Problemsand Suggestionsfor public English Education

神奈川県立国際言語文化アカデミア

Marcel Van Amelsvoort

2015 Gifu ALT Workshop

January 23, 2015

http://mimiandeunice.com/2011/08/01/looking-for-problems/

What is something you have always wanted to do?

Why haven’t you done it yet?

What are your plans for doing it?

神奈川県立国際言語文化アカデミア

KANAGAWA INSTITUTE OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE STUDIES

KANAGAWA INSTITUTE OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE STUDIES

♢ Elementary school teacher training♢ Cross-cultural understanding for teachers

♢小学校英語活動教員研修♢教師のための異文化理解、外国語研修♢ English teacher training

♢ English teacher training

♢英語担当教員研修

Problems

Sounds

Conversations

Discussions

We’re going to play Top 5! For each topic, write five things. If you have the same things as on my list, you get the points.

Count your points.

Scoring Points

Cars5 points: BMW4 points: Toyota3 points: Mazda2 points: Honda1 points: Suzuki

7 Points!

Toyota – 4 pointsHonda – 2 pointsSuzuki – 1 point

Compare your list with mine. If you have the same things, you get the points!

Topic 1: Fruit

Write your 5 fruits

Top 5 Fruit

5 points: bananas / banana4 points: strawberries / strawberry3 points: peaches / peach2 points: plums / plum1 point: pears / pear

Topic 2: The Biggest Problems with English Education in Japan

Write your 5 problems

Top 5 “Problems”

5: Ineffective use / support of teachers

4: No goals / no vision / no planning

3: No balance of input / output

2: Focus on discrete grammar / vocab

1: Emphasis on entrance exams

We suck

We suck?

iBT TOEFL (2013)—Asia ResultsReading Listening Speaking Writing TOTAL

Insights from classobservations (June, 2014)

25 teachers: 1330 min(22.2 hours)

V, G, L, R, Fl, S-Int, W, Mis

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Mis

W

S＋Inter

Fluency

R

L

Gram

Voc

%

Voc 14.7Gram 15.6L 8.2R 35.5Fluency 9.25S＋Inter 1.35W 4.51Mis 4.51

So, what

can we do

about this?

Sounds

Sounds?

English is a stress-timed language.

The cows eat the grass

The cows will eat the grass

Cows eat grass

The cows have eaten the grass

The cows will have eaten the grass

Sentence Stress

Generally, the major sentence stress fallson the last content word within asentence.

⇒ louder (強く)longer (長く)higher-pitched (高音で)

Pauses

Expert speakers provide natural pauses between sense groups.

Connected Speech

Grant, L. (ed). (2014). Pronunciation myths. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press

Using a Movie Scene

Procedure

1. Select a scene2. Print the transcripts3. Practice 5 minutes each class

until students have memorized the sounds and lines for both parts

4. Provide formative feedback (from teacher, from partners, from self)

5. Do a productive assessment test

Lampwick: My name’s Lampwick. What’s yours?

Pinocchio: Pinocchio.

Lampwick: Ever been to Pleasure Island?

Pinocchio: Uh-uh. But Mr. Honest John gave me/

Lampwick: Me neither. But they say it’s a swell joint—no school, no

cops—we can tear the joint apart and nobody says a word.

Pinocchio: Honest John gave me/

Lampwick: Loaf around, plenty to eat, plenty to drink…and it’s all free!

Pinocchio: Honest John/

Lampwick: Boy, that’s the place. I can hardly wait.

“Much better

than Speed

Learning”

Benefits of Using DVD Movie Scenes for Students

Language learning (sounds, vocab, grammar)

Repeated exposure facilitates noticing

Sound training Identity formation Authentic materials feel “real” Acting out creates an L2 you

Self-access technique promotes autonomy

Benefits of Using DVD Movie Scenes for Teachers

Language learning Repeated exposure facilitates noticing

Multi-modal materials Translations available High-interest, so better motivation Easy to assess

Memory-stretching Dictation

Hear it, hold it………say/write it.

Conversations

ConversationsTimed pair conversations using frames

Students learn what they learn in the way that they learn/practice/do it.

45

Conversation Frame

A: How’s it going?

B: Not bad. You?

A: Pretty good. So... _______________?

B: ________________. How about you?

A: ________________.

B: Well, nice talking with you.

A: Me, too.

Benefits of Using Frames

Facilitate real conversations / communication

Formulaic expressions / “scripts”

Flexible

Facilitate the teaching of interaction

What I Teach / Practice:

Reacting language

Rejoinders Echoing Follow-up Questions Interjections

Discussions

DiscussionsWorking toward age-appropriate thinking

Memory is the residue of thought.

Daniel Willingham Why Don’t Students Like School?

We evolved in tribes, we grow in

families, and we learn in groups.

What I Teach:

Clarify / Elaborate Support ideas w/ examples Agree and add on Disagree politely Paraphrase Synthesize / Conclude

Activities

See Think Wonder Dictogloss HOT questions (Debate)

See Think WonderA Topic Introduction Technique

Dictate 2-3 sentences or a full paragraph*. Have students reproduce it as best they can.

Dictogloss

*adapted (re-written) from the textbook or from a parallel text

HOT Skills and Questions

Higher Order Thinking Skills

Thank you