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InTime
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Posts: 1676
Location: CHINA-at-large
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 Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:05 am Post subject: |
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Re: "Teaching" Oral English
Below relates to learning via "non-teaching"
That is...a learning community
From pg. 1 'Promoting Change' on this China Job-related page...
...nearly 3 years ago...
It WILL come-to-be, when it's good-and-meant-to-be
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Key Principles
*Second language acquisition occurs when
comprehensible input is delivered in a low-anxiety
situation, when real messages of real interest are
transmitted and understood.
(Krashen)
*A very interesting hypothesis is that we learn best
only when the pressure is completely off, when anxiety
is zero, when the acquirer's focus is entirely on
communication; in short, when the interchange or input
is so interesting that the acquirer "forgets" that it
is in a second language.
(Krashen)
*It has become evident to many teachers of ESL
students that most of the available texts and
materials are based on artificial sequencing of
grammatical structures and stilted, often irrelevant,
dialogues and topics.
(Rodriguez and White)
Key Elements
*high ratio of native/advanced English speakers to
English learners
*a bilingual Mandarin-English environment--bringing
together Chinese interested in improving their
English, as well as foreigners
*a variety of activities available for the
participants
(1)free conversation
(2)viewing/discussion of movie/movie segment
(3)discussion of movie reviews
(4)movie-based role plays
(5)a wide range of other activities--Theatre Games,
discussion topics, public speaking training, Karaoke
singing
One difficulty with English conversation
centers/corners is that the unstructured dynamic
frequently loses focus. The members and conversation
partners often experience the awkward feeling of a
first date--trying to think of things to say, having
uncomfortable periods of silence, wishing they were
somewhere else.
DVD movies will be an essential element for this project.
All members will share the experience of viewing the film, so conversation will have a common focus. In addition, we can offer:
*a wide range of movie reviews for each movie--promoting vocabulary development/critical thinking/active discussions
(available at www.imdb.com)
*movie scripts (available at www.script-o-rama.com)
Over the years, L2 teachers have developed a wide range of communicative techniques based upon the creative use of movie segments, such as:
VIEWING COMPREHENSION (with sound off)
DIALOGUE BUILDING (with sound off)
AURAL ONLY PREDICTION (with sound only)
PREDICTIVE VIEWING--What will happen?
REVERSE PREDICTION--What happened before the sequence seen?
JIGSAW VIEWING (Only half the viewers see the sequence, and they relate it to those who haven't. Replay it to compare.)
Such approaches can create an enhanced learning environment, in harmony with Krashen's principles:
*A RICH VARIETY OF COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT
*A LOW-ANXIETY SITUATION
*REAL MESSAGES OF REAL INTEREST
A short (1 to 3 minutes) close-captioned movie segment offers the learner a synergistic schemata of opportunities for comprehensible INPUT. The visual images themselves are comprehensible and are stored
in the students' memories as EXPERIENCES, rather than as a language lesson that must be "studied/learned" because the teacher will test the students for their ability to "remember" the lesson.
A schematic tapestry of English words becomes associated with the movie's images and emotions. Plot, character, emotion--these are the 'hooks' by which the language becomes comprehensible input and stored intake. This dynamic is quite different from the artificial approaches typically used--vocabulary lists, linear progressions in grammar complexity etc.)
To use another metaphor, the memories of the movie segment can be seen as gravitational schemata which can attract and retain words associated with the images. As the learner thinks of a scene, an
ever-expanding constellation of words and sentences can become linked in the memory with a pleasant (LOW-ANXIETY) experience, rich with REAL MESSAGES OF REAL INTEREST. As the learner thinks of one character,
a tremendous variety of adjectives and actions can become part of the schemata.
This is in harmony with the episode hypothesis, which states that "text (i.e. discourse in any form) will be easier to produce, understand, and recall to the extent that it is motivated and structured episodically...these ideas lead to the supposition that perhaps second language teaching would be more successful if it incorporated principles of good story
writing along with the benefits of sound linguistic analysis." (Oller)
In addition to discussion of the movies, Members and Dialogue Partners will also be active in role play based upon the movie segments. In Why Drama Works: A Psycholinguistic, Susan Stern at UCLA brings together
a wide range of research relating to the power of role play for creating an enjoyable and effective second language environment:
*MOTIVATION "The purposefulness of dramatic activity
can provide a strong instrumental motivation for
language learning...Moulding emphasized that drama
provides the context for a meaningful exchange in
which participants see a reason to communicate, and
focuses on 'how to do things' with the language rather
than on merely 'how to describe things.' Malley and
Duff explained that language teaching has tended to
kill motivation by divorcing the intellectual aspects
of language (vocabulary + structures) from its body
and emotions, limiting instruction to the former.
Dramatic techniques restore the body and emotions to
language learning, thereby restoring emotion."
*SELF-ESTEEM "An analogy between acting and martial
arts suggested by Via explains one way in which drama
helps self-confidence. Just as a yell accompanies the
strike in order to build the confidence and increase
the energy of the attacker, so a strong and clear
voice (necessary when performing) gives the language
learner confidence. Drama also raises self-esteem by
demonstrating to L2 learners that they are indeed
capable of expressing themselves in realistic
communicative settings."
*SENSITIVITY TO REJECTION "L2 learnwers who are afraid
of what others may think of their less-than-perfect
comand of the language will be inhibited in using it.
This is especially true of adults. Several educators
have found that drama creates a
non-threateningsituation which can reduce and even
eliminate sensitivity to rejection."
*EMPATHY 'Guiora explains that emphathic capacity is
dependent upon the ability to partially and
temporarily suspend the functions that maintain one's
separateness from others (usually called ego
boundaries)...Guiora et al. hypothesize that ability
to approximate native-like pronunciation in a second
language is related to the flexibility or permeability
of one;s ego boundaries.
*SPONTANEITY "Mann explains that persons in the
spontaneous state completely forget the existence of
the audience or cease to be completely about its
reactions,,,'In varying degrees the person in such a
state acts as though inspired. He draws on resources
which neith he nor his friends may have thought he had
at his disposal.' If this state can be induced in L2
learners via drama, the usual gap between thought and
statement which ceases to exist in the native
language might cease to exist in the second language
as well."
_________________
U.S. NATIONAL DEBT CLOCK
$8,070,511,909,976.64
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
America's support for human rights and democracy is our noblest export to the world.
William J. Bennett |
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InTime
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Posts: 1676
Location: CHINA-at-large
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| Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:24 am Post subject: |
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Heuristic article
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http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Zhenhui-TeachingStyles.html
Matching Teaching Styles with Learning Styles in East Asian Contexts
Rao Zhenhui
rzhthm [at] public.nc.jx.cn
Foreign Languages College, Jiangxi Normal University (Nanchang, China)
Examples of Mismatches Between Teaching and Learning Styles
Liu Hong, a third-year English major in Jiangxi Normal University, China, was in David's office again. After failing David's oral English course the previous year, Liu Hong had reenrolled, hoping to pass it this year. Unfortunately, things were not looking promising so far, and she was frustrated. When David asked why she was so unhappy in his class, she said: "I am an introverted, analytic and reflective student. I don't know how to cope with your extroverted, global and impulsive teaching style?"
Jenny, an American teacher from California, sat in Dean's office again, feeling perplexed by the students' negative responses to her kinesthetic and global styles of teaching. Despite Jenny's persistent efforts to convince the students of the advantages of her teaching styles, she was told by her Vietnamese colleagues that her attempts were in opposition to the prevalent teaching styles in Vietnam. Jenny had specialized in applied linguistics for a long time and was well trained in the TESOL area in U.S.A. But all of a sudden, it seemed that all her teaching competence and experience had become useless in such a country where she had never been before. |
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Conclusion
In this article I have discussed the significance of matching teaching and learning styles in East Asian countries and provided some empirical evidence to indicate that East Asian students exhibit distinctive learning style characteristics. To understand and respect individual's diverse learning styles, I suggest that teachers employ instruments to identify students' learning styles and provide instructional alternatives to address their differences, and that teachers plan lessons to match students' learning styles while at the same time encouraging students to diversify their learning style preferences. By doing this we can assist our students in becoming more effective language learners. |
Consider Krashen's I + 1 Hypothesis.
Stretch the parameters of input acceptance/comprehension...promoting...
ACQUISITION of the FL
Too much non-comprehensible INPUT...
...and it's a WASH-OUT!!!
Same w/INNOVATIONS
...evolution...
...rather than...
...revolution... |
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u24tc
Joined: 14 May 2007
Posts: 125
Location: Dalian, China
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| Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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Currently I have an issue with the oral english classes that I am teaching.
We have been given this book to use as a guidance - New Horizon Listening/Speaking - and basically, the majority of topics within the book are useless.
Topics include: dealing with Alzheimers and single parent, double trouble?!?!
Why on earth would the students want to learn such topics?!?!
Anyway ... I decided to scrap that and made my own classes in which I feel the students would be able to use in real life situations.
My problem is this. I have 6 oral classes of which I see 3 a week. Running on alternate weeks. I see each 3/6 once every 2 weeks and it is supposed to be 1 topic each time.
So a new topic every 2 weeks.
In this class, I am technically also supposed to cover some listening but with only being given 1.5 hours per class/topic, time seems so short.
I currently asked them on problems they are experiencing and they have told me these:
1. The listening is too fast and they can not understand some of the vocab
(means I have to spend time explaining new vocab, etc)
2. Don't understand what I am saying
(Again more time used to explain meaning)
Now cramming both listening/speaking activities in a one and a half hour lecture to cover 1 topic each time is tough as it is a lot of information at one go.
Any advice appreciated.
Topics I cover include: Travel; Job interviews; Presentation, etc |
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arioch36
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 3589
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| Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 4:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Consider Krashen's I + 1 Hypothesis. |
People misuse Krashen so much.
First, Krashen doesn't really say anything new, but is the posterboy for that "camp", which really isn't pertinent to whether what he says is right or wrong
Second, what Krashen says, and all his research on which he has based books, articles, and speaking topics , is based on teaching a target population that is already immersed in english such as the U.S. or the U. K. While he has visited east asia, none of his stuff is based on teaching outside the U.S.
For instance he stresses heavily the importance of the individual reading books. I AGREE TOTALLY. I think any one who seriously studied another language at their home uni would agree that reading books ... novel in the target language is very important.
Uh, what books are available to the Chinese student? Penguin Classics? Jane Eyre? I scramble for any book I canget my greedy paws on.
English immersion? WHat nonsense is this? And when Krashen speaks of this, it means the tv at home is in English. At my college, once a month or so there is an English movie. All shopping and business is not done in English. Other classes (including some english classes) are not done in English
And finally Krashen never considers that a totally different culture creates a mind that thinks and learns differently, just like children's and adult's minds think and learn differently. Brain scans show that Chinese brought up in the native culture use their brains differently to solve problems
It drives me crazy. Where Krashen adres these things. he doesn't because it is not where he is at.
Whether Krashen is "right or wrong" is not relevant to China today (or perhaps ever) |
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