understanding second language pedagogy karen e. johnson professor of applied linguistics linguistics...
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Understanding Second Understanding Second Language PedagogyLanguage Pedagogy
Karen E. JohnsonProfessor of Applied Linguistics
Linguistics and Applied Language Studies
Teachers need to recognize that they “teach from somewhere”
Apprenticeship of Observationyears of sitting in classrooms watching teachers teach
Typical Teacher I Have Had
Type of Teacher I Want to Be
Typical Teacher I Have Had
Type of Teacher I Want to Be
Typical Teacher I Have Had
Type of Teacher I Want to Be
Teacher vs. Learner-Centered Instruction
Focus is on instructorFocus is on what the instructor
thinks is important about the language
Instructor talks; students listenStudents work aloneInstructor monitors and corrects
every student utteranceInstructor answers students’
questions about languageInstructor chooses topicsInstructor evaluates student learningClassroom is quiet
Focus is on both students and instructorFocus is on how students will use the
languageInstructor models; students interact with
instructor and one anotherStudents work in pairs, in groups, or alone
depending on the purpose of the activityStudents talk without constant instructor
monitoring; instructor provides feedback/correction when questions arise
Students answer each other’s questions, using instructor as an information source
Students have some choice of topicsStudents evaluate their own learning,
instructor also evaluatesClassroom is often noisy and busy
Few teachers have direct experiences in learner-centered classrooms
Teachers need to recognize that in teaching “it always depends”
Knowing what to do in any classroom depends on:
who your students are, what they know, and what they need to know
When you look at
your students, what
do you see?
Knowing what to do in any classroom depends on:
who your students are, what they know, and what they need to know
who you are, what you know and believe, and what you want your students to be able to know and do
What do you believe is most important about second language learning and second language teaching?
What do you want your students to be able to do with the language?
Knowing what to do in any classroom depends on:
who your students are, what they know, and what they need to know
who you are, what you know and believe, and what you want your students to be able to know and do
what you are expected to teach, how you teach it, and what your students are expected to do with what you taught them
What is the required
curriculum?
How are you expected to
teach it?
What will your students
be expected to do with
what you teach them?
Knowing what to do in any classroom depends on:
who your students are, what they know, and what they need to know
who you are, what you know and believe, and what you want your students to be able to know and do
what you are expected to teach, how you teach it, and what your students are expected to do with what you taught them
how your students view you and to what extent they value what you are trying to teach them
What do your
students think of
you?
What do your students
think of what you are
trying to teach them?
Knowing what to do in any classroom depends on:
who your students are, what they know, and what they need to know
who you are, what you know and believe, and what you want your students to be able to know and do
what you are expected to teach, how you teach it, and what your students are expected to do with what you taught them
how your students view you and to what extent they value what you are trying to teach them
how your students and your courses are viewed within the institution where you teach
How does the institution
where you work view the
courses you teach?
How are these courses
viewed outside of the
institution where you
work?
Good teaching requires teachers to figure out what to do about a
particular topic, with a particular group of students, at a particular
time and place
Components of Effective Second Language Instruction
1. Provide appropriate input2. Use language in authentic ways3. Provide context4. Design activities with a purpose5. Use task-based activities6. Encourage collaboration7. Use an integrated approach8. Address grammar consciously9. Adjust feedback/error correction 10. Include awareness of cultural aspects of language use
1) Provide Appropriate Input
What sort of input do your
students have access to?
Finely tuned input• Is matched to learners’ current proficiency level and connected to
what they already know• Focuses on conscious learning of a specific point: the pronunciation
of a word, the contrast in the uses of two verb tenses, new vocabulary, useful social formulas
Roughly tuned input• Is more complex than learners’ current proficiency and stretches
the boundaries of their current knowledge• Focuses on authentic use of language in listening or reading
passages• Is used “as is” with minimal alteration by the instructor or textbook
2) Use Language in Authentic Ways
Teacher TalkSpeak at a normal rateState the same idea in different ways to aid
comprehensionAsk “real” questionsAsk information questions rather than yes/no questions
What did you understand? vs.
Do you understand?
MaterialsSupplement the curriculum with authentic materials from
newspapers, magazines, and other print sources including the WWW
To make them accessible:introduce relevant vocabulary and grammatical
structures in advanceprovide context by describing the content and typical
formats for the type of materials
3) Provide Context
• Where did the “content” come from?• Who was the intended audience?• What was the rhetorical purpose?• What cultural meanings are embedded in it?• What do the students already know about it?• What else can you provide that will enable
students to connect with it?
The American DreamNature
February 14, 2001
American Dream DebunkedBy Corie LokThe popular notion of the’American deam’ achieving happiness through influence and money-- may not be a recipe for contentment after all,US psychologists now report. Self-esteem, feelingcompetent, in control of your life and close topeople you care about are more important forpsychological well-being, new research suggests. KennonSheldon, of the University of Missouri at Columbia, and his colleagues asked hundreds of American universitystudents to recall their most satisfying event of the last week, month, or semester. The students rated self-esteem,relatedness (feeling connected with people), autonomy(feeling in control) and competence (feeling effective) asthe top four emotions that accompanied feeling satisfied. At the bottom of the list were popularity, influence, moneyand luxury. “These aspects of the ‘American dream’ maynot be so desirable after all,” says Sheldon’s team…
4) Design Activities with a Purpose
All communication has
some sort of purpose
Activities in the
language classroom
should have a clearly
articulated purpose
• Assemble an item using the directions written in the target language
• Call and leave a message in the target language on an answering machine
• Use the target language option on an ATM machine or answering service
• Participate in a “chat” in the target language• Look up information in an on-line target language
newspaper or website
4) Design Activities with a Purpose, cont’d
5) Use Task-based Activities
Supplement your curriculum with task-based
activities that require students to solve
problems, developing plans, or work together
to complete a project.
Let’s Make a Deal: Surviving the Car Buying Experience
• Car Lingo• Understanding
Classified Ads• Reading the Fine Print• Negotiating with A
Car Salesperson
Car Lingo
In teams, learners research the following car-related technical terms and then create a semantic map. Each team is responsible for discussing the meaning of each term and its relationship to the other terms in their semantic map.
Teams then compare their definitions/explanations with other teams. Instructors should provide resources, such as car manuals and other car-related materials.
V-8, V-6 keyless entry financing 2-liter, 4 cylindercompact coupes full-size APR financingbreaks warranties anti-lock sport utilityon-star extended warranties 2, 4, 5-door mini-vanmid-size sedan title & tags subcompact air conditioningside impact airbags anti-thief disc-breaks sports carluxury sedan power accessories dealer invoice torque
cash back incentives rebates lemon laws horse power
Understanding Classified AdsRead and interpret the following classified advertisements:
Chrysler Town & Country ’98 LXI, 35K, very good condition, tape, $10,600.
Mitsubishi Eclipse GS ’99 5 spd manual, 53K, power sunroof, mirrors, & dr locks, cruise, leather seats, rear spoiler, am.fm.tape.cd player, aluminum wheels.
Ford 150 ’94 extended cab w/western snow plow. Exc shape, 94K ps/pb, Air.
Toyota 4 runner ’95, V6, SR5, auto, 97K, all power options, CD, insp.till 0704, asking $7,500 neg.
Dodge Intrepid “98. red 50K auto a/c power windows/locks cruise cd, leather, ABS 2 new tires & battery exc. Cond $9000.
Reading the “Fine Print”
Read and interpret the following “fine print” from a Leasing Agreement
1) * Available only to qualified customers by MB Credit at participating dealers through December 1, 2003. Advertised lease rate based on MSRP of $32,620 less a suggested dealer contribution resulting in a total gross capitalized cost of #31,857.51. Dealer contribution may vary and could affect your actual lease rate. Included destination charge and optional automatic transmission, Sunroof package and CD changer. Excludes title, taxes, fees, insurance, dealer prep and additional options. Total monthly payments equal $14,625. Cash due at signing includes $2,350 capitalized cost reduction, $795.00 acquisition fee (($1,000 if registered in NY) and first month’s lease payment availability and may have to be ordered. See participating dealer for details.
Negotiating with a Car SalespersonListen to this conversation between a used car salesman and a young woman:
Salesman: How ya doin’ today? Can I help you with something?Woman: Yes, I’m looking for a small car…something economical.. .not too expensive.Salesman: Well… le’me show you what we have… that Honda over there is small… it’s
in mint condition.Woman: How much is it?Salesman: Only $8,500, and it has air conditioning and new tires. It’s only three years old.Woman: Is it an automatic?Salesman: No, it’s a standard, but it’s very economical. 28 highway, 25 city. At that price it’ll be snapped up. In fact, I had a gentleman in here yesterday,
wanting to buy it for his daughter, she’s probably about your age. You a student? Woman: Yes, I’m a senior. It’s a bit more than I can afford, in fact, it would probably wipe me out.Salesman: Well, we have financing available, I might be able to get you pretty low monthly payments. How much are’ya thinking of puttin down?Woman: Bottom line? About $5,000.Salesman: Well, you want a reliable car, don’t ya? Something that’ll get you through the winter and Hondas are excellent in the snow. It has new tires.Woman: Well, let me look around some more. What else do you have?Salesman: At that price, not much… well I could sell you something at that price but I can’t guarantee it’ll get’ya through the winter. The servicing is minimal
on these and they are excellent in snow. Have you ever driven one? Shall we take a test drive?Woman: Well, I don’t think I can afford it.Salesman: Well, I might be able to work something up, if this is the car you want?Woman: What sorta ballpark are we talk’in about?Salesman: Well, let’s test it out first. Shall we?
Negotiating with A Car SalespersonDiscuss the meanings and uses of the following:
Idiomatic Expressions: Car Related Terms: Reductions:mint condition economical How ya doin’?snapped up automatic le’mewipe me out standard are’yaputting down financing get’yabottom line monthly payments outawork something up servicing sortaballpark test drive talk’in
Answer the following questions:
1) What does the woman want? What language does she use that tells you this?2) What does the salesperson want? What language does he use that tells you this?3) How might the woman have responded to the salesperson in order to get what she wants?
6) Encourage Collaboration
Effective collaborative activities have the following characteristics:
• Communication gap: Each student has relevant information that the others don’t have
• Task orientation: The activity has a defined outcome, such as solving a problem or completing a project
• Time limit: Students have a preset amount of time to complete the task
7) Use an Integrated Approach
Mode integration - a combination of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in classroom activities.
Content integration - bring content from students’ fields of study and/or interests into the language curriculum.
8) Address Grammar Consciously
Students usually need and appreciate direct instruction in points of grammar that are related to classroom activities.
Discuss points of grammar in the contexts where they arise.
Which one is “correct”?
Why does he wear glasses?
Why is he wearing glasses?
• Prescriptive rules: how the language “should” or “must” be used; define what is “correct.”
• Descriptive rules: how the language is actually used by fluent speakers.
• The degree to which descriptive rules differ from prescriptive rules depends on the setting (casual/formal use of language), the topic, and the backgrounds of the speakers.
9) Adjust Feedback/Error Correction
• Help students recognize that errors are a natural part of second language learning
• When the activity focuses on form, direct and immediate feedback is appropriate
• When the activity focuses on fluency, delayed feedback is appropriate.
• Encourage students to self-monitor, by bring errors to their attention after the fact and having them concentrate on one or two error types at a time.
• Paraphrase students’ utterances, modeling the correct forms
• Ask students to clarify their utterances, providing paraphrases of their own
• Avoid feeding students the correct forms every time. Gradually teaching them to depend less on you and more on themselves
• When students address you, react to the content of their utterances, not just the form.
• Make note of recurring errors you hear so that you can address them individually or with the whole group in the feedback session later.
9) Adjust Feedback/Error Correction, cont’d
10) Awareness of Cultural Aspects of Language Use
Language is not neutral.
Language is laden with cultural norms, connotations, and innuendos.
Make this transparent to your students.
Spend instructional time
helping your students see
how culture is expressed
and transmitted through
language.
Components of Effective Second Language Instruction
1. Provide appropriate input2. Use language in authentic ways3. Provide context4. Design activities with a purpose5. Use task-based activities6. Encourage collaboration7. Use an integrated approach8. Address grammar consciously9. Adjust feedback/error correction 10. Include awareness of cultural aspects of language use
What about theories of second language acquisition?
SLA refers to both the subconscious and/or conscious processes by which an additional language is learned in a natural and/or a classroom setting
Theories of SLA seek to explain the development of phonologic, semantic, syntactic, discourse, and pragmatic knowledge
SLA is not a uniform and predictable phenomenon
SLA is the product of many factors pertaining to the learners and the learning situation
Learners: L1, age, aptitude, attitude & motivation, personality, cognitive style, learning strategies
Situation: naturalistic, instructed; the type of input, output; the status of the target language; where, how and with whom the target language is used
All language learners have to work through a sequence of approximate versions called “interlanguages”
A Few Other Tips:
Errors are a normal, often instructive, part of second language learning - use error correction strategically
Explicitly teach students the norms for how you want them to participate in your instructional activities
Don’t assume that once it is taught, it is learned - recycle everything
Students pay attention to what is tested
Teachers need opportunities to reflect on their own learning as
“learners of teaching”
Keep a teaching journalEstablish a peer mentorObserve your peer mentor teachingBe observed by a peerCollect frequent feedback from studentsVideo/audio tape record your teachingDevelop a teaching portfolio
Self-reflection
Understanding Second Understanding Second Language PedagogyLanguage Pedagogy
Karen E. JohnsonProfessor of Applied Linguistics
Linguistics and Applied Language Studies