classroom teacher language self study mod 0508

7/31/2019 Classroom Teacher Language Self Study Mod 0508

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ESL Teacher Language(Teacher Talk)

For

Effective Classroom Interactions

Independent Study CourseFor Teachers of

Adult English as a Second Language

April 2008

Objectives

o Understand the importance and impact of teacher/learnerinteraction in creating a supportive environment forpurposeful learning

o Identify categories of teacher language or teacher talk inclassroom instruction

o Identify common problems or concerns for each category of

teacher talko Identify classroom strategies that encourage effective,

meaningful interactionso Practice the identified strategies in at least three application

activitieso Reflect on personal teacher talk to acknowledge strengths and

identify areas of needed improvemento Keep a sense of humor through it all!

Kathleen Santopietro WeddelNorthern Colorado Professional Development Center

[email protected] 702-7912
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Course Purpose

The Independent Study Course is approved and accepted by the Colorado Department of

Education, Office of Adult Education and Family Literacy for the purpose of professional

development in the field of teaching English as a Second Language to adult learners.

The course can be used to fulfill requirements of the Colorado Professional Development Systemor toward renewal of the Literacy Instruction. The course falls under Strand #1 Self Study andmerits 5PD hours.

It is estimated that the course will require approximately 8 clock hours to complete including in-

class time with the selected application activities.

The Audience

This Independent Study Course is designed for adult ESL practitioners including novice andexperienced classroom teachers. Volunteer tutors and small group instructors may also find the

contents valuable for self reflection.

How to Use the Study Course

1. The beginning section of the course includes an introduction and background. After

reading this section, note resources for further reading.

2. The next section of the course includes classroom strategies that encourage effectiveteacher-learner interactions. The strategies are described in tables that include sample

teacher language and lists of activities and ideas. Read through each table and make notewhere you may recognize your own voice in the samples. In each table there is a space to

note other strategies that you are currently using in your instructional setting.

3. The last section of the course includes Application Activities. You may want to completetwo or more activities that are appropriate for your instructional setting or personal needs.Select only the activities that meet your individual needs.

4. If you are using the course to meet PD requirements, share the evaluation form with yourprogram director and discuss the outcome of the Application Activities.

Evaluation Page

The purpose of the Evaluation Page is to provide AEFLA Program Directors with an instrument

to discuss the effectiveness of the course and verify staff participation in the PD activity.

Directors should record the teachers PD hours in the Annual Professional Development Activity

Record.

K.S. Weddel 7-07 Permission needed to reproduce 1


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IntroductionFor over thirty years I have worked in Adult English as a Second Language in Colorado. Over

half of those years have been devoted to staff development endeavors at program, state and

national levels. Therefore, I have had the opportunity to observe over 100 teachers in a variety

of instructional environments with the following variables.

Delivery of instruction included one-to-one lab or tutoring as well as classroominstruction involving from 6 to 50 learners with the same or different cultural

backgrounds in leveled or multi-leveled settings.

Locations varied including schools, libraries, community colleges, universities,workplaces, prisons, jails, church basements, and even beet fields.

Locations varied from Ft. Collins to Trinidad, from Grand Junction to Holyoke, from

Cortez to Sterling and from Craig to Lamar. Other observations took place in San

Francisco, Boston, St. Louis and Chicago.

Teachers were experienced and inexperienced, trained and untrained with educationalbackgrounds from H.S. diplomas to masters degrees to university professors.

Observation times varied from 15 minutes to 2 hours.

As you might guess, I learned a great deal from teachers about ESL instruction and am gratefulfor their dedicated commitment to adult learning. In all of the observations, I listened to,

watched for and recorded learner reaction to activities, exercises, and presentations of teachers.

The primary focus of observations was the learner not the teacher. I watched for

indicators of learner involvement, comfort, and understanding. I watched for language

learning. The information shared in this independent study course is based on notes from a

sampling of the observations.

Purpose

In all of the situations, locations, and scenarios listed above, I have found a common topic inpost-observation discussions with teachers. Almost everyone wants to talk about teacher

talk.

There seem to be several common problems or concerns surrounding teacher-learner interactions

in classroom and lab settings. The purpose of this course is to identify those problems and tooffer classroom strategies that facilitate effective teacher-learner interactions.

Mary Ann Cunningham Flores (2001) conducted a series of focus groups with

ESOL students at beginning levels from Falls Church, Virginia. Shesummarized the learners advice to their teachers in an article for Focus onBasics. One piece of advice given by the students was to, Watch yourteacher talk. The learners said that teachers used very complicatedlanguage that distracted or confused them. Teachers need to be aware of thevocabulary and language structures that they use to prevent and even fillthe time in and around lessons.



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The language that teachers use in class, or teacher talk, can have atremendous impact on the success of interactions they have withstudents. -- Parrish p.175

According to Parrish (2004) teacher language or teacher talk falls into these categories:

Warm-up chats

Direct Instruction

Giving Directions

Giving Feedback

Making Transitions

Checking understanding

Parrish says that all these interactions are appropriate in an ESL class if they employ language

that is understood by learners.

TESOL Standards for Teachers of Adult Learners (2002)

Standard 2: Instructing

Teachers create supportive environments that engage all learners in purposefullearning and that promote respectful interactions among learners and betweenlearners and their teachers. Performance Indicators:

2.14 provide corrective feedback2.15 model natural language use

Standard 6: Learning

Teachers draw on knowledge of adult language learning to understand theprocesses by which learners acquire a new language in and out of classrooms.Performance Indicators:

6.5 adjust teacher talk to the English language level of the learner6.7 serve as English language models for learners

A teachers voice is her essential realia. As with any other pieceof valuable realia, it needs to be authentic, meaningful, engaging,and appropriate for adult learners.

Santopietro Weddel



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FrameworkAre you listening to your teacher talk? Maybe youve heard yourself say things like:

Please, get up and wander around.

Would you mind passing out the textbooks?Lets start out the day with a nice pair activity.

In this independent study course, well use the categories listed by Parrish to identify common

problems with teacher-learner interactions; well call the problems syndromes for lack of abetter term. For each syndrome, classroom strategies will be suggested to cure the teacher talk

ailments. Hopefully, this approach will help us keep a sense of humor when listening to

ourselves a very important skill! After learning about strategies for effective teacher-learnerinteractions, there are five application activities. The activities facilitate practice in listening to

teacher talk from classroom observations and listening to your own voice.

In addition to my own ideas, the strategies are taken directly form the resources listed below.

Some information is directly quoted and other information is summarized or paraphrased. For

further reading about teacher-learner interactions in ESL classrooms, please refer to the

resources on page 15.

Learners struggle so much to get even the gist of what

is being said that they have no attentional resourcesleft over to process any form. Even hearing something

over and over again may not help. But when there is

simplification of input, the comprehension burden can

be eased.

Input can be simplified in a number of ways, among

which are using shorter sentences, using more common

or known vocabulary and by repeating something.

-- Van Patten p.38



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Strategies for EffectiveTeacher-Learner Interactions

Teacher Talk Syndrome Category of Teacher Talk

Classroom Strategies

Ice Breaker Freeze-up

ActivitySyndrome

T: How is everybody on

this fine day? Okay.

T: Well, uh well, Marta,

would you mind telling the

rest of the class aboutsomething you did over

the weekend. Maybe

something that happened

while you were babysitting

your grandchildren. You

did baby sit your

grandchildren, as usual,

yesterday afternoon,

right?

Marta: Que dice?

Warm Up Chats

Warm-up chats may not be appropriate for pre-beginning level

learners. Take care not to expect chatting in English untillearners have adequate proficiency.

Simplify warm-up language. For example:

Can anyone tell me about the weather this past weekend?

vs.

How was the weather Saturday?

Use previously learned structures and vocabulary in warm-up

questions to review and practice known language.

Use planned, practical warm-up questions and write them inlesson plans to insure simplicity.

Ask individual learners to begin warm-up chats using their ownquestions.

Warm-up doesnt have to begin with a question, try an activitythat is easy to demonstrate.

Try to omit open-ended questions that begin with difficultlanguage such as, Who can tell me or Can anyone tell me

about

Other:



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Can You Hear Me Now?or

Trading Compassions

Syndrome

T:Now, listen, and repeatthe word. Lets practice

pronunciation. Are you

ready?

S: silence

T:f a th er

fffff aaa ththth ererer

S:ffff aaa ththth ererer!

T:No dr, th th th th

S: dr dr dr dr

Direct Instruction

When new language (vocabulary or structures) is presented use

visuals or gestures to convey meaning.

A teachers voice is her essential realia. As with any effective

realia it must be comprehensible and authentic. Use authentic

pronunciation. We can slow our language without making itunreal.

Because speaking slower and louder doesnt equal perfectpronunciation, speak at normal tone when introducing new

vocabulary or structures.

Keep modeling simple and clear. Dont overload thechalkboard with too much or disorganized text.

Dont overload learners; strike a balance between elements thatare familiar and mastered and those that are new. One could

spend 2 full hours teaching names of body parts, is this

beneficial for learners?

Dont fall into a vocabulary rut; many learners feel that teachers

spend more time on words than how they are used.

Maximize learner involvement by getting them to determine

meaning of vocabulary items rather than by countless

repetitions.

Input theory suggests that speed, difficulty, visual clues,

gestures and cultural dynamics can surface affective filters(barriers or blocks to learning). Consider Lucy and Ethel at the

chocolate factory

Other:



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A Lot of Things MeanLittle

Syndrome

T: Okay, now Id like

you to work with a

partner, two people

together for this activity.

One person in the activity

points to the picture andsays, Who is this? and

the partner, the other

person responds to the

question. Two people

working together in a

pair. Do you understand?

S: Yes

T: Lets try it.

S:Lets try it.

T:Any questions? Do you

understand? This person

points and this person

answers. Who is this?

S: translation, confusion,

silence

T:Everybody practice,

okay? Okay, Ill help you

find a partner.

S: silence

Giving DirectionsLittle Things Mean A Lot

Demonstrate or do an example with one learner rather than

explaining how to complete a task.

The fewer words, the better.

Use zero language when possible, just point and/or model a

task or activity.

Identify steps to an activity and demonstrate each step, one at a

time. Steps can be given in one or two word verbs.

Use level-appropriate grammar and vocabulary in the languageof directions. For low beginning which direction line is more

appropriate? What do you see in the picture on page 27? or

Whats in the picture? or Whats this?

When in doubt, check course syllabus for targeted grammar or

vocabulary for each level.

Teach simple classroom imperatives using visuals repeat,

read, write, listen, point etc. Post the visuals around room for

continued use and add new words as they are introduced.

Sketch the activity procedures on the board, labeling students

and materials, using numbers and arrows as appropriate.

Teach clarification phrases such as: Please repeat. orI dont understand. or Please speak slowly. These phrases

can be posted on classroom walls so that students can

continually refer to them.

Other:



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Thats absolutelymagnificent English,

excellent pronunciation,

perfect usage and verywell done. Wish everyone

could be as good as you.Syndrome

T:Na, you were getting

ready to move onSaturday. Tell us about it.

Na: Go to the restaurant.

Red Lobster in the dinner.

I dont know call, my

parents with my father and

mother-in-law. After this

go to see my Fathers

house and then back

home.

T: Thats great!

Na: Go back home and I

watch TV and go to bed.

T: You have a great

memory, Na. Im sure

that you study at home. If

I could reward everyone

who studied at home, I

would. Great job, Na!

Giving Feedback

Be honest.

Be positive but dont offer empty praise. Tell why learnerperformance was good.

Use nonverbal feedback i.e., a smile, a gesture, a motion.

If incorrect pronunciation or form is used in a learner responseto a question, model the correction instead of talking about it.

Celebrate success, individually and as a group.

Teach vocabulary appropriate for teacher feedback such as

good, excellent, need practice, okay etc. Use pictures to portray

meaning of the targeted feedback.

Try not to compare one learner to another.

Comment on the parts of a learners response that was good andsuggest improvements on parts that need improvement. Your

pronunciation is good. Lets work on grammar.

Other:



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Moving Right AlongSyndrome

T: Okay, well now let

me see where we are. Im

sorry Graciela, but we

dont have time for your

response.

Graciela: Yes, teacher.

T:And maybe, Jorge and

Lorena, but we have to

move on now. We need tomove on because we have

to start a new unit today.

So, let me begin by

showing you a picture.

Making Transitions Between Activities

Transition slowly, allow for quiet times silence.

Show learners when you are transitioning using a large posted

picture outline like the one below. Point to activities as you

move from one to another.

1. new words

listening speaking reading writing

2. conversation

Watch for learners who arent ready to move on and whenappropriate, ask if learners are ready to transition.

Teach transition words through modeling and/or pointing toicons on textbook pages. First, listen. Next, read.

If the agenda for the night is posted or reviewed, make notewhen one activity is complete and another begins. For example:

--Review vocabulary

-- Conversation

-- Reading Practice

-- Writing Practice

Other:



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Capisce?

Capisco.Do you understand?

Syndrome

T:Maria and Nu are

looking at pictures.

(teacher reading dialogue)

Maria: How old are yourchildren?

Nu: My son is six. My

daughter is eight.

T:Do you understand?

S: Yes.

T:How old is Nus

daughter?

S: silence

T:How old is Nus son?

S: son

Checking Understanding

Why do students say they understand when in fact they may not?

Learners believe that they have understood.

In some cultures they want to show respect for the

teacher.

They want to save face (as we all do).

-- Parrish

Ask learners to complete a task that demonstrates understanding.

Its hot in here. Please open the window.

Use YES/NO or +/- cards or 1 finger = yes, 2 fingers = no.

Ask learners to paraphrase or restate.

Ask a question that demonstrates understanding i.e.,

We dont have childcare at this school.

Where can you take your children?

Dont always expect learners to volunteer answers to your questions.

Use questioning techniques that are not intimidating.

Allow for plenty of wait time. It can take many seconds (10-15) to

retrieve the information from our memories and then produce a

response.

Some students may come from cultures where students do not

question teachers. Teach phrases asking for clarification, repetition,

or simplification i.e., Excuse me. Please repeat.

Remember that questions must be comprehensible themselves, use

learned language to form questions.

Other:



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Application Activity 1The teacher language given below in the before column is taken from actual classroom

observations. Simplify the language for levels indicated in the after column. Remember,

Little things mean a lot! Use grammar and vocabulary that are level-appropriate. If needed,

use a separate sheet of paper for your revision.

Before After

Its time to learn some new vocabulary words.

Id like you to listen first, and then repeat after

me. Are you ready?

Low Beginning ESL (SPL 2)

Can anyone tell me how you spent the

weekend? Who can tell me about a goodweekend?

High Beginning ESL (SPL 3)

Now in small groups, please talk about what

you read in the paragraph. Gather in groups

of four persons. Answer the questions at the

bottom of the page together. When you are

finished, youll report your answers to the

whole class.

Low Intermediate ESL (SPL 4)

Were going to interview each other. Use the

grid to ask three different people, three

different questions. Walk around; get out of

your seat. Youll record responses in the boxes

under the questions. You have about 10

minutes to ask three questions of three people.

High Intermediate ESL (SPL 5)

At this point, well need to go to the next

exercise on page 37 in your textbook. Its timeto practice using the irregular verbs from page

36 in questions about the characters in the

story on page 37. As we move to this part of

the lesson, remember to use your dictionaries

when needed.

Low Intermediate ESL (SPL 4)

Application Activity #2

K.S. Weddel 7-07 Permission needed to reproduce 10Permission Granted to Reproduce 5-08


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Sometimes ESL textbooks use language for directions to activities that exceed the learnersproficiency level. Read the direction lines from each of the books. Should the lines be

simplified for the identified level? If yes, write alternative lines. Also summarize how you

would demonstrate meaning for learners before they complete the activities. If needed use aseparate sheet.

Textbook

Target Level

Direction Line Revision and Demonstration

Taking Off BeginningEnglishPre-Beginning

Who do you see on this page?

English, No Problem

Book 1High Beginning

Whats the problem in the picture?

Think or talk with a partner.

Take Charge 1Pre-Beginning

Read the story on page 134. Writeabout yourself. Answer questions 1-6

above. Read your story to the class.

Read All About ItBook 1High Beginning

Read the sentences. Look at thereading to find which sentence is

correct. Circle a or b. Check your

answers with a partner.

Stand Out Book 4High Intermediate

With a team, you will solve a companyproblem in an action committee and

create a handout for the class.

1. Form a human resources action

committee with four or five students.Choose positions for each member of

your team. With your group, carefully

read the problem below.2. Use the steps for making an ethical

decision on page 130 to go through

each possible solution.3. Make a final decision. Create a

handout explaining the process you

went through to come up with your

decision.4. Report your final decision to the

class.

Application #3


Permission granted to reproduce 5-08


14/19

1. Read the following teacher talk out loud. Read it quickly, pausing for breath only whennecessary.

2. Use a colored pen to simplify the text. Break the text into shorter sentences. Cross out

unnecessary words, phrases, and sentences. Replace complex words with simple words of thesame meaning.

3. Read the revised teacher talk out loud again. Use appropriate pace, with sufficient pauses.

Application #4

I would like you to haveuhIm going to give you a verb list, I have created of the

activities, well actually, its the list that everyone contributed to yesterday when you

were talking about a typical weekday activities and each on this list, each pair of verbs

on this list shows the present tense and past tense forms of each verb. They are

common verbs and theyre the ones we studied yesterday. I have also included a little

pronunciation guide for the regular verbs on the list. Please take some time to look over

the list and then read it to a person sitting next to you. Only take a few minutes, then

well continue with the lesson.




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Consider your own teacher language in each of the categories below. 1) Prepare an audio tape ofan entire class session. 2) Then, listen to the tape and fast forward to the parts of the lesson that

involve categories listed below. 3) Write exactly what you said in the second column. 4) Choose

one or two of the categories that youd like to work on and give examples of alternative teachertalk. 5) Record yourself again at a different class session. Listen for the differences. What do

you think?

Categor ies of

Teacher Talk

Wh at I Said Wh at Id Like to Say

Warm-Up Chats

Direct Instruction

Directions for

Activities

Transitions

Feedback

CheckingUnderstanding

Application #5



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1. Ask an experienced teacher that you admire if you can sit in on a class. The observation

doesnt need to be for the entire class period, maybe only enough time to listen to one or

two of the categories of teacher talk provided by Parrish.

2.

Listen to the teacher talk and note reactions of learners.

3. List three or four strategies used for effective teacher-learner interactions.

Teacher Observed _______________________________________________

Date ______________________ Class _______________________________

Observation Notes




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Resources

Burt, Miriam (2002) 10 Strategies for Teaching Adult English Language Learners

NCLE Notes. Vol. 10, No. 2, Winter 2001/2002. Accessed 2-13-07 fromhttp://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps51143/vol10no2/Nnotes102.pdf

Cunningham Flores, Mary Ann (2001) BeginningESOL Learners Advice to Their Teachers

NCSALL, Focus on Basics, Vol. 5, Issue A. August 2001. Accessed 2-13-07 from:http://www.ncsall.net/?id=279

Fanslow, John (1992) Contrasting Conversations White Plains, NY: Longman

Moss, Donna (2001) Teaching for Communicative Competence, Interaction in the ESOL

ClassroomNCSALL: Focus on Basics, Vol. 7, Issue C, March 2005. Accessed 2-13-07 from:http://www.ncsall.net/?id=739

Parrish, B. (2004) Teaching Adult ESL A Practical Introduction New York, NY: McGraw Hill

Scarcella, R. (1992) Providing Culturally Sensitive Feedback. Richard-Amato The multicultural

Classroom Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley

Van Patten, B. (2003) From Input to Output: A Teachers Guide to Second Language

Acquisition. New York: McGraw-Hill

http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps51143/vol10no2/Nnotes102.pdfhttp://www.ncsall.net/?id=279http://www.ncsall.net/?id=739http://www.ncsall.net/?id=739http://www.ncsall.net/?id=279http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps51143/vol10no2/Nnotes102.pdf


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ESL Teacher Language(Teacher Talk)

For

Effective Classroom Interactions

Independent Study CourseFor Teachers of

Adult English as a Second Language

Evaluation Form

Project Directors or Coordinators:

1.Print the evaluation form.2.Discuss with the teacher/tutor the outcomes of the

Independent Study Course.3.Make notes on the evaluation form.4.Record the PD hours in the teachers Annual

Professional Development Activity Record.



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Objective Teacher

demonstrates ability

to perform the

objective

Teacher needs to

expand knowledge in

order to perform the

objective

Teacher demonstrates

little or no ability to

perform the objective

Understand the

importance and impactof teacher/learner

interaction in creating asupportive environment

for purposeful learning

Identify categories of

teacher language orteacher talk in

classroom instruction

Identify commonproblems or concerns for

each category of teachertalk

Identify classroom

strategies that encourage

effective, meaningfulinteractions

Practice the identified

strategies in at least threeapplication activities

Reflect on personalteacher talk to

acknowledge strengths

and identify areas ofneeded improvement

K S W dd l 7 07 P i i d d d 17

classroom teacher language self study mod 0508

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