tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44010008662082505962024-03-05T09:25:34.539-05:00Free-Range ELTKathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-79538987764712838222015-11-25T09:07:00.000-05:002015-11-25T09:07:30.614-05:00Letting time pass<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Well, I </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">have been away from the blog for a long time but not away from teaching and learning! Now that some time has passed, I'm feeling the urge as a learner to reflect on some of my experiences. I want to write about:</span><br />
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Teaching phrasal verbs</span></li>
<li>Private tutoring compared to the classroom experience</li>
<li>Learning a new language as a total beginner</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Letting time pass has its advantages. I will be forced to summarize and draw conclusions rather than document every little anecdote and insight!</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">My holiday break is coming up and I hope I have more time to write ... but I also hope to have more time to knit, exercise, socialize, get organized (we moved into a new house last week!), etc! So let's just take it one post at a time ...</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dgEiu3PMda2SIW4YxeEwrYNtBfxLIwvaIN8Oy4zekBiP5oR9JUQpQu5pCQMAXGwaX91k98MvTgRQZ_X-8_b2BfSzRTg1LT4PDDCSphJLQg6tRUn8So5jM1c_D76tbNXnwKzJn3zWZlE/s640/blogger-image--547875943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dgEiu3PMda2SIW4YxeEwrYNtBfxLIwvaIN8Oy4zekBiP5oR9JUQpQu5pCQMAXGwaX91k98MvTgRQZ_X-8_b2BfSzRTg1LT4PDDCSphJLQg6tRUn8So5jM1c_D76tbNXnwKzJn3zWZlE/s400/blogger-image--547875943.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">welcoming view from the new digs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></span></div>
Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-17844712116261344222015-03-22T14:01:00.000-04:002015-03-22T18:28:48.023-04:00γεια σας !A few months ago, I suddenly decided I needed a break from my normally intensive focus on all things "teaching English". I've still been teaching, but I've been using my blogging, course-taking, textbook-reading, blog-reading time for other things!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For one thing, I've been exploring an opportunity to peer coach other teachers of adult ESL learners. The pace for that may pick up (or not) when the new fiscal year begins in July, depending on the budget for that program. In the meantime, I'm mostly learning the ropes. A lot of the work will be online, but I believe that an unplugged approach can still be taken and that it's ideally suited to this task. As (if) I get into it more, I'll surely comment here.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have also taken on two private learners who come to my house for lessons twice a week. We knew each other from another context and they asked if I offered private lessons. I think they were surprised, though, to discover that my home office is actually set up as a mini-classroom!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This enterprise is a delight. The two learners have taken up the reins and are driving each lesson in full unplugged mode! We have conversation and pause often to beat the heck out of some language point, mostly at their discretion. I find that I do little lesson preparation, though I do spend about an hour after each session writing notes and "post-planning". They repeatedly comment on how happy they are with what they're learning and how it's helping them outside the classroom. It's truly quite rewarding for me too!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84SIn3wcvjAKGmyyXZFD1xTTTJzeMMTo5hfM9OTvlPCf6BuN7fCw-hsmfsfsSZDigvSyhaq-el473j0Y4UzNNP4AOqwIALi_3UmdW3dhVxcW2MS-bWnGGYU-rXNj5AcpsZoDKSPv0cfM/s640/blogger-image--957063532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84SIn3wcvjAKGmyyXZFD1xTTTJzeMMTo5hfM9OTvlPCf6BuN7fCw-hsmfsfsSZDigvSyhaq-el473j0Y4UzNNP4AOqwIALi_3UmdW3dhVxcW2MS-bWnGGYU-rXNj5AcpsZoDKSPv0cfM/s200/blogger-image--957063532.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
I usually serve a bit of coffee and one of the learners will sometimes bring a snack. There's a bookcase with reference tomes to the right and a printer to the left. (These are rarely accessed, actually.) You can see from the whiteboard that in this session they wanted clarification on the present perfect tense. The question also came up: what does XOXO mean? I used Google images to look up <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=philly%20with%20love&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS632US632&espv=1&hl=en-US&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sboxchip=Images&sa=X&ei=4_4OVYGvEpD_ggSut4PgAw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=768&bih=909#imgrc=_" target="_blank">a recent publicity campaign for Philadelphia tourism</a> and we used those as the "text" for that part of our discussion. And I warned them not to write OXOX (hence the pictures of oxen on the monitor)! The lamp and pictures and a nearby couch and chairs make the setting quite "social" but there is a good learning infrastructure in place to use as desired.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On a more personal level, I took up running. For the last year or so, I've been doing exercise walking and it got to the point where I wanted to increase effort but not time. So I now run for some of my sessions. Feels good to be in (somewhat better) shape! I will be breaking from classroom teaching over the summer (private teaching will continue) and hope to do a lot of outdoor stuff with that extra time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finally, I've taken up learning a new language myself! I've made friends with a former student and his wife and felt odd that I knew exactly one word of Greek (γεια σας = hello). It seemed as if I should at least get somewhat familiar with this giant dimension of their lives. I don't expect to become fluent or even get a lot of practice because we have no real need to use Greek (they're both highly proficient English speakers). But the personal connection does provide motivation and it's also an excellent opportunity to be sensitive to the rank beginner's experience (to strengthen compassion for my learners). Until a few weeks ago, I didn't know a jot (<a href="https://ewonago.wordpress.com/tag/etymology-of-jot/" target="_blank">a word of Greek origin</a>!) about pronunciation, grammar, reading, writing, listening, vocabulary, culture ... anything! It's an ego-tamer, that's for sure. And since I have all sorts of opinions about what makes a good learner, it's a chance for me to a) test things out from the learning side of the equation and b) put up or shut up! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-21577138146661846732014-10-12T13:35:00.000-04:002014-10-12T14:03:16.693-04:00A Corpus Adventure I couldn't be more pleased with my MOOC experience! (It's a <a href="https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/corpus-linguistics-2014-q3" target="_blank">free online course about corpus linguistics</a>.) Because I will be traveling in a few days, I'm pushing into the lessons for the third week, which formally begins tomorrow. Naturally, this doesn't leave much time for blogging ... but I'd like to summarize the experience now that I've had a good taste of it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UJHtbkRa34KGy6WS1gLlZOivUGvJM-W87txVHPHN2u3o7DvhHwb9wAUz1EaBL5CNuupTkrjdOdT6I0UQEj8FKrgdIA43DCaJOpvVfMYTOsT2QrlUceoKSZvY8fgj1iiiNDSdbkdEFrYf/s640/blogger-image--274165342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UJHtbkRa34KGy6WS1gLlZOivUGvJM-W87txVHPHN2u3o7DvhHwb9wAUz1EaBL5CNuupTkrjdOdT6I0UQEj8FKrgdIA43DCaJOpvVfMYTOsT2QrlUceoKSZvY8fgj1iiiNDSdbkdEFrYf/s320/blogger-image--274165342.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(OK, this is 'screen overkill', given that I'm taking the picture with yet another screen!)</div>
<br />
The course is tidily organized around a horizontal timeline of eight modules, one per week. Each module is arranged into a vertical todo list. These are all of the activities available for the module. Each activity consists of some input and discussion around that input. Often, the input is a video which can be downloaded for offline viewing. The transcript and slides are also available, which is handy for review and note-taking.<br />
<br />
The discussion section is, effectively, the classroom. Participants pose questions, comment, reply, etc. The leader of the course (Professor McEnery) responds personally to many posts, and there are other knowledgable mentors and facilitators who encourage and offer support along the way. All facilitators are careful to interact respectfully with people at whatever level they bring to the course (from curious beginner with no background to PhD candidate with a linguistics project in progress). As has been true for other online courses I've taken, the discussion interface could be more flexible. A lot of valuable information is revealed in the discussions, including useful links and suggestions for more reading. I would like a better way to flag useful posts, for one thing. (I can "like" them, but can't filter by that). But all in all, the forum is still a useful and important part of the course.<br />
<br />
This first half of a module consists of a warmup activity followed by a lecture which is divided into five brief segments (10 minutes or so). This is nice because it allows discussion at each breakpoint. You can also progress through the module in short, discrete chunks. That's helpful if you're a busy person! There is also a general discussion activity that, so far, asks us to reflect on our warmup activity in light of the new ideas that have been presented. And, there's a quiz which serves as a good review of the main points. (You can take the quiz as many times as you want.). There is also a reading which expands on the lecture. And finally, there are optional videos and readings for any participants who want to go into even more depth.<br />
<br />
The second half of each module has, so far, been a step-by-step tutorial in using <a href="http://freerangekef.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-corpus-adventure.html" target="_blank">AntConc</a> -- a program for corpus analysis. The tutorial is given by Laurence <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Anthony, </span>the developer of the program, and he kindly responds to questions and assists with issues in the comments section (as do the other facilitators). We are guided in playing around with the software, usually to explore some of the linguistics questions that came up in the lecture and associated activities. I believe we will also be introduced to other tools in later lectures.<br />
<br />
In this iteration of the course, they have also introduced a social networking hub where you can monitor posts and tweets from fellow participants". I've signed on but haven't used it much (yet).<br />
<br />
I have been able to do much of the course on my tablet, which has made it a lot easier to keep up. But I still sit at the desk for the hands-on activities.<br />
<br />
I won't be reporting much on the content of the course (sign up and take it next time -- it's free!) but it will inform many future posts, for sure. In fact, I might have to go through my giant pile of drafts and rewrite or delete a few!Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-78737652810652459812014-09-11T17:45:00.000-04:002014-09-11T17:48:16.125-04:00Join me?I've just signed up for a MOOC! That's <b>M</b>assive <b>O</b>pen <b>O</b>nline <b>C</b>ourse, in case you didn't know. It's free! I've been waiting for it to come around since reading about <a href="http://cgoodey.wordpress.com/tag/corpusmooc/" target="_blank">Carol Goodey's experience</a> earlier this year.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSb_kYFboML-KR_SanDMU-RWJ-s-6PT0AYxZmtg_Lr-rQaGjpFtW1Nx_nXWzaKRvN-EnBMi_WMR7g33aO8hGeItooplfvfOeM9-WgQVb5wDk-awziAQs5qDGqgXsR7BljjewqwXkQkVf4/s1600/corpus.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSb_kYFboML-KR_SanDMU-RWJ-s-6PT0AYxZmtg_Lr-rQaGjpFtW1Nx_nXWzaKRvN-EnBMi_WMR7g33aO8hGeItooplfvfOeM9-WgQVb5wDk-awziAQs5qDGqgXsR7BljjewqwXkQkVf4/s1600/corpus.PNG" height="308" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The course is <a href="https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/corpus-linguistics-2014-q3" target="_blank">Corpus Linguistics: Method, Analysis, Interpretation</a> and the blurb says that it's a "practical introduction to the methodology of corpus linguistics for researchers in social sciences and humanities". OK, I'm not a researcher in social sciences and humanities! But I do use a corpus almost daily (specifically, the Corpus of Contemporary American English aka <a href="http://corpus2.byu.edu/coca/" target="_blank">COCA</a>). I also use and recommend corpus-based dictionaries to my intermediate and higher learners. However, I would like to expand my abilities in this area. I'm hoping this course will give me the motivation to focus on the topic more seriously for a while. In addition to whatever comes with the course itself, I've had an ebook in my queue for some time now and have not had the chance to give it the attention it deserves: <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/download_file/709644/0/" target="_blank">From Corpus to Classroom: Language Use and Language Teaching</a> by O'Keefe, McCarthy and Carter (the link is to a PDF with the table of contents and the preface of the book.)<br />
<br />
If the idea of using a corpus in English class is new to you, you might want to check some other resources first. Here are a couple of good ones!<br />
<br />
First, Scott Thornbury gives a wonderful short <a href="http://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/c-is-for-coca-corpus/" target="_blank">overview of how to use COCA</a> at his extremely informative (if now no longer active) blog. By the way, the comments on this blog are almost always as rich as the posts, be sure to read them!<br />
<br />
Second, Amy Tate and Emilia Seravo share very useful step-by-step instructions for using several popular corpus-based tools in a webinar called <a href="https://newschool.adobeconnect.com/_a1107314744/p11z2tc19zj/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal" target="_blank">Corpus Confidence: quick and easy steps to turn corpus-based language data into language learning</a>. (Note that the nitty gritty "how to" stuff begins at about the 15 minute mark.) <br />
<br />
If you're already psyched about corpora and, like me, want to know more ... maybe you'll join the MOOC too? See you there!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<section class="run-trailer" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: content-box; color: #3a343a; display: block; font-family: europa, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></section><br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<section class="run-information" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: content-box; color: #3a343a; display: block; font-family: europa, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; width: 410.90625px; word-spacing: 0px;"><header style="box-sizing: content-box; display: block;"><h1 style="box-sizing: content-box; font-size: 2.5rem; line-height: 2.875rem; margin: 0px 0px 0.8rem;">
</h1>
</header></section>Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-13468571102623073182014-09-02T20:40:00.003-04:002014-09-03T09:19:44.833-04:00Whiteboard Organization: an IdeaNew thought: if learners are going to copy what's on the board into their notebooks, then board organization should be sort of notebook-shaped, shouldn't it? If a learner starts taking notes on the left page, then he or she has two pages that combine to about the same aspect ratio as my whiteboard. So, what if I organized my board with that two-page format in mind?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqx1R0IVlebbebrbQz77J60UMzcx4NBFI7AC9dTjsg6mvn6O8Z6J2Wso6l8Y4_U9NpZw7wBKvlBAQbdqIcAgKwTwNb0aZzCctqkcP2HxPorymkyHUdSKjIYeUKVSNSwMDmH5bEMyb9xg/s1600/board+2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqx1R0IVlebbebrbQz77J60UMzcx4NBFI7AC9dTjsg6mvn6O8Z6J2Wso6l8Y4_U9NpZw7wBKvlBAQbdqIcAgKwTwNb0aZzCctqkcP2HxPorymkyHUdSKjIYeUKVSNSwMDmH5bEMyb9xg/s1600/board+2.PNG" height="398" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is an imaginary situation, but it's based on past real discussions. I imagine a lot of conversation about the names of computer keys and probably some brainstorming. We might talk about using "the" with the names of keys, since each one is unique on a keyboard. I could see shifting to a discussion about the birth of compound nouns and how their spelling changes as they become solidified in the language (space bar, space-bar, or spacebar?). Lots of sloppy scribbling might happen in the working area of the board, but I imagine pausing to clean it all up ... maybe small groups could compare their notes and develop a summary for that space themselves, then share and compare as a class. Maybe there would be a graphic organizer, a Venn diagram, or a table. Language conclusions would go in the lower right corner. Learner-selected words to study (chosen from the many discussed) would get copied to the right. In this dream-lesson, learners decided to highlight compound nouns, since that's also the form we discussed. They chose "space bar" because it's got a special name other than "key" and they chose "tab key" because it's an example of the way to name most of the other keys on the board, plus the word "tab" was new.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is just current thinking ... I thought I'd share the two-page idea right away, for what it's worth. Note that the "pages" are labeled 1a and 1b. That's so we can take pictures of half the board and be able to put the pictures into the correct order later (after erasing, the next board would be labeled 2a and 2b).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'd be interested in feedback!</div>
Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-89249117055750505082014-09-01T14:15:00.000-04:002014-09-01T14:28:23.314-04:00The Evolution of an Organized WhiteboardIf you use a standard board (not electronic), you probably take pictures before you erase? I do. It's interesting that this habit has turned into a feedback loop that is causing me to improve my boardwork in general. At first, I just snapped pictures of parts of the board that I specifically wanted to remember (usually incidental vocabulary). That resulted in my cordoning vocabulary off on the right in its own little section. And I have always written the date on the board (twice: once using a complete sentence and no abbreviations, then again using the abbreviation for the weekday and the American-style abbreviated date format). It eventually occurred to me that including the date in my photos was helpful in organizing, so I adjusted slightly for that too.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivC7neoBZ-qoyo3-vgjlOPDWS8Ralut1yTE4Urp5b56PCz7a6AI6f3nHhTunSDCcwkWRrTSR3XpHw19-s5Eo4Kpo3jzVvqwKHVUP-A9IFmJTU4vse6AOVnREzJtRXefTe8N3hK4lPBllc/s1600/mouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivC7neoBZ-qoyo3-vgjlOPDWS8Ralut1yTE4Urp5b56PCz7a6AI6f3nHhTunSDCcwkWRrTSR3XpHw19-s5Eo4Kpo3jzVvqwKHVUP-A9IFmJTU4vse6AOVnREzJtRXefTe8N3hK4lPBllc/s1600/mouse.jpg" height="93" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I missed it, but this would have been my entry to <a href="http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/drawing-challenge/" target="_blank">this contest</a>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
That was the extent of my improvement for a while, because it's hard to predict what will come up in an unplugged lesson and I didn't know how to organize "I don't know what" ahead of time!<br />
<br />
But one day last month, a learner asked if she could have the pictures from a lesson that she missed. I created a class <a href="http://www.livebinders.com/welcome/home" target="_blank">livebinder </a>and posted there so that anyone could copy them if they wanted to. (Actually, I'm not going to let that become a habit ... I would rather create a learner-driven livebinder and let them ask each other to post pictures if they miss class. They could even post pictures of their notes, if they want to. More on livebinder coming soon, I hope.) Anyway, the request made me realize that even if I can't predict <i>what</i> I'm going to write ahead of time, I need to come up with more of a method for <i>how </i>I write on the board so that someone who wasn't in class can follow along.<br />
<br />
I surfed around for ideas, and then I made some small changes to my board organization. After I write the date at the top, I also write the name of the class. I then draw a line across the board below that with a little space above it. That area is not to be erased and will include reminders to myself, notices to the class, etc. In the remaining space below, I draw a vertical line reserving the right 1/3 of the board for vocabulary. The other 2/3 is for whatever comes up in class. It can be erased (but only after a picture is taken!). I explained what I was doing to the group and I could tell they liked the idea.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyHXHtp7O67zIFRWlIc1ocZah2B-DNgBA4xTr_lqi4atIIXACAEDpLgVs8LW0qgzpJ0ztmAnbX2j-kRndLPWhgPcXfZu8QcNSfbsI1R0f2P3Sl5yAUVOXMdznU0XPE3lBGnUwgKKlIaQ/s1600/photo+2+(Medium).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyHXHtp7O67zIFRWlIc1ocZah2B-DNgBA4xTr_lqi4atIIXACAEDpLgVs8LW0qgzpJ0ztmAnbX2j-kRndLPWhgPcXfZu8QcNSfbsI1R0f2P3Sl5yAUVOXMdznU0XPE3lBGnUwgKKlIaQ/s1600/photo+2+(Medium).JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new organization.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've also made a couple of behavioral changes. First, I tell myself to slow down. There's no reason the class can't wait a few seconds for a board that's more neatly written. Second, I'm trying to write smaller. The room is small and all of the learners are relatively young with <i>good eyes</i>!<br />
<br />
Of course, there is much more improvement to consider. Here's a board from last December at my previous assignment. I was using a lesson idea from <a href="http://the-round.com/resource/52/">52:A Year of Subversive Activity for the ELT Classroom</a> (Clandfield, Meddings).<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJB_nWd1bzOQmsiggrsAw_SRzRoo1lGsgORs0w5gwsS6D0LnyjZhAYmANrFKS_doM9srZSs-MZvGkgCuVlc7nkA_DzUaffiRHv77YCksWbPdU-WkE5rwULUijt9KdRgAtEaomFVgkunk/s1600/parsnip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJB_nWd1bzOQmsiggrsAw_SRzRoo1lGsgORs0w5gwsS6D0LnyjZhAYmANrFKS_doM9srZSs-MZvGkgCuVlc7nkA_DzUaffiRHv77YCksWbPdU-WkE5rwULUijt9KdRgAtEaomFVgkunk/s1600/parsnip.jpg" height="288" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The PARSNIP activity was first, the dialog-writing was second, and the common phrases emerged from discussion after both activities. (Incidental language, to the right, is not in the picture). I think the activities should have been recorded in the order they happened. It would also be helpful to have included a summary of the instructions for the PARSNIP activity and to have written more detailed instructions for the dialog. (Partners will write ..., then rehearse and perform.) Note that I erased the date and I failed to include the labeling at the left in the photo! I wonder: wouldn't it be OK to take a moment to tidy up spontaneous board work -- even rewrite it neatly -- before taking a picture (and before stepping aside to let learners copy it into their notebooks)?<br />
<br />
I also want to think about conventions for mapping out grammar forms and jotting down vocabulary words. I have a few, but I don't use them consistently. I also love to use colors but, again, it's not well thought-out. I want to come up with some ideas to try on my new group when we begin at the end of this month.<br />
<br />
<b><i>A request: do you have specific, organized conventions and abbreviations that you use for representing language points and vocabulary? If yes, please comment or tweet or something?</i></b><br />
<br />
If I can come up with a plan, I'd like to propose the whole shebang to the group and ask them to discuss with each other, then offer feedback and suggestions. When we all agree, it would be reasonable to ask them to follow our mutually agreed-upon format in their notebooks too. Then it will be easier to share with each other (see above)!<br />
<br />
A final note: In looking through the pictures I took, I concluded that they didn't look so bad, actually. Then I realized that I don't even bother to take pictures of my most hideous boards! If they're not worth taking pictures of, maybe they're not so useful to the learners either?<br />
<br />
Here are a few of the links that I browsed for ideas:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://sandymillin.wordpress.com/tag/boardwork/" target="_blank">https://sandymillin.wordpress.com/tag/boardwork/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://eflrecipes.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/tweaking-your-boardwork/" target="_blank">http://eflrecipes.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/tweaking-your-boardwork/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/improving-my-board-work" target="_blank">http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/improving-my-board-work</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://eltcriticalmoments.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/the-importance-of-boardwork/" target="_blank">http://eltcriticalmoments.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/the-importance-of-boardwork/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://eltrantsreviewsreflections.wordpress.com/2013/10/03/confessions-of-an-unrepentant-yet-slightly-defensive-unskilled-user-of-the-whiteboard/" target="_blank">http://eltrantsreviewsreflections.wordpress.com/2013/10/03/confessions-of-an-unrepentant-yet-slightly-defensive-unskilled-user-of-the-whiteboard/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://eltexperiences.com/2013/09/22/the-white-elephant-in-the-room/" target="_blank">http://eltexperiences.com/2013/09/22/the-white-elephant-in-the-room/</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/using-board" target="_blank">http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/using-board</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://eltstew.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/board-with-aims/" target="_blank">http://eltstew.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/board-with-aims/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-4985659544286451992014-08-27T17:43:00.001-04:002014-08-27T17:43:27.976-04:00Unplugged HomeworkNow that my intermediate summer intensive course is finishing, I'm ready for some reflection!<br /><br />
I wish I were faster at getting a new class into "unplugged" mode. The summer session went by so quickly and, although we "uncovered" a lot of material, I feel as if we have just hit cruising speed! I usually devote at least a week solely to building community and that goes a long way. It was also nice that the group was just seven learners and they all started on the same date (no walk-ins).<br />
<br />
On the other hand, I didn't have full attendance each time, and learners did not do much in the way of homework. If someone is missing when the rest of us hash out a language concept, then he or she has really missed a lot! Even if I take that as an opportunity for review and ask the others to share what they remember, it's not the same as the original discovery experience. And I love to use learners' homework as the base for reinforcement activities, etc. (Since this course focuses on speaking and listening, it's also a way to sneak some writing practice in without using up class time.) I didn't ask for much because I know they're busy adults and we met three times a week. But few put in the work. I can definitely do more to encourage homework next time.<br />
<br />
Since our lessons were largely unplugged, homework was often given on the fly. I would create an assignment and write it on the board, but I don't think that's enough. I think I should have a generic "homework" worksheet. In the last 5-10 minutes of class, hand it out and ask the learners to copy the instructions onto the sheet. Also, elicit some starting material and walk through one example (which they should also copy onto their sheet). For example, we studied the passive voice, including some of the situations where it is typically used (news stories involving damage or injury, historical facts, describing cultural traditions). I could ask learners to choose one situation (news story) then elicit some recent true examples (earthquake in California, fighting in Israel, a local car accident, etc.). Choosing one of these, elicit or create an example sentence: Hundreds of homes were damaged and several were destroyed [by the California earthquake]. Learners now have a clear understanding of what's expected, they have worked out an example, they've had a chance to ask questions, and they have seeds for their own work in the elicited material we didn't use. When, in the next lesson, I get to use their writing as a base for later activities (or even quizzes), I hope that will further reinforce that their homework is an important part of our lessons.<br />
<br />
I just had an unplugged thought: after everyone gets used to the worksheet routine, I could break the class into two groups and have them prepare a homework assignment for the people in the other group. They would have to walk their group through the assignment as above, of course! But let's get Part 1 going first, heh, heh!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc0OBtCh4eFa4FJDMSmm11G-mU3K5loavAz0xGCtvsuv4QjHEU0V00X4zzTgTz1WPZwz-frKdNyGAJkBDmxinTkZD-K8wNyDwZp_3Dj4aZkpSNGvzhYrupQOkUKRHoUYg_LphV8I1mX8/s1600/You_Can__t_Do_Homework_by_Mystic_Cat_Goddess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc0OBtCh4eFa4FJDMSmm11G-mU3K5loavAz0xGCtvsuv4QjHEU0V00X4zzTgTz1WPZwz-frKdNyGAJkBDmxinTkZD-K8wNyDwZp_3Dj4aZkpSNGvzhYrupQOkUKRHoUYg_LphV8I1mX8/s1600/You_Can__t_Do_Homework_by_Mystic_Cat_Goddess.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cat ate my homework! (credit: <a href="http://mystic-cat-goddess.deviantart.com/art/You-Can-t-Do-Homework-116393080" target="_blank">Mystic-Cat-Goddess</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm not big on compliance, so I'm still thinking about how to encourage the best attendance possible without casting a punitive aura. (You must attend at least 75% of lessons in order to get your certificate. Ecchhh!) I know that when the unplugged atmosphere is in full swing, learners will bend over backwards to get to class because they see it as a social event not to be missed. (Not to mention the fact that you might miss some valuable insights on language that "you had to be there" to really appreciate!) The learners who missed some classes this time around are trying to carve out time from jobs, studies and family, so I think I just need to be patient and think of other ways to get the unplugged experience going quickly.<br />
<br />
Next: improving my boardwork (a work that is very much still in progress!) ...Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-27734011899033815682014-08-27T07:54:00.000-04:002014-08-27T07:54:31.640-04:00Bye Summer!This week sees the end of the summer intensive course with my intermediate learners. I've approached this course with a mostly unplugged attitude, using occasional excerpts from a textbook only to introduce learner-selected topics and/or as a springboard to reinforcement activities. Today, learners will help me decide how they should be evaluated and we'll do that on Friday (plus snacks and socializing to celebrate the completion of the course).<br />
<br />
I was very happy to see the bulk of these adult learners pick up on their freedom to help drive the class. One (a former teacher) never really got into it. Another seemed willing, but on the fence. But the others started coming in with language questions they had observed outside of the lesson, and stopping our discussions to ask about specific turns of phrase, etc. Toward the end, they began to really sense that they could also press toward whatever discussion topics they wanted. I hope some of them continue into the fall so that we can take this and run with it!<br />
<br />
Some quick notes on my own performance (before I ask the learners next time): I worked on improving my boardwork and plan to post on that soon. I don't have the right sense of pacing for a 90-minute class yet (after teaching three hour classes for five years!). Generally, I plan for too much in one session. I did well (IMO) in getting learners to ask "What about this situation? Would I say it like this? [example sentence]" and then writing their sentence on the board verbatim for the class to analyze, propose solutions, and debate.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVP8FHFJrlqOhyphenhyphenmLdr4Pv4w1FMYy93E_vVkFNAd6Jf5eC8wYiEi_wTIxkhpdn9jcWPwMMvZ7O6YVMJvcMFo1ZeRXlnABDCc9GoD3pi2weigFX-Z7yFaj2owRS2f2uxBvfzPS78e37OZ9zJ/s1600/board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVP8FHFJrlqOhyphenhyphenmLdr4Pv4w1FMYy93E_vVkFNAd6Jf5eC8wYiEi_wTIxkhpdn9jcWPwMMvZ7O6YVMJvcMFo1ZeRXlnABDCc9GoD3pi2weigFX-Z7yFaj2owRS2f2uxBvfzPS78e37OZ9zJ/s1600/board.jpg" height="109" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I hope to post some reflections on the course over the next few weeks, because I should have more time!Kessiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15910475492465092325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-7445397384068389042014-08-16T10:48:00.001-04:002014-08-16T10:48:58.076-04:00Busy Summer!Well, it's not surprising that I haven't posted in a month! I hope you've been having a nice summer.<br />
<br />
I've been busy getting used to a new routine now that I'm working at IH Philadelphia. The course I'm teaching is a summer intensive and this is the first time I've taught a group three times a week. I love seeing the learners more often and I think it helps their memory. It's much easier to prepare for a 90-minute lesson than a 3-hour one, that's for sure. But I've injected some suspense into the process by scheduling my prep session for just before I leave to teach. I give myself exactly one hour. Will I have a decent plan when it's time to jump into the car and hit the road? Well, I'd better -- cuz the deadline is fixed!<br />
<br />
On the other two days of the week, I'm meeting with a private learner (advanced level). Two-hour sessions with one person are (for me, anyway) more difficult to plan. But we get along well, and she knows that part of the planning is up to her: in addition to my own responses to her performance and progress, she needs to share her feedback on the quality of the lessons and how she would prefer to spend our time together. Over the last four weeks, she has reported improvement in her ability to understand quickly spoken American speech. Now she wants more speaking practice. If she re-ups (her course is ending after next week), that's where we will go next.<br />
<br />
One nice thing about the new setup is that I actually have afternoons free now. Obviously, I'm not spending the time blogging, ha ha! I have stepped up my fitness routine, which was non-existent before January, and am being more intentional with mindfulness practice. And I'm meeting friends for coffee. (A teacher with a social life? Go figure!) Eventually, all this free time will get sucked up into studies if my plans go, um, as planned. But the break is refreshing!<br />
<br />
I also got a new computer, which has been surprisingly time consuming. It's a <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/11/19/lenovo-ideapad-yoga-2-pro-review/" target="_blank">Yoga 2 Pro</a>, which is an ultrabook. It's light enough to carry easily in a backpack and has a touchscreen, so it can function like a tablet. In addition to the usual shifting of data, programs, and configurations, I'm learning how to best use the new features ... and getting used to Windows 8.1. (And stumbling into some glaringly inconvenient bugs along the way. There are workarounds, but I'm wondering how they got past product testing and why they aren't patched yet.) Ultimately, I think this machine will be a good choice for the classroom. I no longer have access to a projector, but I can prop the Yoga up in tent mode (see link above for an image) to show a video to my relatively small group. And I can actually use my attendance spreadsheet right in class. Get this -- I can even pass the laptop around and let the learners sign in directly!<br />
<br />
Actually, I have been blogging ... or typing reflections into blog posts, anyway. I hope to clean a couple of them up and share soon. Meanwhile, here's a decorative summertime picture:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYGRIPdfmGdH-3nzOARz-Mh47m_jvK72Kl-nyR3i7TptyLcKPxfGHYxy3FjCluNgiyf7oOg5yDPHGqtKk6uKKfW9O2-sRt2iBrpKC7e65fvEQc_xulY2yPWTMJSP58egzZIcunCx5bRw/s1600/IMG_2153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYGRIPdfmGdH-3nzOARz-Mh47m_jvK72Kl-nyR3i7TptyLcKPxfGHYxy3FjCluNgiyf7oOg5yDPHGqtKk6uKKfW9O2-sRt2iBrpKC7e65fvEQc_xulY2yPWTMJSP58egzZIcunCx5bRw/s1600/IMG_2153.JPG" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House sparrow (weaver) in South Philadelphia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yes, I have also had more time to take the "good" camera out for some fun! I bought it in December for taking pictures of birds and scenery, primarily when on vacation. But, heck, why not use it more now while the weather is fine?<br />
<br />Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-86730477887636146242014-07-11T13:01:00.000-04:002014-07-11T13:05:19.911-04:00New Experiences AheadOn Monday, I will begin teaching an intermediate class at my new gig.<br />
<br />
The first year or so that I taught in a classroom, the focus was ESL. Lesson goals were based on life skills: "students will be able to check their grocery receipt against what they actually bought and report a discrepancy to a clerk or store manager". Lessons were supposed to include a balance of reading, writing, speaking, and listening, but the default emphasis was (in my opinion) on reading. A lot of the speaking was actually reading aloud, a lot of the writing was related to completing exercises, a lot of the listening involved reading along. I had been taught to develop a lesson around a grammar point that would be needed or useful in the context of the life skills goal. The lesson format was essentially PPP.<br />
<i><br /></i>
The remaining three years of classroom teaching saw a shift. Lessons were to revolve around US Civics topics, with language learning as needed for this purpose. I really liked this, because I could respond to whatever language needs arose as we explored together. It was easy to include discussion sessions (speaking practice) and we regularly watched videos related to current events (listening practice). Learners also researched and reported on topics (writing, pronunciation). Vocabulary-building took a larger role as well.<br />
<br />
I would like to have expanded to project-based learning. My thinking was to involve the learners in a real civics activity of some kind. Perhaps organize a snack sale to benefit our host (the library) or maybe other students at our agency (GED graduates who can't afford a cap and gown, or the fees for taking the exam). Another project might be to write a language learners' newsletter to distribute to other English classes (and maybe solicit contributions from the other learners!). And, of course, learners might bring in a need from their own neighborhood. The group would think of possibilities, choose one, plan it, execute on it, and then do a post-mortem.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJWIHNRz3e470eWYPPvwtS5aeB2hEdXCwl8RUKr66kzi_CM6i8oIB0y-RCYBgqEG4O-_LybSvZE7iiRqphUOFFvPLL0yLfBVgJqZfZW_m465G0joqfU3a66ttvaTp_DhofB4T5NBlWuU/s1600/blahblah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJWIHNRz3e470eWYPPvwtS5aeB2hEdXCwl8RUKr66kzi_CM6i8oIB0y-RCYBgqEG4O-_LybSvZE7iiRqphUOFFvPLL0yLfBVgJqZfZW_m465G0joqfU3a66ttvaTp_DhofB4T5NBlWuU/s1600/blahblah.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hope we get more out of conversation than this! (<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D%C3%A9tail_de_%22Blah,_blah,_blah%22_du_studio_Louise_Campbell_(Maison_du_Danemark)_(3600301569).jpg" target="_blank">credit</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In my new assignment, the emphasis will be on speaking and listening. Current events or a civics project remain possibilities ... if learners are so inclined. No matter what, as long as I am not working with a fixed curriculum I will be letting the group drive the content of our lessons. I'll be doing this indirectly by observing what they seem to be interested in and what their language needs are, and directly: asking them to discuss and choose. New for me:<br />
<br />
- working with a fairly stable cohort<br />
- shorter lessons, three times a week<br />
- teaching a course of exactly 21 lessons<br />
<br />
It's possible that some (all?) of the learners are continuing from past courses. They may already know each other and have expectations based on their experience with a different teacher. So, a big part of our first lessons will be sharing a lot about myself and how I teach (unplugged!) and learning as much as I can about them. If they <i>don't </i>know each other, then we'll all be in the same boat!<br />
<br />
I think the unplugged approach will go over well because, after all, this is a conversation-based course. I'm really excited about this chance to explore spoken English more thoroughly!Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-31978859657613239512014-07-09T14:06:00.000-04:002014-07-09T14:10:52.590-04:00The Senior English Club<i>This is a post that I have been working on for several years! It involves an issue that I ran into when I was a new teacher: perpetual students. Frankly, I have nothing against lifelong learners -- I'm one myself! But there is a conflict between the needs of such learners and the grant requirements that made our classes (and my paycheck) possible. I'm posting this because another blogger very bravely shared a problem recently and it occurred to me that it's a lot easier to share insights and successes than it is to confess mistakes and raise issues for which we don't have answers ... but it's both aspects that make a good community, right? Note: I have recently left the agency where these experiences took place, so I have revised the text to reflect this ...</i><br />
<br />
The EL-Civics program I worked in until recently exists for a particular reason -- to encourage learners to become active participants in their neighborhood and this country, partly through improving their English skills. Their grant defines "success" through a combination of:<br />
<br />
- learner gains (a certain percentage of learners shows improvement on a standardized reading exam)<br />
- if learners demonstrate that they have learned several kinds of civics facts (US history, government, laws, geography, rights and responsibilities, culture, etc.)<br />
- if any learners become citizens, register to vote, vote for the first time<br />
- if any learners engage in sustained community participation (are active in community organizations, etc.)<br />
<br />
While the last three items are important, test scores play an overly-large role when agencies across the state are competing for grant money.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BJE5wlHT4tQIiIFDa6eWg9Rg-F2nZDjh4aexSsyI1_DyIUJpi9zW8whjo7Tb8anoZE6fBH6C6JLU101sPRE0kMJFolPfzyAReO40vM7B6yGCuHBCmm1HRHK24WsV7aW9_Qv6XA-dL04/s1600/floating-ring-160536_640.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BJE5wlHT4tQIiIFDa6eWg9Rg-F2nZDjh4aexSsyI1_DyIUJpi9zW8whjo7Tb8anoZE6fBH6C6JLU101sPRE0kMJFolPfzyAReO40vM7B6yGCuHBCmm1HRHK24WsV7aW9_Qv6XA-dL04/s1600/floating-ring-160536_640.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Public libraries are lifesavers! (<a href="http://pixabay.com/en/floating-ring-belt-help-lifesaver-160536/" target="_blank">credit</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But prospective learners don't know any of this. As far as they're concerned, the word on the street is that there are free English classes at the library. Period! It's quite effective: I was often amazed to meet learners who had barely gotten over their jet lag before inquiring about classes. These are the learners for whom the program is designed. However, there is another group of learners who also take advantage of such a program: the "perpetual students".<br />
<br />
Let's look at a composite student that I will call Igor (I have no students named Igor). He shows up faithfully for every lesson and does written homework -- sometimes spending quite a bit of time on it -- but he doesn't speak English except to communicate with me or when forced to do so as part of a class activity. He doesn't use English outside of class, being immersed in a family and community with many speakers of his first language (L1). He's not looking for a job -- he's retired. He post-tests again and again at about the same level as the pretest, sometimes lower. He resists participating in communicative activities and, when pressed, will take non-communicative shortcuts to get the activity over with. Igor appears to be looking for intellectual stimulation and the company of other nice people. His goal is met by the act of coming to class. It was assumed that students come to class to get help with English and move on, so my program didn't have a clearly-stated policy about students who don't ever intend to leave. So Igor stayed in class for months and months ... even years. Igor was nice and I liked him a lot. But what was my responsibility with regard to his learning?<br />
<br />
At first, my thinking was that such a student was seeking participation in the community in his or her own way, and that this could fall loosely under our program's intentions. And it seemed that I always had one or two students who fell into this category -- especially in morning or afternoon classes. So, I was easy with the perpetual student. But, after some time, I realized that even one or two such learners can have a big effect on the success of a class. Igor's non-participation detracted from the success of communicative activities, he provided a poor model for students who were hesitant about taking risks, he used his L1 with any other students that shared his language (which marginalized others and was an obstacle to my recognition of arising issues), he took a seat that could be filled by a student whose needs were more strongly in alignment with my program's directives, and (finally) he hurt my agency's numbers. While I personally don't think that standardized test data provides an accurate reflection of student progress, the program did depend on it. Lots of bad data = no funding. One student like this may not hurt too much, but read on ...<br />
<br />
Once I had eight perpetual students at the same time, I kid you not! When I put up signs announcing an afternoon class at a particular library, it filled quickly. It turns out that six of the group were elderly retired people who knew each other and shared the same L1. These students all scored at high intermediate or a little higher on our pretest. I liked them as people. They were really quite sweet, slipping me chocolates and being like a whole bunch of nice grandparents. But they simply did not want a communicative class and they worked as a group to try and drive me toward a traditional teacher-led format -- where they could sit back, collect handouts, and enjoy the show while commenting to each other in their first language. Their number increased to eight because other students with the same L1 who joined later found it easy to go with the majority.<br />
<br />
Every time I tried to break the class into groups or get students out of their chairs was a struggle. Every time I asked a group conversing in L1 to try English, they would translate what they were saying to me (as if the problem wasn't that they were supposed to be using English, but that I didn't speak their L1). In activities where learners were supposed to collaborate they would simply work out the answer using their first language, then sit quietly and wait to report -- or converse in L1 about something else. Being a relatively new teacher, I assumed the failures were mine and worked relentlessly trying to figure out how to manage this group. After almost a year of trying new lesson ideas, negotiating expectations, explaining the language-learning purpose for each activity, joking, asking individuals privately for cooperation, and even nagging, one day I just burst into tears!<br />
<br />
That day, a final failed activity broke the camel's back. It was a typical student survey -- students were to go around with a bit of paper and find out three health issues that interested their classmates the most (this would inform future lessons). What actually happened: the group of perpetuals sat around one table chatting in their L1 while passing their bits of paper around to be filled in. Meanwhile, the four or five students who didn't speak that language surveyed each other and then tried feebly to break in and get some information from the gang. When I regained my composure, I ended the lesson early and arranged a meeting with my program manager.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsz5J0rQRrAmLpcJ3rPO5moxpxqfgq1ADc9nlSTI1a2s-xyz1aP3me5x2rn9l1t3EWgIUymfPcMlG658zJH9CgIUtl01P6CXokJHCMvzJJaskKx1QyKaUPZeDi6cDYdEBMhHx42DaLLI/s1600/help-153094_640.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsz5J0rQRrAmLpcJ3rPO5moxpxqfgq1ADc9nlSTI1a2s-xyz1aP3me5x2rn9l1t3EWgIUymfPcMlG658zJH9CgIUtl01P6CXokJHCMvzJJaskKx1QyKaUPZeDi6cDYdEBMhHx42DaLLI/s1600/help-153094_640.png" height="167" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I finally called for help! (<a href="http://pixabay.com/en/help-button-red-emergency-support-153094/" target="_blank">credit</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With my PM's permission, the next lesson saw me post-testing everyone in the group. The lesson after that, I handed out cupcakes to celebrate the completion of our program and "graduated" the lot. I handed out leaflets from a local senior citizens facility that offers various activities, meals and even transportation to and from the library area. Most of the group already knew about it and nobody was interested. I also talked to the library branch manager who eventually found an area volunteer to offer a weekly one-hour conversation group. All of the "graduated" seniors later began to attend that session -- and I made sure that it was offered on some day OTHER than the ones when my classes were scheduled!<br />
<br />
The next week I began afresh, switching the schedule so that the daytime class (popular with retirees) served beginners and the evening class was for higher level students. I ended up with a delightful mix of sincere learners in both classes, which was wonderful! I eventually discovered that another teacher (an experienced one, at that) had had the same problem at this location a couple of years earlier. At that time, they simply closed the class down.<br />
<br />
By the way, the post-tests with my gang of perpetual learners showed no gains; indeed, one student didn't even bother to finish the test, claiming she was tired. It dawned on me that students may have deliberately been fudging their post-tests, because if they scored above a certain number they would have to leave. I have since had individual learners in other classes state outright that they didn't intend to do well on the post-test because they loved me and didn't want to leave!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
This is a long post, I know, but here comes the reflection at last ...<br />
<br />
First of all, I don't really like the "solution" to this problem. For one thing, the students didn't graduate -- I kicked them out. For another, I couldn't serve higher level students during the day for fear of this situation arising again. And closing the class (as was done before) serves no students at all! The question is:<br />
<br />
How can one open classes to all, including retired seniors looking for intellectual satisfaction, while preventing the perpetual student problem?<br />
<br />
After this incident, my team of teachers had quite a bit of discussion on this. Everyone had at least one or two students who had been around forever. Were the goals of these learners in alignment with those of our program? We decided to set a policy where learners could not stay in the same class for more than a year. Learners in a lower level class could move up to a higher level class, if post-test showed that they were eligible, and they could have another year at that level. Looking back now, I have some more thoughts:<br />
<br />
- Not all long-term learners are perpetual learners. Some don't have a lot of time for study because they have jobs and family to attend to. Some have sporadic attendance due to other life issues. But they participate actively and communicatively when they are in class. The time limit may be unfair to this group.<br />
- We only served two levels ("lower" and "higher"). It can take more than a year to move from the low end of "lower" to "higher". We ended up tightening both of these bands, which resolved the issue. But it would be nice to add an ESL class (focus on life skills) to serve the lowest levels and prepare them to enter the EL-Civics program.<br />
- Could learners also be graded on the quality of their participation in class with high-scorers earning another year at their current level if they were not ready to move on? How would one do this grading? Could it be related somehow to the "community participation" standard that the grant asks for?<br />
<br />
I hope I never run into the extreme case of eight perpetual students again! But I think I'm a tougher teacher than I used to be. Back then I requested cooperation from learners, but thanks to my shutting the class down and starting over, I know that I'm capable of demanding cooperation in the future. However, if at all possible I would prefer to organize the program around encouragement rather than deterrence!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSN19WgEjZpVWUPRCIHF_dpE5y8da-AA2tjllf9LBrNTMQI_aL43Zjm7NLHPpvwblMUMOy9ysn2bG_EcYKCDNOOci_FkzwDRE2-_n6bos_2dfRxI-COzVgdz6C_U3vKEZ5ok-L6pjaaaM/s1600/452px-StateLibQld_1_113036_Cartoon_of_students_receiving_the_cane,_1888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSN19WgEjZpVWUPRCIHF_dpE5y8da-AA2tjllf9LBrNTMQI_aL43Zjm7NLHPpvwblMUMOy9ysn2bG_EcYKCDNOOci_FkzwDRE2-_n6bos_2dfRxI-COzVgdz6C_U3vKEZ5ok-L6pjaaaM/s1600/452px-StateLibQld_1_113036_Cartoon_of_students_receiving_the_cane,_1888.jpg" height="320" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tough, but not this tough -- I hope! (<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StateLibQld_1_113036_Cartoon_of_students_receiving_the_cane,_1888.jpg" target="_blank">credit</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-29477259261036567912014-07-03T13:46:00.003-04:002014-07-03T13:46:44.038-04:00And in other news ...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPST9aRY_73Iykj7J91ASCJxZ4mlso-eGuULi2UNJqavx9lM3mUdjStbHHrZSSYGatkQ2gd_qV7cuiTt0XMK89Bz67MSsuI6dkWXKwpwXxdjKABGzqhI08rMm4aptNTQyov_cI4yZftY/s1600/hiromi_and_us.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPST9aRY_73Iykj7J91ASCJxZ4mlso-eGuULi2UNJqavx9lM3mUdjStbHHrZSSYGatkQ2gd_qV7cuiTt0XMK89Bz67MSsuI6dkWXKwpwXxdjKABGzqhI08rMm4aptNTQyov_cI4yZftY/s1600/hiromi_and_us.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>Oh my gosh, things have been hopping around here lately! Not only did I conclude the fiscal year at my employer (lots of paperwork) but I concluded my employment. As a free-range teacher, I not only said goodbye to coworkers but to the fabulous librarians and staff at each of the places where I taught. There was schlepping of agency-owned stuff back to the office and schlepping of my stuff back to my home. And now there is learning the new gig ... with all the inefficiencies that that entails!<br />
<br />
And why not take some personal time during this interim period? Hubby and I took a trip to Greenwich Village over the last weekend. We met our nephew for dinner and a concert: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR8HinFaQhk" target="_blank">Hiromi and the Trio Project</a> at the <a href="http://www.bluenote.net/newyork/index.shtml" target="_blank">Blue Note</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9AxrBQ7oda2d7lFMI7CgkxL-HDcGj_v9YNCw6yPHNC8tTv_wLeYDg3c8vgvBmtkIZx7CsnPVciT40jAPhSv0LhB_pYG6GlSLQ8fw_4J9Mzf4-CHC7RaQRWBsz2u8qUDFxSIK_Y8nnro/s1600/hiromi3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9AxrBQ7oda2d7lFMI7CgkxL-HDcGj_v9YNCw6yPHNC8tTv_wLeYDg3c8vgvBmtkIZx7CsnPVciT40jAPhSv0LhB_pYG6GlSLQ8fw_4J9Mzf4-CHC7RaQRWBsz2u8qUDFxSIK_Y8nnro/s1600/hiromi3.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
Thanks to our willingness to stand in line for, like, 90 minutes, we got The. Best. Seats. In. The. House. No kidding, the guys could literally reach out and touch the piano bench if they wanted to (not that either would dream of doing such a thing, ha ha!). I was a couple of feet farther away.<br />
<br />
I've been to many concerts over the years and I really have to say that this one ranks among the very best. I was rapt from the first note to the last. If you can, do see Hiromi if she comes to wherever you are!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYnkI50_iMqatsQQ9bjGagU5H4nx0036w5l9MVYe96GTxZSENMivoIsElF-2kTRGYYHQV4zeo5oo58jB2ru7m_7ViN5VgCAr25afkTGP1mr8sfTcQT6X5ayttfIlqY7VsZJVIZRjH0iA/s1600/pride1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYnkI50_iMqatsQQ9bjGagU5H4nx0036w5l9MVYe96GTxZSENMivoIsElF-2kTRGYYHQV4zeo5oo58jB2ru7m_7ViN5VgCAr25afkTGP1mr8sfTcQT6X5ayttfIlqY7VsZJVIZRjH0iA/s1600/pride1.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />We also ate well (too well, perhaps ... I'm off to the gym in 10 minutes!), visited the September 11 memorial, and had a prime view of the Gay Pride parade which went right past our hotel.<br />
<br />
For the remainder of the week, we are engaged in a "staycation", meeting with friends in the region and hanging around at home relaxing. Ahhhhh ...<br />
<br />
PS: Sorry for the lack of ELT content ... I have two posts actively in the queue, but they are both taking a lot longer than I anticipated to complete,<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-49747228430603106752014-07-03T11:34:00.001-04:002014-07-03T11:34:33.289-04:00Breaking Into Business EnglishAs you may know from past posts, I'm a big fan of <a href="http://itdi.pro/itdihome/advanced_courses.php" target="_blank">iTDi's Advanced Courses </a>series. A wonderful way to examine various ELT topics with the live help of respected pros ... and at a very reasonable price! The next course is Breaking Into Business English with the energetic author and teacher, <a href="http://www.vickihollett.com/" target="_blank">Vicki Hollett</a>. I'm lucky enough to have met her in person -- she's awesome! See you on Sunday?Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-851589764599460082014-06-19T21:38:00.000-04:002014-06-19T21:38:18.780-04:001 to 1To ease into my new role at IH Philadelphia, I've taken on a tutoring assignment. I'll be meeting with this adult learner for the next four weeks. Wow, I haven't tutored in four years! We had our first meeting on Monday morning.We chatted for a little while, sharing something about ourselves. I began to ask her what she needed from me and she very straightforwardly told me that she wanted help with speaking. She said she wanted to improve her vocabulary and pronunciation. As I was listening, I had noted one language need and one pronunciation need so we started with those.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHx_eUwiFplCQGGsg90dTabFXb8naR-K2C89UsjDRl1p8EptZNbshG_18c-WCUXSVy6BCnt875QhEnxDeaEJovbSaUPIYoquojw-vkp2AOCA82zHclzMGywr606LqTV1kypnvOHd5n4-0/s1600/ih1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHx_eUwiFplCQGGsg90dTabFXb8naR-K2C89UsjDRl1p8EptZNbshG_18c-WCUXSVy6BCnt875QhEnxDeaEJovbSaUPIYoquojw-vkp2AOCA82zHclzMGywr606LqTV1kypnvOHd5n4-0/s1600/ih1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">International House Philadelphia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
1) When she told me the ages of the kids she works with, she used the Spanish construction: "He has 13 years." I noted the correct form in English and she self-corrected nicely later in the lesson. When we met again on Wednesday, we looked at family pictures and asked each other about them, including the ages of the people. That was good reinforcement. We also watched <a href="http://www.real-english.com/reo/8-c/unit8c.asp" target="_blank">video 8c from real-english.com</a>, in which the hosts ask lots of people on the street what their age is. We watched the caption-free video first, then we watched the one with captions. The video raised other language questions, too. Awesome!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5r5p1WrcwOccNQNwKrpefT1sH3cpfjNXxHwjBzdPV_uPIsDAq25gMVw-k3HLEucOQcqBpnmgTO6xi81wakyjKrPKsVxuhxdU89d4e7bovSuC_NzX4bgFlZQkPmuHCa5bRUnxlKQgFic/s1600/ih2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5r5p1WrcwOccNQNwKrpefT1sH3cpfjNXxHwjBzdPV_uPIsDAq25gMVw-k3HLEucOQcqBpnmgTO6xi81wakyjKrPKsVxuhxdU89d4e7bovSuC_NzX4bgFlZQkPmuHCa5bRUnxlKQgFic/s1600/ih2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This dry-erase marker box makes a good phone stand!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
2) I had to ask her to repeat a statement when she was talking about her job. I didn't understand "job" because of her pronunciation of /j/. Actually, the /b/ sound was also sketchy, but one thing at a time! I briefly reviewed some pronunciation vocabulary (syllable, stress, voiced, unvoiced) and then we set about practicing the mechanics of the /j/ sound. In the future, I will bring a mirror and a picture of the mouth to help with this. I also elicited some example words from her. She immediately offered "change", which has given her problems in the past. It was very difficult for her to put /j/ at the end of a word, so we started with "changes" and then progressed to "change". I elicited some more words with this sound at the beginning (jelly, juice, gym), the middle (vegetable), and the end (orange, fridge, age) and then she made a sentence from each. We then made flash cards for her to study with (one sentence per card with the /j/ sound highlighted). She doesn't have a lot of time to study, so I suggested that she carry the cards with her and review them for 5 minutes at least twice a day. This will promote awareness of that sound that I hope will carry over into her "real" language use. Finally, I suggested that she listen to the English speakers she lives and works with, paying attention to how they make the /j/ sound. As we were finishing up, she commented that the words we chose were all words that she uses often, so she will get lots of practice. Great!<br />
<br />
I sense a 'good student' in this young woman. She has already been noticing the points where her current level isn't serving her well. That is key!<br />
<br />
Back when I was volunteer tutoring a small group, I also worked independently with a high level learner who wanted to fine-tune her pronunciation skills. That was the first time I taught pronunciation explicitly and I was scrambling to learn more about how to teach pronunciation before each session with her! I hope she learned something -- I know I learned a lot.<br />
<br />
A book that helped me tremendously was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Pronunciation-Reference-Teachers-Languages/dp/0521406943/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403010039&sr=1-2&keywords=teaching+pronunciation" target="_blank"><i>Teaching Pronunciation: A Reference for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages</i></a> by Celce-Murcia, Brinton and Goodwin.<br />
<br />
I also like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pronunciation-Pairs-Students-Book-Audio/dp/0521678080" target="_blank"><i>Pronunciation Pairs</i></a> by Baker and Goldstein. Good minimal pairs with simple instructions for how to form the target sound for each unit. Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-1759550232967956342014-06-12T20:35:00.001-04:002014-06-12T20:41:14.443-04:00Changes AfootAs the fiscal year draws to a close at our agency, I've decided to make a change. I will be moving on to new teaching adventures in July.<br />
<br />
I'm extremely grateful for the last seven years at the Center for Literacy. For two years, I tutored a small group of three to five high-intermediate and low-advanced learners. During that time, I was able to make a lot of mistakes in a very forgiving environment. I was also able to confirm that teaching English was truly what I wanted to pursue as my second career. I then took an intensive (and I mean <i>intensive</i>!) certificate course at <a href="http://www.lado.edu/tefl/" target="_blank">Lado International Institute</a> and applied for full-class teaching. I'm so thankful for being given the chance to learn the ropes at CFL. I learned from my peers -- which included some seasoned pros -- and had access to internal, city, state, and national professional development opportunities. Lead by a skilled program manager, our team of English teachers collaborated over the last few years to build a framework-style program which was designed to assure that we met our grant's requirements while allowing each teacher quite a bit of flexibility in how individual lessons were planned and taught. (A great way to merge traditional goal-driven management with the more dynamic kind of management that's needed in a classroom). Each year, we built on that foundation and it showed in our data. I'm so proud of our group!<br />
<br />
But <a href="http://freerangekef.blogspot.com/2013/09/speaking-of-peace.html" target="_blank">things change</a>. Now that I've ushered my learners to the end of our program year, I'm ready to try something new. I just committed to volunteer-teaching conversation classes at <a href="http://ihousephilly.org/classes" target="_blank">International House Philadelphia</a>. The focus is on speaking and listening skills, so the principles of unplugged teaching should serve these classes well.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-LF3ub2zfRXvWuHkcorWVXX7GADSUXRoqa-y_H-CE8So_nuKeHdcdq1oHus_LkqORccu7MSvpP18du_0h89uezPZTMFv0WZ9zXaM1Q3BCbJ8NL0JyN1x_gymVEW3p74G_1K2HAgsGJU/s1600/adventure.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-LF3ub2zfRXvWuHkcorWVXX7GADSUXRoqa-y_H-CE8So_nuKeHdcdq1oHus_LkqORccu7MSvpP18du_0h89uezPZTMFv0WZ9zXaM1Q3BCbJ8NL0JyN1x_gymVEW3p74G_1K2HAgsGJU/s1600/adventure.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 2012: heading for new places!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Stay tuned for updates on this new phase in Free-Range English Language Teaching!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-72983711829571257062014-06-11T10:33:00.001-04:002014-06-11T10:34:39.112-04:00Hip-Hip Huzzah!I woke up yesterday morning, looked out the window and started to get a little worried because we had planned a field trip for our afternoon lesson and it had been raining relentlessly since the previous day. But the skies cleared and seven learners (and one teacher who has been observing the class) were waiting at the library when I got there.<br />
<br />
We took a stroll past Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell (we are SO lucky!) and made our way into a little mini-park nearby. There on a bench was a storyteller with no audience, so we stepped up and asked him to tell us a story. He did a little friendly banter with us first and found out where everyone was from (Vietnam, Greece, Angola, Algiers, Bulgaria, Iran, and Bangladesh), then proceeded to give a dramatic telling of a bit of history that occurred nearby. I have sat at this bench and heard the story before ... it is prepared speech, not extemporaneous, so it is very good for the activities planned below. (I'd like to note that there was also free speech with the storyteller before and after his performance, a bonus!)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXI4_QcvmBfZX1MIEgot4GrOuFgNRFk38U58QJJ1s4NZAwcT6W_Ma2W8nknnMrQEMCWY0nKHTmGEGXG47NvybpZ5bO2bTYD-GQx6x8iyujJV90BYk9nLM7KnNOhCzuVZwiXglnzgB3hc/s1600/colonial1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXI4_QcvmBfZX1MIEgot4GrOuFgNRFk38U58QJJ1s4NZAwcT6W_Ma2W8nknnMrQEMCWY0nKHTmGEGXG47NvybpZ5bO2bTYD-GQx6x8iyujJV90BYk9nLM7KnNOhCzuVZwiXglnzgB3hc/s1600/colonial1.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storyteller on the left, this man is recruiting us!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My intention was to return to the meeting room after this for some activities around our listening experience. I would ask the learners to break into groups (3 or 4) and work together to reconstruct as much of the 5-minute story as they could remember. They would write their versions on the board and we would work together to tidy the language up, if needed (perhaps comparing the way language was used in both stories and choosing the more effective). We would note any discrepancies between the two narratives. Finally, we would listen to a recording of the original tale to find the resolution to any discrepancies and note even more effective uses of language or new words.<br />
<br />
Well, that was my intention ... but we ended up being recruited into the Continental Army, drilling with (fake) muskets, charging a group of tourists with (imaginary) bayonets, shouting "Huzzah!" a lot, and marching to Independence Hall for a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence! It happens that tourists are roped into this activity twice a day and we were in the right place at the right time. The group was game for the adventure, so I bagged the planned activities.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWY35MLGmri3UpbBPl6zsvlmex-Wz5nN0nevaAY67xYIsr3Ho0uzTQ9V3JNkK8K6CAmeTie0ox17HtusGwJcA5b6Rh1Cq_ffIdfBcHTGHPwiRs0RS-xmRXSC5OnaJFd0S75VSF_JeglE/s1600/colonial.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWY35MLGmri3UpbBPl6zsvlmex-Wz5nN0nevaAY67xYIsr3Ho0uzTQ9V3JNkK8K6CAmeTie0ox17HtusGwJcA5b6Rh1Cq_ffIdfBcHTGHPwiRs0RS-xmRXSC5OnaJFd0S75VSF_JeglE/s1600/colonial.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off we march to our drills and so forth!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Tomorrow, our meeting room will be closed so if the weather is good, we're going to go out and seek another storyteller. Maybe we can sit under a shade tree in a park and do an abbreviated version of the lesson plan (skip the boardwork) after we hear the story. Fingers crossed for a pleasant day!<br />
<br />Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-75628693384037036862014-06-06T20:49:00.002-04:002014-06-06T20:49:17.184-04:00Humility<i>I have more than 30 posts in draft form, so I decided to do some house-cleaning. It was interesting to see this one from about eight months ago. I'm not sure why I didn't post it at the time. I gave myself good advice -- I know, because I took that advice and it helped!</i><br />
<br />
I had a lot to think about on the train ride home after today's lesson. We spent some extra time discussing homework and we also spent a little time catching up on items from our last lesson, so we didn't break into pairs or small groups as we usually do. It also seemed that the most talkative learners dominated our whole-class discussions ... I didn't manage that very well. One learner commented on that at the end of the lesson (he's able to hold his own, but to his credit he spoke on behalf of those who are not so outspoken).<br />
<br />
He has a valid point and I accept it. I haven't been giving everyone a fair opportunity to participate. I know that the right thing to do is record myself or ask a peer to observe a lesson. In the meantime, there are some things I can simply pay more attention to:<br />
<br />
- give a few moments for everyone to write first, then call on individuals to share (don't just open questions up to the floor)<br />
- break into small groups more. Perhaps make one group out of just the quieter people. They will be free of the stronger speakers for that period of discussion time.<br />
- privately invite some of the stronger speakers to support those who are more hesitant to speak. After they have their say, maybe deliberately hand off to a quiet person with "Miriam, what do you think?"<br />
<br />
I titled the post "humility" because I think it's beneficial to hear things I may not want to hear, give them some open-minded thought and adjust accordingly.<br />
<br />
That said, as I was writing this post I realized that the lesson had its good moments too. I arrived early and spent 10 minutes sitting with one of the quieter learners, answering questions and helping her. And another learner shared an experience where recently-studied vocabulary helped him outside the classroom!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcxOHIqifflFsa9q-h-v2jQ-WYDPq0_9IboNQr7CJNsdIf0_B5qC4OP2n231xkWINP4gM4OsyFZQmh6EG-2sA3mGydxog9ke9GLh5DD-aXnhr4DiAlfOPzySkaIOQHPjFrBwU1HHIe7U/s1600/robin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcxOHIqifflFsa9q-h-v2jQ-WYDPq0_9IboNQr7CJNsdIf0_B5qC4OP2n231xkWINP4gM4OsyFZQmh6EG-2sA3mGydxog9ke9GLh5DD-aXnhr4DiAlfOPzySkaIOQHPjFrBwU1HHIe7U/s1600/robin.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just for decoration!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-34462732397362482152014-06-01T17:03:00.000-04:002014-06-01T18:05:40.630-04:00Mindfulness in Teaching: a Fad?Recently, I read <a href="http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/mindfulness-yet-another-mindless-fad-in.html" target="_blank">a thought-provoking post by Donald Clark </a>claiming that mindfulness in education is a fad. I tend to agree with him, but not for the reasons he gives.<br />
<br />
A fad is some activity that becomes really popular for a while, then fades from view. Have you ever looked back at your participation in a fad and thought, "How could I ever have thought that was cool? What was I thinking?" I know I have!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yRjvdNhVkx-95YrQzEFTR_YxJFKD35oWu33oFuaFOgISkRti-7ecAqiFBaBFp0N0fGt25XgR7xfZuk_OQuZkJj0Wu9NhxfSCb0B4cIFCToYCIZnKitxd_XD4vm1NuuU9QbdlPUg8bqA/s1600/catseyekathy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yRjvdNhVkx-95YrQzEFTR_YxJFKD35oWu33oFuaFOgISkRti-7ecAqiFBaBFp0N0fGt25XgR7xfZuk_OQuZkJj0Wu9NhxfSCb0B4cIFCToYCIZnKitxd_XD4vm1NuuU9QbdlPUg8bqA/s1600/catseyekathy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1964: Cool glasses, Kathy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fads happen in business, too. Over the decades I spent in corporate-land, I saw them come and go. Somebody at a high level sat next to somebody in business class and the next thing you know, "we're all going to do things differently now". Long ago, for example, we all received training in something called PQMI, a way to manage processes so as to improve quality. Once we were trained, we were expected to do things the new way, documenting this in paperwork. What really happened was that those that bought in tried to make it work while many others who didn't buy in just jiggled the paperwork and did things the way they always did. It happened again a few years later with ISO certification.<br />
<br />
The ideas themselves are sound and have been used successfully around the world. What is faddish is when something that requires a fundamental change in thinking is reduced to a training program and then imposed onto people who are already busy and who may or may not buy into it. Training alone does not cause new ways of thinking. In the business examples I mentioned, a tight implementation schedule sent the message that the most important thing was getting the certification. Many of my coworkers rushed around trying to make paperwork look good so we would not "fail" various audits. Little support had been given to the development of a culture that views audit findings (especially from internal audits) as valuable -- even desirable -- pointers to areas for improvement. In <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_9000" target="_blank">the Wikipedia entry for ISO</a> (see "criticisms"), Roger Frost of ISO is quoted as saying, "If <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">you just want the certificate on </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">the wall, chances are you will create a paper system that doesn't have much to do with the way you </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">actually run your </span>business." (Top-down leadership isn't very good at culture change, really. <a href="http://freerangekef.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-teacher-leader.html" target="_blank">Another kind of leadership</a> may be more effective.)<br />
<br />
The origin of mindfulness is Buddhism, an umbrella term for a wide variety of religious denominations around the world. It is only one aspect of Buddhist practice, and is more important in some denominations than others. In the 1970s, Jon Kabat-Zinn determined that mindfulness might be useful in helping his patients deal with pain and stress. He developed an eight-week program (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, or MBSR) to introduce it in secularized form to patients in pain. A number of techniques, including a particular kind of meditation, are taught. While the program is quite structured, the people who attend are adults who are there by choice, often because a doctor has recommended it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.umassmed.edu/Content.aspx?id=41286" target="_blank">Research </a>has apparently shown MBSR to be effective (I have not reviewed the papers at the link). The program has become a standard offering at hospitals around the world. A similar program (mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, MBCT) is also now used for helping with depression and other mental health issues. Programs such as these use some of the techniques associated with developing mindfulness. But they themselves are not mindfulness practice. Some do offer their "graduates" continuing support from people with much experience and training in mindfulness practice and some graduates do go on to make mindfulness a part of their lives.<br />
<br />
But now we see programs marketed to schools as tidy packages that can be included as part of an educational curriculum for the purpose of delivering specific outcomes (<a href="http://www.mindfulschools.org/training/curriculum-training/" target="_blank">example here</a>). Here's a quote from <i>Mindful Teaching and Teaching Mindfulness</i> by Deborah Schoeberlin (a book recommended at the example link):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Peer support is important -- for teachers and for students -- and teaching mindfulness is easier, and arguably more effective, in schools and school districts where everyone participates. Getting everyone involved in a schoolwide program that incorporates research-based methodologies requires strong administrative support -- but schools are also more likely to approve large-scale, demonstrated methodologies. Once adopted, such programs have the greatest potential to impact the overall school culture as well as individual classroom climate.</blockquote>
Note the top-down perspective. Adopt the program package first and culture change will follow. In some cases where the environment is already amenable, maybe it will be just fine. I suspect, though, that many other cases will go the way of the business examples above. And "mindfulness" will be branded a passing fad ...<br />
<br />
<div>
By the way, I think mindfulness practice DOES have a place in education. If you happen to already have a personal practice, then it will be there in the classroom with you because it's a way of life. I could see a school supporting a teacher's voluntary attendance in mindfulness training as a kind of professional development, and I could see the school supporting trained teachers by giving them time to meet with each other, allowing them to attend follow-up seminars, and listening to their ideas. (See a book called <i>The Mindful Teacher </i>by Elizabeth MacDonald and Dennis Shirley for what looks like an example of complexity leadership related to mindfulness. I haven't read it in a few years, need to read it again myself!)<br />
<br />
But in the absence of such support, there is no need to teach mindfulness, just be it and support it in others as it may arise. Eight or nine years ago, I attended a talk by a Buddhist nun who said, "It's a poor lifeguard who can't swim." That has stuck with me ever since. May I continue to practice my swimming skills for the benefit of the learners in my classes.</div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Note: edited to add a note that I accidentally deleted!</span></div>
Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-53895440761605585192014-05-27T09:40:00.000-04:002014-05-28T08:27:41.539-04:00An Awesome Input OpportunityHubby and I went in to town over the holiday weekend for some low-key appreciation of our fair city. We moved slowly because I bruised my foot last week. This had the positive effect of making us pause for contemplation more often than we already do. It made details become more apparent, I think. At Carpenters Hall, I noticed that many (but not all) of the panes in the windows were beautifully wavy ... was it original Colonial-era glass? Here is a picture of a nearby office building as seen through one of them.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAotGoE8fXkiPcR2bRkYooqj4uPEHxlBwG5fF_VX63Ko5IhlmmvloSZT7SfW_PYVs2TY5rFdIfDpST8zF-6tAVK0kwK235RDITHROof8i6aApp9HixVPTYCbZr1FzexzNrXO-cqho_Keg/s1600/wavyglass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAotGoE8fXkiPcR2bRkYooqj4uPEHxlBwG5fF_VX63Ko5IhlmmvloSZT7SfW_PYVs2TY5rFdIfDpST8zF-6tAVK0kwK235RDITHROof8i6aApp9HixVPTYCbZr1FzexzNrXO-cqho_Keg/s1600/wavyglass.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, the theme of "what do I see here?" continues ...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We had wanted to check out Independence Hall but it was a hotbed of touristic activity on such a fine day, so we sat in a nearby park while I had my morning coffee. After a few minutes, a young man approached us. It turns out that we were sitting at one of the <a href="http://historicphiladelphia.org/once-upon-a-nation/storytelling-benches/" target="_blank">"Once Upon a Nation"</a> storytelling benches which were just opening for the summer season. Storytellers dot the Historic District, each one armed with several tales related to nearby points of interest. I've been eagerly awaiting their opening because I would like to stop by with a group of learners before the end of June (when our current program ends).<br />
<br />
The young man (I failed to get his name) offered to tell us one of his stories and we chose to hear about the Fort Wilson Riot of 1779, which took place only a few blocks away from where we sat. I watched the story with my learners in mind. Our storyteller did an excellent job, speaking clearly and dramatically, and using a lot of body language to support his story. I heard only a few words that might give my group pause (muskets, sabers, grievances). After the story was finished, I asked him if he'd mind if my group (when we come) could ask him questions to be sure they understood. He was all for it. What a fabulous resource for our class! I wish it were available all year round. After we attend, I'll report here of course.<br />
<br />
What I would really love would be to see a learner take independent advantage of this awesome opportunity by visiting all of the benches ... and maybe even hearing the same story more than once. And it's free -- well, we taxpayers have already paid for it!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-85863404208346446482014-05-21T16:00:00.000-04:002014-05-21T21:23:27.758-04:00Listening to Quakers<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mcuhWlBk40K_Mz4SuSA8Gn8LBnXUC2b4HPsrN7IrkN8Rwk2TdPiwiR99aK-IwbUYoMrgNIN48GoFfz2ivQ3vCTkLm8SQN4N-Ay9KtUmtB3lKk4u5TMgoek39oqUdkpW-pF7YCHJvB3w/s1600/LOVE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1mcuhWlBk40K_Mz4SuSA8Gn8LBnXUC2b4HPsrN7IrkN8Rwk2TdPiwiR99aK-IwbUYoMrgNIN48GoFfz2ivQ3vCTkLm8SQN4N-Ay9KtUmtB3lKk4u5TMgoek39oqUdkpW-pF7YCHJvB3w/s1600/LOVE.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken on the way to the train, after our lesson.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last week, the library was replacing the flooring in the room where my higher-level class meets. Rather than cancel class, we decided to take advantage of our excellent location in the heart of the Historic District and go for a walk.<br />
<br />
In a recent lesson, we had explored local sculptures (we went outside for that, too). I had introduced the topic with <a href="http://museumwithoutwallsaudio.org/interactive-map/love#video" target="_blank">a recording about the LOVE sculpture</a>, which is well-known to almost everyone in the class. This beloved piece is located near City Hall and people wait in line to have a picture taken of themselves in front of it. Learners quickly connected the sculpture to the city's name (City of Brotherly Love), but when I mentioned that this was a Quaker thing, there were puzzled looks.<br />
<br />
It turns out that nobody knew much about Quakers. I can understand, I didn't know much about them either until around ten years ago! One learner mentioned Quaker Oats. There is indeed a picture of a Quaker man on the box, but that company is not run by Quakers. According to <a href="http://www.quakeroats.com/about-quaker-oats/content/quaker-faq.aspx" target="_blank">their website</a>, the image represents the Quaker values of honesty, purity, integrity, and strength. I noted that Pennsylvania is nicknamed the Quaker State, that Philadelphia was named by a Quaker, and that the Quakers call themselves Friends. (Heyyyy ... brotherly love!) We talked a bit about it before returning to our lesson topic.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsj2XGVMrmnLMPh_nX8Gk3TbUwI-XuRnpjkP2Z_WPEW7Thtpv2qF-b5KBadm7Ndx8EG9lCOHH1k51r3EjE7y37egtaH9cRk7DgEh-LVtAd6ProxxS4c3fpM8Wfzu2j1QXZi5DAhG0gxjA/s1600/quakeroats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsj2XGVMrmnLMPh_nX8Gk3TbUwI-XuRnpjkP2Z_WPEW7Thtpv2qF-b5KBadm7Ndx8EG9lCOHH1k51r3EjE7y37egtaH9cRk7DgEh-LVtAd6ProxxS4c3fpM8Wfzu2j1QXZi5DAhG0gxjA/s1600/quakeroats.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/amberkennedy/3233865673/" target="_blank">Amber Kennedy</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Last week, five learners met me at the library and we decided to find out more about Quakers, heading for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_Street_Friends_Meeting_House" target="_blank">Meeting House on Arch Street</a> just a few blocks away. (We stopped to take a peek at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church_Burial_Ground" target="_blank">Benjamin Franklin's grave</a> on the way!) At the Meeting House, we had a chance to ask questions of two volunteers. Both adjusted their speech for L2 learners at our request, but they still spoke fluently and it was a challenge for everyone. But learners were interested, asked questions, and asked the speakers to repeat themselves periodically. (I was quite proud!)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvp6pZ0PaWU9zTs93L2wSVBsrjeglp5C_4Xn7bP2m4ucne_WhhCoFtC4M9W9yP8WTpzyjUYdLdKzRH1F8DIfgJw19olPMWV3dBDCCmv8EIkoZfkK9WOi2bgXTcK7djKcwkaVvNImJeyFk/s1600/friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvp6pZ0PaWU9zTs93L2wSVBsrjeglp5C_4Xn7bP2m4ucne_WhhCoFtC4M9W9yP8WTpzyjUYdLdKzRH1F8DIfgJw19olPMWV3dBDCCmv8EIkoZfkK9WOi2bgXTcK7djKcwkaVvNImJeyFk/s1600/friends.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wampum showing Native American-Quaker friendship.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I often do when we go on outings, I used my <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audio-memos-voice-recorder/id338550388?mt=8" target="_blank">Audio Memos app</a> to record part of our experience. Yesterday, the learners that went to the Meeting House shared what they learned -- as best they could remember -- with those who had not come with us. Then, we had a listening exercise. I had recorded about 15 minutes' worth of talking and singled out four brief segments during lesson prep. I made a worksheet with several listening questions for each segment. We reviewed the questions first, so I could make sure everyone knew what to listen for, then I played each segment as many times as learners wanted me to.<br />
<br />
They got some answers right away, but there were also mysterious bits. It was helpful to have the learners dictate what they heard of a sentence while I wrote it on the board. I added gaps for each missing word, and then they'd listen again. Slowly, we'd fill in the gaps. I only had to supply the answer a few times -- when speech was heavily reduced, or when there was a new vocabulary word.<br />
<br />
For example, one question was "What is a pacifist?" As a class, they dictated the following:<br />
<br />
___ Quakers were ___ ___ ___ pacifists. ___ we don't believe ___ using ___ ___ ___ .<br />
<br />
(The Quakers were and are still pacifists. So, we don't believe in using violence to resolve dispute.)<br />
<br />
The last word was new, and the word "still" was hard for learners to discern.<br />
<br />
What I love about this kind of activity is that the whole group is physically engaged in solving the puzzle. Eyes close and heads tilt toward the speakers as they focus intently. Brows furrow when the unsolved parts go past, heads nod when a hard-won word is now recognized. They don't seem to tire of the repetition, either. One learner even asked me to post the audio on our web page, so she could listen some more at home! I think this is because the recording is real. A real Quaker talked to some of us using real English to tell us all (including me) some things we didn't know before.<br />
<br />
We are ridiculously lucky to be holding our civics class in such a fabulous location, of course. But this level of engagement can hold true for more ordinary subjects as long as the learners are invested in the experience where the recording took place. (Check <a href="http://freerangekef.blogspot.com/2012/03/disgruntled-customer.html" target="_blank">this report from a couple of years ago</a>, when learners and I went "shopping" at a department store!)<br />
<br />
<br />Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-22690185832670825052014-05-16T18:05:00.001-04:002014-05-21T21:42:44.235-04:00The 93% MythIn my high-intermediate and low-advanced class, I try to encourage the use of one-language dictionaries. (Note: I don't discourage translating dictionaries, it's more about helping learners to expand their tool chest.) I keep a selection from different publishers on the table during our lessons and we use them when questions come up. The wide selection allows us to compare different takes on a word and gives us different example sentences to examine. It also lets learners decide for themselves which dictionary they like best in case they decide to buy one. Learners regularly take one or another home to look over for a few days. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFrLby6Ttsrby4CwXWE5ekbbuM7d5RUEVKIgSVt814_WQevGMQxehgBkptQNgNWALoz9Dd5brYYOTDbJIJ7oitzHof3wy0hsq7Ndp8pqCsESdvrifGBi8oj7bdqTdTBFCvGSYcmUsA20/s1600/dicts-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFrLby6Ttsrby4CwXWE5ekbbuM7d5RUEVKIgSVt814_WQevGMQxehgBkptQNgNWALoz9Dd5brYYOTDbJIJ7oitzHof3wy0hsq7Ndp8pqCsESdvrifGBi8oj7bdqTdTBFCvGSYcmUsA20/s1600/dicts-001.JPG" height="320" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you tell that's a Greek dictionary on the left?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Those paper dictionaries are just marketing, actually! They're visible during a lesson and folks get used to using them. But almost everyone has 24/7 access to the Internet, so the dictionaries they are likely to use outside of class are probably going to be electronic. I recommend two free, corpus-based online learner's dictionaries: <a href="http://www.macmillandictionary.com/us" target="_blank">MacMillan</a> (American English option) and <a href="http://www.learnersdictionary.com/" target="_blank">Merriam-Webster</a>. We refer to these in class, too. (Only Merriam-Webster offers an app -- more on that in another post.) Both dictionaries have features that I like and, once again, it's good to compare two perspectives when discussing, say, a word's connotation.<br />
<br />
I especially like the "red words" feature in the MacMillan dictionary. Here's a video promoting this feature:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/kDOMpSUjDKA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
I hope learners find this helpful -- I know the red words help <i>me </i>decide what words to recycle, etc., as I'm planning future lessons!<br />
<br />
But I have a peeve about the video. It promotes the common fiction that 7500 words make up the vast majority of English. "Research shows that most of the language we use in our everyday lives consists of just 7500 words." A graphic reinforces this by stating that this is "93% of all used words". What's factual is that 7500 strings of letters, separated from other strings by spaces or punctuation, occur most frequently in the corpus that MacMillan uses to develop their dictionary, which is very likely mostly written and not spoken English. While a single word may be represented by a string of letters, a string of letters standing alone does not represent a single word. It could stand for many words, parts of words, and idiomatic and pragmatic uses of words. Let's examine the entry for one of these strings, <i>look</i>.<br />
<br />
In MacMillan's entry, <i>look</i> merits eight definitions, most with several collocations which shade the meaning. This is followed by a listing of 21 idiomatic uses and then 18 phrasal verbs. There is some overlap -- <i>look for</i> is included under a main definition and also listed as a phrasal verb. At the end of the entry, there is a note that all of the above is American English. British English would have its own variations. Not included here is the role that this string of letters plays in compound words (<i>overlook</i> has four senses as a verb and the noun -- as in "scenic overlook" -- doesn't appear at all). Slang ("Well, lookie there!") and spoken English that every child knows ("Lookit!") are also left out. <br />
<br />
Clearly, <i>look</i> is a tremendously important string of letters that's worthy of its three-star rating and I'm glad that Macmillan highlights it! My peeve is with the misleading suggestion that learners only need to know 7500 words to understand 93% of English. This has real consequences, in my opinion.<br />
<br />
All of us want to find ways to make teaching/learning English measurable. We like to see progress, it's encouraging! Publishers like to tout the "coverage" of high-frequency words in their materials. Administrators want a concrete way to show stakeholders that they're making good use of funding and learner time. How about teachers? If I skimmed the three-star word list, I'm pretty sure I would feel good if I saw a lot of words that we had spent time on over the last year. But here are several recent incidents that belie the illusion:<br />
<br />
Last week, my low-intermediate group read an interesting text about over-scheduled families and the stress it can cause. It was written for beginning native-speaking adult readers, not English learners. Looking over the text with a "high-frequency word checklist" mentality, I saw only four or five words that this group had probably not seen before. But in reality, this text was quite a challenge! Learners asked about <i>slow down, cut back on, get older, on the run, fall behind, </i>and <i>make sure</i>. In discussion, <i>speed up </i>and <i>catch up</i> also came up. Learners know all of the individual words, so why was it so hard to read the text (she asked rhetorically)?? Frankly, I'm glad we looked at this text. It will be quite easy to support and recycle these words going forward, because they're very common (which is why they were used for a beginning reading text).<br />
<br />
In another case, one of the learners in my higher-level group has been attempting to read the Metro, one of those free newspapers you can pick up at the train station (see picture above, on the right). It's written to attract the attention of a general audience with a lot of everyday language, puns, and cultural references. This learner is (quite rightly) frustrated that she knows all of the words but can't understand even a three-paragraph article.<br />
<br />
And not too long ago, I asked everyone to choose some recent vocabulary to make flashcards for quizzing each other. They were to find a good example sentence with collocation and use that (with a gap for the word or collocation) on the test side of the card. I noticed that everyone made cards for the new words and skipped new senses of familiar words. I asked a learner about one of these and she said, "Oh, I already know that word."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqm3n-EWwFYoLMrPpuumPsFVDF27ctpOTVyVEFvBeKscGXiDN-E_LxEXQW7svMihyphenhyphenIyUA5k1d0giPj-opYlzU67Fuo1FfiUIVJo8AIWYnlZBQpr9zBXwqr5Hq4FqBQfLx7HthSoyzNqsE/s1600/flashcards-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqm3n-EWwFYoLMrPpuumPsFVDF27ctpOTVyVEFvBeKscGXiDN-E_LxEXQW7svMihyphenhyphenIyUA5k1d0giPj-opYlzU67Fuo1FfiUIVJo8AIWYnlZBQpr9zBXwqr5Hq4FqBQfLx7HthSoyzNqsE/s1600/flashcards-001.JPG" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I hope to change that perspective, but it would really help if language professionals could leave the 93% Myth behind. The bulk of English is NOT made up of 7500 words!<br />
<br />Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-23304175728786633232014-05-08T09:52:00.000-04:002014-05-08T09:57:45.004-04:00When Adaptive Isn'tI've been very interested in the concept of <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_adaptive_leadership" target="_blank">adaptive leadership</a></b> lately. If one views language learning as an ongoing, dynamic, nonlinear process, then this model could be useful in language teaching. (Scroll down <a href="http://aidontheedge.info/2010/08/24/the-aid-leadership-paradox/" target="_blank">this blog post</a> by Ben Ramalingam to see a table comparing this kind of leadership to the traditional form.)<br />
<br />
But in conversations with other teachers, I can't seem to get very far in discussing adaptive leadership. I even get the sense that some are actively pushing the subject away! That surprises me, because my impression is that most of the teachers I've worked with feel the same way I do: that we're struggling to do a dynamic job within a linear framework.<br />
<br />
Recently, though, a lightbulb flashed on. I noticed that a lot of teachers dislike something called <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_learning" target="_blank">adaptive learning</a>.</b> I would have guessed that this described flexible learners, or maybe the way a small experience at the right time and place can stimulate an avalanche of growth in a ready mind. But no. It refers to a variety of educational software systems that, according to the Wikipedia entry, "<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">develop new knowledge to guide the student down paths to correct answers." It's the <i>software</i> that adapts; all that students need to do is show up and, sooner or later, produce correct answers. Sounds to me like an automated form of PPP. ("Present, Practice, Produce" -- it's useful for concrete solutions to static problems, such as studying for a vocabulary test. It's not useful as an overall model for language learning).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Adaptive learning and other similar terms -- <b>adaptive education system </b>and<b> adaptive hypermedia,</b> for example -- do NOT have anything to do with learning as a complex adaptive system but rather the opposite: someone (not the learner) loads the system with information to be imparted and the software "reads" the learner's actions and performance to infer interests and needs. It then tailors the the method of delivery accordingly. The learner may not even be aware that this is happening. The product of such a system is "information successfully conveyed" and the customer is the one who wants the information delivered, not the person receiving it.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP7V2JgewsSYsMOGV0sVu1voYx2Fv2xTZoBrM6O51CTsP3uD1ueCHHrvDx_HYhquvKRe9ylTzmChBr5ZYjr3ik6LORrMp43_BlGikYRTneByvHoD-6U4zW2asCPnMsEOecsc_8ojNrtM/s1600/watching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGP7V2JgewsSYsMOGV0sVu1voYx2Fv2xTZoBrM6O51CTsP3uD1ueCHHrvDx_HYhquvKRe9ylTzmChBr5ZYjr3ik6LORrMp43_BlGikYRTneByvHoD-6U4zW2asCPnMsEOecsc_8ojNrtM/s1600/watching.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">thanks to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dskley/11928222826/in/photostream/" target="_blank">Dennis Skley</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Personally, I'm going to avoid the use of the word "adaptive" going forward and refer to <b>complexity theory</b> or <b>complexity leadership</b>. Maybe I'll be able to get the attention of other teachers ... which is critical to the kind of leadership I'm talking about!</span>Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-16387051128192928572014-05-06T10:19:00.001-04:002014-05-07T20:10:11.091-04:00Emotions in TeachingWhen I talk to another teacher, one of us is bound to ask the other: "How was your lesson today?" When I'm asked, I usually respond that it went well, or not so well ... but what do I mean by that?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcfJ6s0PRqYVKc7UdRvO86h3S-WUuZV4FAb4ilOe1oquj79mDDS0G_eNTy64A0EU3UzB1tZq62DjpGhqfk54PKJ9t3rQ4e-uo_Cn4EuZBn9qrHOx1SSYYP_O2YKIT4c210E1zsAJaydk/s1600/emotions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcfJ6s0PRqYVKc7UdRvO86h3S-WUuZV4FAb4ilOe1oquj79mDDS0G_eNTy64A0EU3UzB1tZq62DjpGhqfk54PKJ9t3rQ4e-uo_Cn4EuZBn9qrHOx1SSYYP_O2YKIT4c210E1zsAJaydk/s1600/emotions.jpg" height="289" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/robom8/4504165421/" target="_blank">roboM8</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I leave a lesson feeling good, what am I feeling good about? Maybe part of it is the community experience -- that there were genuine and pleasant interactions between me and the learners (and between learners). I also feel good when the lesson seems to have progressed smoothly ... when I was properly prepared, when earlier activities supported later activities, when the learners seemed engaged and challenged, when I could identify ways to be helpful (and knew how to help).<br />
<br />
But sometimes I leave a lesson feeling not-so-good: I wasn't connecting with learners so well, I detected boredom, learners were confused by my instructions, the lesson plan depended heavily on something I forgot, etc. ... Since I'm a person who has (or claims to have) an unplugged attitude, you'd think I'd be willing and able to roll with whatever happens in the classroom, no? When I walk out feeling bad, it's because I wasn't able to do that, for whatever reason. <br />
<br />
Last week included one of those days when technology was not my friend. I had planned to show a video via a particular app, but the library's wifi was out and my iPhone was glacially slow (curse you, Verizon!). One learner looked at me and said, effectively, "Hey, no sweat!" and another learner loaded the app in question onto her non-Verizon phone and lent it to me. I had started off standing in front of the room struggling with electronics and feeling like a flop, but the learners brought me back into the fold of our community ... where the teacher doesn't stand at the front running the show, but we all support each other in our mutual pursuit of language learning.<br />
<br />
To be unplugged, you have to be awake -- to see dynamic possibilities arising rather than static plans failing. In recent times, I have been asleep more often than not. I'm grateful to my fellow travelers, the learners who woke me up! I'm also thankful to <a href="https://throwingbacktokens.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Josette LeBlanc</a>, who has reminded me to stay self-compassionate regarding all that snoozing!!<br />
<br />
PS: in catching up on other blogs, I saw <a href="http://eltrantsreviewsreflections.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/tomorrow-i-blog-about-onething/" target="_blank">Mike Corea's post</a> pointed me to a post by Steve Brown about <a href="http://stevebrown70.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/preflection-a-not-new-approach-to-planning/" target="_blank">"preflection"</a>, a highly relevant read if you identified with anything I wrote here!<br />
<br />Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-32503615932601923892014-05-03T11:51:00.002-04:002014-05-03T12:01:17.649-04:00When Bad is Good<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Recently, I've been supporting learners in writing submissions to an online magazine. This has helped <i>me </i>work on improving a weakness: teaching writing. Just like my learners, I tend to avoid the stuff that isn't easy (note that this is the first post I've tagged with "writing" since starting this blog!!). But I advise my learners to focus on their weak points, so I need to swallow a bit of my own medicine!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Here's my latest insight ... forgive me if it's obvious, I can be pretty slow sometimes: while writing assignments are important, a large part of teaching writing can come from examining existing texts critically.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFWIyy9NVzIznXOhh99_PRC-xbUcD9sHtQzsivGBxfFyEwAK8z9eTAHDD8b22RkhIAVZIrOSGwFip96BJpPJTDPbUDXNJ69QBvohQ-RooM-3d569f2Tpgd_QXqRUK0snYua-ofunVHVY/s1600/garbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFWIyy9NVzIznXOhh99_PRC-xbUcD9sHtQzsivGBxfFyEwAK8z9eTAHDD8b22RkhIAVZIrOSGwFip96BJpPJTDPbUDXNJ69QBvohQ-RooM-3d569f2Tpgd_QXqRUK0snYua-ofunVHVY/s1600/garbage.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another text for a "garbage" lesson?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I guess most teachers do, I select some text (could be audio) as a focal point for many lessons. It could be from a textbook, but actually, most of them are from someplace else.
Since our classes are focused on civics topics, I like to look at
current news, local web sites, etc. <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> A couple of weeks ago, for example, I decided to use some writing about Earth Day as the starting point for a high intermediate to low advanced lesson. The topic was "garbage", which posed many interesting points for discussion.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The text, however, was one giant paragraph, or -- more accurately -- no paragraphs. The sentences were not complex and the flow of the writing was a bit jumpy. I would normally have kept looking for something more well-written, or rewritten this one, but class time was looming! Out of desperation (not wisdom!), I decided to let the learners critically evaluate the writing themselves.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After we read the text and related to the content in various ways, I invited learners to decide if the text could be divided into paragraphs and, if so, where they would make the divisions and why. Small groups compared their thoughts and this produced quite a bit of animated discussion. All of the groups concluded that four paragraphs were appropriate and, after a bit of negotiation, most agreed on where the first two divisions belonged. The last division hinged on how one sentence was interpreted. Was it referring to the previous argument, or supporting the conclusion? It was not clear and we concluded as a class that the sentence could be rewritten to more clearly fit one or the other. Although nobody wrote anything, learners were actively thinking about the nature of paragraphs and what makes a good one. The activity was communicative because they were using English to negotiate the division points.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> Looking back, I realize that I could also have asked individuals </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">to try their hand at rewriting the faulty sentence.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I tried another activity as well, suggesting that linking language might be used to improve the flow. Although this group can generate a fine list of examples of linking language, they struggled with putting it into use in this case. While it seems as if the activity "failed", I walked away with an idea for future non-writing writing practice.We could examine good examples of linking language in future texts and maybe then return to this one for practice.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In another case, the class listened to (and later read) an opinion that was submitted to a public radio station on the topic of nutrition for children. I like to use this kind of material because it's written by ordinary people from different walks of life, so the writing (and the speaking in the recording) has not passed through a journalism filter. The author was clearly well-educated and had obviously spent some time putting together a thoughtful text. But it didn't go over well with the class. They thought the text was "too hard". We had just reviewed some tips for good writing in preparation for their writing assignment (see first sentence), so I asked learners to discuss the text in terms of those tips. They came </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">up with these two ideas: he did not use language that was appropriate for his intended audience. He wrote in an academic style, but he might have wanted to write more for a general audience. Learners also felt that he didn't bring out his main point early enough. Once again, I was halfway to a great activity -- I didn't offer them the chance to rewrite with more appropriate language or suggest how he might have introduced his thesis sooner.</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwroPzN6S57hoSKwohNWIQRVHvmZil74mnou1nxAllnNLrBDrgeiKpzUl_sER5l6_A4sJbeeBUCqlVcuy9oVj4NRKQrscEAoB98R3x5HCynvP1xqToe5e13De9JW6nju8RSMHEfi44wHg/s1600/geography.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwroPzN6S57hoSKwohNWIQRVHvmZil74mnou1nxAllnNLrBDrgeiKpzUl_sER5l6_A4sJbeeBUCqlVcuy9oVj4NRKQrscEAoB98R3x5HCynvP1xqToe5e13De9JW6nju8RSMHEfi44wHg/s1600/geography.jpg" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The topic was Pennsylvania.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A final example: with my other group (low intermediates, mostly), I brought in a reading from a textbook because it offered some great recycling of recent language. I had modified the original a bit to model some language patterns we had been using. We read, discussed, and analyzed and then I decided to play the audio from the CD that accompanied the textbook. Suddenly, I remembered that I had modified the text, so therefore the audio would not match! Without breaking stride, I just asked the learners to listen carefully and notice any differences.They listened hard and very alertly pointed out even the tiniest discrepancy. I was originally going to highlight pronunciation, but I think this engaged them far more. And it was a great way to introduce alternatives to the word patterns we had been working on. Once more, I had stumbled into a useful exercise that I will probably set up more deliberately in the future!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span><br />
Some conclusions:<br />
<br />
- I should think twice about skipping or rewriting "bad" texts. Learners can sharpen writing skills by analyzing them.<br />
- If a text is found to be less than perfect, present learners with the opportunity to rewrite.<br />
- The above activities can be used with learner texts -- mine too. (Of course!)<br />
- I shouldn't forget to look with positive eyes, too. Examples of well-chosen language, etc.<br />
<br />
Next post (in progress!) will be related to emotions and teaching. Sometimes I walk out of class feeling almost drunk with pleasure. Sometimes I walk out mentally whipping myself. Are these valid indicators of how a lesson went? What do you think?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Note: I have not given links to the resources discussed here because of the critical comments about them!</span><br />
<br />Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4401000866208250596.post-43149284663925998592014-04-18T12:36:00.000-04:002014-04-18T12:43:11.089-04:00We Found It, Now What?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25bt73kQIHl7u7qXNg0ftxhGLGuybJ-qSguKu9smDhvOvJApD2SyPzFZOKNglwVRoOYgmQYm38vTcFIT8pEj5G6dXcfiNmgVqt8g-oMiJTEXVMekWgTZU5ahO-UvZxaEx_Dr9RDVN9GA/s1600/halfofthe3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td class="tr-caption" style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZo3rdKUluxntrzCL069CwM-nG192yiailcpHV7pDUnPyrGqTtaBY_3_ANSnYmn65Awdfz8zz2w3pgkh6qleANc1o5se2pnU19gdafNfa7TWpe2X8mcWQXf7JBAMpnvf5TcbqO-HtIF3E/s1600/halfthe3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td class="tr-caption" style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
<i><i><i><i><i><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></b></i></i></i></i></i></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25bt73kQIHl7u7qXNg0ftxhGLGuybJ-qSguKu9smDhvOvJApD2SyPzFZOKNglwVRoOYgmQYm38vTcFIT8pEj5G6dXcfiNmgVqt8g-oMiJTEXVMekWgTZU5ahO-UvZxaEx_Dr9RDVN9GA/s1600/halfofthe3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td class="tr-caption" style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZo3rdKUluxntrzCL069CwM-nG192yiailcpHV7pDUnPyrGqTtaBY_3_ANSnYmn65Awdfz8zz2w3pgkh6qleANc1o5se2pnU19gdafNfa7TWpe2X8mcWQXf7JBAMpnvf5TcbqO-HtIF3E/s1600/halfthe3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td class="tr-caption" style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last time, I noted how cultivating curiosity about language in learners will produce a lot of "found language". Learners are bringing in interesting examples, questions about meaning, and so forth, and we discuss them at the beginning of each lesson. In the past, I have not followed up much on incidental vocabulary, but now that we're generating a lot of it, I wonder:<br />
<br />
<i>What should I do with our growing list of new words and phrases?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
This is the hardest kind of post to write, because I'm not starting with an observation or opinion but rather with a question. It's also the most useful, because in the process of writing and revising my thoughts some of them gel into ideas! Here's what I have so far ...<br />
<br />
<b>1) Not every new word has to be studied with the same intensity.</b><br />
Some words and phrases are more equal than others. In our vocabulary project, we selected only a few words to spend a lot of time on (around 5 words a week). We verified that the words were either on a high-frequency or academic word list, or that the words/phrases could be reused frequently in the context of the topics we had planned over the 12 week program.<br />
<br />
I don't have to give equal attention to every item on our found language list, but I should identify any high-utility language and explicitly include it going forward. In addition to frequency, I should consider the topics we are likely to be exploring in the near future.<br />
<br />
<b>2) Everyone in the class doesn't have to study the exact same words.</b><br />
I can take a few words from the found language list to emphasize, but individuals can always make personal choices too. That's a kind of autonomy that I would be delighted to see!<br />
<br />
<b>3) Learners and I should discuss the rationale for our choices.</b><br />
I should think aloud about my selection process as a model for learners. If learners choose extra words, it would be nice to hear the reasons for their choices. Sharing personal choices would benefit learners because we could support their studies. (If learners are drilling each other with flashcards, why couldn't a learner include his or her own cards in the process?)<br />
<br />
<b>4) A word's definition is not actually the most important thing to study.</b><br />
Sure, everyone writes a definition or translation into their notebook when they run into a new word that they want to learn. That's fine. But there are other things that get in the way of being able to <i>use </i>a word freely and fluently.<br />
<br />
- I think connecting the word to a picture or symbol could be more useful than to a definition. Not long ago, a group of high beginners played "concentration" where they matched vocabulary words to pictures. (I made the cards from current vocabulary using clip art.) Months later, I could show a picture to this group and the word would come forward instantly! I don't think the same would be true if I flashed a definition. John Fanselow proposed letting learners come up with mutually-agreed upon symbols for words and then using them together in class. (Sign up for <a href="http://itdi.pro/itdihome/webinar.php" target="_blank">the May Advanced Teaching Skills Course at iTDi</a> and hear all about it from Professor Fanselow himself!) An activity like this could be especially useful for conceptual language in my higher level group. Just discussing what symbol to choose and why would be good practice!<br />
<br />
- Learning a definition doesn't help a learner with using the word in a way that sounds natural. This is where a corpus can be very handy.<br />
<br />
Recently, we learned "go around" in the sense of having enough of something for everyone. MacMillan defines this as an intransitive phrasal verb, so a learner might logically try a sentence like: Does the pizza go around? Hmmm, something's not right there ... I think this verb should really be learned at the sentence level. After looking at COCA, I would use sentences of the form<br />
<div>
<br />
There is not enough [something] to go around. There is plenty of [something] to go around.<br />
<br />
After learning to use sentences like these, a learner would be more likely to try "Is there enough pizza to go around?"<br />
<br />
The corpus also shows that this verb is used most often to talk about money or food, so I would be sure that these were featured heavily in our examples. With good word curiosity skills, I think learners could discover other variations on their own. In the meantime, they would have this vocabulary in an immediately usable form.<br />
<br />
<b>5) Flashcards!</b><br />
Learners need practice remembering language and using it. I recently made a word-gap exercise featuring vocabulary from the past. I did not include a word bank. This was a huge challenge to my higher level group! They looked through their notebooks to find as many words as they could, then discussed with each other. As the answers came to light, learners said "Oh yes! I know that!" This tells me that there is not enough productive recall practice going on. Flashcards can help.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Again, definitions are overrated. I would prefer symbols, an example sentence, or maybe an opposite word. How about "Is there enough [picture of a slice of pizza] to ________?" (hint: phrasal verb)<br />
<br />
I have just discovered <a href="http://ankisrs.net/" target="_blank">Anki</a>, which looks to be very useful. I can post flashcard decks and learners can take those and add their own words. The prompts can be pictures, cloze, or even audio and can include hints. Actually, they can be all of these things (more than one card for the target word). Best of all, Anki presents the cards using <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition" target="_blank">spaced repetition</a>. It takes learned words out of heavy rotation, but brings them back for review periodically. There are also many shared decks for learners who can't get enough drilling.<br />
<br />
Frankly, I like paper flashcards. If you make them small (3" x 5", cut in half), there's no reason you can't carry up to 10 new words around with you for a quick, discrete review while waiting for the bus or whatever. A methodical learner can follow a routine for spaced repetition using cards, too. Plus, Anki is free for laptops but the app will cost ya. (It might be worth it, but that's up to the learner to decide. I can't require it.)<br />
<br />
<b>6) Games!</b><br />
Maybe sometimes we can have a language game or other activity at the beginning of class instead of our found language discussion. It could feature our incidental vocabulary. There's tic tac toe, where partners or teams have to make a grammatically correct sentence with the word(s) in the square. Or learners could be given awkward-sounding sentences and rewrite into more fluent language.<br />
<br />
<b>7) Google Form and Spreadsheet</b><br />
As I started pondering the question of this post, I realized that I should be keeping better track of all of this new language somehow. I decided to start up a spreadsheet and that got me thinking -- what if learners and I could use a Google form to add vocabulary to a communal spreadsheet? What if I could output from the spreadsheet directly into Anki? If I come up with something, I'll share about it here!<br />
<br />
PS: It looks like Blogger is weirdly unhappy with me. It won't let me post pictures and it includes some odd-looking characters in my posts. Sorry if this post looks goofy. I may shift to Wordpress. (How annoying!)<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh25bt73kQIHl7u7qXNg0ftxhGLGuybJ-qSguKu9smDhvOvJApD2SyPzFZOKNglwVRoOYgmQYm38vTcFIT8pEj5G6dXcfiNmgVqt8g-oMiJTEXVMekWgTZU5ahO-UvZxaEx_Dr9RDVN9GA/s1600/halfofthe3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td class="tr-caption" style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZo3rdKUluxntrzCL069CwM-nG192yiailcpHV7pDUnPyrGqTtaBY_3_ANSnYmn65Awdfz8zz2w3pgkh6qleANc1o5se2pnU19gdafNfa7TWpe2X8mcWQXf7JBAMpnvf5TcbqO-HtIF3E/s1600/halfthe3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"></span></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="border: 1px solid;"><td class="tr-caption" style="border: 1px solid; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
<i><i><i><i><i><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-size: small;"><b></b></span></b></i></i></i></i></i></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Kathy Faganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03560485763212635239noreply@blogger.com0