Check out my presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/katiegaugler/languagecomp-8741139
http://www.slideshare.net/katiegaugler/languagecomp-8741139
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
u10a2
Activity Topic 1
These websites were fascinating to explore the different mannerism of speech that exist in the English language. Quite a few of these exemplify the regional ways of pronunciation. Some also could indicate the heritage of the speaker. The "Speech Accent Archive" also provided the IPA spellings of the paragraph and it was interesting to see the accents effect the spellings. For a young learner this could be confusing especially if their family is bouncing around from region to region within the US. As I look at the migration map on in the O'Grady reading (p.493), I think of the old computer game "The Oregon Trail". As you traveled across the great plains you encountered people from different cities that had distinct accents. What I now realize that the game also portrayed the migration of East-coast dialects to the west and allowed them to morph throughout time. These regional variations would be important to let a non-native here and to understand that they are not wrong, just different.
Activity Topic 2 -1 &2
Like I stated in the course discussion, I think that many people are not as liberal with multi-lingualism as I am. The most frustrating thing for me is that in Europe, it's perfectly normal to speak 3, 4 or more languages and to use whichever one you like to address the people you're talking to. The understanding (outside of tourist places - which seem to all speak English anymore....) is that you would use the lingua franca to do business in. I don't understand the sentiment that something other than English is "wrong" when almost everyone living in the US ancestral family came to this country speaking something other than English - or spoke a different variation of it. This bigotry towards English being the only correct language is appalling. I think I would try to work with adults who have this sentiment and be compassionate towards their feelings, but also try to educate them to my purpose as an ESL teacher and to the reasons why it's okay to be bilingual.
On the PBS website it said that in the 2003 study student spent less than an hour on homework. Not that I'm advocating bludgeoning them with homework, but I would think that if they are spending more time texting or chatting using electronic devices with abbreviations and emoticon that we are going to really see a downward progression in achievement for formal writing. Perhaps we are already.
These websites were fascinating to explore the different mannerism of speech that exist in the English language. Quite a few of these exemplify the regional ways of pronunciation. Some also could indicate the heritage of the speaker. The "Speech Accent Archive" also provided the IPA spellings of the paragraph and it was interesting to see the accents effect the spellings. For a young learner this could be confusing especially if their family is bouncing around from region to region within the US. As I look at the migration map on in the O'Grady reading (p.493), I think of the old computer game "The Oregon Trail". As you traveled across the great plains you encountered people from different cities that had distinct accents. What I now realize that the game also portrayed the migration of East-coast dialects to the west and allowed them to morph throughout time. These regional variations would be important to let a non-native here and to understand that they are not wrong, just different.
Activity Topic 2 -1 &2
Like I stated in the course discussion, I think that many people are not as liberal with multi-lingualism as I am. The most frustrating thing for me is that in Europe, it's perfectly normal to speak 3, 4 or more languages and to use whichever one you like to address the people you're talking to. The understanding (outside of tourist places - which seem to all speak English anymore....) is that you would use the lingua franca to do business in. I don't understand the sentiment that something other than English is "wrong" when almost everyone living in the US ancestral family came to this country speaking something other than English - or spoke a different variation of it. This bigotry towards English being the only correct language is appalling. I think I would try to work with adults who have this sentiment and be compassionate towards their feelings, but also try to educate them to my purpose as an ESL teacher and to the reasons why it's okay to be bilingual.
On the PBS website it said that in the 2003 study student spent less than an hour on homework. Not that I'm advocating bludgeoning them with homework, but I would think that if they are spending more time texting or chatting using electronic devices with abbreviations and emoticon that we are going to really see a downward progression in achievement for formal writing. Perhaps we are already.
Monday, July 18, 2011
u09a2
1. John is a fisherman. He did not catch many fish last week. He wants to catch more fish tomorrow, but he doesn’t think he can. He is not a very successful fisherman. It is the only job John has. He needs to catch two nets full of fish to pay his debt. He tried to do this last year and for 3 years before that, but he was not successful. John wanted to be a farmer, but he did not have the money to buy land.
If John wasn't tired, he would argue with his brother, but instead, he made more nets, and hoped to increase his catch the next day.
His brother bought land last winter. He sold it to the neighbor when the economy crashed. John loves to fish, but wants to be more successful. When he was sad, he painted his boat, “Troubled Waters,” blue and shined it up. John asked his brother what he thought of the new look, but his brother just laughed and said, “You always fish for compliments.”
2. ELLs might really struggle with the "You always fish for compliments" statement. Understanding the metaphor about gaining praise will be tricky. If students don't live near a body of water, understanding the importance of nets to fishing would need to be explained. Providing background knowledge that many fishermen make their own nets or repair their own nets would help them understand how difficult the profession is.
3. Timeline attached.
4. I agree with Betty Azar in the video as she pushed for a "hybrid" of instructional method. A disservice of students is done if we rely too heavily on one method vs. another. The diverse population of ELLs will require us to use a variety of strategies to reach our students. L2 is not learned in the same manner as their L1, complete immersion is not a good idea.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
grammar mini lesson
Here's a full version of the PPT - you will notice that the font page looks different. I deleted the duck and rabbit to reduce file size. It was pointless in the end. :)
You can view it full screen. Please listen to the other post for the audio. My apologies that I couldn't get the two to work together.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
u08a3 - Application Questions
Read and analyze the following dialogs. Answer the questions related to one of them on the blog.
#1 A good school? (Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Rashid are both parents of students in the district where Mrs. Thomas also teaches.)
Mrs. Thomas: Johnny has Mr. Smith as a teacher next year. I hear he is an excellent teacher.
Mrs. Rashid: He’s very nice.
Mrs. T: Are you happy with the school district?
Mrs. Rashid: There are many lovely people in the neighborhood.
Mrs. Rashid in her first answer is very short and indirectly replies to the comment about the teacher. An American response might go into his classroom procedures, homework requirements or observations about the teacher from an open house or further delve into what makes Mr. Smith excellent. The answer provided by Mrs. Rashid about the school district is also very vague and polite. Lovely people that live in your section of town does not infer to an American that she is satisfied with the school system. Because Americans are much more blunt, Mrs. Thomas may continue to ask about the school not understanding that Mrs. Rashid's response is culturally acceptable because of the high context reliance.
U08A2 Maxim of Quality
The Maxim of Quality can be a very tricky one. Violation of this maxim can be the use of sarcasm to negate the sentiment of the statement made (O'Grady, p. 237). I fell victim to a violation of the maxim a few years ago over several conversations with a young man named Scott. He and I have a very flirtatious friendship and whenever he doesn't want to do something I would always violate the maxim and sarcastically reply that it must be because he hates me. One time we actually got into a disagreement and he flippantly said "or maybe it's because I really do hate you". That comment was in reference to my joking about how much he really likes me. Coming from his mouth though, it stopped our phone conversation in its tracks. I actually questioned if he really didn't like me at all based on the intonation and inflection in his statement. Luckily he was just violating the Maxim of Quality and (secretly) loves me and the time we spend together.
I think actually reflecting on on this conversation that we were both guilty of violations and probably should've avoided sarcasm from the start.
I think actually reflecting on on this conversation that we were both guilty of violations and probably should've avoided sarcasm from the start.
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