Month: November 2016

Contribute to the ESPIS Library in myTESOL

Hello, ESPers worldwide!

As you know, TESOL International Association has launched a new platform called myTESOL. Accordingly, we are in the process of moving documents and links from the old ESPIS library (in the discontinued TESOL Community Network) to the new ESPIS Library (in the newly established myTESOL). In addition, we have moved the online discussions, including a one-month discussion with leaders from the TESOL ESPIS and the IATEFL ESP SIG about ESP that is 261 pages and 65,707 words in length! In this TESOL Blog post, my purpose is to annnnounce the opening of the ESPIS Library in myTESOL to the world in January 2017 and to ask for your contribution of items now! (Only TESOL members have access to myTESOL until January 2017, when it will be open to the general public.)

In the new  ESPIS Library, you can now find the following online discussions.

  1. ESPIS Discussions 2011–2012
  • Onsite ESL Programs From Best Practices to Reality on the Ground
  • Teaching Tips and Success Stories in ESP
  • Exploring for Excellence in EMP Practice
  • The Impact of Culture on Effective Communication in ESP Contexts
  • TESOL & IATEFL Discussion on ESP
  1. ESPIS Discussion 2013
  • The Face of the Profession
  1. Practitioner Reading Group

The PowerPoint presentations (PPTs) include “English for Specific Purposes: An Overview for Practitioners and Clients (Academic & Corporate)” and some other PPTs with more to be added soon.

The library also contains a list of the ESPIS chairs from 1992–2018:

  • 2017–2018: Esther Perez (Perez Apple & Company, USA)
  • 2016–2017: Robert Connor (Tulane University, USA)
  • 2015–2016: Jaclyn Gishbaugher (Ohio State University, USA)
  • 2014–2015: Kristin Ekkens (C3 Consulting, USA)
  • 2013–2014: Yinghuei Chen (Asia University, Taiwan)
  • 2012–2013: Najma Janjua (Kagawa Prefectural University of Health Sciences, Japan)
  • 2011–2012: Kevin Knight (Kanda University of International Studies, Japan)
  • 2010–2011: David Kertzner (ProActive English, USA)
  • 2009–2010: Shahid Abrar-ul-Hassan (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman)
  • 2008–2009: Oswald (Ozzy) Jochum (Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Austria)
  • 2007–2008: Karen Schwelle (Washington University in St. Louis, USA)
  • 2006–2007: Ruth Yontz (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA)
  • 2005–2006: Charles Hall (University of Memphis, USA)
  • 2004–2005: Debra Lee (Nashville State Technical Community College, USA)
  • 2003–2004: Mark R. Freiermuth (University of Aizu, Japan)
  • 2002–2003: Ethel C. Swartley (Drexel University, USA)
  • 2001–2002: Jane Lockwood (Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong)
  • 2000–2001: Thomas Orr (University of Aizu, Japan)
  • 1999–2000: Judith Gordon (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA)
  • 1998–1999: Leslie Olsen (University of Michigan, USA)
  • 1997–1998: Joan Friedenberg (Southern Illinois University, USA)
  • 1995–1997: Margaret van Naerssen (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
  • 1993–1995: Laraine Kaminsky (Malkam Consultants Ltd., Canada)
  • 1992–1993: Kay Westerfield (University of Oregon, USA)

In addition, I would like to add links from each of the ESP News articles to the ESPIS Library for easy access.  At this time, you can find links to the following articles from the October 2016 edition of ESP News:

If you are a TESOL member now, I hope that you will take the time to log into myTESOL and visit the library. In addition, please share a link or a file. It is very easy to do! After you log in, click on “Participation.” Then click on “Share a File.” You will be given several options related to the type of file you would like to share.

Please also consider what kinds of resources that you find valuable in your own work. In my case, I plan to add links related to creating business and marketing plans, metaphor analysis, conversation analysis, and intellectual property protection.  I would love to see links and articles added that relate to ESP research and practice.

If you are not a TESOL member now, do you have an item that should be in the ESPIS Library? As ESPIS community manager, Tarana Patel is leading the ESPIS library-building effort so feel free to contact Tarana or me.

From January 2017 when myTESOL is open to the general public, I hope to see TESOL members and others directly adding resources to the ESPIS Library. I look forward to seeing what you add!

All the best,
Kevin

from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/contribute-to-the-espis-library-in-mytesol/

Fun To Teach Upcoming Workshops

Fun To Teach Workshops

http://funtoteach.com/workshops/

FUN TO TEACH is excited to announce our 2017 ELD workshops.

These all day ELD workshops are perfect for your  “ELD professional development!”

This is your opportunity to:

•Energize instruction & learn more about ELP standards & strategies

•Enhance your students’ language growth

•Free up time with lesson ideas for all parts of an ESL/ELD

 Check out our great workshops by clicking here now!

Download our workshop flyer and fillable registration form!  Fill in and email your registration today!

 

Workshop #3:  

Connections between Common Core Language Standards and ELD

Whether you are in a push-in or pull-out program this Make and Take workshop is for K-5 ELD and/or classroom teachers working separately or as a collaborative team.

Get an in-depth understanding of the Common Core Language Standards and how they correspond with Second language acquisition with this Make and Take workshop.

This presentation concentrates on strategies and make and take activities, which compare the connections between second language learning and the CCSS language standards.
 

Friday – Feb 3, 2017 – Portland, Oregon

 
Workshop #4
Academic Language – The Bridge across the Common Core! What is it?  How to teach it!
 


ELD and classroom teachers love this workshop as they learn strategies to co-teach academic language and grammar across the curriculum.  This workshop is of particular value to those participating as a cohort or a grade level team.  We explore strategies and activities to build academic language in Intermediate and Early Advanced English language learners, as well as native English speakers.  These strategies are ideal for both push in or pull out programs.

The following areas will be presented and explored:

Phonological Features

Vocabulary and Word Formation

Grammar

Discourse

Cognition

There is time allotted to create multiple Make and Take projects relating to each category.
Friday – February 24, 2017 – Portland, Oregon

 
Download our workshop flyer and fillable registration form!  Fill in and email your registration today!

 

Workshop #1

                Oral Fluency and Vocabulary Development

Workshop #1 is for teachers interested in adding another layer of practical knowledge to their ELD instruction.  Enhance your instruction of oral language and vocabulary development with language games, picture cards, songs, chants, sentence frames, and “make & take” lesson plans.

Friday –  March 10, 2017 – Portland, OR

 Check out all of our great workshops by clicking here now!

 Workshop #2:

Strategies for Teaching Intermediate and Early Advanced Language Learners
Assessment, Persistent Errors and ELD Literacy

  If you are ready to tackle the complex issues around teaching intermediate and early advanced students, workshop #2 is for you! This workshop addresses challenges common to more advanced ELLs.

•Assessment – how to use it to guide instruction

•Persistent errors made by more advanced ELLs

•Literacy in ELD – what it is and how do we teach it

Friday – April 7, 2017 – Portland, OR


Workshop #5

Getting To Know The Key Strategies for Teaching English Language Proficiency

  

Are you ready to get to know the new key strategies that support teaching English Language Proficiency in Oregon? This workshop explores and clarifies the strategies that support academic language and will bring your understanding and classroom instruction up to speed. This workshop will enhance your knowledge of key strategies whether you are brand new to them or already starting to incorporate them into your instruction.

Friday May 5, 2017  – Portland

Download our workshop flyer and fillable registration form!  Fill in and email your registration today!

FUN TO TEACH INNOVATIVE ELD WORKSHOPS AND CURRICULUM

Innovative professional development for raising student achievement.

Hope to see you there! 



 

from Fun To Teach ESL – Teaching English as a Second Language http://esleld.blogspot.com/2016/11/fun-to-teach-upcoming-workshops.html

Four Games for Practicing Verb Tenses

Today I’ll share four games that you can implement in your classes to practice verb tenses and make your lesson more fun.

Grid on the Board

For this activity you need to prepare two sets of sentences with different verb tenses. Each set has a different color. The sets are on the desk in front of the room.

Draw the following grid on the board:

Present Past Future
Simple
Progressive
Perfect

Divide students into two teams.

One person from each team will go to the desk and pick a sentence (each team has its own color). The team needs to decide where in the grid they will place the sentence. Then someone from the team goes to the board and places the sentence in the chosen slot.

The team wins if they place all of their cards first and correctly.

Swap Chairs

You can use this game to practice either all tenses or only one (e.g., present perfect).

All students are sitting in a circle and one student (i.e., the Speaker) is standing in the middle. The speaker says, “Swap chairs if you have ever ridden a horse.” The students who have ridden a horse must get up and switch chairs. If no one gets up, the Speaker makes another sentence. If only one student gets up, they switch with the Speaker. If you are practicing all tenses in this game, then the sentences can be in any tense, for example, “Swap chairs if you will watch TV tonight,” “Swap chairs if you are wearing jeans,” “Swap chairs if you like to hike.”

Truth or Lie (Present Perfect Tense)

By doing this activity, student not only practice grammar, but they also learn a lot of interesting things about their classmates.

To prepare for this activity, you will need dice (one die per team), and a list of questions in present perfect (e.g., “Have you ever been to Australia?” “Have you ever ridden an elephant?”). Write one question on a separate piece of paper. Each team will receive a set of the papers with the questions written on them. Alternatively, you may give students some time at the beginning of the activity for each of them to create a few questions for their classmates.

Divide students into teams. Keep teams relatively small if possible (approximately 3-5 students per team). If you have a small number of students, you can certainly do this activity as a whole class.

To start the activity, one person in a team is chosen to answer a question. Someone else in the team picks a question and reads it to the Answerer. The Answerer then secretly rolls the die, so the other members of the team can’t see it. If the number is odd, then the answer to the question should be truthful; if the number is even, the student should make up a lie. The other members of the team then ask follow-up questions, which can be in any tense until they figure out whether the answer was the truth or the lie. Each person in the team needs to ask at least one question until the “verdict” is given.

Tarot Cards (Future Tense)

Make simple tarot cards. For example, you can draw simple pictures or symbols representing

  • Family
  • Travel
  • Love
  • Home
  • Children
  • Happiness
  • Wealth
  • Work
  • Education
  • Power
  • Entertainment, etc.

The number of the card sets should correspond with the number of pairs of students in your class.

Divide students into pairs and give each pair a set of the cards. Ask students to draw cards and tell each other their fortunes. To make the activity more challenging and interesting, a Fortuneteller needs to include at least 3 sentences in each fortune.

Please feel free to share activities that you implement in your classes to help students practice verb tenses.

from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/four-games-for-practicing-verb-tenses/

Problem (Tech) Solved: Disorganization 1

I am certain that there must be model teachers out there that never lose anything, always remember to tell students about assignments, and perfectly perform complex mathematics, like weighted grading, entirely in their heads. For the rest of us, help is here!

In past posts, I have discussed a number of learning managements systems (LMSs), for example Engrade, Edmodo, Schoology, and Google Classroom. Each is different and has its own pros and cons. Some are free or have free basic accounts, and others are paid. In the past, I may not have explicitly pointed out some of the fantastic things you could do with an LMS. This is what I want to do today. For the purpose of this post, I will be referring to D2L because it is the platform I am most familiar with.

Have you ever had a student convince you that he or she submitted an assignment that you do not recall seeing but may have unintentionally misplaced? Of course not, says your selective memory; at any rate, that is a thing of the past. Students can submit a wide variety of assignment types via D2L and the submissions are all time-stamped. I use the “content” tab to group assignments by type and have a start date, due date, and end date for each one. Students can start submitting it after the start date, should submit it by the due date, and also have a little bit of wiggle room to submit materials late but before the end date. Personally, I am willing to accept assignments late for partial credit, but I refuse to allow a student submit a whole semester’s worth of reading journals during finals week. Having the dates tied to the assignment is convenient and keeps everyone on track. Now this feature may vary from one LMS to the next, but it is certainly something to consider when choosing a platform.

Have you ever had a student “forget” the details of an assignment, the grading policy, or a deadline? If you post all this information on your LMS or class website, students can always view it online. The information has been posted, and it is their responsibility to check it. You may or may not decide to go over everything in detail in class, but my experience says that students are sometimes halfway out the door, mentally at least, for the last bit of class anyway, so they are not focused on writing down the homework for the next day. Even if they are, they are often not processing the information until later and then questions might arise. Posting the same information online keeps you and students on the same page.

Have you ever wondered if there is a simpler way to grade? An LMS can help with that, too. Though features vary across platforms, I have been very pleased with the options available with D2L. Not only can I determine what grading system to use (weighted vs. points) and add all the assignments for the semester, which does all the math for me, but I can also create rubrics for easier grading and feedback. Making a new rubric is an investment of time, but for assignments that repeat often throughout the semester, for example weekly reading journals, they are a real lifesaver in the end. Additionally, you can choose whether or not students can view their final grade throughout the course of the semester. Working with adults, I always release the grades to students so that they can ask me questions right away. These are just a few of the ways you might want to use an LMS to help with grading.

If you do not currently use an LMS, I would urge you to look at some of your options today. If you do use an LMS already, challenge yourself to find and test out a new feature. Share how your LMS simplifies your life by leaving a comment below!

from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/problem-tech-solved-disorganization-1/

Teachers Pay Teacher Super Cyber Sale!

Hello everyone!
I hope you had a super terrific Thanksgiving with your families.  
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Fun-To-Teach

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Fun-To-Teach
Are you ready for Teachers Pay Teachers super cyber sale? 
  
Get ready to purchase your favorite Fun To Teach products on November 28th and 29th.  You can save up to 28% and fill your instructional toolbox with new resources to enrich your teaching by clicking here now!

Check out a couple of our favorites!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Bundle-English-Language-Arts-and-Math-Printables-1908729

Kindergarten Bundleincludes 8 Kindergarten products for a reduced price.  You get a combination of our best English Language Arts and Math products for kindergartners. 
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/English-Regular-and-Irregular-Past-Tense-Verb-Games-Bundle-2686946
                 
English Regular and Irregular Past Tense

VerbGames Bundle
Get ready for fun!  This engaging English Past Tense Verb bundle reinforces the past tense with 3 stimulating grammar games and an upbeat catchy tune.
You get 184 pages of fun that will get students begging to practice English Past Tense verbs.  This educational grammar bundle will entice students of all ages.
This fun and fabulous Past Tense Verb bundle includes:
•Irregular Past Tense Verb Game
 • 3 Sounds of “ed” Past Tense Verb Game
•Past Participle Verb Game
•Regular Past Tense Verb Song
Increase academic vocabulary, strengthen grammar and build a strong English foundation with this excellent resource from Fun To Teach. 
                  
Happy Shopping!

from Fun To Teach ESL – Teaching English as a Second Language http://esleld.blogspot.com/2016/11/teachers-pay-teacher-super-cyber-sale.html

Qualifiers!

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One of my ELD groups have been working on biographies in their regular classroom and I started to notice the awkwardness in their writing and speaking as they prepared their book reports and oral presentations. 
Time for a couple of lessons on Qualifiers! 
WHAT IS A QUALIFIER?
A word or phrase that precedes an adjective or adverb and increases or decreases the quality or meaning of the word.
WHICH WORDS ARE QUALIFIERS?
Here are some of the most common qualifiers in English (though some of these words have other functions as well): very, quite, rather, somewhat, more, most, less, least, too, so, just, enough, indeed, still, almost, fairly, really, pretty, even, a bit, a little, a (whole) lot, a good deal, a great deal, kind of, sort of.
REMEMBER…
·      qualifiers do not modify verbs
·      qualifiers do not have adverb derivational suffixes, with one or two exceptions, like really and fairly
·      qualifiers cannot be made comparative or superlative
·      qualifiers do not intensify
Happy Teaching!
 

from Fun To Teach ESL – Teaching English as a Second Language http://esleld.blogspot.com/2013/01/qualifiers.html

To Lie – Just for fun!

Hi everyone,
We all goof this one up!
Just to remind us when we are getting ready to lie down or if we are lying down.

present tense of verb ‘to lie’
I lie, or I am lying
you lie, or you are lying
he/she lies, or he/she is lying
we lie, or we are lying
they lie, or they are lying

past tense:
I lay, or I was lying, or I have lain
you lay, or you were lying, or you have lain
he/she lay, or he/she was lying, or he/she has lain
we lay, or we were lying, or we have lain
they lay, or they were lying, or they have lain

Whew!

Happy Teaching!

Lori

from Fun To Teach ESL – Teaching English as a Second Language http://esleld.blogspot.com/2013/03/to-lie-just-for-fun.html

Bullying and ELLs: What Teachers Can Do

As both children and speakers of other languages, school-age English learners are particularly vulnerable to bullying. This blog helps teachers and teacher educators recognize signs and causes of bullying and presents some steps they can take to prevent it.

Know what to look for. Stopbullying.gov presents warning signs of bullying, for children who might be getting bullied or those who might be bullying others. Signs that a child might be the subject of bullying at school include unexplainable injuries, lost or destroyed clothing or other personal items, reluctance to go to school, or self-harming behaviors such as running away from home or hurting themselves. If you suspect bullying or know someone who is in immediate danger, StopBullying.gov outlines the steps to get help now.

Protect ELLs from bullying in the classroom or at school.  Colorín Colorado recently published a blog on 8 Tips to Protect ELLs from Bullying. These tips include setting clear guidelines for your class, giving clear examples of what constitutes bullying, and informing parents and administrators when you suspect bullying. Two points from this blog that I feel are worth emphasizing are that (1) teachers need to take what their students tell them seriously; chalking it up to “kids will be kids” can have serious, if not disastrous, consequences for those involved; and (2)  Parents of both L1 English speakers and ELLs need to be reminded that bullying is not just something to be expected when a child moves to a new place. The article cautions, “Not only can this make a child feel even more frightened and helpless, it can cause a child to feel resentment and bitterness toward the country and its citizens in general. ELLs need to feel that they belong here, not part of a subset that is tolerated“[my emphasis].

Understand how your own classroom policies (official or unofficial) might encourage bullying. In a recent study presented at the Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education hosted by the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, Maria Del Rosario Talamantes presented findings that English learners tended to bully each other in classes where rigid separation of languages took place. When teachers tightly restricted when students could use English and when they could use their L1 (Spanish), it created a power dynamic that pitted students against each other based on their language proficiency. Take away message for teachers: Be aware of how your own classroom policies (official and unofficial) impact how students treat each other, and don’t assume that ELLs are always responsible for helping each other. They are all under extreme stress and pressure to learn a new language, and because many are children, they may not be able or willing to take on the additional task of helping a peer. The teacher is ultimately responsible for making students feel comfortable and accepted.

Realize that bullying may not be overt. ELLs may suffer micro aggressions, or the everyday slights, snubs, or subtle insults that target people from different marginalized groups (according to Psychology Today). Often, micro aggressions occur without people even realizing that they’re committing them, which makes them difficult to address.  Teachers might be communicating these negative messages without even realizing it.
Recently, a micro aggression went viral after a college professor told a Latina student that the word “hence” was “not her language” and accused her of plagiarism. In response, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on recent efforts on behalf of colleges to train professors to recognize implicit bias and address it in the classroom.

Seek ways to stop bullying before it can start.  Teaching Tolerance published an insightful piece titled, “Lonely Language Learners,” about how isolating the lives of young ELLs can be. Promoting interaction and grouping structures that enable students to build their own social networks are crucial to today’s classrooms, and teachers need to deliberately focus on how they’re grouping students and why. It’s important to remember that allowing students from varying L1 backgrounds to be in groups other than ability or proficiency-level groups exposes all kids to “multiple ways of thinking, solving problems, and living in this world.”  This richness of experience is one of the greatest resources that students bring to all language classrooms.

from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/bullying-and-ells-what-teachers-can-do/

Federal Policies Highlight ELLs in Early Education

Most of you who have been reading my blog are familiar with Karen Nemeth, who has written many guest blogs over the past few years. Karen is a nationally-known expert on ELLs/DLLs in early childhood education. Please enjoy this review of policy discussions that have taken place over the past year. Many organizations and government offices now use the term dual language learners (DLLs) to refer to all children under the age of 9 years who are learning in two or more languages. For purposes of this article, Karen uses ELLs/DLLs.

ELLs/DLLs in early childhood education, especially those of preschool age, have been the focus of many policy discussions at the federal level in the past year. The number of preschool classrooms in public school districts is increasing rapidly, and a growing number of TESOL members are being assigned to work with English learners under the age of 6 years. Teacher preparation programs for early childhood education, English as a second language, and special education are being called on to update course content and practical experience components in response to these policies

In June 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Education released their Policy Statement on Supporting the Development of Children Who Are Dual Language Learners in Early Childhood Programs. This statement included eleven recommendations that focus on preparing the workforce for diverse populations and meeting the learning needs of each student with appropriate interactions, curricula, assessments, and environments.

Leading up to this policy statement, the 2015 report from the Institutes of Medicine,
Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation,
recommended that early childhood teachers need “ability to advance the learning and development of children who are dual language learners” based on an exhaustive review of the research.

Nonregulatory Guidance Document Clarifies Importance of Preschool in District-Wide Plans for English Learners

Now we see that the term preschool is mentioned 32 times in the 2016 Non-Regulatory Guidance: English Learners and Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This guidance document contains an entire section, Section F, that covers early learning (p. 31) and clarifies the importance of including preschool in district-wide plans for English learners. The report states that Title III funds can be used to serve ELLs/DLLs as young as age 3, and the new amendments specifically promote the inclusion of ELLs/DLLs in preschool programs under Title III. When the guidance addresses support and professional development for teachers, the words “including preschool teachers” have been added. Programs are encouraged to use Title III funds to develop and implement effective programs for ELLs/DLLs in PreK–12.

All of these reports have elevated the importance and the relevance of preschool services for ELLs/DLLs to a degree that can no longer be ignored by the field. We know that preschool is no longer a rarity in school districts across the United States. In fact, more than 60 percent of elementary districts currently offer some type of preschool, and most of those include students who come from diverse language backgrounds.

Head Start Updates Program Performance Standards

Further strengthening the case for preparing teachers and programs to better serve ELLs/DLLs in preschool, the Office of Head Start has updated their program performance standards that programs must meet to keep their funding.

(2) For dual language learners, a program must recognize bilingualism and biliteracy as strengths and implement research-based teaching practices that support their development. These practices must:
(i) For an infant or toddler dual language learner, include teaching practices that focus on the development of the home language, when there is a teacher with appropriate language competency, and experiences that expose the child to English;
(ii) For a preschool age dual language learner, include teaching practices that focus on both English language acquisition and the continued development of the home language; or,
(iii) If staff do not speak the home language of all children in the learning environment, include steps to support the development of the home language for dual language learners such as having culturally and linguistically appropriate materials available and other evidence-based strategies. Programs must work to identify volunteers who speak children’s home language/s who could be trained to work in the classroom to support children’s continued development of the home language.

ELLs/DLLs were also specifically addressed in the new US Department of Education Guiding Principles for Use of Technology in Early Childhood Programs (2016), (The section under the heading “Dual language learners” offers some specific examples of appropriate use.)

Reports Recommend Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness in Meeting Needs of ELLs/DLLs

The following reports, which have appeared in the past year, also recommend cultural and linguistic responsiveness in guidance about meeting the needs of young children:

For more information about how to address these increased expectations for programs and individuals working with young children who are ELLs/DLLs, keep following this TESOL blog by Judie Haynes and take a look at

Karen Nemeth is an author, consultant, and presenter focusing on effective early education for dual language learners. She is a consulting editor and author for NAEYC, the co-chair of the early childhood SIG of NABE.  Karen is the author of many books on teaching dual language learners, including Many Languages, One Classroom, and Many Languages, Building Connections. She coauthored Digital Decisions and New Words, New Friends, a bilingual book for young children, and was editor of  Young Dual Language Learners: A Guide for PreK-3 Leaders.

from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/federal-policies-highlight-ells-in-early-education/