1. Module 2 Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms

2. In this module, we: introduce the theories of language, learning and teaching that underpin the course develop our understanding of the relationship between text and context and the implications for our classrooms examine a teaching and learning cycle that allows for language to be a focus in an integrated and scaffolded approach. Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 2 Module 2 overview

3. Context Text Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 3 Text in context Similarly, we can make predictions about the context from the text. The aim of this session is to explore the relationship between a text and its context. We can represent this in the following way. Whenever we interact with someone, whether through spoken or written language, we have certain expectations about what we will hear or read. This is because the context in which language is used helps us to predict the text that will result.

4. Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 4 Introducing the functional model of language Context Text Context of culture Context of situation Language Context can be seen at two levels: the broader context of culture and the more specific context of situation. A text can be seen as one set of choices from the language system. We have seen that there is a relationship between any text and its context. We will now move into a more nuanced understanding of both context and text through the functional model of language.

5. Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 5 Using the functional model of language Context of culture Context of situation Language Genre What is the cultural activity here? What name do we give it? When we name these patterned cultural activities, we are considering genre. Let’s consider a text and ask a series of questions dealing with context and language. Sample text for Scenario 1 D:Good morning, Mr Jones. P:Morning, Doctor. D:How can I help? P:Well, I just got back from a school camp and I’ve been feeling pretty terrible since. D:Tell me more about that. P:I’ve been feverish and I’ve been vomiting and I’m a bit worried because several students who went to the camp have been diagnosed with hepatitis. D:Oh, I see. And have you had any other symptoms? P:Well, I’ve had diarrhoea. D:Okay, it could be hepatitis, so we’d better do some tests to be sure. Hop up on the bed and we’ll have a closer look at you. Genre Doctor–patient consultation

6. Scenario 1 D:Good morning, Mr Jones. P:Morning, Doctor. D:How can I help? P:Well, I just got back from a school camp and I’ve been feeling pretty terrible since. D:Tell me more about that. P:I’ve been feverish and I’ve been vomiting and I’m a bit worried because several students who went to the camp have been diagnosed with hepatitis. D:Oh, I see. And have you had any other symptoms? P:Well, I’ve had diarrhoea. D:Okay, it could be hepatitis, so we’d better do some tests to be sure. Hop up on the bed and we’ll have a closer look at you. Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 6 Using the functional model of language Context of culture Context of situation Language Genre If we ask—What is this specific doctor–patient consultation about?—we are identifying its field. Field A doctor and her patient establishing the problem, the symptoms and possible action. Genre Doctor–patient consultation Field

7. Scenario 1 D:Good morning, Mr Jones. P:Morning, Doctor. D:How can I help? P:Well, I just got back from a school camp and I’ve been feeling pretty terrible since. D:Tell me more about that. P:I’ve been feverish and I’ve been vomiting and I’m a bit worried because several students who went to the camp have been diagnosed with hepatitis. D:Oh, I see. And have you had any other symptoms? P:Well, I’ve had diarrhoea. D:Okay, it could be hepatitis, so we’d better do some tests to be sure. Hop up on the bed and we’ll have a closer look at you. Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 7 Using the functional model of language Context of culture Context of situation Language Genre If we ask—What roles are being taken up by the people involved and the nature of their relationship? —we are identifying its tenor. Field A doctor and her patient establishing the problem, the symptoms and possible action. Genre Doctor–patient consultation Tenor One is taking on the role of doctor, asking questions and giving commands, and the other a patient, responding. The relationship is professional with some social distance reflecting status and infrequent contact. Field Tenor

8. Scenario 1 D:Good morning, Mr Jones. P:Morning, Doctor. D:How can I help? P:Well, I just got back from a school camp and I’ve been feeling pretty terrible since. D:Tell me more about that. P:I’ve been feverish and I’ve been vomiting and I’m a bit worried because several students who went to the camp have been diagnosed with hepatitis. D:Oh, I see. And have you had any other symptoms? P:Well, I’ve had diarrhoea. D:Okay, it could be hepatitis, so we’d better do some tests to be sure. Hop up on the bed and we’ll have a closer look at you. Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 8 Using the functional model of language Context of culture Context of situation Language Genre If we ask—How is the message being conveyed and how spoken or written is it?— we are identifying its mode. Field A doctor and her patient establishing the problem, the symptoms and possible action. Genre Doctor–patient consultation Tenor One is taking on the role of doctor, asking questions and giving commands, and the other a patient, responding. The relationship is professional with some social distance reflecting status and infrequent contact. Mode It is face-to-face, and is very spoken with some accompanying action.

9. Scenario 1 D:Good morning, Mr Jones. P:Morning, Doctor. D:How can I help? P:Well, I just got back from a school camp and I’ve been feeling pretty terrible since. D:Tell me more about that. P:I’ve been feverish and I’ve been vomiting and I’m a bit worried because several students who went to the camp have been diagnosed with hepatitis. D:Oh, I see. And have you had any other symptoms? P:Well, I’ve had diarrhoea. D:Okay, it could be hepatitis, so we’d better do some tests to be sure. Hop up on the bed and we’ll have a closer look at you. Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 9 Using the functional model of language Context of culture Context of situation Language Genre Any set of these three variables— field, tenor, and mode—is called the register. Field A doctor and her patient establishing the problem, the symptoms and possible action. Genre Doctor–patient consultation Tenor One is taking on the role of doctor, asking questions and giving commands, and the other a patient, responding. The relationship is professional with some social distance reflecting status and infrequent contact. Mode It is face-to-face, and is very spoken with some accompanying action. Register

10. Sample text for Scenario 3 Dear Parents and Caregivers I write to inform you that a number of students and one of the teachers, Ms Kahma, who attended the recent Grade 3 camp, have contracted hepatitis. Attached to this letter is a fact sheet from the Health Department regarding hepatitis. As it is a highly contagious virus, you are strongly advised to consult your family doctor if you or anyone in your family has been in contact with anybody who attended the camp. Ms Kahma will be absent from school for at least two months and Mr Bruno will be replacing her as class teacher of Class 3P. If you have any questions regarding any of the above, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the above number or email address. With kind regards The people involved in the incident (‘a number of [Grade 3] students’, ‘one of the teachers, Ms Kahma’) and those reacting to it (‘principal’, ‘parents’, ‘Health Department’, ‘family doctor’, ‘Ms Kahma’, ‘Mr Bruno’), the incident (‘attended the recent Grade 3 camp’, ‘have contracted hepatitis’), actions taken (‘I write … this letter’, ‘a fact sheet’, ‘absent from school for at least two months …’), an offer to be contacted (‘don’t hesitate …’). School–home communication following an incident: begins with address then salutations, then the incident, details about the health effects, implications for the school, and offer to clarify … One has the role of principal, of being in charge, informing and advising; the others of recipients who could take action (‘I write to inform you’, ‘consult your doctor’). The relationship is professional (‘with kind regards’) with significant social distance reflecting authority and the grave situation (‘strongly advised’). What is the genre? How does it unfold? What is the field of the text? What language choices show this? What is the tenor of the text? What language choices show this? What is the mode of the text? What language choices show this? Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 10 It is written on a letterhead as a stand-alone text (‘I write’, ‘this letter’, ‘any of the above’, ‘contact me …’).

11. Field Tenor Mode everyday concrete technical abstract formal impersonal informed informal personal novice most written generalised language constitutes the text most spoken ‘here-and-now’ language accompanying action We can see in the field continuum that we move from everyday and concrete fields to highly technical and abstract fields. In the tenor continuum, we move from contexts which are marked by informality to contexts which are marked by formality. In terms of mode, at one end we have texts that are highly spoken and accompanying action and, at the other end, we have texts that are highly written, where language constitutes the text. Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 11 Understanding the register continuum We have seen that the register is made up of three variables: the field, tenor and mode. In educational contexts, it is very helpful for us to see each of these variables along a continuum.

12. doctor–patient consultation email to friend principal’s letter insurance claim covering letter Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 12 Plotting texts on the register continuum

13. everyday concrete technical abstract formal impersonal informed informal personal novice most written generalised language constitutes the text most spoken ‘here-and-now’ language accompanying action doctor–patient consultation email to friend principal’s letter insurance claim covering letter Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 13 Plotting texts on the register continuum

14. We will now use the register continuum to plan what we teach and the order we teach it. Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 14 everyday concrete technical abstract formal impersonal informed informal personal novice most written generalised language constitutes the text most spoken ‘here-and-now’ language accompanying action Plotting texts on the register continuum

15. The teaching and learning cycle allows us to provide a scaffolding framework for students as they work through these activities to develop control of any given genre and its register. We can represent this diagrammatically in the following way. Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 15 technical/abstract formal/informedinformal/novice Field Tenor Mode everyday Register continuum writtenspoken Activities planned in a unit of work Setting the context Developing control

16. class talk talking about ‘arguments’ reporting to the class researching their arguments modelling and text deconstruction joint construction writing a discussion preparing to report to the class talking about texts Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 16 technical/abstract formal/informedinformal/novice Field Tenor Mode everyday Register continuum writtenspoken As we move through the teaching and learning cycle, we engage in a range of activities, each with its own set of registers. If these activities are to scaffold the students, then we need to ensure that the shift in register from one activity to the next is not too great. This shift will involve moving backwards and forwards, or ‘shunting’, across the register continuum. Activities planned in a unit of work Setting the context Developing control

17. class talk talking about ‘arguments’ reporting to the class researching their arguments modelling and text deconstruction joint construction writing a discussion preparing to report to the class talking about texts Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 17 technical/abstract formal/informedinformal/novice Field Tenor Mode everyday Register continuum writtenspoken Activities planned in a unit of work Setting the context Developing control Effective classrooms have been shown to have two broad levels of scaffolding: macro-scaffolding and micro-scaffolding. macro-scaffold micro-scaffold At the macro-level, we scaffold students through our choice of activities in a unit of work and through the careful sequencing of these activities. Macro-scaffolding requires that teachers: have clearly established goals identify the knowledge, skills and language demands of these goals know their students’ current level of understanding and what they may be able to contribute to the learning situation plan and carefully sequence tasks designed to develop the knowledge, skills and language required to achieve the goal.

18. Teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms Module 2 18 technical/abstract formal/informedinformal/novice Field Tenor Mode everyday Register continuum writtenspoken Activities planned in a unit of work Setting the context Developing control macro-scaffold At the micro-level, we scaffold students through our interactions with them at each step along the sequence. micro-scaffold The potential of these interactions to move students to new levels is optimised when they occur within a broader macro-scaffold, where the teacher has a clear goal in mind and an understanding of the language demands of that goal. This enables the teacher to recognise and seize opportunities within their interactions with students. While both levels of scaffolding are important and cannot be omitted, the main role of the macro-scaffold is to create opportunities for micro-level interactions. In this way we are scaffolding language and scaffolding learning.