college of charleston, education center, main campus · [email protected] nicky martínez sc...
TRANSCRIPT
Volume 31, No.3
Spring 2008
The Newsletter of the Carolina Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
Fourth Annual ESOL-Mini-Conference
Dinner and Plenary 6:30p.m. Friday, June 13, and
Conference & Luncheon Workshops, Saturday June 14, 2008
College of Charleston, Education Center, Main Campus
WHO SHOULD ATTEND THIS FREE CONFRENCE?
K-12 Classroom and ESOL Teachers from SC and NC
Adult ESOL Educators – Public, Private, and Church
School of Education/TESOL Students, NC and SC
Teacher Trainers, Literacy Coaches, Administrators
LOOK INSIDE! For “Call for Presentations” and
Registration & Parking Forms
FREE!!! Grant Funded Dormitory housing!!!
Friday, June 13th & Saturday, June 14th
Funding for SC Pre-K-12 Teachers is funded by
Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) through their grant with the College of Charleston
Funding for Carolina TESOL members who do not qualify for the OELA grant is provided by and
Carolina TESOL (Membership is Free)
Seating for 110 participants
Register early!!
Turn to Page 6 for Registration Forms
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Roberto Gonzalez
Vice President
Carolina TESOL Carolina TESOL Carolina TESOL Carolina TESOL Executive BoardExecutive BoardExecutive BoardExecutive Board
Advisory BoardAdvisory BoardAdvisory BoardAdvisory Board----Special Interest ChairsSpecial Interest ChairsSpecial Interest ChairsSpecial Interest Chairs
Executive Board AppointmentsExecutive Board AppointmentsExecutive Board AppointmentsExecutive Board Appointments
The Carolina TESOL Newsletter is published online quarterly; January, April, August and October Downloading and printing of the .pdf file is permissible for members.
To join - register online at carolinatesol.org. Membership is free, but must be renewed annually. Carolina TESOL is an affiliate of TESOL, Incorporated; 700 South Washington St., Suite 200, Alexandria VA 22314.
Yvonne Mitchell President
Toby Brody NC Higher Education SIC
Angela Cozart SC Higher Education SIC
NC Adult Education SIC Position Open:
Contact Yvonne Mitchell
SC Adult Education SIC Position Open:
Contact Yvonne Mitchell
Peggy Ayers NC K-12 SIC
Nicky Martínez SC K-12 SIC
Connie Banks Vendor Liaison SIC
Roberto Gonzalez SC K-12 SIC
Larry Savage Conference Coordinator [email protected]
Carolyn Zuttel Socio-Political SIC
Rosemary Schmid Publishers Liaison
Catherine Neff, SC SDE Title III/ESOL Coordinator [email protected]
Joanne Marino, NCDPI ESL [email protected]
Amy Hurka-Owen Web Master
Historian Position Open:
Contact Yvonne Mitchell
Yvonne Mitchell SE Regional TESOL Representative
Pat Majors 2008 Fall Conference Chair [email protected]
Pat Majors June Mini-conference Chair [email protected]
Cindy Bowling, Newsletter Editor [email protected]
Karen Brown, Past President [email protected]
Gail Rogers, Secretary [email protected]
Larry Savage, Treasurer [email protected]
Debbie O’Neal, Membership Coordinator [email protected]
Pat Majors, Assistant Newsletter Editor [email protected]
Suzannah Blackwell Upstate SC Regional Rep. [email protected]
Ivanna Mann-Thrower Western NC Reg. Rep. [email protected]
Andrea Belletti Eastern NC Regional Rep. [email protected]
Linda Ferguson Low Country Regional Representative
Honorary Board MembersHonorary Board MembersHonorary Board MembersHonorary Board Members
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Metro. Area RepresentativesMetro. Area RepresentativesMetro. Area RepresentativesMetro. Area Representatives
Asheville: Catawba/Hickory Thomas Destino Susan Witherspoon Charlotte: Gilda Rubio-Festa Marianne Palafax gilda_rubio-festa@ marianne_palafax@ cpcc.edu cpcc.edu Chapel Hill/Durham: Fayetteville: Position Available Janis Holden-Toruno Greensboro/High Point: Raleigh: Lynda Burroughs Karen Brown [email protected] kareneslbrwon@ Aol Sandhills: Greenville: Deborah Wilkes Kim Bunn [email protected] [email protected] Winston-Salem: Wilmington: Position Available Position Available
Aiken: Charleston: Sandra Polk Chris Hagy [email protected] Chris_hagy@ charleston.k12.sc.us Columbia: Florence: Becky Krantz Lynda Puddy [email protected] Foothills: Greenwood: Position Available Robin Gibson robingibson@ wctel.net Georgetown/Horry Greenville/Spartanburg: Chris Devlin Connie Banks cdevlin@ [email protected] csec.htc.k12.sc.us Jasper/Beaufort York/Lancaster/Chester Karen Penahles Position Available Rock Hill Kevina Satterwhite
Share what’s happening in your neck of the woods!
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A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT…
Greetings to you all! Just as the President of the United States gives his State of the Union address on the third week
of January each year, I thought that it would be fitting to deliver the “State of Carolina TESOL” in a letter on this
third issue since I took office as president.
Currently, we have a little more than 2000 registered members in our database. Since we posted in 2007 that
membership to Carolina TESOL is FREE, our numbers have increased. Many of these names, however, may not nec-
essarily be current. Our membership director, Debbie O’Neal, is therefore in the process of updating our listing. So
we are asking ALL of you to register online, even if you are already a member. By doing so, we would know who
still consider themselves as members and who have decided to forgo their membership. By registering online at our
website, www.carolinatesol.org, you would be able to access information for future conferences and receive updates
from Carolina TESOL and TESOL, Inc.
Carolina TESOL is going electronic! To save money mailing 2000+ newsletters, four times a year, the Carolina
TESOL Board has unanimously voted to start posting our Newsletters online at our website. PLEASE PASS THIS
INFORMATION along to your colleagues. It is FREE to anyone! I love the idea of being able to access our newslet-
ter online. I can read great articles at my convenience and I save a lot of time looking all over my house for my latest
issue! Thanks to Cindy Bowling, our editor and to Amy Hurka, our web manager, for making this available to us.
Attendance to our conferences has increased. In Asheville last November, attendance to the Fall Conference was
an impressive 700 plus! To our colleagues from North Carolina and South Carolina, I say THANK YOU for attend-
ing. The success of our conference would not have been possible if not for Chandrika Rogers and Chris Blake, and
their team at Western Carolina University. We thank them for their hard work and for putting their great minds to-
gether in planning and executing a well-run conference. We also express our gratitude to our speakers, presenters,
publishers, and of course, to our attendees. We are looking forward to another fantastic fall conference in historic city
of Charleston on December 5-7, 2008. Please check our website for more information.
The Mini-conference is in its fourth year! For the past three summers, our very own Pat Majors and Dr. Angela
Cozart of the College of Charleston have been working in partnership in hosting the ESOL Mini-Conference. Fund-
ing for SC Pre-K-12 Teachers is funded by the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) through their grant
for the College of Charleston. On June 14, 2008 (see details in this issue and on our website), the fourth summer
mini-conference will be held again for ESOL and mainstream teachers as well as for other school personnel who may
be interested in learning more about the field of teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
The Executive Board is now in the process of revising some parts of the Constitution. Since our organization has
grown and is continuing to grow, some of the ways we conduct our organization have changed. Because of the
changes in technology and in the ways we disseminate and receive information, (such as discussing some issues
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through email), we have to incorporate these changes in our constitution. This is not an easy task.
The Board spent two days in March working on this huge and important task, and we are not through yet. We hope to
finish this revision in June in time to be ratified by our members before the fall conference.
One of the changes that we are including in the revision of our Constitution is the change in our election process. We
are doing so to increase participation from our membership and to give more opportunity for people to run for office.
While few members voted by mailed in ballots in the past, we will now be voting during our fall conference starting in
Charleston this December. Nominees’ bio and pictures will be posted online and you will have the chance to meet
them in person and vote for your choice of officers by secret ballot or by absentee ballot, if you can not attend the con-
ference in Charleston.
Many of us serving in the Board were recently sent by our respected schools to attend the TESOL Convention in
New York City, in April 2-4, 2008. Oh, what an experience! Not only were we in the midst of the one of the most
exciting cities in the world with 8000 other participants from other countries, we were also in the midst of great ses-
sions and discussions. Hundreds of sessions were offered to address various topics related to the teaching of speakers
of other languages. I had the chance to meet famous authors such as Judie Haynes and the President of TESOL, Sandy
Briggs. Of course, while we were in NY City to learn, we were able to do some sightseeing, including a visit to
Ground Zero, and the Ellis Island, and attend Broadway performances such as “Mama Mia” and the “Phantom of the
Opera.” (See pictures on this issue.)
When my term ends in December during our conference, I will be not really be out of sight yet. I will serve as Past-
President and will still be actively involved as member of the Executive Board. Karen Brown, whom I succeed as
president, served in this capacity this year. I am excited as Roberto Gonzales takes over as our new president. I
have known Roberto for many years and I am confident in his leadership. He has the passion and the experience to
enhance Carolina TESOL. If you have not done so, please drop a line to any of our dynamic Executive Board mem-
bers and regional representatives who work very hard in addressing the needs of our members. It has been a joy
working with them!!!
Serving in Carolina TESOL has been a great ride! I would
highly recommend it to anyone who has the heart to serve, the
energy and creativity to solve problems and get things done, the
personality to get along with all kinds of people, and the pas-
sion to make a difference in the lives of the students we serve.
If you are one of these people, We Want You! Please contact
me if you would like to run for office. Thank you and have a
great summer!
I WISH YOU THE BEST,
Yvonne
Yvonne meets Sandy Briggs in New York City at the 2008 International TE-SOL Conference
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ESOL Mini-Conference A Collaboration between Carolina TESOL and the College of Charleston
Fourth Annual BASICS AND BEYOND (Friday, June 13, Dinner and Plenary)
Saturday, June 14, 2008, Luncheon Workshop and Sessions
Call for Presentations: Deadline, Monday, May 19, 2008, 5 p.m.
Note: Funding for SC K-12 teachers is being provided by the Office of English Language Acquisi-tion (OELA) as part of a $998,000 grant to the College of Charleston.Funding for other teachers is being provided by Carolina TESOL.
THIS CONFERENCE IS FOR ESOL TEACHERS AT ALL LEVELS INCLUDING ADULT AS WELL AS REGULAR CLASSROOM TEACHERS. INVITE YOUR COLLEAGUES TO COME!
Name(s) of presenter(s) in the order in which you wish them listed:
Session or Workshop Title: (95 spaces maximum--this is roughly 9 words):
____
Summary (maximum of 5 lines, 95 spaces/line, or roughly 45 words)
Bring 30 copies of handouts. Also, send a PDF version to www.carolinatesol.org, /webmaster so that these can be posted on the
website in the event that there are not enough handouts.
Scheduling:The “smart rooms” in the Education Center will be used for this conference. Most rooms are equipped with computers, LCD projectors, and ELMO (paper vs. overhead transparency) projectors. Please indicate your technology requirements so that we can be sure that you will have everything you need.
May we schedule your session more than once? Yes No
At which times CAN’T you present? a.m. p.m.
Area of Focus K-8 9-12 Adult Ed. General
Biographical Statement(s) (maximum of 3 lines, 95 spaces/line, or roughly 30 words--for each presenter) If continuing this pro-posal to a second page, please include a heading to avoid confusion.)
Sessions will be 45 minutes long. Workshops will be 90 minutes long. Check here for 90 minutes ____
Please submit your completed form by mail or e-mail attachment to: Pat Majors, 1401-D Camp Road, Charleston, SC 29412; e-mail: [email protected]
Deadlines: Proposals, including those sent by e-mail must be received no later than
Monday, May 19, 2008, 5:00 p.m. by regular or e-mail.
Please keep a copy of your proposal for your records.
contact surname, first name institution(s)
person: ____________________________________________________________________________________ home: ( ) _________________________ work: ( ) __________________________ cell: ( )________________________________________________________________ address: _____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
e-mail: __________________________________________________________________
Co-presenter(s)
Correspondence will go only to the contact per-son. It is the responsibil-ity of this person to keep the other presenters in-formed. Please inform the Co-Chair of any changes in address, tele-phone numbers, or
e-mail.
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Registration Form Sessions, Saturday, June 14, 9:00-4:00 p.m.
Registration on Saturday: 7:30-10:00
Name (as you wish it to appear on your name tag)
Home Address:
City: _______________________ State ___ Zip: Phone:
Summer E-mails:
School/Institution: _________________________________________ Position: _____________________
If a school/institution is paying your fees,
contact person/e-mail information:
Name of Roommate (if applicable): (Double Room) _________________________________________
Mail one check each for items in each column payable to CAROLINA TESOL. If you have no non-refundable items, you will only
need to send one check, which will be returned to you at the end of the conference.
Deadlines in order to receive refunds: Registration with Dorm Room must be received by Monday, May 19, 2008,
Registration without Dorm must be received by Friday, May 30, 2008
Notice of any cancellations must be received by Friday, May 30, 2008
Mail Registration and Parking forms and check(s) payable to CAROLINA TESOL to
Carter Curtice
1653 Battalion Drive,
Charleston, SC, 29412 –
e-mail [email protected].
Other Questions: Pat Majors, Co-Chair at [email protected];
Phone Pat 843.762.2487; cell 843.343.4970
Don’t for get your Parking Pass Form on the Next Page!
Non-Refundable* Items: Refundable Items*:
Saturday night dorm $23.53 Double Room * $ $28.13 Single Room *If you do not have a roommate, please send a non-refundable check for a single room.
Friday night dorm $23.63 Double Room* $ $28.13 Single Room* *If you do not have a roommate, please send a re-tainer check for a single room.
Full Linen Packet $15.00 $ Linen Bed Packet $10.00 Beds will be made upon arrival.
Conference Registration $45.00 (includes lunch and plenary)
NOTE: Full Linen Packet (optional) (Includes fitted sheet, flat sheet, thermal or wool blanket, mattress pad, 2 bath towels, 2 washcloths, 2 hand towels, 2 bathmats, pillow, pillow case). Participants may bring their own. These are not provided.
On-site registration $45.00 for conference only, without lunch or plenary
Parking, $6.00/day x ___ days $
IMPORTANT: Print and send CofC
Visitors’ Parking Application form with
Registration (Next Page!)
Membership is free to participants of this confer-
ence, but participants must go to
www.carolinatesol.org, complete, and submit the
membership application form ONLINE. Simple!
TOTAL NON-REFUNDABLE
ITEMS $
Make one check payable to Carolina TESOL
TOTAL REFUNDABLE
ITEMS $
Make one check payable to Carolina TESOL
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Parking Registration for the Mini-Conference June 2008
College of Charleston Visitor Parking Application
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Dates on Campus: Check Number/Amount: Lot Assignment: Permit Number: Transaction # & Date:
PLEASE PRINT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: Personal Information Group Name: Name: Last First Middle Initial On-Campus Housing Location/Address: E-mail Address: Home Address: Home Telephone Number: Vehicle Information Make of Vehicle: Model: Year: Color: License Plate Number: State: Vehicle Registered To: Registration Address: Parking fees are $6/day. You are responsible for properly displaying your College of Charleston parking permit at all times while parked on campus. Your permit is valid only in the designated lot shown on the permit, and is valid only for the time period indi-cated on the permit. Parking permits cannot be transferred, resold, subleased, or loaned out. The College of Charleston assumes no responsibility for the care and protection of any motor vehicle or its contents at anytime that the vehicle is operated or parked on campus. By signature hereon, I agree to abide by the Parking Regulations of the College of Charleston. I understand that a copy of these regulations is available upon request in the Parking Services office. Signature Date
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TESOL Convention on a Budget
Attending the convention in New York was a rewarding experience for me. Not only did I meet new friends, learn new strategies I could employ in my classroom. I also learned that the TESOL organization has a compassionate side. While attending the business meeting, I was impressed by the number of scholar-ships and grants TESOL has made available to all active members. These scholarships and grants are meant to defray the cost of a conference or even an academic pursuit a member has undertaken. The basic, TESOL Professional Development Scholarship, is available to help a member with con-vention registration only or convention registration and tuition for one PCI. There are forty of these scholar-ships available. All that is required is a one page statement indicating how attending the TESOL convention will further your professional development, how attending the convention will benefit your ESL/EFL com-munity, and why you need the scholarship. The request is not too much of a demand, yet very few members apply for the scholarships. All available scholarships and grants are listed on the TESOL website. Other scholarships and grants available include:
The Ruth Crymes Tesol Fellowship for Graduate Study Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grants The Tesol/TEFL Travel Grant The Ruth Crymes Tesol Academics Fellowships
Interestingly enough, the travel grants are available to help members attend the convention. As I sat in the meeting, I was surprised when informed that not all the scholarships and grants had been awarded due to a low response. I wondered why so few had applied for the awards. Could it be there were other members as unaware as I? TESOL must receive all applications prior to November 1. Applications are available online at,
[email protected]. You may apply online or mail the completed application to: Valerie Borchelt
Program Coordinator, TESOL 700 South Washington Street Alexandria, VA. 22314-4287 This is a great benefit for the members of TESOL. Roberto Gonzalez
Roberto joins other Board Members to visit Ground Zero while attending the NYC Confer-ence last month.
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Carolina TESOL Board Meeting Weekend February 8-9, 2008, Charleston, SC
AGENDA
4:00-6:00, Friday, February 8 - Registration at the Embassy Suites
6:30-8:30 - Dinner/Meeting at California Dreaming
9:00-10:00 (Optional) Over coffee- ,Awards Committee,, Nomination Committee meet
8:00- 8:45 Breakfast 9:00 Board Meeting Convenes at Francis Marion Hotel Meeting called to order by Yvonne Mitchell @ 9:15. Present: Yvonne Mitchell, Connie Banks, Gail Rogers, Suzannah Blackwell, Cindy Bowling, Pat Majors, Larry Savage, Roberto Gonzalez, Karen Brown, Debbie O’Neal. Welcome and give the State of the Organization report - Yvonne
Yvonne welcomed everyone. Discussed meeting with Catherine Neff, SC State Dept. to discuss how CarolinaTesol could benefit ESOL statewide. Carolina Tesol is getting large enough that we can make lobbying difference.
Bilingual assistants are not mandated. State Dept. does not force any opinion. It is left up to individual districts. CT has the power to do so.
ESOL Certification requirements changed.
Reading of the minutes from the November 2 Board Meeting – Gail
Roberto made motion to approve minutes, Connie seconded. Karen Brown asked who is on the awards committee. Roberto, Suzannah, and Karen are the committee members Vice-President Report - Roberto
When we voted @ Asheville Conference we were in error. Due to bylaws we cannot take a vote without bringing before the members 30 days in advance. Corrections will be made. Executive BM will meet March 14, 15 in Charlotte to revise by-laws. Larry made a motion for meeting, seconded by Suzannah. Conference 2008 Update - Dr. Cozart, Pat, Yvonne
December 5-7 2008 (Embassy Suites) Bridging Languages, Cultures and Communities.
3 speakers confirmed, Deborah Short-Fri. Plenary & Workshop, Soccorra Herrara (workshop & Saturday Plenary, Edward Steinman (Plenary) (argued Lau vs. Nichols), Terri Madina-workshop possibly and session-discussing inclusion-(Federal Funding will determine is she attends.) Pre conference workshops will be on Friday-Affordable enough for people to afford $35. Summer Mini-Conference - Pat
June 13-14 College of Charleston Board will need to help commit with $. Judy O’Loughlin –Plenary Speaker Board will meet Friday a.m. CTesol will consider paying Board Members room on Friday. Arrangements will be discussed @ March meeting.
Misc.
WE must talk with legislators re some type of standard course of study for ESOL. CTesol should meet with legislators, state dept. Roberto stated we need to change course of action. Need to get students involved. Larry suggested CTESOL provide a scholarship for ESOL student each year. CTESOL needs to support Dream Act. Treasurer’s Report - Larry
Discussion made regarding setting up a budget. Larry will provide budget for Executive Board. He will create a budget for organization as a whole. There will be a conference budget, meeting budget, etc. Dual role as conference coordinator.
*Raleigh/Chapel Hill/Durham Area- 2009 Fall Conference-Larry will research best area. Centrally located. Wake County Public Schools. Friday teacher workday. Suzannah made a motion we have conference in Raleigh 2009. Seconded by Cindy Bowling. Larry will bring hotel, chair, etc for approval.
*Newsletter Report and options - Cindy *Membership Directory is to be published per bylaws. Connie made a motion we table issue until bylaws are revised. *Advertisement inclusion-Can we accept money for ads in newsletter. Larry stated we have already agreed we will accept money. Membership Report - Debbie
Over 2000 members, continuing to update.
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Regional Reports by Reps - Suzannah, Connie, Linda, Ivanna Suzannah reported on upstate activities. Kevina Satterwhite, Upstate Metro Rep for upstate. Productive meeting in RHSC. Lancaster presented for ESOL teachers. Debbie would like to have a meeting of reps at conference. Connie and Debbie will coordinate breakfast at conference. Interest sessions need to be added at conferences. Election Process at the Conference – Karen
Voting will take place at conference. Bylaws will be changed in order to encompass new election procedures. Awards – to be given at the conference:
Service Award, Presidential Award, Teacher of the Year Award, Scholarships to the TESOL Conference in 2009 (?)
Presidential Award-Open to all. Does not have to be every year. Two awards will be added-Teacher of the Year and Rookie Teacher of the Year. Parameters will be set. Will
be sent out to Regional Reps. Committee will be formed to select nominees. Discussed possible mone-tary award.
Webmaster teleconference with Amy
Connection made with Amy regarding the webmaster update. Agenda send to us yesterday but we were unable to open it. Web overview- get newsletter is now on line. Listing options were researched- huge issue is security- need to look at a professional organization to do this- list of non-profit is Wild Apricot- service focus is conference registration which allows registration to go directly into their directory- cost $$$ more expense with 2000 people. Deb pointed out the that the membership is probably inaccurate-2 things- consider pricing with one month trial- work for Deb to see how it will work and for Pat to check it out to see if she likes it. Monthly fee for under 500 is $25 per month, 500-1999 people-$50 per month. $10,000 for one guy to create. Recommendation is to try it for month 30-day free trial- Deb discussed get-ting a student at school to do this as a project. Professional to do this continuously-hey are responsible- Does believe that we can do a month to month process- assuming it works well- do we want to pay for the service. Deb pointed out that it may not a wise move until we have an excecutive director with an office, computer setup, then at that time we would be ready for this change. Keep website with link to Wild Apricot for registration purposes- Amy says we could do this. They host the website and embed the registration, Wild Apricot. Package to pay them to create it. Saving $$ by putting newsletter on line. Would it be worth $50 per month? Suggest we try it. Larry stated to publish the newslet-ter and mail it at approximately $2000 per mailing at 4 times per year. Mass email to notify members. Security ballots- we think they should vote at conference. Amy suggested that we get rid of the links that we are not using on our web-site. Deb stated that she would need to notify members that the newsletter will be totally online, possibly combine with candidate information. Include announcements on website- help build community, calendar, articles on line, member focus site. Need a new logo. Agreed that we need a new logo. Regional Conference Report - Yvonne and Karen Applications for different Carolina TESOL Board positions Other Business-Bryan Blitch discussed importance of having Steineman at conference. Adjourn.-Meeting adjourned at 1:00p.m.
Get elected for the Caro-lina TESOL Board! There are
many positions to choose from!
Elections for the next Executive Board positions will take place at the Fall conference, Charleston, S.C. this coming December. Contact Yvonne Mitchell if interested.
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Judge Howard Manning accepts the TESOL “Presidents Award Plaque” awarded him during the Fall 2007 Conference in Asheville, NC.
Carolina TESOL Conference, Charleston, SC, December 5-7, 2008
Francis Marion Hotel, Embassy Suites & College of Charleston
Mark your calendars and plan to attend an outstanding conference! Pre-conference work-shops, the first sessions, and the first plenary will be held Friday, Dec. 5th. Sessions, the sec-ond plenary, and the annual meeting will take place on Saturday, Dec. 6th, and a breakfast plenary will take place on Sunday, Dec. 7th. Workshop presenters and speakers include Deborah Short, Socorro Hererra, and Edward Steinman. (Steinman is the attorney who argued Lau vs. Nichols before the U.S. Supreme Court). Details and forms are posted on www.carolinatesol.org! Pat Majors, Chair Yvonne Mitchell and Angela Cozart, Co-Chairs
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Dr. Socorro Herrera Dr. Herrera serves as a professor of Elementary Education at Kansas State University and directs the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA) in the College of Educa-tion. Her K-12 teaching experience includes an emphasis on literacy de-velopment. Her research focuses on literacy opportunities with cultur-ally and linguistically diverse children, reading strategies, and teacher preparation for diversity in the classroom. Dr. Herrera has recently published two books with Allyn and Bacon, Mastering
ESL and
Bilingual Methods: Differentiated Instruction for Culturally and
Linguistically Diverse Students (2005) and Assessment
Accommodations for Classroom Teachers of Culturally and
Linguistically Diverse Students (2007). A third book entitled Differentiated Literacies: Contextualizing Reading and Writing for
the Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Student, written with Dr. Kathy Escamilla and Dr. Della Pérez, will be released in 2008.
Plenary: Look at Me, Who do YOU think I am! This session will highlight the role biography driven instruction plays within the complex political and educational climate of today’s schools. Connecting the audience through “video clips” of student experiences, the presenter will discuss different avenues for navigating the present and implications for the future.
Assessment Strategies that let you know, what ELL students know. This session will provide participants with strategies for assessing both linguistic and academic growth after the lesson. Using both hands on techniques and through short video clips of teachers in practice, participants will take away authentic assessment strategies to implement in their classrooms. Be ready to talk, think and have fun!
Carolina TESOL Conference, Charleston, SC,
December 5-7, 2008
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Please join us next year for
The 6th Annual TALGS Conference
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Hosted by English Department, East Carolina University
Invited Keynote Speaker:
Jodi Crandall
University of Maryland-Baltimore County http://userpages.umbc.edu/~crandall/
Conference website: http://core.ecu.edu/engl/talgs/conference/conference.htm
Email: [email protected]
Turn to Page 27 for a special TALGS 2008 report from Bill Esler!
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If you didn't get the chance to see him, Walt Wolfram was here on campus Saturday, February 16, to speak at the 5th
annual TALGS Conference organized by Jennie Whitehead and Stephen Hinman, graduate students in linguistics in the Department of English. Wolfram is one of the leading
American linguists and gurus of sociolinguistics active in North Carolina and the Middle Atlantic states. Furthermore,
Lida Cope sees him as "one of the few top sociolinguists/dialectologists in the country." She says, "His work on ethnic dialects of American English, dialect recession, and dialect
awareness and education has been, in my opinion, espe-cially influential. I see Wolfram as a true applied linguist. All his work concerns real-world lan-
guage problems with practical implications for dialect communities and for education." Mi-chael Aceto calls him "a giant among sociolinguists, perhaps one of five 'big' names in the
field (Labov would be an-
other). Few equal his record in terms of publications,
grants, and service to the communities he works with." In particular, Wolfram's love
and interest for the dialect of the Outer Banks, the Appalachian Mountains, the Native Lumbees, and the dynamic changes
evident in the Piedmont, make his understanding of the linguistic scene in North Carolina a fascinating showcase of the American experiment; that is, the unfolding drama of many different people
and cultures living together, and trying to make it work through language adaptation. His many books include Dialects in Schools
and Communities (1999, rev. 2007), American English (2005), Development of African American English (2002), Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks : The Story of the Ocracoke Brogue (1997), et al.
Wolfram is currently the William C. Friday Distinguished professor at NC State University, and directs The North Carolina Language
and Life Project (NCLLP). He took time out after his keynote ad-dress to speak with Elizabeth Howland. Howland: So what's your goal for your research overall?
Wolfram: One of my goals before I drop dead, I want every kid in eighth grade in North Caro-lina to study the unit on dialect that relates to North Carolina. We have a whole curriculum
that we've developed. I've taught it for 14 years, every year, over spring break, I go some place and teach it. Often in Ocracoke, but I go to other
places, too. I really want the world to get educated about that. Howland: Why do you think it's so important? Wolfram: Because I think it's a real area of unrecognized prejudice. If you
didn't get a job because you're a woman or a person of color, you'd sue in a minute and you'd win. But if you don’t get a job because of the way you
talk, you just feel bad about yourself. So I think it's a real problem. As one of my colleagues described it -- it's sort of a dialect prejudice. It's not okay to be sexist, it's not okay to be racist, but it's still okay to be dialectically
prejudiced. And that's something important for me to change.
Did you attend TALGS with Walt Wolfram?
Turn to Page 27 for a special TALGS 2008 report from Bill Esler!
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Howland: You mentioned that media influence is
exaggerated in dialect. Do you think pop culture has an influence?
Wolfram: Pop culture has an influence on dialect, but it's sort of more like an overarching influence than it is a specific one. Actually, the fact of the
matter is, when we say the media doesn't have an influence, media does have an influence in
terms of ideologies and cultural things, but not necessarily in terms of specific language items. So, for example, one of the places the
we've studied was Hyde County, North Carolina, which is very isolated, and the black population,
the older people, sound very regional, so they identify with white. The younger blacks sound very urban black, even though they've lived in
Hyde County all their lives, so where do they learn that language? Well, they obviously got some of that from watching media, representations of black culture, and so that's how
they want to be. So media doesn't influence people in that you don't necessarily mimic people, but media does have an influence in overarching ideologies.
Howland: Is that how people define themselves? Wolfram: There's this sort of whole oppositional culture which is, you know, you don't want to be white. And so talking Standard English and not talking Black is strongly asso-
ciated with a certain cultural identity that is opposed to how they think of themselves. Howland: You mentioned dialect erosion that happens after three generations? How do
you prevent that? Is there a way to prevent it? Wolfram: Not really. Howland: Is there a way to preserve it?
Wolfram: Not really. One of the things that we've done on Ocracoke, every year, I go for a week with a couple of graduate students, and we teach the kids in the eighth grade,
about their dialect, and they end up loving their dialect, and they're so proud of it. In the meantime, it erodes. We were hoping, though, since they were so proud of it, they would sort of retain it, but they don't. There are a few words that they've retained, that we've
revived because we teach about them, but language happens because there are so many stronger influences. And the erosion happens. They're subject far more to economic and
political associations. I'm very optimistic about changing attitudes. People were ashamed of the way they talked, they thought it was just stupid speech, and now they love their speech, but in terms of actually changing language, in terms of keeping language change
from happening, you just can't. I'm not really optimistic about that. Howland: You always refer dialect back to culture. Can you talk about that a little bit?
Wolfram: Well, I think in some cases, particularly with some groups, they're so known by their language, like on the Outer Banks, or, for example, the Lumbee Indians who lost their native language a couple of generations ago, 150 years ago. They don't have any-
thing but this dialect in terms of language, and so it's very important to the Lumbees. I mean it's not like they think about it or try to meet about it in the longhouse, but it is very
strongly associated with the culture because everybody says to them, you're not Indians, and they answer, yeah but we talk the same, everybody knows who we are based on the way we talk. Or even in the South, the South didn't really develop Southern English until
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after the Civil War, not nearly as divergent from the North, as it is right after the Civil
War. Part of it happened because there was an emerging "mutualism" (not sure that's the word). To talk about language is to talk about culture intertwined. By the third gen-
eration most all become monolingual anyhow. Sort of like my parents spoke German, I know German, but my kids don't know German, other than the curse words I use. Howland: Is the Cajun dialect in New Orleans dying out at all?
Wolfram: Well, it is dying out, but there's a revitalization movement, so actually some of the younger speakers who are really into Cajun culture are trying to revitalize it. Old
people had it, middle-aged people don't have it, and now some younger speakers are re-acquiring it. Howland: What accounts for this preservation versus what's happening on the Outer
Banks? Wolfram: Well, a lot of Cajuns are still in their own communities, in the same parishes,
where people in Ocracoke, I mean, only 350 central islanders, and then during the sum-mer they get 4 to 6,000 tourists every day, and a lot of the central islanders are on their second marriage and they've married people from off-island. That's interesting. It never
works the other way around. Wolfram: The thing that really I love about social linguistics is that it allows me to be an
academic and a social activist because so much of the stuff that we argue is about sort of linguistic stuff. I love the aspect of educating the public, educating eighth grade kids,
taking the words of the street, doing things with communities, seeing them change their attitudes. In a couple of weeks we're going out to Ocracoke, at the Preservation Society, [and we are going to see] the oldest resident of the Outer Banks. Muzel Bryant will be a
hundred and four, and she's an African-American, the oldest remaining African-American from the only family that's lived on Ocracoke since the Civil War. We've done a bunch of
interviews, and we're going do a big event for her birthday and honor her. I love doing stuff like that. You know my parents have an eighth grade educa-
tion, so they never understand what I do for a liv-ing. Oh, I do research. Why? Why would anybody
pay you to do that? You know, they couldn't under-stand it. So I had to sort of transcend that -- my research means more than just my academic ca-
reer. So that's why really, that's why we do the documentaries and the exhibits and education for
kids. That's important to me. Volume 26, Number 4: February 2008
Interview and Photo by Elizabeth Howland
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STEPS for submitting a presentation proposal: Submit your presentation proposal (deadline: May 1, 2008) by email to [email protected] or by fax to 205-996-2220. A complete presentation proposal must include two separate parts—this Call for Proposals form (Step #3) and the Abstract Page (Step #4). Provide all information requested below by printing on this form, by completing this form electronically on Word, or by reproducing it in an
email. The second part of your presentation proposal is called the Abstract Page. Your Abstract Page must include: title of presentation, intended
audience, type of presentation, audio-visual equipment needed, program book description (limit: 25 words), and abstract (limit: 200 words). This abstract must include the objectives for your presentation and an organized step-by-step description of how you plan to deliver your presentation. This information will be vital in determining whether proposed presentations are of the professional qual-ity expected by conference attendees.
Within a week of submitting your proposal, the first presenter will receive an email indicating receipt of the proposal. If you do not receive such an email, please inquire at [email protected]. The first presenter is responsible for forwarding all correspondence to other presenters.
Acceptances will be emailed to the first presenter on approximately June 1, 2008. As soon as possible, you should reply via email and confirm your commitment to present. In this email, you should also mention any possible scheduling conflicts (e.g., not available on Thursday, September 25th).
First Presenter
Name: Institution: E-mail (home and/or work): Permission to include email in program book (yes/no): Telephone (cell, home, and/or work): Complete Mailing Address: Biographical Statement: (15-word limit)
Other Presenter(s) Copy this section as needed.
Name: Institution: E-mail (home and/or work): Permission to include email in program book (yes/no): Telephone (cell, home, and/or work): Complete Mailing Address: Biographical Statement: (15-word limit)
Title of Presentation (10-word limit):
Intended Audience (mark all that apply) __ Elementary __ ELLs in Higher Education __ Intensive English Programs __ Teacher Education __ Migrant __ Secondary __ Int’l Teaching Assistants __ Adult ELLs in other programs __ Administration __ Other: ___
Type of Presentation (mark one)
___ 45 minutes: __ Paper (describes research or process) __Demonstration (shows technique) __ Publisher (shares prod-uct)
___ 100 minutes: __ Workshop-style demonstration with extensive audience participation
Audio-Visual (A/V) Needs: Requests to be Provided by Conference Organizers (mark all that apply)
___ Tripod with flip chart paper (presenters should bring their own markers and erasers) ___ Overhead projector and screen (to be provided free of charge) ___ TV and VCR/DVD player ($35 paid by the presenter)
Call for Proposals (Deadline: May 1, 2008) Southeast Regional TESOL Conference
Cultivating Connections, Celebrating Commonalities
September 25-27, 2008—BJCC Birmingham, AL
http://www.amtesol.org
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SETESOL Pre-Conference Workshops Wednesday, September 24, 2008
WIDA ACCESS Workshop Wed. Sept. 24 8:30 to 5 p.m. Workshop leader: TBA
Cognitive Learning Styles and Strategies in a Cross-Cultural Setting Wed. 24 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Workshop leader: Catherine Collier Using WIDA Assessments and Standards to Enhance Instruction
Wed. Sept. 24 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Workshop leaders: TBA Strategies for Effective Interaction in the Classroom
Wed Sept. 24 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Workshop leader: Susan Spezzini
RX for Treating Persistent Pronunciation Ailments Wed. Sept 24 1 to 5 p.m. Workshop leaders: Karen Snyder & Susan
Spezzini New Ideas for Teaching Pronunciation
Wed. Sept. 24 1 to 5 p.m. Workshop leader: Jonghee Shadix Accommodations for ELLs in Secondary Content Classrooms Wed. Sept. 24 1 to 5 p.m. Workshop leaders: Veronique Zimmerman-
Brown & Jenny Harvey
All Day 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Large Room needed—100+
Morning and Afternoon Breaks and Box Lunch
Half Day Morning 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Medium Size Rooms needed—seating for 50 needed
Morning Break
Half Day Afternoon 1 to 5 p.m. Medium Size Rooms needed—seating for 50
Afternoon Break
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2008 SETESOL: Conference Overview
*Simultaneous sessions in 13 break-out rooms
Thursday, September 25th
8:00-8:45 Plenary A (15 minutes for logistics and 30 minutes for keynote)
Janet Zadina Topic: Brain-Based Learning Research and Teaching
9:00-9:45 *Concurrent Sessions (Module 1)
9:45-10:15 Break (Exhibit Hall)
10:15-12:00 *Concurrent Sessions 10:15-11:00 (Module 2) OR 10:15-12:00 (Module 2&3)
11:15-12:00 (Module 3)
12:15-12:45 Lunch
12:45-1:30 1st Post-Lunch Session (15 minutes for logistics and 30 minutes for session)
1:30-1:50 Exhibit Hall
2:00-3:45 *Concurrent Sessions 2:00-2:45 (Module 4) OR 2:00-3:45 (Module 4&5)
3:00-3:45 (Module 5)
Guided Tour of Civil Rights District (registration required)
4:00-4:45 Plenary B (5 minutes for logistics, 30 minutes for keynote, 10 minutes for door prizes)
David and Yvonne Freeman Topic: Essentials for Teaching ESL
4:45-5:15 Exhibit Hall
Evening event: Reception at Art Museum 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Music, light snacks, and art
Friday, September 26th
8:00-8:45 Plenary C (15 minutes for logistics and 30 minutes for keynote)
Carlos Cortez Topic: Challenges Educators Must Meet
9:00-9:45 *Concurrent Sessions (Module 6)
9:45-10:15 Break (Exhibit Hall)
10:15-12:00 *Concurrent Sessions 10:15-11:00 (Module 7) OR 10:15-12:00 (Module 7&8)
11:15-12:00 (Module 8)
12:15-12:45 Lunch
12:35-1:50 2nd Post-Lunch Session (10 minutes for logistics and 65 minutes for session)
2:00-3:45 *Concurrent Sessions 2:00-2:45 (Module 9) OR 2:00-3:45 (Module 9&10)
3:00-3:45 (Module 10)
Guided Tour of Civil Rights District (registration required)
4:00-4:45 Plenary D (5 minutes for logistics, 30 minutes for keynote, 10 minutes for door prizes)
K-12 Focus: Content Area Teachers
Post Secondary Focus: Intensive English Programs
K-12 Focus: Special Education and ELLs
Post Secondary Focus: Higher Education Roundtable and ITAP
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4:45-5:15 Exhibit Hall
Evening events: Escorted dinners 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Name That Tune 8:00 p.m. until a team emerges victorious!
Cash bar
Saturday, September 27th
8:00-8:45 Plenary E (15 minutes for logistics and 30 minutes for keynote)
Jim Stack
9:00-9:45 *Concurrent Sessions (Module 11)
9:45-10:15 Break (Exhibit Hall)
10:15-12:00 *Concurrent Sessions 10:15-11:00 (Module 12) OR 10:15-12:00 (Module 12&13)
11:15-12:00 (Module 13)
12:00 p.m. Exhibit Hall closes
12:15-12:45 Lunch
12:45-1:45 3rd Post-Lunch Session (15 min. for logistics, 30 min. for keynote, 15 min. for door prizes)
2:00-3:45 *Concurrent Sessions 2:00-2:45 (Module 14) OR 2:00-3:45 (Module 14&15)
3:00-3:45 (Module 15)
Optional activities (registration required):
Hiking on Ruffner Mountain
Walking Tour of Downtown Art Galleries
See you in Birmingham!
K-12 Focus: Storytelling in the ESL Classroom
Post Secondary Focus: Adult ESL
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THE
Carolina
TESOL
Journal
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ESL Goes On-line On-line learning is nothing “new.” It is a way to learn in a virtual classroom at any time of the day or week that one is inclined to participate. Through LearnNC, WCPSS offers classes in this forum to educate school personnel across the county in understanding and effectively reaching English language learners. Mary Fahle and Ruth Gentry have been offering these types of classes since February 2005. Both are full time ESL teachers in Wake County. The courses they teach have reached 222 participates with more classes planned for the spring and summer. Ruth and Mary are most enthusiastic about the strategies and background knowledge they are able to provide participants through these five week classes. Teachers, administrators, guid-ance personnel, and even support staff are ecstatic about the valuable information they have gained to better serve our diverse population. The most common comment stated on course evaluations is: “This course should be required of all teachers.” Gentry and Fahle report the biggest “ah-ha” moments occur when participants are exposed to the basic concepts of BICS Vs. CALP and the stages of language development in general. Comments from teachers in-clude: “Gosh, I always thought that Sveta was just faking her language ability when I heard her talking just fine with her friends. It never dawned on me the level of English and background knowledge ELLs need to comprehend my subject matter.” Cultural awareness and legal precedent issues are addressed in the courses, as well as the resulting ramifications involved with English language learners. Another concept that transcends the feedback is that most of the strategies discussed help make all students more comfortable in their learning environment and increases academic suc- cess. Group participation is paramount to the success of online learning. Although Ruth and Mary are present to clarify and edify, their primary role is that of fa-cilitator. Participants are encouraged to share their frustrations, challenges, and strategies with col-leagues from all disci- plines, grades K-12. Reading assignments serve as a springboard to activate ideas. First hand observation of both ESL students and ESL teachers also contribute to the knowledge gained and shared. Via these online classes, schools across the county are offered key knowledge to aid in under-standing ELL students, and receive current, proven, best practices to effectively reach ELLs in the mainstream classroom. The classes are so successful that a waiting list is often in place for future participants.
This Learn NC Course for Credit is offered twice a year by
Mary Fahle and Ruth Gentry
“The On-line ESL course was very informative,
It opened my eyes to what some of the students
may have gone through just to come to the U.S.
It also provided me with new tools for teaching
ESL students as well as some new strategies to
use for all of my students.”
Angela Hypes Garver, East Garner Middle
Garner, North Carolina
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The Wind(s) of Change By Toby Brody Director of ESL
North Carolina State University “The wind of change is blowing through this continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.” Those illustrious words were spo-ken by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to the Parliament of South Africa on Febru-ary 3, 1960, in Cape Town, South Africa. He was announcing the intention of the Brit-ish to grant independence to the British colonies in Africa. Significant political trans-formations were about to take place.
Fast forward to 2008, and superimpose this quote onto the political context currently dominating the U.S., and it resonates dramatically. Macmillan was announcing enactment of a shift in policy before the fact. For most of us, change is not recognized until after the fact. We see the results and pay little notice to the process. We may be either amazed or disappointed with the end result, and we may eventually become angry or joyous, or ultimately complacent, depending on the way the “wind of change” blows. The campaigns of this presidential election cycle have given us the impetus to break from the old. There is plenty of discussion on the discrepancy between the current state of affairs and the ideal future. How will that ideal future be defined? How can we be invested in the process so that the end result does not disappoint? We need more illumination on the issues. That
may be what is missing from the political arena. For professionals whose work is de-fined by NCLB, what “wind of change is blowing” in our direction? NCLB will be extended this year, rather than re-authorized. When consideration of the law re-emerges after the election, will the restructuring (yes, this is assured) be appropriate and adequate? NCLB is not among the issues driving this presidential campaign year. It is, thus, incumbent upon us to make federal educational policy front and center. We need to be invested in the process; otherwise, we may find ourselves looking at a newly configured final product and wondering how we got there.
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The 5th annual TALGS Conference
(TESOL/Applied Linguistics Graduate Students) Bate Building, East Carolina University in Greenville, NC
February 16, 2008
TALGS continues to provide a forum for student work and presentations on the leading edge in the field. This year’s, on the traditional third weekend in February, attracted 85 people to five rounds of concurrent sessions, a ple-nary, three workshops, and a discussion forum—truly something for everyone. Conference registration (and a bountiful snack/coffee table) began on Saturday morning at 8:15. The conference menu included five rounds of concurrent sessions (including two teacher workshops), a plenary given by Dr. Walt Wolfram, an invited workshop on corpus linguistics and language teaching by Chris Blake and Chandrika Rodgers of Western Carolina University, and an invited discussion on the ELL programs of three very different school sys-tems, organized by Toby Brody of N.C. State University. In addition, TALGS hosted the first publisher to exhibit here, Peggy Gooch of Blanchard Educational Services.
Presenters came from as far away as Kinki University, Osaka, and Taiwan Normal University; home schools also included the universities of Georgia and Arizona. Within the state, presenters ranged statewide from Western Caro-lina University to New Hanover County Schools.
The range of presentation topics would broaden anyone’s world: discourse analyses of sermons and of the Declara-tion of Independence; why international medical graduates badly need to know colloquial language; what effect people’s intentions have in L2 learning; how young speakers of Hakka (a dialect of Chinese) acquire passive; how on-line tools can help EFL students learn L2; how L2 learning serves as a means of understanding one’s own cul-ture; how speakers of different L2s have dramatically different problems, especially with the function words of Eng-lish; and how written and spoken language affirm social identities. The two teacher workshops focused on creative uses for PowerPoint in the ESL Classroom and collaborative interactive activities. (Unfortunately, the former was canceled due to illness. Fortunately, it will be featured next year.)
Some highlights, in case you missed it:
The plenary speaker was Carolina TESOL favorite Dr. Walt Wolfram (N.C. State University), with the topic South-ern Bred ESL: Hispanic English in the Mid-Atlantic South
To begin, the speaker mentioned the underlying myth in ESL that our job is to give our students a basic, dialect-neutral, prestige form of English. What is your reaction to Machospeak? Unfortunately, learners’ environments, stereotypes, and self-perceptions critically affect the type of language they want to acquire, an’ you prolly ain’t gonna teach a wanna-be gang member much academic English, no matter how important you know it is for them to be free from language-based discrimination. What you will accomplish depends on an awareness on both teachers’ and students’ parts of the significance of dialect.
The Hispanic population of the Carolinas is certainly exploding. This immigration affects both urban and rural ar-eas in the Carolinas; when Walt Wolfram began his well-known work on Ocracoke, there was no Hispanic popula-tion there; today 25% of the children on Ocracoke are Hispanic. As this happens, research suggests that a unique
28
variety of Hispanic English is now developing in the Mid-Atlantic South (similar to Chicano/a English in the Southwest U.S.) Wolfram explored phonological, lexical, grammatical, and discourse factors that affect the de-velopment of this new Latino English, essentially the confluence of native language patterns, basic patterns of Southern dialects, fossilized transfer, and the demographics of where, how long, and with whom people spend their time.
In addition to an understanding of the nature of dialect, we need to be aware that certain pronunciations/lexical items/grammar that may be have no prestige in the ESL classroom may actually parallel or match what our stu-dents’ peers are using (hey, it’s like, did anyone else have, like, a picture of Tom on the wall in his/her/its class-room, you know, that the teacher refers to whenever a student goes “What Tom is it?”)
Among our duties is the teaching of tolerance to diversity. Diversity in dialect is an underappreciated part of this, one that needs significant understanding in education practices.
Using Corpus Linguistics in K-12 Language Teaching: A Pilot Project
Has anyone ever observed that it doesn’t make much sense to expect academic writing from a native-speaking sixth grader? Have you ever seen the stuff ninth graders actually create? No. Why not? There are no texts with samples of authentic writing; what you’ll find is careful creations of (often Pablumized) text. How well directed can your teaching really be if it does not address students’ real world problems?
So, Christopher Blake and Chandrika Rogers (of Asheville conference fame) began looking at corpus linguis-tics. There is software and there are web sites to help provide or handle samples of language that are real world texts.
Using such collections of data (‘corpora’) can give you insights into the frequencies of features of language as well as explore the particular registers of language, e.g. conversation vs. academic lecture style. You can com-pare learner and native speaker language, identifying patterns of learner over/under/misuse.
Drs. Blake and Rogers are working to create a North Carolina Corpus of K-12 Written English, with the goal of a collection of 500,000 words and 1,500 writing samples from across the state. They plan to focus on Pitt, Brunswick, Wake, Catawba, and Jackson Counties for this, but they would welcome your input. If you’d like to participate in this worthwhile project, contact Chandrika Rodgers: [email protected].
Serving English Learners: Perspectives across North Carolina School Districts
This session was a panel of three ESL Supervisors, Sashi Rayasam (Durham County), Andrea Belletti (New Hanover County), and Denise Daniels (Wilkes County), three very dissimilar school systems: one in the foot-hills of NC, with a relatively small number of LEP students, one with a large African-American population and ten times the number of LEPs as the first; and the smallest (physically) in the state, with an LEP population be-tween the other two. Each panelist noted what impact the NCLB law had had on it and what challenges it faced today. Your system has problems? Join the crowd. But whether NCLB is behind changes or not, these systems and yours are making headway in one of the most difficult of arenas.
L1 (first language) Acquisition of Hakka Passives investigated how Hakka-speaking children (Hakka is an en-dangered dialect of Chinese spoken mostly on Taiwan) learned the Chinese equivalent of what we call passive voice. Although the name was not mentioned, this presentation could be used to support the thesis of Noam Chomsky that we are ‘hardwired’ for language development at birth—understanding of passives began around age 5; actual production began around age 6; not before, and in ordered steps. Passive voice is easier with an
29
animate agent and an action verb (rather than a sensory verb), and also if all of the parts that can be omitted are still there. Parents and elementary teachers, how familiar does this sound?
Identifying Self on the Margins of Two Language Communities showed how looking directly at differences in cul-ture could lead to an ability to deal with “otherness” as a contrast between (modern) equals rather than stereotypical deficits between superior and inferior—as well as to a better self understanding.
A Contrastive Error Analysis of Prepositions and Articles in Second Language Writing examined a body of compo-sitions by Chinese and by Spanish-speaking learners of English. Parts of speech were tagged, errors were counted, and these were compared across languages. As expected, native speakers of Spanish overused the definite article; speakers of Chinese omitted most English articles. Both sets of learners pluralized mass nouns, misused/omitted English prepositions, and had agreement problems (Chinese were significantly worse here). Categories that split in the target L (or were absent in the native language) were the most difficult to learn. The differences go beyond prob-lems with function words alone. Chinese use shorter, less complex sentences and more content words; Spanish use fewer content words and more commas. Both use more conjunctions and pronouns and fewer prepositions. We live in a world where teachers and texts pay little attention to the most frequent errors that students make: articles and prepositions. The presenter encouraged us to forsake grammar-based texts in favor of corpus-informed material—and to create learner corpora to inform the teaching of our particular learners
The workshop Interactive Activities to Enhance ESL Instruction focused on collaborative interac-tion in content and literacy-based ESL classes (in which meaning is negotiated with peers). The specific, practical activities described were for the realms of reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar instruction. The underlying philosophy of this workshop can be summed up as “practical stuff that works”—does anyone need any of that?
Generally speaking, groups of individuals had tasks—reader, scribe, presenter, checker, sentence maker, etc.—and each of the two or more people in a group had a part in the tasks involved (which were carefully modeled for the group). The presenters concluded that tasks like those described were labor/preparation intensive, but the learning is far greater. Sorry, but the presenters spent most of an hour demonstrating the genuinely interesting tasks, and there isn’t space here to spell out enough details for you to lift any of them intact and drop them into the classroom on Monday. If you missed it, repent, and be here next year.
The stated purpose of TALGS, which is partially sponsored by Carolina TESOL, is “to provide a relaxed but
serious environment where graduate students in Applied Linguistics and professionals working in the field of
TESOL… can have the experience of presenting their work and receiving feedback.” TALGS is “a forum to
showcase their research and experiences… committed to bettering the educational experiences of language
learners in the community by providing a comfortable environment where an interaction between theory (the
researchers) and practice (the teachers) is possible.” This is a godsend for students (especially those in pro-
grams leading to higher degrees) whose future genuinely involves adding to the knowledge they bring to the
field; higher education administrators, please take note. And it was partially sponsored by Carolina TESOL.
Next year the second weekend in February includes Valentine’s Day. For this reason, TALGS will be held a week later. If you are genuinely interested in a personal, low-cost, cutting-edge conference,
Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 21, 2009, now!
For information, visit the conference website at http://core.ecu.edu/engl/talgs/conference/conference.htm; it’ll be updated as TALGS 2009 nears. To view a complete program/presentation abstracts and pictures from this year’s conference (coming soon), visit http://core.ecu.edu/engl/talgs/history/index.htm.
Bill Esler
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Contact Information... pg. 2 Letter from the President pg. 4 Mini-Conference pg. 6 Parking Registration pg. 8 Letter from the President Elect pg. 9 Executive Board Minutes. pg. 10 CarTESOL News pg. 12 TALGS News pg. 14 SETESOL Events pg. 16 “The Journal” starting pg. 23
FROM:
Membership Coordinator:
Debbie O’Neal
ECU College of Education
ESL Licensure
216A Ragsdale
Greenville, NC
Membership is FREE!
www.carolinatesol.org
TO:
The Members of Carolina TESOL’s Web Community
In this issue: