Learning Log
Week # 4
24 June 2013
Today, my friends present about
Teaching English Through Technology
Technology is an ever-increasing part of the English language arts classroom. Today's teachers are developing new and exciting means of integrating language, writing, and literature with innovative technologies.
The English Education Program at Western Michigan University is dedicated to preparing teachers to excel in technological settings. This site is designed to support the community of future and current teachers of English language arts associated with Western Michigan University.
We welcome your comments, suggestions, or questions and invite you to participate in the English Education community.
Using technology in the classroom
Using technology in the classroom amazing. It offers great visual aids as well as listening and reading inputs through powerpoint presentations, for instance. For small groups, I think using a laptop is a great resource. It offers you the possibility of playing audio and video files, showing images, recording voice for pronunciation practice and internet site contents to add relevance to the class. For larger groups, the interactive whiteboard is ideal. However, a great teacher should be able to teach a great class with and without any resources at all. I believe technology offers tools to teachers if it's well used and we must not forget that tools without great content and interaction do not offer good quality teaching. What do you think about it? What's your experence with technology in the classroom?
ปัจจุบัน เป็นที่ยอมรับแล้วว่า เทคโนโลยีสารสนเทศ (Information Technology หรือ IT) ได้เจริญก้าวหน้าไปอย่างรวดเร็ว และมีบทบาทสำคัญในด้านต่างๆ รวมทั้งความสำคัญต่อการเรียนของนักเรียน นักศึกษารวมทั้งบุคคลากรหลายๆด้านเนื่องจากปัจจุบันมีการพัฒนาเทคโนโลยีให้เจริญก้าวหน้าอย่างมากซึ่งก็ถื่อว่าเป็นเรื่องที่ดีมากเพราะเทคโนโลยีมีส่วนช่วยให้นักเรียนเรียนรู้ได้ดี เทคโนโลยีให้ความสะดวกสบาย และรวดเร็วทันใจ สามารถค้นห้ข้อมูล และทรัพยากรณ์ต่างๆที่ต้องการได้
Teaching Pronunciation
Pronunciation involves far more than individual sounds. Word stress, sentence stress, intonation, and word linking all influence the sound of spoken English, not to mention the way we often slur words and phrases together in casual speech. 'What are you going to do?' becomes 'Whaddaya gonna do?' English pronunciation involves too many complexities for learners to strive for a complete elimination of accent, but improving pronunciation will boost self esteem, facilitate communication, and possibly lead to a better job or a least more respect in the workplace. Effective communication is of greatest importance, so choose first to work on problems that significantly hinder communication and let the rest go. Remember that your students also need to learn strategies for dealing with misunderstandings, since native pronunciation is for most an unrealistic goal.
3 Keys To A Successful Pronunciation Lesson
1 Imitation
The first step in any successful pronunciation
lesson is to give your students the opportunity to imitate. Most often,
you will be the model that your students will copy, but you can also use other sources.
Use a recording from television, radio or the internet for
variety. And you can always bring in a guest speaker to expose your
students to a different style of speech. This can be especially helpful as
English teachers tend to over pronounce rather than giving authentic samples of
native speaker pronunciation. Someone not used to speaking with second language
learners may be able to expose them to more realistic pronunciation.
When giving a model for your students, you should focus
on one pronunciation issue at a time, and choose that based on the frequency of
errors you see in your students. Trying to address too many problems
concurrently will frustrate and discourage your students. By focusing on one
pronunciation issue, you will see more pronounced improvement in your students
in a shorter period of time.
2 Explanation
After having your students imitate either you or
your pronunciation source, you should explain to them the biological process of
making that sound. This doesn’t have to be as intimidating as it may seem. The
first step is to give everyone the same foundation. Reviewing the parts of
the mouth can help your students clearly understand how to make
appropriate English sounds. Print off and give your students a diagram of the
mouth. Review the obvious terms for lips, teeth and tongue. Then point out the
alveolar ridge (the curved part between your teeth and your palate), the hard
palate (the front most part of the palate) and the soft palate (the soft area
on the roof of your mouth). This way, when you are trying to explain the
difference between /th/ and /s/, you can simply tell your students that /th/ is
pronounced with the tongue between the teeth and /s/ is pronounced with the
tongue behind the teeth; /d/ is pronounced with the tip of the tongue against
the alveolar ridge. This biological explanation of sound production will be
especially helpful when teaching adults as they often like a
clear and straightforward description when it comes to pronunciation.
It may seem strange at first, but eventually you will think nothing of pointing
out areas in your mouth where certain sounds should be made.
3 Practice
After imitating the sound and learning the correct
biology for producing it, now is the time to practice the use of that
sound or sound pattern. You can use minimal pairs (pairs
of words which differ in only one sound like mop and pop or pop and pep) to highlight
one sound or phoneme that you are teaching. If you want to add a little fun to
pronunciation class, try tongue twisters.
There is no end to the tongue twisters you can find or write, and not even native speakers are
good at them, so the pressure is off your students to perform flawlessly. For a
real challenge try reading Dr. Seuss’ Fox in Socks. You can alsoteach the
natural rhythm of English through songs and poetry. Try reading a limerick with
your class, or have them write their own.
Teaching Vocabulary
Because vocabulary knowledge is critical to reading
comprehension, it is important that those working with young readers help
foster their development of a large “word bank” and effective vocabulary
learning strategies. There are several effective explicit (intentional, planned
instruction) and implicit (spontaneous instruction as a child comes to new
words in a text) strategies that adults can employ with readers of any age.
Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
Pre-teaching Vocabulary Words
One of the most effective methods of helping children learn new
vocabulary words is to teach unfamiliar words used in a text prior to the
reading experience. Adults (either alone or with the child(ren)) should preview
reading materials to determine which words are unfamiliar. Then these words
should be defined and discussed. It is important for the adult to not only tell
the child(ren) what the word means, but also to discuss its meaning. This
allows the child(ren) to develop an understanding of the word’s connotations as
well as its denotation. Also, discussion provides the adult with feedback about
how well the child(ren) understands the word. After pre-teaching vocabulary
words, the child(ren) should read the text.
Repeated Exposure to Words
It may seem common sense that the more times we are exposed to a
word, the stronger our understanding becomes. However, repeated exposure to new
vocabulary words is often ignored. Adults often forget a person (especially a
child) needs to hear and use a word several times before it truly becomes a
part of her vocabulary. Providing multiple opportunities to use a new word in
its written and spoken form helps children solidify their understanding of it.
Keyword Method
Like pre-teaching, the keyword method occurs before a child
reads a particular text. In this method, unfamiliar words are introduced prior
to reading. However, rather than encouraging the child to remember a definition
for a new word, the adult teaches him a “word clue” to help him understand it.
This “word clue” or keyword might be a part of the definition, an illustrative
example or an image that the reader connects to the word to make it easier to
remember the meaning when reading it in context. The idea behind the keyword
method is to create an easy cognitive link to the word’s meaning that the
reader can access efficiently during a reading experience.
Word Maps
The word map is an excellent method for scaffolding a child’s
vocabulary learning. Like the other explicit instructional methods, the adult
(either alone or with the child(ren)) should preview reading materials to
determine which words are unfamiliar. For each of these new vocabulary words
the child (with the support of the adult) creates a graphic organizer for the
word. At the top or center of the organizer is the vocabulary word. Branching
off of the word are three categories: classification (what class or group does
the word belong to), qualities (what is the word like) and examples. Using
prior knowledge the child fills in each of these three categories. Word maps
help readers develop complete understandings of words. This strategy is best
used with children in grades 3-12.
Root Analysis
While root analysis is taught explicitly, the ultimate goal is
for readers to use this strategy independently. Many of the words in the
English language are derived from Latin or Greek roots. They either contain a
“core” root (the primary component of the word) or use prefixes or suffixes
that hold meaning. Adults should focus on teaching children the most commonly
occurring roots, prefixes and suffixes. As each is taught examples of its use
in common word should be shared and examined. The reader should see how the
root helps her understand the word’s definition. Children should then be given
practice analyzing words to determine their roots and definitions. When a
reader is able to break down unfamiliar words into their prefixes, suffixes and
roots they can begin to determine their meanings.
Restructuring Reading Materials
This strategy is particularly effective for helping struggling
readers improve their vocabularies. Sometimes grade level materials are
inaccessible to readers because there are too many unfamiliar words in them.
Adults can restructure the materials in several different ways to help readers
comprehend them more easily. A portion of the difficult words can be replaced
with “easier” synonyms to help the reader understand the overall text. Vocabulary
footnotes (definitions provided at the bottom of the page) can be added for
particularly challenging words so that the reader can easily “look up” the word
while still reading the text. An accompanying vocabulary guide can be provided
for the text. Words that are included in the guide should be highlighted or
printed in bold text to direct the reader to check the vocabulary guide if the
word or its meaning is unfamiliar.
Implicit Vocabulary Instruction
Incidental Learning
Incidental vocabulary learning occurs all of the time when we
read. Based on the way a word is used in a text we are able to determine its
meaning. While you may not know what a specific word means, many times you can
determine its meaning based on what the rest of the sentence focuses on.
Adults should model this sort of incidental vocabulary learning for children to
help them develop their own skills.
Context Skills
Context skills are the strategies that a reader uses for
incidental vocabulary learning. Texts are full of “clues” about the meanings of
words. Other words in a sentence or paragraph, captions, illustrations and
titles provide readers with information about the text that they can use to
determine the meanings of unfamiliar words. These features are often referred
to as “context clues” because they are contained within the context of the
piece of writing rather than outside it. Young readers should be taught to find
and use context clues for learning new vocabulary words. Adult modeling and
practice are key for helping children develop this important reading skill.
Teaching Culture
Of all the changes that have affected language teaching theory and method in recent years, the greatest may be the transformation in the role of culture. This change reflects a broader transformation in the way that culture itself is understood.
Traditionally, culture was understood in terms of formal or "high" culture (literature, art, music, and philosophy) and popular or "low" culture. From this perspective, one main reason for studying a language is to be able to understand and appreciate the high culture of the people who speak that language. The pop culture is regarded as inferior and not worthy of study.
If you are looking for a way to bring up the subject of culture, try one of the following.
How to Teach Culture In Your Classroom
1
Food
Everyone eats, but not everyone eats the same things, and the differences in diet from one culture to the next can be very dramatic. You can let your students share their culture through food by inviting them to talk about or share dishes typical in their countries. To do this, have a cultural food fair or ask your students to prepare a national dish in a class presentation. If everyone in class gets a little taste, even better, just keep in mind food allergies that your students may have.
2
Holidays
What better time to talk about traditional foods than during the holidays. Any holiday that pops up on the calendar is an excuse to celebrate any and all holidays from January to December. Ask each of your students to talk about a traditional holiday from their native culture. They can give information about the holiday itself as well as national and family traditions. The students in your class will enjoy sharing some of their traditions as well as hearing about those of their classmates.
3
Clothing
Often another element of holidays or special occasions is traditional dress. It is not unusual for ESL students to bring some pieces of formal or traditional dress when they travel overseas to study. If you are teaching immigrants, your students also have a good chance of having these clothing items at home. You can invite your students to wear traditional clothing on a certain day or bring picture of themselves or others in traditional dress. Encourage each person to explain the significance of the different pieces, if any, and give an opportunity for everyone in class to ask questions.
4
Time
While you are talking about holidays in your class, have another conversation about what people do in their free time. Generally, a person’s schedule will be reflective of his or her values. Looking at the typical distribution of time can give an insight into what is important in a given culture. Of the 168 hours in the week, how many do most people spend working? Studying? Going out with friends or spending quality time with family? The answers to these questions and the differences from one culture to another will help your students understand and appreciate what their classmates value.
5
Music
While you are at it, does anyone in your class play a traditional instrument? That may not be all that common, but most students could probably play some popular music from their country for the class. Bring in an iPod dock and play a little rock and roll, then invite your students to share some of their music. Again, encourage open conversation and question among your students. Be sure to remind your class that national preferences vary as do personal preferences, and remind them to be sensitive to what their classmates share.
6
Money
Why not bring culture into the classroom with a little show and tell? Set a day, perhaps at some point during a unit about business, to invite your students to bring in a sample of money from their native countries (which you should make note that they brought and make sure they bring home). Either collect all the money in one place or pass it around and let your students look at the coins and bills. Have them take note about who or what is pictured on the money, and give your students a chance to talk about these people and things. By sharing stories about what is important enough to put on the country’s currency, your students will gain another level of cultural understanding from their classmates.
7
Traditional Stories
Traditional stories such as folk tales or tall tales are another way to bring culture and history into the classroom. You can have your students read English translations of traditional tales or have your students tell the stories to their classmates. By noticing who plays prominent roles in the stories and how they handle conflict, you and your students will see some more of what motivates and challenges a national group.
8
Religion
Though religion is not necessarily a national value, allowing your students to share their religious beliefs and those that most members of their culture hold will also provide valuable opportunities for your students to understand one another. With a spirit of open-mindedness and acceptance, ask your students to share some religious practices or beliefs and allow the rest of the class to discuss the issues that may arise from the discussion. If everyone in your class can be tolerant of their classmates beliefs, there is the potential for a very powerful and informative discussion on the topic of religion, simply proceed with caution.
9
History
Often key events in a country’s past will either establish or define that culture’s values. You can give your students an opportunity to discuss significant events in their country’s history, and if you do asking, them to explain how those events influence their people today will give you an insight into culture. If you have done other activities on culture, you may have already touched on these events when talking about holidays or money, but looking at things from a historical perspective can add another layer of understanding for your students.
10
Family
Not only does a country hold particular values, but families also hold certain values that they pass on to their children. Allowing your students to share about their families can open the door to talking about the values that their families hold. Talking about these family values will also often lead to a discussion about the values of a people group. When opportunities arise for your students to talk about their families, encourage it and perhaps your students will learn a little more about one another.
Culture permeates every aspect of our beings. These topics are just a few that you can use to intentionally bring a discussion of culture into the classroom. As a general rule, take advantage of any opportunities to talk about culture with an open mind.
You will be a better teacher for it, and your students will be better leaders of their nations.
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