Student-Centred Communicative-Based Learning paradigms

 PME

Some views of social constructivists Confucius, Vygotsky and Dewey. 

 

 

Implications of VR in education – watch this space

ICT

Following a great VR demonstration on UNSW campus with the MAVI Team (Multimedia & Immersive Team) in the Teaching Commons in early August, I booked an Apple Vision Pro demonstration to continue pondering what novel methods VR might bring to academia in the coming years.

Over recent years, the Australian government has provided $2.4 billion to new ICT equipment for schools, with a majority of secondary schools reaching the initial target of one laptop or tablet per student. 

The latest Australian Curriculum (Version 9) requires ICT to be embedded, where it is regarded as a ‘general capability’ within ‘digital literacy.

https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/teacher-resources/understand-this-general-capability/digital-literacy

It’s important to remember teaching and
learning spaces are in continuous evolution. 

Airdrop, AI Art and Shared Documents

ICT

Airdropped materials and links, AI Art Generator, and Shared Google Documents link Learning Outcomes to learner and lesson. 

Manual matching task reinforces unrealistic versus realistic learning goals.

Manual matching task reinforces 'growth mindsets' versus 'fixed mindsets'.

Kahoot! Premium membership – $149 per year

 ICT

Homework assignment and reports.

Export Excel reports.

Choice of modes (bottom of frame)

peer-building content.

peer-building content.

Puzzles (manual-kinaesthetic)

peer-awareness.

Unjumble sentence.

Reinforcement.

Speech-to-text for listening questions.

Reinforcement.

Tower Stack mode.

Drop in to speak with an academic teacher.

 

Drop-in sessions√ are here to help students reach their goals. 

Whether it is finishing a paragraph, understanding a class task, developing vocabulary, improving a skill, or receiving extra practice of anything you like, Drop-in sessions√ are open to everyone each week.

Time & Location: 

Tuesdays (LG07) at 4 p.m. and Wednesdays (W208) at 5 p.m.

Teachers: Matthew & Jacqueline

(:

UNSW College excursion

Essential Academic Skills (EAE-04, EAE-02 + 1 x UEEC) go to the zoo before the final test weeks of college  

Well done to all 👍🏼 

ICT in TPR

ICT

In 5-minute ICT tasks, learners shout commands up, down, left, right, change, be careful, wait, now, slower, faster to video game players who cannot see what they are doing in an exhilarating team-building task which drew on total physical response (TPR). These learners later gave presentations together. 

 

EAP Review – The TESOL Way (ch. 13)

Withers, P. (2014). TESOL made practical for all situations (4th Ed.). Language Training Institute:                         Queensland. 

EAP Review – Assessments

Alexander, O., Argent, S. & Spencer, J. (Eds.) (2008). EAP Essentials: A teacher's guide to principle and practice. (ch. 10, 303-338) Garnet Publishing: Reading.

Assessment

Assessment types

• Purposes of assessment
• formative
• aptitude
• diagnostic
• progress
• summative
• achievement
• proficiency
• placement

Assessment at university ~ notes

Ls need:

• formative feedback on their work linked explicitly to the assessment descriptors
• encouragement through model answer exercises
• to engage actively with feedback
• comments only relevant to the purpose of the assignment
• patterns of errors identified.

Quality assurance:

• some universities and their language centres engage in 'blind' marking, wherein markers do not know the identity of the students.

 Validity:

• the university context can be simulated within the classroom
• deadlines for drafts
• timed activities
• peer assignment meetings
• participation in peer discussions
• peer evaluation of work against assessment criteria
• self-evaluation of work against assessment criteria. 

Assessment rubric / descriptor (using A - E grades, + & -):

Task –> classify a concept or process in your field of study in around 300 words.

• Task achievement
• are the main issues discussed? 
• is there a clear focus on the question?
• e.g., A = 'it fully answers all aspects of the task in sufficient depth; the classification is set in an appropriate context, and the purpose explained; the categories are clearly distinguished and explained.'
• e.g., B = 'it answers the task in sufficient depth to cover the main points; the classification is set in context, although the purpose may be unclear; the categories are explained, but it may not be clear that the text is a classification.'
• e.g., C = 'the main points are covered, but there may be some irrelevant ideas; the context and purpose may not be explained clearly; there is some attempt to explain the categories, but it may not be clear that what's written is a classification.'
• e.g., D = 'not all aspects of the task are covered, or not in enough depth; the context and purpose are not explained; the text may be a description rather than a classification and fail to distinguish different categories.'
• 
  
• Structural organisation
• present of introduction and conclusion as well as division and linking of paragraphs.
• Language
• is functional language used and is it accurate?
• is there range in vocabulary and grammar?

Grading process

1. form an overall impression of the text
2. assign a grade to each category in turn, referring to assessment descriptors
3. review the grade incorporating knowledge of L needs.

Portfolios:

• Ls are aware of their progress
• delayed evaluation gives Ls a chance to improve work before summative assessment
• particular assessment descriptors improved on separately throughout portfolio.

Lessons stages

Lead-ins: 

• oral paragraphs prompts Ls to remember information and produce it in their won words.

*T: What did we do last lesson?

S1: We watched a lecture video

S2: We did some reading before we watched the video

S3: Not all of us read, there were two groups

T: Can you remember the names of the two groups?

S4: The control group. They didn’t read but the experimental group read for homework.

T: Why did we do it this way?

S5: To find out how much reading helps before listening.

S6: We compared the groups to test our hypothesis.

• timed draft writing simulating test conditions (arrive and write) using a projected contrast table (+ / - ), or a cause and effect chain or classification map prompts Ls to think and write quickly.

Pre-teach vocabulary:

• Weekly non-cryptic Crosswords
• Academic Word Highlighter
• spot and highlight only these words in a text / Ls create own gap fill
• Retrieval & Matching
• retrieve collocates from a text and match them to their definition

Critical thinking:

• choose an item for example 'bananas': 'which features make this suitable or unsuitable as money?'
• focussed note-taking: take notes from a text to answers an essay question
• subsequent writing: 200-300 words, explain which (bananas) is good form of money and what is wrong with the other two.

EAP study: Summary of Methods & Movements in ELT

 

Richards J. & Rodgers T. (2003). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching (2nd. Ed. Cambridge University Press.

Changes in methodology, historically, correlate to changes in L proficiency needs, such as oral goals over reading goals, and also to changes in theories of acquisition.

The Grammar-Translation Method

• Roots: 19th cent. efforts to codify TL into frozen rules into textbooks (see Seidenstücker and Plötz), later popularised in the US under the 'Prussian Method'.

• Approach:
• render acquisition easier
• previous methods equipped L with rules for deciphering difficult, whole L2 texts (classical Greek and Latin)
• accuracy is emphasised
• deductive
• systematic and scaffolded syllabus
• medium not instruction = L1
• little literature available in pedagogy, psycholinguistics or other.

• Method: analysis of grammar rules applied through translation at sentence level, L1-L2, L2-L1.

The Reform Movement

• Roots: end of 19th cent. developed outside established circles of education, innovations of reform-minded language teaching specialist and linguists (read Marcel, Prendergast, Gouin) coincided to address European needs to learn language for communicative purposes (but propelled by Sweet, Viëtor and Passy). Foundations for later methods such as Situational Language Teaching and Total Physical Response.

• Approaches & methods: 
• oral-based
• child acquisition perspective (naturalistic)
• emphasis on learning in context
• use of reactions and gestures to convey meaning.
• incorporated pronunciation drills (Viëtor; coincided with IPA, 1886)
• dialogue texts
• inductive
• associations derived from L1 not L2.
• arrangement between four skills (Sweet) (reading, writing, speaking, listening)
• grading materials from simple to complex (Sweet)

• Reformed principles:
• should be spoken-language-centric
• should be phonetics trained
• should hear TL before seeing it
• words should be in sentences, and sentences in meaningful contexts not isolated
• any grammar rules should be inductive
• translation should be avoided.

The Direct Method

• Roots: At various times attempts have been made to make second language learning more like first language learning (see Natural Method, e.g., Sauveur, 1826-1907 & Berlitz in the US). Approved in France and Germany turn of the 20th century). Important, as it marked the beginning of the 'methods era' and designing and branding easy-to-market courses.

• Approach: 
• acquisition through monolingual environment
• spontaneous production
• absence of textbooks
• grammar induced, but still emphasis on correctness
• knowledge of learned systems (grammar) only useful for monitoring output.                                              

• Method: 
• mime, demonstration, pictures (concrete items)
• 'association of ideas' (abstract items)
• activity-based

• Faults:
• higher qualification base of Ts meant difficulties in widespread adaptation in public schools, for example
• availability of native speakers
• overemphasis on naturalistic similarities
• oversight of practical realities of classrooms of adult Ls.
• occasionally L1 is more efficient route to comprehension
• academically criticised (Brown 1973)
• https://rozynskijournal.blogspot.com/2012/12/lessons-from-stephen-krashens-linguist.html

The British Approach

• Roots: in the 1920s and 1930s, systematised earlier principles proposed by the Reform Movement, leading to the Auidolingual Method (US) Oral or Situational Approach (Britain).

• Principles:
• teaching goals
• consider basic nature of L1
• principled selection of content
• organised and ordered presentation of content
• define role of L1
• what processes best master a language?
• what teaching techniques and activities work best?

The most active period of method design was from the 1950s to the 1980s. 

Audiolingual method (1950s and 1960s). 

• seen to provide a way forward, with the latest psychology and linguistic insights. 

Other methods 'filled the gap' when the Audiolingual method became unfavourable, such as 

the Silent Way, Suggestopedia and Total Physical Response, though with smaller followings. 

See also the Counselling-Learning method and the Natural Method (https://rozynskijournal.blogspot.com/2012/12/lessons-from-stephen-krashens-linguist.html)

They were superseded by the Communicative Approach (1980s - today).

• Communicative methods' principles are derived from trying to describe the nature of language, rather than prescribed techniques to be used in language teaching.

Further communicative: Content-Based Instruction and Tasked-Based Language Teaching emerged in the 1990s (see also Competency-Based Instruction)

General education derived Whole Language, Cooperative Learning, Lexical, and Multiple Intelligences approaches also were methods adopted to language teaching.

The post-methods era – Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

CLT appealed to a mainstream who sought a more humanistic approach to teaching, interaction is prioritised. It quickly received the status of orthodoxy  (British Council, etc.) and was sanctioned in applied linguistics, language specialist and other publishers' literature. Syllabuses were organised in terms of notions of functions rather than grammatical structures (Wilkins, 1976). Importance of L needs analysis evolved into CLT (Munby 1978) as did specific group work, task-work and information-gap activities (Prabhu 1987).

• Core characteristics (Johnson and Johnson, 1998):

• Appropriateness
• use must be appropriate to situation it reflects – roles, purpose, register (mode, tenor, filed?)
• Message focus
• Ls need to create real and meaningful messages, hence the focus on information sharing activities
• Psycholinguistic processing
• CLT seeks to engages Ls cognitively
• Risk taking
• communicative strategies are developed through encouragement of attempts (see attempts, slips, mistakes)
• Free practice
• rather than practising one skill at a time, a holistic approach to skills is encouraged.

• caveat: although agreed the most plausible method for today, its principles appear to have become general and interpreted in a variety of ways (as communicative approaches are derived from trying to describe the nature of language, rather than prescribed techniques to be used in language teaching).

Current movements

These movements are all content-based instruction: Language across the curriculum, Immersion Education, Immigrant On-Arrival Programmes, Programmes for Students with Limited English Proficiency (SLEP) and Language for Specific Purposes (LSP).

LSP encompasses English for Science and Technology (EST), English for Specific Purposes (ESP), English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP).

Content-Based Instruction (CBI)  & English for Academic Purposes (EAP).

CBI is described as learning a language as a vehicle for learning content. CBI is founded on:

1. People learn a second language more successfully when they use the language as a means for acquiring information, rather than as an end in itself – content is the point of departure in planning
2. Content-based instruction better reflects Ls' needs, e.g., to prepare for academic studies, where Ls' accessibility to academic content and the processes they will be exposed to are realised. 

Theory of Language

Underlying assumptions of language:

• LANGUAGE IS TEXT- AND DISCOURSE-BASED
• TL items exceed sentence level
• textual and discourse structures of letters, reports, essays, descriptions, book chapters, and also meetings, lectures and discussions are learned
• coherence and cohesion markers are learned.

• LANGUAGE USE DRAWS ON INTEGRATED SKILLS
• skills are linked as they are in the real world
• brings together knowledge, language and thinking skills
• Ls might read and take notes, listen and write a summary, or respond orally to things they have read or written.

• LANGUAGE IS PURPOSEFUL
• Ls must be clearly in tune with its purpose (academic, vocational, social…)
• Ts grade their own talk is important, such as
• simplification (non-complex sentences)
• wellformedness (few derivations from 'standard' usage)
• explicitness (non-reduced pronunciation)
• regularisation (canonical word order, SVO)
• redundancy (highlighting important material simultaneously).

(Stryker & Leaver, 1993) 

Theory of Learning

Successful learning occurs when Ls are presented TL in a meaningful, contextualised, primarily focussed on content over language. Mastery is of content over language per se.

• some content areas are more useful than others 
• e.g., geography – highly visual, spatial, and contextual, maps, charts and realia, descriptive language; psychology – highly structures nature of content and emphasis on receptive learning of factual information, textbooks, and visual study material. 
• Ls learn best when needs are addressed
• Ls encounter authentic texts, written or spoken
• curriculum based directly on (e.g. academic) needs
• sequenced determined by subject
• teaching builds on previous L experience
• Ls bring important knowledge to the classroom as their area of interest
• themes are already familiar.

Design

• objectives: met where course content is met over language item acquisition
• syllabus: may be made up of multidisciplinary modules designed to create a cohesive transition of certain skills, vocabulary, structures and concepts, with the first modules of accessible, high-interest themes – later modules deal with more technical proceses and assume mastery of prior TL
• micro-structure of modules moves from initial exercise of stimulating interest in theme and varied exercises of comprehension building and ability to manipulate TL appropriate to situation and then use TL
• Ls must select the appropriate TL for the situation and use it communicatively (Brinton et al. 1989).

Types of learning and teaching activities

•  classifications:
• language skills development
• vocabulary building
• communicative interaction
• study skills
• synthesis of content materials and grammar 

(Stroller, 1997)

• or, schemas of knowledge
• pactical
• description
• sequence
• choice
• theoretical
• concepts/classification
• principles
• evaluation

(Mohn, 1986)

Learner roles

Learners are generally:

• active
• autonomous
• sources of knowledge
• willing to tolerate uncertainty
• willing to explore alternate learning strategies
• willing to seek multiple interpretations

Drawbacks lie where Ls are overwhelmed by quantity of new information, not ready or not processing the schemata; method relies on psychological and cognitive readiness.

The role of materials

Materials are generally:

• rich in variety
• authentic
• realia is effective (guides, journals, newspaper articles, etc.)

Drawback lie where materials may need modification such as in lecturer presentations, providing guides and strategies to comprehend the very authentic materials.

CBI at University Level (and EAP). 

Contemporary models

Theme-based language instruction (Brinton et al., 1989)

The syllabus is organised around the themes (such as 'pollution' or 'woman's rights').

• a theme (such as 'business and marketing' might provide 2 weeks of classroom work
• TL analysis and practice evolve out of topics
• topic might be introduced through:
• reading 
• vocabulary developed through guided discussion
• audio or visual material
• integrating topic information through written assessments
• often T-generated materials

sheltered content instruction (Shih, 1986) – N/A

Adjunct language instruction  – N/A

Team-teach approach (Shih, 1986) – N/A

Skills-based approach (Shih, 1986) 

Focusses on a specific area of need such as academic writing. Ls may write in a variety of forms (short-essay tests, summaries, critiques, research reports) to demonstrate understanding of their course of study and to extend their knowledge of it.

Procedure

CBI is an approach rather than method. Lesson example:

Ls read reference materials regarding US immigration laws as well as an extract from Octavio Paz's Laberinto de la Soledad.

1. Linguistic analysis: discussion of grammar and vocabulary based on students' analysis of oral presentations done the day before.
2. Preparation for film: activities previewing vocabulary in the film, including a vocabulary worksheet.
3. Viewing a segment of the movie.
4. Discussion of the film: The teacher leads a discussion of the film.
5. Discussion of the reading.
6. Videotaped interview: Students see a short interview in which immigration matters are discussed.
7. Discussion: a discussion of immigration reform.
8. Preparation of articles: Students are given time to read related articles and prepare a class presentation.
9. Presentation of articles: Students make presentations, which may be taped so that they can later listen for self-correction.
10. Wrap-up discussion.

 

Spanish Level 7 "Essay: Abya Yala (Indigenous for "The Americas")" (for Uni. of Sydney)

 SLAS

Grade 80%

"Muy buen análisis y bibliografía. Muy buen vocabulario. Cierta integración, problemas gramaticales de diferente tipología" [problems corrected √]

Spanish Level 7 "Presentation: The Evolution and Spread of Spanish" (for Uni. of Sydney)

 SLAS

Grade: 76%

"Naturalidad en la exposición, a pesar de haber cierto apoyo textual, se aprecia esfuerzo por hacer una presentación. La pronunciación es generalmente buena, salvo pequeños errores con algunas palabras. Buena fluidez, no obstante hay problemas de estructura y de tiempos verbales. Buen vocabulario adecuado al contexto y cierta variedad de estructuras gramaticales. No obstante, se podría haber integrado más contenido estudiado en clase y sofisticación."

Translation: Trailer Subtitling for Portfolio Text 3 (for Uni. of Sydney)

 SLAS

grade: 86%

turn on captions

turn on captions

ELT video reel Rozynski 2014-2024 (ELICOS & EFL)

 

ELICOS Reel 2022-2024

EFL Reel 2010-2015

ELICOS NAVITAS 2014 

*during 9-month return stay in Aus. from Argentina

Spanish Level 7 "Nomenclature of 'South America'" (for Uni. of Sydney)

SLAS 

Translation: Portfolio text 2 (for Uni. of Sydney)

 SLAS

grade: 72.52%

Translated text (TM) in red requires more work (modulation) to sound more idiomatic in Spanish.

Text in green received positive remarks.

Original text (TO) below. 

   

Translation presentation "Culture within Language (within Culture)" (for Uni. of Sydney)

 SLAS

grade: TBA

2)  Breve resumen de la investigación que has llevado a cabo, las dificultades que hayas encontrado o los aspectos que te hayan resultado particularmente útiles, las razones para elegir ejemplos particulares, etc.

Para conectar y expandir unas de las ideas de capítulo 6 de Jiménez (2021) sobre los aspectos culturales de la traducción, presentaré:—   1.     La conexión linguo-cultural: busqué textos del curso de la lingüística que tomé en Macquarie (Mackenzie, (2004)Ω; busqué información en el libro de Crystal (2006) y las lecturas del curso actual, contestando ¿Cómo influye la cultura en nuestra forma de comunicarnos? a. Mostraré de que el aspecto cultural supuestamente queda por dentro de todo lo que uno dice.  Daré unos ejemplos de la pragmática (hay mucha información sobre la cultura de una comunidad dentro de ella y es el aspeto más dificíl traducir) en la forme de chistes también. Hablaré brevemente de cómo la cultura de comunidades indigenas se entreteje de la lengua. En resumen, hablaré de la premisa de que todo lo que hemos construido en la sociedad (y por la historia) lo hemos construido con la lengua para estimular la idea de que la cultura queda en todos partes de tanto la vida como la lengua.† b. Daré ejemplos de textos (celular, menu, cartas, carteles…) para mostrar que aun hasta el formato de que elijamos (la fecha, la abreviación, el estilo…) lo cual refleja la cultura. c. Hablaré sobre el Esperanto (p. 178, Jiménez, 2021; Ethnologue, 2024). Es un contraejemplo de la intención de remover o crear un idioma libre de acpectos culturales que no se gusta como el prestigio o los cargos sociopolíticos que poseen los idiomas – en su formas más básicas tiene la cultura de los que lo construyeron en el sigo XX, en la morfología, la fonología, la sintaxis, el alfabeto y tiene la cultura de los que lo han hablado desde su inicio. d. Hablaré un poco de la idea de que nuestra lengua puede afectar a la forma en que vemos el mundo (see Sapir y Whorf en Jiménez, 2021) * y que cuando hablamos copiamos las frasees que se usa en nuestras comunidades de habla y también hablamos dentro de los «limites» gramaticas y fonológicas que tenga cada idioma. e. La conexión linguo-cultural: busqué textos del curso de la lingüística que tomé en Macquarie; busqué información en el libro de Crystal (2006) y las lecturas del curso actual, contestando ¿Cómo influye la cultura en nuestra forma de comunicarnos?   2.     A la luz de todo eso, quiero reforzar unos estrategias y métodos más fundamentales del trabajo de los traductores. a. Se debe reflejar bien la cultura del TO por analizar el texto e identificarla bien. Se debe estudiar la cultura y tratar de enfocarnos en una cultura a la vez.   3.     Siguiendo estas premisas, quiero traducir unas frases con la clase (nombres propios de persona, nombres propios geográficos y referencias intertextuales). De este modo presentaré las ideas fundementales de la cultura en la traduccíon, daré unos ejemplos (de que Paris continuará hablando en la semana 12). † Es un desafío hablar brevemente y conectar con fuidez estos ejemplos en la presentación: entonces dejé notas pequeñas debajo de las diapositivas y espero poder organizar tiempo practicarla. * Otro desafío es encontrar buenos ejemplos espicificos de Sapir y Whorf de cómo nos afecta nuestra lengua a la forma en que vemos el mundo: logicamente, hablar es el proceso de activar todo la cultura que queda en nuestra idioma, de copiarlo. Entnoces, es prabable que uno no se da cuenta de que hay formas de pensar que copiamos en cada lengua cuando hablamos.   Ω Hablar de ideas lingüisticas me gusta mucho, entonces me gustó mirar por las materiales que ya tenía de Macquarie. Me gusta leer sobre rasgos lingüisticos entre los idiomas en Jiménez (2021) también.

Translation: Portfolio text 1 (for Uni. of Sydney)

 SLAS

grade: 83.86%