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Licenciaturaen EducaciónSecundariaEspecialidad: Lengua Extranjera

Licenciaturaen EducaciónSecundariaEspecialidad: Lengua Extranjera

Programa parala Transformacióny el FortalecimientoAcadémicos de las Escuelas Normales

Programa parala Transformacióny el FortalecimientoAcadémicos de las Escuelas Normales

Programa y m

aterialesde apoyo para el estudio

Distribución gratuita

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2002-2003

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Los Adolescentesy el Aprendizaje del Inglés


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Programa para la Transformacióny el Fortalecimiento Académicos

de las Escuelas Normales

Programa y materialesde apoyo para el estudio

México, 2002


Licenciatura en Educación Secundaria

Especialidad: Lengua extranjera

Tercer semestre

Los Adolescentes y el Aprendizaje del Inglés. Programa y materiales de apoyo para el estudio. Licenciatura en

Educación Secundaria. 3er semestre fue elaborado por el personal académico de la Subsecretaría de Educa-

ción Básica y Normal de la Secretaría de Educación Pública.

La SEP agradece la participación de los profesores de las escuelas normales en el diseño del programa

y en la selección de los materiales.

Coordinación editorial

Esteban Manteca Aguirre

Cuidado de la edición

Rubén Fischer

Diseño

Dirección Editorial de la DGMyME, SEP

Formación

Inés P. Barrera

Primera edición, 2000

Segunda edición, 2001

Primera reimpresión, 2002

D. R. © Secretaría de Educación Pública, 2000

Argentina 28

Centro, C. P. 06020

México, D. F.

ISBN 970-18-6356-9

Impreso en México

DISTRIBUCIÓN GRATUITA-PROHIBIDA SU VENTA

Index

Presentation 5

Adolescents and the Learning of English

Program 9

Introduction 9

Content organization 9

General guidelines for instruction and evaluation 11

Introductory activity 13

Themes

Unit I. The social function of language 14

Unit II. The learning of English as a foreign languaje

in the escuela secundaria 18

Bloque III. The challenges a foreign language theacher faces in

the escuela secundaria and the consideration given to the

essential educational purposes 26

Support materials

Unit II. The learning of English as a foreign language

in the escuela secundaria

Learning a first language

Patsy M. Lightbown y Nina Spada 33

Cognitive transitions

Laurence Steinberg 61

Spelling and pronunciation

Peter Avery and Susan Ehrlich 69

Styles and language anxiety: An overview

Rebeca Oxford 73

Unit III. The challenges a foreign language theacher faces in

the escuela secundaria and the consideration given to the

essential educational purposes

Why it´s all about

Robert F. Mager 77

Presentation

This material has been prepared to support the updating workshop for teachers thatwill be in charge of teaching the course Los Adolescentes y el Aprendizaje del Inglés in the

Foreign Language specialty (English) pertaining to the Licenciatura en Educación Secundaria,

plan 1999. It contains the curriculum and texts of the basic bibliography that teachersand students will read during the third semester.

The support study materials that the Secretaría de Educación Pública prints and dis-tributes free of charge to the students and teachers, only includes readings of the basicbibliography that for some circumstance, are hard to get or aren’t part of the common

property of the escuela normal; all other titles have been incorporated to each school’slibrary to encourage the students to directly make use of them.

It is important that the teachers read the complete works from which the suggested

titles in the curriculum come from, to strengthen and enrich their professional training.This way they will have more elements to promote students learning and motivatethem to constantly look up the bibliographic materials that the school has, which will

without any doubt, be of great help all along their career. With all this the future teach-ers will develop habits to investigate and use information, capacity teachers themselveswill have to develop in their students and moreover, they will take advantage of the wide

variety of books that the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP) has provided for theescuela normal.

The bibliography to approach the topics suggested in the course does not end with

the recommendations made in this curriculum, the teachers can enrich it with otherbooks, articles, stories, recorded material on video or audio cassettes or CD-ROM theyconsider appropriate to fulfill the proposed objectives in each one of the topics.

The SEP again invites teachers and students to send recommendations regarding theselected materials. Your opinion will be taken into account to improve the educationalresources that support the Teacher Training Curriculum Development.

Secretaría de Educación Pública

Horas/semana: 4 Créditos: 7.0

Adolescents and theLearning of English

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Program

Introduction

A necessary condition to transform the way of teaching nowadays in the escuela secun-

daria –reduced many times to the simple transmission and reception of informationon the teacher and students part, respectively– is that the initial training of teachers for

this school level should guarantee enough knowledge of the processes of change thestudents undergo in this period of their life –and that influences their learning– as wellas knowledge of their school background and the conditions and demands of a specific

teaching practice, so that regardless of the subject that is being taught they acquire thecapacity to carry out their job as educators of adolescents, and that by means of theirdaily work they can contribute to the fulfillment of the objectives contained in the basic

education curriculum.In the second semester the future teachers started studying subjects concerning

the specialty. In the course Introducción a la Enseñanza de Lengua Extranjera (Inglés) the

students did activities related to the study and analysis as well as observation in the es-

cuela secundaria which led them to obtain a general and realistic view of the purposesfor teaching English, in addition to some strategies and materials through which student

learning is promoted, and learn about what a teacher must take into account to knowthe students of a certain group and organize the class work.

In this course, Los Adolescentes y el Aprendizaje del Inglés (Adolescents and the Learning

of English) the teacher trainees will analyze the social function of language as a system ofcommunication, the processes the students follow to learn English, the ways in whichthe native language interferes, and the factors that influence these processes. The ac-

tivities done to prepare and develop the teaching practice will allow the identificationof the challenges that teaching English represents and understand the role that theteacher must play to strengthen the students’ development of basic linguistic com-

petencies.

Content organization

The curriculum is organized in three instructional units, in which the general aspects of

English acquisition by adolescents in the escuela secundaria is analyzed. In each unit youwill find the content and basic bibliography that supports the study of the contents andcomplementary bibliography to extend the information, as well as a set of activities for

the development of the topics. These activities are flexible and allow changes that en-rich the work with the contribution that teachers and students make, always keeping inmind the purposes and contents of the course.

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In Unit I “The social function of language” the general characteristics of language asa system of communication are analyzed. Through the suggested activities and the texts

studied during this unit, the future teachers will recognize the aspects of language andthe factors that influence its evolution, as well as the variations that are product of thechanges in history among societies.

In this unit the students should be able to identify the characteristics of spoken andwritten language, and the necessary conditions for an efficient communication in eachone of them. Likewise, they will recognize the underlying elements of the structure of

the English language, and they will carry out activities that will help them understandthe meaning of communicative competence when speaking or writing, and the impor-tance of considering varieties in the English language according to the regions and

contexts where they are used.The analysis of these aspects will allow the students to understand how the variet-

ies interfere with the comprehension of a foreign language. These factors are con-

cerned with understanding the characteristics and the structure of the English languageand the aspects that encourage its learning.

Unit II “The learning of English as a foreign language in the escuela secundaria” deals

with aspects related to the ways in which individual teenage students develop commu-nicative competency in the foreign language.

The suggested activities have the intention of making the future teachers understand

that there are many factors affecting the process of learning a foreign language either tofavor it or make it more difficult and, that the teacher must know them and take theminto account to help the students get acquainted with English in a secure and respectful

environment through the use of strategies that promote expression and communication.Taking as a starting point their own experience as junior high school students, it’s

important that the future teachers analyze the common obstacles adolescents face to

express themselves orally or in a written form. The intention of this is to begin design-ing activities pertaining their field of study for which it is absolutely necessary for theteacher trainees to pay special attention to the English classes, the activities performed,

teaching procedures, and materials that favor the communicative skills in junior highschools during the periods of observation and practice. This way the future teacherswill gather necessary information to put into practice their own activities focusing on

the purposes of teaching a foreign language at this level.In unit III “The challenges a foreign language teacher faces in the escuela secundaria,

and the consideration given to the essential educational purposes” students analyze the

teaching practices that favor the fulfillment of the educational purposes in foreign lan-guage teaching at escuela secundaria level. The intention of studying this unit is to makethe students reflect on the circumstances that favor learning English, the aspects that

take part in achieving better learning results and designing and putting into practice asequence of activities in an escuela secundaria .

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It’s essential to point out that the topics in this unit don’t necessarily have to be

dealt with at the end of the course: some of the contents that are necessary to partici-pate in the observation and practice periods may be revised to prepare the work andanalyze the teaching experiences at the escuela secundaria.

General guidelines for instruction and evaluation

Following are suggestions for the treatment of the content of the curriculum, strategies

and activities that, according to the features the graduates must be endowed with andthe criteria established in the curriculum, are advisable to keep in mind during the devel-opment of the course to accomplish the desired aims.

1. Before starting the study of the topics it is advisable for the students and theteacher of the subject to fully analyze the curriculum; this way they will have a generalidea of the characteristics, contents, and texts that will be analyzed, as well as the

type of activities it suggests. This first review will be useful in organizing the workduring the semester as it will let you foresee the activities the students will carry outbefore attending an escuela secundaria, the ones that will be carried out during the

period of observation and practice and the ones that will be done afterwards toanalyze the experience.

2. The themes of study in this curriculum and the features of the course demand that

the working procedures at the escuela normal correspond to those revised during thedevelopment of the course. This will avoid frequent contradictions students noticebetween the new proposals and common teaching practices.

3. The contents are organized according to a sequence, nevertheless, when examin-ing the curriculum and according to agreements teachers reach at their meetings, theycan adjust the activities to achieve the fulfillment of the aims of the subject, the satisfac-

tion of the students expectations regarding their education, and contribute to obtainthe graduation features pointed out in the curriculum for the Licenciatura en Educación Secun-

daria. In this sense, unit III of this course requests designing a sequence of activities and

applying it in the escuela secundaria to later analyze it the escuela normal. To preparethese activities with time enough in advance, it’s necessary to work with the contentsof this unit in the appropriate moment and not leave them until the end of the course.

4. The study of the topics of the course is combined with the analysis of the obser-vation and practice experiences that the future teachers acquire in the escuela secundaria.In this semester two periods of observation and practice are expected, each one lasting

a week, and attending a first grade group as established in the subject Observación y Prác-

tica Docente I. Each period will have the following characteristics:a) During the first week the students will watch the work that is taking place in a

first grade class at the escuela secundaria in all the subjects during a whole day,paying special attention to the classes corresponding to the specialty they are

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studying, in this case English. During that period, if possible, the teacher trainees

will conduct a class in which they will experiment with previously planned ac-tivities.

b) During the second week, the teacher trainees will continue with the observa-

tion of the work that takes place in all the classes in one or two groups of firstgrade. Unlike the first period of observation, the future teachers will put intopractice activities with both groups for which we recommend to stay in the

classroom the whole time on the dates the classes will be performed.The teacher of the subject Los Adolescentes y el Aprendizaje del Inglés should contact

the teachers at the escuela secundaria that will be visited to point out to them the type

of activities the teacher trainees are required to perform so they will allow the stu-dents to work with simple activities that emphasize the development of communicativeskills, and not as it usually happens, grammar contents.

5. According to the contents of the course, during the observation and practiceperiods, the teacher trainees will gather information regarding the adolescents work inthe English class; for which they are to talk to students, teachers and parents, record

conversations among students and if possible some fragments of class as well (if theteacher agrees), photocopy some parts of the students’ English notebook or throughthe written description of the performed activities in class. For these activities to be

organized properly, before each period of observation and practice the teacher ofthe subject and the students will agree on the kind of material they will collect.

6. It’s the responsibility of the teacher of the subject Los Adolescentes y el Aprendizaje

del Inglés to prepare with the students the observation guide they will need to watch

the classes. Likewise it is important for the teacher of this subject to attend the escuela

secundaria and supervise the students work with the group. Only by doing so will hehave enough information to guide the later analysis of the visits to the schools that is

also done in this course.7. Practicing reading in this subject isn’t only a requirement for the analysis of the

texts in the basic bibliography, it is as well, a skill that must be encouraged in the stu-

dents. Reading texts in English with the purpose of a better understanding begins in thiscourse and it is essential for the teacher to support the students, according to thecharacteristics of the group, in making reading in English a useful tool for the analysis,

reflection and study and not only view it as a mere transcription of information.8. It’s fundamental to take advantage of this course and the others taught in this

semester so that students can strengthen their capacity of selecting and interpreting

information from different sources, read analytically, defend, and communicate theirown ideas in a written or oral form. When faced with these challenges, the teachertrainees will be able to discover the factors and conditions that influence the develop-

ment of the communicative competence, otherwise, the knowledge obtained from thetexts included in the basic bibliography will have no specific meaning and therefore will

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have little or no influence in their teaching practices. In addition, it’s important to

remember that the abilities to narrate, describe, explain, ask and read out loud areelements of the didactic competence.

9. According to the approach used in this subject and the aims of the course, it’s

desirable to select the criteria and procedures that will allow appreciating the studentsprogress, avoiding evaluation to be reduced to simple testing or use of other meansthat only require memorizing or transcribing information. The assessment of the argu-

ments students express in class, the questions they ask, their effective participation inteam work as well as the written texts (essays, didactic proposals, reading controls) andresearch in the escuela secundaria they visit can be taken advantage of for their evalua-

tion. Another aspect to be considered is the solution the students give to the situationssuggested in the activities of the curriculum, their ability to analyze, critical judgment,comprehension, relationship, etcetera. Tests should be considered a complement to

the suggested evaluation procedures.

Introductory activity

In teams, select one of the following situations. Prepare a message related to the situa-

tion you wish to communicate. Devise an oral or written code to convey that message.Don’t use known symbols or words (if the message is transmitted orally, it’s better torecord it).

Situation A

How would you advise people traveling on the highway of the danger there ison a washed out part of the road and no signal to indicate it?

Situation B

How would you explain to a tourist who approaches you how to get to a certainplace?

Situation C

How would you advise the people in a town that a storm is approaching?

Situation D

If you’re planning on inviting some friends over for a party, how would youexplain the intention of the party and place of reunion.

Give another team the written or recorded message and have them decipher it.Each team will show the rest of the group the corresponding message after discussing:

• If the message was deciphered in the way it was designed. Why?• What features were considered to decipher it?• What difficulties were faced to decipher the message?

• What is needed to interpret the oral messages and what for the written ones?

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Unit I. The social function of language

1. Language as a system of communication.a) General characteristics and social uses.b) The constant evolution of language. Factors that influence the changes process.

c) Variations of language.2. Spoken and written language: characteristics, similarities and differences.

a) The contexts of use: the flexibility in the use of the spoken language and the

requirements of written language.b) What does it mean “to be able to speak and to write”?

3. English and its characteristics.

a) General aspects related to the structure of English: phonetics, phonology,grammar, semantics.

b) Varieties of language and their impact on understanding a foreign language.

Basic bibliography

Cassany, Daniel, Martha Luna y Gloria Sanz (2000), “Conocimiento y uso de la lengua”, in Enseñar

lengua, 5th ed., Barcelona, Graó, pp. 83-99.

Enciclopædia Britannica, “Types of Communication”, “Language”, “Origins and Basic Characteris-

tics of the English Language” and “Varieties of English”, in http://www.britannica.com.

Complementary bibliography

Resnick, Lauren B. (1999), “El alfabetismo dentro y fuera de la escuela”, in Propósitos y Contenidos

de la Educación Básica I (Primaria) Programa y materiales de apoyo para el estudio. 1er se-

mestre. Licenciatura en educación secundaria. México, SEP, pp. 44-59.

Suggested activities

1. In group, make a list (as complete as possible) of the students’ answers regarding thequestion What is language used for? Then, with this information ask the students to

make a word map that explains why language is used.2. In teams discuss the following topics and write down the aspects that are con-

sidered most important when giving your own point of view in relation to this next

question:• How would you describe communication in the following cases?

– In the family, within a group of friends, in school.

– In a conference (about politics, human rights, economy, etcetera).– In an international reunion on education.

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• Would you say there is a more efficient communication in any of the discussed

cases? Why yes or why not.Submit the results of your team discussion to the group.Individually read “Types of communication” and make a chart that shows the gen-

eral characteristics of language.In class talk about some of the charts that were made. Then, considering the con-

clusions that arouse in class, write a text in English that describes the characteristics of

language and answers the question Why do we write?3. In teams examine a short text in any indigenous language (maybe the words to a

song, a poem, legend, etcetera) and:

• If possible record someone “reading” the text.• Try to decipher the text.• Make up a spelling rule starting from what you were able to interpret and the

structure of the text.Later on, submit the translation of the text and the spelling rule you came up with to

the group and explain how you got to that conclusion. Listen to the song and compare

it with the work done in each team.Comment on:

• Similarities in pronunciation.

• What things were taken into account “to say” the text.• Difficulties faced to understand the message and the strategies used to solve

the exercise.4. Individually read the section entitled “Conocimiento y uso de la lengua” (Knowledge

and use of language) by Cassany. In teams, think about the following issues and answerthe question in writing.

• The author’s ideas about the different types of competencies and the relation-

ship among them.• The characteristics of the communicative approaches and linguistic abilities.

Considering the ideas in the text about oral and written skills, answer the question:

What does it mean to know “how to speak” and “how to write” Present and explainyour answers before the group.

5. Individually look up in the article “Language” information about the general char-

acteristics of language, variations and factors that influence their production.In group, discuss:

• The characteristics of language that the author mentions.

• The similarities and differences between the article and the texts each onewrote in the last activity.

Taking into account the discussion that just took place, review your own text, if

necessary, to include characteristics that weren’t there in the first place. In group, talkout the changes that could be made in the text and explain why. Each writing must

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Variety Reason or cause for its use in social groups

include the explanation of the following items: Phonetics and Phonology, Grammar,Semantics.

After the discussion make a chart like this:

Based on the information registered in the chart, identify which variations of lan-guage are used most evidently in spoken language and which in written language.

After studying the content of the previous chart, make a similar one that represents

the variations that Spanish used in Mexico has, and explain some of the causes thatbrings them about.

6. In teams select one of the following words and research its origin, uses the word

has been given over time or in different cultures or regions, etymological and actualmeaning, word it’s derived from and words it’s related to. Submit the results to thegroup.

• EMOTION• FOCUS• IGLOO

• ROCKET• SALT• WELCOME

An example to guide the type of exercise that is asked for, could be the followingwhich is done using the word moon: Moon: Earth’s natural satellite, visible because itreflects sunlight; Latin: Luna; light, from Indo European leuksnâ, moon, light, from leuk,

light, shine. Light: Electromagnetic radiation the human eye perceives and that makesobjects visible, light, brightness, latin lucem accusative of lux (theme Luc-) light, light ofday, from Indo European: leuk – light; shine. Of the same family as shine, dazzle, illuminate,

illustrate, illustrious, leukemia, leukocyte, Liechtenstein, evening star, brilliant, shine, fire, lumi-

nous, lunar, lunatic, light, luster, shining, glimpse, and probably Oslo, Santa Lucia, possiblyNicosia.1

1 Taken from Guido Gómez da Silva, Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española,México, El Colegio de México/FCE, 4a reimpresión, 1996.

17

After doing the activity, group into teams to reflect on the influence words of otherlanguages have in English and their adoption in the modern vocabulary.

7. In teams, select one of the next situations and discuss the questions that follow.

• Convince someone of danger in case of an emergency.• Narrate to a soccer match to someone who is not watching.• Explain and support your point of view on abortion.

• Tell someone akin a personal problem or feeling with the intention of seeking foradvice.

In which cases is it more common to use spoken language? In which is it better to

use written language? Why?In each case how does the context influence the speaker’s intention?Explain in each case explain the importance of Phonetics, Phonology, Grammar and

Semantics.8. With the text written in activity 2 and after reading “Origins and basic charac-

teristics of the English language” review the writing and include the concepts of Pho-

netics, Phonology, Grammar and Semantics the text introduces. In small groups readsome of the works and explain why they were rewritten.

9. In teams determine the essential features of fragments of dialogues in which

variations of language are self evident (record for example, parts of movies, TV or radionews reports, conversations between tourists, etcetera) and discuss the difficulties stu-dents have to understand the content or the messages. Then, in group consider the

following:• In which cases was it easier or more difficult to understand the content of the

message. Why?

• Which is the country or origin of the people that speak and which is the situa-tion taking place in the dialogue?

• What strategies were used to be able to understand the messages they convey?

10. Individually read the article Varieties of English and enroll in a class discussionabout:

• The characteristics of English in the following regions: London, Ireland, some

places in The United States, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and Africa.• Characteristics and conditions of the so called RP.• The challenges the variety of pronunciations around the world represent for

English teaching.11. Individually, write a text, in English, that describes the importance of aural com-

prehension in learning a language.

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Unit II. The learning of English as a foreign languagein the escuela secundaria

1. The adolescents as users of their native language.a) The use of spoken language. The pragmatic competency: Interiorizing knowl-

edge and communication skills. Similarities and differences with written

language.b) Individual variations in communicative competence among adolescents.

2. Main obstacles students face when studying English in the escuela secundaria.

a) Exposure to a language with a different structure. Transferring native languageto foreign language: type of mistakes this situation brings forth.

b) The difficulties encountered when listening to and understanding spoken and

written language.c) Hindrances in learning how to write.d) Fear to speak in another language.

3. Circumstances that favor the developmental processes of foreign language com-munication skills.a) Aural and reading comprehension.

b) Rendering written texts and oral expression.c) Linguistic awareness.

4. Factors affecting learning English in the escuela secundaria.a) Students’ motivation for learning and the feasibility of using the language in

real life situations. Their learning style.b) The teacher, instructional activities and the practice of linguistic skills in class.

Basic bibliography

Avery, Peter and Susan Ehrlich (1992), “Spelling and Pronunciation” in Teaching American English

Pronunciation. New York, Oxford University Press, pp. 3-6.

Laroy, Clement. (1995) “Introduction” in Pronunciation, New York, Oxford University Press,

pp. 5-8.

Lightbown, Patsy M. and Nina Spada (2000), “Learning a First Language” and “Theoretical

Approaches to Explaining Second Language Learning”, in How Languages are Learned,

New York, Oxford University Press, pp. 1-9 and 31-48.

Oxford, Rebecca L. (1999), “Styles and Language Anxiety: an Overview”, in Dolly Jesusita Young

[Editor], Affect in Foreign Language and Second Language Learning. A Practical Guide to Crea-

ting a Low-Anxiety Classroom Atmosphere, New York, McGraw-Hill, pp. 218-220.

SEP (1999), “Aspectos metodológicos”, en Libro para el Maestro. Inglés. Secundaria, México, pp.

15-26.

Steinberg, Laurence (1999), “Cognitive Transitions”, in Adolescence, 5th ed., McGraw-Hill College,

USA, pp. 58-62.

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Brown, H. Douglas (1994), “Teaching Listening Comprehension”, “Teaching Oral Communi-

cation Skills”, “Teaching Reading” and “Teaching Writing Skills”, in Teaching by Principles:

An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, New Jersey, Prentice Hall, pp. 233-346.

— (2000), “Neurological Considerations”, in Principles of Language Teaching and Learning, 4th ed.,

New York, Longman, pp. 54-70.

Lightbown, Patsy M. and Nina Spada (2000), “Factors Affecting Second Language Learning”, in

How Languages are Learned, New York, Oxford University Press, pp. 48-70.


1. Organize teams and record a conversation between teenagers (not necessarily inschool). The tape may contain chats among friends, sections of movies, interviews, et-cetera. Listen to the recording and discuss the following questions.

• Which characteristic of the conversation would you highlight?• Possible reasons why teenagers communicate in that way.• If the communication among teenagers had been written, Which changes or

characteristics would be depicted? Discuss your points of view.Point out the results of your discussion to the whole group and write down the

most important aspects.

2. Individually read the text Learning a first language by Lightbown and Spada andengage in a whole group conversation that makes your points of view apparent inrelation to the authors ideas about:

• The steps human being takes to master his own language.• How far can you get in this mastery without schooling?• What’s understood by pragmatic competence?

3. Using the information from the previous analysis, individually make up a diagramthat includes: significant aspects related to the use teenagers give their native language,and also, any individual differences concerning the development of communicative com-

petencies you might have identified through the recorded conversations. Afterwards,enroll in a whole group discussion in which you can establish the possible causes thatbring about these differences among teenagers.

4. With this knowledge in mind, identify in Steinberg’s text Cognitive transitions theideas the writer mentions regarding the way the following aspects influence teen com-munication.

• The ability to think about what is possible.• Development of abstract thinking.• Reflecting on what is thought.

• Ability to see things in multiple dimensions.• Relative way of seeing things.

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Individually think about situations in which language forms and styles used duringyour adolescence may have provoked conflicts or misunderstandings. Share your expe-rience with the group.

5. In teams analyze these interviews and discuss the questions that follow them.

Entrevista a alumnos de secundaria2

P: Pregunta.

Al: Alumnos.

Entrevista 1

Grado: 3°.

Asignatura: Inglés.

P: —De todo esto que hace la maestra con ustedes, ¿qué es lo que te gusta–a ver si lo puedes señalar de manera precisa– de esa forma de trabajo, y quéno te gusta de esa forma de trabajo, de esa forma de llevar la clase?

Al: —Lo que más me gusta es el material que usa porque muchas veces leentendemos mejor que lo que explica ella. Lo que me desagrada es que no nosdeja hablar a nosotros y no nos deja dialogar y siempre está explicando ella.

P: —¿Qué actividades con el idioma realizas generalmente en la clase?Al: —Básicamente es organizar un diálogo o completarlo con palabras quenos va dando durante la clase o muy pocas veces nos deja dialogar entre

nosotros.P: —¿Escuchan expresiones en inglés?Al: —Con el audiocasete nos deja escuchar y respecto a eso dialogamos tam-

bién.P: —¿Usas el libro de texto en la clase?Al: —No, nosotros no usamos libro de texto.

P: —¿No consultan ningún libro, no manejan ningún libro?Al: —No, la maestra no pidió el libro desde el principio del año.P: —¿Sólo son materiales que ella lleva?

Al: —Sí.P: —¿Escritos en inglés?Al: —Sí, son materiales que ella hace respecto al tema que nos va a dar o el

diálogo que viene en el audiocasete, nos explica y ella nos hace el material.P: —¿Cuáles son las características del material que más te gusta?Al: —Más que nada es el audiocasete que nos deja mucho a la imaginación y

como que nos adentramos más al tema.

2 Interviews conducted for this subject.

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P: —¿Alguna otra característica del material que te atraiga, que te haga pla-centera la clase?Al: —Muchas veces en las láminas llevan dibujos y entendemos mejor el tema

y los verbos que nos plantea.P: —Ya dices que no llevan libro de texto, pero aparte no llevan algún otromaterial.

Al: —No, no usamos ninguno.P: —Entonces si no llevan el libro, el material, láminas, ¿qué otros materialesutilizas tú?

Al: —Solamente el cuaderno de trabajo.P: —¿Qué es lo que se te hace más difícil de la clase de inglés?Al: —Se me dificulta entenderle cuando la maestra explica muy rápido y por

eso muchas veces prefiero el audiocasete.P: —Fuera de los diálogos que se organizan en la clase, ¿hablas el inglés contus compañeros?

Al: —Muy pocas veces, sólo para algunas frases pequeñas o bromear entrenosotros.P: —¿Sólo bromas o hay algunas otras actividades que además les gusten?

Al: —Cuando realizamos la tarea en las horas libres que tenemos sí lo practi-camos mucho.

Entrevista 2

Grado: 2°.Asignatura: Inglés.

P: —¿Cómo te dan la clase de inglés?Al: —Nos la pasamos respondiendo el libro, pero si vemos algo un día jamás

lo volvemos a ver hasta la hora del examen bimestral.P: —¿Qué te gusta y qué no te gusta de la clase de inglés?Al: —Me gustan los crucigramas y no las conversaciones porque hay veces en

las que se burlan de la pronunciación que uso.P: —¿Qué actividades realizas comúnmente?Al: —Siempre son ejercicios del libro, puras conversaciones.

P: —¿Usas el libro de texto en la clase?Al: —Sí y bastante.P: —¿Qué haces en él?

Al: —En él hago ejercicios y los respondo por grupos.P: —¿Te gusta trabajar con él?Al: —Más o menos.

P: —¿Por qué?Al: —Porque lo que me gusta son nada más los crucigramas.

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P: —Además del libro de texto ¿qué otros materiales utilizas?Al: —El cuaderno, pero muy poco, de ahí en fuera nada.P: —¿Qué es lo que se te hace más difícil de la clase de inglés?

Al: —Relacionar columnas y las preguntas de opción múltiple.P: —¿Hablas el inglés con tus compañeros en la clase?Al: —No.

Entrevista 3

Grado: 1°.Asignatura: Inglés.

P: —Qué es lo que más te gusta de tu clase de inglés y qué es lo que no te

gusta o lo que menos te gusta?Al: —Lo que más me gusta es el idioma inglés y, no sé.P: —Pero, ¿por qué te gusta el idioma inglés, le encuentras alguna utilidad?

Al: —Porque pienso que es algo que después puedes utilizar de muchas formas,que es algo que desde ahora es muy importante para cualquier trabajo en elfuturo, que sirve para cualquier cosa actualmente y es algo más importante,

desde cosas tan sencillas como una computadora para entender en lo que es-tás o un instructivo de cualquier aparato el inglés es fundamental. Lo que másme disgusta de la clase es a veces la forma en que nos trata el maestro,

porque muchas veces dependiendo del humor de que venga es la cantidad detarea que nos deja, si viene de buen humor no nos deja mucha tarea, si vienede malas nos puede dejar como 20 palabras.

P: —¿Qué hacen con esas palabras?Al: —Las tenemos que repetir 10 veces en el cuaderno con su respectivatraducción.

P: —¿Eso es lo que más te disgusta?Al: —Sí.P: —¿Qué otras actividades realizas en forma común?

Al: —Eso normalmente, o lo que serían los ejercicios en el libro es lo funda-mental de la clase siempre.P: —¿Como qué tipo de ejercicios?

Al: —Vienen en ese libro sopa de letras que tenemos que resolver y despuésle damos las respuestas al maestro, ejercicios de falso o verdadero, segúnunos textos que tenemos que leer en inglés, obviamente, y son relacionar

columnas también de otros textos en inglés, así como repetir otros textostambién.P: —¿Qué utilidad le encuentras por ejemplo a una actividad como la sopa de

letras, él les explica cuál es el sentido de la actividad o solamente les deja laactividad?

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Al: —Nada más nos deja la actividad y a lo mejor el sentido podría ser lamemorización de las palabras.P: —¿Y en esto participan diferentes compañeros contigo o es una actividad

en forma individual?Al: —Es una actividad en forma individual todo lo que se hace, pero despuésya cuando se supone que todos terminan la sopa de letras el maestro las va

preguntando, a veces por número de lista o dependiendo quién quiera parti-cipar, te pregunta una o dos palabras y se le dice en qué columna o hilera estáy te vale como una participación.

P: —¿Por ejemplo una participación a cuánto equivale?Al: —A medio punto en el examen bimestral.P: —¿De qué forma utilizas el libro de texto? Ya me dijiste que te ponen a hacer

algunas lecturas, pero ¿qué otra forma tienes para utilizar tu libro de texto?Al: —Es eso principalmente, tiene sopas de letras, textos, hay varias, tienesque completar tablas, también con información, casi todo se basa en textos que

tiene al principio de cada lección, de falso o verdadero, columna y tablas.P: —¿De complementar ideas, por ejemplo, que le falten palabras a un enun-ciado o algún texto y tú lo tengas que rellenar?, ¿hay ejercicios de este tipo?

Al: —Sí, también hay ejercicios de gramática, de la forma de acomodar pala-bras, y vienen de poner las palabras que son, poner como se [...] con cadaverbo y lo vas anotando, una especie de complementación de enunciados.

P: —¿Te gusta trabajar con tu libro?Al: —Sí.P: —¿Qué te gusta más: trabajar con tu libro, con la explicación que te da tu

maestro o los ejercicios que te pone?Al: —A mí me gustaría más trabajar con la explicación que daría el maestro,pero casi siempre se trabaja con el puro libro, él casi no nos explica nada, la

mayoría se basa en todo lo que es el libro.P: —¿Además de tu libro de texto tienes algunos otros materiales que utilices?Al: —No, nada más es el libro.

• Main difficulties you found in each case.• Possible reasons why the students like or dislike the class.• What advantages or disadvantages do you see in the way teachers give the

class?• According to the interviews, which are the main obstacles in learning a lan-

guage?

After discussing the previous questions, answer, in writing, How would you give anEnglish class?

24

6. Individually, and after reading the texts Spelling and pronunciation by Avery, andIntroduction by Laroy, write, on specific working cards, your own interpretation of theideas the authors express about:

• The difficulties a Spanish-speaking person faces with the American alphabet,specifically in regard to phonetics and phonology.

• What obstacles does a person meet when trying to learn English?

In teams, present the content of the cards you prepared, and explain in which atti-tudes of the escuela secundaria students you perceive the difficulties they have in learn-ing English. With this information design some activities to interest the escuela secundaria

students in learning English.7. Get into teams, and again analyze interview 2, considered in activity 5 in this unit,

and place your attention on the causes that hinder the student from speaking English,

and discuss:• The role of the teacher.• The effects this situation has on the practice of the language.

• The tolerance to mistakes when speaking English.• Why do you think English is not spoken in class?• Reasons why solving puzzles is preferred.

8. With this information, the conclusions reached in the previous discussion and thepersonal experience during the periods of observation and practice taken place up todate (in this and other semesters), design a set of activities in which, the following

aspects are favored intentionally, when teaching adolescents:• Oral expression in English within a respectful environment.• Attention to the difficulties Spanish-speaking people face with the English spell-

ing system.• Strengthening the communicative skills.

Share some of the sequences with the group and discuss them to evaluate the

possibility of putting them into practice in an escuela secundaria during the periods ofobservation and practice.

9. In group, and after reading Theoretical approaches to explaining second language

learning by Lightbown and Spada, review the previous sequences of activities, and ingroup, analyze them at the light of the following aspects the authors mention:

• Essential elements to learn English.

• Similarities and differences between the theories that explain language learning.Taking into account this new information and after discussing it in group, if neces-

sary, make adjustments in the sequences of activities planned to put in practice with

adolescents.To do the following activities, it’s necessary for the future teachers to have orga-

nized the information gathered in the escuela secundaria related to the students ability

to communicate in the foreign language as well as have read the section “Aspectos

25

metodológicos” in Libro para el maestro. Inglés (Methodological aspects, in the English Tea-

cher’s book).

10. In teams organize the collected materials taking into account the information

you identified regarding foreign language skills.Submit the result of your analysis to the group and explain the criteria used to place

the material, pointing out:

• Aspects related to the texts you read.• Specific situations in which you collected the information.

Individually write down the most outstanding details.

11. Individually read Styles and language anxiety: an overview by Rebecca L. Oxfordand write down the author’s ideas about:

• The way the learning style influences the acquisition of skills in a foreign lan-

guage.• Characteristics of the learning styles.

Enroll in a team discussion directed to:

• The relation between the author’s ideas and the situations that have been ob-served in the schools.

• The importance it has for the teacher to know the students’ learning styles.

• The teacher’s influence in strengthening the students’ learning styles.Present and explain to the group the result of the team discussion.12. Once more, review the sequence of activities that was begun in activity 8 of this

unit and include details from the last topics studied.

Unit III. The challenges a foreign language teacher faces inthe escuela secundaria and the consideration given to theessential educational purposes

1. Knowing the students and the ways to teach them.

a) Students’ characteristics, interests and needs as a basis to enhance the learningof English.

b) Activities that allow getting the students acquainted with English.

– Reading out loud to enhance student’s attention and aural comprehension.– Music and songs in English.– Use of available information in the immediate surroundings.

2. Organization and development of group work.a) Designing and practicing sequences of activities that help develop aural and

reading comprehension.

b) Difficulties encountered and possible solutions.c) Activities carried out and their contribution in the fulfillment of the aims for

this level.

26

3. The attention given to students with special needs in teaching or learning a lan-

guage.

Basic bibliography

Brown, H. Douglas (2000), “Language Learning and Teaching”, in Principles of Language Learning

and Teaching, 4 th ed., New York, Longman, pp. 1-4

Holden, Susan and Mickey Rogers (1998), “Listening” and “Using Songs and Rhymes” in English

Language Teaching, México, DELTI, pp. 35-42 and 66-72.

Mager, Robert F. (1984), “Why it’s all About”, in Developing Attitude Toward Learning, 2nd ed., Cali-

fornia, Lake Publishing Company, pp. 7-12.

Mata Barreiro, C. (1990), “Las canciones como refuerzo de las cuatro destrezas”, in P. Bello et al.,

Didáctica de las segundas lenguas. Estrategias y recursos básicos, Madrid, Santillana (Aula

XXI), pp. 158-171.


Vila, Ignasi [coord.] (1997), Enseñar y aprender inglés en la educación secundaria, Barcelona, ICE/

Horsori (Cuadernos de formación del profesorado, 13).


1. Read the following hypothetical situations.

Teacher A is a female teacher with eight years teaching experience. She is a quiet, soft-

spoken teacher who is always polite and pleasant to her students. Her students do

well academically and are always quiet and attentive in class. The students sit in single

rows. When the teacher enters the room, students stand up and greet her. They

raise their hands when they want to speak, and they stand when they answer the

teacher’s questions. Teacher A follows the textbook closely in her teaching. She tends

to be teacher-centered in her teaching, because she believes her classroom is a place

where students come to learn.

Teacher B has three years teaching experience. His class does not do as well academi-

cally as the students in Teacher A’s class, although they work hard and are enthusiastic.

The teacher has an excellent relationship with his students, but his classroom is much

less traditional in its organization. Students do not have to stand up when the teacher

enters, or raise their hands to answer a question, or stand up when they answer a

question. The classroom atmosphere is very relaxed. Students can volunteer answers

when they wish to, so the class is often quite noisy. The teacher often makes use of his

own teaching materials, and is often critical of the assigned text. (Richards, 1997:36)

27

Organize in teams to compare the situations with the ones observed at that escuela

secundaria and answer the following questions:• What coincidences have you noticed between the previous situations and those

observed in the escuela secundaria?• Does a quiet and well behaved group learn better than one in which the stu-

dents communicate among themselves and get up from their place without the

teacher’s permission?• How does the teacher’s practice influence the students attitude toward learn-

ing English? Explain your answers.

• In each situation, what would you keep and what would you change? Supportyour answers.

2. Taking as a starting point the answers given to the previous questions and the

reading of the selection Why it’s all about by Mager, in teams discuss the following ideasstated by the author:

• Why teach to learn?

• Factors that influence attitudes toward teaching.Considering your personal experience and the texts that were read, What aspects

would you include in your practice with adolescents? Write them down and present

your ideas to the group, explaining the criteria considered in the selection.3. Individually, organize the data collected in the escuelas secundarias regarding the

general characteristics of the groups that were observed considering the information

in reference to:• Size of the group, age, amount of boys and girls.• Interest the students show toward learning English. Possible causes.

• Activities students like and don’t like to do.• Difficulties you noticed students have regarding English (in writing, conversa-

tions, diction, etcetera).

In group discuss this information and the individually answer the following ques-tions:

• The group I observed… What is it like?

• What criteria would I take into account in designing sequences of activities toteach English in that group?

It’s appropriate to remember that the intention in this type of activities is to analyze

the factors that influence learning English and not to disqualify the teacher’s work or theactivities the students do in class.

4. Starting with the analysis of the materials in the previous activity, your personal

experience as an escuela secundaria student and the results of the discussions, in teamsconsider the following issues:

• What is read in class?

• Who reads?

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• When and why is reading done?

• Do these activities favor the students’ attention in class?• Are music and songs used in the English class? What kind of music?• What attitudes are apparent when using music or songs in class?

• Is it attractive for the students? Discuss your points of view for or against.• What impact do these activities have in learning?• Do the students search for information in English? How, for what?

Write down the conclusions resulting from the discussion and submit them to thegroup.

5. Individually read Language, learning and teaching by Brown and in group, consider

the questions the author makes in reference to learning a second language.After reading Las canciones como refuerzo de las cuatro destrezas (Songs as a reinforce-

ment of the four skills) by C. Mata Barreiro and, Listening and Using songs and rhymes by S.

Holden and M. Rogers, in teams, design some activities directed to intentions like:• Enhancing students attention and aural comprehension.• Taking advantage of songs in English to strengthen aural comprehension and

pronunciation.• Motivate the students to understand what they read.

6. Review the activities developed in this curriculum (in the three units) regarding:

• The characteristics of English.• Obstacles for learning the language.• Abilities to communicate in the foreign language.• Status and characteristics of the group.

• The activities or sequences of activities designed to teach English.• If pertinent, the obstacles faced when practicing with the designed activities.

7. Individually, select a content from the English curriculum for the escuela secundaria

level (if possible, in agreement with the teacher of the group you will practice with), andwith the experience acquired during the observation and practice periods and theanalysis of the texts studied during the semester:

a) Design a sequence of activities for three consecutive classes with the purposeof encouraging aural comprehension and reading.

b) Put the activities into practice with first grade students at an escuela secundaria.

After the period of observation and practice, in group, discuss about:• Personal development. Relationship with the group.• Student’s achievement noticed as far as the aims of the subject and the level are

concerned.• Aspects you consider must be strengthened or reviewed.

Hints to improve: Considering the difficulties you noticed in the students and your

personal development before the group, write five recommendations to improve learn-ing a foreign language in the escuela secundaria.

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8. In view of the sequences of activities carried out by the future teachers at the

escuela secundaria, identify in the curriculum of that level:• The relationship between the educational aims of the subject and the level.• The agreement with the foreign language teaching approach.

9. Participate in a round table discussion with this topic: Considering different op-tions to deal with the most frequent obstacles in learning a foreign language, in whichyou should analyze some of the following issues:

• Proof that allows detecting the difficulties the escuela secundaria students havein learning English.

• Main causes of the difficulties to learn a foreign language.

• Students responsibility for his own learning.• The challenges of a foreign language teacher at an escuela secundaria level.

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