Contents
Content Type: 1
Title: ESLnotes: Movie Resources
Body:
ESL notes is a fantastic resource if you show movies to your English language learners. Raymond Weschler’s site includes a thoughtful list of movies, supported by plot summaries, lists of major characters, glossaries of vocabulary and cultural references, and class discussion questions.
Explore the site at http://www.eslnotes.com/
Source: ESLnotes
Inputdate: 2015-09-05 16:17:46
Lastmodifieddate: 2015-09-07 03:27:02
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2015-09-07 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2015-09-07 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Suggestions for Refocusing Young Learners
Body:
A Ñandutí listserv user recently asked for ideas for refocusing 2nd graders who go straight from PE class to Spanish class. Read suggestions from other listserv subscribers here: http://caltalk.cal.org/read/messages?id=59557#59557
Source: Ñandutí
Inputdate: 2015-09-05 16:18:20
Lastmodifieddate: 2015-09-07 03:27:02
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2015-09-07 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2015-09-07 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Outreach Programs of the UW-Madison Language Institute
Body:
The UW-Madison Language Institute is proud to announce outreach programs for 2015-16 that may be of interest to you.
The Experience Languages! program brings middle and high school groups to the UW-Madison campus to observe university language classes, take part in demonstration language lessons taught by UW-Madison instructors, and meet with college students and representatives of language and related programs. In addition, campus tours may be arranged. In 2015-16, we seek participation of school groups interested in experiencing languages *other* than Spanish while on the UW-Madison campus. To indicate interest in this program, please follow this link to fill out a form:
https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_djtSCFXxo6kAMnj
The High School Tutoring in Less Commonly Taught Languages Program connects high school students studying less commonly taught languages with UW-Madison students who are native speakers or at advanced levels of proficiency for weekly conversation practice via videoconferencing technology. In 2014-15, the Language Institute successfully partnered with two schools to provide support for instruction in Arabic and Japanese. To find out more, contact Wendy Johnson (wsjohnso@wisc.edu).
We also want to remind you of our online resource for language study at UW-Madison: languages.wisc.edu. This website contains information about the 40+ languages offered at UW-Madison, related programs such as study abroad and residential experiences, alumni profiles that might be useful for your advocacy efforts, and a page listing UW-Madison outreach programs with a language or international focus and federal programs that support study and teaching of less commonly taught languages: http://languages.wisc.edu/outreach
Finally, please note that World Languages Day will again not be offered this year.
Best wishes to all for a great start to a new academic year!
Wendy Johnson
**************
Wendy S. Johnson
Assistant Director, Language Institute
Program Coordinator, Second Language Acquisition
1322 Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706
ph: (608) 262-4077
www.languageinstitute.wisc.edu
sla.wisc.edu
Source: UW-Madison Language Institute
Inputdate: 2015-09-05 16:19:41
Lastmodifieddate: 2015-09-07 03:27:02
Expdate: 2016-12-31 00:00:00
Publishdate: 2015-09-07 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2015-09-07 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Genius Hour in the World Language Classroom
Body:
The 20% concept started with the company 3M as the “15% project.” The idea is to let employees spend 15% (in modern implementations 20%) of their time working on projects of their choice - resulting in innovative, passion-inspired work. Google has most famously adapted this concept. Many who have adopted the policy now call it “Genius Hour” - one hour a week in which employees can work on the project of their choice.
Can this work in education? Many educators have been inspired to try it, including world language teachers. Here are some resources to consult if you’re interested in trying it in your classroom:
First, some background on the Genius Hour concept: http://www.20timeineducation.com/, http://www.geniushour.com/what-is-genius-hour/, and http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=829279
Next, a collection of blog posts from the PBL in the TL blog. How to set it up: http://www.pblinthetl.com/2014/01/genius-hour-agenda-part-1-setup-and.html; what it feels like to actually do: http://www.pblinthetl.com/p/blog-page.html; and a collection of driving questions: http://www.pblinthetl.com/2013/12/genius-hour-driving-questions-for-world.html. There are many more posts about Genius Hour; you can begin to view them here: http://www.pblinthetl.com/search/label/Genius%20Hour
The applicability of Genius Hour to language classrooms is being discussed by many excellent teachers, many of whom are concerned with the loss of time spent getting exposure to target language input, especially at the novice level when students require a lot of scaffolding from the teacher that they are unlikely to find in independent projects. See one such critique here: http://musicuentos.com/2014/01/novicegh/
We at CASLS believe that a key to student engagement is student choice, and we hope that these resources can help you to decide whether to try Genius Hour in your own classroom, and if so, how best to adapt it to your own teaching philosophy and context.
Source: Various
Inputdate: 2015-09-05 16:21:04
Lastmodifieddate: 2015-09-07 03:27:02
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2015-09-07 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2015-09-07 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Neglected Skill: Interactional writing
Body:
From https://gianfrancoconti.wordpress.com
We’re used to looking at the five modes of the NCSSFL-ACTFL Global Can-Do Benchmarks. But should there be a fifth? What about interpersonal communication that takes place through writing, like with texting and communication via social media? Read Gianfranco Conti’s discussion of “writership” and what teachers can do to promote it: https://gianfrancoconti.wordpress.com/2015/08/31/the-writing-skill-most-foreign-language-techers-dont-teach-writership/
Source: The Language Gym
Inputdate: 2015-09-05 16:22:02
Lastmodifieddate: 2015-09-07 03:27:02
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2015-09-07 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2015-09-07 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Thought-Provoking Post on Target Language Use and Vocabulary Lists
Body:
Do you strive to use 90% or more target language in your classroom? Do you believe in the utility of bilingual (target language - English) vocabulary lists? Both questions generate strong opinions among language teachers - and Señor Howard uses one as an analogy for how he does the other in this thought-provoking post: http://senorhoward.com/blog/2015/09/01/the-vocab-list-analogy/
Related to 90%+ target language use, here is a recent blog post from senorfernie about how he explains how he gets his beginning students comfortable with the idea that they’ll be hearing so much target language in his class: https://senorfernie.wordpress.com/2015/08/31/getting-students-comfortable-with-tl90plus/
Source: Tuesday’s Tips for Staying in the Target Language
Inputdate: 2015-09-05 16:22:48
Lastmodifieddate: 2015-09-07 03:27:02
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2015-09-07 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2015-09-07 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Fun Fake Generators: Putting Content into Different Formats
Body:
There are a number of free generators out there on the web that allow you to place content into different formats that may be more appealing, interesting, or challenging than the usual activity or standard letter-sized handout. The three described in this blog post can be used to generate a newspaper clipping, text message conversation, and Facebook wall: http://blog.tesol.org/fun-fake-generators-putting-content-into-different-formats/
Source: TESOL
Inputdate: 2015-09-05 16:23:26
Lastmodifieddate: 2015-09-07 03:27:02
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2015-09-07 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2015-09-07 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 4
Title: Tu or Vous?
Body:
Our Activity of the Week is Rémi A. van Compernolle's Lesson 1 from his Concept-based French pragmatics series. This lesson exemplifies concept-based instruction, as described in today's Topic of the Week article.
Learning Objectives: This lesson aims to introduce students to the ways in which the second-person pronouns tu and vous (and related forms) point to three conceptual meanings: 1) self-presentation, 2) social distance, and 3) power.
Materials Needed: Internet connection to view video, possibly handouts or projections of the warm-up and follow-up questions.
Procedure: The full lesson is available here.
Notes: The distinction between formal and informal direct address is common in many languages, the most well-known being many European languages. This approach can be used to help students navigate the distinction in any language, although the specific pragmatic considerations will vary from language to language.
Find more more resources for advanced language learners from the Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research here.
Source: CASLS Activity of the Week
Inputdate: 2015-09-06 08:13:16
Lastmodifieddate: 2015-09-07 03:27:02
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2015-09-07 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2015-09-07 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 2
Title: Advanced Language Learning
Body:
Many discussions of language teaching methods focus on beginning and intermediate learners; after all, we all pass through beginning and intermediate levels of proficiency, and many teachers teach only at those levels. This month we are focusing especially on advanced language learners. We kick off our series with an article by Rémi A. van Compernolle of our sister LRC, the Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research. In coming weeks we will look at writing for advanced students, approaches used in International Baccalaureate programs, and an approach called domain training. We hope you enjoy our September series.
Source: CASLS
Inputdate: 2015-09-06 08:18:31
Lastmodifieddate: 2015-09-07 03:27:02
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2015-09-07 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2015-09-07 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 3
Title: Learners as Linguists: A Look at the Role of Structure in the Advanced L2 Classroom
Body:
By Stephanie Knight, CASLS Language Technology Specialist
Their blank stares were overwhelming, but not as overwhelming as my frustration. My mind screamed silent directives like, "Care more!" and "Try harder!," and I burned roughly 1,000 calories dancing and pantomiming what it was that I was trying to communicate. Still, no matter what I did, students in my sixth period International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Spanish course remained stagnant in their development as Spanish speakers. I was at a loss as to what to do in my quest to support them in jumping over the Advanced-low hurdle while meaningfully engaging with the Spanish-speaking world.
As I reflected on what was happening, I realized that my students were desperately wanting to analyze the nuances of advanced Spanish structures in order to further expand their abilities to make meaning and to play with language at the advanced level. Until I embraced their desire, my sixth period students lacked the necessary metalinguistic competence to think critically about their work and develop a plan for improvement.
My first misstep was to treat structure as an unwelcome guest in our classroom. After all, I often reasoned, I needed the students to understand the complexities of femicide, international commerce, global health issues, and the other topics that we were covering in class. Though my students certainly made inquiries regarding advanced structures while we covered said topics, I tended to neglect to give the students the opportunity to practice their refined understanding of the structures at hand in realistic contexts. Thus, while their recognition of advanced structures improved, their ability to appropriately incorporate said structures to make advanced level meaning was not being addressed in the classroom. Instead, they relied on the basic skills and knowledge acquired in introductory courses and were not actively pushing themselves towards the use of advanced level knowledge.
The solution to my problem was simple; I could no longer solely focus on the content at hand. Instead, I opted for an approach which still focused on meaning and content while simultaneously helping learners analyze and understand the implications of words and structure. In this approach, learners were asked to complete discourse analyses, create vocabulary and conceptual maps centered on real-world topics, and analyze structures in practice in order to expand their personal knowledge and use.
My second misstep was to stubbornly ignore the fact that my classroom was never going to be a monolingual space. As Liebscher and Daily-O’Cain’s (2005) work reveals, conceptualizing the second language (L2) classroom as a bilingual community allows for increased student interaction because code-switching is viewed as a permissible scaffolding mechanism in such a community (though the teacher still functions almost entirely in the L2 and encourages students to do so as well). Moore (2013) supports this notion by contending that teachers should understand first language (L1) use as a “naturally occurring phenomenon” (p. 251) and harness its use to deepen the understanding of the L2. This conclusion makes sense on a practical level; the L1 provides language schemata for students to draw upon when trying to understand how the rules of syntax in their L2 weave together. As linguists and advanced learners, my students were ready for this type of complex multilingual system. Using their L1, they were able to more fully engage with analysis tasks at hand and wrestle with the elements needed to push beyond their current abilities.
As we consider serving students of advanced proficiency levels, it is essential to include linguistic analysis skills as part of instruction. In this way, we are able to tap into their existing language schemata and to reinforce positive linguistic habits. As students become more and more aware of the way that structures function in L2 negotiations, they become more and more adept at handing abstract concepts and unpredictable interactions. Indeed, utilizing discourse analysis and grammar instruction as key tools at the advanced levels of language instruction helps students to engage in self-analysis and to continue to grow in communication skills.
For additional tips on how to incorporate structure in the L2 classroom, see Is Grammar Really Important for a Second Language Learner? by teacher Julio Foppoli at (http://www.eslbase.com/teaching/grammar-important-second-language-learner).
References:
Foppoli, J. (2015). Is Grammar Really Important for a Second Language Learner? ESL Base. Retrieved from http://www.eslbase.com/teaching/grammar-important-second-language-learner.
Liebscher, G., & Dailey-O’Cain, J. (2005). Learner Code-Switching in the Content-Based Foreign Language
Classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 89, 234-247.
Moore, P. J. (2013). An Emergent Perspective on the Use of the First Language in the English-as‐a‐
Foreign‐Language Classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 97, 239-253.
Source: CASLS Topic of the Week
Inputdate: 2015-09-09 10:50:44
Lastmodifieddate: 2015-09-14 03:28:48
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2015-09-14 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2015-09-14 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
