Speaking Strategies
It is good to have something that you have lived, experienced, seen and heard, explained to you in a direct and implicit manner. I had been in situations in which a person would use many words trying very hard to get the meaning across and most of the time not being successful. It's comforting to see that it has a name, "strategy of over-elaboration" where non-native speakers include more details than native speakers do when explaining or deacribing something. Studies by Blum-Kulka abd Olshtain(1986) named it Over-Elaboration.
The notion of studying strategies such as Circumlocution, Approximation, Literal Translation,Mime, and Message Abandonment is so appealing to me that I will center my project in this topic. Will will try to find out what types of strategies pre-schoolers use to communicate in a L2 , if they use any at all. And wether these are taught or by insticnt they arise.
As Helen Basturkmen mentions in her article, teachers must create speaking parctice tasks for their L2 students, but they should also create an awareness of the features of the spokenn language as well as placing tehg students in the position of analysts of discourse.
As I refekcted on my teaching strategies I found that I had used some of these strategies in my Conversational English classes yet did not know what they were called or that they had been studied. As I mentioned earlier, most of my teaching is based on instinct and gut feeling rather than taught strategies (taught to me I mean).
Now I know the importance of teaching startegies to your students in a way that they see the importance, value and benefits that using these straties might bring them.
I have my students observe themselves as they speak./ With the use of a video camera we record speeches and then analyze them. We also record interactions and the students really enjoy seeing themselves and evaluating themselves as well. It is true as Bastukmen says, that one can learn to talk by observing talk.
About Dantas-Whitney's article I must say that teh audiotaped journals proved to be exiting and fruitful. Having students reflect upon what they learned in class and the conncetions that they made with their personal lives is a great tool. Critical thinking skills are developed in a way that the students enjoy and that can also help them improve their speaking skills. It's a great way of NOT having your students feel theratened and evaluate themselves.
By helping students acquire speaking strategies and reflective and critical thinking skils, we are fostering self-directed learning as well as practice situations.
Dantas-Whitney asks " Does critical reflection via spoken journals contribute to oral language acquisition?" I can reply with Helen Basturkmen's statement that one learns to speak by observing and listening to others [or ourselves] speak.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Week 6
From Speaking to Writing/ teaching the Spoken Language
The importance of practicing spoken language is crucial and sometimes overlooked by many teachers of languages. I can say from experience that in Puerto Rico, students learn the see and read English and hardly ever learn to listen or speak the language. Opportunities, as well as tasks and strategies to do so are not given the proper importance.
Another factor is the contextual aspect of teaching. Some teachers make the learning more difficult and superficial as Kramsh mentions, because he/she looses the vision of the importance of teaching cognitively and the importance of making the lesson relevant and in a context in which the learner sees that he/she will be able to use this new information being learned, that it is for a purpose.
As a teacher I am more aware now and try to make the context of culture and the intertextual aspects of the discourse of my students more explicit. To try to make us all more aware of our position in the context.
The Peregogy/Boyle article adds to my enlightenment by showing the importance of teacher/student talk. As an educator I create hands on activities for my students that for my understanding are perfect and fun for a specific topic to be covered, but I must admit that sometimes I do not take the context of my student's realities into consideration, making it harder for them to understand and practice the necessary skills for a particular lesson.
Taking in consideration the students' prior knowledge should be one of the first aspects a teacher considers; specially in a foreign language classroom. This might mean a change in the way my colleagues and I teach English in PR, But I believe it's worth a try.
The importance of practicing spoken language is crucial and sometimes overlooked by many teachers of languages. I can say from experience that in Puerto Rico, students learn the see and read English and hardly ever learn to listen or speak the language. Opportunities, as well as tasks and strategies to do so are not given the proper importance.
Another factor is the contextual aspect of teaching. Some teachers make the learning more difficult and superficial as Kramsh mentions, because he/she looses the vision of the importance of teaching cognitively and the importance of making the lesson relevant and in a context in which the learner sees that he/she will be able to use this new information being learned, that it is for a purpose.
As a teacher I am more aware now and try to make the context of culture and the intertextual aspects of the discourse of my students more explicit. To try to make us all more aware of our position in the context.
The Peregogy/Boyle article adds to my enlightenment by showing the importance of teacher/student talk. As an educator I create hands on activities for my students that for my understanding are perfect and fun for a specific topic to be covered, but I must admit that sometimes I do not take the context of my student's realities into consideration, making it harder for them to understand and practice the necessary skills for a particular lesson.
Taking in consideration the students' prior knowledge should be one of the first aspects a teacher considers; specially in a foreign language classroom. This might mean a change in the way my colleagues and I teach English in PR, But I believe it's worth a try.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Week 5
Classroom Talk/ Teacher Talk
I will begin this posting by recalling from my experiences as a student. I wcan say that I remember having a favorite English Teacher and one I could not stand. I can honestly say that the reason why I did not like the latter teacher was because of the way she spoke and pronounced her words. Honestly, I believed I know better English than she did. Up to this day I still think this is true. Her impression on me was a bad one because I was aware of her mistakes. Yet, not I think about those classmates of mine who were not aware of this. It must have been extremely hard for them to learn anything in the class and feel comfortable listening to a 'different' kind of English.
There is no need to explain now that my favorite English Teacher was the one with the perfect pronunciation, choice of words and tone of voice. Class was such a delight.
As I read Long's and Walsh's articles about the role of the teacher in the classroom, I became even more aware of why I felt this way about my previous teachers. As an educator I will try to become a facilitator of the language and not an obstruction to understanding. I will try to expose my students more to different types of English also.
As it was note din our oral presentation, we chose a song for our lesson which had some words that were pronounced in the colloquial way and not in the proper English that's expected in classrooms. if we go back to the cultural and contextual aspect of education, I believe that students should be able to function in the society outside the classroom and this is why it is important to teach the proper manner and the colloquial ways as well.
But going back to my teachers from my childhood. I believe that there was more to my liking and dis liking these teachers than their pronunciation. It was also that my favorite teacher made the learning flow naturally and wonderfully, while the other teacher obstructed the learning process with her other behaviors such as direct error correction of my classmates, laughter, long pauses, tone and speed of speech, use of slang and filling in the gaps in class herself. Class was her 'show' and whomever did not like, or understand it was out of the game.
In my motivation class we talk about how teachers cane be positive or negative examples and influences in our decision to become teachers ourselves. I believe this negative experience influenced me to become a better teacher than she was.
And the readings by Long and Walsh have made it all more clear to me now.
Peace.
I will begin this posting by recalling from my experiences as a student. I wcan say that I remember having a favorite English Teacher and one I could not stand. I can honestly say that the reason why I did not like the latter teacher was because of the way she spoke and pronounced her words. Honestly, I believed I know better English than she did. Up to this day I still think this is true. Her impression on me was a bad one because I was aware of her mistakes. Yet, not I think about those classmates of mine who were not aware of this. It must have been extremely hard for them to learn anything in the class and feel comfortable listening to a 'different' kind of English.
There is no need to explain now that my favorite English Teacher was the one with the perfect pronunciation, choice of words and tone of voice. Class was such a delight.
As I read Long's and Walsh's articles about the role of the teacher in the classroom, I became even more aware of why I felt this way about my previous teachers. As an educator I will try to become a facilitator of the language and not an obstruction to understanding. I will try to expose my students more to different types of English also.
As it was note din our oral presentation, we chose a song for our lesson which had some words that were pronounced in the colloquial way and not in the proper English that's expected in classrooms. if we go back to the cultural and contextual aspect of education, I believe that students should be able to function in the society outside the classroom and this is why it is important to teach the proper manner and the colloquial ways as well.
But going back to my teachers from my childhood. I believe that there was more to my liking and dis liking these teachers than their pronunciation. It was also that my favorite teacher made the learning flow naturally and wonderfully, while the other teacher obstructed the learning process with her other behaviors such as direct error correction of my classmates, laughter, long pauses, tone and speed of speech, use of slang and filling in the gaps in class herself. Class was her 'show' and whomever did not like, or understand it was out of the game.
In my motivation class we talk about how teachers cane be positive or negative examples and influences in our decision to become teachers ourselves. I believe this negative experience influenced me to become a better teacher than she was.
And the readings by Long and Walsh have made it all more clear to me now.
Peace.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Week 4
Listening Strategies,
I never saw listening strategies as a process to be taught teach. I always integrated listening strategies for fun, get meaning, or vocabulary in class. But I never, until now, thought about listening skills as method. Now I'm more aware of the importance of TEACHING the listening strategies to my students.
As I think back of Puerto Rico and how languages are taught there, I ubderstand why it is that French, Italian, Portuguese German and other languages programs work se well contrary to the way we teach English.
We believe that English in Puerto Rico is ESL. I have come to understand with this class that it is EFL. We do not speak English on the streets of Puerto Rico.
I guess we all assume in Puerto Rico that after 13 years of English classes through the k-12 program, students know and understand the language. Yet, English should be taught as a Foreign Language.
Meta cognitive strategies as well as cognitive strategies are also a new way of seeing things for me. the meta cognitive process is important in the way you teach the language and plan your lessons as well as important when you are a learner and know your abilities, strengths and weaknesses. The meta cognitive strategies can serve as a tool for self-efficacy and as a tool for a responsible teacher to plan ahead and make sure that the lesson is understood and well accepted by the students.
I never saw listening strategies as a process to be taught teach. I always integrated listening strategies for fun, get meaning, or vocabulary in class. But I never, until now, thought about listening skills as method. Now I'm more aware of the importance of TEACHING the listening strategies to my students.
As I think back of Puerto Rico and how languages are taught there, I ubderstand why it is that French, Italian, Portuguese German and other languages programs work se well contrary to the way we teach English.
We believe that English in Puerto Rico is ESL. I have come to understand with this class that it is EFL. We do not speak English on the streets of Puerto Rico.
I guess we all assume in Puerto Rico that after 13 years of English classes through the k-12 program, students know and understand the language. Yet, English should be taught as a Foreign Language.
Meta cognitive strategies as well as cognitive strategies are also a new way of seeing things for me. the meta cognitive process is important in the way you teach the language and plan your lessons as well as important when you are a learner and know your abilities, strengths and weaknesses. The meta cognitive strategies can serve as a tool for self-efficacy and as a tool for a responsible teacher to plan ahead and make sure that the lesson is understood and well accepted by the students.
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