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Working With Adult English Second Language Learners: Teaching

Strategies for English Language Acquisition Students at Kirkwood

Community CollegeDarek Benesh, Jessica Haight-Angelo & Karen

VeldhuizenIowa Culture & Language Conference

2 November 2010

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Table of ContentsAbstractBackground : Kirkwood’s ELA ProgramCore Areas of English Language Acquisition:

Reading: Karen VeldhuizenWriting: Darek BeneshListening & Speaking: Jessica Haight-Angelo

Conclusion

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AbstractReading, writing, listening and speaking skills are

all essential components of language learning, each setting up their own barriers to fluency.

According to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education, "In 1998, 47% of the participants in federally funded adult education programs were there to learn English as a second language" (Florez and Burt).

Kirkwood ELA instructors have developed a number of teaching strategies to meet the ever-increasing needs of the adult English language learner population.

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BackgroundAndragogy: The art and science of facilitating adult

learning; proposed by Malcolm Knowles in 1973.Adult learners:

Are self-directed;Are practical, problem-solving-oriented learners;Have a font of experience that serves as a learning

resource;Want what they learn to be immediately applicable to

their lives. Adult English language learners must also have their

education filtered through a lens of “culture, language, and experience” (Florez and Burt).

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Background, cont.English Language

Acquisition at Kirkwood Community College: A selection of coursework in which ESL students improve their language proficiency at five different levels. Began in the 1980s; has

been a part of Kirkwood’s English department since 2005.

Fall 2010 enrollment: 800+ students; Spring 2010: 665.

•Level 1: Beginning English•Level 2: Advanced Beginning English•Level 3: Beginning Intermediate English•Level 4: Advanced Intermediate English•Level 5: Beginning Advanced English

English

Language Acquisition levels

at Kirk

wood:

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Background, cont.ELA students take 5-6

classes each semester in areas such as: Academic writing Pronunciation Research skills Conversation fluency Grammar Listening and note-taking Computer literacy Reading and vocabulary

development American cultural skills Presentation skills

All of the classes under the Kirkwood ELA umbrella center on three core areas of language acquisition, each with its own challenges: ReadingWritingListening and

Speaking

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ReadingExtensive reading in a foreign language

involves the following:Reading extensively (though there are various

ideas as to how much reading this entails);Reading for global understanding, not detail;Reading with the intention of reading for

pleasure; therefore, no reading exercises are done, and any “proof”’ that reading is being done should be brief.

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Extensive Reading, reduxWhy is Extensive Reading so beneficial to the

Level 2 (“Advanced Beginning English”) learner?Language acquisition occurs when a learner is

exposed to language that is comprehensible and slightly above levels of proficiency (Krashen, 1985).

Acquisition can occur through oral or written input, but learners are exposed to new input far more often while reading than in conversation or watching television (Hayes and Ahrens, 1988).

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Benefits of Extensive ReadingExtensive reading can aid in developing:

A large sight vocabulary: It is important that L2 readers repeatedly meet

words with which they already have some familiarity. If the small amount of learning of a word is not soon

after reinforced by another encounter, then that learning will be lost (Nation, 1997).

A large general vocabulary;Knowledge of how the target language is used;Knowledge of various text types, and extensive

knowledge of the world in which we live.

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Benefits of Extensive Reading, cont.In a number of experiments with intermediate level learner

readers, Tomlinson (1996, 1997, 1998b) found that most of them used mainly low level cognitive strategies to decode the words.

Hosenfeld (1984) reports on an experiment in which unsuccessful foreign language readers “tended to lose the meaning of sentences as soon as they had decoded them.”

ER in turn discourages over-dependency on dictionaries, as students begin to develop a tolerance for a few unknown words. Once they realize that all new words at each level are carefully contextualized, repeated, and sometimes glossed over , they can be weaned off excessive dictionary use.

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Benefits of Extensive Reading, cont. In addition to vocabulary

development, extensive reading can benefit students develop reading: Speed Background knowledge Comprehension:

Improving comprehension/text attack skills

Attitude: Promoting confidence and motivation

Quantity: Reading more, reading whole texts

Word attack skills: providing opportunity to employ “good” word attack skills

Types of reading technique: improving flexibility of reading rate depending on purpose, e.g. skimming, scanning, study reading

Reading practice: Learn to read by reading

Transfer to other skills: improving spelling, writing, speaking, listening

Learning resource: becoming independent of others, e.g. teachers, interlocutors (Walker, 1997).

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Bookends

Research has shown that extensive reading is a skill best acquired by English second language learners early on, in order to aid in their comprehension skills. The benefits of extensive reading on both vocabulary development and reading skills themselves are enormous, though Kirkwood's current 50-minute, three-day-a-week class schedule for ELA reading courses makes the commitment to extensive reading difficult. Ergo, it is imperative for students to understand the benefits of doing so outside of class, with hopes of such a habit continuing well beyond their tenure at Kirkwood.

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Writing

Step 1: Prewriting• Generating ideas• Planning• Organizing ideas

Step 2: Writing• Using ideas to

write a first draft

Step 3: Revising & Editing• Improving what

you have written

The “writing process” (pg. 11), from Ready to Write More: From Paragraph to Essay, by Karen Blanchard & Christine Root.

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The Problem with Product Focus

Product-Focus

•Writing is often taught with a product-focus: teaching or emphasizing adherence to particular forms of writing, instead of focusing on meaning or processes of writing.

Types of essays for L4 ELA students:

•Step-by-step directions•Division and classification•Cause and effect•Compare and contrast•Problem and solution

The Problem

•Students become unengaged and believe that writing in English needs to be formulaic, and that their life experiences are not valued. They believe they cannot draw upon their life experiences in their writing. Their ideas and topics must fit within these essay structures.

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Alternative Writing UnitA Solution: Eight 250-

500-word responses; most in response to a discussion question about a text.#1: Describe the

journey (physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual) of how you came to be in this class, in Iowa, in the United States.

#2-5: Readings from Academic Writing: Exploring Processes and Strategies, by Ilona Leki (pg. 290-302): "Excerpt from Bury

My Heart at Wounded Knee";

"Discovering the Truth About Columbus";

"Do Not Disturb"; "Sacred Places."

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Alternative Writing Unit, cont.• #6 (left): The New World, directed by Terrence Malick

• #7 (right): Excerpts from American Indian Stories, Legends, and Other Writings, by Zitkala-Ša (pg. 83-103):• "The Big Red

Apples";• "The School Days of

an Indian Girl";• "The Cutting of My

Long Hair," etc.

• #8: Writing prompt: Write about the culture you grew up in, and the culture you live in now.

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Alternative Writing Unit, cont.Bringing it All

Together: Begin to think about ways you can either expand upon the writing you have done or combine the essays you have done within a central and cohesive theme.

Analysis: What did students think about the process? What kinds of papers did they write?Example: Not all students

directly activated their personal or cultural histories: Two students spoke generally

about cultural and religious differences.

One student detailed the life of a revolutionary leader in his country and how the leader fought against British rule.

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Writing Sample: Student A"My writing has improved this semester because I practiced a lot (essays). I added also a lot of new words to my vocabulary. I am proud about my understanding of documents and how to analyze subjects. I connected the main ideas of each of my essays and made just one story."

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Writing Sample: Student C

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Writing Sample: Students D & E•“This paper is different from other paper[s] because we write a paragraph to explain how our writing improve[d] this semester.”

Student D

•"I created my final paper when I took the interesting part from all my writing and I wrote the big assignment."

Student E

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Writing Sample: Student FSample Reflection: "I would be patient and thoughtful before you start writing. Use your own experiences and observations of the things around you. Pouring your feelings into your words properly is also a good way to express your idea. I would say completing such a long and serious writing is not an easy job, but don't be afraid of, because the more you write, the more ideas you will find, and finally, the more fun you will have."

Sample Paper: "Like Pocahontas [sp] came to the Jamestown Colony or the Indian girl Zitkala-Sa came to the Red Apple Country, I was full of curiosity and nerves as well. My family is far away. How could I adjust myself to this new world by my twenty-three years [of] oriental philosophies [Confucianism]? People who are not in this certain situation won't understand how I feel.”

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Writing Sample: Student I"The essay can include my opinions and feelings. I'm so proud of myself for challenging myself to write in English and write four pages. When I wrote this journal, [the] most difficult thing was deciding on one theme."

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The Final Pen Stroke

By de-emphasizing the step-by-step "process" of writing, the composition instructor can diminish students' potential to become disengaged. Instead, the use of reflective essays which stress the importance of life experience and a close reading of the text allows students to see the value of what they read and write, rather than simply how they fit into pre-established structures.

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Listening & SpeakingStudents in a Level 3 (“Beginning Intermediate English”) ELA

Listening & Culture class at Kirkwood during the Fall 2010 term fit the Arizona English Language Acquisition for Adults (ELAA) II Proficiency Standards for Listening and Speaking. Can comprehend short conversations and interactions, both

face-to-face and within small groups.Repetition, gestures, and nonverbal cues sustain conversation.Slow-to-normal rate of speechCan describe obligations and complaints, make excuses and

apologies, and offer invitations using "varied vocabulary and appropriate intonation".

Can "retell simple stories or events about routine activities or personal experiences, using logical organization and varied vocabulary."

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Listening & Speaking TechniquesFlorez and Burt describe several effective

listening and speaking techniques for the English language learner:"Meaningful interaction and natural

communication in the target language are necessary for successful language acquisition."

"Learners need to use the language, not simply talk about it."

ELL need "opportunities and purposes for communication that reflect or relate to their lives," along with the use of "authentic materials" whenever possible.

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Context in the Classroom

Left: Real Talk, by Baker and Tanka showcases “Authentic English in Context”; right: Howard’s Idioms in American Life encourages students to connect the material to their own lives.

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The Merits of Role-PlayingSiabhra Woods: Drama is an active form of learning,

wherein all students are involved in some way, either as listeners/watchers (the audience) or listeners/speakers (the performers). Nobody is excluded, and everybody is emotionally invested in the activity as students put themselves in the roles of characters "dealing with the Big Issues which affect us all: death, birth, love, hate, madness."

Pearson-Longman offers suggestions regarding the effective use of role-playing in the classroom:Give students time to get into their characters; "Never go into

role-plays 'cold.'"Natural, organic development is important.Teachers are active listeners, and should not interrupt the role-

play once it begins. Constructive criticism should be offered only after students have finished performing.

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L3 Sample Review Exercise

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Speaking With Emphasis• Students practiced differentiating between “content words” (bolded here) and “format words” in a conversation from Chapter 3 of Real Talk, focused on “Looking For Love.”

• Students tended to use a slow to medium rate of speech with deliberate emphasis – and even overemphasis – of content words. • Students routinely mispronounced “ballpark figure,” in spite of additional scaffolding and practice with the ‘l’ sound.

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Speaking With Emphasis, cont.

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The Interrupting Game• Students first discussed levels of formality in relation to interrupting, i.e.: “I don’t mean to interrupt, but …” vs. “Hold on a minute” or “Yeah, but …” They were also coached on the use of dashes to indicate cut-off speech.

•The humorous flavor of the conversation allowed students to react naturally to it, owing to more organic reactions than in the first activity. Students were amused at the script, and tended to lose themselves in it as they increasingly got into character.

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The Interrupting Game, cont.

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Variations on a ThemeIn the third exercise, students were merely

prompted to assume roles as either a storyteller or an interrupter in one of several unscripted scenarios. While Person A (the storyteller) spoke, Person B was instructed to "interrupt at least three times with questions." If Person A was discussing how she met her

husband, for example, Person B could ask questions to the effect of, "What is your husband's name?"; "What does he look like?"; "How many years ago did you meet him?"

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Variations on a Theme, cont.Females (Khadiga and Kaltoum) versus …

… males (Marco, Gevy and Melchiade)!

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Variations on a Theme, cont.

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The Final Say on Role-PlayingRole-playing emphasizes

accurate and emotive pronunciation through creative and active learning. The instructor scaffolds students and builds up rapport in regards to diverse cultural mores, owing to increasingly natural speech in a comfortable and fun learning environment.

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Conclusion

Challenges to the core areas of language acquisition are myriad and complex, owing to a number of different techniques to hone second language students' skills. For ELA students at Kirkwood, the benefits of extensive reading, reflective writing, and role-playing as a device to enhance listening and speaking have proven effective, though they are not isolated success stories. As long as the instructors of English Language Acquisition courses are aware of the challenges of both andragogy and second language acquisition that their adult ESL students face, they will be well-equipped to shape their lessons with tools that respect their foreign students' cultures and worldly experiences.