CARIZZA JANE DEL ROSARIO

(reporter)

MARK ROSALES

(computer in-charge)

JEANEL DONIEGO(researcher)

ESL (English as a Second Language)

EFL (English as a Foreign Language)

EMT (English as a

Mother Tongue)

ESL (English as a

Second Language)

ESL learners come to school with existing language skills, cultural knowledge, social knowledge and cognitive abilities. This linguistic and cultural diversity is valued in itself. As well, this indicates that a student’s level of language competence in his or her first language influences the rate of second language learning. Developing first language competence is important not only for reasons of identity and community but also for developing the cognitive, linguistic and cultural understandings learners need to be able to learn another language.

ESL and Special Needs

ESL students who have special needs require services to address both their language proficiency and their special need. Having English as a second language or dialect does not in itself make a student special needs. Students with special needs that have disabilities of an intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional, or behavioural nature, or have a learningdisability or have exceptional gifts or talents.

STRANDS OF ESLThe four strands identified in ESL are interdependent and interrelated and describe the ways in which learners communicate in Universal Language.

LISTENINGrefers to ESL learners’ development in understanding spoken Universal Language. It focuses on the ability to actively listen for a purpose and involves learners being able to select and apply strategies to make meaning in a wide range of contexts.

SPEAKINGrefers to ESL learners’ development in using spoken Universal Language for communication for social and school-based learning. It involves developing learners’ control over Universal Language phonology, word and sentence stress, rhythm and intonation and the information conveyed by these systems.

READINGrefers to ESL learners’ development in reading, understanding and responding to a wide range of spoken, written and visual English texts. It involves learners’ developing understandings of how texts are organised and how language varies according to situation, social and cultural contexts, purpose and audience.

WRITINGrefers to ESL learners’ development in writing a range of texts for interpersonal, informational and aesthetic purposes. It involves developing writing skills including spelling, punctuation and grammatical structures.

The ESL Outcomes and Strands are organised into four ELEMENTS:

1. Communication2. Socio-cultural understandings3. Language structures and features4. Learning how-to-learn

The language and concepts that students learn about at school may not necessarily match those of their first language and culture. These elements help teachers to program and make explicit the language and cultural understandings needed to effectively communicate in Universal Language.

1. COMMUNICATIONrefers to how learners interact with the English-speaking environment and communicate in Standard Australian English . It also focuses on the development of learners’ ability to produce and respond to spoken and written text.

2. SOCIO-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDINGSrefers to the development of learners’ understanding of and ability to use Standard Australian English appropriately in various contexts. It focuses on the need for ESL learners to be aware of the relationships between text, context, purpose and audience.

3. LANGUAGE STRUCTURES AND FEATURESfocuses on the Standard Australian English language forms typically used in spoken and written communication. It explores Standard Australian English language in terms of patterns of text structure and organization (genres), textual and grammatical aspects of language, print elements, pronunciation and non-verbal elements of communication.

4. LEARNING HOW-TO-LEARNrefers to the explicit teaching of learning strategies that enable learners to develop and use Standard Australian English in a range of contexts.

THE ESL LEVELThe word ‘LEVEL’ is used in the ESL to give emphasis on the difference between learning English as a second language and a learner’s stage of schooling, age or cognitive ability. Students can demonstrate, the outcomes are similar in the Early Childhood/Primary and Secondary ESL Pathways, the indicators provide teachers with more age specific information to meet the needs of the ESL learners within their class.

Students who have concepts about literacy in their first language begin their ESL progression at this Level in reading and writing. Concepts of literacy include:

• understanding that print and writing carry a message• understanding that illustrations and pictures can convey information and add meaning to the text• ability to identify parts of the book and handle books appropriately• knowledge of print conventions, e.g., left to right, word spacing, knowledge of sound symbol relationship.

PROGRESSION THROUGH THE LEVELS

ESL learners of average learning ability, social and physical health and with uninterrupted schooling will develop the same level of academic English language proficiency as their English language speaking peers. This results suggest that ESL learners will take between five to 10 years to acquire the same level of academic English language proficiency as their English language peers.

Generally, ESL learners, after initial progression through the Beginning Levels, progress through each level of the ESL outcomes within about 18 months. This progression depends on a range of inter-related factors including

• language background• cultural knowledge• age• cognitive ability• social, emotional and physical health• school attendance• previous schooling experience• experience with English• experience with the culture of school• language of peers in classroom and school• level of English use in the community• socio-economic status of family and community• support from family and community• expertise of teachers, schools and communities to meet the needs of ESL learners.

Goals of the ESLThe over-all focus of English as a Second Language is to provide opportunities for ESLs to reach full parity(equally) with their native English-speaking peers. The three broad goals set forth in the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, 1997 (TESOL) ESL Standards for Pre-K- 12 Students provide the foundation for the design of English as a Second Language. Through English language instruction, the ESL works toward attainment of these ESL proficiency standards and goals, achievement and realization of long term personal, social, and economic success in an English speaking society. The goals are to:

1. Use English to communicate effectively in a social setting.a. Use English to participate in social interaction;b. Interact in, through, and with spoken and written English for personal expression and enjoyment; andc. Use learning strategies to extend communicative competence.

2. Use English to achieve academic standards in all content areas.a. Use English to interact in the classroom;b. Use English to obtain, process, construct, and provide subject matter information in spokenand written form; andc. Use appropriate learning strategies to construct and apply academic knowledge.

3. Use English socially and in culturally appropriate ways.a. Choose appropriate language variety, register, and genre according to audience, purpose and setting;b. Vary non-verbal communication according to audience, purpose and setting; andc. Use appropriate learning strategies to extend their social-linguistic and social-cultural competence.

EFL (English as a Foreign

Language)

FOREIGN LANGUAGEEducation department eyes adding

Bahasa to curriculum (Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malayu). Luistro said that adding another language to the basic teaching curriculum would truly make Filipinos multilingual.

The implementation of K-12 Education programme which was adapted to other foreign countries. The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2012 aims Foreign Language education in the United States at the beginning of the twenty-first century is energized by some of the most dramatic developments in its modern history.

PROFICIENCY

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines, shifted the emphasis in language instructional goals from what learners know about language and to what they can DO with the language they have learned.

The Proficiency Guidelines describe student performance in listening, speaking, reading and in writing at the novice, intermediate, advance, and superior levels.

5 MAJOR GOALS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE

COMMUNICATION. Communicate in languages other than English.

CULTURES. Gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures.

COMPARISONS. Develop insight into the nature of language and culture.

CONNECTIONS. Connect with other disciplines and acquire information.

COMMUNITIES. Participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world.

Three major categories of Foreign Language Programs in Elementary Schools1. IMMERSION a. Total Immersion Programs b. Partial Immersion Programs2. FLES (foreign language in elementary schools), and3. FLEX (foreign language exploration or experience)

Considerations When Learning a Foreign LanguageREPETITION Although repetition in learning a foreign language can be boring, it is key to your success. Many studies on language acquisition show that very high numbers of repetition are necessary for a word to become truly owned and in your long term memory. This is why so many language classrooms require choral repetitions. Repetitions can be verbal, aural, read or written. So, when you study, hit the word or verb conjugation as many times as possible.

HIT ALL OUR SENSES (except smell) You will retain new vocabulary better if the repetition includes as many of your senses as possible. Thus, ideally, you should be studying in a place where you can speak the work out loud as you write it down or read it. Writing large characters can also help with retention.

MIRRORS AND ACTING Watch yourself in the mirror from time to time as you speak your foreign language. Practice various postures, act angry in your language, act happy or sad. Use the language to truly communicate your feelings so that it has meaning and context.

FEAR Some students are very nervous in foreign language classes. You don’t want to say something stupid and make a fool of yourself. Unfortunately, learning a language almost guarantees that you will say something stupid. That really is okay, you just have to convince yourself that it is okay. Even the best language learners experience this. My first nigh with my French family on my study abroad, I mistakenly told them I was pregnant in an attempt to say that I was full. They thought this quite amusing. I do too, now. You learn from your mistakes. This is part of the process.

EAR TRAINING In your native language, you don’t have to listen very well. You only actually hear some of the words being said and your brain fills in the rest. You can’t do this when you are first learning a language. You may have to train yourself to listen. If you are musical, you probably already have. This is why your language class almost certainly asks you to listen to cd’s or watch videos. Do this in small amounts at a time not for an hour straight. Build up your listening time just like you do for training for a sporting event.

TRANSLATION For any modern language, translation is considered a no-no, although you will not be able to avoid it at times. Consider the following expression in English – “to be in a pickle.’ If you were to translate this word for word into another language it would be non-sensical. This may be an extreme example but the point is to understand that other languages say things in other ways and do NOT mirror English vocabulary or structures.

STUDY TIME Study often and in small time periods. Four half-hour study periods are usually more effective than a two hour block. Your attention span in another language is not as long as in your native language. Study every day, even if it is only for a short period of time. OFFICE HOURS/TUTORS Use your instructor’s office hours for grammar help or additional listening practice. Go and just speak the language for a few minutes. If you do decide to get a tutor, prepare for your tutoring session. Know what you want to work on and why. Study ahead of time. Don’t think a tutor will pass the class for you. CONTINUITY Don’t take a semester off if at all possible!! You will forget your language at an alarming rate. If you are planning a break in your language sequence for any reason, see an advisor to come up with a plan.

SPRING/SUMMER? If you have trouble learning languages, continuing over the summer may be to your advantage. Continuing over spring/summer means no break and thus less time to forget what you just learned. These classes may be smaller than those during the academic year. This means more chances to speak in class and more individual help. Spring/summer is also more intensive so you are more immersed in the language. If it is the only course you are taking you can really focus on it. On a cautionary note, some students feel overwhelmed by the intensity and can’t keep up with the pace of language acquisition so you should speak with an advisor to help you make a decision about whether a spring or summer class is right for you.

REPETITION Did I already say this? Well, it bears repeating. Repeat, repeat, repeat!

EMT(English as a

Mother Tongue)

ENGLISH AND THE MOTHER TONGUE

What and why? Knowing when to use the mother

tongue and when to use English in a classroom is one of the hardest decisions to make. In the past, many writers have recommended that teachers should only use English – that the mother tongue, in other words, should not be allowed. This is not a view we take, especially for young learners. Firstly, it is impossible to learn anything unless you relate it to what you already know. This means that children will always translate even if we tell them not to. It is important, then, that we make sure they have the correct translation. The old argument about ‘encouraging them to think in English’ is only really feasible when they have enough language in which to think. For primary school children, this is unlikely to be the case with a foreign language for a very long time.

Secondly, it is important that the children have a sense of security in the classroom, that they feel they can ask for help, explain problems, say how they feel, and so on. They will only do this in the mother tongue. Thirdly, using the mother tongue means that it is possible to do more interesting work and more complex types of activities.

There is, of course, a danger in this – that the children will hear very little English. Every situation is unique, but a general principle might be to try to use English as much as possible – without producing confused, worried or bored learners.

PRACTICAL IDEAS of EMT

Give instructions in English, but repeat them in the mother tongue. After a while, you could give an English instruction and get the children to say it in the mother tongue, so that you know they have understood.

Give instructions in English, but try to use as much gesture as possible to make the meaning clear. In the craft activities, for example, the children can hear an instruction in English and see what it means.

Give instructions in English, but allow time for the children to ‘process’ the language before you give another instruction. Comprehension is improved by giving the children time between statements, not by speaking more slowly.

Only use the mother tongue at certain times. For example, when you are previewing or when you are helping the children to understand something new.

Try to use the same language again and again. The ‘Classroom language’ section in the teaching notes for each unit gives examples.

Teach the children the meaning of classroom language that you will use a lot. For example: Work in pairs. Open your book. Listen and follow. You could put a poster on the wall with common phrases that you use, and their meanings. When you give an instruction, you can then point to the poster at the same time.

Teach the children some phrases that they can use. For example: I don’t understand. Please say it again. I can’t hear. What’s the English for…?

THANK YOUfor

listening

-markemsi