Teaching and Assessing Listening - Week 13 - Using Artistic Materials in Listening

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 13 of the course Teaching and Assessing Listening for the master's in English teaching at ULACIT term IIICO 2022. In today's class we discuss the use of song and other artistic materials in listening activities for language classes. We will participate in several demonstration activities as well as look at two frameworks for exploiting listening texts for additional purposes: the Text-Based Approach and the Ideas Grid.

Today's Goals:

• Participate in a demo PWP lesson with a song and a TDA lesson using a poem.
• Use McGrath's Ideas Grid to brainstorm possible language tasks to do in reaction to a text.
• Reflect on your highlights and takeaways from the course. 

Guiding Questions: 

• How can I effectively use songs and other artistic texts in listening lessons?
• How can the Ideas Grid and Text-Driven Approach help me exploit listening texts?
• What are my takeaways from this course?

Topic 1: Guided Course Reflection

This is it! The final class of the term. Next week you will present your listening lesson plans and explain your designs. Let's take a few minutes to participate in this guided writing task to reflect on our experiences this term. 

• Peter: CLICK HERE
• Ignacio: CLICK HERE
• Francisco: CLICK HERE
• Stephanie: CLICK HERE
• Arianna: CLICK HERE
• Gabriela: CLICK HERE

Topic 2: Using Songs and other Artistic Media in Listening

In today's class we are going to look at the use of songs and other artforms in listening lessons. Discuss these questions with your partners. 

• How often do you use songs in your language classes? 
• How do you use them and for what purposes?
• Do you have any favorite songs that you think are particularly good for and English class?
• What are the opportunities and challenges of using songs in class?

Topic 3: Demo Lesson - Song Analysis

Let's participate in a brief demo sequence using a song you've probably never heard, the 1967 song "Branded Man" by Merle Haggard and the Strangers. This is a country song that I have used as part of an intermediate adults lesson on the topic of crime, punishment, and justic. 

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE

• Group Discussion: 
• What are alternatives to fill-in-the-blank While listening tasks?
• Songs are not just valuable in terms of the grammar content!
• How can we use songs to stimulate students' language use?
• How can we have our students react to the song's meaning, style, artistic content?
• Some teachers incorporate songs that their students like. What are some of the challenges and oppotunities associated with that approach?

Topic 4: Text Exploitation Frameworks

There are a number of frameworks that have been proposed to help teachers make use of texts (spoken and written) in their classes. We are going to look at two, Tomlinson's Text-Driven Approach and McGrath's Ideas Grid.

Brian Tomlinson's Text-Driven Approach provides a radically different method of materials design. It uses texts as the primary building block of the syllabus. Although a full implementation of this approach is unfeasable to most of us because of curricular constraints in our schools, his framework can give us great ideas for developing a learning sequence around a single text.

The charts below outline the steps in his framework, but before reading them, consider the unwritten Stage Zero!

• Stage 0 - Select interesting texts! Without the "wow" factor, there is no potential for engagement.

• Stage 1 - Readiness Activities - Pre-listening/reading activities designed to establish a connection between the learner's own lives and the text.

• Stage 2 - Experiential Activities - Help the learner to make concrete connections with the text and are given to the learners before they listen or read the text.

• Stage 3 - Intake Response Activities - Focus on getting learners to reflect on what the text means to them.

• Stage 4 - Development Activities - Encourage learners to use the text as a stimulus for a productive language task related to their own lives.

• Stage 5 - Input Response Activities - Are of two kinds, awareness and interpretation, and are intended to involve learners with the language of the text or the author's purpose on a deeper level.

• Stage 6 - Development Activity Extension - Cyclical Approach

Task 1: TDA Demo - Nasty School
You will participate in a demo lesson following the Text-Driven Approach. Follow the teacher's instructions and enjoy the activity sequence as a student. Later you will analyze what happened in the sequence from a materials design perspective.

• Introduction: You are going to hear a poem about children behaving badly in school. Before you listen to the poem, discuss these questions with your partners:
• What are some rules that kids typically have to follow in school?
• What are some ways that kids misbehaved when you were a student?

• Listen and Read: You are going to hear the first part of the poem called “Nasty School” by Shel Silverstein, a poet who was very popular with children when I was young. As you listen, imagine you are a 3rd grader in this elementary school. Try to visualize the answers to these questions. (CLICK HERE to access the poem)

• What are you wearing?
• What and who do you see around you?
• What are you thinking and feeling?

• Share some of the images that came to your mind. 
• Did you ever do any of the behaviors mentioned in the poem?
• Now you are going to listen the second part of the poem where you will hear about what students learn at Nasty School. As you listen, imagine you are a naughty child in Nasty School. Visualize yourself doing these naughty things.

• Discussion: Discuss the following questions with your partners:What do you think of the poem?
• What is an image that stays in your mind related to the poem?
• Why do you think this poet was popular with children?
• Do you agree that it is sometimes fun to break the rules?
• Some people think that one of the primary functions of school is to teach children to control their impulses and learn how to be obedient. Do you agree with this perspective?
• What role should school shave in the formation of values and good behavior in society?

• Writing: Now you are going to write your own poem about one of the following imaginary schools. Choose your school and write a brief poem discussing what happens in this school, how students behave, and what they learn to do. CLICK HERE and go to your section of the document.

• Pleasant School: A utopian school where children learn to be model citizens
• Tico School: An academy where foreigners learn to think and behave like Costa Ricans
• School of Life: A school where children learn essential non-academic life skills that will prepare them for the real world

• Speaking: Re-read the first part of the poem with your partners and then read the roles information below to participate in an improvised roleplay with your group members.

• Student A: You are Johnny, a very misbehaved 3rd grader. You have been very disruptive in class for several months. You are a good kid but being naught is just so fun. Now it is time for the semester parent-teacher conference. You know that your teacher is going to tell your parents about all of the bad things you have been doing. Try to minimize your behavior to avoid punishment from your parents.
• Student B: You are Johnny’s mother or father. You know your son can be a little hyperactive but you think he is a good kid. Now it is time for the semester parent-teacher conference. Ask the teacher questions to find out how Johnny has been behaving.
• Student C: You are Johnny’s teacher. His terrible behavior has made your job a nightmare for the last six months. Now it is time for the parent-teacher conference. You want to explain to Johnny’s mom or dad all of the bad things that he has done and get their support to help him change his behavior.

• Language Focus: Now let's take a moment to look at the poem again. What do you notice about the verbs after the word "how"?
• Finish this sentence about you: "In school I learned how to ..."

• Let's Try: Let's go back to the school poems document and complete the final task as a group.
• Group Document: CLICK HERE

Task 2: Reacting to the Text-Driven Approach

• Now that you have learned about the structure of the Text-Driven Approach, discuss the following questions with your partners. CLICK HERE to view the lesson plan.
• How did the text influence the activities that occured at each stage in the lesson?
• What language skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing) were addressed in the lesson sequence?
• Tomlinson says that texts and tasks used in class should be cognitively (intellectually) and affectively (emotionally) engaging for students in order to provide the ideal conditions for langauge development. Where you cognitvely or affectively engaged by the text or any of the tasks? If so, how?
• TDA depends on finding or creating texts with a high degree of potential engagement, what are some kinds of texts that your learners would find engaging? Why?

Ideas Grid: McGrath suggests a simple template to guide the text exploitation process. Consider the short text below and all of the ideas he proposed to exploit it for use in the language classroom.

Now it's your turn. CLICK HERE to access a sample text and a copy of McGrath's ideas grid. What possibilities does this text offer us?

References: 

Rost, M. (2017). Teaching and Researching Listening (3rd ed.). Routledge.

  Culture & SLA - Week 13 - Multicompetence and Learner Identity

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 13 of the course Culture and Second Language Acquisition for the master's in English teaching at ULACIT term IIIC0 2022.  In this class we will explore the topic of multicompetence as a model to explain the unique abilities of the L2 learner and discuss its implications on our role in L2 learner identity formation. We'll also take time for a final review and reflection on the topics seen in this course.

Today's Goals:

• Explore the features of Multicompetence as a model for healthy L2 learner identity formation.
• Discuss the roles we have as teachers in shaping our students' identities as L2 and C2 learners.
• Look back and topics, assignments, and activities covered in this course and express ways in which our beliefs and understandings of culture have changed, deepened, or remained the same.

Guiding Questions:

• What are the implications of the concept of multicompetence in my views about ELT?
• What role do I play in shaping my students' identities as L2 and C2 learners?
• What are my takeaways from this course?

Warm Up: Holiday BS Game

Holidays are full of symbols and practices that represent a window into exploring the perspectives of a culture. However, the historical origin of many holiday traditions are not known even to people within the culture. In this game we will explore the origin of several symbols and practices associated with Christmas. 

• Can you guess which one is correct and which ones sound like BS?

• Topic 1: Origin of the Cristmas Tree
• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE
• Student C: CLICK HERE

• Topic 2: Origin of Santa Clause
• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE
• Student C: CLICK HERE

• Topic 3: Origin of Santa's Elves
• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE
• Student C: CLICK HERE

• Topic 4: Origin of Mistletoe
• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE
• Student C: CLICK HERE

• Topic 5: Origin of the Christmas Stocking
• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE
• Student C: CLICK HERE

Theory Break: Cultural Persons - Our Identity(ies) as Cultural Beings

• "Culture resides in persons, in individuals. Each member of a culture, like a miniscule twist in a kaleidoscope, refracts and reflects the common colored lights of their culture in a unique display, recognizably similar yet unquestionably different (Moran, p. 98).”

• “Like other aspects of culture, identity is both explicit and tacit. There are aspects of ourselves that we can describe or put into words and there are others that we cannot express, or that are simply outside of our awareness. Not until we find ourselves in situations where our sense of self – our values, beliefs, practices – is called into question do we perceive the tacit dimensions of our identity (Moran, p. 99).”

• “Identities become even more complex when persons of one culture and language enter other cultures and learn other languages. The degree to which they do or do not integrate these new ways of thinking, acting, and interacting affect their cultural identity. For those of us who are nonnative teachers, these dimensions of our identity emerge in our language classrooms (Moran, p. 103).”

• “When students whose first language is not English first encounter the learning of English as an additional language, they cannot really avoid the issue of learner identity (be it imposed, assumed, and/or negotiated) because they must participate in a community different than what they are used to (Farrell, p. 33).”

Task 1: Deficit or Additive Model?

Language learners are often unfairly judged in terms of what they do "incorrectly" and they are seen to have a "deficit" compared to some ideal standard. Although Bert is talking about accent change among native speakers of English, how can his views of language learning being an "additive" process relate to the concept of Multicompetence?

Task 2: Introduction to Multicompetence 

Vivian Cook's (1999) model of Multicompetence provides us with an alternative way of viewing the nature of the language learning process, the goals it should have, ELT curriculum and the implications this has in the way language should be taught and our role as teachers. This topic has connections to the topic of learner identity and there are parallels between the ideas of Multicompetence and the outcomes of culture learning.

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Task 3: Exploring Multicompetence and Appropriate Models for L2 Learners to Follow

For our final topic of this course we will explore possible problems with holding the native English speaker as the ideal model for learners to follow and instead look at the possible benefits of the Multicompetent English L2 User as an alternative. Click the link below and discuss the questions with your partners.

• Discussion Prompts: CLICK HERE

Theory Break: Implications of Multicompetence

• "Being a native speaker is ... an unalterable historic fact; you cannot change your native language any more than you can change who brought you up (Cook, 1999)."

• "L2 students cannot be turned into native speakers without altering the core meaning of native speaker in English. A view such as 'adults usually fail to become native speakers' is like saying that ducks usually fail to become swans: adults could never become natives speakers without being reborn (Cook, 1999)."

• Most L2 users differ from L1 monolinguals in the way they know and use the L1 and the L2, but...should such differences be seen as deficits from the native speaker standard (Cook, 1999)?"

• "L2 users have to be looked at in their own right as genuine L2 users, not as imitiation native speakers (Cook, 1999)."

• Implications for teaching: 

• Classroom teaching should be related to L2 user goals.
• Incorporate successful L2 users in course materials and encourage learners to identify Multicompetent L2 users as language role models. 
• Native English speaking teachers are not the best teachers by virtue of their L1.
• Acknowledge students L1 in class activities. 
• View students' L1 knowledge as a meaning making resource.
• Encourage codeswitching

• Taking a multicompetent view of L2 learners can, "begin to acknowledge that L2 users have strengths and rights of their own by giving the students role models of L2 users in action and by requiring the use of both languages by one person: in short, convincing students that they are successful multicompetent speakers, not failed native speakers (Cook, 1999)."

Task 4: Reading Reaction - Outsider Analysis of Costa Rican Culture

Click the group link below and follow the instructions in the document.

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Task 5: Final Course Reflection

Over the last 13 weeks we have covered a lot of content related to the nature of culture, culture's relationship with the nature of culture, how culture is learned, how to teach culture, and other topics in SLA that have connections to culture. Click the group link below and complete the reflection.

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

References:

Cook, V. (1999). Going Beyond the Native Speaker in Language Teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 33(2), pp. 185-209.

Moran, P. (2001). Teaching Culture: Perspectives in Practice. Heinle Cengage Learning.

    TOEIC Preparation: Week 12 - Part 4 - Talks

Warm Up: The Ulitmate Alphabet Game

Click the group worksheet link below. You will work with your partners to examine the images and find as many words as you can that begin with a particular letter. Use the time you have to write all the words you can find in the pictures to complete your two lists. You will get one point for each UNIQUE word on your list. If a word is repeated on the lists of multiple groups, it does not count.

• Group Worksheet: CLICK HERE 

Picture 1: Find Words that Begin with the Letter P!

Click to see full size image

Picture 2: Find Words that Begin with the Letter S!

Click to see full size image

Task 1: Common Talk Types

Part 4 will contain different kinds of talks given by a single speaker complete the following exercises with your partners to become familiar with some of the most common types of talks. If you do not have access to your anthology, CLICK HERE. 

• Anthology Section 4 pg 43: Match they type with a description and sample phrases.
• Anthology Section pg 44. Quickly skim the transcripts of the four talks and identify what kind it is. Underline key words and phrases from the transcript that let you know.

Task 2: Group Mini-Test

Take this mini test to preview common talk and question types for Part 4. 

• Group Quiz: CLICK HERE

Task 3: Practice with Paraphrasing

In this task you will work with your partners to practice paraphrasing. You teacher put you  in a group. Click on your corresponding link below and complete Task 1. DO NOT click on the Task 2 tab until your teacher tells you to.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE

Task 4: Focused Practice

Let's work in groups to practice two of the more challenging question types in Part 4: Questions about speaker intent and questions about graphics.

• Group Quiz: CLICK HERE

Task 5: Auditory Memory Practice

In this task you will read a text to your partner and he or she will answer some comprehension questions. Listen carefully to see how many details you can identify and retain in your short-term memory. If you don't remember the answer to some of the questions, you can ask your partner to read it again.

• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE

  Professional Practice I - Week 12 - Reporting the Results

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 12 of the Professional Practice I of the BA in English Teaching at ULACIT term IIIC 2022. In today's class we will review your intervention project proposal, discuss tips for writing your final research report, and participate in a Teacher Development workshop about the topic of meaning-focused activities in grammar instruction. 

Today's Goals:

• Share your intervention project proposal and get feedback from your peers and teacher.
• Consider tips for reporting your findings in your final research report.
• Create a meaning focused grammar practice activity.

Guiding Questions:

• How do I entend to intervene in my teaching context to make a positive impact?
• How can I represent the findings of my case study project effectively?
• What alternatives exist to traditional grammar practice exercises?

Warm Up: Money on My Mind

It's the Christmas season and everyone is thinking about money. In this warm up you will discuss some questions about money and learn some money related expressions.

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Topic 1: Weekly Check-In

It's week twelve! By now you have finished your site visits and data collection. Let's take a moment to reflect on your progress this week.

• There are two weeks left before submission of the final project is due.
• What did you do this week regarding your project?
• Tell us about your data analysis and conclusions.
• What are you still missing?

• Have you gotten the necessary documentation from the institution?
• Signed and stamped bitácora
• Supervisor evaluation

• What are you concerned about? What questions do you have about what is remaining?

Topic 2: Concept Review - Doing Teacher Research

Last week we talked about alternative views on the topic of teacher research and discussed different dimensions to consider when designing the proposal for the intervention project you want to carry out next term.

• Teacher Research: CLICK HERE
• Research Dimensions: CLICK HERE
• Action Research: CLICK HERE
• Intervention Project Proposal Template: CLICK HERE

Topic 3: Sharing your Intervention Project Proposal

The final part of your research project must contain a proposal for the intervention project you intend to carry out next term to make a positive impact on the learning process in the context where you completed your case study. For homework this week you were asked to prepare a proposal using the templated provided. Let's share and discuss.

• Remind Us: 
• What was your original research topic and question?
• What did you discover with regard to your question?
• What aspects of the situation do you think can be addressed through teacher intervention?

• Tell Us:
• Read us your proposal.
• What was hard about this assignment?
• Are you concerned about any aspects of the proposal?

• Ask Us: 
• What specific sections would you like feedback on?

Topic 4: Reporting the Results

The final stage in the research process is reporting the results. Let's see what the experts say about writing your research report and sharing your findings. Click the group link below.

• Group Link: CLICK HERE
• Qualitative Research Report Checklist: CLICK HERE

• Template Data Analysis and Conclusions: CLICK HERE

• Ericka: CLICK HERE
• Natalia: CLICK HERE
• Selenea: CLICK HERE

Teacher Development Workshop

Alternatives to Traditional Grammar Practice

Task 5: Initial Discussion

• What comees to mind when you hear the word grammar?
• What are some strategies to teach new grammar structures?
• What are some typical grammar practice exercises types? What do you think about them? 

Task 6: Create Your Own!

Now it's time to put into practice what you have learned. Choose one of the activity types that you would like to try out. Work with your partners to create your own example.

• Structured-Input Activities: CLICK HERE
• Discourse Frames Activities: CLICK HERE