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TAKINGITTOTASKThenewsletteroftheJALTtask-basedlanguageteachingSIG.Volume2Issue2–December2017

CONTENTS

Pg.2.Editorial/Announcements

Pg.3.ConferencereportonJALTTBLSIGMini-Conference:TasksinPracticebyMichaelLin(KobeShoin,Konan,andKonanWomen’sUniversity)

Pg.6.LessonPlan:CommunicationStrategiesbyCharlesBell(UniversityofEastAsia)

Pg.12.LessonPlan:TheBookMakingProjectbyRanNiboshi(KwanseiGakuinUniversity)

SIGINFORMATION

Coordinator: JustinHarris

Treasurer: KymJolley

ProgramChair: PaulLeeming

PublicationsChair: ShokoSasayama

MembershipChair: JohnThurman

PRChair NicholasMarx

Webmaster AericWong

MembersatLarge: MarkDonnellan,BrentCotsworth

Forpublicationsandconferencequeries,contactusat:tbltinasia@gmail.com.Foreverythingelse,contactusattbl@jalt.org

www.tblsig.org

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EDITORIALWelcometooursecondissueofthesecondvolumeofTakingittoTask!From2016wehavedecidedtochangeourregularpublicationtoadigitalnewletterformat.WehopetobeabletoacceptagreatervarietyofsubmissionsthanwedidwithOnTask,whichwillstillincludetheoreticalarticlesandpracticallessonplansthatweretheheartofOnTask,butalsoopinion/thinkpieces,bookreviewsandTBLT-relatednews.

Inthissecondissueofthesecondvolume,wearepleasedtoincludeareportonourmini-conferencebyMichaelLin(KobeShoin,Konan,andKonanWomen’sUniversity)aswellastwolessonplans,onebyCharlesBell(UniversityofEastAsia)andtheotherbyRanNiboshi(KwanseiGakuinUniversity).

TheTBLTSIGmini-conferencetookplaceinJuly,anditconsistedofaworkshopbyDr.LourdesOrtegaandfiveposterpresentations.Thereportwellsummarizesthehighlightsofthemini-conference.Wetrulyhopethatyouwillenjoyreadingthereportandthatitmightalsostimulateyourappetitetoattendourbiennialconferencein2018!

ThefirstlessonplanbyCharlesBellintroducesaninterestingtasktoraisestudents’awarenessofdifferentcommunicationstrategies.Inparticular,thetargetstrategiesallowL2learnerstoseekhelpwhentheydonotknowhowtosaysomethinginEnglish.ThesecondlessonplanbyRanNiboshicentersaroundtheideaofabookmakingproject.Inthislessonplan,shenicelylaysoutthestepstoimplementtheprojectandprovidesinsightsintotheuseofthistask-basedprojectbasedonclassobservation.

Wehopethatyouenjoyreadingthisissue,andifyouhaveaTBLT-relatedarticle,lessonplan,bookrevieworopinion/thinkpiecethatyouwouldliketosubmitforconsiderationinafutureissueofTakingittoTask,pleasecontactusattbltinasia@gmail.com

ShokoSasayama,PublicationsChair KurtisMcDonald,AssociateEditor

ANNOUNCEMENTS

JALTTBLSIGBiennial“TBLTinAsia”ConferenceinJune,2018

Wearepleasedtoannouncethatourbiennial“TBLTinAsia”ConferencewillbeheldatRyukokuUniversity,KyotoonJune23rdand24th,2018.Thisconferencefeaturestwoplenaryspeakers:HayoReinders(Unitec,NZ,AnaheimUniversity,USA)andNatsukoShintani(KobeGakuinUniversity).Weacceptthreetypesofpresentations:apaper(25mins),aworkshop(40mins),andapostersession.Areasofinterestincludebutarenotlimitedto:(a)thecompatibilityofTBLTinAsia,(b)languageteacherprofessionaldevelopmentandTBLT,(c)theevaluationofTBLTinclassrooms,and(d)TBLTandCALL.Thepastthreeconferencesofferedalotoffoodforthoughtandprovidedanidealplatformtoexpandnetworks.CallforpapersisopenuntilMarch15th,2018,andwehighlyrecommendyouconsiderputtinginaproposal!Formoreinformation,pleasevisitourspecialconferencewebsiteathttps://tblsig.org/conf/

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REPORTONJALTTBLSIGMINI-CONFERENCE:TASKSINPRACTICETheJALTTask-BasedLanguageTeachingMini-Conference:‘TasksinPractice’,heldonSaturday,July29th,2017atTUJ(TempleUniversityJapan)OsakaCenter,between1:30pmto5:00pmwasawell-attendedminiconferencehostedbytheJALTTask-BasedLearningSIG.TheafternoonstartedwithanhoursessionofposterpresentationscoveringarangeofpracticalideasapplyingtoTBLT(Tasked-BasedLanguageTeaching).Theywerefollowedbyalectureandfacilitatedworkshopon“TasksinPractice”byDr.LourdesOrtegawhogavetheaudiencethought-provokingandpracticaltrainingonhowtobecomebettertaskbasedlanguage(TBL)teachers.Inthisconferencereport,theauthorwillreportonfiveposterpresentationssharedandhighlightlessonslearnedfromDr.Ortega’spresentation.

POSTERPRESENTATIONSREPORTTheposterpresentationsessiontookplaceatthebeginningofthemini-conferenceandlastedanhourwithfiveposterpresentationspresentedsimultaneously.Attendeescouldlisten,askquestions,andinteractwiththepresenters.

DavidFaulhaberfromKandaUniversityofInternationalStudiesgaveaposterpresentationentitled“TheTextIStheContext:SuspendingDisbeliefintheTBLClassroomwithSMSMessaging.”HerevealedafascinatingtaskinwhichstudentsatKandaUniversityofInternationalStudiesengagedinasimulatedSMS(ShortMessageService)textingactivityplanningadayoutwitha“visitingforeignexchangestudent”.Usinganapp,thestudentssuccessfullyparticipatedinthismeaning-orientedtask,whilesimultaneouslyfocusingattentiononadverbialparticiplessuchasboredversusboring.

GretchenClarkfromRitsumeikanUniversitypresented“Project-BasedLearningintheUniversityBusinessEnglishClassroom.”HerprojectwasacombinationofaPBL(projectbasedlearning)andTBLapproachutilizedbysecond-andthird-yearupper-intermediateinternationalbusinesscoursestudents.ThePBLapproachemphasizedthataprojectshouldpossessameaningfulproblemorquestiontosolve.Herstudentsweretaskedwithpresentingareal-lifecompanythatembodiedthecharacteristicsofanidealworkplace.Clarkhighlightedseveralstepsthatmadethetaskeffective:pre-taskpriming,discussion,modelingofthetask,researchbystudents,studentpresentations,andatimeforfeedbackandreflectivelearning.

KazumiArakifromSaitamaPrefecturalUniversitypresented“Task-basedlearning;alinkbetweenJapanesetraditionaleducationandcurrentforeignlanguageeducation.”ArakiexplainedthesimilaritiesbetweenTBLandJapanesetraditionaleducation,“GojyuKyoiku”andstressedhowbothcouldbeusedtofacilitateEnglishlanguagelearning.(GojyuKyoikuistraditionalJapaneseeducationinwhichJapanesechildrenlearnedbyfindingtheirownplacetostudy,foundtheirownteachers,andreportedstoriesorallyonwhattheyhadlearned).UsingaTBLapproachwithalinktoGojyuKyoiku,Arakihadstudentsformgroupsandtaskedthemtomakeavideoclipornewspaperreportinterviewingsomebodyfromtheircommunity.

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NicholasD.Marx,agraduatestudentattheUniversityCollegeLondon,sharedhisresearchonthe“EffectsofOralCommunicativeTaskComplexityonForeignLanguageClassroomAnxiety.”Seventy-sevenJapanesejuniorhighschoolstudentsstudyingcompulsoryEnglishclassesparticipatedinthestudyinwhichthreelanguageactivitieswerecompared:areadingtask,asimpleoralcommunicativeactivity,andacomplexoralcommunicativeactivity.Theresultsofthestudyshowedthattaskcomplexityaffectsoverallclassroomanxietylevelswiththesimplegroupshowingdecreasedlevelsofoverallanxietyandthecomplexgroupshowingslightlyhigherpost-testanxiety.Whiletaskcomplexitycouldenhancestudentperformance,Marxrecommendedthatteacherscreatesuitablewaystointroducecomplexityintolessons.

ThomasStringerfromKonanUniversitypresentedon,“GlobalTopicsProjectOutline:Energy.”Stringerdescribedataskinwhichadvancedhighschoolstudentscollaborativelyengagedonaglobalissue(e.g.,“Japanshouldswitchto100%renewableenergyby2030”)andmadeapresentation.Themaintaskconsistedof4mini-tasks:pre-taskreadingofalevel-appropriatearticleandfocusedtargetlanguage,pre-taskresearchandpreparationforgroupposterpresentationsandQ&Asessions,performance,andafinallessonreflectingandrevisingthepresentationforimprovement.Stringerachievedhisgoalofenablinghisstudentsinbecomingmoreproficientatthinkingandtalkingaboutglobalissues.Ifthereaderisinterestedinlearningmoreaboutthetaskshedesigned,pleaserefertotheJuneissueofTakingittoTask2017.

LOURDESORTEGA–TASKSINPRACTICEREPORTThe“TasksinPractice”presentationbyLourdesOrtegawasbothapresentationandaworkshoponTBLTthatlasted1hourand45minutes.OrtegafacilitatedherpresentationanddiscussiontimeinacollaborativestylethathelpedheraudiencegainknowledgeofTBLTandincreaseskillinpracticingTBLT.ThemaingoalofOrtega’spresentationwastoexploreimportantandvexingquestionsabouttasks.

Ortega’sfirsttopicwas,“Howcanwetellataskwhenweseeit?Whatisthe‘signature’ofaverygoodtask?”Duringdiscussiontime,agoodtaskwasdescribedasrequiringstudentinput,havinggoalsandanoutcome,usinglanguagefrompreviousexposures,relevancy,fun,realness,familiarity,intuition,andflexibilityforambiguity.Ortegaexemplifiedhowtomakeanordinaryinformation-gaptaskinwhicheachstudentisgivenadifferentmapofazoowithincompleteanimals,cages,andlandmarksintosomethingmoremeaningful.Oneideawastoaddanotherlayertothetaskandaskthestudentstoreachconsensusonthelocationofnewanimals(VanDenBranden,2009).Ortegaemphasizedthatagoodtaskprovidesopportunitieswherestudentscansurpriseoneanotherorexperiencesurprise(Willis,1998).

ThesecondtopicthatOrtegaexploredwas:“Whatarethecharacteristicsinyou(theteacher)and/oryourprofessionalenvironmentthatmadeyouintoafanandexpertinTBL?”TeacherswhothrivedusingaTBLTapproachhadapropensityforcreativity,wereoptimistic,non-traditional,hadpositiveparentalcharacteristics,andhadastrongdesireforauthenticityandhonesty.Aflexiblelearningenvironment

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andenvironmentinwhichassessmentwasnotjustlimitedtogrammaracquisitionwasviewedbytheaudienceasbeneficial.OrtegaraisedinterestingreservationsandcriticismsofTBLTandcontrastedthosereservationsandcriticismstoAsianEFLrealitiesandTBLTideals.Ortega’sslidesinthispartofherpresentationwereespeciallystimulatingduetoitsrelevance.

TheworkshopconcludedwithOrtegaleadingonefinaldiscussiononhowlanguageinstructorscouldhelpstudentswhodonotintendtolearnoruseEnglish.OrtegaopinedthatteachersshouldmorefrequentlyconductneedsanalysesoftheirstudentstohelpidentifyneedsorpurposesforlearningEnglish.

CONCLUSIONTheJALTTask-BasedLanguageTeachingMini-Conference:‘TasksinPractice’wasamini-conferenceinwhichmanyESL/EFLlanguageteacherscouldlearnmoreabouttasksintheclassroom,shareideas,andconnectwithoneanother.Themini-conferenceattendanceshowedatremendousamountofdesireandsinceritybylanguageinstructorstolearnmoreaboutTBLTandsharpentheirpracticeofTBLTinlocalESL/EFLcontexts.Ortegaansweredthecallbyprovidingawealthofeducationalinformationandleavingamemorableimpressionwithherinteractiveandpracticalstyle.Allthepresentersoftheposterpresentationslefttheirmarkbypresentingwithpassionandcreativity.AsthefutureofTBLTcontinuestogrow,itwillbebeneficialfortheJALTTask-BasedLearningSIGtocontinueorganizingmini-conferences.

ABOUTTHEAUTHORMichaelLinisapart-timeadjunctEnglishinstructorfromLosAngeles,CAatKobeShoin,Konan,andKonanWomen’sUniversity.HehasbeenteachingESL/EFLintheKansaiareasince2011.HisresearchinterestsincludeTBLT,vocabularyacquisition,contentbasedinstruction,teacherandstudentmotivation,andself-accesslearning.

REFERENCESVandenBranden,K.(2009).Mediatingbetweenpredeterminedorderandchaos:Theroleofthe

teacherintask-basedlanguageeducation.InternationalJournalofAppliedLinguistics,19,264-285.doi:10.1111/j.1473-4192.2009.00241.x

Willis,J.(1998).Task-basedlearning:Whatkindofadventure?TheLanguageTeacher,22(7).

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LESSONPLANS

CommunicationStrategiesCharlesBell–UniversityofEastAsia

- Keywords:Communicationstrategies- Level:Lower-intermediateandabove- Age:HighSchool,University- Preparationtime:15minutes- Activitytime:60-80minutes- Materials:Tasksheets(seeAppendices)

INTRODUCTIONInthistask,studentsareaskedtodiscussanumberofdifferentcommunicationstrategiesthattheycanuseinconversationwhentheyfindagapintheirlinguisticknowledge.ThestrategiesdescribedinthetaskarebasedonDörnyei’s(1995)workontheteachabilityofcommunicationstrategies.Thistaskisanawarenessraisingactivity,encouragingstudentstothinkcriticallyabouttheeffectivenessofdifferentcommunicationstrategies,aswellashowtoavoidresortingtousingL1(firstlanguage)inclass.Providedthestudentshavelearnthowtodoso,thetaskalsogivesstudentsanopportunitytopracticevariouscommunicativefunctionssuchasaskingforandgivingopinions,agreeinganddisagreeing,andjustifyingdecisions.Thepost-taskcanbeafunwaytopersonaliseandexperimentwiththeEnglishlanguage.

PRE-TASK1Beforegivingthestudentsthetasksheets,puttheminpairsorsmallgroupsandaskthemtomakealistofthedifferentwaysthattheydealwithcommunicativeproblemsinsideandoutsidetheclassroominEnglish.Beforgiving,thetechnicallanguageusedtodiscussthisisquitedifficult,soallowthestudenttodiscussinL1iftheirlevelislow.Inalongerclass(80mins+),studentscouldbeaskedtopresenttheseideasinEnglishwiththehelpofdictionaries,andotherelectronicresources(mobilephones)ifavailable,orwiththeteacher’sassistance.Inshorterlessons,youcouldaskoneortwovolunteersfortheirideas,inEnglishiftheyhavetheresources,orinJapaneseifitismoreconducivetoyourteachingstyle,andwritetheseideasinEnglishontheboard.InclassesIhavetaught,evenlowerlevelstudentshavecomeupwith‘asktheteacher’,‘explain’,and‘speakJapanese’aspotentialsolutions.

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PRE-TASK2Handoutthetasksheets.Eitherindividuallyorinpairs,askthestudentstomatchtheeightcommunicationstrategiesontheleft-handsidewiththemostappropriatetargetlanguageitemontheright-handsidebydrawingalinebetweenthetwo(seeAppendixA).Ifnecessary,demonstratethisbyelicitingthetargetitemforthefirststrategyfromtheclassanddrawingalineonthetasksheet.Afterthestudentshavecompletedtheexercise,elicittheanswersandputthemontheboard.Strategiesnumber3and5maycausesomeconfusion,butthisisactuallyconducivetothemaintask.Studentswillhopefullyrealisethatgivingupandusingvaguelanguagearenotthemosteffectivestrategies.

MAINTASKAsagroup,studentshavetoratethecommunicationstrategiesfromthepre-taskbyperceivedusefulnessonascaleof1(veryuseful)to5(notuseful)iftheyweretalkingtoanEnglishspeakerwhodoesnotspeakJapanese.Makesurethatthestudentsprovidereasonsforeachoftheirdecisions.AtablefortheirideasisprovidedintheAppendixB.Topromotemorediscussion,letthestudentsdecidetheirratingsandreasonsindividuallybeforethegroupdiscussion.

PRESENTGetthegroupstopresenttheirresultstotheclass.Inashorterclassyoucouldaskstudentstoonlytalkaboutthebestandworststrategiesandwhy.Inalongerclass,studentscanbeaskedtopresenttheirratingsandreasonsforeachoftheeightstrategies.Inlargerclasses(30+students)thiscantakeupalotoftime,soitmightbeagoodideatosplittheclassinhalfandgetgroupstopresenttheirresultstotheirrespectivehalf.Tomakesurethattheotherstudentsarepayingattentionduringthepresentations,askthemtomakeanoteoftheothergroups’ratings.Thisinformationcanbeusedtofindouttheoverallhighestrankedstrategiesintheclass.

POST-TASKInpairs,getthestudentstopracticeusingthedifferentcommunicationstrategiestoexplainthepicturesinthepost-tasksectionofthetasksheet(seeAppendixC).Thiscanbedonelikeagame,whereforeachcorrectguessthestudentexplainingthewordgetsonepoint.Tellthestudentstoavoidusingstrategy8(useofL1).Forstrategy1(askforhelp),getthestudentstocallyouoverandtheycanaskyouforhelp.ThepicturesweredeliberatelychosensothatthestudentswillnotknowallofthewordsinEnglish,hopefullygivingthemabitofextramotivationtoparticipateinthetask.Thestudentswillprobablybequiteeagertoknowtherealanswers,whichyoucantellthemaftertheyhavefinishedthetask.Alternatively,ifthereismoretimeavailableyoucouldhavestudentsmaketheirownlistofwordsfortheirpartnertoguess.Uponcompletionthestudentsshouldhaveabetterunderstandingofwhich

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strategiesworkbest.Makeanoteofanygoodorparticularlyinterestingstrategiesthatthestudentsusetosharewiththewholeclassafterthetask.Oneexampleofmakingawordthatoftenpopsupis‘firemountain’forvolcano,aperfectexampleofhowtherightcommunicationstrategycanworkalmostaswellasusingthecorrectterm.

Frommyownexperiencethislessonisagreatwaytoraisethestudents’awarenessaboutthedifferentwaystheycanovercomegapsintheirlinguisticknowledge,sometheymayknowaboutandusealready,sometheymayhaveevenusedintheirL1aschildren.Italsohelpsthestudentstorealisethattheirintendedmeaningcanstillbecomprehendedfromaninaccurateutterance.Ifyouhaveanyopinionsonhowthislessoncanbeadaptedorimproved,Iwouldbeverywillingtohearyouropinions.

ABOUTTHEAUTHORCharlesBellteachesattheUniversityofEastAsiainYamaguchi,Japan.HeiscompletinganMAinTESOLwiththeUniversityofBirmingham,UK.Hiscurrentareasofinterestincludeauthenticlistening,increasingstudents’willingnesstocommunicateinEnglish,anddevelopingonlinematerialsforblendedtask-basedlearning.

REFERENCES

Dörnyei,Z.(1995).Ontheteachabilityofcommunicationstrategies.TESOLQuarterly,29,55-85.

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Appendix A: Pre-task

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Solutions 1) a unicycle 5) any of the target items

2) a hedgehog 6) a rowing boat

3) any of the target items 7) a saw

4) elbow 8) a snowman

Appendix B: Main Task

Strategy Type Rating ( 1 〜 5) Reasons

1) ask for help

2) make a new word

3) give up

4) gesture

5) use vague language

6) use a similar word

7) describe

8) use L1

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Appendix C: Post-Task Target items

A

Bb

CB

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

K

A) an anchor I) a duck-billed platypus Q) a pylon

B) a bushbaby J) a chicken R) a spear

C) a tandem K) peace S) a corkscrew

D) a pinecone L) a syringe

E) a pestle and mortar M) a power plant / a chimney

F) a comet / a meteor N) a badger

G) a cell O) a volcano

H) a sun lounger P) love

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TheBookMakingProjectRanNiboshi–KwanseiGakuinUniversity

- Keywords:bookmakingproject,task-basedlearning,tasksequence,groupwork,projectreflections

- Level:Intermediate- Learnerage:Universitystudents(andpotentiallyyounger)- Preparationtime:Thirtyminutesto1hour- Activitytime:threeandahalf90minuteclassesplushomework- Materials:Level-appropriatemultiplepathwayreaders,astorymap,blankB5sizesheets

forbooktemplates

INTRODUCTION

Languageteachingisacomplicatedendeavour;itrequiresvariousapproachestointrigueandenticestudents.AccordingtoNoels,Clément,andPelletier(1999),motivationtowardsEnglishlearningcanbeboostedwhenthelearnersfindjoyinthelearningprocessandhavesomegoalsinL2(secondlanguage)learning.Sincemakingastoryisenjoyabletomanypeople,andstudentshaveagoaltoaccomplishinthetask,theyarelikelytobemotivatedtoworkhard.

ThepurposeoftheprojectdescribedbelowistoprovidestudentswithachancetooutputwhattheyhavealreadyacquiredandstrengthentheirEnglishskillsthroughmakingastory.Furthermore,studentsgainasenseofaccomplishmentbygettingfeedbackfrompeers,andbeabletonoticetheirlanguageerrorsthroughpeerfeedback.Inthispaper,Iwillreportonmyobservationoftheclasswherethislessonplanwasactuallyimplemented.

Theclassthatwasobservedwascomposedof25second-yearJapaneseuniversitystudents.Theseintermediatelevelstudentshadappliedtotakethiscross-facultyclassasmorechallengingalternativetothecompulsoryEnglishclassesofferedintheirfaculty.Hence,theywerehighlymotivated.Additionally,atthetimethislessontookplace,theteacherhadalreadybeenimplementingatask-basedapproachforasemesterandahalfthreetimesaweek,sotheywereabletoengageinthetasksoutlinedbelowwithlimitedlanguagesupportandguidelines.

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PREPARATION

1.Prepareappropriatebooksforyourtargetstudents.

Intheprojectdescribedbelowstudentsreadmultiplepathwayreaders,publishedbyAtama-iiBooks,onlineusingXreading(https://xreading.com/),apaidonlineextensivereadingwebsite.ThestudentsusedonlinegradedreadersbecausetheyhadaccesstoXreadinginclass.However,thebookscanbereplacedwithpaperbooks.

2.Giveeachgroupastorymapforbrainstormingandplanningtheirstory.

Youcancreateyourownstorymaptemplatetailoredtoyourparticularcontextoruseoneavailableforfreeonthefinalpageofanyofthe“PrintablePDFExtras”providedbyAtama-iiBooksontheirwebsiteat<http://www.atama-ii.com/resources/>.

3.MakebooktemplatesusingblankB5paper.

Eachbookrequires22sheetsofB5paperformakinga44pagelongbook,butthepagesshouldnotbestapledtogether.Thisallowsstudentstosplitupthepagesandworkindividually.

TASK1

ReadanddiscussAtama-iiBooksingroups

GivethestudentsaccesstoAtama-iiBooks,eitherindigitalorpaperbackform.Othermultiplepathwayreaders,suchasSurvivefromtheOxfordBookwormsLibrary,couldalsobeused.Studentsreadthebooksingroupsof3or4anddiscusswhatchoicestomakeanddecidewhichpathwaytotaketogether.Studentsareencouragedtodiscussthestorywitheachotherratherthanmerelyreadingthestoryalone.IntheclassthatIobserved,theteacherdidnotgiveexplicitguidelines,butratherwalkedaroundtomonitorgroupsandensuredthatthestudentswereontask.Theteachercouldalsoinformstudentsthatafterreadingthebook,s/heisgoingtoaskeachgroupaboutthestorytheyread,choicetheymadeandwhy,sothatitwillencouragestudentstoreadthebooktogetherandtalktoeachother.Whilethisgroup-basedreadingitselfdoesconstituteatask,italsoservestheimportantfunctionsofgettingthestudentstounderstandthestyleofthebookandprimingthemforthecentralbookmakingtask.

Report

Toincreasestudents’understandingofthestoriesandoftheconceptofmultiplepathwayreaders,theteacherhasthestudentsretellthestoriesandtalkaboutwhatpathwaystheychose.Itisalsoenjoyableforstudentstoseewhatchoiceseachgroupmade.Additionally,studentscansharemultipleendingswiththeirclassmates.Furthermore,oneoftheprimary

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purposesofthisreportingphaseistocheckthatthestudentshavegraspedtheconceptofpathwayreaders.

Brainstorming/planning

HavingreadabookfromtheAtama-iiBooksseriesandreportedbacktotheteacher,andtheotherstudentsarereadytostartworkingontheirownstories.First,makegroupsoffourorfivestudentsanddistributeastorymaptoeachgroup,andthenstudentsstartthinkingabouttheplotlineofthestory.Ifthestudentsarestrugglingtocomeupwiththeideaofwhattowrite,theteachercouldencouragethemtocheckshortstoriesontheinternetorgivethemsomechoices.Forexample,themostpopulartopicsinthisclasswere:schoolstories,lovestories,andadventures.Afterdecidingtheplotlineofthestory,studentswritekey-wordsinoraroundtheboxesonthemapsotheycantrackthestory.Manystudentsfoundthatmaking8endingswasthemostdifficultpart.Themapenablesstudentstotrackthestory,helpingalleviatethisdifficulty.Italsoexposesstudentstotheveryimportantskillofbrainstorming.

TASK2

Writeabook

Whenstudentsfinishplanningtheirstories,theystartwritingusingthebooktemplates.Theteachercanencouragethestudentstosplitupthebookandworkindividuallyonthewritingtasksothatitallowseverystudenttohavearoleinthebookmakingprocess.Whilethestudentsarewriting,theteacheradvicesthemtoensurethatthebookiscoherentasawhole.Havingspentone90-minuteclassontask1,thestudentsaregiventwomore90-minuteclassestofinishtheproject.Somegroupsmayfinditdifficulttofinishitwithintwoclasses,sotheycanworkoutsideoftheclasstime.Onepotentialproblemthatcanariseisthatstudentstakepageshomeandareabsentfromthenextclass.Ifthishappens,thegroupwillhavetoworkonastorywithmissingpages.Topreventthis,itisagoodideatowarnstudentsthatiftheyworkindividually,storiescansometimesbeincoherent.Theteachershouldencouragestudentstotalktoeachotherinagroup,andreadthebooktogethertomakesurethatthebookiscoherent.Itisrecommendedthatteachersdecidehowmanyclassesareallocatedtofinishthebooksbyjudgingthespeedofstudents’work.Differentgroupstendtoapproachthistaskindifferentways.Forexample,intheclassIobserved,onegrouptookpicturesofthemselvesactingtouseastheirvisualaids,whilesomegroupsdrewpicturesandothersdownloadedimagesfromtheInternet.Manystudentssaidpicturesanddrawingshelpedthemtounderstandthestoriesmorewhenreadingothergroups’books.Onestudentreportedthatbecauseofthevisualaids,hewasabletoguessthemeaningofunfamiliarwords.

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Feedbackfromtheteacher

Oncestudentsfinishtheirbooks,theteachercollectsthemandchecksforerrorsandchecksthecontent.Theteachersimplyhighlightstheerrorstoallowstudentstocorrectthemontheirown.Thiscouldhelpstudentstodevelopeditingskillsandencouragesthemtopaymoreattentiontotheirerrors.Mostofthestudentsintheclassreportedthattheypreferself-correcting.Theysaidthattheywouldnothavelookedattheirmistakescarefullyiftheyjusthadbeencorrectedbytheteacher.Atthesametime,studentsappreciatedthattheteachergavefeedbackonsomeofthemostcommonmistakesthatwerefoundinthebooks.Thesemistakesincluded:

1.Mixingoftenses-Whileitispossibleandoftennaturaltomixtenses,theteacherfoundthatthebookssometimesjumpedbetweenpastandpresenttensesinanunnaturalway.

2.Errorsinnumbering/storymismatches-Therewereinstanceswherethereaderwouldbeinstructedtogotopage#,butthestoryonpage#wasnotacontinuationofthepreviouspage.Oncetheerrorswereidentified,studentswereencouragedtocorrectthembythemselves.Tominimizethiskindoferrors,theteachershouldaskstudentstoreadthebookseveraltimeswithdifferentpathwaystocheckifthebookiscoherentwithanypathwaystotake.

3.Mixingof1stand3rdpersonvoice-Therewereinstancesofstudentssuddenlyandunnaturallychangingfrom1stto3rdpersonvoice.

Whileself-correctionwasencouraged,theteacheralsointervenedandofferedcorrectionswhenthestudentscouldnotself-correct.

FLOWOFTHEPROJECT

Thestudentsaregivena90-minuteclassforthefinalediting.Atotalthree90minuteclassesareconductedwiththeflowdownbelow.

Thefirstclass:makegroupsoffourorfivestudentsanddistributeastorymaptoeachgroup.Fromthisstage,studentsstartworkingingroups.First,discusswhatkindofstorytheyaregoingtowrite.Whenstudentshaveanideaofwhattowrite,theywritekey-wordsinoraroundtheboxesonthemap.Afterthat,splitthebookandstudentsworkontheirownparts.Ifstudentsfinditdifficulttofinishthebookwithintheclasshour,theycanworkoutsideofclass.

Thesecondclass:bringtheirpartstogetherandmakeonebook.StudentschecktheirEnglishandthecoherenceofthebook,andiftheyarehappywitheachother’sworkinthe

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group.Attheendoftheclass,allthegroupshandinthebooktotheteacher.Theteacherchecktheirbooks,mostlytheirEnglishandthecoherenceofthebook.

Thethirdclass:thebooksaregivenbacktothestudents.Theteachercouldgivefeedbacktotheentireclass,inthisclass,theteacherexplainsthecommonEnglisherrorsfoundinthebooks.Afterthat,studentscorrectthemistakesbythemselves.Attheendoftheclass,theyhandinthebooktotheteachersothattheteachercanbringallthebookstothenextclassforpeerreading.

Afterthosethreeclasses,thestudentsfinallyreadothergroups’booksandtalkaboutthem.

PEERFEEDBACK

Afterthreeclassesofmakingabook,studentsfinallyreadothergroups’books.Thefollowingquestionsshouldencouragestudentstobeactiveinthisspeakingactivity:

1.Whichstorydidyoulikethebest?Why?

2.Whichbookwasthemostattractive(artworkandpictures)?

3.Didtheartworkandpictureshelpyoutounderstandthebooks?

4.Whatcouldyoudotoimproveyourownbook?

Studentsseemedtoenjoyreadingthebooksmadebytheirclassmatesandtheyusedtheirdictionaries,oraskedforhelp,whentheyencounteredwordstheydidnotknow.

Althoughmakingvisualaidstakestime,picturescertainlyhelpstudentstounderstandthestoriesmoreandenticethemtoread.Afterstudentsreadallthestories,theteacherassignsstudentstodiscusstheirbooksaswellastheprojectasawhole.Atthistime,theteachergivesstudentsdiscussiontopicssuchas:

1.Whatdidyoufindtobethemostdifficultaspectofmakingthebook?

2.Whatpartdidyouenjoythemost?

3.Didthisprojecthelptoimproveyourgrammar/vocabulary?

4.Theteachergaveyoufeedbackonyourbook,butyoualsohadtoself-correct,wasself-correctiondifficult?

5.Wouldyouprefertoself-correctorfortheteachertotellyouyourmistakesdirectly?

6.DoyouthinkthisprojectimprovedyourEnglish?Ifso,whatskillsdidyouimprove?

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Afterthestudentstalkaboutthosequestions,theteacherpicksonestudentfromeachgroupandformnewgroups.Studentsthensharewhattheyhavediscussedintheirinitialgroups.Thispresentsanexcellentopportunitytosharethoughtsandopinionswithpeoplefromdifferentgroups.Theteachernotonlyhasstudentstalkabouttheproject,butalsoaskthemtorespondtothesamediscussionquestionsinwritingforhomework.Studentssubmitthewritingassignmentonlinesothattheiropinionstowardbookmakingprojectcouldbeevaluatedbytheteacher.

CONCLUSION

Feedbackwascollectedfromall25studentswhoengagedinthisproject.Fromtheirfeedback,thecommonalitiesintheiropinionsweredividedintofourcategories.

1.ImprovedEnglishskills.

Studentsreportedthattheyimprovedtheirvocabulary,grammar,writing,andreadingskillsthroughthisproject.Sincemostoftheirstorieswererelatedtoeverydaylife,suchasuniversitylife,relationships,andclubactivities,studentswereabletolearneverydayEnglish.Intermsofvocabulary,theylearntthedifferencebetweensomesynonyms,suchasplayandhangoutorseeandlook.Theyalsolearntwhereandhowtousethoseterms.OnestudentcommentedthatshewouldliketousethoseexpressionsinarealEnglishconversation.Moreover,somestudentsmentionedthattheydidnotusuallyhavetheopportunitytowritealotinEnglishsothisprojectboostedtheirwritingskillsaswell.

2.Beingabletoseeerrorpatterns.

Whentheteacherfoundcommonalitiesinstudenterrors,hegavefeedbackonsomeofthecommonmistakesfoundintheirbooks.Otherthanthat,theteacherallowedthestudentsself-correct.Somestudentsexpressedasenseofachievementbycorrectingtheirownerrors.Mostofthestudentsexpressedapreferenceforself-correctionoverteacher-correction,sayingtheywillremembertheerrorsthattheymadeandnotmakethesamemistakesinthefuture.

3.Feelingthejoyofmakingastory

InEnglishclassesinJapan,teachersoftengivestudentsatopicforwritingpracticewhichisteacher-centredandcontrolled.Withthisproject,however,theteacherletstudentsdecideeverythingaboutthebookstheywrote,fromthecontentofthestoriestothevisualaidsthataccompaniedthem,therebymakingtheprojectstudent-centred.Studentswereself-motivatedtoworkonthisproject,andtheysaidtheprojectimprovedtheirimaginationaswell.

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4.Learningtoworkasateam

Sincethebookmakingprojectwasengaging,studentsfeltasenseofresponsibilitytofinishtheirroles.Onestudentreportedthathergroupbuiltastrongbondthroughcreatingabooktogether.Moreover,agreatnumberofthestudentsreportedthatsharingideasandworkingwiththegroupwasthemostenjoyablepartintheproject.Onestudentwrote“Thisplan[thebookmakingproject]wasnotonlyjusthelpedmyEnglishprogress[sic]andletmerealizetheimportanceofteamwork”.

Tosumup,thebookmakingprojectnotonlyimprovesstudents’EnglishskillsbutitalsomotivatesstudentstouseEnglishmoreintheclassroom.Whilethespecificprojectoutlinedinthisarticlewasconductedwithuniversitystudents,thesametypeofbookmakingprojectcanbereadilyadaptedtoawiderangeofagesandlanguagelevels.Forexample,Ihavealsoobservedamodifiedversionofthisprojectbeingcarriedoutwithagroupofbilingualchildrenaged9to11ataninternationalprimaryschool.Atthattime,studentsmadetwodifferentendingsinsteadofeighttosimplifytheproject.Althoughyounglearnersneededextrasupportwithwriting,theyseemedtoenjoybringingdifferentideasandmakingtheirownfantasystories.Nomattertheage,studentscanbroadentheirhorizonsbyaccomplishingthetaskofwritingabookinEnglish.

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

RanNiboshiiscurrentlypursuinghermaster’sdegreeinTEFLatthegraduateschooloflanguage,communication,andcultureatKwanseiGakuinUniversityinJapan.HerresearchinterestsincludeEFLandmotivation.

REFERENCES

Noels,K.A.,Clément,R.,&Pelletier,L.G.(1999).Perceptionsofteachers’communicativestyleandstudents’intrinsicandextrinsicmotivation.TheModernLanguageJournal,83,23–34.doi:10.1111/0026-7902.00003