A Showcase & Evaluation of my Content-based Teaching

Unit: Opportunities in the United States Armed Forces

Chrysa StaianoHPU – Capstone Symposium

April 24, 2014

Background

4+ years of service including deployment to Iraq (age 23) & one year in Korea

Final project for HPU’s Materials Development course (Summer, 2013)

ESP coursePathways toCitizenship

Learning OutcomesGoal: Ss will make an informed decision about whether or not they’d enjoy a military lifestyle and/or consider military service as a means of gaining legal citizenship

Linguistic objectives: compose letters to family & friends recognize acronyms / identify transition words

Content objectives:compare & contrast civilian & military lifestylesdescribe the challenges of being deployed

Principles Tomlinson (2011): Materials should

achieve impact take into account that learners differ in learning styles use the target language for communicative purposes

Integrated Skills four language skills in conjunction with one another exposes Ss to authentic language & challenges them to interact naturally

link

Strengths

Authentic: personal photographs & writings, article by 1LT Spartz, real problems faced by Soldiers

Communicative: saying goodbye (register), reflects military jargon, collaboration amongst Ss

Novel & balanced portrayal of military life: combat vs. civil responsibilities, hard choices

ImprovementsScaffolding: Depicting Lives Visually, Ss pick their jobs and make a

poster of their deployed lives

Delete/alter repetitive activities: letter writing (email or editorial)

Reflect the life on an enlisted Soldier

The future of OpportunitiesRevise on paper & trial on

Ss

+ activities & design a final project/assessment

Build other units for Pathways to Citizenship

Iraqi girls in the summer of 2010

Thanks – Kamsamnida Shukran – Danke

Questions?

Contact me: Chrysa Staiano

www.chrysastaiano.weebly.com

castaiano@yahoo.com

1LT Rutledge & I play ping-pong at FOB Hammer, spring 2010