Teaching ESL in today

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Teaching ESL in todays demanding climate being
prepared for professional challenges
By Winnifred Tang, Ph.D. Dr. Winnifred Tang
Associates Learning Management Inc. Learn2ManageLD
.com http//pro-ddayconferenceblog.blogspot.com/ W
inter 2008
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Agenda

• Introduction
• Objectives
• Resources simple to high-tech
• Questions Discussion

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Meeting Challenges

• Gain perspective on current challenges
• Identify needs
• Adopt strategic teaching
• Encourage a spirit of collaboration

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Diversity challenges and implications

• Linguistic diversity http//www.nvtc.gov/lotw/lang
  uageList.html
• Cultural diversity
• Socio-economic diversity
• Cognitive diversity?

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Getting a perspective Information is everything!

• Do your research ? meet the diversity challenge
  by arming yourselves with lots of information.
  Relevant information gives you power!
• Work through human networksconnect with
  colleagues.
• Share resourcesfind a way to distribute teaching
  resources and information.

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Setting Goals for success

• Effective diagnostics
• Effective matching of content to students
• Effective grouping of students to maximize
  learning
• Effective use of classroom resources

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Matters of diagnostics
What are we diagnosing? What does it take to
learn English as a second language?

• Phonology (sound system)
• Semantics (system of meanings)
• Morphology (rules of word formation)
• Syntax (rules of sentence formation)
• Lexicon (vocabulary)

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Phonology

• Learning the sound system of a language
• sound-symbol correspondence
• Building block for reading

McCandliss, B. D., Posner, M. I. (2003).
Fostering Literacy through Understanding Brain
Mechanisms. Education Canada, 43(2), 4-7.
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Language areas
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Language-based Learning Disability Dyslexia

• Phonological processing deficit
• Working memory deficit
• Syntactic processing deficit

Gathercole, S., Baddeley, A. D. (1993).
Phonological processing and reading
development. In Working memory and language.
Hove, UK Erlbaum Associates. Stanovich, K. E.
(2000). Progress in understanding reading
Scientific foundations and new frontiers. New
York Guilford Press.
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What are the traits to look for?

• Poor spelling
• Poor decoding
• Poor reading comprehension
• Word retrieval problems
• Poor organization
• Lack of self-confidence, low self-esteem

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Intervention Strategies

• Phonological awareness training
• Structured instruction in grammar
• Modeling effective reading strategies
• Cultivate intellectual curiosity, engage
• in wide reading frequent reading
• Encourage language activities

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Elaborating on intervention strategies
Meaningful activities Sensitive to student
characteristics Social engagement
Dr. Deborah Butler http//www.ecps.educ.ubc.ca/fac
ulty/Butler/ReserchProj.htm
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The T-word Technology
The technology we love and hate!
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Conference Blog
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Hyperlinks
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See how easy it is to share information!
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Social Software at its best
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No substitute for a good teacher!
We will always need good teachers!
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Throwing at a problem wont solve it!
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Teaching ESL in todays demanding climate being
prepared for professional challenges
Dr. Winnifred Tang Email winnifred.tang_at_Learn2Ma
nageLD.com
Cecil Chau Email cecil.chau_at_Learn2ManageLD.com