Academic Discussion Group Meeting - Initial Processing

Initial Processing

Introduction: To begin your exploration of the assigned article, let's work in small groups to complete the following tasks. Each task has a suggested time limit so it would be helpful if one member of your group acts as the time keeper to make sure you proceed through all of the tasks as planned.

Task 1: First Reactions (2 minutes)

• How did you feel about the article?
• Did you like it? Dislike it? Why?
• What did you think about the length and the complexity of the language?
• What did you think about the topic of the article in general?

Task 2: My Highlights (8 minutes)

• Take a moment to review your notes and responses in the reflection you did.
• What specific ideas from the article did you find interesting?
• Were there any ideas that you had already heard before?
• What new ideas were you introduced to and what do you think about them?
• If you have time, share one of the quotes you selected and say why you chose it.

Task 3: Reacting to Quotes (10 minutes)

• Below you will find a series of quotes from different sections of the article. Choose three of the quotes and discuss the following questions about them.

• What do I understand this quote to mean? Paraphrase the concept in your own words.
• What is my personal reaction to this idea?
• What relevance or potential impact does this idea have on my classroom practice?

1) The opportunities for learning language are called strands because they can be seen as long continuous sets of learning conditions that run through the whole language course. Every activity in a language course fits into one of these strands (p. 2).

2) In most language courses not enough attention is given to fluency development, possibly because it does not involve the learning of new language items and thus is not seen as moving the learners forward in their knowledge of the language (p. 10). 

3) If the activity involves unknown vocabulary, it is not a fluency activity. If the focus is on language features, it is not a fluency activity. If there is no push to go faster or more smoothly, it is not a fluency activity. The fluency strand should make up about one-quarter of the course time. It is time out from learning new items and is a time for getting good at using what is already known (p. 9).

4) A common-sense justification of the four strands is the time-on-task principle. How can you learn to do something if you don’t do that during learning? How can you learn to read if you don’t do reading? The time-on-task principle simply says that the more time you spend doing something, the better you are likely to be at doing it (p 2). 

5) A basic assumption that lies behind the book is that it is not wise for a teacher or course designer to ally themselves with a particular method of language teaching. It is much more productive to become aware of the important principles of teaching and learning and to apply these in ways that suit the learners, the teaching conditions and the skills of the teacher (p. 13).

Task 4: Top 4 Ideas or Concepts (10 minutes)

• Look back at your notes, your responses in the reflection, and skim through the headings in the article. Make a list of the 3 or 4 most important concepts or ideas. Summarize each concept with a phrase or short sentence. You will share this list with the other teachers back in the main room.

Bibliography

Nation, I.S.P., & Newton, J. (2009) Teaching ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking. New York: 

     Routledge.