices, perspectives; artifacts, actions and meanings. All of these components merge together to create an understanding of what a specific culture values and finds important. For these cultures to live on people and communities need to come together and work on preserving these products, practices and perspectives. The example of drive-thru restaurants exemplifies that all five pieces of the puzzle of culture are needed. The products needed are things like food items on the menu, cars, napkins, bags, etc. The person would also have to know specific practices such as the rules of the road, how to order the food properly, and knowing social norms like paying for the meal. Perspective involves how people generally feel about the food and the make and model of the car. Communities have to be supportive of the drive thru as well as the people or else the restaurant will not survive.

As a pre-service teacher for students learning the American culture I would incorporate how to scenario’s such as a drive thru restaurant, a wedding or a grocery store to help the students learn and understand some of the practices, products, perspectives, communities and people that make up this culture. By acting out scenes or going on a field trip to actually act out these scenarios these students have a firsthand familiarity with an aspect of culture in this country. Language and culture go hand in hand; language is seen and heard everywhere in a culture. This is why practicing these scenarios is a good idea, while the children are learning these product, perspectives and practices they are also practicing the language which is hugely important in the culture.

Language is used in culture to describe certain products, participate in the culture, identify and explain thoughts, participate and actively express individual identity. In the classroom setting language also does all of the above that is why it is so important that teachers cover all of the five dimensions of culture so the students are well versed and comfortable with culture and language. 

Week 14

Assessments are a crucial part of teaching, it shows us the progress the student has made over time as well as the strengths and concerns some students need. Assessment can be as formal as a final project or test it can be as simple and informal as observation. Assessments give the students a freedom in the classroom, tests can harbor anxiety in students and assessments can give them an opportunity to show what they have learned in a creative way. There is also freedom with what a teacher can do with assessments, there can be a lot of creativity and versatility in assessments but they must be practical, reliable and valid. If the test is dependable, tests what it is intended to test and practical then it is trustworthy and the students will feel more comfortable with it. The test should always be authentic and use authentic language, this is especially important for English language learners.

I personally believe alternative assessments provide more stability and security in students. I believe they showcase student’s strengths and concerns better than a traditional test. For example in this class we have a good mix of alternative assessments and tests. It is important to know what a student knows and tests can do a good job of that but there are so many factors that can influence a test. With alternative assessments students have a better opportunity to demonstrate what they know. When the students have an opportunity to use alternative assessments such as portfolios, journals, conferences and observations they are more in control of their learning. In portfolios students can pick and choose what they think is most important, the students are more in control of their learning and learning outcomes which is more meaningful than taking a multiple choice test and forgetting about it a week later. Alternative assessments are an outlet for students to be creative and for me it is more meaningful. Traditional tests are important but there should be a healthy mix of alternative assessments as well.

When traditional testing is needed it is important that as a teacher you know how to construct a quality test that is valid, reliable, and practical. The items that are being tested should be clear and unambiguous, the last thing a teacher wants to do is confuse students when they are being assessed. The directions should be clear, this can be challenging especially for non native English speakers. Teachers should have a variety of discourse types in the test as well as in the evaluation. It is important for testers to develop a variety of procedures to assess different skills.

Oral Proficiency tests are a whole new area that needs to be assessed differently. An interdisciplinary approach is a great way to understand the language because it is practical and an effective means of assessment. 

Brown ch. 9-11 Kumar ch. 13

Brown ch. 9-11 Kumar ch. 13

Curriculum design can be daunting at first; you have to think about so many different areas; the setting, classroom characteristics, teacher characteristics, course content and evaluation requirements. When developing a skeleton for a curriculum plan it is essential that you take in consideration of the kinds of learners you have in your classroom. You have to look at their background, their learning styles, what they need to learn, what materials they have available to them and goals of the curriculum, students and teacher. When making a course syllabus as a teacher you really need to make sure that when teaching is going on you are going to be making changes constantly, no teacher follows or should follow the syllabus to a t. Constant redesign of the syllabus should happen because the topic of conversation could go further in one direction than you previously planned, this is not a bad thing. When this happens teachers should take advantage of this because students are engrossed and there is meaningful conversation happening. Texts should help with this meaningful learning, not be the number one source of it, especially with L2 learners. Texts should support learning and give another outlet for further learning but it should not be the only articles that shape it.

The first element of a lesson that at teacher should think about is the goal of the lesson; what the students will accomplish after the lesson is completed, how you as the teacher will carry out the lesson and how the students will take what they have learned and apply it to their lives. The objectives help the teacher organize these goals and bring them to life. Teachers should be constantly thinking about the terminal and enabling objectives as well as the materials they will need to carry out the assignment. Beginning lesson plans the teacher should have a clear set of goals and objectives they want to cover as well as the materials and texts they are going to use with keeping assessments in mind. Teachers should not be discouraged is the topic goes off course or if a topic or assignment lasts longer or not as long as they planned, teachers need to think on their feet and run with it.

Thinking of techniques can also help teachers know what direction they want the lesson to go. It should be clear from the beginning if the lesson is open-ended or structured, student centered or teacher centered, in other words controlled or free, but this does not mean if you are teaching a lesson with controlled characteristics you should not have free characteristics. In the real world classroom it is not so black and white, the students and teacher the lines will blur. 

Week 12: Social Relevance, Cultural Consciousness

Ensuring Social Relevance, Raising Cultural Consciousness

“No classroom is an island unto itself. Every classroom is influenced by and is a reflection of the larger society of which it is a part of.” This quote is the perfect way to start off the chapter because it personifies what good classroom social relevance should be. Class, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, language, and sexual orientation are some factors in social relevance that teachers have to keep in mind, especially if they are teaching ELL students. I think it is unfair for “standard English” to be in our vocabulary, in the past this may have worked but right here and now there is no “standard American” so the term “standard English” should be rewritten. The standard variety Kumar is talking about in this chapter refers to a person with no regional accent, who resides in the Midwest, who have more than average or superior education, who are educators or broadcasters, who pay attention to pronunciation and grammar, who are easily understood by all and use “proper language”. This is not the case with many Americans and it is not fair to say that one variation is superior to another. Imagine English Language Learner’s whose teacher refers to their variation as nonstandard or wrong, it is more than discouraging and it would not make them want to become a better speaker.  American’s have different variations that is what makes this country so interesting, English in a L1 setting is very different than English in an L2 setting but that does not make either setting better or worse than the other. When teaching we need to make this issue personalized to each student and we have to keep an open mind to the background of each student. It would be appropriate to tap into the unique linguistic and cultural knowledge that all the learners have in the classroom, connect with them. Give clear directions and providing simple clear examples and be friendly; being in an open welcoming environment can make a change.

Culture can be hard to define and hard to maintain in a classroom. It is upsetting to see learners from other cultures and countries lose some of their culture when going to school in America. While we want our students to flourish with the English language and custom it would be a shame for them to lose their original background and way of life. In order to help these students preserve their culture we as pre-service teachers have to make an effort to understand their way of life at home. The classroom should be rich in culture to make the students feel comfortable being themselves and comfortable to share their culture with other students.

Social responsibility can be tricky because there are controversial issues that need to be dealt with, especially regarding ethics. As teachers we should try to stick with the “universal” moral principals such as love, equality, tolerance and freedom and not get into the topic of religion or any topic that can go in the direction of making students uncomfortable or that are potentially offensive or disrespectful. The classroom is a community and the students should always feel a part of that community.

For my final paper I am focusing on the pedagogies and methods used in Early Childhood classrooms with students who are English Language Learners.  I have found some articles; Beverly A. Clark’s “First- and Second-Language Acquisition in Early Childhood, Teacher Skills to Support English Language Learners by Deborah Short, Effective Practices and Principals to Support English Language Learners in the Early Childhood Classroom by Vickie E. Lake. Some new questions I have formed form the last time we meet are: how can programs support English Language Learners and what specific pedagogies should be in place?, How can we assess ELL’s language without the skills of reading and writing? 

Integrating the four skills, connecting linguistic input

When the skills of listening, speaking, writing and reading all come together it is essential for students to know how to handle and take control. These skills go hand in hand; when a student is in class listening to his/her teacher discuss a new topic the student is integrating many of the skills together. The student is listening to the teacher’s new ideas, writing down notes, reading the notes that the teacher is putting on the board and speaking when discussing or asking questions about the topic. This seems so natural for us learners after years of going to class and sitting through lectures but to students new to the English language this can be a daunting task that may make them anxious. This is why we as future teachers have to give these students the resources they need to make whole language learning as non-threatening as we can. By taking the fundamentals of task based instruction or theme based instruction the focus is on the purposes of language. Task based instruction particularly integrates whole language with real world situations; this makes the task seem purposeful and applicable to their lives and make integrating skills easier. Integration is imperative to learners but we have to remember it’s not as easy as we think it is. Integrating listening, speaking, writing and reading was something my teachers had us work on in grade school but they did it in a nonthreatening and at a comfortable pace. Integrating the four skills is another example of how teachers have to be thoughtful and cautious when developing a lesson.

Cohesion is key when communicating because when speaking to others you are always connecting exchanges, even if you are not aware. When communicating you are always thinking about how to relate to the input, how to respond linguistically and how to carry the conversation forward. If the conversation is not unified between the parties then there is no purpose. Culture plays a big role in this as well. If the people conversing do not have anything in common socially, culturally, politically, or ideologically it would be extremely hard to carry on a conversation. Context and input go hand in hand, if the language input is out of the norm or one of the parties has no perspective on the subject the conversation seems useless. 

Teaching Reading and Writing

Teaching Reading and Writing

These Brown chapters give us many strategies, characteristics, and principals for teaching reading and writing to second language learners. As we saw last week in teaching listening and speaking to second language learners, there were many similarities between reading and writing but also many important differences between the two. Reading and writing share some of the same characteristics, but are applied differently. We process the two skills differently and it is important for teachers to tap that into their students and provide enough support to facilitate the second language learners. Both skills have the same characteristics; performance, production/processing time, distance, orthography, complexity, vocabulary and formality. The difference between reading and writing for all of these characteristics is the fact that writers form and produce their own language for other readers to process and digest. This can be a frightening task for some students and they may feel vulnerable when others read their work. As future teachers we have to be there to support and teach our students that it is a positive thing to express themselves through writing and that they will become better writers and readers for doing so.

These chapters touch on some principals and strategies for both reading and writing. Some of the principals I thought were helpful in teaching English to a second language learner was again to use intrinsic motivation, include bottom up and top down techniques to keep reiterating the fundamentals, tap into the students schema, connect reading and writing and provide as much authentic language as possible whether it is assigning a writing or reading.

Assessing reading and writing are two different tasks. For assessing reading a teacher can either have the student read out loud or have a closed (multiplication, fill in the blank, etc.) type of test. Writing is much different in assessing. There is much more to assess in writing because there are so many variables and different things to incorporate. Teachers can use checklists on content, organization, discourse, syntax, vocabulary and mechanics to assess writing. 

Week 8:Teaching Listening, Speaking and Facilitating Interaction

Teaching Listening, Speaking and Facilitating Interaction

Listening comprehension is essential to language learning, and teachers must take a lot into consideration when teaching listening. Before actually presenting information to their students teachers have to ask themselves some questions; what makes a good language learner? What are good listeners doing while listening? What are some listening techniques? By knowing the answers to these questions teachers are one step closer to teaching quality listening skills to their students. First we have to realize that there are different types of spoken language and our listening skills alter depending on what the speech is. Our listening changes dramatically from when we are listening to a monologue, interpersonal or transactional dialogue. We as speakers and listeners would react and listen differently to the three examples and this can be difficult for new language learners. Our language can be very difficult to learn because it can be difficult to understand. In the English language we have concepts like idioms, slang, redundancy, clustering, reduced forms, sentence fragments, performance variables, and the list goes on. It can be intimidating going into language learning so teachers have to guide their students and help them feel less overwhelmed. By including an integrated skills course into the curriculum students will receive special, separate instruction on all four skills which will help the student organize the language better. Teachers should also use authentic language and contexts to help their students recognize patterns in real world language to help with communication. Using intrinsic motivation can also help the students focus on the language they are learning.

It is interesting that the difficulties that were listed in listening are also difficulties in speaking. This raises a huge red flag for me; these are vastly important areas to be aware of as a teacher and to guide language learners through. Teaching speaking is a big job because there are so many contexts of speaking and depending on how you speak in these contexts it might not be appropriate. There are six types of classroom speaking performances, and that is just classroom speech. The relationship between listening and speaking go hand in hand and this is apparent in these two Brown chapters. I have learned that teaching intrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, giving appropriate feedback and using authentic language are key in teaching both listening and speaking.

 “One of the aspects of learning to talk in an L2 is talking to learn.” This is a great start to this chapter because dialogue provides a learner to practice speaking and learning listening, communicating and speaking skills. This is why input as well as output is essential to language learning. Also, learners have to participate in their own language development and be totally invested in it. Without investing in language 

Brown Ch. 6,7,8

Brown Ch.6

Between the behaviorist and cognitive definitions of motivation, I would lean more to the cognitive side. The cognitive definition of motivation says that rewards are a part of the whole picture but motivation lies in yourself and self rewards. I believe that there is nothing wrong with encouraging students or saying “good job!” or even giving stickers but when the extrinsic motivation is extreme the students are learning for all the wrong reasons. The comment that Brown uses comparing learners to a horse running after a carrot (85) threw me off, that is not how I want my students to be encouraged. As a future teacher I want my students to be interested in what they are learning, I want them to realize that the knowledge they are gaining will give them a stronger sense of self. I would not want my students to be compared to a horse chasing after material rewards. The dive theory, hierarchy of needs theory, self control theory and constructivist theory all agree that the learner has to be interested in their learning and make their own decisions about their learning because that is when their knowledge and understanding becomes richer. Intrinsic motivation makes learning more centered toward the students because the students are applying the knowledge to themselves, they are not doing the  activity to get an extrinsic reward they are doing it to make themselves better learners. This type of learning results in better long-term knowledge which makes sense because what they are learning is of importance to them, not the materials they are being rewarded with. I see nothing wrong with telling a child “good job!” but when the child gets to the point that he/she is not interested in learning without rewards is where extrinsic motivation is too much. Having students (either working together or separate) have goals in the classroom and complete these goals is a great example of intrinsic motivation working.

Brown Ch. 7

Teaching children and teaching adults are obviously extremely different in how you teach, not necessarily what you teach. Both children and adults can be successful at acquiring a second language. For children teachers have to take into consideration how they speak to the child, what words and lessons they choose. With children teachers should be concrete and remember the language and cognitive limitations, for example children need repetition and patterns when learning a difficult concept. Teachers also have to take children’s attention spans into concern because that is a big difference between children and adults. It is important to have variety in lessons to keep the students attention and interest as well as having energy, if the teacher seems bored there is no way a child is going to want to pay attention and learn. This goes along with sensory input, adults have the capabilities to sit through a lesson and actually learn but children need to move and have hands on activities. When teaching children, more than adults, you need to make sure to build self esteem and give them plenty of opportunities to participate.

Brown Ch. 8

Beginning language learners are the most challenging to teach because they do not have any prior knowledge of the target language. It is scary to think that you are the one that is introducing the student to the language and culture of the language. The first few days may be difficult but I like when Brown said to place meaning in the language and make it meaningful. Because the students are so new to the language they are dependent on the teacher so it would be smart to have some class time be teacher fronted and have the teacher take control most of the class time. The pressure is on the teacher to be clearly articulate and to stay natural and authentic to the target language. When the language the teacher uses in class loses authenticity the students are not getting the full experience of the language. If the teacher does not model correct language use of the language it would be difficult for the students to become efficient, fluent and accurate in the language. Just like teaching children teachers should encourage students to be creative and have short to the point lessons to keep attentions flowing. It is frustrating learning a new language from scratch and the teacher should be sensitive to this. The students have so much to learn including listening skills, reading and writing, grammar, fluency and accuracy and a teacher should keep this in mind. Teaching students who have a history with the target language takes the pressure off of the teacher because they are not teaching language from the beginning. As future teachers we have to make sure that our language is natural and authentic for these students because that is what these students are concerned about for themselves. Students at this level should be more active in their language learning and teachers should step back and let student/student interactions take place. Encouraging creativity as well as the core subjects in language is important for this group because they are at the stage where they can express themselves through this new language and a teacher should always encourage this. With advance learners the teacher’s main job is to keep the class on track and keep the students focused. Since these students have the capability to speak freely the teachers need to take reigns of the class and make sure the discussions are meaningful and on task.  

Week 6 Readings-Brown and Kuma

Maximizing Learning Opportunities

“Teachers know that they cannot become prisoners of their own agenda.” Lesson plans and teaching go hand in hand, teachers need to hand in lesson plans weekly to ensure they are on task with the curriculum. But teachers should use lesson plans as a guide and if the lesson organically unfolds in another direction we should keep in mind it can be a natural and beautiful thing. Teachers can also get into funks with learning materials as well. Because the goal is to make progress every class period teachers sometimes get caught up in limitations, such as texts. I fully agree that teachers should texts as “a springboard to launch the interactive process in the classroom”(46). Teachers should be the ones with the responsibility to educate their students, and not depend 100 percent on texts. The limitations in the syllabus can hold back classroom activity and originality as well. When teachers chart out every minute of class time there is no room for the student. If there is not time carved out for students to discuss, debate, ask questions about what interests or confuses them then they are not being educated as well as they should be. Teachers should be encouraging students to get involved into beneficial conversations and pushing the conversations by asking quality questions.

Teaching by Principals

The principal of Automaticity places importance in fluency and subconscious absorption of language through meaningful use. This principal focuses on the use of language for genuine purposes in a classroom. Students need to practice patience in this principal because it does not come overnight. This is a great principal to teach students because it teaches hard work and discipline. It shows the students that language is a process, that using shortcuts will not give you fluency.  Another principal that stood out to me was the principal of meaningful learning. When students tap into their prior knowledge in a learning process then the learning is more significant to them. By appealing to the students interests or backgrounds the students have a focal point but this becomes tricky in language learning. It is important for teachers to avoid memorization and theories and focus on accomplishing the goals of the lesson while integrating new knowledge to the student’s schema. Intrinsic motivation follows this principal because again the student’s learning behavior stems from what the student wants to know and what they are familiar with. When teachers tap into this motivation, when students are interested in what they are learning, there is no need for outside rewards they are self rewarded. When a student begins to expect rewards from learning and only learns to receive rewards then the learning is not organic, it is not valuable anymore. Students that are motivated to learn, that have teachers that encourage and induce curiosity of learning are self-rewarding. Supporting students is a major role for teachers and the Language Ego principal values this. Hopefully with the support and understanding of the teacher the students will have a willingness to communicate and not feel silly using their new language and provide feedback and attain communicative competence.  

Strategies Based Instruction

It comes to no surprise that good language learning behavior involves the student taking charge of their learning, be organized, keep their goal in mind, making smart guesses, learn from their mistakes, and put themselves and their new language out there to practice. These can also be described for good learning behaviors of any subject because when learners have these learning qualities they are committed to learning. Part of this is being aware of weaknesses and strengths because how else would learners know what they need to work on to become better. Checklists, style tests, and most importantly discussions can help a learner organize and develop self awareness. As future teachers we need to learn how to encourage our students to use strategies. Being totally interactive with the students and getting to know them helps teachers understand the student’s wants and needs. Having learning centers in the classroom can help student focus their attention on a certain subject and help teach them to use these strategies independently.