Teaching English to Adult Speakers of Other Languages

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Teaching English to Adult Speakers of Other
Languages

• ALECC Module 5

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Welcome to TESOL!

• The fastest growing population in adult literacy
  education today!

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Todays Agenda

• Insert Time Registration Coffee
• Insert Time Workshop Start-Up
• Insert Time Mid-Workshop Break
• Insert Time Workshop End Time

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The Ten Ks of the Professional Adult Educator

• Knowledge of self as a learner
• Knowledge of how adults learn
• Knowledge of adult learning theories
• Knowledge of Literacy Numeracy
• Knowledge of Language Communication

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The Ten Ks of the Professional Adult Educator

• 6. Knowledge of standards content, performance,
  program
• 7. Knowledge of science-based research
  evidence-based practice
• 8. Knowledge of diversity
• 9. Knowledge of standardized assessment
• 10. Knowledge of NYSEDs P-16 Action Plan

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The Four Themes for Today

• Science-Based Research in Theories of Teaching
  English to Adult Speakers of Other Languages
• Communicative Language teaching (CLT),
  Content-Based Instruction (CBI) and
  Contextualized Language (CL)
• The Importance of Vocabulary (Lexical Approach)
  and Strategies Based Instruction (SBI) in TESOL
• Resources for Balanced Science Evidence-Based
  Reading Practice

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Todays Activities

• A Look at ESOL theories, approaches, methods
• A Review of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
  Precepts
• Understanding Contextualized Language
• The Importance of Content-Based Instruction (CBI)
• The Importance of Vocabulary Development (Lexical
  Approach)
• The Importance of Strategies-Based Instruction
  (SBI)
• Deciding Your Practice Philosophy

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Pre-Workshop Assignments

• Learning Vocabulary in Another Language -
  Vocabulary Quiz
• CAELA FAQs
• Any Surprises?

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Log onto these TESOL Toolboxes

• CAELA
• http//www.cal.org/caela/tools/
• TESOL
• http//www.tesol.org

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Recent government statistics say

• Over 50 of our adult education classes
  nationwide are ESOL classes
• This number is set to rise significantly, trends
  say
• The passage of a comprehensive immigration bill
  would make these numbers skyrocket

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ApproachMethodSyllabus

• Approach an integrated set of theoretical
  principles and practical beliefs about the nature
  of language and the nature of learning itself.
• Method how the individual teacher implements
  the approach.
• Syllabus the daily schedule, the curriculum,
  the actual lesson plans and learning content
• The WHY, The HOW, The WHAT

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The APPROACH

• Todays Workshop is about
• the Approach

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What Language are we Teaching?

• Is it BICS or CALPS?

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BICS

• Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills

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CALPS

• Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency Skills

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Your Theory of TESOL

• Do you have a preferred theory or approach to
  TESOL?
• What is it?
• Which approach resonates most with you? Why?
• Which approach resonates least? Why?
• Discuss Your Reflections in Your Group

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Remember!

• Educators can usually discuss HOW they teach
  ESOL, but they are often unable to identify the
  theories on which their instruction is based.
  Lets change that.

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Also Remember, Our Theories Usually Reflect.

• Our belief systems
• Our values
• Our metaphors for language, learning, acquisition
  teaching
• Our implicit understanding about the nature of
  language teaching
• So, analyzing what you believe is very important.

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And, once again, The BIG Question is

• Are our beliefs and values, and thus our
  instructional approaches and methods, grounded
  in science-based research and evidence-based
  practice?

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And .

• Are our instructional methods and practices
  appropriate for the group of learners we are
  teaching?

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Determining Second Language Acquisition Schools
of Thought

• Answer the 4 BIG Assumption Questions ? The
  Approach

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The BIG 4 Assumption Questions

• What do you believe to be the nature of language?
• How is language best learned or acquired?
• How should language be taught (best practices)?
• How should language proficiency be measured?

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The 4 Assumption Qs

• How do you answer these 4 Qs?
• How does your preferred approach answer these 4
  questions? Do they match?
• Refer to the SLA History Approaches Chart

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What do we mean by.

• Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
• Contextualized Language (CL)
• Content-Based Instruction (CBI)
• Communicative Competence (CC)

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Communicative Competence includes

• Grammatical Competence - mastering the linguistic
  code including vocabulary, grammar,
  pronunciation, spelling and word formation
• Sociolinguistic Competence - extent to which
  utterances can be used or understood
  appropriately in various social contexts speech
  acts such as persuading, apologizing, describing
  

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Communicative Competence includes

• Discourse Competence - the ability to combine
  ideas to achieve cohesion in form and coherence
  in thought above the level of the single sentence
• Strategic Competence - the ability to use
  strategies like gestures or talking around an
  unknown word in order to overcome limitations in
  language knowledge

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Communicative Competence

• The ability to use the language for meaningful
  communication

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Communicative Competence

• Knowing how to use language for a range of
  different purposes and functions
• Knowing how to vary our use of language according
  to the setting and the participants (formal vs.
  informal written vs. spoken)
• Knowing how to produce and understand different
  types of texts (narrative, reports, interviews,
  conversations)
• Knowing how to maintain communication despite
  having limitations in ones language knowledge
  (using different communication strategies)

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Communicative Language Teaching

• What is it?
• What are its assumptions?
• Does this mean teaching conversation?
• Does it mean and absence of grammar?

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Which statements characterize CLT?

• People learn a language best when using it to do
  things rather than through studying how language
  works and practicing rules?
• Grammar is no longer important in language
  teaching.
• People learn a language through communicating in
  it.
• Errors are not important in speaking a language.
• CLT is only concerned with teaching speaking.

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Which statements characterize CLT?

• 6. Classroom activities should be meaningful and
  involve real communication.
• 7. Dialogues are not used in CLT.
• Both accuracy and fluency are goals in CLT.
• CLT is usually described as a method of teaching.

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Reflect on .

• Core Assumptions of CLT
• Major Changes of CLT

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Strategies Based Instruction (SBI)

• Offers a learner-focused approach
• Makes students consciously aware of the
  strategies and skills needed to effectively learn
  an L2
• Gives students specific behaviors, steps and
  actions to enhance second language learning and
  acquisition
• Provides a process that is goal-directed and
  personalized

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Reflect on .

• Do you know your own second language learning
  strategies?
• Have you studied another language?
• Take the SILL Survey

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Other Names for Learning Strategies

• Learning skills
• Learning-to-learn skills
• Thinking skills
• Problem-solving skills

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Stephen Krashens Monitor Theory of L2 Learning

• The
• Learning-Acquisition
• Continuum

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The Learning-Acquisition Continuum

• Both Are Necessary for
• Communicative Competence

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Stephen Krashens Monitor Theory of L2 Learning

• Learning conscious knowledge of language rules,
  does not typically lead to conversational fluency
  and is derived from formal instruction
• Acquisition occurs unconsciously and
  spontaneously, does lead to conversational
  fluency and arises from naturalistic language

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Some L2 Learning Strategies.

• Direct Strategies
• Memory Strategies
• Cognitive Strategies
• Compensation Strategies
• Indirect Strategies
• Social Strategies
• Affective Strategies
• Metacognitive Strategies

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Do you know these terms

• The Lexical Approach
• Comprehensible Input
• Corpus Linguistics
• Collocations

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In the Lexical Approch

• Language is seen as a system for conveying
  meaning and performing tasks, rather than just a
  string of grammar rules
• Emphasis is on giving students effective
  strategies for being able to function, perform
  and communicate in the English language
• Emphasis is on helping students to gain a large
  functional vocabulary using the same strategies
  that native speakers use

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Precepts of the Lexical Approach

• The goal of the Lexical Approach is to get
  students to become aware of, use and to
  eventually master these meaning-filled,
  multi-word chunks, collocations and fixed
  utterances
• Instructional emphasis is on helping students to
  gain a large functional vocabulary using the same
  strategies that native speakers use
• Modern research into language learning theory
  suggests that these chunks are the basis for
  inductive learning of language which produces
  mastery of the grammatical system

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Krashens Comprehensible Input

• The quality of the language input in the reading
  texts and on audio and video presentations is
  seen as central to the ultimate success of
  student learning. Therefore, selection of
  appropriate texts materials is made only after
  detailed analysis of the lexical items and
  chunks that appear in them is made.

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The Central Function of Vocabulary

• Students must be taught a system for collecting,
  learning and retaining functional words,
  expressions, and utterances
• Students must be taught how to develop a natural,
  native-speaker-like intuition about standard
  American English words, expressions, and
  utterances
• Lexis functional meaning take precedence over
  grammar form

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Summary of the Lexical Approach

• A communicative methodology, syllabus approach
• Part of the Communicative Competence School of
  Thought
• Focuses on
• Sociolinguistic Competence
• Discourse Competence
• Strategic Competence
• Grammatical Competence
• It emphasizes both fluency and accuracy

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Corpus Linguistics

• COBUILD
• Concordances
• Chunks
• Collocations

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How Long Does It Take To Learn English as an
Adult?

• Depends on age, educational background, level of
  literacy in the native language, opportunities to
  use English
• 5 to 7 years for children
• 500 - 1000 hours of instruction
• This is the problem that is ours to solve for our
  adult learners

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How Long Does It Take To Learn English as an
Adult?

• This is the most important problem that is ours
  to solve for our adult ESOL learners!
• How can we help them shorten the language
  acquisition time?

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Post Workshop Assignments

• Readings
• Reflection Activities

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For more information on ALECC, contact

• Marilyn J. Rymniak
• Project Leader
• Statewide Professional Development System ALECC
• Literacy Assistance Center
• 32 Broadway, 10th Floor
• New York, NY 10004
• 212-803-3322, marilynr_at_lacnyc.org