Layering Technology and English into Secondary Teacher TrainingPaige Ware pware@smu.eduSouthern Methodist UniversityTESOL: March 18, 2011

Profile of the contextSecondary content-area teachers with limited experience teaching ELLsSemester-long Masters-level course focused on theory, research, and practice with ELL instructionNO OBLIGATION to use technology across coursework or in their schools“NO BRAINER” to use technology in the coursework and in their schoolsTherefore, technology was layered into the course: online mentoring of ELLs coupled with a case study

Which technologies?

Course management system (Blackboard)Creating and reflecting on typical ESL teaching tasks (cloze gap, visual supports, vocabulary review)Communicating weekly with ESL students in a middle school

Videos & TeacherTube:Creating model teaching videos for peer reviewCreating mentoring videos for communicating with studentsCreating content videos (one-minute vocabulary)

StorybirdJoint creation of stories using themed imagesNarrative genre and opportunity for vocabulary development

Profile of the secondary teachers

 I had little knowledge or experience working with ELL students, and this semester, both through the online mentoring as well as the supplemental research, really opened my eyes to the world of ELL education. All the activities during this online mentoring project gave the students opportunities to improve their English language and communication skills.  . . . In this paper, I describe this distinction between the two forums of Blackboard and Storybird and explore possible reasons for the differences by using explanations grounded in second language learning theory and research.

Profile of the ESL students

ESL 1: “I remember the man eathing bery fast your shous are of rabbit.”

ESL2: “The book was about a girl named Anastacia and the girl hade a green note book and in the notebook she writ all the staff that she likes and the staff that she geits. Like her teacher and the man from the front of the streat. That was what the book was about.”

Course Management System

Mirrors school use of technologyWeekly communicationPrivacyForum for mentoring the mentors

Case study: CMSSpanish teacher: The importance of structuring words and

or rhymes to permit pattern recognition by students gave me new insight on how to restructure each refrain. Repetitive words were omitted after the words were presented initially. This procedure would expose the language learner to the new word and then allow learning and association to occur as the second language learner repeats the previously stated words.”In the jungle, the mighty j_____The lion sleeps tonight.Wimoweh, _______, _______, ______________, _______, _______, _______

Case study: CMSScience Teacher: The cloze gap text also allowed

the educator to assess the student’s knowledge of vocabulary and content. For example, in the phrase, ‘trees of green’ the word green was omitted and the responses from the students was ‘good’ and ‘guele.’ This highlighted a phonological difference between Spanish and English pronunciation of ‘r’. . . . However Student G’s correct identification of ‘friends’ and ‘wonderful’ could also point to a greater phonological awareness is most likely tied to the fact that these are high frequency words.

Videos & TeacherTube

Case study: VideosSocial studies teacher: The one minute

vocabulary video, which required an introduction of a term that can be used across content areas, allowed me to take on the role of “teacher as communicator” (Fillmore and Snow, 2005, p. 50). Teacher as communicator is one who can structure their language for maximum clarity for their second language listener. The one-minute vocabulary video provides a venue for teachers to slow down their interaction and focus on how language may develop.

Case study: VideosSocial studies teacher: “The idea of opening with a

statement of environmental print was brought on by the thought that the brand name “Pace” has probably been seen by my mentees on the salsa bottle and could act as international vocabulary. This is vocabulary that is easily recognizable due to the global branding of commercial products (Lightbown & Spada, 2006). . . . I wanted students see the term and definition, hear it, and then see it acted out. As Lightbown and Spada suggested, such an integrated skills approach is the best way for acquiring new vocabulary.”

storybird.com

storybird.com

Case study: storybirdASL teacher: Sara definitely used a lot of

patterns in her writing, but like Richard-Amato and Snow (2005) suggest, utilizing language patterns helps develop automaticity which can free up cognitive space, allowing ELLs to notice other aspects of language.  For Sara, she was able to “notice” more descriptive writing in the context of Storybird, and “notice” different ways of representing material through images in PowerPoint.

Case study: storybirdSocial studies teacher: Furthermore, when

taking on the role as teacher as communicator (Snow & Wong Fillmore, 2005), I can use certain tools to lower my mentees’ affective filter as well as improving to improve their media literacy (Sylvester & Greenidge, 2009). One such tool is Storybird, an online collaborative storytelling activity where the mentor and mentee interface to create a story.

Conclusion: “They weren’t learning.”

Science teacher: Another benefit of this computer-aided approach may be learner enthusiasm. . . . Many of the students lack computer access at home and one can assume the ability to use a device such as a computer excited them. The learners had even noted that they loved working in the computer lab because ‘they weren’t learning’. Many of the learners viewed the exercises as just a way to communicate with another person, rather than an academic task with the pressure of grades.

Layering technology & English into teacher

training“Not learning” can clearly be “a good thing”Use technology to accomplish pedagogical tasks as an integrated processTeachers’ uptake of the “new” technologies was in large part due to a CALL professional’s understanding of which tools to use, for which purposes; like their ELL students, the teachers were likely “not learning” technology but using it for learning