engaging language learners with technology use

ENGAGING LANGUAGE LEARNERS WITH TECHNOLOGY USE

OUTLINE

Our goal Definitions Guidelines The roles of technology

MY GOAL

To provide the most effective and efficient language learning experiences that I can.

In other words, students reach goals more quickly and/ or achieve better.

Effective learning

Kf = Kp + A + M + O

Knowledge and skills in the future

Knowledge in the present

Abilities

Motivation/Affect

Opportunity

are a result of

Spolsky, 1989

How language is learned

OPPORTUNITIES

What kinds of opportunities do you offer your students to learn English?

Task: Opportunities Checklist

5 minutes

Opportunities

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

(See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o for a version with university students)

Task: Discuss

What are the students in the video suggesting about the opportunities they want/need? How do they differ from what they get?

5 minutes

Whatever the opportunities are, students need to be engaged in them in order to learn from them.

Be absorbed in, attentive to, focused on

Engaged

A short anecdote about presenting

about engagement

Engaged language learning

Engaged language learning

Unengaged language (not) learning

Task: Discuss

Were you ever bored in language class? Why? What could your teacher have done to engage you?

5 minutes

Engagement

Language achievement

Engagement research

Engagement occurs when Ss believe that they are capable of doing whatever is

being demonstrated, learning whatever is being demonstrated has some

potential value, purpose, and use for Ss, Ss are free from anxiety, and Ss feel that they are respected, admired, and

trusted

(Cambourne, 1995)

Open tasks encourage engagement because they provide opportunities for challenge and self-improvement, learner autonomy, pursuing personal interests, and social collaboration.

(Turner, 1995 )

Three necessities:Make connections to students’ livesCreate safe and responsive classroomsHave students interact with each other and

with text (Meltzer and Hamann, 2004)

In other words, the language task is

authentic to students

meaningful to students

doable for students

Engagement is about the relationship between the learner and the task.

GUIDELINES

Task – Student Interest Survey

5 minutes

GUIDELINE 1: KNOW YOUR STUDENTS

Let learners show you.

GUIDELINE 2: MAKE AUTHENTIC CONNECTIONS

Academic (“Yesterday we…and today we’ll…”) Personal (“This makes a difference in your life/

connects to your life outside of class in this way…”)

Task: Listen for connections to student interests

GUIDELINE 3: DON’T DO WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

What can learners do?

Task: Brainstorm -What can YOUR students do?

5 minutes

GUIDELINE 4: BUILD FROM STUDENTS’ STRENGTHS, INTERESTS, AND ABILITIES

Provide choices to reach the same goal

Would you rather do this?

Or this?

Focus: Modal Verbs

The Excuse Song (by Kevin, English Teachers Everywhere)http://www.etseverywhere.com/grammar-songs/the-lame-excuse-bruff-off-modal-song

Or this?

Slam Dunk Digital Lesson handout

Task: Providing Choices worksheet10 minutes

Answer their own and others’ questions

GUIDELINE 5: LET LEARNERS BE ACTIVE

GUIDELINE 6: GIVE LEARNERS A REASON TO LISTEN

Take notes as you watch the video about using MovieMaker. Make sure everyone in your group has correct notes.

With your group, make a plan for your movie. Each student’s plan will be checked.

Step 1.a.b.c.Step 2.a.b.c.

What teachers need

GUIDELINE 7: DON’T GIVE UP

teachersneed.mp4

THE ROLE(S) OF TECHNOLOGY

Provide teacher and student resources

Provide multimodal input

DATA

MOVIES

SOUND

TEXT

GRAPHICS

Provide access to and outlets for creativity and other 21st century thinking skills

Support group work/social interaction

Save face

In other words, it helps to engage learners in the task.

FAQ What about time?

What about the curriculum?

What about technology access?

Questions, concerns, comments

DISCUSSION