Contents

Learning Objectives:  Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the US school system, effectively express and support opinions regarding private and public schooling, and use different modes of persuasion in order to deliver a convincing argument in a debate format.

Modes: interpretational reading, presentational speaking, interpersonal-communication

Materials Needed: Vocabulary Sheet, Debate preparation sheet

Description: This activity was designed to align with the topic of the week and, more specifically, the topic of the U.S. school system. Additionally, it demonstrates what an activity may look like after key and frequent vocabulary terms have been identified.  

Procedure:

1. Firstly, teachers and students should go over the key terms in the vocabulary sheet.
2. Students will then be given an overview of the US education system to ensure that everyone has at least a basic understanding of its structure. This webpage gives good, basic information that largely applies to both public and private schools : https://www.justlanded.com/english/United-States/USA-Guide/Education/The-American-school-system
   1. Teachers should plan to answer any questions students may have and discuss unfamiliar words.
   2. As students read, instruct them to note any additional vocabulary they feel would be helpful. Have them write this in the free space of the vocabulary sheet and provide them with definitions/explanations in the target language(Do not simply translate).
3. Next, teachers should go over the three persuasion styles: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. If students have difficulty grasping the difference, it could be helpful to provide example sentences of each.
   1. Ethos—appeal to ethics
      1. We shouldn’t litter because it is our duty as mankind to protect the environment.
   2. Pathos—appeal to emotion
      1. We shouldn’t litter because the trash kills thousands of cute birds who try to eat it and suffocate.
   3. Logos—appeal to logic
      1. We shouldn’t litter because it costs taxpayers ____$ every year for clean-up efforts.
4. Divide the class into two teams: Team Public Education and Team Private Education. The two teams will engage in a class debate about which of the two education types is most beneficial. The premise of the debate is that the students are representatives from schools who have been selected to counsel families about which educational path to choose for their children.
5. Each team should meet to discuss their topic and select roles. Each student will be in charge of one specific aspect of the argument. For example, one student can research and talk about financial burden while another discusses resource distribution and a third mentions quality of teachers or sports/recreation, etc.  Combined, students as a team should aim to develop a well-rounded argument that covers the most important aspects and best supports of their side.
6. For the research component, students should use primary sources such as news articles or scholarly journal articles. Each student should use at least two sources. Instruct students to use the debate preparation sheet in order to find information that satisfies the three different modes of persuasion: Ethos, Pathos, Logos.
7. After enough information, has been gathered, students will then begin to craft their own argument. Students will select the most pertinent or poignant pieces of information they have found and think up possible counterarguments to their main points. Students will use this to write out a strong argument that will aid them in the debate. This written piece does not need to be overly formal and may be in more of an outline format. After all, given the nature of debates, students will most likely need to amend their argument in the moment in order to rebut or defend a previous point.  
8. Before the actual debate, have each team meet in order to share information and select their opening and closing speakers who will give a brief overview of why their side should be selected as a whole.
9. Each team will be given 3 minutes for the opening speaker to introduce their side. After opening speeches, teams will take turns speaking back and forth until each student has spoken at least once. Finally, the closing speaker will be given 3 minutes to present. The closing speaker should plan on adding to/changing their summary according to how the debate plays out.
10. Finally, after the debate, the instructor should give feedback on the speakers’ language use and efficacy of argument. This would be the time to draw the classes attention to any mistake trends you may have heard or structures that were not used correctly.

Notes: While the activity itself has students vying for one side over another, in reality, the activity is designed to illustrate the complexity of the issue and give students a well-rounded understanding of the public/private divide in the US while further developing students’ speaking skills and ability to respond in-time to the unexpected.

Jeff Magoto, the author of this week’s Topic of the Week article, is the director of the Yamada Language Center here at the University of Oregon and a dear friend of CASLS, as well as a member of our advisory board. The Yamada Language Center is the University of Oregon’s resource center for teaching and learning. Students in regular University language classes can use the YLC’s Virtual Language Lab to access video and audio materials associated with their course. For less commonly taught languages, the YLC self-study program arranges classes for UO students and community members, providing a native speaking tutor, learning resources, curricular support, and more. 

The YLC also facilitates language exchanges for UO students by means of a database of potential partners. Programs and groups from all over campus can also make use of six different classroom spaces for language learning; your InterCom editor got to teach a methods course for the Northwest Indian Language Institute earlier this summer in one of these rooms. Finally, every spring the YLC hosts FLIS Day, during which high school students from all over Oregon come to be immersed in foreign languages and international studies for a day. We are grateful for all of Jeff’s advocacy on behalf of language learners and teachers and for all of the great services that the Yamada Language Center provides. 

From https://benjamins.com/#catalog/books/sibil.53/main

Growing Old with Two Languages: Effects of Bilingualism on Cognitive Aging
Edited by Ellen Bialystok and Margot D. Sullivan 
Published by the John Benjamins Publishing Company

This collection brings together two areas of research that are currently receiving great attention in both scientific and public spheres: cognitive aging and bilingualism. With ongoing media focus on the aging population and the need for activities to forestall cognitive decline, experiences that appear effective in maintaining functioning are of great interest. One such experience is lifelong bilingualism. Moreover, research into the cognitive effects of bilingualism has increased dramatically in the past decade, making it an exciting area of study. This volume combines these issues and presents the most recent research and thinking into the effects of bilingualism on cognitive decline in aging. The contributors are all leading scholars in their field. The result is a state-of-the art collection on the effect of bilingualism on cognition in older populations for both healthy aging and aging with dementia. The papers will be of interest to researchers, students, and health professionals.

Visit the publisher’s website at https://benjamins.com/#catalog/books/sibil.53/main

From http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319597362

The English for Academic Purposes Practitioner: Operating on the Edge of Academia
By Alex Ding and Ian Bruce
Published by Springer

This book contextualizes the field of English for Academic Purposes (EAP), with a particular focus on the professional and academic identity and role of the EAP practitioner. The authors examine previously neglected areas such as the socio-economic, academic and employment contexts within which EAP practitioners function. In doing so, they develop a better understanding of the roles, expectations and constraints that arise from these contexts, which in turn shape professional practice and the identity of the practitioner. As EAP is emerging as an academic discipline with a growing body of published research, this book will appeal to trainee and established practitioners, along with researchers and students of linguistics and education.

Visit the publisher’s website at http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319597362

From https://www.routledge.com/Quantitative-Methods-for-Second-Language-Research-A-Problem-Solving-Approach/Roever-Phakiti/p/book/9780415814027

Quantitative Methods for Second Language Research: A Problem-Solving Approach
By Carsten Roever and Aek Phakiti
Published by Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

Quantitative Methods for Second Language Research introduces approaches to and techniques for quantitative data analysis in second language research, with a primary focus on second language learning and assessment research. It takes a conceptual, problem-solving approach by emphasizing the understanding of statistical theory and its application to research problems while paying less attention to the mathematical side of statistical analysis. The text discusses a range of common statistical analysis techniques, presented and illustrated through applications of the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program. These include tools for descriptive analysis (e.g., means and percentages) as well as inferential analysis (e.g., correlational analysis, t-tests, and analysis of variance [ANOVA]). The text provides conceptual explanations of quantitative methods through the use of examples, cases, and published studies in the field. In addition, a companion website to the book hosts slides, review exercises, and answer keys for each chapter as well as SPSS files. Practical and lucid, this book is the ideal resource for data analysis for graduate students and researchers in applied linguistics.

Visit the publisher’s website at https://www.routledge.com/Quantitative-Methods-for-Second-Language-Research-A-Problem-Solving-Approach/Roever-Phakiti/p/book/9780415814027

University of Oregon's American English Institute (http://aei.uoregon.edu/) is hosting the ORTESOL Fall conference on November 10 and 11. The theme will be "Supporting Diverse Learners in ESOL", with LGBTQ, ABSE and disabilities threads, providing many ways we can contribute and showcase our strengths. Please consider submitting your proposal to ORTESOL, due 8/15. There will be a call for volunteers as well. 

Submit a proposal at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X78WCRY 

From http://www.indiana.edu/~spanport/events/10th%20anniv_callforpapers.shtml

10th anniversary of Current Approaches to Spanish and Portuguese Second Language Phonology (CASPSLaP)
Indiana University, Bloomington
February 23-24, 2018

Submit an abstract at https://linguistlist.org/confservices/customhome.cfm?CFID=e31bfca1-d89d-4021-bd14-bd7086100b43&CFTOKEN=0&emeetingid=5902JA4458566658406050441

Abstract submissions are due by October 1, 2017.

From http://iwla.net/

2017 Iowa World Language Association Conference
October 13-14
Des Moines 

Visit the conference website for full details: http://iwla.net/conference