5 th (VTTN) National ELT Conference Hanoi, 15-16 January 2009 An approach to classroom communication in primary school language teacher training Jean-Guy

5th (VTTN) National ELT Conference Hanoi, 15-16 January 2009

An approach to classroom communication in primary school language teacher training

Jean-Guy Trépanier

Teacher Trainer

Phu Yen University

WUSC Development Agent

A approach to classroom communication

in primary school language teacher training

Publishing House Pearson Education Canada

Building Capacity for Literacy Instruction

The quality of the classroom teacher, not the instructional program, is the primary variable in determining the effectiveness of a comprehensive

literacy framework. Dr. Frank Serafini

An approach to classroom communication


Non native language teachers need to … …possess at their finger tips or on the tip of their tongue; varied classroom language protocols in order to minimize the use of their native tongue for instructions and directives.

With the help of items from language arts and science, I believe the following applications might be useful: Linguistic Reformulations and Methodological

Rehearsals.



Of course, in an ideal world, my job as a trainer would be superfluous;

I would only need a wand!!!!! …and zap

…my students would master all the tricks of the trade…



1.Reformulations of both directives and contents

I believe that repetition plays a very important role in any foreign language

classroom.

“Practice makes perfect.”

“Có công să’t, có ngà nên kim.”

“C’est en forgeant qu’on devient forgeron.”



Recent research has shown the value of second language learner's use of repetition for conversational participation in language learning.

(Helena Prins, in Conquering Chinese English in the ESL Classroom)

Prins quotes Veslemoy (2005) as stating that repetition helps students produce more language, as well as facilitate formulating what to say next.

Repetition is a teaching strategy that can enhance participation, comprehension and feedback, and … I dare say can keep students awake sometimes!



Prins further cites Rydland & Aukrust (2005) who reinforce the practice ofechoing: one would correct the incomplete statement “I better now” by repeating the correct form, "I am better now", or, I would add, by having other students provide the right production.


in primary school language teacher training Patricia Duff, in her Repetition in Foreign

Language Classroom Interaction reports that

“Most current accounts -of the role of repetition in foreign language learning-acknowledge that it should be meaningful and relevant to the learners – a form of negotiations of messages and texts – and not merely (or entirely) a mechanical or rote parroting of structures that does not ultimately enhance students’ proficiency in the target language.” (Hall & Verplaetse, 2000, p. 110)



In my teacher training therefore, I take every appropriate opportunity to make my students repeat various linguistic expressions to develop their confidence in juggling commands and directives for their future daily English activities.



After 10 years in Vietnam, I still find too many of my students, even in 2nd Year English, who struggle with understanding simple commands like

Open (close) your (note)book.

Listen carefully.

Repeat after me.

Answer her (his) question.

Please read page 2.

Turn off your cell phone!!!!

(not to mention talking telegraphic, but I will address the issue of missing links and phonics later)



With patience and sometimes drama, I repeat and vary the instructions with body language support:

Write this down in your notebook.

I want you to write this down in your notebook.

Can you write this down in your notebook.



In practicing commands and orders given to pupils and students, one has to exercise cultural sensitivity and generational propos. It might be proper or suitable to call on students to follow simple commands such as

Read the first 2 sentences on page 34.

Zip up your jacket.

Take off your left shoe.



In his activity Acting out commands, Dave of the famous ESL Cafe mentions that at first his students were leery of doing these "dumb" things, but they later loved it because they could tell each other to do outrageous things such as crawling on the floor, eating Suzie's chips, etc.

I am not sure what extreme our Vietnamese teachers can reach, so this is to be adapted for the learning environment.



So, the following interactive activities will illustrate what I mean by reformulations of commands and contents

but this is nothing revolutionary, really

and I take the position that they are applicable to both student teachers and language students.



In order to involve the greatest number of locators, I drill students in

Indirect Commanding and

Question Asking:

(T = teacher; StA = student A;

StB = student B; StC = student C)



1.1. Indirect Commanding

T: StA, tell StB to read page 2.

StA: StB, (please) read page 2.

<creative students could say>

StB, can you read page 2?

My instructions could evolve to more complex structures by modeling on the board for example the necessary transformations:

T: StA, tell StB that I want him/her to read page 2.

StA: StB, T wants you to read page 2.



1.2. Indirect Question Asking

This task involves verb transformations and pronoun changes and is divided into two:

• 1.2.1. the Yes/No questions with if (or whether),

• 1.2.2. the wh- open questions



1.2.1. The Yes/No questions with if (or whether)

T: StA, ask StB if he/she ate breakfast this morning.

StA: StB, did you eat breakfast this morning?

StB: Yes, I did. (I had bánh mì opla)

T: StA, ask StB whether there was a storm yesterday.

StA: G(StB), was there a storm yesterday?

StB: No, there wasn’t / I don’t think there was.



1.2.2. The wh- open questions (1)

T: StA, ask StB what he/she ate for breakfast this morning.

StA: StB, what did you eat for breakfast this morning?

StB: Well, I ate (had) cereals and milk.




T: StA, ask StB how many beers he/she drank at the party last night.

StA: StB, how many beers did you drink last night at the party?

StB: I drank only 2 beers.

T: So, StC, do you think StB got drunk?

StC: I don’t know.

T to StC: Ask him/her.

StC to StB: Did you get drunk?

StB: None of your business. or

Of course not!




T to StA, talking about StB: Ask her why she looks so tired.

StA to StB: Why do you look so tired?

StB: Because I studied late last night.

(I will address the phonetic correction of endings like looks and because below.)



For more examples of indirect questions, see the article Indirect Questions in English by Francis Lide, in the Elaine Bacon Literacy Program, on the following website

www.esl-houghton.org/teachmater/Indirectquestions.doc



Sections 1.3 to 1.8 below are borrowed from the following site

http://free-english-study.com/speaking/conversation-starters.html

They are presented here as mini packages from which I instruct my student teachers to become conversant in 2 or 3 of each set. The emphasis is placed on developing automatisms so that the key words are well assimilated as well as the “small words” (articles, prepositions, …)



1.3. Asking for Instructions (1)

Lesson: Healthy Living, Grade 4, Socials, Science

How do you keep healthy?

How do I keep (stay) healthy?

What is the best way to stay healthy?



1.3. Asking for Instructions (2)

Lesson: Saving Energy at Home, Grade 3-4, Socials, Science

How do I go about it?

What do you suggest?

How do you suggest I proceed?

What is the first step?



1.4. Giving Instructions

Lesson: World Population, Grade 6,

ESL, Socials/Geography, IT

Let us consider a geography lesson for which you would set the following objectives:

Students will be able to use an appropriate reference, to define the notions of life expectancy, infant mortality, birth rate and death rate, to locate 2 countries on a world map and to compare them.



1.4.1. Sequencing (a general view)

First (First of all) (To begin with), you open your reference book (or you access internet).

Second (Then) (Next), you look up the following terms: infant mortality, life expectancy, birth rate, death rate, for two selected countries.

Third (Then) (Later), you research statistical information to complete Table x on your worksheet.

Last (Finally) (In the end), you compare the data of the chosen countries.



1.4.2. Sequencing (a more detailed view) Starting outBefore you begin, you should have your

reference book (or you should turn on your computer)

The first thing you do is open your reference book.

I would start by opening my book on page x.

The best place to begin is on page x of your reference book To begin with, we need our reference book.



1.4.2. Sequencing (a more detailed view) ContinuingAfter that,The next step is to . . .The next thing you do is . . .Once you've done that, then . . .When you finish that, then . . .



1.4.2. Sequencing (a more detailed view)

Finishing

The last step is . . .The last thing you do is . . .In the end,When you've finished,When you've completed all the

steps,



1.5. Commenting

Lesson: Language Arts: Discussion on Road Safety, Grade 6

1.5.1. If you would like to make a comment or insert a remark in an ongoing conversation, it is polite to acknowledge what someone has just said before stating your own ideas:

That's interesting. I think that we need more traffic police officers.

Interesting point. I would add that there are not enough traffic lights.

Hmmm. I hadn't thought of that before.



1.5. Commenting


1.5.2. Questions can also be a useful way of bringing new ideas into a conversation:

What do you think about heavier fines?

Have you considered taking away driver’s licences?

What about banning cars?



1.5. Commenting


1.5.3. Sometimes a more direct approach is appropriate:

Can I add something here?

(Do you) mind if I interject something here?



1.6. Expressions for Descriptions

Lesson: My Favorite Object

1.6.1 Sentences:

It is round.

This is something useful.

It's something that you need everyday.

You can bend it.

You can jump with it.

You can use it to talk.

It is used for singing.

You need it for riding.

You need/use it when it’s raining

If you want/need to …, then you can …



1.6. Expressions for Descriptions

Lesson: My Favorite Object

1.6.2 Questions:

Is it from Vietnam (or a game) ?

What do you do with it?

What is it made of?

What is it used for?

What's the difference between A and B?



1.7. Discussion Techniques

Lesson: Expressing Opinions pro-con

“I can wear what I want.”

Of course the idea here, as for the preceding expressions, is for the trainees to playact mini lessons to be rehearsed in

(fun) sketches.

(see below section 2.)





1.7.1. Opening a discussion

To begin with,

We need to discuss (determine,find out) …

Let's start by looking at what the young wear.

We'll start by (V ing)

The problem (issue,question) here is …

The important thing (here) is comfort.

The main thing we need to discuss is …

Let's look at the cost of uniforms.

It looks like fashion rules the world.

It appears that people are gullible!





1.7.2. Asking for input

What do you think?

How about you?

How do you feel about that?

Any ideas on that?





1.7.3. Responding

(That sounds like a) good idea.

Sounds good.

The problem with that is . . .

That raises (brings up) the issue of relativity!



1.8. Paraphrasing(1)

Nguyen Quoc Hung (2005) has emphasized

Recast and Paraphrasing

as part of What to train in his Teaching English to Young Learners: the challenge

of training Primary English Teacher.



1.8. Paraphrasing(2) Being an informed language IT savvy teacher, curious about paraphrasing, I went to http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/paraphterm.htm

and I found this quote: “In the famous sketch from the TV show 'Monty Python's Flying Circus,' the actor John Cleese had many ways of saying a parrot was dead, among them,

This parrot is no more,

He's expired and gone to meet his maker,

His metabolic processes are now history.

http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/paraphterm.htm

http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/paraphterm.htm



1.8. Paraphrasing(3) Let’s take a lesson from the B.C. Grade 2 Science

curriculum

http://www.scholastic.ca/education/science_place/grade1_bc.html

What Happens When You Mix Solids and Liquids

Objectives: pupils will be able to distinguish between a solution, a suspension and a mechanical mixture, to record observations and measurements.






Paraphrasing the following statement “If salt and water blend so well together that one appears to disappear in the other, they form a solution.” involves restating someone else's ideas in your own words.



1.8. Paraphrasing(5) There are several phrases that can be used to introduce paraphrasing:

So, the salt is gone? We have one kind of liquid.

In other words, the water has dissolved the salt and we have a solution.

I understand. You're saying that the water has melted the salt and the result is a solution.

Oh. I see. You want to say that it’s a perfect mix!




I get it. You mean we can’t see the salt but it’s there in that solution.

So, what you mean is that when the salt disappears in the water, it’s a solution.

Let me see if I understand you correctly, the salt is still there, the water is salty now.

What I think you're saying is that because it’s a solution, we can’t see the salt.

If I'm hearing you correctly the water has drunk the salt !!!




Rephrasing implies a certain familiarity with structural and lexical transformations such as

passive <> active,

noun <> verb,

gerund <> verb,

adverb <> adjective …



1.8. Paraphrasing(8)From the study of matter

Most solutions are made by dissolving a solid in a liquid.

When you dissolve a solid in a liquid, you make a solution.

When a solid is dissolved by a liquid, we get a solution.

I see, you’re saying that a solid can disappear in a liquid, right?



1.8. Paraphrasing(9)From the study of matter

Adding heat to a salt-water solution evaporates the water, leaving the salt behind.

By evaporation, you can separate a salt-water solution and you are left with salt. Where is the water?




From Language Arts:

Working with the pair to have <> to be helps develop automatisms between pronouns and possessive adjectives:

His nose is very short.

He has a very short nose.

What about: The shortness of his nose made him very attractive!!!!!?




From Language Arts:

noun <> verb, adverb <> adjective

This country is developing rapidly.

This country is undergoing a rapid development.



1.8. Paraphrasing(12) For further enlightenment on Rephrasing, read in Annex A. three relevant sections of Differentiated Instruction, Reaching All our Students (Supporting Beginning Teachers) by Greg McLeod (2005) from the site http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/asit/standards/btstart/BTDiff.pdf

http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/asit/standards/btstart/BTDiff.pdf





In another forum, it would be interesting to look at Comparative

Stylistics to emphasize the morphological formation

(inflections) of words in Indo-European languages versus the

use of particles in Asian languages like Vietnamese.


in primary school language teacher training đẹp “beautiful” > cá đẹp “beauty”

hôn “to kiss” > nụ hôn “a kiss”

gió “be windy” > con gió “the wind”

vui “joyful” > niềm vui “joy”

buổn “sad” > nỗi buổn “sadness”

học hành “to learn” > việc học hành “learning”

sống “to live” > sủ Gsống “life”

kháng chiến “to resist” > cuộc kháng chiến “resistance”



2. Methodological rehearsals(1) Although not a drama teacher, I do not hesitate to plunge my student teachers or teachers in training into the deep end of role-playing. I assume the role of director and make them rehearse various scenarios of mini lessons on adjectives use, nursery rhymes, question asking for directions in town, etc.



2. Methodological rehearsals(2)My objective is to make them able to practice some tasks for meaningful interaction with their classmates, trying all the time to integrate subjects in language arts, math, science. “A language learning task is an activity that has a non-linguistic purpose or goal with a clear outcome and that uses any or all of the four language skills in its accomplishment by conveying meaning in a way that reflects real-world language use.” (Shehadeh, 2005, pp. 18-19)



2. Methodological rehearsals(3)

Zooming in on tasks

After having presented and/or while presenting some methodological principles on learner-centered activities (e.g. Blooming Smarts: the combination of Bloom’s Higher-Order Thinking and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences), I offer pedagogical procedures aimed at giving practical guidance for classroom work.




Zooming in on tasks

Part of my training is devoted to internet searches with keywords such as lesson plans. One useful website is the Educator’s Reference Desk http://www.eduref.org/ with for example the lesson plan of The sounds of –ea-, complete with a notable PPT (see Annex B.) Here are a few slides.

The Soundsof “EA”

Created by Grace [email protected]

.

ea

It is a pleasure to tease you!

So ha, ha, ha, on you!

Which EA word doesn’t belong?

real scream

aheadeager



2. Methodological rehearsals(5)Zooming in on tasks

Another impressive site is www.teachersdomain.org/ with lesson plans across the curriculum such as Intercepting Villains Using the Correct Rate. (a Math problem to beat the Wicked Witch at Halloween time!!!)

(and nursery rhymes on www.youtube.com)

http://www.youtube.com/




Zooming in on tasks

…theoretical or empirical research

learning through tasks

reading on activities conducive to good language learning,

Task-Based Language Teaching (see articles in Doughty & Long, 2003),

Enhancing automaticity through task-based language learning (De Ridder, Vangehuchten & Gómez, 2007).




Zooming in on tasks

But more importantly, I exploit guiding materials from various Publishing Houses such as Scholastic and Nelson. A short excerpt from the DVD Teaching Literacy Strategies with Nelson Literacy (Nelson Education Ltd, 2009) will illustrate the instruction of Think Aloud for Reading I require my student teachers to rehearse in class. -short showing-




Reading and writing are the opposite faces of the same process (use a 20,000 VD bill)

Question asking for thinking aloud

Any illustrated story (even in Vietnamese) can be used to develop the 4 skills

(read 4-14 times)




Knuffle Bunny, a cautionary tale by Mo Williams, (Hyperlon Books for Children, New York, 2004).

Summary: “Trixie, Daddy and Knuffle Bunny take a trip to the neighbourhood Laundromat. But the exciting adventure takes a dramatic turn when Trixie realizes somebunny has been left behind …”



2. Methodological rehearsals(10) Zooming in on tasks Modeling the use of a

picture book:Teacher’s introduction:

Today, we are going to read the story of Trixie.

Here is Trixie and this is her Bunny. (front cover)

Now,( of course,) Trixie has a daddy and a mommy. (first page)



2. Methodological rehearsals(11) Zooming in on tasks

Modeling the use of a picture book:

Teacher’s question asking and instructions for repetition:

(Going back to front cover, showing the little girl)

So, who’s this?

( T. asks for chorus repetition) This is Trixie. ……




Modeling the use of a picture book:Teacher’s modeling of reading and thinking aloud

Q: (showing the page where Trixie realizes something bad, using the Think Aloud cutout)

Why do you think she’s not happy here?

R: She does not have her bunny. / She lost (forgot) her bunny.




Modeling the use of a picture book:

Teacher’s modeling of phonetic correction

Q: Do you think Trixie likes her Bunny?

R: Yeah, she does / likes it / her bunny. (so much, now she can speak!)




Modeling the use of a picture book:Teacher’s modeling of phonetic correction

I particularly dramatize the articulation of word endings: a lot of work is required to change the phonetic behavior of our Vietnamese students who too often drop the /z/ sound of because and the /s/ of likes. I use some of the tricks from Feeling Phonics, www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9KIEBr7gwA for example, the support of a final schwa /ə/ for students to pronounce an extra syllable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9KIEBr7gwA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9KIEBr7gwA




Modeling the use of a picture book:Teacher’s modeling of phonetic correction

With regard to the difficulty of producing the /ks/ sound, I do not hesitate to approximate Trixie to bàc sĩ (“doctor”). Using the technique from Feeling Phonics above, I also emphasize the linking of /laɪks/ - /ɪt/ by dissecting from /laɪ/ /ksɪ/ /tə/ to /laɪksɪt/




Modeling the use of a picture book:Teacher’s instructions for writing

When finished reading, Ok, now, take your worksheet and crayons. Make a drawing of Trixie and her bunny and write their names.

Then elicit the writing of simple sentences with verbs of action, narrating the story, identifying the problem, etc.

…and what’s left is assessment and closure…



Conclusion

In order to develop natural linguistic reflexes in using the target language for the teaching of foreign languages in Vietnam (therefore minimizing the use of Vietnamese to convey meaning), I firmly believe that more time should be spent in training our future teachers in the achievement of simple language tasks to be repeated, reiterated, automated …

By rehearsing the reformulation of directives and contents, our future teachers will develop a greater confidence in speaking more freely, limit senseless rote learning and pride themselves with effective teaching for better learning.

Documents

5 th (VTTN) National ELT Conference Hanoi, 15-16 January 2009 An approach to classroom communication in primary school language teacher training Jean-Guy