Tutoring Students Taking Foreign Languages

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Tutoring Students Taking Foreign Languages

• Suzanne Robertshaw
• Tutor Coordinator
• Rollins College, Florida
• ATP on-line workshop Fall 2008
• Meeting the Demand Strategies and
• Techniques for Tutoring Students
• across the Curriculum

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Welcome to the training I use with my tutors
working in Spanish, French, German, Chinese,
Japanese, and Latin.

• Most of my tutors are non-native speakers (NNS)
  of the foreign language, and as such, have
  learned the language the way their students have.
  They know the rules. They are used to the
  professors styles, the way the textbooks are
  organized, and the exercises within them and on
  the internet.
• Sometimes professors nominate native speakers
  (NS) to tutor. Their proficiency in the language
  is by definition more in depth, but sometimes
  lacking in overt knowledge of the rules. We get
  the two groups to help each other. Sometimes
  students see both NS and NNS for tutoring.
• What tutors need from training is to step back
  and see the bigger picture the language-learning
  process, their own learning styles and
  preferences. They can then help others reflect
  on their own process and try to improve it.
• A bit about terminology
• L1 first, native language L2 second (third,
  fourth), i.e. foreign language
• These abbreviations will make our discussion
  easierand remind us of all the research being
  done on second language acquisition.

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Factors in L2 learning similarities with other
subjects

• As with other courses, students come to L2
  classes and L2 tutoring with different levels or
  varieties of
• background knowledge (recent L2 courses? grades
  in them? other L2 practice?)
• enthusiasm (gen. ed. requirement? elective? L2
  major?)
• learning styles (which can match or not the
  demands of the L2 curriculum)
• study strategies behaviors (in general and in
  L2 skills)

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Factors in L2 tutoring similarities with other
subjects

• As in tutoring other courses, L2 tutors must
• Understand the demands of the specific course and
  professor (so that time is spent on what is
  valued by the professor and in the course grade)
• Assess and work with the students levels of
  proficiency, study habits, learning style (so
  that the student is working on improving what
  s/he already knows/does)

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How is L2 tutoring different?

• Knowing a second language involves
• Understanding (listening reading) recognition,
  receptive knowledge
• Producing (speaking writing) productive
  knowledge
• These skills are informed by proficiency in
  grammar and vocabulary.
• All of these constitute a learners background
  knowledge s/he brings to the course and to the
  tutoring session.

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receptive/productive skills
Reading and listening are both receptive skills.
They are not passive, as there is lots going on
in our heads as we figure out what were hearing
and reading.
Listening and speaking are a receptive /
productive pair, as are reading and writing.
listening
reading
speaking
writing
The productive skills of writing and speaking
have different demands.
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Grammar and vocabulary underlie all skills
grammar
Grammar helps us understand what we read or hear
(e.g. Oh, that must be a verb!)
listening
reading
speaking
Problems with grammar and vocabulary stick out in
what we say or write (or dont, b/c we dont know
the word!)
writing
vocabulary
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Knowing words (1) vocab in L2

• In our own language, esp. in higher education,
  we encounter new terminology in every course we
  take. With new terms, we go through an
  acquisition process
• Stage 1 no understanding/recognition
• Stage 2 3 word recognized but meaning unknown,
  then imprecisely defined
• Stage 4 word known, concept understood
• This is better seen along a continuum
• No understanding
  Complete

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Knowing words (2) L2 learning

• How well we know a word depends on what we need
  to do with it.
• To understand it when it is written/spoken
• To recall it when you need it
• To use it in a grammatically correct way
• To pronounce/spell it correctly
• To know which other words to use it with
• and in which situations (formal, informal)
• To know if it has positive/negative connotations
• And that all depends on what the professor and
  course syllabus demand.

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A limited L2 vocabulary
In L2, our vocabulary is often very small, and
confined to what weve learned in textbooks. If
we dont know the vocabulary, we often cannot
understand much when listening or reading. Tutors
can help students look for contextual clues in
the reading/listening passage.
listening
reading
receptive
writing
speaking
productive
We are sometimes better at writing or speaking,
since we have control over the words and
grammatical structures we are using. However,
what we say or write is limited to what we know
and can bring to our lips or to our fingers on
the keyboard.
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listening speaking in L2
Our listening skill levels are also influenced by
the speed of the speaker and his/her accent.
(This is rarely a problem in L1.) Learners
benefit from repeating the listening prompt (and
asking for repetition/clarification with a live
speaker).
listening
reading
speaking
writing
Our speaking abilities are constrained by our
pronunciationwhich has to be accurate enough
(esp. with those sounds that dont exist in L1)
and nottooslow!
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Back to grammar
Many students need help in grammar, especially in
the points of difference between L1 and L2.
Tutors can help students be more analytic with
their writing and in their exercises, to identify
categories of grammar and the types of errors
they are making.
www.academicvisions.com/ grammar.htm
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What L2 textbooks/courses do

• L2 textbooks are varied, but many follow a
  similar chapter organization, including
• a reading text with cultural/situational
  information (at the market, in the classroom) and
  lots of visuals
• explanations/definitions of the grammar and
  vocabulary that emerge from those (con)texts
• exercises to practice using the grammar and
  vocabulary, both in speaking (pairs/small groups)
  and in writing
• other exercises in a workbook/related website to
  give much more practice

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Language learning style

• How students meet the complicated tasks of
  learning a language, as presented in textbooks
  and by professors depends not only on their
  background knowledge.
• It also is greatly affected by their language
  learning styles. We use a self-assessment in
  training.
• Results show how we fall on the
• Analytic ---------------------Relaxed
  scale.
• Learners are asked to rate themselves in regard
  to each of the following, as
• Usually, Sometimes, (almost) Never, or Dont know

• (from the British textbook Learning to Learn
  English a course in learner training)

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Lg. learning style questions (1)
Usually, Sometimes, (almost) Never, or Dont know

• 1. Did/do you get good results in grammar tests?
• 2. Do you have a good memory for new words?
• 3. Do you hate making mistakes?
• 4. In class, do you get irritated if mistakes are
  not corrected?
• 5. Is your pronunciation better when you read
  aloud than when you have a conversation?

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Lg. learning style questions (2)
Usually, Sometimes, (almost) Never, or Dont know

• 6. Do you wish you had more time to think before
  speaking?
• 7. Did/do you enjoy being in a class?
• 8. Do you find it difficult to pick up more than
  two or three words of a new language when you are
  on holiday abroad?
• 9. Do you like to learn new grammar rules, etc.
  by heart?

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Scoring the Assessment

• Usually (3)
• Sometimes (2)
• (almost) Never (1)
• Dont know (0)
• Add your scores for each prompt, and find your
  total.

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Analytic Mixed Relaxed

• Where are you?
• Where are your student clients?
• Where do you think the L2 professors are?
• What do the tasks in the L2 course demand?
• The following slides describe each of these three
  learning styles, and give suggestions for
  broadening a learners style.

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ANALYTIC Mixed Relaxed

• Score 23-27 Analytic
• You want to be accurate all the time. You prefer
  activities where you need to think carefully
  grammar exercises, understanding vocabulary,
  practicing pronunciation.
• To improve your fluency,
• Try to speak more.
• Dont worry too much about mistakes.
• Depend on yourself, not just your teacher,
  dictionary, etc.

Tutors can push their analytic students into
being more relaxed, to improve their fluency.
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Analytic MIXED Relaxed

• Score 14-22 A mixture
• You do not fall into either the analytic or the
  relaxed category.
• This probably shows that you are flexible!
  Thats good, because you learn in different ways
  depending on the situation and what is demanded
  of you.
• You can look at the suggestions for both types
  and see where you can improve your accuracy or
  your fluency, depending on the task.

L2 tutors in our tutoring center are most often
this style of learning, leaning toward analytic.
Their analytic tendencies help them with grammar,
but their relaxed ways help them get more
practice. They become both fluent and accurate,
the ultimate goal.
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Analytic Mixed RELAXED

• Score 9-13 Relaxed
• You seem to pick up language without making
  much effort, and you want to communicate with
  others, even if you are not accurate. You think
  you should be learning grammar rules but you
  dont enjoy this. Making mistakes doesnt bother
  you your goal is to be fluent.
• To improve your accuracy,
• Try finding more time to learngrammar,
  pronunciation, vocabulary.
• Be more self-critical. Notice when others say
  similar phrases and compare that to what/how you
  say it.
• Pay attention to corrections on your homework,
  quizzes, and learn from them.

Tutors need to help their relaxed students work
on accuracy, since most courses value this more
than fluency.
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Language usea mix of Accuracy
Fluency

• Certain L2 learning tasks stress accuracy others
  stress fluency. Some demand both.
• How does a students L2 learning style
  (AnalyticMixedRelaxed) help or hurt his/her
  attempts to learn that language?
• Tutors can help students expand their repetories,
  change their stances, even when its painful.

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Learning styles in general

• The VARK helps tutors understand their own ways
  of learning before they work with seeing their
  students preferences.
• The VARK suggest ways that students can take in,
  learn, and then work with information on
  homework, tests and papers.

As in the lg. learning style assessment, many
tutors are multi-modal, using a combination of
these strategies.
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VISUAL learning styles and language learning

• INTAKE you like charts (verb endings), colors
  (analyzing parts of speech, categorizing
  vocabulary), pictures (labeling with vocabulary)
• LEARNING (SWOT study w/o tears) reproduce all
  of the above from memory (reprinting pictures),
  rearrange and summarize material on a page,
  organize it differently
• OUTPUT recall pictures, use diagrams, put
  visuals into words

Can you tell Im a visual learner?
From the VARK helpsheets www.vark-learn.com
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AURAL learning styles and language learning

• INTAKE You like to discuss with others, use a
  tape recorder in class, use dvds videos
  (rewind, rewind, rewind)
• LEARNING (SWOT study w/o tears) your class
  notes may not be so good add to them afterwards
  and read aloud. Tape record your notes and listen
  to them. Practice aloud with anyone who will put
  up with youanother aural learner.
• OUTPUT spend time in quiet places practicing
  aloud

From the VARK helpsheets www.vark-learn.com
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READ/WRITE learning styles and language learning

• INTAKE You like lists, headings, handouts,
  books, dictionaries, definitions, class notes,
  articulate professors
• LEARNING (SWOT study w/o tears) write
  vocab/verb conjugations, etc. out by hand again
  and again, organize any charts into words
  sentences
• OUTPUT make lists of vocab and grammar points,
  arrange them in logical groups, hierarchies,
  write out the sentences that you practiced orally
  in class

From the VARK helpsheets www.vark-learn.com
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Kinesthetic learning styles and language learning

• INTAKE pay attention to all the senses when
  reading/listening in class, write down/pick out
  real-life, other examples of grammar and
  vocabulary from class and from the
  textbook/videos/dvds.
• LEARNING (SWOT study w/o tears) use photos
  pictures to remember vocabulary, remember the
  concrete examples from texts and class, talk
  about your notes with another Kinesthetic or
  Aural person, search out real-life examples of
  the topics in the lessons.
• OUTPUT teach/tutor someone else, role-play to
  remember vocabulary and conjugations, write out
  practice test questions

From the VARK helpsheets www.vark-learn.com
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More points to consider

• Tutors need to simplify their language with
  beginners
• Speak slowly, w/longer pauses.
• Use shorter sentences.
• Dont use contractions.
• Use more common words.
• Avoid slang, idioms.
• Use fewer pronouns.

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Circumlocutionswhen students cant remember a
word

• Train students to get around their lack of
  vocabulary by doing these (in the second
  language, as native speakers do)
• Describe what it is for
• Describe what it looks like, made of
• Use a word close in meaning
• Invent a new word
• Use substitute words (thingy, whatchamacallit)

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What else?

• Please add more pointers in the discussion board,
  from your own experience learning foreign
  languages, and from tutoring them.
• What made sense to you?
• What was new?
• What can you use in tutoring other courses?
• Join in the discussion
• And contact me later at srobertshaw_at_rollins.edu
• Check out our center at www.rollins.edu/tpj/tutori
  ng