International English Will Not Be Bland

When we speak of an International English, there are at least two different directions from which it must develop– first of all, from the various native dialects already in use and secondly, from the various pools and pockets of second language English speakers around the world.

The first direction is from the many native dialects English has to offer. A dialect is a geographical area where a common form of a language is spoken. Every language has various dialects. Because English is the native tongue in several countries, there are a wide variety of dialects. In the best possible scenario, the most effective, interesting and expressive elements from the widest variety of dialects will be assimilated while the superfluous, colorless and distained elements will fall out of usage. But we all know this is impossible. More than likely, the media will have the lion’s share of influence.

The “spark of creativity” plays a part in a human being’s ability to be understood and no less so for the English language learner. The propensity for creativity really manifests itself most frequently through language. People constantly modify their language according to the situation they find themselves in. The second direction comes from the innumerable zones of second language English– those “pools and pockets” mentioned above can be rather enormous, such as India, which is more like a sea. Language becomes playful and new forms are introduced– sometimes clearly and somtimes in an idiosyncratic manner, for example “Japlish” is either:

1) Japanese characterized by numerous borrowings from English, or…

2) English affected by Japanese pronunciation, vocabulary, or syntax.

Here’s a sample: “This shop challenging to price broken in this campaign sale.”

See more here: Engrish.com

Every EFL environment has the habit of making a foreign language their own and when other languages are mated with English, the resulting mutations may be comical or preferable depending on your point of view. Other examples are Konglish, Chinglish, Spanglish and Franglais from France, without which we would have no portmanteau at all.

Considering the two very broad directions and the many and various vehicles belonging to each, a clearly-defined International English is a long way from where we are standing now. The potential for its existence means the possibility of a truly new English language. As David Crystal so poignantly points out:

We may, in due course, all need to be in control of two standard Englishes, the one which gives us our national and local identity, and the other which puts us in touch with the rest of the human race. In effect, we may all need to become bilingual in our own language.

David Crystal– The English Language ( London: Penguin 1988: p. 265 )

International English may simply absorb the majority of forms considered acceptable around the globe. Electronic media will be the influential vehicle delivering and discarding words, phrases and blends at the speed of light. Listening and interpreting will become the order of the day. Alarm and protest will be abundant. It will also require clarification requests– Do you mean/Does that mean– and a good dose of patience.

It may well be the most loathsome challenge for connoisseurs of their own dialects, but it is destined to become the global house wine and the flavor will not be bland.

The Language Works Online English Curriculum

November 23rd, 2007 Posted by Spencer | A-The Language Works, D-It's All Academic, E-Global English | no comments

Online Curricula: Classrooms of the Future

Organization has always been the bane of educators. From lesson plans to classroom materials, there has to be a method within the madness of putting it all together. Now that we have computers at our disposal, the task is definitely easier to manage. The outlook is good.

The immediate need is to develop. But how? One good answer is online materials using flash files. The flash file format seems to have the most potential for universal application. They can be generated from scratch using Adobe flash file creation tools, or they can be converted from Microsoft PowerPoint presentations using any number of conversion tools.

The next question is: What to develop? We need curricula and we need quality software: organized, effective, user-friendly and engaging resources. Technology is just the vehicle– a tremendous amount of brainwork and effort will be necessary to produce these online materials.

There is a happy medium that exists between the flash and bang of multi-media “events” and the droll and hypnotizing computer-game-style exercises that have become ubiquitous across the web. An online curriculum must take the best material and organization from all non-CALL curricula and infuse it with media that serves to optimize the content to be learned. It must be practical (without redundancy) engaging (minus the bells and whistles) and effective (organized, clear and concise).

Not only are we talking about a new form of lesson content, we are also demanding eclecticism of current curricular materials. Every ESL/EFL teacher (and student) knows the extraordinary selection of textbooks, workbooks, storybooks and cassette tapes available in bookshops. The mundane aspects of these materials must be replaced with more stream-lined resources suitable for online curricula. The increased quality of resource elements (illustrations, animations, photos and other visual material) and the means to present them (fast, reliable hardware) matched by clear, concise organization and higher quality lesson content will boost the level of learning potential by degrees. Classrooms adapting to the new online curricula will certainly be the classrooms of the future.

The Language Works Online English Curriculum

October 9th, 2007 Posted by Spencer | B-CALL and English, E-Global English | no comments

Approaches to ESL Instruction-2-The Eclectic Paradigm

Some would claim we are in a “post-communicative” stage of instructional theory and practice–not so much a state of limbo but perhaps a plateau of competence; nonetheless, most writers use the term reluctantly and couple it with the “so-called” appellation as Roger Nunn does in a rather insightful manner:

A so-called “post-communicative” view of language teaching is said to be more eclectic. Language teaching is seen as an adaptive process rather than as the application of an ideal method or approach. In contexts that seem to require or favour the learning of actual abilities to use a language, it is useful for a teacher to develop a repertoire of holistic activities within which a variety of approaches may be adopted. A teacher’s repertoire often includes activities such as simulated conversations in pairs and small groups, speech making or story telling. All of these holistic activities act as a framework for the adoption of different approaches and roles, ranging from strictly and centrally controlled teacher-fronted interaction to devolved interaction in which students structure their own discourse.

See the source:Roger Nunn– A Holistic Classroom Activity

The first variable in the eclectic paradigm is the degree to which students engage in and construct their learning process. It can be seen as existing along a spectrum: teacher-fronted classrooms on one side and students structuring their own lessons on the other. It becomes imperative to assess how much control can be responsibly placed in the hands of the student(s) in regards to lesson content. Obviously a large group of elementary students will be on one side, while a small group of adults will be on the other. Further, optimizing the teacher-fronted environment to give maximum control (this side of chaos) to students in their learning process is possibly the greatest challenge to second language teachers. There is a limit to how much control young learners can manage relative to mature adults.

The second variable is the means in which the lessons are delivered “seen as an adaptive process rather than as the application of an ideal method or approach.” Roger Nunn uses the term “holistic activities” and you can see an example using the link above. His class survey could be seen as one element in an eclectic-style curriculum. The focus is on the activity and less so on a specific approach. In the same way, “task-based language learning” implies that carrying out a specific language task includes the means of delivery. David Nunan uses the term “task” but is very clear in defining it in a “holistic” manner:

1. A replacement to or a supportive infusion of more student centered learning to certain single approach based syllabi.
2. Utilizing more authentic experiences and materials as well as principles of constructivism compared to top down teaching.
3. More of a sense of personal and active accomplishment including developing a greater sense of language ownership.
4. Increased student participation when task teaching is well planned and implemented sensitive to learners’ learning styles, learning and communicative strategies, personalities, multiple intelligences and the overall local contexts, for example.
5. Making specific lesson goals more evident through movement towards and/or success of task completion.
6. Important and ongoing assessment and “washback” to both teacher and learner.

David Nunan–Asian-EFL-Journal–September 5, 2005:
Important Tasks of English Education: Asia-wide and Beyond

The second variable spectrum has grammar translation exercises on one end and a group of actors performing a play of their own creation in their second language on the other– between the simplest task and an extreme task, from written exercise to complex activity or traditional device to progressive technique. Whatever example you wish to put on either end, spectrums are useful by nature because they are all-inclusive, and the eclectic paradigm exists to accommodate all possible forms. In this way, the eclectic paradigm differs from CLT or a task-based approach simply because it includes both and any other effective means of language learning, whether it be in a particular case or for universal application.

The third variable is the choice of materials. The eclectic paradigm will encompass everything from fill-in-the-blank worksheets to field trips at the supermarket. The essential criteria for success will be an acceptance of the universal notion that each and every student, group or class will require their own learning agenda and materials ranging from simple handouts to a challenging multi-media activity. Learner-centeredness is the background in the entire learning experience; on the other hand, it doesn’t belong in the driver’s seat. An individual student will have the greatest potential for participating in the selection of teaching and learning styles as well as lesson content, while the individual in a large group will obviously have less opportunity to be the center of the learning process.

It must be pointed out that the method, approach, task or technique utilized must harmonize with the materials chosen in order to carry out communicative competence successfully. For example, you wouldn’t use a PowerPoint slide show to assess the writing level of high school students, just as you wouldn’t use an essay-writing textbook with adults wishing to sharpen their speaking skills even if (and I emphasize this) a student requests it.

See: Approaches to ESL Instruction-1-Two Prevailing Trends

The critical aspect of this paradigm is making the right choices in each learning environment– who will have the power to make these choices and how and in which circumstances these choices will evolve and remain engaging over time are just a few of the questions that must be seriously considered. Once again, there is a spectrum from which to place these choices. An individual adult student will be the most active in his/her own syllabus/curriculum up to and including no curriculum at all (what is commonly referred to as “free conversation”), while a class of 40 elementary school students will have much less choice up to no choice at all (which seems to be the predominant case). Good manners, discussion, critical thought and compromise (not to mention common sense) can save a lot of time in the selection process, hedge against bad assessments and reduce the potential for a “wandering curriculum.” Getting it right at the beginning also applies to second language learning.

Finally, there is the spectrum between ESL and EFL. This has to be considered by default. You cannot change the dominant spoken language in your society. If you are in an English-speaking country, you will be blessed with English speaking opportunities at every turn. If you are in Hong Kong, Singapore, parts of India or Europe or any other place with an English-speaking population, you may have the opportunity to carry out language tasks on a regular basis outside the classroom. If you happen to be almost anywhere else, you are more or less in EFL territory. David Nunan’s list above will be extremely difficult to implement but will remain an ideal on the horizon. He points this out further on in the same article mentioned above:

We are further faced with the fact that the true task of learning a second language in the many EFL environments that Asian learners find themselves are removed from a lot of ‘naturalistic”, non-classroom, English speaking settings. Such an understanding of these realities and the principles that surround realistic classroom learning can be of service to classroom teachers wondering what methods, approaches and practices to choose at a specific time.

Asian-EFL-Journal– September 5, 2005

Whether you want to call it “Post-Communicative Language Teaching,” “The Eclectic Paradigm,” “Spectrum-Based Instruction” or anything else, the time for following a specific designer method is coming to an end. This ups the ante of effort required by both teachers and students, promotes the development of critical minds and presses for the creation of new and better materials to make the learning experience an interesting, effective and engaging one.
 

Next in this series: “Some Tools in The Eclectic Box”

The Language Works Online English Curriculum

October 9th, 2007 Posted by Spencer | A-The Language Works, D-It's All Academic, F-Teachers and Teaching | no comments

Approaches to ESL Instruction-1-Two Prevailing Trends

In the last 20 years or so, both the theory and practice of second language teaching have evolved considerably through various prevailing trends in instruction. Two of these trends are outlined here:

The much acclaimed Communicative Approach or Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), which could be seen as the first big push away from the Audio Lingual Method (ALM) or “Army Method,” may be the most recognized and could even be seen as a “movement” in second language acquisition.

ALM focuses on learning through repetition and positive or negative reinforcement in much the same way an animal would be trained. In fact, it works, but it is considered slow and mundane. If you are in training at a military base, it may appear to be relatively interesting, but in the civilian world there are many other, more effective tools available. 

David Nunan’s outline can be considered the flagship of CLT:
1) An emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction
in the target language.
2) The introduction of authentic texts into the learning situation.

3) The provision of opportunities for learners to focus, not only on
language but also on the learning process itself.
4) An enhancement of the learners own personal experiences
as important contributing elements to classroom learning.
5) An attempt to link classroom language learning with
language activities outside the classroom.

Nunan, David. 1991. Communicative tasks and the language curriculum. TESOL Quarterly 25(2)

The giant step out of the behaviorist school and ALM is enough to justify the importance of CLT. People were using “real” language versus textbook prefabrications and “task-based” exercises while learning the language both inside and outside the classroom environment as CLT developed. The scope became wider and the language learning audience grew enormously.

In retrospect, the enthusiasm at the outset may be seen to have been overdone at a time when English was establishing its position as the ladder to success in career and business. Language schools all around the world were popping up and a “communicative” way of studying and teaching seemed to be the approach to end all approaches. After all, language is communication. The motto was, in some cases: If we understand each other, we are communicating. One problem was that CLT was being forcibly implemented into situations not equipped to deal with it on a curricular level and that “The Approach” was being bounced around like a basketball, sometimes promoted in non-communicative settings to sell more seats. (Ahhhh, the power of marketing!) Ultimately, implementing a program, outlined by Nunan above, was too much for many institutions to deal with effectively. Think of rural developing communities. Some confusion was inevitable.

Another problem with CLT (not so easily apparent) is that teachers who are very familiar with their students understand them when they make errors. This could be a result of a teacher’s knowledge of the first language or other influences such as knowing a person well. Error correction is reduced owning to the emphasis on communication. The interaction in the learning situation could be misleading. In some cases, regular speakers of the target language may have great difficulty in understanding the utterances of a student, even though there may be a high level of communication with a particular teacher.

“Learner Centered Teaching” is the second trend explored here and could also be seen as a reaction to poor status quo, this time to a perceived indulgence of instructors in “teacher talk time” and a lack of participation by the learner in the learning process. It puts the focus on student needs. The paradigm shifts from delivering content and controlling the environment to engaging students in creating their own learning. Feedback is a central part of the program. Assessing teacher performance is commonplace. Some students would demand that a teacher be someone who is enthusiastic, involved and prepared and they expect their version of these traits in each lesson. “Teacher talk time” is transformed into “Teacher engage time.” It’s a tall order! In fact, a learner centered approach has always been in the toolbox of teachers. The problem is that involving students in their own process can become time-consuming (especially in the case of young learners). The time spent in assessing one’s learning style (or specific multiple intelligences) and a teacher’s style of instruction, together with co-creating curriculum, could be in vain. It’s a matter of absorption versus progression.

In an extreme scenario, the students become arbiters of curriculum– in the beginning, manipulating their teachers into playing games for the duration of class and, as their quest for power is finally realized, sentencing “bad” teachers to reprimands and pay cuts, but this is the stuff of ridiculous Hollywood movies, an intriguing Stanley Kubrick film or an Orwellian nightmare. Or is it?

Next in this series: “The Eclectic Paradigm”

The Language Works Online English Curriculum

October 9th, 2007 Posted by Spencer | A-The Language Works, D-It's All Academic, F-Teachers and Teaching | no comments

Age and the Pronunciation Barrier

Can children really pick up a language more quickly than adults? Unfortunately for adults, the answer is: “Probably, yes.” Of course there are always exceptions. There are slow young learners and adults with an aptitude for language. The general consensus goes like this: the younger a student is when acquiring a new language, the more accurate her/his pronunciation will be in the target language. According to Virginia P. Collier:

“Studies examining students’ pronunciation after more than five years of exposure to the second language consistently find that the large majority of adults retain their accent when the second language is acquired after puberty, whereas children initiating second language acquisition before puberty have little or no foreign accent.”

More on the subject here:

The Effect of Age on Acquisition of a Second Language

According to researchers, this has to do with brain “plasticity.” This doesn’t mean our brains slowly turn to a hard, dull plastic up to the point of senile dementia; on the contrary, it suggests that the human brain has the ability to change and develop (adapt) over time in relation to new information. The focus is on “neuronal circuits that respond to diverse stimuli and process information.” In most cases, young learners have more plasticity as Yvonne F. Stapp points out:

…in early second language acquisition (L2) beginning at between approximately age five or six, children often achieve native-like pronunciation and syntax within a relatively short period of a year or two. The ability of young children to achieve native-like proficiency in a foreign language in a rather short time is a reflection of a type of neural plasticity, and it appears to be related to the distinct characteristics of the young brain.

More here: Neural Plasticity and the Issue of Mimicry Tasks in L2 Pronunciation Studies

The pronunciation factor will depend on a student’s ability to adapt to the sounds (”phonemes”) a new language demands. This is most often unique to each individual. There is an actual physical change that takes place in the muscles required to produce new sounds and a simultaneous change in the processes of the brain. Every human being has the potential to make this transformation in language accent. Think of Peter Sellers in “The Pink Panther” as an extreme example… at some point in his life he had to conceive of and develop that accent, but I doubt the French would consider it authentic. In fact, acquiring native fluency in French as a second language is probably more demanding than English from the point of view of pronunciation, and it certainly requires a lot more effort than mocking an accent for fun and games… or movies for that matter.

The Language Works Online English Curriculum

May 8th, 2007 Posted by Spencer | D-It's All Academic | no comments

Foreigner Talk and Globalization

Foreigner talk, according to linguists, is a simplification of a target language for the perceived benefit of the non-native speaker but the fact is, it’s frequently unnecessary and often betrays a native speakers sense of insecurity. In a situation with speakers of another language, frustration breeds preconceptions and preconceptions give birth to stereotypes which in turn lead to certain types of behavior, behavior that may or may not be inspired by popular culture (for exampleTarzan?).

You’ve all seen this gaffe in the movies. A Native English speaker gets into a taxi in a foreign country:

Native Speaker: Me go to hotel. Ho Tellll. O.K.?
Taxi Driver: Do you want me to choose the hotel or does it have a name?

This style of foreigner talk (Me hungry) is completely different from consciously speaking slowly, clarifying pronunciation, repeating sentences, speaking with ample volume, making eye contact, body language, etc. These techniques should be in the toolbox of the English teacher and can be wisely employed by anyone and everyone in cross cultural situations including inexperienced travellers. As English becomes global, foreigner talk of the Tarzan variety will necessarily be replaced by clear and simple communication.

The Language Works Online English Curriculum

May 8th, 2007 Posted by Spencer | E-Global English | no comments

English as a Third Language Defined

While some sources suggest that all languages learned outside the mother tongue are second languages, the academics have given us ample numbers of acronyms and their proper use from which to address learners of other languages in the official manner.

English as a Third Language- A Dialog

My new student is a Japanese native who acquired Russian as a child, she will most likely acquire English pronunciation in the same way a Russian adult would because she has been here in Moscow since she was a child and has a typical Russian accent for the most part.

On the other hand, if she has an association with English in her native Japanese tongue, perhaps then she will be coming to the lesson with pronunciation characteristic of a native Japanese speaker. How do you think this works? I guess you can call it English as a THIRD language.

Yes, you can call it English as a third language or “L3″ but this is because you and your student are (presumably) in an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) environment;that is, the community in which you live is predominantly a non-English-speaking community. If you were in Canada (or any other English-speaking geography) you would call it ESL (English as a Second Language) or “L2.”

The possibility is that your student’s pronunciation will have a dominant Russian accent with Japanese undertones depending on the age in which she migrated to Russia (the earlier, the less influence Japanese pronunciation will have). In this case, your student’s first language or “L1″ may be Japanese, but her dominant language is Russian, that is, the language she communicates in on a daily basis.

Either way, the pronunciation factor will depend on her ability to adapt to the new sounds (”phonemes”) English demands. This is most often unique to each individual. There is an actual physical change that takes place in the muscles required to produce new sounds and a simultaneous change in the processes of the brain. Every human being has the potential to make this transformation in language accent.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes with your student.

May 8th, 2007 Posted by Spencer | D-It's All Academic | no comments

Young Learners Thrive in a Fun Learning Environment

When it comes to young learners, the spectrum is wide from one student to the next. John is outgoing but craves attention. He may give wrong answers to make his classmates laugh. Jane is shy. She may be terrified of what her peers think of her. The point is, there must be a fun and interesting activity that encompasses all students in a safe learning atmosphere. By safe, we are talking about a lack of inhibitions and an eagerness to participate meaningfully.

There are days when students don’t want to participate in their lessons. This is natural- even for some adult students. The path to fluency in another language is long. It takes time and patience and on some days, it seems an impossible task. The Language Works has created a young learner’s curriculum that pulls students in and provides an environment where they can have genuine fun AND learn English effectively. The flash file curriculum is well organized, is supported by lesson plans and has clear and concise overviews of the various activities (in Chinese and Spanish as well as English). There is an abundance of visual imagery. Lesson pace is fast. All the activities in a lesson are interconnected and there is a Q and A Game Show at the end (the last 10-20 minutes) that reviews lesson content.

When there are many different personalities (albeit developing ones) joined together in an exercise that most of them like, students become engaged as a group. The Language Works Curriculum is nearly 100% successful because it brings students together by way of meaningful (and fun) activities.

Try it here:The Language Works Online English Curriculum

May 8th, 2007 Posted by Spencer | C-English Language Learners | no comments

You have arrived at The Language Works

Welcome to the blog for our Online English Curriculum. Whether you’ve had a chance to try out the curriculum or whether you’re just looking around, we encourage you to browse through the site and leave any comments, suggestions, complaints, praises, condemnations, enthusiastic outbursts or otherwise. And if you happen to be a teacher, we hope we can provide you with the best possible resources both in and beyond your lessons.

Check it out: The Language Works Online English Curriculum

May 8th, 2007 Posted by Spencer | A-The Language Works | no comments