Online Course: Principles of Second Language Teaching: Planning, Implementing, and Managing Instruction

Use this discussion thread to share your comments on the ELL-U course, Principles of Second Language Teaching: Planning, Implementing, and Managing Instruction. Please share your thoughts on any of the following questions, or post a general comment or feedback on the course. 
 
  • Reflect on your current practices. What strategies, activities, or methods are you already using related to each of the topics below? What could be added to your practice?
    • creating learning objectives based on learners' communicative needs
    • using authentic materials
    • sequencing communicative activities that integrate skills and build from more highly structured to more open-ended tasks
    • assessing objectives
    • creating opportunities for learners to get to know each other
    • using classroom routines
    • using topics that are relevant to students' lives and goals
    • using thoughtful grouping strategies
  • What methods do you use for getting to know your students and/or helping them to get to know each other?
  • Share the lesson plan, learner-centered practices, and/or classroom management strategies you developed through the culminating activity.
  • Reflect on what you learned in the course. How has the course helped you to better plan your instruction to meet the needs of the adult ELLs in your  classroom? Which of the topics discussed in the course do you feel you will be able to integrate into your teaching to be more effective in meeting the needs of your learners?
 
 

Comments

I really appreciated the video examples in this course that showed how to apply the knowledge to the classroom. It helped me understand how important choice and authentic materials are in the classroom. It was helpful to see what choice in learning looks like at the different levels of ESL. It helps me to consider and understand how I can make my lessons for Level 2 ESL students more engaging and give them greater autonomy. I would like to include some choice options for my students in the future.

I also appreciated seeing the examples of scaffolding at various levels. There was a clear progression of tasks from structured to more open-ended. I want to be sure to incorporate more open-ended tasks in addition to the structured tasks I have been giving my learners. I can see that the open-ended tasks promote valuable critical thinking skills.

I also learned a lot from the discussion and examples of grouping for activities. I want to be more intentional to incorporate a variety of groupings for tasks: both the same level and different ability levels. I can see how modeling a task for group work is always essential at every English ability level. 

This course also helped me to consider using the textbook as a tool rather than following the lesson plan inside of it. I'm just finishing my first year of teaching ESL, so this will be a change for me. I appreciate all the time and effort that was put into creating this course. 

I completely agree that teaching with content that students need to know in real life will better encourage the interaction we hope for within the classroom. It will also open up so many platforms to teach from in an engaging and meaningful way.  When adding the technology into the activities, it will encourage students to continue learning and improving their computer skills.

Hello Katrina, Thanks for your post. Since the pandemic, we are all learning how essential it is to integrate technology into our instruction.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition CoP

I currently utilize learning objectives based on learners' needs utilizing a contextual approach rather than a grammatical structure to lesson plans. I thoroughly enjoy using authentic materials for tactile learning which enhances lessons through real life examples or through role playing. Materials such as measuring cups, hotel or restaurant literature, a staged clothing store, or a temporary using an electric hot plate have increased my students' motivation. While I don't currently have higher education in TESOL, my program is utilizing National Geographic's Standout which has influenced me to progressively teach skills started with a more highly structured conversation or principle to more open-ended tasks.

I have a routine of starting with an opening ice-breaker, reviewing previous material, and checking in with my student's personal lives. However, because my presentations are typically integrated with gradually releasing students from highly structured conversation, I sometimes sense that my classroom routine can improve to be more consistent. I also would like to improve in using thoughtful grouping strategies to facilitate multi-level worksheets, activities, and conversations that engage students from both a literate or orality background. 

Since I serve students from an Asian background and family is important to me, my first method to get to know them is to ask about their families. I find that students are very comfortable sharing about their spouse and children, which can direct attention not only at them. However, they also tend to share about themselves, their job, and their interests when related to their communal belonging. I also have found that sharing stories and pictures about myself and my family establishes trust and personalizes the class. Furthermore, I use the standard games like "My name is _____, and I like _____." or "Two truths and a Lie". However, my favorite way to get to know students is by sharing stories related to the topic at hand. I find that when I can connect a student's name card, picture, and a story about them, I can get to know their personality in addition to facts and background about them.

1. Identify student characteristics and factors that may affect learning.

Students in my Low-Intermediate ESL class are all from mainland China. Out of 12 students, 10 speak Cantonese, 5 speak Mandarin, and 75% are orality learners. They have been in the States for 2-20 years and have a supportive diaspora community in Chinatown, Chicago. Although all have pre-tested into my class in a larger program of 5-600 students, there remains a multi-level dynamic due to literate versus orality experience. For example, one student can speak fairly well but only has up to a 3rd grade literacy level. All of my students are motivated to use English at the personal level at their children’s school or on a professional level as mid-level chefs, servers, nail salon technicians, or seamstresses. Most are in their 50’s seeking to better their communication with their children (the 1.5 generation) or grandchildren. A few have elementary-age children and are most technologically adept.

2. Determine the lesson focus.

In the current cultural moment, we are facing a pandemic (CoVid-19). My students are interested in diagnosing illnesses, requesting help, and contacting a doctor’s office about an appointment. This lesson is about designing a health brochure for the community through a group-project (This is based on a lesson from “Standout” Book 2 from National Geographic; Unit 6 Health).

Communicative task:  Writing, Reading, Listening, and Speaking: Writing a health brochure with general health advice for the community.

              Functional phrases (Sociolinguistic Competence): “What should I do?” “You should…” “You could…” “My _____(body part) hurt/hurts”. “I have a/an _______(ailment)”

              Language skills (Discourse Competence): Requesting advice. Describing uses, directions, and warnings for medicine. Identifying and describing an emergency.

              Cultural Knowledge (Sociolinguistic Competence): Understanding when it’s ok to call the doctor; Understanding when it’s appropriate to offer advice and how to frame it politely or emphasize according to necessity of the advice (You should; you could; How about…? Do you want to…?).

              Grammar (Linguistic Competence):  Formation of questions (What’s the matter? What should I do?);  Possessive Simple Present (“My head hurts.”); Present Continuous (is choking, is hurting, etc.)

              Vocabulary (Linguistic Competence) medicine vocabulary: pain reliever, antacid, cough syrup, lozenges, over-the-counter, prescription

3. Plan lesson objectives, activities and assessments.

Lesson Focus:  Shopping and Sales

Duration:         2 hours

Objectives:  Students will be able to

                      1.  Solve problems and make decisions about health complications or healthy practices.

                      2.  Ask clarifying questions about common health symptoms.

                      3.  Write and give advice to demonstrate understanding.

Materials:  pharmacy.com to search recommended medicine items; poster to create a brochure to present to class; markers or pens; OR group laptop to design in Word (promoting digital literacy)

Instructor-job descriptions for each student in a group of 4-5.

                    Student 1: Team leader: ensures other students’ participation and English-speaking.

                    Student 2: Nurse: gives advice for medicines for the illnesses.

                    Student 3: Health Expert: gives advice for general healthy habits and nutrition.

                    Students 4 & 5: Artists: design a brochure with drawings to depict the advice.

Warm-up:                                                                                            10 minutes

Instructor asks where students get their health advice. Ask students if they’ve ever received bad health advice. Ask students how you know whether to trust the advice or not. Hold a sample health pamphlet found in medical clinics or doctors waiting rooms. Create a classroom list of common health ailments that people need advice about.                       

Scene 1:  REVIEW                                                                               15 minutes

Review vocabulary by showing flashcards or pictures of medicine.

Teacher forms mixed-level groups of 2 or 3 to review informal advice dialogue for ailments (e.g. What’s the matter? I have a ______. What should I do?, You should take____.)

Recap advice by asking appropriate medicines for various ailments.

Activity 2: Health Expertise Review                                         30 minutes

Instructor and students construct a second dialogue where a health expert (doctor, nutritionist, etc.) answers advice from a T.V. audience about healthy practices. Instructor reminds students of appropriate health advice based on intensity of necessity (You should ___. You could____. How about…? Do you want to…? (Differentiated instruction:  oral-background students may follow the conversation pattern whereas literate students would write the advice on the board for their classmates.)

Scene 3: Form groups and discuss job descriptions                        15min

Instructor asks student to break into groups of 4-5. Instructor passes out the job descriptions. Students decide as a group who is the Leader, Nurse, Health Expert, and Artist(s).

Scene 4:    Create content for the brochure.                                       20min                                                         

Write 3 things people should do to stay healthy and 3 things they shouldn’t do.

Write 3 common ailments to include in the brochure and the medicines people should take for these ailments.

Scene 5:   Design brochure with content                                                20 min

Use posters OR Microsoft Word for images and clip art (promoting digital literacy).

Scene 6: Evaluation/Application: Present brochure to the class.        30min                               

Present brochure advice to the class with the leader describing common ailments, the nurse proposing appropriate medicines and the expert describing healthy practices.

4. Implement learner-centered instruction practices.

Students choose the health topics and common ailments relevant and interesting to them. The differentiated instruction allowed literacy or orality background students to engage. We used authentic objects such as a brochure to engage visual and kinesthetic learners as well as demonstrate the practical use.

Lesson could have be improved by spreading into separate two hour classes to allow for further time in self-directed learning such as a utilizing pharmacy.com more directly or creating a dialogue between a doctor and a patient about the content in the brochure. This lesson feels a bit rushed with 20 minutes for each “scene”.

5. Apply classroom management strategies.

Building community: it’s fun to build community around stories of good and bad advice given. It’s great for personalities to come out in a group project.

Routines: Having a warm-up and review even on a group project day helps students be prepared for a complex day of listening, writing, reading, and speaking.

Relevance: students recognize the usefulness of health advice at all levels.

Grouping: despite the larger groups of 4-5, the assigned tasks being chosen in the group allows for students to have ownership for their part.

This course was very helpful in evaluating my own classroom practices in the area of routine. The simplicity of a starting warm-up being reading quietly or free-writing about the day's topic was refreshing. I also collected many ideas for greater involvement of students in their self-directed study. This has been challenging the last few months since I've only been on Zoom with my students. I've been utilizing breakout rooms in my videoconferencing class. However, I've realized that I've relied heavily on mixed groups of 2-3 with more proficient students leading the lower level students. However, this course incited creativity in me to engage students in different ways in breakout rooms when I can't have them line up in class or play a flyswatter game. I've also recognized that each lesson I can be engaging students on their personal goals and interests, not only through an overall unit (previously, I had taken polls and gathered surveys but this is a whole new level). I'm thankful for this course and the example videos that provided instruction. 

Hi John, Thanks for sharing what you have gained from the ELLU online course on the Principles of Second Language Teaching. It's clear that getting to know your students and creating a community are central to your practice as a teacher. Focusing instruction on the needs of learners, as you do, is so important.

Many of us are learning that transitioning instruction online requires some different techniques. There are positive aspects of these changes but also some challenges. 

Good luck with your class!

Take care, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition CoP

I'm teaching an online class now. It's a little bit difficult to implement some activities I prepared for the day because I didn't know if they were focus or not.They didn't want to open their video. I felt that I was just talking to myself. Some students didn't want to participate. It's different when it's face-to-face.