Learning to teach ESL: December 2018

The second unit for this course is about approaches to grammar and writing instruction. I was introduced to different teaching methodologies in the Fundamentals course. The material from this unit allowed me to expand my knowledge about the strengths and weaknesses of different teaching methodologies. This built on previous knowledge that I had from reading and watching a webinar in the other class. I had an aha moment this week when I was reading the outline for this unit and was reminded of what researcher Chia Suan Chong said about how we can approach these methodologies in our teaching.

The outline for this unit says that there has been a shift that has taken place in language learning classrooms from using rote and habitual teaching methodologies to using methodologies that are communicative and purposeful. The outline argues that despite this shift, older methodologies can still be integrated into lesson plans to be used in this classroom. As such, the outline suggests that language teachers become familiar with a range of methodologies and their purposes so that teachers can customize their lesson plans to address the specific needs of their students. Similarly, in the webinar, Chong (2012) said that all of the methodologies have strengths and weaknesses and that it is not necessary to conform to one way of organizing activities and teaching language. Instead, recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of different methodologies allows teachers to spot opportunities to use them in their lesson plans (Chong, 2012).

For example, the audiolingual method overlooks the development of reading and writing skills. However, it could be useful to implement into a lesson plan if a teacher wants to use a drill activity so that students can practice dialogue and answering questions. Another example could be incorporating Total Physical Response (TPR) into a lesson plan for young language learners. TPR helps students create associations between speech and actions. This could be very helpful for teachers of young learners who have to include physical movement in their lessons to keep students engaged in the learning process. As such, I think this is a good idea to keep in mind for when I have my own classroom and am planning lessons.

I also had aha moments when I was listening to the presentation by Betty Azar (2008) about incorporating grammar into the communicative language teaching. The first aha moment occurred when Azar said that language proficiency occurs long after classroom learning ends. As such, teachers do not need to stress about teaching their students everything. Instead, teachers should aim to teach their students the basic information they need to know, helpful and relevant ways that they can apply it to real-life tasks, and equip them with resources to continue their learning outside of the classroom. From this perspective, the goal of language teaching is to create what she calls an “interlanguage” where students can communicate fluently in all language skills and are able to use English language structure accurately in meaningful communication. However, this does not assume that students will become as proficient as a native speaker. Rather, students should develop their skills to the level they need in order to use the language in ways that they find meaningful and to achieve their own goals (Azar, 2008).

The concept of interlanguage helps me have realistic expectations of what I can hope to achieve as a language teacher. When I read material related to language teaching, I often feel overwhelmed because the amount of knowledge and time required to become proficient is immense. Azar’s talk helped reassure me that it is neither possible or required to cover everything in the classroom and that this is okay. Even heavily experienced teachers have to decide what and what not to cover in the classroom based on educational standards and limited time and resources. I feel better knowing that the level of proficiency that my students will achieve does not weigh solely on the choices that I make in the classroom.

References

Azar, B. (2008, April). Grammar teaching and communicative teaching: 'A hybrid that works". Lecture presented at TESOL Panel: Teaching Grammar in Today's Classroom—Introduction: Why Teach Grammar? in 42nd Annual Convention, New York City, NY.

Chong, C. (2012). A trip down memory lane of methodology. Lecture presented at British Council Teaching English Webinar, New York City, NY.

TESL-0110 Unit 2 Outline [Webpage]. (2018). Winnipeg: University of Manitoba.

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Agency in the classroom

I found the section in the Brown and Lee (2015) textbook about the role of agency inside and outside of the classroom to be interesting. Much of what I have learned in the TESL program has stressed the importance of agency and being an independent learner, which extends to learners’ work outside of the classroom. However, the section from the textbook also mentions what learners can do inside the classroom. From my perspective, it can be difficult to create learning activities that encourage agency in the classroom because class revolves around following a lesson plan so that teachers can meet the learning requirements of a curriculum and so that learners can achieve their goals. I think that agency requires giving learners opportunities to make choices about what and how they want to learn. This can come from assessments themselves and the feedback that learners provide. Other opportunities could include having forms of the same activity at different learning levels so that learners can decide if they want to challenge themselves.

Brown and Lee (2015) state that learner agency should create opportunities for learners to use language, develop their voice, and recognize personal relevance. Each of these features will be discussed below.

The authors write that agency should be the focus of planning, executing, reflecting, and evaluating. Instead, teachers have focused too often on input and output, drills and exercises, and learning correct forms. As such, the activities included in lesson plans need to go beyond teachers instructing learners how to use the new language and give learners opportunities to use their new language in authentic and real-life ways (Brown and Lee, 2015). This reminds me of task-based learning where learners are taught the vocabulary and skills required to do activities and are then given opportunities to practice using the language. Then they are equipped to do the tasks when they encounter them in real life.

Brown and Lee (2015) connect the concept of agency to the development of voice. Voice is defined as incorporating and expressing one’s own feelings, thoughts, and identity into the language that one uses. This means that a person’s thoughts and feelings can be heard by the individuals or groups that they are speaking to. They are also expressing their identity in a way where they declare who they are rather than being defined by someone else’s ideas of what is or is not important. The authors state that teachers can create opportunities for learners to express themselves, transfer their prior knowledge and skills, and to choose and present their own identities in their new language (Brown and Lee, 2015).

Brown and Lee (2015) argue that since agency involves utilizing language using opportunities, teachers should provide more language affordances (i.e. action possibilities) for learners rather than focusing on input. This connects the concept of agency since it would draw the attention of learners to use language and understand how the new language is personally relevant to their own needs, interests, and goals. Lantolf and Throne (2006) define agency as “the ability to assign relevance and significance to things and events” (in Brown and Lee, 2015, p. 102). As such, it is important that teachers consider the cultural and linguistic backgrounds, abilities, aspirations, and other elements of identity of their learners when they develop classroom materials and lesson plans (Brown and Lee, 2015).

Huang and Benson (2013) connect and the similarities and differences between the concepts of autonomy, agency, and identity in foreign and second language education. The authors state that autonomy is about the relationship between an individual and society in relation to language learning; however, definitions and descriptions of the concept vary amongst scholars. The terms capacity and control are presented to the reader to clarify the authors’ understanding of autonomy. The authors state that capacity is not a set of learning behaviours and that it “specifies what a person has the potential to do, rather than what they actually do” (p. 9). As such, it relates to the concept of autonomous learning, where learners require the capacity to control their own language learning using their own knowledge and study skills (Huang and Benson, 2013). This concept, as understood by the authors, is similar to the way that Brown and Lee (2015) describe the need for individuals to apply language skills to situations outside of the classroom. Huang and Benson (2013) compare the concept of capacity to control, which they define as “having the power to make choices and decisions and acting on them” (p. 9). Control involves learning management, cognitive processing, and learning content. The definitions are as follows: learning management is when a learner is able to control how they learn behaviourally, as well as when and where they learn; cognitive processing is when a learner is able to control how they learn cognitively through noticing input and metacognition; and learning content is when a learner can control what and how much they learn as a result of decision making. The authors note that the capacity to control the content and process of learning also indicates the capacity to make learning personally relevant. (Huang and Benson, 2013).

Huang and Benson (2013) write that various academic disciplines have created definitions of agency, making it difficult for researchers to agree on a specific definition. Overall, definitions establish a relationship between autonomy and agency and agree that people or agents have the capacity to make choices based on their own intentions and purposes. To explain the difference between agency and autonomy, the authors explain that “agency may carry a focus on self-conscious reflexive learning actions while autonomy is concerned with a sense of being in control of the learning process (p. 16). However, they note that even though people exercise agency by choosing to take actions for of a specific purpose, they cannot guarantee that their learning is autonomous since they may not be in control of the process (Huang and Benson, 2013).

After reading these articles, I have found that autonomy, agency, and identity are social concepts that go beyond individual actions, perspectives, and concepts of self. I have also realized the importance of providing learners with tools and opportunities that are consistent with their identities and promote agency and autonomous learning. I hope that I will be able to gain insight from my learners about what, how, and why they want to learn so that I can be an effective teacher.

References

Brown, H. D., & Lee, H. (2015). Agency in language learning. In Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (4th ed., pp. 88-106). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.

Huang, J., & Benson, P. (2013). Autonomy, agency and identity in Foreign and Second Language Education. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, 36(1), 7-28. doi:10.1515/cjal-2013-0002

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Having to explain automatic language processes to ELLs with a different L1

I found the activities included in the Bolitho and Tomlinson (2005) article about using grammar correctly to be interesting. Before reading the article, I thought I was familiar with most types of grammar and could use them correctly. I have had people comment on my writing ability and am sometimes told that I am more well-spoken and thoughtful than most people my age. However, I found myself very frustrated when I worked through the exercises and my attention was drawn to grammar aspects that I either had difficulty doing due to a lack of familiarity or were automatic processes where I could not explain why I knew something was right or wrong. This made me realize that I need to improve my grammar knowledge and to become aware of how and why I use parts of language so that I can teach learners how and why certain grammar practices are done English

In the chapter “Teaching Grammar and Vocabulary”, Brown and Lee (2015) discuss approaches to form-focused instruction. Forms are the structures that phrases and sentences take that transmit information in an effective and meaningful way. They can be taught both explicitly or implicitly in language learning activities and lessons. The authors state that most current language teaching methods teach form-focused instruction within a communicative framework. The instruction involving teaching forms differs from explicit and implicit techniques, noticing, and input enhancement. Explicit techniques are one way of teaching learners about grammatical forms, which can be presented deductively or inductively. Deductive explicit teaching involves the direct presentation of rules and concepts to learners who they then apply what they were taught to other learning activities and exercises. Inductive explicit teaching involves the presentation of examples where learners are taught how to identify characteristics and infer the reasons behind the structuring of grammatical forms. In comparison, implicit techniques do not involve the use of structural analysis or technical terms. Instead, learners use context to understand the meaning of sentences and utterances. One implicit technique is called the focus on form approach. It is similar to inductive explicit teaching, except it is done indirectly through communicative activities. Learners’ attention focuses on target forms and noticing grammatical features without being directed by their teacher (Brown and Lee, 2015).

I prefer to use explicit techniques when I am teaching learners how to use grammatical structures. I have not taught grammatical form in deductive way since my volunteer experience has been mostly with learners who are at a beginner level. I do not think it is helpful to teach learners at this level the names of different tenses since they have very little knowledge to build from and it is difficult to explain the reasons why certain forms are more appropriate than others. I prefer to use inductive teaching methods because it allows students to interact with information directly and to learn rules through observing what structures are being used and their effectiveness. I also like this method because learners are still taught about grammatical structure, so they know what they are looking for when they observe and model the sentences and utterances provided by the teacher. In contrast, implicit techniques seem to assume that learners will notice the same features that the teacher would present if they were teaching using explicit techniques. I think that learners benefit most from initial instruction because it builds skills and competence that can be applied individually, both inside and outside of the classroom.

References

Bolitho, R., & Tomlinson, B. (2005). Common areas of difficulty. In Discover English (pp. 7-18). Oxford, UK: Macmillan Limited.

Brown, H. D., & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching grammar and vocabulary. In Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (4th ed., pp. 462-486). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.

Martin, P. (2009). LA Phonics [Digital image]. Retrieved from http://languagearts.phillipmartin.info/la_phonics.gif

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