ESL Spokane Regional 2010 Happy 20th Anniversary!
Elena Smith, Ph.D. Intensive American Language Center
Washington State University, Pullman, WAE-mail: [email protected]
Challenges and Triumphs in the ESL Profession
Quiz: Choose the right answer
1. English is a number __?__ native language spoken in the world.
a.One
b.Two
c.Three
d.Four
e.Five
Answer
Quiz: Choose the right answer
2. Which one of the languages listed below is
number 3 in terms of the number of its native speakers in the world?
a.Mandarin
b.Arabic
c.Hindu/Urdu
d.Spanish
e.Russian
Answer
Quiz: Choose the right answer
3. What is the percentage of the GDP (gross domestic product) for the world’s economy of the countries where English is the first language?
a.35.5%
b. 28.2%
c. 22.8%
d. 20.2%
e. 10.9%
Answer
2.9%Italian
#8
3.4%Portugues
e
#7
4.2French
#6
4.9%German
#5
5.4%Spanish
#4
5.6%Japanes
e
#3
22.8% CHINESE
#2
28.2%ENGLISH
#1
The percentage of the global economy (GDP) accounted for by world languages
ESL Speakers
• 583,000,000 ESL speakers
in the world
• 36,000,000
ESL speakers
in the U.S.A.
.
According to the
British council over
1,000,000,000 people are currently learning
English world wide.
•5,500,000 ESL students in the USA today
• ESL students are US fastest-growing population and are expected to make up
one out of every four students by 2025.
Challenges
Three Major Challenges
1. ESL Instructors Work Conditions
2. The English Language Teaching Problems
3. The Role of Technology in ESL Instruction
ESL Instructors Work Conditions
Elena’s Illusion
ESL Instructors Work ConditionsChallenges
1. Job Security
2. Salary Equity
3. 12-hour/week work load
4. Paid 60-day annual vacation
5. Release time to design
in-house materials
5. Professional development
funding
The English Language Teaching Challenges
1. Which English Language to Teach?
2. Which Professional Terminology to Use?
3. Which Grammar to Teach? Or Not?
Which English Language to Teach?
Grammatically Incorrect
but Becoming a Norm?
Between you and I.
Which English Language to Teach?
Grammatically Incorrect but Becoming a Norm?
I seen that.
Which English Language to Teach? Grammatically Incorrect but Becoming a Norm?
I’ve drove there.
I’ve boughten it.
Which English Language to Teach? Grammatically Incorrect but Becoming a Norm?
Irregardless
Which English Language to Teach? Grammatically Incorrect but Becoming a Norm?
A large amount of students.
Which English Language to Teach? Grammatically Incorrect but Becoming a Norm?
There’s six new students.
Which English Language to Teach? Grammatically Incorrect but Becoming a Norm?
Ten items or less
Which English Language to Teach? Grammatically Incorrect but Becoming a Norm?
This room is bigger then that one.
Which English Language to Teach? Grammatically Incorrect but Becoming a Norm?
I borrowed you ten dollars yesterday.
Which English Language to Teach? Grammatically Incorrect but Becoming a Norm?
An agreement was reached between several countries.
Which English Language to Teach?
• Lack of education?
• Pop culture?
• Regional differences between
oral and written English?
• Dialect intermingle?
• Foreign language interference?
• Electronic language invasion (“Internet English”)?
Which English Language to Teach?
ESL instructors usually tell their students:
• You’ll hear it a lot, but please don’t say it.
• People use it incorrectly, but you must use it correctly.
• This is how it is
in real WORLD,
but this is how
you should use it
in your TOEFL exam.
The English Language Challenges
• Terminology
in textbooks
among instructors
on the Internet
Terminology
affirmative sentences vs. positive sentences
Terminologysubject verb agreement vs. subject verb concord
Terminologybare infinitive vs. “base” form of the verb
Terminologydeterminers vs. possessive adjectives
Terminologyhanging participle vs. dangling participle
Which Grammar to Teach? Or Not?• To teach grammar
or not? If not - how?
• If yes-how much
& how?
Keith False, “Focus on
only critically vital
grammar points.”
The English Language Challenges Grammar Instruction Is Vital
Which Grammar to Teach? • Orient curricula to only vital grammar
points?
• Create grammar books oriented at students with different language backgrounds?
(Ex: “articles” for Spanish speakers and Russian speakers)?
• Standardize ESL grammar terminology?
The English Language ChallengesWhat Our Students Write:
What Our Students Write
“I love the movie Gone with the Win. If you win, you not lose.”
What Our Students Write
“Americans very busy and never have intercourse.”
What Our Students Write
“Some men are love eating as same as anything.”
What Our Students Write
“I want to go New York to see the woman of freedom with a torture.”
The Use of Technology
The Use of TechnologyFOR AGAINST
1. technology is “stuff”
2. technology is motivating and educationally effective
3. technology-based teaching is superior to traditional teaching
4. learning through technology is fun
1. technology is 5% “stuff”
and 95% “what to do with stuff?”
2. technology is expensive, fragile and stupid
3. the principles of effective teaching are timeless regardless of the medium
4. learning is hard work
Keith Hopper, 1999
Internet Learning Is Fun???
Astrophysicist Clifford Stoll,
"Most learning isn't fun. Learning takes: Work , Discipline and Responsibility
I’d rather see a student learn how
Shakespeare processed words than how
Microsoft does."
(The Great Technology Mania, 1999.)
The Use of Technology
• Since teachers often lack the technology use knowledge needed, students may get stuck doing meaningless exercises. Apparently, these machines can become a waste of time, if not in the hands of the right user.
(Jessy Norman, Negative Effects of
Computers in Classrooms, 2000)
3D Virtual Avatar Classroom?
Ancient Greek Philosophy
“If we disregard due proportion by giving anything what is too much for it; too much canvas to a boat, too much nutriment to a body, too much authority to a soul, the consequence is always shipwreck.”
Plato
Today’s Triumphs at Workplaces• Master’s in TESL is required
• Full-time jobs
• Benefits
• Higher salaries
• Non-native English speakers
- instructors
• Technology improvement
Our Biggest Triumph Is Our Students
• Survive
• Overcome
• Excel
• Achieve
Two Pieces of AdviceBill Bowerman, Legendary University of Oregon Track
Coach and a co-founder of Nike rightfully stated,
“A teacher is never too smart to learn from his pupils.”
I’d like to add:
“A teacher is never too smart to learn from his/her peers.”
CelebrationHappy 20th Birthday ESL Spokane
Regional!!!
References• Hughes, Anthony Online English Grammar
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/grammar_topics.
• Bowerman, William J High-performance training for track and field. Champaign, Ill.: Leisure Press (1991).
• Cahill, Thomas & Nan A. Talese Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea, Why the Greeks Matter, An Imprint of Doubleday, NY, 2003.
• False, Keith Great Writing: Less Grading, Smarter Grammar, More Vocabulary, WAESOL 2009, Des Moines, WA
• Hamilton, Edith The Greek Way, W. W. Norton & Co., NY, 1993.
• Hopper, Keith Mastering the Invisible Technologies in Education: Who are the Real Technology Prodigies Among College Teachers? Educational Technology Magazine, January-February 1999, p. 50
• Norman, Jessy Negative Effects of Computers in Classrooms
http://courses.wcupa.edu/fletcher/.htm
• http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/terms.htm
• http://www.englishlab.net/teflblog/category/statistics/esl-statistics/http://esl.about.com/od/englishlearningresources/f/f_eslmarket.htm
• http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-research-english-next.pdf
• http://www.ivstatic.com/files/et/imagecache/636/files/blog_articles/avatar-for-women-LIST_0.jpg
Thank You
Top Related