WARM-UP What is communication? What is language acquisition?

WARM-UP What is communication? What is language acquisition?
On the index card, please respond to the below: What is communication? What is language acquisition? Once finished, turn face down.

Through the : Facing the . of Language Acquisition
Looking Glass Through the : Facing the of Language Acquisition Jabberwocky Myra Johnson and Elena Wigelsworth FLENEF Summer Conference Friday, July 27, 2018

Jabberwocky By Lewis Carroll

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought— So rested he by the Tumtum tree And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” He chortled in his joy.

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

Some background… Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a classic children’s story written in by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll. The poem Jabberwocky can be found in its 1871 sequel Through the Looking Glass. In both books, Alice enters Wonderland and embarks on an adventure of learning as she continually meets a cast of odd characters. Lewis Carroll

An Invitation for Adventure
Imagine you are Alice. And you are about to embark on an adventure. On this adventure, we will show you science-based truths about language acquisition that may shock and challenge you. They did us. We will also share research-supported teaching methods that align with these truths to increase students’ language proficiency.

The only thing we ask? Keep an open mind.

Please accept our invitation to walk through our looking glass and explore these new ideas with curiosity.

communicative language teaching
OBJECTIVES By the end of this workshop, you will: Understand: what is and isn’t what is and isn’t what is and isn’t what is and isn’t Be able to analyze and decide how you can enhance your lessons to increase language proficiency communication language acquisition language proficiency communicative language teaching comprehensible input

While We’re on the Topic by Bill VanPatten

ALICE & the CHESHIRE CAT
Hello, Alice. Oh, hello… Um, I don’t mean to be rude, but… who are you and… where am I?

I’m the Cheshire Cat, and you’re in Wonderland, Alice. Wonderland?! But, how did I get here?

You stepped through the looking glass, and now you’re about to learn how language is naturally acquired by the brain.

Oh no, that’s quite alright, Mr. Cheshire, sir. I already know all about how language is learned. I teach languages, you see. Now please, if you don’t mind, would you be so kind as to point me in the right direction home?

But Alice, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have something to learn. For example, what would you say communication is?

Well, sir, of course I know what communication is. It’s quite simple really. Communication is… Hmm… It is… Oh bother, now I can’t think of a good definition. Well, I know it has something to do with making sense to someone else at any rate…

Now, see? There’s a place to start. Let’s explore that question first. What IS communication? Alright, I’ll stay for a little while, but then, I must insist I go home. My colleagues will be very worried about me…

COMMUNICATION What is it?
“Communication is the expression, interpretation, and sometimes negotiation of meaning in a given context. What is more, communication is also purposeful.” -Bill VanPatten (tweaked from Sandra J. Savignon) Caterpillar = Communication

COMMUNICATION The main thing about communication is that there’s a meaningful message being relayed. Meaning can refer to the literal information in a message, but it can also refer to a speaker’s intent. Another important aspect of communication is that it has to be more than one-sided. For example, the question “Do you want to stop at the next rest stop?” could literally just mean that, or the asker may be asking because he/she has to use the restroom. No one is going to say, “Great to see you!” to no one in the room, unless rehearsing for a play.

COMMUNICATION “So at least one other entity must always be there to comprehend and interpret the message and intent of the expresser.” - Bill VanPatten For example, the question “Do you want to stop at the next rest stop?” could literally just mean that, or the asker may be asking because he/she has to use the restroom. No one is going to say, “Great to see you!” to no one in the room, unless rehearsing for a play.

COMMUNICATION ALSO, communication is not always verbal.
A message can be expressed in multiple ways. For example, through: body language gestures noises

COMMUNICATION Of course, as language teachers, you all know that communication primarily happens verbally through language. Specifically, we focus on teaching our students how to communicate through the four skills of: Listening Reading Writing Speaking

COMMUNICATION These four skills are expressed through three modes:
Interpretive Mode (Input) Listening and Reading Presentational Mode (Output) Speaking and Writing Interpersonal Mode (Input-Output) Listening-Speaking or Reading-Writing Spontaneous, not scripted Provides opportunity for the negotiation of meaning

COMMUNICATION There is sometimes an element of negotiation when communication happens. We don’t always understand the meaning or the intent of the message and we have to figure it out somehow. For example, if you don’t understand the message, you could just ask, or if you want to make sure that YOUR message was understood, you could ask. In fact, from day one in your classroom, it’s good practice to train your students in different ways to get clarification if they don’t understand something. It’s also good practice to show them how to use circumlocution.

COMMUNICATION Finally, we get to the aspect of purpose in communication. As Bill VanPatten states, “if there is no communicative purpose, then there is no communication.” For example, if you don’t understand the message, you could just ask, or if you want to make sure that YOUR message was understood, you could ask. In fact, from day one in your classroom, it’s good practice to train your students in different ways to get clarification if they don’t understand something. It’s also good practice to show them how to use circumlocution.

COMMUNICATION Purpose can fall into two categories:
Psychosocial Cognitive-informational The psychosocial purpose is for establishing and maintaining relationships. The cognitive-informational purpose is to give and/or receive information.

COMMUNICATION What isn’t communication?
Communication is NOT merely practicing the language. Often, this is what happens in world language classrooms. We ask our students to perform activities with no communicative purpose. These exercises may help them learn ABOUT language, but not ACQUIRE language.

COMMUNICATION If our objective is for students to communicate in the target language, we have to give them purposeful practice. If we want them to understand the spoken language, we must provide endless opportunities for them to listen. If we want them to understand the written language, there must be endless opportunities for them to read. If we want them to be able to communicate meaningful messages in the language, we must provide them with endless opportunities to write and speak.

List the key elements of communication.
MINI-ASSESSMENT List the key elements of communication. 2 minutes

Elements of communication:
MINI-ASSESSMENT Elements of communication: Meaningful More than one-sided Purposeful

I always knew that communication involved exchanging meaning, but I never thought about its purpose.

Yes, and everything your students do in class should focus on purposeful communication, not just practicing language.

Oh dear! All those boring, meaningless exercises I’ve had them do all these years...

Don’t feel so bad, Alice. You’re in Wonderland, and there’s always time to learn a new way. But, how?

There is a reason for that!
Raise your hand if… You have ever taught a grammar topic over and over, and two months later your students still don’t get it. There is a reason for that! It may be shocking! There is a natural order to understanding and grasping grammar, and it is acquired over time. We can’t rush it or change the order, even when we teach it in a different order.

MINI-ASSESSMENT ’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. What did the slithy toves do? Where did the slithy toves gyre and gimble? How were the borogoves? What does “mimsy” mean? Up until the last questions, you all could answer 100%. But that last question threw you, didn’t it? The entire Jabberwocky poem that we performed for you at the beginning was written by Lewis Carroll as a nonsense poem. Much of it just doesn’t make sense, but does it all not make sense? There is just enough provided, words we DO know the meaning of, to get a sense of what’s happening in the poem. How is this happening? We didn’t give you any vocabulary or grammar lessons to figure it out. What is our brain doing to make sense of it? And how is it doing that? Exercises like these show two important things. 1. Our brains are able to make some sense of newly seen words if given just enough head start. It happens immediately without any extra conscious thought. 2. We are all really good at scamming exercises like these to answer questions correctly. Our students are really, really good at scamming the system. They can do quite a number of rote exercises without understanding any of what they do. They just simply don’t know what those words mean. No communication has happened. No language acquisition has happened.

BRAIN SCIENCE: LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
What is it? “Language acquisition is the result of natural interaction with the language via meaningful communication, setting in motion developmental processes.” – Stephen Krashen Which brings us to our second crucial question… What is language acquisition and how does our brain do it? Acquisition just doesn’t happen with traditional exercises.

What is language learning? “Language learning is the result of classroom experience in which the learner is made to focus on form and linguistic rules.” – Stephen Krashen Which brings us to our second crucial question… What is language acquisition and how does our brain do it? Acquisition just doesn’t happen with traditional exercises. “Language is not something to be learned the way a person learns other subject matter if the goal is to develop communicative ability.” – Bill VanPatten

What isn’t language acquisition? Language acquisition is NOT learning about the language through something like grammar points. It is NOT explicitly learning about nouns or direct objects pronouns or the past perfect tense. It is NOT tasking students to identify or to produce sentences with them. These are examples of language learning, NOT language acquisition.

Facing the Jabberwocky means finally facing what science and years of research have been telling us about language acquisition. It is not up for debate.

These are Krashen’s hypotheses, which he came up with the 80s, and now we’ve had almost 50 years of empirical research proving the underlying message in them. Monitor Hypothesis. We’re not saying grammar is the enemy. Cueing Natural Order Hypothesis. The next one is where the shock may come. When Myra and I both individually really understood what this meant, we were both shocked, and we hope to do it justice here for you, so that you truly understand what it means for your teaching and your students’ learning.

The Natural-Order Hypothesis This says that language acquisition is ordered and sequenced independently of instruction and other factors. What does this mean? It means that our brains are physically wired to acquire language in a certain sequence, and we CANNOT change that through instruction. What does this REALLY mean? It means that no matter how much you teach that grammar topic, if it comes too soon in the sequence, it’s NOT going to happen.

Bill VanPatten gives the following examples in Spanish with the verb TO BE: STAGE 1: No verb. Students will just leave it out altogether, no matter how much they have done it in exercises. “Juan alto” (John tall) or “Mamá enferma” (Mom sick) STAGE 2: Using the verb SER in most contexts. “Juan es alto” (John is tall) or “Mamá es enferma” (Mom is sick) STAGE 3: Use of ESTAR with present progressive. Students will go from “Juan es correr” or “Juan es corre” (John is running) to “Juan está corriendo” “In addition to being slow, language acquisition is piecemeal: neither first nor second language learners get a “particular thing” all at once.” – BillVanPatten Learners do not build mastery over topics, but understanding, before they move on to working on others.

For another example, in English, the progressive –ing is acquired before the past tense –ed which is acquired before the third-person –s. This natural order is true whether you’re learning English as a first language or second.

“In addition to being slow, language acquisition is piecemeal: neither first nor second language learners get a “particular thing” all at once.” – BillVanPatten Learners do not build mastery over topics, but understanding, before they move on to working on others.

“The learner may take years to traverse these stages, and within each stage we see variability; the learner doesn’t get something all at once [slow and piecemeal].” - Bill VanPatten Present tense is used much more frequently than past, and past is used much more frequently than future. But, they are all mixed in a natural setting.

But wait one second, Mr. Cheshire, sir! What you’re telling me is just not right. When I was a student, I LOVED grammar lessons, and I know they helped me learn the language. That’s why I teach my students this way. How else will they learn it the right way?

Oh Alice, my dear, don’t you see? You’re not normal. That’s exactly why you’re here at this conference on summer break. You’re quite mad really. You’re a language teacher because you love all aspects of a language, including grammar. But most students aren’t that way.

Sir, I’m sorry to say, but you’re just not making any sense.

Tell me Alice, do your students keep making the same, odd grammar mistake even after many exercises practicing it? Well, yes, and it’s very frustrating. How is it that they can leave out the target language “is” when they don’t do it in English?

And, how do you respond to those mistakes? I just think they need more practice with it, so I reteach the lesson and give them more exercises.

The thing is, Alice, when you simply reteach more grammar, you’re fighting a losing battle. There are internal constraints on our brains to learn language. No amount of explicit grammar instruction will help them learn faster or more completely. “For example, one question I often get from teachers is, “What should I do about errors?” My response surprises many: In acquisition, there is no such thing as an error. The learner’s internal system is what it is. When learners so something not native-like, we call it an error only because we are looking at it from the outside and comparing it to something else. But, internally, the system is at a particular stage and, from what we know, doesn’t respond well to error correction, because correction and explicit learning are not what feeds the system.” – Bill VanPatten

But then, how do you propose I help them with their mistakes? What do they need from me?

They simply need more time and more exposure to correct, natural language used in real, meaningful, and purposeful communication they can understand. The answer is ALWAYS more comprehensible input.

Ohhhh, you mean the more they hear and read the language through real communication, the more they learn it the right way, naturally? Sir, I do believe I’m starting to understand you now.

MINI-ASSESSMENT Write a one-sentence summary of what language acquisition is and what it isn’t. 3 minutes

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY What is it?
“Language proficiency refers to a person’s ability to use a language for a variety of purposes, including speaking, listening, reading, and writing.” - American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY What isn’t language proficiency?
Language proficiency is NOT language performance. It is a measure of how well someone uses the language in a natural context, NOT how well they “perform” the language in traditionally artificial classroom exercises.

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY How do language acquisition and language proficiency relate? Good question. Given that we acquire language in a particular sequence dictated by our brains, our path to proficiency will also naturally model that sequence. Building proficiency takes a lot of time. Know that it takes repetitions to acquire a new word. “Given the central role of input in acquisition, an important external constraint on language acquisition is the quantity of input a learner receives.” - BillVanPatten

Proficiency Levels “to be sure, the ACTFL Advanced level of communicative ability is like being slightly beyond a five- to six-year in terms of actual linguistic ability (not topic or content).” – Bill Van Patten Focusing on ages 1-6, how many hours of exposure and interaction does a child have [of first language acquisition] in four years? Over 14,500 hours

MINI-ASSESSMENT TURN and TEACH
What are some specific ways you can help students move from one proficiency level to the next. 2 minutes

Mr. Cheshire, I fear I may have had the wrong expectations for my students. I have given them 40 vocabulary words at a time and expected them to know them all and perform with them.

I understand that what you’re learning about language acquisition is startling and scary. It has shaken up a lot of teachers. How many years have you been teaching, Alice? 23 years.

Well, it’s never too late to start. Also, know that incorporating this information into your teaching doesn’t have to be all or nothing; you can begin with just one lesson and then go from there. By the way, you look great for having taught 23 years. You’re too kind, sir.

COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING (CLT)
What is it? CLT is intentional lesson planning and instruction that is solely based on communicative purposes. It designs lessons that are best described as tasks, not exercises.

What isn’t CLT? CLT is NOT planning lessons where students learn and practice language through form and rules. Instead, CLT is planning for them to engage with meaningful messages. It isn’t merely practicing the language through exercises. Even though that we now know that CLT is the way to go, it a bit difficult for us as language teachers to suddenly adopt it. We are all generally bound to textbooks, which are full of exercises that essentially practice with the language. “Language is not something to be learned the way a person learns other subject matter if the goal is to develop communicative ability.” “Language, as mental representation, is too abstract an complex to teach and learn explicitly.” – Bill VanPatten

“For an event to be communicative, it must have a purpose that is not language-related but related to one of language use’s two major purposes: psychosocial or cognitive-informational.” – Bill VanPatten Many teachers express how much they like being language teachers because within a classroom setting, you can pretty much talk and learn about any topic, just as long as it is in the target language. “Classrooms and materials need to be spaces in which learners receive lots of input and have many chances to interact with it.” “The instructor becomes for the second language learner what parents and caretakers are for the first language learner: the main source of communicatively embedded input.” – Bill VanPatten

“When we use language with each other during a communicative event, we don’t do so for the sake of using language. We use language to get something done or to let someone know something.” – Bill VanPatten

What are some examples of CLT lesson objectives? “At the end of this activity, you will know exactly what questions to ask someone to truly find out where they fall on a scale of neat/messy.” At the end of this activity, we will know whether we fit into the guidelines for good sleep habits as determined by the National Sleep Foundation.” - Bill Van Patten How can you tell the difference between a CLT task where there’s a communicative purpose vs. a language practice exercise? “To answer this question, we must ask: How much time do instructors and students spend on the expression and interpretation of meaning? Is there a purpose to this expression and interpretation of meaning (i.e., psychosocial or cognitive-informational)? Ex. Practicing color vocabulary through questioning the colors students are wearing in the classroom vs. an eye doctor questioning a patient on the colors he sees for the purpose of diagnosis.

Pyschosocial vs. Cognitive-Informational Example Lesson Objectives Psychosocial objectives could focus on learning about the personalities and interests of students in the class. These kinds of lessons also have the added bonus of building comradery and a sense of community. Cognitive-informational objectives could focus on learning about the culture of target language countries/communities. How can you tell the difference between a CLT task where there’s a communicative purpose vs. a language practice exercise? “To answer this question, we must ask: How much time do instructors and students spend on the expression and interpretation of meaning? Is there a purpose to this expression and interpretation of meaning (i.e., psychosocial or cognitive-informational)? Ex. Practicing color vocabulary through questioning which colors students are wearing in the classroom vs. an eye doctor questioning a patient on the colors he sees for the purpose of diagnosis. Context is another aspect of communication, and the classroom context is something we as teachers will never get around with our students.

How can you tell the difference between a CLT task where there’s a communicative purpose vs. a language practice exercise? “To answer this question, we must ask: How much time do instructors and students spend on the expression and interpretation of meaning? Is there a purpose to this expression and interpretation of meaning (i.e., psychosocial or cognitive-informational)? Ex. Practicing color vocabulary through questioning which colors students are wearing in the classroom vs. an eye doctor questioning a patient on the colors he sees for the purpose of diagnosis. Context is another aspect of communication, and the classroom context is something we as teachers will never get around with our students.

Multiple Choice Gesture Quiz
MINI-ASSESSMENT Multiple Choice Gesture Quiz Hold your hand in front of your chest and indicate a, b and c using 1, 2 and 3 fingers.

MINI-ASSESSMENT 1. Which is an example of a communicative language teaching objective? A. Students will be able to identify all direct object pronouns in a written passage. B. Students will know the average amount of screen time spent on social media in their class. C. Students will be able identify the colors in a rainbow.

MINI-ASSESSMENT 2. The following are key elements of what?
Purpose Being more than one-sided Meaning A. Monitor Hypothesis B. Language Acquisition C. Communication

MINI-ASSESSMENT 3. Fill in the blank:
It takes ______________ repetitions to acquire a new word. A B. 3-7 C

MINI-ASSESSMENT 4. “Language acquisition is the result of ____ interactions with the language via ____ communication.” A. practiced and scripted B. natural and meaningful C. two-sided and verbal

MINI-ASSESSMENT 5. Lessons should always have at least one of two communicative purposes. Which of the following is NOT one of them? A. Practice B. Cognitive-informational C. Psychosocial

Hmmm, I feel as if I do a lot of this already, but only by chance. Now that I really know about communicative language teaching, I’m going to work on planning all my lessons with it.

I’m glad you’re finding our time together worthwhile. There’s just one more thing I want to share. Do tell, good sir.

COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT (CI)
What is it? Comprehensible input is language input that can be understood by listeners despite them not understanding all the words and structures in it. It is described as one level above that of the learners (i + 1) if it can only just be understood.

“According to Krashen's theory of language acquisition, giving learners [comprehensible] input helps them acquire language naturally, rather than learn it consciously.” – British Council

What isn’t CI? CI is NOT when the teacher is speaking way above students’ understanding or giving tasks that are way beyond their proficiency level. It also isn’t using English as the principal language of the class.

“Memorization is like filling a leaky bucket with a fire hose. You can fill it up really fast, but as soon as you turn that water off, all of the water spills right out. CI is like filling a solid bucket with an eye-dropper. It takes forever, but every drop stays in that bucket.” - John Peter Which approach is faster? CI without question. No matter how hard, fast and often you fill that leaky bucket, you still end up right where you started. ~John Peter

How do I structure a lesson around CI? If you think about it, CI isn’t a completely foreign concept. Many teachers already plan it into their lessons without knowing it. The idea is that CI shouldn’t just be incorporated as a technique in a few lessons.

Every lesson should be built with a foundation of comprehensible input as it is a requirement by which language acquisition actually occurs. “Language acquisition is a byproduct of learners attempting to comprehend language during communication.” – Bill VanPatten “Given the central role of input in acquisition, an important external constraint on language acquisition is the quantity of input a learner receives.” - BillVanPatten

“We do not acquire language by producing it; only by understanding it.” -Stephen Krashen “Language acquisition is a byproduct of learners attempting to comprehend language during communication.” – Bill VanPatten

How do I make input comprehensible for the beginner (and intermediate)? Short sentences Appropriately timed pauses Slower rate of speech Lots of repetition Rephrasing Clear content Visually-embedded content

COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT

CIRCLING What is it? Circling is asking the following sequence of questions around target vocabulary after establishing meaning. Yes/No Either/Or One word or phrase answer “Interaction does not necessarily mean the learner is talking. It can also mean that the learner indicates engagement with the input in some other way. This could be a head nod, a simple yes or no, a gesture of thumbs up or down, a “Huh?” look on the face. In short, the learner can interact nonverbally as well as verbally.” – Bill VanPatten

CIRCLING Why is it effective?
This gives students repetition of target vocabulary in context with active interaction. Repetition plus compelling content makes this vocabulary stickier to remember. “Interaction does not necessarily mean the learner is talking. It can also mean that the learner indicates engagement with the input in some other way. This could be a head nod, a simple yes or no, a gesture of thumbs up or down, a “Huh?” look on the face. In short, the learner can interact nonverbally as well as verbally.” – Bill VanPatten

PERSONALIZED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (PQAs)
What are they? PQAs are questions designed to repeat current, target vocabulary using comprehensible language in a bid for personalized information from students in class. For example: How many brothers do you have? Do you feel angry a lot? Where do you go when you feel angry? TARGET VOCAB goes has is feeling angry “Research has suggested that input that is part of the interaction may be better than input that is not. That is, input is better when someone is talking with a learned, not at a learner. Learner engagement with another person causes the input to be adjusted and negotiated so more comprehension occurs.” “Under some accounts, interaction may help bring an aspect of language into the learner’s focus. Accordingly, this may help the learner “notice” that aspect and push its acquisition along.” – Bill VanPatten

PERSONALIZED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (PQAs)
Why are PQAs effective? PQAs are effective because they use repeated, comprehensible input in a compelling way that drives student attention and has the added bonus of building comradery within the class. Questions are not asked for practice, they are truly seeking information with a communicative purpose. “Research has suggested that input that is part of the interaction may be better than input that is not. That is, input is better when someone is talking with a learned, not at a learner. Learner engagement with another person causes the input to be adjusted and negotiated so more comprehension occurs.” “Under some accounts, interaction may help bring an aspect of language into the learner’s focus. Accordingly, this may help the learner “notice” that aspect and push its acquisition along.” – Bill VanPatten

TPRS Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling
What is it? TPRS is an entire teaching method that incorporates all of the language principles discussed into one approach. It was developed by Blaine Ray, and there are whole workshops, days-long, dedicated to training teachers in this method. The student proficiency gains and classroom culture established using it have been quite astounding, leading many teachers to convert. “Input could be comprehensible, but if it is not part of a communicative event in which the learner has some involvement, it lacks purpose. And if learners aren’t paying attention to the message, even if the input is comprehensible, acquisition ain’t gonna happen.” “Instructors can’t just “throw input” at learners; they must structure activities and tasks such that learners constantly indicate comprehension and react to messages they hear.” – Bill VanPatten

TPRS Teaching Reading through Reading and Storytelling
What are the basic steps of TPRS? Establish meaning of target vocabulary (at most 3-4 structures). Translate practice sentences with visuals Practice questions for individual response Personalized questions and answers (PQAs) Circling Use vocab in a compelling, communicative activity. Song with lyrics and a CLOZE activity Would you rather…? Good Idea / Bad Idea “Input could be comprehensible, but if it is not part of a communicative event in which the learner has some involvement, it lacks purpose. And if learners aren’t paying attention to the message, even if the input is comprehensible, acquisition ain’t gonna happen.” “Instructors can’t just “throw input” at learners; they must structure activities and tasks such that learners constantly indicate comprehension and react to messages they hear.” – Bill VanPatten

(Continued) Write a simple story as a class using a repetitive template with input from students for funny, engaging details. Circle while storytelling/storyasking Do lots and lots of activities with the story that incorporate all four skills (reading, listening, writing, and speaking) with frequent formative assessments built in. Formally assess. Introduce new target vocabulary and do again. “Input could be comprehensible, but if it is not part of a communicative event in which the learner has some involvement, it lacks purpose. And if learners aren’t paying attention to the message, even if the input is comprehensible, acquisition ain’t gonna happen.” “Instructors can’t just “throw input” at learners; they must structure activities and tasks such that learners constantly indicate comprehension and react to messages they hear.” – Bill VanPatten

Why is TPRS effective? Telling a story based on comprehensible input with students actively interacting with that input is exactly what is needed for language acquisition. Also, research shows “reading is one of the most important sources of input for the development of vocabulary.” – Bill VanPatten “Input could be comprehensible, but if it is not part of a communicative event in which the learner has some involvement, it lacks purpose. And if learners aren’t paying attention to the message, even if the input is comprehensible, acquisition ain’t gonna happen.” “Instructors can’t just “throw input” at learners; they must structure activities and tasks such that learners constantly indicate comprehension and react to messages they hear.” – Bill VanPatten

COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT

MINI-ASSESSMENT How can you make input comprehensible for beginning students? List as many ideas as you can. Include CI strategies in your answer. 2 minutes

Oh, it just makes so much sense! There is so much I’m going to take from this. I can just imagine how much fun my students would have, and how successful they would feel!

It may take a little time and practice, but don’t be discouraged. Dive right in. You’ll get it. Change comes little by little.

I can’t wait to try these new strategies! School starts soon, but now I have to get home. Um… which way is that?

FINAL ASSESSMENT Based on what you’ve learned today in this presentation, rewrite your original definitions of communication and language acquisition.

AN ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME
Taking the steps to truly harness the truth of any one of these language principles in your teaching would be a worthwhile journey, but using them all would send you on an adventure of a lifetime.

RESOURCES VanPatten, Bill. While We're on the Topic: BVP on Language, Acquisition, and Classroom Practice. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 2017. World Language Classroom: Grant Boulanger: Martina Bex: Keith Toda: Thomas Sauer: Kelly Daugherty: Krashen in 6 Minutes: British Council:

WARM-UP What is communication? What is language acquisition?

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "WARM-UP What is communication? What is language acquisition?"— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback

Log in

Auth with social network:

WARM-UP What is communication? What is language acquisition?

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "WARM-UP What is communication? What is language acquisition?"— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback