Teaching English to Adult

Speakers of Other Languages

ALECC Module # 5
Welcome to TESOL!

The fastest growing population

in adult literacy education
today!

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Today’s Agenda

[Insert Time] Registration + Coffee

[Insert Time] Workshop Start-Up

[Insert Time] Mid-Workshop Break

[Insert Time] Workshop End Time

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 The Ten K’s of the
Professional Adult Educator
1. Knowledge of self as a learner
2. Knowledge of how adults learn
3. Knowledge of adult learning
theories
4. Knowledge of Literacy +
Numeracy
5. Knowledge of Language +
Communication

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 The Ten K’s of the
Professional Adult Educator
6. Knowledge of standards:
content, performance, program
7. Knowledge of science-based
research + evidence-based
practice
8. Knowledge of diversity
9. Knowledge of standardized
assessment
10. Knowledge of NYSED’s P-16
Action Plan
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The Four Themes for Today
1. Science-Based Research in + Theories of
Teaching English to Adult Speakers of
Other Languages
2. Communicative Language teaching (CLT),
Content-Based Instruction (CBI) and
Contextualized Language (CL)
3. The Importance of Vocabulary (Lexical
Approach) and Strategies Based
Instruction (SBI) in TESOL
4. Resources for Balanced Science +
Evidence-Based Reading Practice

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Today’s Activities
• A Look at ESOL theories, approaches,
methods
• A Review of Communicative Language
Teaching (CLT) Precepts
• Understanding Contextualized Language
• The Importance of Content-Based
Instruction (CBI)
• The Importance of Vocabulary
Development (Lexical Approach)
• The Importance of Strategies-Based
Instruction (SBI)
• Deciding Your Practice + Philosophy
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Pre-Workshop Assignments

• Learning Vocabulary in Another

Language - Vocabulary Quiz
• CAELA FAQ’s

Any Surprises?

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 Log onto these
TESOL “Toolboxes” …
CAELA
http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/
TESOL
http://www.tesol.org

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Recent government statistics
say…
Over 50% of our adult education
classes nationwide are ESOL classes
• This number is set to rise
significantly, trends say
• The passage of a comprehensive
immigration bill would make these
numbers “skyrocket”

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Approach…Method…Syllabus
• Approach = an integrated set of
theoretical principles and practical
beliefs about the nature of language
and the nature of learning itself.
• Method = how the individual teacher
implements the approach.
• Syllabus = the daily schedule, the
curriculum, the actual lesson plans
and learning content
• The WHY, The HOW, The WHAT

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The APPROACH

Today’s Workshop is about

the Approach

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 What Language
are we Teaching?

Is it BICS or CALPS?

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 BICS =

Basic Interpersonal
Communication Skills

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 CALPS =

Cognitive Academic Language

Proficiency Skills

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Your Theory of TESOL
• Do you have a preferred theory
or approach to TESOL?
• What is it?
• Which approach resonates most
with you? Why?
• Which approach resonates
least? Why?
• Discuss Your Reflections in Your
Group
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 Remember!

Educators can usually discuss

HOW they teach ESOL, but they
are often unable to identify the
theories on which their
instruction is based. Let’s
change that.

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Also Remember, Our Theories
Usually Reflect….
• Our belief systems
• Our values
• Our metaphors for language,
learning, acquisition + teaching
• Our implicit understanding about the
nature of language + teaching
• So, analyzing what you believe is
very important.

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And, once again, The BIG
Question is …

Are our beliefs and values, and

thus our instructional;
approaches and methods,
grounded in science-based
research and evidence-based
practice?

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And ….

Are our instructional methods

and practices appropriate for
the group of learners we are
teaching?

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Determining Second Language
Acquisition Schools of Thought

Answer the 4 BIG “Assumption”

Questions  The Approach

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 The BIG 4
“Assumption” Questions
1. What do you believe to be the
nature of language?
2. How is language best learned
or acquired?
3. How should language be
taught (best practices)?
4. How should language
proficiency be measured?
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The 4 Assumption Q’s
• How do you answer these 4
Q’s?

• How does your preferred

approach answer these 4
questions? Do they match?

• Refer to the SLA History +

Approaches Chart
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What do we mean by….
• Communicative Language Teaching
(CLT)

• Contextualized Language (CL)

• Content-Based Instruction (CBI)

• Communicative Competence (CC)

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Communicative Competence
includes …
1. Grammatical Competence -
mastering the linguistic code
including vocabulary, grammar,
pronunciation, spelling and word
formation
2. Sociolinguistic Competence -
extent to which utterances can be
used or understood appropriately in
various social contexts; speech
acts such as persuading,
apologizing, describing…
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Communicative Competence
includes …

3. Discourse Competence - the

ability to combine ideas to achieve
cohesion in form and coherence in
thought above the level of the
single sentence
4. Strategic Competence - the ability
to use strategies like gestures or
“talking around” an unknown word
in order to overcome limitations in
language knowledge
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Communicative Competence

The ability to use the

language for meaningful
communication

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Communicative Competence…
• Knowing how to use language for a range
of different purposes and functions
• Knowing how to vary our use of language
according to the setting and the participants
(formal vs. informal; written vs. spoken)
• Knowing how to produce and understand
different types of texts (narrative, reports,
interviews, conversations)
• Knowing how to maintain communication
despite having limitations in one’s language
knowledge (using different communication
strategies)

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Communicative Language
Teaching
• What is it?
• What are its assumptions?
• Does this mean teaching
conversation?
• Does it mean and absence of
grammar?

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Which statements characterize
CLT?
1. People learn a language best when using it
to do things rather than through studying
how language works and practicing rules?
2. Grammar is no longer important in
language teaching.
3. People learn a language through
communicating in it.
4. Errors are not important in speaking a
language.
5. CLT is only concerned with teaching
speaking.

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Which statements characterize
CLT?
6. Classroom activities should be
meaningful and involve real
communication.
7. Dialogues are not used in CLT.
8. Both accuracy and fluency are
goals in CLT.
9. CLT is usually described as a
method of teaching.

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Reflect on ….

• Core Assumptions of CLT

+
• Major Changes of CLT

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Strategies Based Instruction (SBI)

• Offers a learner-focused approach

• Makes students consciously aware of
the strategies and skills needed to
effectively learn an L2
• Gives students specific behaviors,
steps and actions to enhance second
language learning and acquisition
• Provides a process that is goal-
directed and personalized

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Reflect on ….

• Do you know your own second

language learning strategies?

• Have you studied another

language?

• Take the SILL Survey

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Other Names for Learning
Strategies
 Learning skills
 Learning-to-learn skills
 Thinking skills
 Problem-solving skills

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Stephen Krashen’s Monitor
Theory of L2 Learning
The
Learning-Acquisition

Continuum

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The Learning-Acquisition
Continuum

Both Are Necessary for

Communicative
Competence

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Stephen Krashen’s Monitor
Theory of L2 Learning
Learning = conscious knowledge of
language rules, does not typically
lead to conversational fluency and
is derived from formal instruction

Acquisition = occurs unconsciously

and spontaneously, does lead to
conversational fluency and arises
from naturalistic language

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Some L2 Learning Strategies….
Direct Strategies
1. Memory Strategies
2. Cognitive Strategies
3. Compensation Strategies

Indirect Strategies
1. Social Strategies
2. Affective Strategies
3. Metacognitive Strategies

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Do you know these terms …

• The Lexical Approach

• Comprehensible Input
• Corpus Linguistics
• Collocations

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In the Lexical Approch …
• Language is seen as a system for
conveying meaning and performing
tasks, rather than just a string of
grammar rules
• Emphasis is on giving students
effective strategies for being able to
function, perform and communicate
in the English language
• Emphasis is on helping students to
gain a large functional vocabulary
using the same strategies that native
speakers use
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Precepts of the Lexical Approach
• The goal of the Lexical Approach is to get
students to become aware of, use and to
eventually master these meaning-filled,
multi-word “chunks”, collocations and fixed
utterances
• Instructional emphasis is on helping
students to gain a large functional
vocabulary using the same strategies that
native speakers use
• Modern research into language learning
theory suggests that these “chunks” are the
basis for inductive learning of language
which produces mastery of the grammatical
system

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Krashen’s “Comprehensible
Input”
The quality of the language input
in the reading texts and on audio
and video presentations is seen
as central to the ultimate
success of student learning.
Therefore, selection of
appropriate texts + materials is
made only after detailed analysis
of the lexical items and “chunks”
that appear in them is made.
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The Central Function of
Vocabulary
 Students must be taught a system for
collecting, learning and retaining
functional words, expressions, and
utterances
 Students must be taught how to
develop a natural, “native-speaker-
like” intuition about standard
American English words,
expressions, and utterances
 Lexis + functional meaning take
precedence over grammar + form
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Summary of the Lexical Approach
• A communicative methodology,
syllabus + approach
• Part of the Communicative
Competence School of Thought
• Focuses on:
– Sociolinguistic Competence
– Discourse Competence
– Strategic Competence
– Grammatical Competence
• It emphasizes both fluency and
accuracy
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Corpus Linguistics

• COBUILD
• Concordances
• Chunks
• Collocations

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How Long Does It Take To Learn
English as an Adult?
• Depends on age, educational
background, level of literacy in the
native language, opportunities to use
English
• 5 to 7 years for children
• 500 - 1000 hours of instruction

This is the problem that is ours

to solve for our adult learners
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How Long Does It Take To Learn
English as an Adult?

This is the most important

problem that is ours to solve
for our adult ESOL learners!

How can we help them shorten

the language acquisition
time?
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Post Workshop Assignments

• Readings
• Reflection Activities

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For more information on ALECC,
contact …
Marilyn J. Rymniak
Project Leader
Statewide Professional Development
System + ALECC
Literacy Assistance Center
32 Broadway, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10004
212-803-3322, marilynr@lacnyc.org

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