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ICLC 2010 1
Working With Adult English Second Language Learners: Teaching
Strategies for English Language Acquisition Students at Kirkwood
Community CollegeDarek Benesh, Jessica Haight-Angelo & Karen
VeldhuizenIowa Culture & Language Conference
2 November 2010
ICLC 2010 2
Table of ContentsAbstractBackground : Kirkwood’s ELA ProgramCore Areas of English Language Acquisition:
Reading: Karen VeldhuizenWriting: Darek BeneshListening & Speaking: Jessica Haight-Angelo
Conclusion
ICLC 2010 3
AbstractReading, writing, listening and speaking skills are
all essential components of language learning, each setting up their own barriers to fluency.
According to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education, "In 1998, 47% of the participants in federally funded adult education programs were there to learn English as a second language" (Florez and Burt).
Kirkwood ELA instructors have developed a number of teaching strategies to meet the ever-increasing needs of the adult English language learner population.
ICLC 2010 4
BackgroundAndragogy: The art and science of facilitating adult
learning; proposed by Malcolm Knowles in 1973.Adult learners:
Are self-directed;Are practical, problem-solving-oriented learners;Have a font of experience that serves as a learning
resource;Want what they learn to be immediately applicable to
their lives. Adult English language learners must also have their
education filtered through a lens of “culture, language, and experience” (Florez and Burt).
ICLC 2010 5
Background, cont.English Language
Acquisition at Kirkwood Community College: A selection of coursework in which ESL students improve their language proficiency at five different levels. Began in the 1980s; has
been a part of Kirkwood’s English department since 2005.
Fall 2010 enrollment: 800+ students; Spring 2010: 665.
•Level 1: Beginning English•Level 2: Advanced Beginning English•Level 3: Beginning Intermediate English•Level 4: Advanced Intermediate English•Level 5: Beginning Advanced English
English
Language Acquisition levels
at Kirk
wood:
ICLC 2010 6
Background, cont.ELA students take 5-6
classes each semester in areas such as: Academic writing Pronunciation Research skills Conversation fluency Grammar Listening and note-taking Computer literacy Reading and vocabulary
development American cultural skills Presentation skills
All of the classes under the Kirkwood ELA umbrella center on three core areas of language acquisition, each with its own challenges: ReadingWritingListening and
Speaking
ICLC 2010 7
ReadingExtensive reading in a foreign language
involves the following:Reading extensively (though there are various
ideas as to how much reading this entails);Reading for global understanding, not detail;Reading with the intention of reading for
pleasure; therefore, no reading exercises are done, and any “proof”’ that reading is being done should be brief.
ICLC 2010 8
Extensive Reading, reduxWhy is Extensive Reading so beneficial to the
Level 2 (“Advanced Beginning English”) learner?Language acquisition occurs when a learner is
exposed to language that is comprehensible and slightly above levels of proficiency (Krashen, 1985).
Acquisition can occur through oral or written input, but learners are exposed to new input far more often while reading than in conversation or watching television (Hayes and Ahrens, 1988).
ICLC 2010 9
Benefits of Extensive ReadingExtensive reading can aid in developing:
A large sight vocabulary: It is important that L2 readers repeatedly meet
words with which they already have some familiarity. If the small amount of learning of a word is not soon
after reinforced by another encounter, then that learning will be lost (Nation, 1997).
A large general vocabulary;Knowledge of how the target language is used;Knowledge of various text types, and extensive
knowledge of the world in which we live.
ICLC 2010 10
Benefits of Extensive Reading, cont.In a number of experiments with intermediate level learner
readers, Tomlinson (1996, 1997, 1998b) found that most of them used mainly low level cognitive strategies to decode the words.
Hosenfeld (1984) reports on an experiment in which unsuccessful foreign language readers “tended to lose the meaning of sentences as soon as they had decoded them.”
ER in turn discourages over-dependency on dictionaries, as students begin to develop a tolerance for a few unknown words. Once they realize that all new words at each level are carefully contextualized, repeated, and sometimes glossed over , they can be weaned off excessive dictionary use.
ICLC 2010 11
Benefits of Extensive Reading, cont. In addition to vocabulary
development, extensive reading can benefit students develop reading: Speed Background knowledge Comprehension:
Improving comprehension/text attack skills
Attitude: Promoting confidence and motivation
Quantity: Reading more, reading whole texts
Word attack skills: providing opportunity to employ “good” word attack skills
Types of reading technique: improving flexibility of reading rate depending on purpose, e.g. skimming, scanning, study reading
Reading practice: Learn to read by reading
Transfer to other skills: improving spelling, writing, speaking, listening
Learning resource: becoming independent of others, e.g. teachers, interlocutors (Walker, 1997).
ICLC 2010 12
Bookends
Research has shown that extensive reading is a skill best acquired by English second language learners early on, in order to aid in their comprehension skills. The benefits of extensive reading on both vocabulary development and reading skills themselves are enormous, though Kirkwood's current 50-minute, three-day-a-week class schedule for ELA reading courses makes the commitment to extensive reading difficult. Ergo, it is imperative for students to understand the benefits of doing so outside of class, with hopes of such a habit continuing well beyond their tenure at Kirkwood.
ICLC 2010 13
Writing
Step 1: Prewriting• Generating ideas• Planning• Organizing ideas
Step 2: Writing• Using ideas to
write a first draft
Step 3: Revising & Editing• Improving what
you have written
The “writing process” (pg. 11), from Ready to Write More: From Paragraph to Essay, by Karen Blanchard & Christine Root.
ICLC 2010 14
The Problem with Product Focus
Product-Focus
•Writing is often taught with a product-focus: teaching or emphasizing adherence to particular forms of writing, instead of focusing on meaning or processes of writing.
Types of essays for L4 ELA students:
•Step-by-step directions•Division and classification•Cause and effect•Compare and contrast•Problem and solution
The Problem
•Students become unengaged and believe that writing in English needs to be formulaic, and that their life experiences are not valued. They believe they cannot draw upon their life experiences in their writing. Their ideas and topics must fit within these essay structures.
ICLC 2010 15
Alternative Writing UnitA Solution: Eight 250-
500-word responses; most in response to a discussion question about a text.#1: Describe the
journey (physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual) of how you came to be in this class, in Iowa, in the United States.
#2-5: Readings from Academic Writing: Exploring Processes and Strategies, by Ilona Leki (pg. 290-302): "Excerpt from Bury
My Heart at Wounded Knee";
"Discovering the Truth About Columbus";
"Do Not Disturb"; "Sacred Places."
ICLC 2010 16
Alternative Writing Unit, cont.• #6 (left): The New World, directed by Terrence Malick
• #7 (right): Excerpts from American Indian Stories, Legends, and Other Writings, by Zitkala-Ša (pg. 83-103):• "The Big Red
Apples";• "The School Days of
an Indian Girl";• "The Cutting of My
Long Hair," etc.
• #8: Writing prompt: Write about the culture you grew up in, and the culture you live in now.
ICLC 2010 17
Alternative Writing Unit, cont.Bringing it All
Together: Begin to think about ways you can either expand upon the writing you have done or combine the essays you have done within a central and cohesive theme.
Analysis: What did students think about the process? What kinds of papers did they write?Example: Not all students
directly activated their personal or cultural histories: Two students spoke generally
about cultural and religious differences.
One student detailed the life of a revolutionary leader in his country and how the leader fought against British rule.
ICLC 2010 18
Writing Sample: Student A"My writing has improved this semester because I practiced a lot (essays). I added also a lot of new words to my vocabulary. I am proud about my understanding of documents and how to analyze subjects. I connected the main ideas of each of my essays and made just one story."
ICLC 2010 19
Writing Sample: Student C
ICLC 2010 20
Writing Sample: Students D & E•“This paper is different from other paper[s] because we write a paragraph to explain how our writing improve[d] this semester.”
Student D
•"I created my final paper when I took the interesting part from all my writing and I wrote the big assignment."
Student E
ICLC 2010 21
Writing Sample: Student FSample Reflection: "I would be patient and thoughtful before you start writing. Use your own experiences and observations of the things around you. Pouring your feelings into your words properly is also a good way to express your idea. I would say completing such a long and serious writing is not an easy job, but don't be afraid of, because the more you write, the more ideas you will find, and finally, the more fun you will have."
Sample Paper: "Like Pocahontas [sp] came to the Jamestown Colony or the Indian girl Zitkala-Sa came to the Red Apple Country, I was full of curiosity and nerves as well. My family is far away. How could I adjust myself to this new world by my twenty-three years [of] oriental philosophies [Confucianism]? People who are not in this certain situation won't understand how I feel.”
ICLC 2010 22
Writing Sample: Student I"The essay can include my opinions and feelings. I'm so proud of myself for challenging myself to write in English and write four pages. When I wrote this journal, [the] most difficult thing was deciding on one theme."
ICLC 2010 23
The Final Pen Stroke
By de-emphasizing the step-by-step "process" of writing, the composition instructor can diminish students' potential to become disengaged. Instead, the use of reflective essays which stress the importance of life experience and a close reading of the text allows students to see the value of what they read and write, rather than simply how they fit into pre-established structures.
ICLC 2010 24
Listening & SpeakingStudents in a Level 3 (“Beginning Intermediate English”) ELA
Listening & Culture class at Kirkwood during the Fall 2010 term fit the Arizona English Language Acquisition for Adults (ELAA) II Proficiency Standards for Listening and Speaking. Can comprehend short conversations and interactions, both
face-to-face and within small groups.Repetition, gestures, and nonverbal cues sustain conversation.Slow-to-normal rate of speechCan describe obligations and complaints, make excuses and
apologies, and offer invitations using "varied vocabulary and appropriate intonation".
Can "retell simple stories or events about routine activities or personal experiences, using logical organization and varied vocabulary."
ICLC 2010 25
Listening & Speaking TechniquesFlorez and Burt describe several effective
listening and speaking techniques for the English language learner:"Meaningful interaction and natural
communication in the target language are necessary for successful language acquisition."
"Learners need to use the language, not simply talk about it."
ELL need "opportunities and purposes for communication that reflect or relate to their lives," along with the use of "authentic materials" whenever possible.
ICLC 2010 26
Context in the Classroom
Left: Real Talk, by Baker and Tanka showcases “Authentic English in Context”; right: Howard’s Idioms in American Life encourages students to connect the material to their own lives.
ICLC 2010 27
The Merits of Role-PlayingSiabhra Woods: Drama is an active form of learning,
wherein all students are involved in some way, either as listeners/watchers (the audience) or listeners/speakers (the performers). Nobody is excluded, and everybody is emotionally invested in the activity as students put themselves in the roles of characters "dealing with the Big Issues which affect us all: death, birth, love, hate, madness."
Pearson-Longman offers suggestions regarding the effective use of role-playing in the classroom:Give students time to get into their characters; "Never go into
role-plays 'cold.'"Natural, organic development is important.Teachers are active listeners, and should not interrupt the role-
play once it begins. Constructive criticism should be offered only after students have finished performing.
ICLC 2010 28
L3 Sample Review Exercise
ICLC 2010 29
Speaking With Emphasis• Students practiced differentiating between “content words” (bolded here) and “format words” in a conversation from Chapter 3 of Real Talk, focused on “Looking For Love.”
• Students tended to use a slow to medium rate of speech with deliberate emphasis – and even overemphasis – of content words. • Students routinely mispronounced “ballpark figure,” in spite of additional scaffolding and practice with the ‘l’ sound.
ICLC 2010 30
Speaking With Emphasis, cont.
ICLC 2010 31
The Interrupting Game• Students first discussed levels of formality in relation to interrupting, i.e.: “I don’t mean to interrupt, but …” vs. “Hold on a minute” or “Yeah, but …” They were also coached on the use of dashes to indicate cut-off speech.
•The humorous flavor of the conversation allowed students to react naturally to it, owing to more organic reactions than in the first activity. Students were amused at the script, and tended to lose themselves in it as they increasingly got into character.
ICLC 2010 32
The Interrupting Game, cont.
ICLC 2010 33
Variations on a ThemeIn the third exercise, students were merely
prompted to assume roles as either a storyteller or an interrupter in one of several unscripted scenarios. While Person A (the storyteller) spoke, Person B was instructed to "interrupt at least three times with questions." If Person A was discussing how she met her
husband, for example, Person B could ask questions to the effect of, "What is your husband's name?"; "What does he look like?"; "How many years ago did you meet him?"
ICLC 2010 34
Variations on a Theme, cont.Females (Khadiga and Kaltoum) versus …
… males (Marco, Gevy and Melchiade)!
ICLC 2010 35
Variations on a Theme, cont.
ICLC 2010 36
The Final Say on Role-PlayingRole-playing emphasizes
accurate and emotive pronunciation through creative and active learning. The instructor scaffolds students and builds up rapport in regards to diverse cultural mores, owing to increasingly natural speech in a comfortable and fun learning environment.
ICLC 2010 37
Conclusion
Challenges to the core areas of language acquisition are myriad and complex, owing to a number of different techniques to hone second language students' skills. For ELA students at Kirkwood, the benefits of extensive reading, reflective writing, and role-playing as a device to enhance listening and speaking have proven effective, though they are not isolated success stories. As long as the instructors of English Language Acquisition courses are aware of the challenges of both andragogy and second language acquisition that their adult ESL students face, they will be well-equipped to shape their lessons with tools that respect their foreign students' cultures and worldly experiences.