TESOL 2012 Highlights: Day 3

Session 1

My colleague, Pamela Vittorio, and I enjoyed the roles of co-presenters for Maximizing Dictionary Use for Vocabulary Acquisition, a Pearson-sponsored session. We led the small but attentive crowd through a few different activities to help students learn denotations, connotations, and collocations. I had fun demonstrating Storyline and talking about a Word of the Day project connected to a page on my website, but I also loved learning from the creative woman I was lucky enough to present with.

Pamela has used engaging classroom games, like Collocation Jeopardy, with her students at Parsons, The New School for Design. It’s easy enough to follow her model for that game. Learner’s dictionaries, such as the Longman Dictionary of American English provide examples from the corpus. We can categorize those collocations and set up a Jeopary board (much like the one we see on the TV show) with answers which students must form questions for. For example: Category 1 – Arts & Crafts, 1st answer = 100 points > paint brush. Student A must form a statement to elicit “paint brush” from Student B.  Student B must respond in question form: An artist uses this with different colors on it. – What is a paint brush? Other examples: Category 2 – At the Salon, 1st answer = 100 points > hair brush. Category 3 – Formal and Informal Behavior, 1st answer = 100 points > brush off. You see that collocations for the same word (“brush”) appear as the 1st answer in all categories. The pattern can hold for the progressively more difficult second, third, fourth, and fifth answers. This way the students receive an additional hint for each collocation. Through the game they learn common collocations for five key words (5 key words used in 5 collocations across the 5 different categories).

Session 2

Trying to get as much out of our TESOL experience as possible, Pamela and I took in three more presentations after our own. One of them was Jenny Bixby and Joe McVeigh’s highly interactive session, Using a Question-Centered Approach to Reading and Writing. They challenged participants to consider the types of questions used in the classroom as well as the purpose and effectiveness of those questions.

What kinds of questions are there? After hearing ideas from the audience, Jenny and Joe gave examples of display questions (to check someone’s knowledge of content), experiential questions (to draw from one’s experience), fact-based questions, and leading questions (to confirm an assumption). They then moved on to distinguish yes-no questions, topical questions, and essential questions. What are essential questions? Good question!

Citing a list developed by Wiggins & McTighe, the presenters explained that essential questions are key in curriculum and materials design because they are thought-provoking, allow transfer from one content area to another, tap into prior knowledge, and pull in core content from the planned lesson and/ or course. Once we grasp the concept of an essential question, we can implement backward design, in which the outcome is identified first and then essential questions and activities are created to guide learning to that outcome. Jenny and Joe emphasized how essential questions lead students to and through the content.

The fun and tricky part of the session was trying to come up with essential questions of our own, keeping in mind a particular theme, language topic, language level, and learning outcome. Good efforts were awarded prizes by the presenters.

If you’d like to learn more about essential questions and bacward design, visit Joe McVeigh’s website. He and Jenny have generously posted a copy of their presentation slides.

TESOL 2012 Highlights: Day 2, Part 2

Session 3

Marnie Reed of Boston University and Tamara Jones of SHAPE Language Center in Belgium proved to be a dynamic duo. Their afternoon session Intonation: Overlooked in IEPs, Essential for Conveying and Interpreting Meaning was well attended, and each minute was packed with insights and helpful, practical ideas.

Do English language learners grasp the intent of words spoken? How does English encode this intent? Do we teachers correct errors in intonation? These are some of the thought-provoking questions Drs. Reed and Jones explored.

Dr. Reed began with a review of some of the functions of intonation, such as signaling grammatical structures and syntactic organization and providing turn-taking cues. She asserted that although we develop awareness of our native sound system at infancy, ELTs tend to overlook the intrinsic functions of intonation and instead focus on the patterns we consciously learn, for example, the expression of sarcasm.

Recalling the Prosodic Bootstrapping Hypothesis, which states that infants recognize and make use of clausal units (thought groups) in speech comprehension, as well as Judy Gilbert’s Prosody Pyramid, which visually demonstrates the peak vowel in a stressed syllable of a focus word within a thought group, Dr. Reed went on to explain how essential intonation is in communication. She argues that judgments are made based on intonation; therefore, we must teach our students intonation patterns so that they can accurately convey and interpret meaning. Dr. Reed presented a power visual aid to drive home her point: Imagine a Venn diagram with one circle representing communicated content and the other circle representing communicative intent.  How can we help our students recognize the overlap?

At this point in the session, attention focused on discovering learner and instructor metacognitive gaps. A survey showed that ELLs placed more importance on words than intonation. Furthermore, the students in the study saw production of phonemes being more important than the use of word and phrasal stress. Efforts by teachers to teach exaggerated stress were not seen as practical instruction that the students could apply to real-life settings.

Dr. Reed shared more effective ways of teaching prosody. She has used episodes of the TV show Friends, and commented that the character of Chandler provides frequent models of sarcasm. A transcript of a few lines can be shown with intonation noted by arrows. Questions for interpreting the communicative intent direct students to focus on intonation, and not just the spoken words. Although such transcripts can be time-consuming to create, once they are prepared, you can recycle the material with different groups of students.

Dr. Reed also uses authentic and scripted speech to teach students how intonation helps the listener predict subsequent information. For example, Dr. Reed uses a “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strip, in which one panel has the speech bubble blackened. She poses questions to her ELLs, encouraging prediction: What do you think the boy might say? What words are most important in that response? How might those words be said?

Other practical suggestions included conducting and using kazoos. In the conducting method, learners make use of the arms and other body parts (eybrows, legs…) to mimic the intonation patterns in a spoken dialog. The idea is that through body movement the prosody will be learned and retained. With the kazoos, the idea is to have students hum the patterns used in a dialog. Dr. Reed has had many adult learners thank her for the free kazoos and the learning experience.

One of my favorite activties presented at this session was a game to teach speaker attitudes. Dr. Reed’s “Active Listening Card Game” requires only five colored cards (each student will need 3-5 cards). Each card has a purpose, and students must be able to produce words or utterances to convey that purpose: Encouraging Words (Wow!),   Emphasis Questions (Really?),  Repeating Questions (a.k.a. echo questions), Information Questions (with wh- words), and Comments (That’s so interesting!) The game is played in pairs. Students take turns talking on a topic and listening. A timer is used, and the speaker must talk for one minute. During the course of that minute, the listener must try to use of each of the cards by producing appropriate but varied utterances. As a card is used, it is placed down on a table. After that one minute, the roles are reversed.

Indeed, there was a lot of useful information shared, and my attempt to summarize the presentation has already resulted in a lengthy blog post! All I can say is if you have a chance to attend a session with Drs. Reed and Jones at a future TESOL convention, don’t miss it.

My sincere thanks to Marnie Reed and Tamara Jones for sharing their presentation slides with me. Thank you again for a wonderful session.

TESOL 2012 Highlights: Day 2, Part 1

Session 1

For me the TESOL convention would not be complete without at least one visit to the Electronic Village (EV). On Day 2, I found myself drawn to two presentations at the EV Fair. The first was given by Todd Cooper of Toyama National College of Technology (TNCT).  “Kinecting to Your Listners: Development of Body Gesture Recognition Software for Language Learning” educated participants about the possibility of using technology to develop ELLs’ use of gestures as a part of their oral communication skills.

Todd and his colleagues received a grant for scientific research from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.  With that support, they began to work on software that would meet their students’ needs. These TNCT colleagues understand the importance of non-verbal communication yet face the challenge of handling large class sizes, so they aim to create gesture training software that learners can use with a virtual teacher (i.e., the teacher appears through pre-recorded video).

This group of techies has begun to modify Kinect and develop sensors for gesture recognition. So far, they have developed the user interface, improved skeletal coordinate matching, created a scoring system (Is the learner accurate in terms of timing and position?),  developed 3D facial recognition, and begun to create a gesture catalog.

Todd shared the story of how he coached a young woman to first place in a national competition for English language learners. She placed 7th in a local contest, but with the same speech took first place after adding hand gestures and other non-verbal communication. Just imagine if more learners could benefit from that kind of coaching. With the help of software, that form of training that Todd provided will become more accessible. The TNCT team intends to create a learning system that combines verbal and non-verbal communication.

Session 2

The second presentation I attended at the EV Fair was given by Lyra Riabov of Southern New Hampshire University. “Culture Integration in Action: Technology and Models Solutions” detailed a project that may inspire other ESL programs around the globe.

Anyone who has studied abroad knows that enrollment in an overseas program alone doesn’t guarantee immersion and meaningful contact with native speakers. Professor Riabov recognized her students’ need for interaction with domestic students and searched for ways to provide that. She had tried arranging various excursions, but those outings rarely led to lasting relationships with people outside the students’ ESL program.

Then she hit upon a great idea. At her university is a School of Education, in which many Americans train for careers as K-12 teachers. Wouldn’t they benefit from exposure to international students and the chance to develop intercultural skills? Indeed,  New England has a diverse population, and practically all those future teachers will be working with students and students’ families from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Professor Riabov created Project Culture Integration in Action. This is an innovative cross-cultural exchange. It involves combined classes of international and domestic students on campus. Professor Riabov outlined three models.

Model 1: The students meet for one class period, and in predetermined small groups they begin to learn about one another. They discuss similarities and differences in their personalities and their lifestyles. During the interviews, students make use of Google Earth and SMART boards. Then they work together to prepare a brief oral report to share their reflections, which are recorded and posted to iTunesU.

Model 2: International and domestic students combine for two class periods. The first class is similar to Model 1, and then the second class is devoted to mini presentations using a short set of powerpoint slides. Professor Riabov emphasized the amount of purposeful languaged used to prepare and deliver the presentations. The ELLs also write their reflections in a short paper and engage in discussion board forums.

Model 3: This model expands on Model 2 by allowing for further exchanges between the international ELLs and domestic students from the School of Education.

Rather than share more details, I encourage you to visit the website devoted to this project. The students’ podcasts from 2008 to 2011 have been posted. The success of the project is evident. The ELLs not only received meaningful practice in all language areas, but Professor Riabov noted how the exchanges very often led to voluntary meetings beyond the required ones, and lasting friendships resulted from the shared assignments.

TESOL 2012 Highlights: Day 1, Part 3

Session 3 and 4

Music in English Language Teaching: A Fun and Functional Duet, presented by Sandra Prytherch

Notes of Music for Pronunciation, presented by Catherine Moore

The use of music in ELT seems to be a hot topic this year. Yesterday alone I found two sessions addressing the practical application of music in the language classroom.

Making her TESOL debut, Sandra Prytherch packed a full house and opened up her session with a warm-up activity of improv music. Participants had yet to even speak to one another, but those with various percussion instruments in their hands followed Sandra’s lead and added their “voices” to the music by accompanying Sandra, who played on a wooden flute. She explained how such improvisation is a metaphor for social construction. For instance, nonverbally participants were finding their roles and making sense of the balance of power. Sandra, the presenter and teacher in this context, was sharing power. In short, such music activities an help establish community. Students hesitant to give any kind of musical performance in class could be invited to listen first and then perhaps add rhythm by clapping. The students must be comfortable, and feeling the rhythm of music is a start.

Sandra offered different ways music could be used in a language lesson, from practicing pronunciation features to serving as a prompt for a writing activity. Sandra has generously posted her material online for teachers to refer to.  A participant added another online resource worth considering: Flocabulary – Educational Hip-Hop.

Later the same day Catherine Moore of California State University offered more ideas on how music could enhance language teaching. She promoted the use of music for many of the same reasons as Sandra, and she also highlighted the fact that popular songs can offer a number of positive features, such as less complexity of information, rhyming, connected speech, and a slower rate of speech.

Catherine performed a labor of love and shared a thick handout including a long list of popular songs which lend themselves to certain language points. For instance, Ed Lipton’s Spelling Song and Barenaked Ladies’ Crazy ABCs. (You can find copies online.) Catherine ended  her session by highlighting some of the more useful apps out there for music: Shazam, Sound Hound, and Pandora.

Thank you to both presenters!

TESOL 2012 Highlights: Day 1, Part 2

Session 2

Grammar Instruction in Language Teaching: Proven and Innnovative Practices, presented by Dilin Liu and Eli Hinkel

Another wonderful highlight of the day was a session that explored current theories and practices in grammar. Eli Hinkel of Seattle University is never one to disappoint an audience. Her co-presenter of the University of Alabama, Dilin Liu, was equally informative. Although the information was given in a bit of a whirlwind of powerpoint slides, I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to have walked away without good insights and points to ponder.

Dilin Liu emphasized the importance of function and meaning in the newer theories on grammar. He illustrated multiple times how grammar is conceptual in nature and always embodied in experience.  For example, why we do say “a shirt” but “trousers” or “pants”? Because the body of the shirt is most prominent, and we perceive the garment as one whole. In contrast, the two legs of someone’s pants are most prominent, and we see two separate parts. These are concepts. The concepts come from experience. The grammar then is motivated and not arbitrary in any way.

The idea of grammar being motivated and experience driven contrasts with the earlier generative grammar viewpoint, which states language is innate. Dr. Liu also addressed collocations and argued that certain word pairings are not random, but motivated. For instance we say “make a change” but “take a break” and “have difficulty.” Why? Because we conceptualize “make” as doing an activity that requires effort. “Take” is perceived as an easier action. “Have” is associated with experiences.

The discussion then shifted into teaching practices, and Eli Hinkel made a strong case for the usefulness of prefabricated language. Her position stems from the idea that grammar is processed as units, not parts. She recommends teaching students chunks of language (or bundles, if you prefer). For example, if students can memorize a small set of nouns for people of authority and a set of reporting verbs, they will achieve greater accuracy and variety in their academic writing as they make multiple references to works they have read: The author/ the reporter/ the researchers… + state/ claim/ believe… + (that…).  Students simply need to be taught what chunks to assemble and how to assemble them.

Dr. Hinkel suggests that students learn short lists of prefabricated language, that is, a little at a time, and then students will increase their vocabulary and their accuracy in production. A number of useful suggestions were made, one of which was to buy a collocation dictionary to help identify the chunks worth teaching.

Dilin Liu has published a few related articles, which you can find on his website. You’ll want to check out the  one on the most frequent multi-word English expressions in academic writing, which was published this year in the English for Specific Purposes Journal, and a second article on the most frequently used phrasal verbs in the TESOL Quarterly. Also, for more about Eli Hinkel and her work, visit her website. (Be on the lookout for a new book by Dr. Hinkel. She hinted that it would soon be in print.)

Many thanks to both presenters for a wonderful session!

My TESOL Schedule

This week I’m heading to Philadelphia for the annual TESOL convention. As in past years, I will try to share some convention highlights here on WordPress. There are usually a few sessions each day that send me to my laptop with excitement, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty to pass along to those who are unable to attend. If any of you will be in Philly as well, please take a look at my schedule. Perhaps our paths will cross.

Wednesday, March 28

11:30 am - 1:30 pm Leadership Luncheon

Thursday, March 29

2 – 3:45 pm Book Publications Committee (BPC) Session: I Want to Write a Book! Getting Published with TESOL  – I will be co-presenting with my fellow BPC committee members.

3 – 5 pm “Meet the Authors” at the Pearson Booth in the Exhibit Hall – I will likely drop by at this event.

Friday, March 30

11 am – 12 pm Materials Writers Interest Section (MWIS) Booth in the Exhibit Hall – I will be volunteering at the booth for one hour. Stop by and say hi!

3 – 5 pm “Meet the Authors” at the Pearson Booth in the Exhibit Hall – I will likely drop by at this event.

Saturday, March 31

1 – 1:45 pm Pearson-sponsored session: Maximizing Dictionary Use for Vocabulary Acquisition – I will be co-presenting with my colleague, Pamela Vittorio.

In addition to the events listed above, I’ll be present at a few evening receptions. I hope to meet both old and new TESOL members!