teaching grammar to adult ells: focus on form amber … own beliefs about the role of grammar in esl...
TRANSCRIPT
Montana Adult ESOL Conference
Teaching Grammar to Adult ELLs: Focus on Form
Amber Gallup Rodriguezwww.cal.org
Objectives
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
Articulate own beliefs about the role of grammar in ESL instruction.
Define and describe the focus on form approach.
Identify several types of focus on form instructional activities.
Analyze a lesson plan for its use of focus on form.
1
Historical Approaches to Grammar Instruction
Emphasis on meaningful interaction and authentic learning activities.
Grammar is learned through oral practice, drills, and repetition, not through memorization.
Heavy focus on syntax and learning language structure, inspired by the theory of Universal Grammar.
Grammar is learned through repetitive listening and dialogue drills.
Rote memorization of grammar rules and NO genuine communicative activities
2
Historical Approaches to Grammar Instruction
Grammar translation: Rote memorization of grammar rules and NO genuine communicative activities.
3
Historical Approaches to Grammar Instruction
Grammar translation: Rote memorization of grammar rules and NO genuine communicative activities.
Direct method: Grammar is learned through oral practice, drills, and repetition, not through memorization.
4
Historical Approaches to Grammar Instruction
Grammar translation: Rote memorization of grammar rules and NO genuine communicative activities.
Direct method: Grammar is learned through oral practice, drills, and repetition, not through memorization.
Audiolingualism: Grammar is learned through repetitive listening and dialogue drills.
5
Historical Approaches to Grammar Instruction
Grammar translation: Rote memorization of grammar rules and NO genuine communicative activities.
Direct method: Grammar is learned through oral practice, drills, and repetition, not through memorization.
Audiolingualism: Grammar is learned through repetitive listening and dialogue drills.
Cognitive approaches: Heavy focus on syntax and learning language structure, inspired by the theory of Universal Grammar.
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Historical Approaches to Grammar Instruction
Grammar translation: Rote memorization of grammar rules and NO genuine communicative activities.
Direct method: Grammar is learned through oral practice, drills, and repetition, not through memorization.
Audiolingualism: Grammar is learned through repetitive listening and dialogue drills.
Cognitive approaches: Heavy focus on syntax and learning language structure, inspired by the theory of Universal Grammar.
Communicative language teaching: Emphasis on meaningful interaction and authentic learning activities.
8
The Explicit/Implicit Continuum
Discuss in pairs or small groups:
Approaches to grammar instruction range from highly explicit to highly implicit. As an ESL teacher, where you do you fall in the continuum? How do you approach grammar instruction?
HOW teachers encourage learners to focus on form
Focus on form can be:
• Planned and focused on pre-selected structures OR incidental, arising spontaneously
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HOW teachers encourage learners to focus on form
Focus on form can be:
• Planned and focused on pre-selected structures OR incidental, arising spontaneously
• Reactive, including explicit corrections to student language
10
HOW teachers encourage learners to focus on form
Focus on form can be:
• Planned and focused on pre-selected structures OR incidental, arising spontaneously
• Reactive, including explicit corrections to student language
• Teacher-initiated (most frequently)
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HOW teachers encourage learners to focus on form
Focus on form can be:
• Planned and focused on pre-selected structures OR incidental, arising spontaneously
• Reactive, including explicit corrections to student language
• Teacher-initiated (most frequently)
• Student-initiated (through questions and requests for explanation)
Focus on form works: The research
SLA research in the last 20 years or so has found promising evidence that:
• Learners who engaged in communicative focus on form activities improve their grammatical accuracy and increase use of new forms.
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Focus on form works: The research
SLA research in the last 20 years or so has found promising evidence that:
• Learners who engaged in communicative focus on form activities improve their grammatical accuracy and increase use of new forms.
• Short episodes of corrective feedback and other focus on form techniques correlate with higher rates of accuracy.
14
Focus on form works: The research
SLA research in the last 20 years or so has found promising evidence that:
• Learners who engaged in communicative focus on form activities improve their grammatical accuracy and increase use of new forms.
• Short episodes of corrective feedback and other focus on form techniques correlate with higher rates of accuracy
• Students learn best with instruction that combines interactive approaches with some explicit instruction of form.
15
With whom does it work best?
• Instructors should consider learners’ developmental readiness when deciding whether to use a focus-on-form approach: low literacy and beginning learners may not benefit
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With whom does it work best?
• Instructors should consider learners’ developmental readiness when deciding whether to use a focus-on-form approach: low literacy and beginning learners may not benefit
• Learners should be encouraged to attend to form after they have acquired basic structures and vocabulary
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• Instructors should consider learners’ developmental readiness when deciding whether to use a focus-on-form approach: low literacy and beginning learners may not benefit
• Learners should be encouraged to attend to form after they have acquired basic structures and vocabulary
• Advanced learners with academic goals may benefit from a more explicit approach
With whom does it work best?
Focus on Form Instructional Activities
Input flood
Input Flood
Maria’s mother was worried. Maria’s face was pale and she seemed depressed. Earlier in the afternoon, she tried to talk to her daughter about it.
“Maria, have you eaten today?” her mother asked.
“A little I guess. I haven’t been hungry.”
“Have you taken a shower?”
“No, I haven’t. Not yet.”
“Have you done your homework?”
“No, mom. I just haven’t felt like it.”
Her mother suspected that Maria had a problem, but she didn’t know how to help her.
Focus on Form Instructional Activities
Input flood
Input enhancement
Input Enhancement
Maria’s mother was worried. Maria’s face was pale and she seemed depressed. Earlier in the afternoon, she tried to talk to her daughter about it.
“Maria, have you eaten today?” her mother asked.
“A little I guess. I haven’t been hungry.”
“Have you taken a shower?”
“No, I haven’t. Not yet.”
“Have you done your homework?”
“No, mom. I just haven’t felt like it.”
Her mother suspected that Maria had a problem, but she didn’t know how to help her.
Focus on Form Instructional Activities
Input flood
Input enhancement
Focused communicative task
Focus on Form Instructional Activities
Input flood
Input enhancement
Focused communicative task
Error correction strategies
Focus on Form Instructional Activities
Input flood
Input enhancement
Focused communicative task
Error correction strategies
The garden path technique
Focus on Form Instructional Activities
Input flood
Input enhancement
Focused communicative tasks
Error correction strategies
The garden path technique
Collaborative dialogues
Focus on Form Instructional Activities
Input flood
Input enhancement
Focused communicative tasks
Error correction strategies
The garden path technique
Collaborative dialogues
Prolepsis
Prolepsis
(S writes “My baby was angry.”)T: Oh, she was angry. And then?S: I pick her up, but she cry.T: I see. Why don’t you write it down?S: I can say it, but I don’t write.T: Just try it. Write what you know.(S writes “She cry.”)T: Good. Ok, cry when? Now?S: No, she cried.T: Yes. Go ahead and write it. I’ll help.(S writes “She cryed.”)T: Right. But remember what happens to the “y”?(S erases “cryed” and writes “cried.”)T: Right. What happened then?
Focus on form instructional activities
Input flood
Input enhancement
Focused communicative tasks
Error correction strategies
The garden path technique
Collaborative dialogues
Prolepsis
Language Experience Approach (LEA)
Work in small groups:
Your intermediate students are engaged in the planning of a class party. Groups of students have been assigned various roles in the party planning process. One group is in charge of drinks, one group is in charge of food, one group is in charge of bringing plates, napkins, and utensils, and a final group is in charge of decorating. As students interact with each other to carry out their roles, you notice that students have a need to use count and non-count nouns, and that they are not using them very accurately. As their instructor, how can you encourage learners to notice forms such as such, much, a little, a few, etc. and perhaps even increase their accuracy in their use of these forms, while still staying primarily focused on meaning (that is, on party-planning!)
