tesol presentation
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Pamela BellardTRANSCRIPT
Eng l i sh as an Add i t i ona l Language
Teach ing Eng l i sh to
Speakers o f Other Languages
P r e s e n t e d b y P a m e l a B e l l a r d
Who is an English as an Additional Language Learner?
O A student who is a non-native English speaker who uses another primary
language at homeO Students born in another country who
have immigrated with their familyO Children born here into a family of non-
English speakersO Indigenous people who speak the native
language or dialectO A migratory child whose native language
is not English
Socio-cultural knowledgeWhat do I need to know?
The Basic Facts• Where is the student from?
• How long have they been here?• Where and with whom is the student living?
• What were the circumstances of immigration?• What language or languages are spoken at
home?• How well do they know their primary language?
Prior School Experience• If possible, gain school records from the previous
school. You may need the help of an interpreter.
The Home Culture
O What are the basic features of the home culture?
O Religious beliefs, customs, food preferences, and restrictions, roles and responsibilities of children and adults.
O How do children relate to adults and how do they address one another?
O How does this child feel about being here?
Helpers
How can I enlist the help of other students to make them
feel welcome? How can I get feedback on
how the child is coping?Who can I assign the child to
as a special buddy to help them to feel safe?
Which small group of children can I put them with for them to interact regularly? A table
group? Keep that group consistent. This contributes to
the initial sense of belonging.
So…How do children learn their first language?
O There are a few different theories
How do children learn their first language? (L1)
Acquisition
Aspects
Behaviourist Perspective
Innatist Perspective
Interactionist Perspective
Linguistic Focus
Verbal behaviors (not analyzed per se): words, utterances of child and people in social environment
Child’s syntax Conversations between child and caregiver; focus on caregiver speech
Process of acquisition
Modeling, imitation, practice, and selective reinforcement of correct form
Hypothesis testing and creative construction of syntactic rules using LAD (an innate, biological language acquisition device)
Acquisition emerges from communication; acts scaffolded by caregivers
Role of child Secondary role; imitator and responder to environmental shaping
Primary role: equipped with biological LAD, child plays major role in acquisition
Important role in interaction, taking more control as language acquisition advances
Role of social environment
Primary role: parental modeling and reinforcement are major factors promoting language acquisition
Minor role: language used by others merely triggers LAD
Important role in interaction, especially in early years when caregivers modify input and carry much of conversational load
Peregoy, F., & Boyle, O. (2013). Reading, Writing and Learning in ESL: A resource book for teaching K-12 English Learners (6 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Stages of Development in L2 (Language 2)• The Natural Approach describes several stages of language development that
it seems that every student progresses through no matter who they are. They are:
P r e p r o d u c t i o n , E a r l y P r o d u c t i o n , S p e e c h E m e r g e n c e & I n t e r m e d i a t e F l u e n c y
Let’s look a bit closer at these
• Preproduction – also called the ‘silent period’ “the learner absorbs the sounds and rhythms of the new language, learns to identify specific words, relies on contextual clues for understanding key words, and generally communicates nonverbally.”
• “Once a learner feels more confident in the Early Production stage , words and phrases are attempted, and responses can consist of single words (“yes”, “OK”, “come”), two-or-three-word combinations (“gimme the ball,” “don’t go”), utterances learned in one piece (Can-I-go-to-the-bathroom?”), and simple poems and songs.”
• “In the third stage” , Speech Emergence “utterances become longer and more complex.”
• In the fourth stage, Intermediate fluency, “students begin to sustain conversations and can recognize and correct their own errors.”
Diaz-Rico, L. (2013) Strategies for Teaching English Learners (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ : Pearson (pg.43)
How do children learn their second language?
“Behaviorist, innatist and interactionist views of second language development have influenced teaching methods over the span
of several decades. In today’s classrooms, you will see teaching strategies that can be traced to each one. Currently, the most influential theories stem from the innatist tradition,…
and the interactionist tradition. The three theoretical perspectives of second language acquisition bear certain
implications for instruction”, as outlined in the following table
Instructional Implications of Second Language Acquisition Theories
I n s t r u c t i o na l C o m p o n e n ts
B e h a v i o u r i s t I n n a t i s t I n t e r a c t i o n i s t
Source of linguistic input
Language dialogues and drills from teacher or audiotape
Natural language from the teacher, friends, or books
Natural language from the teacher, friends, or books
Nature of input Structured by grammatical complexity
Unstructured, but made comprehensible by teacher
Unstructured, but focused on communication between learner and others
Ideal classroom composition
All target language learners of similar second language proficiency
Target language learners of similar second language proficiency so i+1 can be achieved
Native speakers together with target language learners for social interaction aimed at communication
Student output Structured repetitions and grammar pattern drill responses
Output is not a concern; it will occur naturally
Speaking occurs naturally in communication with others
Pressure to speak Students repeat immediately
“Silent period” expected
No pressure to speak except natural impulse to communicate
Treatment of errors
Errors are corrected immediately
Errors are not corrected; students will correct themselves with time
Errors that impede communication will be corrected naturally as meaning is negotiated; some errors may require explicit corrective instruction
Peregoy, F., & Boyle, O. (2013). Reading, Writing and Learning in ESL: A resource book for teaching K-12 English Learners (6 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
How is teaching English as a first language different from teaching English as a second language?
• Children are surrounded by language and its meaning even before they are born. They are cared for in families that speak,
listen and respond.
• When a child comes into a classroom that same level of interplay between adult and child is not available, so other measures must be intentionally addressed so that the child can quickly develop
into a fluent communicator.
• Making up for this short-fall is the difference between learning English as a first language and teaching it as a
second language.
Gibbons, P. (1991). Planning for a language of learning. In learning to learn in a second language . Newtown: PETA
The Four Strands of a Language Course
1. Meaning-focused inputFocusing on the ideas that are contained in the message e.g. “listening to a story, taking part in a conversation, following instructions, or watching television.2. Language-focused learning“giving attention to features of the language … for their spoken or written form, their general meaning, the patterns that they fit into, or their correct use.”3. Meaning –focused output“Learners are pushed” (to speak) “when through encouragement or necessity they have to produce spoken language in unfamiliar areas.”4. Fluency development activities“Learners demonstrate fluency when they take part in meaning-focused activity and do it with speed and ease without holding up the flow of talk.”
Nation, P. (1996). The four strands of a language course. TESOL in Context. 6(1), 7-12. http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=101956;res=AEIPT> ISSN: 1030-8385.
Enthusiastic support and modelling from adults and peers is needed; chances to copy and clarify meanings one-on-one. This individual instruction should be focused on taking the child to the next
level, always done in an encouraging and supportive manner.
“the complex circumstances of teaching and learning languages, with different kinds of pupils, teachers,
aims and objectives, approaches, methods and materials, classroom techniques and standards of achievement make it inconceivable that any single
method could achieve optimum success in all circumstances”
In Celce-Murcia, 1980
Peter Strevens, a well-known British expert on English language teaching says...
O In terms of classroom procedures, they need much more repetition and practice
O More explicit instruction and concept-checkingO More careful paraphrasing of difficult vocabularyO More demonstration and modellingO More highly structured and sensitive elicitation of existing
knowledgeO More opportunities for controlled teacher-student
interaction and student-student interactionO More time to absorb the rhythms and patterns of the
target languageO Methodical, planned language development, not just
opportunities for use. Chris Davison in TESOL in Context
So what strategies do we need for teaching EAL learners?
References