ESL Magazine: the Information Source for ESL/EFL Professionals, 1998

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TITLE ESL Magazine: The Information Source for ESL/EFL Professionals, 1998. ISSN ISSN-1098-6553 PUB DATE 1998-00-00 NOTE 191p. AVAILABLE FROM Bridge Press, 220 McKendree Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401. PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT ESL Magazine; vl n1-6 1998 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC08 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Academic Achievement; Acculturation; Arabs; Audiovisual Aids; Chinese Americans; Computer Assisted Instruction; Computer Assisted Testing; *Educational Technology; Elementary Secondary Education; *English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Foreign Students; Haitians; Higher Education; Idioms; Immigrants; Instructional Effectiveness; Internet; Job Search Methods; Korean Americans; Language Fluency; Language Proficiency; Language Teachers;Listening Skills; Literature Appreciation; Music Activities; Popular Culture; Pronunciation Instruction; Second Language Instruction; Singing; Skill Development; *Student Characteristics; Student Motivation; Teacher Developed Materials; Teacher Role; Teaching Methods; Vocabulary Development; Vocational English (Second Language); Whole Language Approach IDENTIFIERS Homestays; Koreans- Russian Amerians; Russians; Slang

ABSTRACT This document consists of the six issues of "ESL Magazine" published during 1998. This journal for English-as-a-Second-Language(ESL) professionals includes the following articles duringthis period: "The Internet in the Classroom" (Christine Meloni);"Trippingly on the Tongue: Putting Serious, Speech/Pronunciation Instruction Backin the TESOL equation" (Joan Morley); "TESOL '98 Preview" (Kathleen R. Beall); "KoreanStudents in the United States" (Marc van der Woude); "The MouseReplaces the Pencil: TOEFL Goes Electronic" (Effie Papatzikou Cochran);"Accuracy vs. Fluency: Which Comes First in ESL Instruction?" (MiriamEisenstein Ebsworth); "Russian Immigrants in the ESL Classroom: Success, Motivation, andAcculturation" (Michael Berman); Developing Active Vocabulary: Makingthe Communicative Connection" (Jayme Adelson-Goldstein); "Dave Sperling: A Manwith a Virtual Passion" (George H. Clemes, III); "Arab Students in theU.S.: Learning Language, Teaching Friendship" (Paul Kwilinski); "TheExpanding Role of the Elementary ESL Teacher: Doing More Than Teaching Language"(Jodi Crandall); "Going Corporate: Teaching English in the Workplace"(Faith Hayflich); "Learning to Listen" (Marc Hegelsen); "Haitian Studentsin the U.S." (Roger Savain); "Carolyn Graham: A Conversation with the Creatorof Jazz Chants" (Marilyn Rosenthal); "Without Slang and Idioms, Students are'In the Dark'!" (David Burke); "Homestay: Highlights and Hurdles" (DougRonson); "Has Whole Language Failed?" Stephen Krashen); "Literature forLanguage Learning" (Mary Lou McCloskey); "EFL Positions: Finding the Right Job"(Karen Asenavage, Bob Hunkin); and "Chinese ESL Students in the U.S." (Frank Tang,Helene Dunkelblau).(MSE) PREVIEW OF TES01:98SEE US AT BOOTH_#916

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U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) BEEN GRANTED BY This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it Kalhiea, 'P.), II O Minor changes have been made to RATE improve reproduction quality AGE I D TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Points of view or opinions stated in this FIELD, document do not necessar ly represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) BEST COPY AVAILABLE official OERI position or policy. NO. 7 )1,

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VQ1:\40P213 The Internet in the Classroom by Christine Meloni 10

Trippingly on the Tongue: Putting serious speech/pronunciation instruction back in the TESOL equation by Joan Morley 20 ,{1.

TESOL'98 Preview by Kathleen R. Beall 24

Korean Students in the United States by Marc van der Woude 28

19Q171-,\MUIT51QM4@ Page 20 Editor's Note 4

Conference Calendar 5

News Briefs 6

Technology 19

Reviews 26

Linguistic Laughs 26

Classifieds 31 Page 24

See us at Booth Who's Reading ESL Magazine? #916 at TESOL'98!

Check out our James E. Alatis web site at Distinguished Professor www.esimag.comi of Linguistics and Modern Greek at In our next issue: Georgetown UniversitY, o standardized testing Washington, DC and o integrating accuracy Executive Director and fluency Emeritus of TESOL. o teaching Russian students o and more! Page 28

ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 3 Q[DOVC,G2°g3 M,CD4g ESL &AMON Welcome to the Publisher Premier Issue of GEORGE H. CLEMES, III Editorial Director ESL Magazine! MARILYN ROSENTHAL

How us to introduce ourselves; we are a new publication Editor in the world of English as a Second Language called KATHLEEN R. BEALL ESL Magazine! We started this magazine with the aim Contributing Editors of serving ESL/EFL professionals with a quality publication that CHRISTINE MELONI combines informative articles by recognized industry leaders, JOAN MORLEY refreshing publication design and information about the latest MARC VAN DER WOUDE ESL/EFL products and services. If you find this combination is CHERYL PAVLIC RUTH VILMI an asset to your profession, spread the word! THOMAS ROBB We're kicking off with a look at the ever-changing world of EDWARD KLEIN cyberspace. Christine Meloni connects us to the Internet, an Advertising Sales invaluable tool and resource for ESL/EFL teachers. She shares George Clemes 410-280-3799 (tel) practical examples of how the Internet can be used successfully in 410-798-5607 (fax) the classroom. Joan Morley welcomes speaking and pronunciation [email protected] back into the mainstream of ESL/EFL instruction and offers a Subscription Information paradigm for communicative pronunciation teaching. Introductory rate: 1 year, 6 issues, U.S.: $16.95, Canada: $24.95, outside North America: $34.95. To subscribe, fill out Also included is a look at trends among Korean students as well subscription card included with this magazine (photocopy additional cards if as a preview of the upcoming TESOL'98 conference. necessary) and mail with payment to: ESL Magazine,P.O. Box6209, We welcome your feedback on our articles and our publication Lafayette, IN 47903-6209. Or fax subscription card with credit card informa- in general. Your letters may be published in a forthcoming tion to 765-743-3545. Call 765-743- 6813 for all other subscription inquiries. "Letters to the Editor" department. Simply write us or e-mail us at [email protected]. Best wishes for a successful and ESL Magazine is published bimonthly rewarding 1998. We hope to be of service to you. by Bridge Press, LLC 220 McKendree Avenue Annapolis, MD 21401 [email protected] www.eslmag.com Marilyn Rosenthal, Ph.D. Editorial Director 1998 Bridge Press, u..c All rights reserved. 5 4 ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 Conference Calendar January 1998 17-21 Teachers of English to Speakers of o 3-4 Illinois TESOL-BE (ITBE) 24th Annual 22-24 Thailand TESOL (ThaiTESOL), Other Languages (TESOL) Annual State Convention, Chicago, IL. Contact Songkhla, Thailand. Contact Naraporn Conference, Seattle, WA. Contact TESOL, Fran Michalski, 312-996-8098, michalsk Chan-Ocha, 66-2-218-6027, ffInnco@ 703-836-0774, [email protected]. Expected @uic.edu. Expected attendance: 800. chulkn.car.chula.ac.th. attendance: 7,500. 0 23-26 California TESOL (CATESOL) Annual M 27-28 TESOL Ukraine, Vinnytsia, Ukraine. 0 19-21 National Council of Teachers of Conference, Pasadena, California. Contact Svetlana Chuhu, 380-432-276375, English (NCTE). NCTE Spring Conference, Conference Hotline: 626-583-4358. [email protected]. Albuquerque, New Mexico. Contact NCTE, Expected attendance: 2,500. 1111 W. Kenyon Rd., Urbana, Illinois M 31 Inland Empire TESOL/CLAD o 25 Eastern Pennsylvania TESOL Conference, University of California, 61801-1096. 217-328-3870. (PennTESOL-East) Conference, Riverside. Contact Stacy Sweeny, 909-787-0 25-27 TESOL Arabia Conference, Al Ain, Philadelphia, PA, Contact Tobie Hoffman, 4346, [email protected]. Expected United Arab Emirates. Contact: Barbara 215-473-4430, fax 215 895-6775, attendance: 140. Kelly, 971-3-5046208, [email protected]. [email protected]. Proposal deadline: Mar. 20. Expected attend.: 300. February Expected attendance: 600. I/121 Hawaii TESOL Roundtable, Brigham o 26-29 3rd Pacific Second Language May Young University, Laie, Hawaii. Contact Research Forum (PacSLRF 98), Tokyo, 0 7-9 Florida Sunshine State TESOL Annual Brent A. Green, 808-293-3358, greenb@ Japan. Contact Peter Robinson, Aoyama Conference, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Contact byuh.edu. Expected attendance: 150. Gakuin University, 4-4-25 Shibuya, Shibuya- Judy Jameson, 352-331-4318, judy@cal. ku, Tokyo 150, Japan, [email protected]. org. Proposal deadline: March 15. 24-28 National Association for Bilingual Expected attendance: 600. Education (NABE) 27th Annual ac.jp. Expected attendance: 500. International Bilingual/Multicultural April 0 20-21 New Jersey TESOL/Bilingual Education Conference, Dallas, Texas. 0 15-18 32nd international Association of Education (NJTESOL/NJBE) Spring Contact 202-898-1829, [email protected]. Teachers of English as a Foreign Conference, East Brunswick, New Jersey. Expected attendance: 8,000. Language (IATEFL) Conference, Judith B. O'Loughlin, 201-652-4555, March Manchester, UK. Contact Jill Stadjuhar [email protected]. Expected: 700+. M 9-12 international Language Testing e-mail 100070.1327. Expected 0 20-23 Centre for Research onLanguage Association (ILTA). Language Testing attendance: 1,500. Teaching and Learning (CREAL), Canadian Research Colloquium (LTRC), Monterey, 0 2-4 Tennessee TESOL (TNTESOL) Association of AppliedLinguistics(CAAL) California. Contact Dariush Hooshmand. Conference, Knoxville Hilton, Knoxville, International Congress, Ontario, Canada. http://www.surrey.ac.uk/ELI/ilta/ilta.html. Tennessee. Contact Margi Wald, 423-974- Contact Chantel Dion, 613-520-2600, 4890, [email protected]. Expected att. 150. Expected attendance: 400. In 14-17 American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) Annual Conference, 17 Louisiana TESOL (LATESOL) June Seattle, WA. Contact Matt Howe, 612-953- Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana. 0 24-27 Association forLanguage 0805, [email protected]. Expected Contact Jo Ann Robisheaux 504-549-5275, Awareness (ALA).Quebec,Canada. attendance: 1,000+. [email protected]. Proposal deadline Contact Joyce M. Angio, 418-659-6600, March 1. Expected attendance: 100. Expected attendance: 125.

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ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 5 MQW@BMOgG3@ INS Receives Berlitz Acquires Record Number of Applications in 1997 ELS Language Centers he U.S. Immigration and erlitz International, Inc. has "ELS TNaturalization Service received Bacquired ELS Educational (Language more than 1.6 million applications Services, Inc., a privately held Centers) has for naturalization in 1997-a 34% provider of intensive English a solid increase from 1996. INS completed language instruction, in a stock brand, an processing acquisition for a cash purchase exceptional 700,000 of the POO price of $95 million. reputation as applications- ELS Language Centers owns a service the largest annual and operates 25 language centers inprovider and total with the the United States and one in Englandan extensive exception of and has operated a franchise pro- network of 1996-and swore gram in 16 countries. Consolidated company Perry S. Akins, President, in 569,822 new revenue for ELS Language Centersowned and ELS Language Centers American for the 12 months which ended franchised citizens. December 1996 was $62.6 million.centers and sales representatives Berlitz is the world's largest that are strategically located Baltimore TESOL language services firm with around the world. These beneficial operatioris in 38 countries. Berlitz factors will allow us to maintain the Renamed offers intensive -English instruction ELS Language Centers name and fter 17 years as Baltimore programs through its Berlitz On build on the valuable relationships ATESOL (BATESOL), this CampusTM division which operates established during its 35-year organization has now become ten centers in the United States andhistory." Maryland TESOL. "This new one in Canada. Commenting on the acquisition, name will help us better accom- "We are extremely excited aboutELS Language Center president and modate the entire state of the strengths and depth that ELS CEO Perry S. Akins stated, "Our Maryland, not just the Baltimore (Language Centers) brings to partners around the world should area," said Maryland TESOL pres- Berlitz," stated Mr. Hirdmasa Yokoi,feel confident that Berlitz will ident Jill Basye. The TESOL affil- Vice Chairman, Chief Executive continue ELS Language Centers' iate has about 150 members. Officer and President of Berlitz. commitment to excellence." Top 50 U.S. Foreign Languages The 1990 Census found that nearly 32 million of the 230 million people in the USA older than five spoke a language other than English in their homes. Nearly 21% of those people said they did not speak English well or at all. The following is a list of the 50 most common foreign languages spoken in the USA, the number of speakers and the percentage of foreign language speakers who say they don't speak English well or at all. Don't speak Don't speak Don't speak Number of English Number of English Number of English RankLanguage Speakerswell/at all RankLanguage Speakerswell/at all RankLanguage Speakers well/at all 1 Spanish 17,339,172 26% 18 Persian 201,865 12% 35 Kru 65,848 3% 2 French 1,702,176 9% 19 French Creole 187,658 22% 36 Romanian 65,265 17% 3 German 1,547,099 7% 20 Armenian 149,694 26% 37 Lithuanian 55,781 9% 4 Italian 1,308,648 12% 21 Navajo 148,530 15% 38 Finnish 54,350 6% 5 Chinese 1,249,213 30% 22 Hungarian 147,902 9% 39 Punjabi 50,005 15% 6 Tagalog 843,251 7% 23 Hebrew 144,292 5% 40 Formosan 46,044 21% 7 Polish 723,483 14% 24 Dutch 142,684 4% 41 Croatian 45,206 9% 8 Korean 626,478 30% 25 Mon-Khmer 127,441 43% 42 Turkish 41,876 14% 9 Vietnamese 507,069 28% 26 Guharati 102,418 12% 43 Bocano 41,131 20% 10 Portuguese 429,860 23% 27 Ukrainian 96,568 14% 44 Bengali 38,101 8% 11 Japanese 427,657 21% 28 Czech 92,485 6% 45 Danish 35,146 15% 12 Greek 388,260 11% 29 Pa. Dutch 83,525 6% 46 Syriac 35,146 15% 13 Arabic 355,150 11% 30 Miao (Hmong) 81,877 46% 47 Samoan 34,914 10% 14 Hindi (Urdu) 331,484 9% 31 Norwegian 80,723 5% 48 Malayalam 33,949 8% 15 Russian 241,798 27% 32 Slovak 80,388 7% 49 Cajun 33,670 7% 16 Yiddish 213,064 8% 33 Swedish 77,511 4% 50 Amharic 31,505 11% 17 Thai (Laotian) 206,266 28% 34 Serbo-Croatian 70,964 13% Source: U.S. Census Bureau

6 ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 MgCC9@ Michigan TESOL Wins The ESL Endorsement Debate Peace Corps In July 1997, after 15 years of debate, the Michigan Board of Education voted to accept the MITESOL proposal for an English as a Second Language endorsement is seeking for K-12 educators in Michigan. This endorsement will recognize certified teachers whose experience or coursework meets the ESL Teacher 1500 Competency Guidelines. The endorsement is optional, however, in order to protect the jobs of many ESL teachers who are effective teachers although they may not educators. qualify for an official endorsement. This optional status is a compromise between the Board and MITESOL after Learn more about unique a long dispute. opportunities throughout the world. Many countries are in urgent need of your skills The Fannie Mae Foundation and practical experience. For over 36 years the Produces ESL Workbook Peace Corps has been placing educators in exciting and rewarding volunteer positions overseas in 85 on Home Buying countries. Peace Corps volunteers have taught he Fannie Mae Foundation English to over 5 million people around the world. Thas produced a new guide to help students learn both the _flow to Benefits include: > transportation overseas and back home; English language and the home e > an allowance to cover living expenses; buying process. How to Buy A United States---\ Home in the United States is a > a $5,400 readjustment allowance after 27 months one-of-a-kind educational tool of training and service; specifically designed for ESL Li7; > 24 days of vacation, paid health and dental care; > cross-cultural and technical training to help you programs across the country. 111111ME "This is a unique tool to help adapt your skills to your assignment. ESL learners get on the path to home ownership as they learn English," said Lidia Soto- Harmon, Director of Targeted Outreach Programs at the Fannie Mae Foundation. Developed by the Fannie Mae Foundation in collaboration with the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), the ESL guide includes a teacher's guide and student workbook, both available for free. The materials provide practical knowledge about home ownership as they promote English reading, writing, listening and speaking skills for intermediate to advanced learners of ESL. In addition, the user-friendly workbook includes vocabulary lists, writing exercises, grammar reviews, sample documents and a glossary.

How to Buy A Home in the United States is currently _ being implemented in New York, Boston, Washington, DC, San Diego and Santa Ana, California. "This is a concept that my students will use down the road," said Jose To learn more about becoming Gonzalez, ESL Coordinator for the Spanish Education a Peace Corps volunteer, Development (SED) Center in Washington, DC. "The call 800-424-8580. students have the potential to buy a home, but one of their obstacles is learning the English language. If we can pro- (press 1 at prompt and mention code #722) vide them with the skills in both areas, home ownership and English, we can do wonders for them." Pl&g[E, 'gORPO To order a free copy of How to Buy A Home in the The toughest job you'll ever love. United States, call 1-800-544-9224.

ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 8 7 TIO ocluou zR(KmEN 1M tt HIM Dominie Press, Inc. IHEllu iiOt aigiEVIDERNM HUM mom * DCA WI@MP Build student success with current Now they can! English Digest is a new magazine designed specifically for the and outstanding ESL materials. needs of your adult and young adult ESL students. English Digest provides high-interest, authentic articles at high beginning to low intermediate language 4 Great New Titles: level. Also, there is a Spanish edition available, LaFamilia de la Ciudad. citst familia Call now for "'Ciudad your 1998 Mention this i4 la r° , " ad and receive a Escuela! ESL Catalog s FREE 11,16,f05 del figure ve 1%4) Pa:Ibis -Cppr les lop e Whim sample! ..t MineAla 800-232-4570 nous, bps - stigs , JIMMY 0 4' se 1°1 IMSES TVIE LEAD'4. tilNWft Dominie Press welcomes submission of innovative English Digest gives your students the following benefits: ESL manuscripts. Promotes self esteem Enhances reading skills Encourages family literacy *Provides a springboard for writing Send to: Provides survival informationDevelops vocabulary naturally Dominie Press, Inc. For subscription information and a FREE 1998 ESL Resource Catalog, Executive Editor ESL-Bilingual call(800) 323-8270or FAX(800) 909-9901! 1949 Kellogg Ave. Visit our web site at Carlsbad, CA 92008 http:// www.delta-systems.com 800-232-4570 Fax: 760-431-8777 DORE MINN(LO, lotNee [2now Ittai,MeMais 4s\ RN= http://www.dominie.com e-mail: [email protected]

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ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 9 The INTERNET in the CLASSROOM A Valuable Tool and Resource for ESL/EFL Teaghers BY CHRISTINE MELONI

SL/EFL teachers are known forIncreased Student Motivation between people in different corners their innovation. When a newMany studentslovecomputers.of the world, connecting students method or approach comesUnlike some teachers, students feelaround the globe. For example, com-

, along, we explore and discusscomfortable with computers and aremunication between students in New it, and we sometimes adopt it, partial-very receptive to any learning activi-York and Tokyo can be swift and ly or completely. It is probably safe totiesthatinvolvethecomputer.smooth. Students attest that this kind say that most ESL/EFL teachers haveIncreasedmotivationleads toof communication increases global an eclectic approach, integrating theincreased language use which leadsunderstanding. best elements of several approaches. to improved proficiency. For the past several years teach- Environmental Friendliness ers have been talking about comput- Use of the Internet can decrease the ers. The discussion first centered on "Technology will not amount of paper used in the class- the use of computers as word proces- room. Much of the writing can be sors,asking questionssuchas, replace teachers... done on the computer. Web sites can "Should students use the computer replace some printed materials there- for writing assignments?" The debate teachers who use by conserving natural resources. is essentially over now with teachers technology will accepting the computer as a valuable Despite the benefits touted by the tool for developing students' writing probably replace Internet believers, not everyone is skills. It has proved a boon in partic- ready to board the Internet bandwag- ulartothepopular"process teachers who do not." on. Some teachers have convinced approach" to teaching composition. themselves that the Internet is a waste Now the discussion has shifted to of precious time. Others harbor a cer- the Internet. The debate over theAuthentic Language tain curiosity and would like to learn value of the Internet for ESL/EFLWhen a writing activity is truly com-more about the possibilities but feel teachers and students isfar frommunicative, as e-mail projects are,that they just cannot invest the time over; in fact, it is just beginning. Isthe language is authentic. The stu-to learn about what is available and the Internet just another bandwagon?dents are not going through thekeep up with frequent changes. If reluctant teachers wait, will inter-motions of an artificial exercise. Surveys, however, have shown est in it simply go away? They are communicating becausethat fear is the main reason many Most teachers who have ven-they need and want to communicate.teachers shy away from the Internet tured into cyberspace are enthusiasticMost of the information on the Worldand why they tend to ignore the com- about the wonderful learning oppor-Wide Web has been writteninputer revolutionthatisrapidly tunities offered to ESL/EFL students,English by native speakers. The Webspreading into all areas of daily life. as well as the valuable resources foris, therefore, a rich source of authen-One of the fears is a fear of technolo- teachers. They are encouraging theirtic reading materials in English. gy itself. Teachers from non-techni- colleagues to jump on the bandwag- cal backgrounds are worried that they on. There are several common rea-Global Awareness 11 will not be able to master the new sons for this Internet enthusiasm. Information can be exchanged easilytechnology. But ESL/EFL teachers

10 ESL MAGAZINEJANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 all over the world are amazing them- E-MA1L PROJECT selves by quickly learning the basic INTERCLASS skills needed for computer-assisted language learning and are progress- The International Writing Exchange ing rapidly beyond the basics. BY RUTH VILMI, HELSINKI, FINLAND Another fear that teachers have is In 1993 I founded what is known as Fourth Week that computers will replace them. It is the HUT E-Mail Writing Project. Since In the final week, students meet for that time, many ESL/EFL teachers a conference online in the HUT Virtual true that computers can now do many and students from all over the world Language Centre. The discussions things that teachers can. Language have been involved in collaborative take place in an informal, friendly learning is, however, a very human writing activities. The most popular andatmosphere where students have a experience and human teachers will lasting of such activities has been the chance to get to know each other always be needed in the classroom. International Writing Exchange, or IWE.and sometimes form strong and The computer revolution, how- The IWE is very flexible, allowing lasting friendships. ever, seems irreversible, and, as Ray for any number of classes to join for any length of time. A class can take Benefits Clifford of the Defense Language part for one month or for many years With the IWE, students have a wide Institute put it, "Technology will not and can start at any time of the year audience and receive feedback from replace teachers...teachers who use because each module lasts only four international peers, so they are moti- technology will probably replace weeks. While the participants of IWE vated to write well. Theyexchange teachers who do not." are primarily university students, this ideas with studentsglobally,rather ESL/EFL teachers cannot ignore activity could easily be adapted for ele-than writing only for their own teacher. mentary or secondary school students.They learn about other cultures direct- the Internet. They must be aware of ly, rather than second its potential and how their colleagues First Week hand. They read and write are using it. Everyone must remem- In the first week of every much more than in con- ber, however, that technology should cycle, students write an ventional language cours- never be used just because it is there. article on a topic from a es. The IWE also avoids Technology must be used only when list prepared by their the inevitable disappoint- teacher or they may 7,17, ments experienced with it enhances the language learning choose their own topic. keypal projects when experience. If the computer offers These articles are then individual students drop students something that they cannot e-mailed to a special out or miss deadlines. obtain from an in-class communica- address, and are subse- tive activity, then the use of technol- quently published on HUT Student Comments web pages, on other par- All students taking part in ogy is appropriate. When the com- the IWE are required to puter is simply a poor substitute, its ticipating Web sites and inIWE students Pena (t) local newsgroups. and Mikko (b). evaluatethe course. Below use is not acceptable. Students then choose is part of an evaluation ESL/EFL teachers can make use some of other students' articles to done by an Egyptian student from of the two most popular features of read and offer their comments. The Cairo University in 1996. the Internet, electronic mail (e-mail) most popular topics have been 'I realize very well the importance and the World Wide Web. Get involv- abortion, drinking habits, gender of the Hut project. The most important point is that we communicate with ed! Discover how you can maximize discrimination, TV violence, family and marriage, alternative energy sources foreign people. ThroUgh their articles this resource to teach English. and the legalization of drugs. we learn a lot about their culture, traditions and way of education; for Second and Third Weeks example, by reading others' articles E-MAIL PROJECTS In the second and third weeks, we notice their English language, way English teachers around the world are students give feedback on each of writing, beliefs, traditions and finding creative ways to use e-mail in other's articles, commenting on style points of view. and content according to established Also, by sending our articles to their classes. They are discovering guidelines available online and pre- them we gain a lot; for example, we that e-mail projects can truly help pared by IWE teachers. benefit from their comments as it students improve their writing and Students give and receive feed- opens our minds to others' beliefs, reading skills. The communication in back in many forms: a) from their points of view and traditions, as we e-mailprojects can involvethe classmates and possibly from their are not alone in this world. class teacher before sending their What also makes me happy is the teacher and each student individually, work to be published; b) from other feeling that we have a lot of friends in two students, small groups of stu- students; and c) from their class different countries, something that dents within a class or groups of stu- teacher after the final draft. never makes us feel bored as we are dents in more than one class. After reading the articles, studentsdealing with different mentalities which work in local groups to consider which is very interesting." Dialogue Journals articles were the most successful and For questions about the IWE or then publish a summary of effective any other HUT projects, contact Ruth Dialogue journals are a popular writing criteria. They can then revise Vilmi at [email protected]. means of improving the writing flu- their own articles and create more ency and reading comprehension of effective articles during the next cycle.Ruth Vilmi teaches English at the students. Students write in their jour- Sometimes students vote on the best Helsinki University of Technology, nals in class or outside of class. The articles, and the winners are publishedHelsinki, Finland. teacher then collects the journals and in a journal. 12 ESL MAGAZINEJANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 11 responds to the student entries. Since the focus is on communication, the Finding Keypals and students write on topics of their own choosing, and their grammar and Partner Classes spelling errors are not pointed out. Dialogue journals may easily become electronic, with students sending the teacher their journal entries via e-mail rather than in a paper notebook. This type of e-mail writing assignment is an excellent way to ease students into sharing their writing electronically.

Keypals Writingto a penpal has long been an interestingactivityforchildren. Having a "keypal" (an electronic penpal) is even more fun because of the immediacy of the communication. Teachers can pair their students with keypals either within their own E-Mail projects give students incentive to write more clearly and class or from another class. They may accurately. ask students to gather information If you are looking for individual keypals for your students or another and write on specific topics or allow class for a collaborative project, look first among people you know. students to choose their own topics. If you do not know anyone who would like to join you, don't despair. One-to-one exchanges can be You should be able to find a match at one of the following web sites: very effective if both participants are Kenji Kitao's Keypals actively involved. If teachers do not http://ilc.doshisha.ac.ip/users/kkitao/online/www/keypal.html know a colleague whose class would E-Mall Classroom Exchange like to participate in this activity, http://www.iglou.com/xchange/ece/index.html there are web sites that provide individual names and classes of students E-Mail Key Pal Connection http://www.comenius.com/keypal/index.html who are looking for keypals. It should be pointed out that key-work well. the other side of the world. If the par- pals need not be limited to elemen- Although it may seem artificialticipants come from different cul- tary and secondary school students.for students to write to classmatestures, the experience will be more Language learners of all ages enjoywith whom they could easily com-stimulating and enriching for all of communicating in the target languagemunicate face-to-face, intraclass e-the students. via e-mail. mail projects can be effective in help- The HUT E-Mail Writing Project Within their own classes, teach-ing the students improve their writingand the Cities Project are two exam- ers can divide students into groupsand reading skills in English. It alsoples of interclass e-mail projects car- for e-mail communication. For exam-gives shy students an opportunity toried out by students in different cities. ple, if the class is reading a collectionparticipate as much as the more out-While these projects were originally of short stories, after the students fin-going ones. designed for university students, they ish a story, they can write a summary Of course, it is exciting for stu-could easily be adapted for use with and a critique of it to send to the otherdents to communicate with studentsstudents at any level of education members of their group via e-mail.in other places. It might be anotherelementary, secondary, university or Small groups of four or five studentsschool in the same city or a school onadult education. Guidelines for a Successful EMail Project 1. Choose a Partner Class Wisely Robb's very interesting web article on this subject, In considering an e-mail project, the choice of partner "E-Mail Keypals for Language Fluency" at classes is crucial. The participating teachers should http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jpi-trobb/keypals.html. have compatible class schedules, similar course goals and students at comparable proficiency levels. It is also 3. Use Proper Etiquette essential that all students participate in the project. Another useful site to prepare you for your project is the Netiquette Home Page. You will find the rules of 2. Plan Carefully Netiquette at http://www.fau.edu/rinaldi/net/elec.html. While the benefits of e-mail projects can be significant, Students should read this page carefully so that they do teachers must plan them with great care. Before you not commit any faux pas when dealing with students begin an e-mail project, you might want to read Thomas whom they do not know. 12 13 ESLMAGAZINE0JAWARY/FEBRUARY1998 HUT E-Mail Writing Project send an e-mail message to: macjord EFL instructor Ruth Vilmi at [email protected]. In the message area How to Search the Helsinki University of Technology inwrite "subscribe ESLList" followed World Wide Web Finland founded the HUT E-Mailby your name. he World Wide Web has been Writing Project in 1993. Since then Tdefined in various ways, but the many students in Finland, Norway,o SL-Lists most common image conjured up France, the Czech Republic, Egypt,This list is open to ESL/EFL univer- in the minds of educators is that of Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and thesity students. Students may sign up a virtual library with constantly United States have taken part in HUTfor one or more of the following topic expanding resources. collaborative writing activities. lists: Chat-SL, Discuss-SL, Business- Students have collaborated via e- SL, Engl-SL, Event-SL, Movie-SL, Searching the Web mail on writing research papers,Music-SL, Scitech-SL and Sport-SL. If you do not have specific web designing robots and proposing solu-For information, send an e-mail mes- addresses (URL), you need to use tions for environmental problems.sage to:[email protected]. a search engine to find the information you want. Some of the (See interclass e-mail project on p. 11.) au. In the message area write "info ENGL-SL". Or visit the SL-Lists most popular search engines are the following: The Cities Project web site at http://wwwlatrobe.edu. An interesting spin-off of the HUT E-au/www/education/sl/sl.html. YAHOO Mail Writing Project is the Cities http://www.yahoo.com Project developed by Andrew Hess, at THE WORLD WIDE WEB ALTA VISTA aninstructor the New York http://www.altavista.digital.com University in New York City. New sites are popping up on the Web Hess invitedinstructors Ronat an amazing rate. Many of these HOTBOT Corio at Virginia Commonwealthsites can be very useful for students http://www.hotbot.com University in Richmond, Virginiawho want to improve their proficien- INFOSEEK and Christine Meloni at The Georgecy in English. The Web is a gold mine http://www.infoseek.com Washington University in Washing-of materials for ESL teachers. ton, DC to develop an e-mail project A major advantage of the Web is LYCOS for their high intermediate ESL stu-accessil5ility. It is available 24 hours a http://lycos.cs.cmu.edu dents. The project involved studentday. In addition, while textbooks cost WEBCRAWLER collaboration via e-mail on a three-money,materials on the Web are http://webcrawler.com city travel guide. generally available free of charge. Classes in New York, Wash- There are sites created specifical- Do not expect searching to ington, DC, Paris, Trondheim, andly for English language learners as be as effortless as searching a Hong Kong participated in a secondwell as sites for native speakers that library's online catalogue. Search Cities Project. In addition to creatingare valuable for ESL/EFL students. commands may seem as illogical, a travel guide, the classes sent eachLet's first look at some excellent sites and, unfortunately, there is not a lot of uniformity in commands other "culture packages" by snailthat have been developed for ESL/ among the various search engines. mail that included such items as cityEFL students. Another problem is the lack of maps, postcards, newspapers, tapes stability of sources. A web page (both audio and video) and other Sites Designed for may be here today and gone tomor- memorabilia. row. Perhaps the creator decided More detailed information aboutESL/EFL Students to move it to another address or the initial Cities Project and subse-READING remove it completely. quent projects(including culture Ilto Fluency Through Fables packages) can be found at AndrewAt this site your students will find a Evaluate What You Find Hess's web site: http://wwwnyu.edu/short fable to read. After reading the Evaluation of information on the pages/hess/cities.html. fable, they can complete a variety of Web is a serious issue. Since virtu- activities: vocabulary matching,a ally anyone can write anything on E-Mail Discussion Groups true or false comprehension exercise, the Web, one needs to exercise Students can also sign up for elec-vocabulary completion and written caution in accepting what one tronic discussion groups. They willdiscussion. They can then use the finds. It is important to verify the receive all of the messages posted toindex to find other fables and accom- source although in many cases the group by the other subscriberspanying activities. http://www.come- this is not easy or even possible. and they can post their own messagesnius.com/fable/index.html Creating Bookmarks as well. 00.U.S. Holidays Page When you have found reliable Students are very interested in holi- sources that you like and that you ESLList days. At this site they can read about find yourself returning to often, cre- This list was created for ESL/EFLthe following holidays: Halloween, ate "bookmarks" (a list of favorite students between the ages of 11 andThanksgiving, Martin Luther King sites) so that you will not have to 16. Participants can write on topics ofDay, Groundhog Day, Valentine's search for the URL every time. their own choosing. To subscribe,Day, St.Patrick's Day, Passover, ESL MAGAZINEJANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 1 4 13 Easter and Memorial Day. http://www.aec.ukans.edu 14 SS WJfl©JE cT /LEO/holidays/holidays.html "Famous Personages WRITING II. Purdue's Online Writing Lab in Japan" This site offers instructional handouts on subjects such BY THOMAS ROBB, KYOTO, JAPAN as punctuation, spelling, writing research papers and cit- The "Famous Personages in Japan" project is a web ing sources. Originally created for native speakers, it has site that my university students produced as a class a special section for ESL students that includes explana- project. The web site consists of approximately 200 tions about the use of articles and the use of prepositions descriptions of current personalities in Japan including in English. http://owl.English.purdue.edu musicians, politicians, sports figures, TV and movie Dave's Graffiti Wall personalities and writers. Send your students to this site to write on the Graffiti The idea for this project came from my own need, as an American teaching in Japan, to learn more about Wall. http://wwwpacificnet.net/-sperling/wall.html Japanese culture, and as a way for my students to write something that was more than the "standard" composi- OCABULARY tion which is normally written, Dave's ESL Slang Page re-written and then forgotten. Why are students always eager to learn slang? Probably The project started three because it makes them feel more a part of the target cul- years ago when I assigned ture. This slang page is very useful for students who each student in my class of 25 want to be more "hip" when speaking English. to write on three people of http://www.eslcafe.com/slang their own choosing. Once the compositions were written to It* Weekly Idiom Page my satisfaction, the students This site features a new idiom every two weeks. Each converted them to HTML for new idiom is given with its definition and a sample dia- posting to the Web, using a logue. http://www.comenius.com/idiom/index.html simple template as a model. Thomas Robb's class. 0 Toon in to Idioms In addition to the biographical sketch itself, each Students will find this site attractive. They will find an piece included a listing of the students' sources and the idiom along with an amusing illustration and a sample name of one other student who vouched for the accuracy and completeness of the piece. A clickable e-mail dialogue that they can listen to if their computer has address was also included. This turned out to be one of speakers. http://www.elfs.com/2nInX-Title.html the best aspects of the project since my students, much Crossword Puzzles for ESL Students to their delight, soon began receiving unsolicited e-mail This site is a new project undertaken by the Internet from around the world! TESL Journal. It currently has four puzzles and is solic- This project was a great success due to its simplicity iting volunteers to create additional ones. http://www. and the fact that it allows for a gradual accumulation of aitech.ac.jpt-iteslycw information that is of genuine value to a specific audi- encethose who want to find out more about Japanese G RAMMAR personalities in English. Even now there are many entries 10 Grammar Safari for which no other information exists on the Web in English, if the results of my searches with the various An adventure-packed site! Students can participate in search engines are accurate. hunting activities such as "Hunting adjective clauses in Successive classes have added more pages and Little Women" and "Hunting past perfect verbs in a have revised the older pages to keep them current. magazine article." http://deil.lang.uiuc.edu/web.pages/ Teachers at other schools have also had their own grammarsafari.html students write contributions to the project. Professor TOEFL's Fun Page As guidelines for other teachers desiring to produce Professor TOEFL will respond to your students' ques- a class web page project, I would recommend the following: tions about English grammar. http://www.slip.nett-caa It" Self-Study Quizzes for EFL Students 1. All pages should center on a specific, narrow topic. This siteis another project of The Internet TESL 2. The information presented should be new to the web. Journal. Students can take grammar quizzes in a variety 3. The content of individual pages should be limited so of subject areas such as holidays, sports and culture. The that students can finish them in a timely fashion. quizzes are graded on the spot. http://www.aitech.ac.jp/ 4. The pages should have a unified design. -iteslj/quizzes 5. Most importantly, the topic should be of interest to the students themselves. Lists of Links View the "Famous Personages in Japan" web site at The sites mentioned above are just a sampling of the http://cc2000.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/famous/ ESL sites on the Web. To locate additional web pages of index.html. interest, go to the following sites that have continually updated lists of links: Volterre Web Links, Linguistic Thomas Robb, Ph.D. teaches English at Kyoto Sangyo University in Kyoto, Japan. Funland, the ESL Study Hall and Dave Sperling's ESL Links Page for Students. (See addresses on p. 16.)

14 15 ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 antoveztfing Vitae. Mot postcard to anyone in the world OpectiTiosAlty Doztigned who has an e-mail address. This fkaT EZVEFE. Otandertz site offers a nice selection of post- ESL/EFL students can also benefit cards to choose from. http://post- from sites designed for native cards.www.media.mit.edu/Post speakers. Here are some sugges- cards tions. VOCABULARY READING t> The Word Wizard The vast majority of web sites use The Word Wizard will answer English which is a tremendous your students' questions about advantage for ESL teachers and words. He also offers amusing students. Authentic materials for word contests. ESL students will Access to the Web opens a world of oppor- probably like best the Wizard's reading are, therefore, plentiful.tunities for ESL/EFL students of all ages. Naturally, not everything is suit- Slang Street where they will find able, but wonderful materials are noting your desk! Some well-stockedslang words related to talking, sleep- difficult to find. virtual libraries are the Online Booksing, eating and drinking. http://www. Page, the Internet Public Library andwordwizard.corn D CNN the Children's Literature Web Guide. This is a.marvelous source of current, (See addresses on p. 16.) N Focusing on Words authentic reading materials. In addi- This is a very advanced vocabulary tion to the latest news stories, stu-WRITING site. Students will find vocabulary dentswillfind interactive news Kidproj quizzes and stories about words. qui zzes. http://www.nmis.org/NewsThis is an extensive and well-orga-http://www.wordfocus.com Interactive/CNN/Newsroom nized web site maintained by teachers D Newspapers & Magazines Online and youth leaders who design andTenchev Resoureces on the Web Newspapers and magazines haveoversee projects, particularly collabo-Resources for teachers on the Web long been popular sources of authen-rative writing activities for childrenare numerous, so it is difficult to pre- tic materials for ESL/EFL. Teachersbetween the ages of 10 and 15.sent a complete list when space is can now find online versions of USA Projectsinclude The KIDPROJlimited. The following are important Today, The New York Times, The WallMulti-Cultural Calendar, Holidaysites for ESL/EFL teachers. Street Journal, The Washington Post, Legends, Poems and Stories from N National Clearinghouse for Time, Business Week, Life and many Around the World, the KIDPROJ Bilingual Education others. (See addresses on p. 16.) Online Magazine, and the Multi-Among NCBE's many offerings are D Literature Online Cultural Recipe Book. http://www.hundreds of links to web pages on Teachers can find online libraries that kidlink.org/KIDPROJ language and education issues, lesson contain complete texts of manyD The Electric Postcard books. Imagine sitting at your com- plans and other practical classroom Your students can send an electronicinformation. http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu puter and finding books without leav- KAEDEN BOOKS A WORLD OF DISCOVERY DISCOVER OUR EXCITING NEW BOOKS FOR ESL PROGRAMS AND ATERISK READERS NATURAL LANGUAGE TUT

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ESL MAGAZINEJANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 15 II, Ask ERIC Virtual Library EnglishtoSpeakersof OtherRecommended Reading This site offers lesson plans andLanguages (TESOL) organization. Books information guides. Of particularThe "Wandering the Web" columnso The Internet Guide for English interestisthe AskERIC Toolbox,from TESOL Matters have been putLanguage Teachers by Dave which offers links to sites on theonline at this site. There are also linksSperling, Prentice-Hall Regents. Internet where teachers can findto all of the TESOL affiliate homeo New Ways of Using Computers in information on educational technolo-pages. http://www.tesol.edu Language Teaching, edited by Tim gy and other subjects. http://ericir Language Learning and Boswood, TESOL. syredu/Virtual Technology o E-Mail for English Teaching: ERIC Clearinghouse on This is a new online journal for lan-Bringing the Internet and Computer Languages and Linguistics guage educators interested in tech-Learning Networks into the This is the home page of the ERICnology. This journal isedited byLanguage Classroom by Mark Clearinghouse on Languages andMark Warschauer at the University ofWarschauer, TESOL. Linguistics, located at the Center forHawai'i. Take a look at the firsto Virtual Connections: Online Applied Linguistics in Washington,issue! http://polyglot.cal.msu.edullit/Activities and Projects for DC. hup://www.cal.org/ericll voll numl/editorhtml Networking Language Learners by Internet TESL Journal Mark Warschauer, University of This is a monthly web journal for Please be advisedthat webHawai'i Press. addresses (URLs) are subject to ESL teachers. One can find many Magazines excellent articles at this site related tochange. All of the URLs given in this article were correct and active ato Yahoo! Internet Life (in print and diverse aspects of language teaching. online at http://www.yil.com) http://www.aitech.ac.jp/-iteslj press time. We regret any inconvenience you might experience due tooZDInternet Magazine (in print TESOL and online at http://zdimag.com) This is the home page of the profes-changed or dead links. sionalinternationalTeachersof Ad itionai Web Sites CHRISTINE MELONI, Ed.D. is associate professor of EFL and Computer Education Coordinator at George of interest Washington University. She has lectured around the Newspapers & Magazines Online world on the Internet and English language teaching USA TODAY and writes the bimonthly "Wandering the Web" column http://www.usatoday.corn for TESOL Matters. THE NEW YORK TIMES http://www.nytimes.corn The Thirty-Second Annual Convention and Exposition Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL http://www.wsj.corn THE WASHINGTON POST G14947/ http://www.washingtonpost.corn 0 or TIME http://www.time.corn 6.01' BUSINESS WEEK http://www.businesswe.ek.com LIFE http://www.life.corn Literature Online THE ON-LINE BOOKS PAGE http://www.cs.crnu.edu/Web/books.html THE INTERNET PUBLIC LIBRARY http://www.ipl.org THE CHILDREN'S LITERATURE WEB GUIDE http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/-dkbrown/index.html Lists of Links March 17-21, 1998 VOLTERRE WEB LINKS FOR LEARNERS Seattle, Washington USA http://www.wfi.fr/volterre/weblinklearners.html Check out the details on TESOL's web site: www.tesol.edu LINGUISTIC FUNLAND TESL PAGE http://www.tesol.net/teslact.htrn1 For more information please contact: THE ESL STUDY HALL TESOL Conventions Department, 1600 Cameron Street, Suite http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edui-gwvcusas 300. Alexandria, Virginia 22314-2751 USA ESL LINKS PAGE FOR STUDENTS Telephone 703-836-0774 Fax 703-836-7864 http://www.pacificnet.net/-sperling/links.html E-mail [email protected]://www.tesol.edu

16 17 ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 Announcing 0 tanding N cWary or Adult ESL Students

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Visit us in Seattle March 17-21 at TESOL booth #97 I 1-800-406-READ Vg@IIMCDICD@V Listservs Serve ESL/EFL Professionals BY CHRISTINE MELONI Talking shop. Most professionals do it and benefit from it. ESL/EFL professionals are no different. They findit informative and stimulating to talk with colleagues in their field. Listservs are simply electronic discussiongroupswhichallow ESL/EFL professionals all over the world to share ideas. When you subscribe to a listserv, you receive, through your e-mail account, all of the messages posted by subscribers to that group. You will be able to post your own messages as well and participate in any ongoing discussions. If you are unfamiliar with listservs, a good place to start is Kristina Pfaff-Harris's Linguistic Fun land web site (http://www.tsol.net/mailing.list.help.html). Kristina provides information on what a listserv is, howListservs allow ESL/EFL professionals to dialogue globally with ease. you can subscribe and unsubscribe, and what the rules of list etiquetteIntensive English Programs, Admin-related to using the Internet as an are. She also offers the opportunity toistration, Jobs and Employ-menteducational tool. The listis main- sign up for several lists directly fromIssues, Literacy and Adult Education,tained by Karla FrizleratSan her page. and Materials Writers. Francisco State University and Ron There are thousands of electronic In addition to the electronic dis-Corio at Virginia Commonwealth lists on every imaginable subject. To cussion, TESL-L members can getUniversity. find out what is available, try one ofinvolved in TESL-EJ, an online jour- In addition to the ongoing elec- the following web sites: nal, and CELIA, a project to create antronic discussion, Neteach-L offers a oLiszthttp://www.liszt.com online archive of materials related toweb site of links to members' home Computer Aided Language Learningpages, a list of "Sites Neteachers 0Tile.net listshttp://tile.net/lists/(CALL). Thought Were Cool!"andthe Two of the most popular discus- TESL-L is maintained by AntheaNeteach-L Archives. sion lists for ESL/EFL teachers areTillyer at Hunter College. To sub- To subscribe to Neteach-L, send TESL-L and Neteach-L. scribe to TESL-L or to one of itsan electronic message to: listserv@ branches, send an e-mail to: thecity.sfsu.edu. The text of the mes- TESL-L [email protected] or sage should be: subscribe Neteach-L TESL-L is an electronic forum for [email protected] your first name your last name. teachers of English as a SecondThe text of the message should be:Example: subscribe Neteach-L John Language. Subscribers may postSUB TESL-L your first name yourDoe. messages on any topic related to the last name. Example: SUB TESL-L teaching of ESL. John Doe. You cannot subscribe to a One needs to be aware that the TESL-L also has branches thatTESL-L branch until you have sub-volume of mail generated by listservs focus on specific areas of interest toscribed to TESL-L. may at times become overwhelming. subscribers. The branches represent The volume on the TESL-L branches the following interests: ComputerNeteach-L and on Neteach-L is usually consid- Assisted Language Learning,Neteach-L is an online forum whereerably more manageable than that of Fluency First and Whole Language,ESL/EFL teachers can discuss ideas TESL-L. ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 20 19 Trippinglyonthe Tongue: Putting serious speech/pronunciation instruction back in the TESOL equation BY JOAN MORLEY

The "S" in TESOL stands forincreasing pressure from growingof poor intelligibility and/or commu- SPEAKERSand slowly butnumbers of adult and teen nonnativenicability) is such that it precludes surely in this closing decade ofspeakers whose urgent need for intel-functional oral communication. Or, the 20th century, a new level of atten-ligible, functional, oral communica-speech patterns may result in ineffec- tion to SPOKEN communicationtion skills is not being met. The sec-tual communication in communica- skills in English as a second/foreignond factor is the emergence of newtive settings such as occupational, language has emerged. This develop-instructional programs that feature aeducational, social or personal busi- ment is welcome in the ESL/EFLcommunicative-cognitive approachnesstransactions.Speakersare field where curriculum design overto SP/PR instruction (Morley, 1991;judged as lacking credibility and not the past two decades has valued liter-Anderson-Hsieh, 1989). Not sinceinspiring confidence in their knowl- acy skills as the more important focusthe 1940s1960s, (which witnessededge of "content" or their ability to of second language instruction andthe rise and decline of audio-lingualmake intelligent decisions. Many has devoted limited time, and oftenpronunciation practices) and theproblems of this nature are reported less than well-informed instruction, 1970s1980s (when programs gavein the workplace and among interna- tospeech/pronunciation (SP/PR).less and less time to pronunciation,tional graduate student instructors in Today, however, more programs in aand many dropped it entirely) hasuniversity settings. variety of ESL/EFL settings arethere been such a theoretically and Another problem is that listeners revising curricula so that speech inpedagogically sound reformulationmay make negative judgments about general, and pronunciation in particu-of SP/PR instruction. a speaker's personal qualities when lar, are brought into the mainstream nonnative speech patterns trigger of instruction with a learner goal of "foreignerism" stereotyping. Beebe oral communicative competence. " ...while. the pendulum (IDIOM, 1978, 9 [1] p.3) reported In view of the current profession- has begun to swing back that native speakers described pro- al commitment to empower students nunciation errors as"... 'comic al,' to become fully participating members in the direction 'incompetent,"cute,"not serious,' of their English-speaking communi- of more emphasis on 'effeminate' or 'childish' ..." ties, this timely development is writ- In a conversation with a nonna- ing SP/PR back into the instructional pronunciation, tive speaker who has poor intelligi- equation, but with a whole new look. it is swinging back bility, many native speakers report that they feel apprehensive as the "...whilethe pendulumhas in a different arc..." interaction proceeds. Even though begun to swing back in the direction they seem to understand what the of more emphasis on pronunciation, nonnative speaker is saying, they feel it is swinging back in a different arc, Learrnorr PvobIenzaz a continual undercurrent of anxiety, a and we are now at a very differentNonnativespeakers,particularlyfear that they will not understand as place than we were during the audio- adults and near-adults who havetheinteractionprogresses. They lingual period..." intelligibility problems, may experi-report that they keep to superficial Anderson-Hsiehence serious oral communication"social" topics, shift topics frequent- (JALT Journal, 1989, 16 [2], 73) problems which place them at riskly, speak loudly and slowly and often Overall, the basic premise underlyingeducationally, socially, occupational-terminate the interaction as soon as these changes is this undeniable fact:ly and professionally. Today there arepossible. This robs the nonnative intelligible pronunciation is essen-increasing numbers of such potential-speaker not only of natural language tial to communicative competence. ly disadvantaged speakers of Englishinteractions, but also of opportunities in a variety of settings. They mayto develop congenial social relation- Forma [Dotviing (the experience one or more of the fol-ships. Whwas off Mango lowing problems. Nonnative speakers may also Two factors have driven the new Nonnative speakers may experi-encounter pejorative stereotyping. movement in SP/PR teaching. Theence a complete breakdown in com-Based on speech patterns alone, lis- first is a burgeoning clienteleandmunication if their "accent" (featuresteners have been found to make seri- 20 2 ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 ous pejorative judgments about non-where of communication). 3. Increased self-confidence native speakers, assigning them to a The second step is to evaluatecomfort and confidence in using spo- variety of undesirable categories. Inand describe learners' speech pat-ken English, overcoming feelings of the research of Lambert (1967) andterns, taking into account pronuncia-embarrassment and shame, develop- Labov (1972) listeners judged speak-tion intelligibility and its impact oning a positive self-image and experi- ers they had never seen nor met as tospeech communicability; and to pre-encing the self-realization of growing their personality, intelligence, ethnicpareprofilesof bothlearners'empowerment in oral communica- group, race, social statuseven theirpronunciation and communicationtion. heightsimply from listening to thestrengthsandweaknesses.(See 4. Speech-monitoring abilities way they pronounced a few words. Morley, 1991, 502, Intelligibility and speech modification strategies Accent discrimination is anotherCommunicability Index.) for use beyond the classroom problem facing nonnative speakers. Stepthreeistodesignaspeech awareness, personal speech- The 1964 U.S. Civil Rights Act,speech/pronunciation syllabus whichmonitoring skills and speech modifi- among other areas of potential dis-combines two types of instruction:cation strategies that will enable stu- crimination, clearly dents to continue forbids an employer to develop intelli- to discriminate ag- gibility, communi- ainst a job applicant cability and confi- on the basis of lin- dence inside and guistic traits linked outside of class. to national origin. The four goals However, employers listed above also haveconsiderable help learners dev- latitude in matters of elop a variety of language, and em- language learning ployer violations are strategiesin widespread in the Wenden (1991) U.S., perhaps in as and Oxford (1990) many as 10% of terms. businesses, although only a very small percentage of theseclass work in which the communica-GUilaW Sh Me and result in litigation. Cases are oftentive task is the major speaking focus,Canvenq DivectIonz settled out of court, and plaintiffsbut with supplementary attention to[Imbue Ewell Falcons generally have little success in win-specific pronunciation goals andThese steps for program planning and ning their cases. learner self-monitoring and self-cor-goal specification follow from major recting of selected SP/PR features;shifts in instructional focus described Flima eqeinDe kil and segments of class sessions inbelow which have developed over the Pvcrognmro POsnatiling which explicit pronunciation activi-past several years. These problems illustrate the strongties are conducted for appropriate 1.A communicative-cognitive- need for reformulated SP/PR instruc-periods of time. affective approach to speech/pronun- tion. It is well-documented that for all ciation instructionprogram goals types of pronunciation problems, aamong RealTdistrc Soaks focus on (a) sufficient intelligibility broadly constructed communicative-Setting realistic functional goals isto support functional communication; cognitive approach is more effectiveessential. Goals of "perfect pronunci-(b) the learner's cognitive involve- than a narrowly constructed articula-ation" or "near-native pronuncia-ment in developing speech awareness tory phonetics approach. A first ques-tion," patently unattainable now or inand self-monitoring / self-correcting tion, then, is, "How do today's newearlier times, are long gone. The fol-skills; and (c) the learner's affective programs approach the task of pro-lowing learner goals are realistic andinvolvement in developing self-con- viding 'informed' instruction?" Theattainable. fidence and a positive self image. answer is found in the specification 1. Functionalintelligibility 2. A major focus on both into- of three fundamental steps. clear spoken English that is, at least,nation,stress, rhythm and other The first step is to establish long-reasonably easy to understand andsuprasegmental features, and sounds range oral communication goals ofnot distracting to listeners, evena redirection of priorities within the language functions that learnersthough it is accented. the sound system to a focus on the will need in their English-speaking 2. Functional communicabilitycritical importance of suprasegmen- interactions (i.e., the why of commu-spoken English that effectively servestals and how they are used to com- nication); and to analyze both thethe learner's individual communica-municate meaning in spoken dis- spoken discourse (actual speech pat-tive needs leading to communicativecourse, as well as the importance of terns) that learners need to accom-competencein Cana le and Swainvowel and consonant sounds, their plishthosefunctionsandtheterms (1980): linguistic, discourse,combinations and their reduced, elid- language situations, contexts andsociolinguistic and strategic compe-ed and/or assimilated forms. specific settings (i.e., the what and thetencies. 3.An expanded domain for 22 ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 , 21 pronunciationa reformulated con-Approach to Language Teaching"tion, linkage, elision, assimilation, cept of what constitutes the scope of(GURT, 1993), defines "approach" inpalatalization, etc.) and phrase-level pronunciation; one that incorporatesthetraditionalway(followingprosodics. attentionto(a)segmentals;(b)Anthony, 1963) as "...a theory of lan- suprasegmentals; (c) voice qualityguage and language learning..." andLanguage Learning features, articulatory settings andnotes, "One's approach to languageInstructional planning incorporates other paralinguistic areas; and (d)teaching is the theoretical rationalespecial attention to both cognitive and elements of body language used inthat underlies everything that teach-affective components of learning. oral communication (i.e.,extralin-ers do in the classroom." 1.Selected explicit language guistic features). Brown's thesis is that the field'sinformation and procedural informa- 4. Practice activities designed forsearch for the "ultimate method" hastion need to be provided to help specific interactive contexts, settingsoutlived its time and that we shouldlearners develop speech awareness, and situationsspeaking activities"...get on with the business of unify-study awareness and both cognitive and tasks matched to the communica-ing our approach to language teach-and metacognitive learning strategies. tive needs of learners in personalized,ing and of designing effective tasks 2. Learner self-involvement (and real-life contextsno longer a "oneand techniques that are informed bythedevelopmentofcognitive, size fits all" method of teaching. that approach." metacognitive and affective strate- 5. Changing per- gies) must be pro- spectives on the roles moted through mea- of learner and teacher sures that encourage revised expecta- four aspects of tions for both learner behavior: taking self- and teacher involve- responsibility, devel- ment; an emphasis on oping self-monitor- learner strategies of ing skills,learning speech awareness, speech modification self-awarenessand skills, and recogniz- self-monitoring under ing self-accomplish- theguidance of a ment. The greatest of SP/PR teacher-facili- these is self-monitor- tator who operates not ing, a skill which will unlikeavoiceor empower learners to speech "coach." continue to manage 6.Individualiz- 4,* their own learning, in ation and the unique- and out of class. ness of each learnera focus on indi- In the spirit of this perspective, 3. A comfortable supportive vidualization in the SP/PR class,the following paradigm for a speech/atmosphere needs to be established, specifically on the uniqueness ofpronunciation instructional programone that fosters both supportive each ESL learneragain, no longerisoffered.Itisathree-partteacher-to-student and student-to-stu- "one size fits all." "approach" which combines beliefsdent interactions and allows learners 7.Increased attention to theabout language (linguistics princi- todevelopaffective andsocial reciprocal listening-speaking connec-ples), language learning (psychologi-strategies. tiona stronger focus on the linkcal principles) and language teaching between auditory and SP/PR skills. (educational principles). Language Teaching 8.Explicit attention to sound- Lesson planning provides for a range spelling relationshipspresentationLanguage of integrated practice modes de- of a range of important sound-Instruction employs a two-tiered lan-signed to carry out the "performa- spelling relationships and specificguage/linguistic orientation. tive" dimension of SP/PR instruction, guidanceforstudents on using 1.A macro-focusthe domainwith a focus on both communicative English orthography as a tool in pre-of discourse-level phonological fea-tasks and pronunciation activities. dicting pronunciation patterns tures (e.g., the use of intonation pat- 1.Speech/pronunciation prac- Today these changes constitute aterns, stress and rhythm, and othertice, for maximum benefit, must go coherent base upon which informedprosodic phenomena increatingfar beyondimitation and provide decisions can be made in developingmeaning), ability to sustain speechthree different practice modes: (a) a communicative-cognitive approachfor fluent ongoing structuring andimitative practice (dependent prac- to SP/PR teaching. planning as it proceeds, and appropri-tice) as needed to establish controlled ate expressive nonverbal behaviors. production; (b) rehearsed commu- an "approach" Paradigm 2. A micro-focusthe phrasenicative practice (guided and inde- qor Cornamordcarahro level/word-level domain and contex-pendent self-practice) to stabilize PronantrocOaqoon VoachOrag tualized modification of vowel andmodified or new speech/pronuncia- H.D. Brown, in "After Method:consonant sounds and features oftion features; (c) extemporaneous TowardaPrincipledStrategiccombinatory phonetics (i.e., reduc-communicative practice (indepen- 22 23 ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 dent practice) to habituate and inte-Answer:New textbooks for use in grate modified speech patterns intoteacher training programs and short Exeliangin More naturally occurring creative speech. courses, institutes, and workshops for 2. Pronunciation-oriented listen-teacher trainers as well as teachers, Than just Ideas ing practice to facilitate the develop-are much in demand and there is ment of auditory perception and dis-increased activity in both areas. For crimination skills for all dimensionsan excellent listing of references, of speech/pronunciation. visit the website created by John M. 3. Pronunciation sound-spellingMurphy, Department of Applied practice to help learners relate spokenLinguistics and ESL, Georgia State and written English quickly andUniversity (http://www.gsu.edulesl accurately so they can become trulyjmm /ss/furtherreading.htm). literate in English. An awareness of Recent publications of special spelling patterns as cues to stress andinterest include a paper by .Wong rhythm patterns is useful to learners. which includes comments addressed specifically to nonnative speaking QimszUlonz End Agawam EFL teachers ("Pronunciation Myths THE FULBRIGHT siteara Veachav Urreigning and Facts," English Teaching Forum, TEACHER EXCHANGE Question:What factorismostOct, 1993, 45-46); and papers by responsible for continuing to keepGrant("CreatingPronunciation- PROGRAM pronunciation instruction out of thebased ESL Materialsfor Publi- mainstream ESL/EFL curriculum? cation," Materials Writer's Guide, Opportunities for educators at the HeinleandHeinle,1995)and elementary, secondary, and two- Answer:Despite the growing trend Murphy ("Phonology Courses year post-secondary levels to: toward a new formulation and imple- Offered by MATESOL Programs," Exchange classrooms with mentation of speech/pronunciationTESOL Quarterly, 1997, 31 [4], 741- teachers from other countries. instruction, some training programs Participate in a six-week and teacher textbooks continue to764); and texts by Celce-Murcia, Brinton and Goodwin (Teaching administrative exchange. give it limited attention. Many programs may avoid pronunciationPronunciation: A Reference for Attend a Classics Seminarin Teachers of English as a Second Italy. isdifficult to find the because it Language, Cambridge U.Press, specifics of a clear instructional 1996) and Pennington (Phonology in model beyond articulatory phonetics TO OUALIFYYOU MUST: where both the process (viewed asEnglish Language Teaching: An Be a U.S. citizen. non-communicative drill-and-exer-International Approach, Addison Be fluent in English. Wesley Longman, 1996). cisegambits)andtheproduct Have a Bachelor's degree or (viewed as having a minimal success higher. Working toward meeting the pro- for the time and energy expended) Be in at least third year of full- fessional needs of SP/PR teacher time employment. are found wanting. trainers and trainees as well as the And,whilesome programs Hold a current full-time instructional needs of SP/PR learners require a phonetics course, often it is teaching or administrative presented rather like a "hard sci-is one of the primary goals of the position. foundersofthenewly-formed ence," which may make it difficult Minorities are encouraged to for some teachers with a languageTESOL Speech/Pronunciation Inter- apply. arts background to tune into. Moreest Section. Special recognition and significantly, it often includes veryappreciation for their work in estab- For more information and lishing this interest section is due to little if anything of an applied nature application material contact: Judy Gilbert and Elaine Klein. which could help trainees make ped- The Fulbright Teacher Exchange agogical use of phonetic/phonologi- Attention: L.E. cal facts within a communicative- The title of this article is a salute 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W. cognitive speech/pronunciationto William Shakespeare. (Hamlet, Room 465 model. The result, as reported byPrince of Denmark, Act III, Scene II, Washington, DC 20024 Line 1,"Speak the speech, I pray (800)726-0479 many teachers who come to in-ser-you, as I pronounced it to you, trip- vice workshops and conference insti- fulbrigh ©grad.usda.gov pingly on the tongue.") tutes, is that they feel ill-prepared to http://www.grad.usda.gov/ teachspeech/pronunciation, are International/ftep.html uncomfortableteachingitand, Joan Morley is Full Professor at the Applications must be post-marked frankly, avoid it. University of Michigan and a past by October 15, 1998 Question:How can training pro-TESOL president. She has published grams change to prepare teachers fornumerous books on phonetics, new approaches to speech/pronuncia-applied linguistics, speech/pronunci- -Sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency- tion instruction? ation and oral communication. ESL MAGAZINE 0 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 2 4 23 TESOL'98 Connects Our Global Community /t all started in 1964, when approx-and others who work to meet theSpeaker Highlights and Topics imately 700 people gathered to-growing demands of English lan-TESOL has scheduled top profession- gether in an ad hoc convention inguage learners worldwide. als, preeminent in their fields, who Tucson, Arizona. The purpose was to These professionals will come towill share their insights with the glob- discuss the burgeoning need to teachSeattle for a variety of reasons, notal ESL/EFL community on a wide English as a language in post Worldthe least of which is networking.range of topics. War II North America. Only threeMany come for the professional Techno-Fear? Techno-Joy? years later, the first annual conven-development opportunities affordedAt this opening plenary, four ESL, tion of the newly formed Teachers ofby the seminars, workshops and lec-professional development and tech- EnglishtoSpeakersofOthertures which address almost everynology specialists will discuss the Languages (TESOL) association metconceivable aspect of English lan-benefits and challenges of technology in Miami, Florida. guageteachingand learning.for language teaching. Fedric Litto, For more than three decades, theAttendees will also review the latestSchool of the Future of the University TESOL conference has convened inEnglish language products and ser-ofSaoPaulo,Brazil;David the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Atten- Thornburg, Center for Professional dance has increased from 3,000 in the Development, CA; Richard Boyum, mid 1970s, to 6,500 in the 1980s and USIA; and Denise Murray, San Jose to more than 8,000 in 1994. "We have State University, CA. come a long way since those early days,"says ESL pioneer James Applications of Brain-Based Alatis. "We used to meet under one Research to Second Language hotel roof, now there's no single facil- Education ity that can accommodate us." Mary AnnChristison, TESOL On March 17-21, TESOL'98 is President 1997-98, Snow College, expectedtodraw approximately UT Christison explores how second 7,500 ESL/EFL professionals from language teaching can be in accor- over 80 countries on six continents to dance or incompatible with The what has become .the largest confer- brain's learning processes. ence and exposition of its kind in the The New American Immigrants world. This 32nd annual conventionvices offered by over 160 vendors. and Why We Need Them will be held at the Washington StateUndoubtedly, some ESL/EFL profes-Sanford J. Ungar, American Univer- Convention and Trade Center insionalswill come seeking newsity, Washington, DC. Ungar draws Seattle, WA. It will feature keynoteemployment opportunitiesattheon research from his book, Fresh addresses, more than 1,200 sessionsEmployment Clearinghouse, a world-Blood: The New American Immi- and workshops, the world's largestwide job fair set up to match employ-grants, calling for immigration policy exposition of ESL/ EFL related publi-ers with employees. reform that resists unjust restriction cations and software, advocacy infor- and discrimination. mation and a worldwide job fair. Expansions This Year Diversity, Citizenship Education The theme for TESOL'98 isThe emphasisfor1998isan and the New Century "connecting our global community."increased use of technology, both inJames Banks, University of Washing- The conference will highlight tech-lectures and in exhibits such as the ton,Seattle, WA. Banks examines nology and its use in English lan-CALL "electronic village" and thehow U.S. schools can encourage eth- guage teaching in diverse settingsWorldNet satellite broadcast. nic and cultural diversity while pro- around the world. Building upon previous confer-moting national unity. ences, the TESOL Center has expand- Connection with English in the They Come from All Over ed its area to accommodate a larger Context of Internationalization Attendees of the TESOL conferenceadvocacy booth and a larger publica-Ann Pakir, National University of represent a wide variety of Englishtion and information booth. TheSingapore. Pakir discusses the role of language professionals. These menSpecial Research Symposium is larg-English in the "internationalization" and women are teachers, administra-er and various interest sections andof many countries and explores the tors, curriculum developers, linguists,caucuses have also been added. Thesocial and linguistic ramifications as media specialists, bilingual educators,Employment Clearinghouse has ext-well as the implications for English professionals working with refugeesended its hours and added a directory.language teaching in these countries. 24 25 ESL MAGAZINEJANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 Students and Families as Inauguration of Adult Authors and Protagonists Standards Alma Flor Ada, University of SanThe committee for adult standards Francisco in CA. Ada examines thewill introduce and discuss plans for benefits of authorship for teachers,developing adult ESL teaching stan- students and their families. dards. The Wonders of the TESOL World Pre- & Post-Convention Institutes Omney Kassabgy, Career Develop-TESOL has planned state-of-the-art, mentCenterinCairo,Egypt. full-and half-dayinstitutesfor Kassabgy analyzes the unique inter-March 16-17 and March 21, which national community of English lan-provide a stimulating learning envi- guage educators and learners. ronment in a smaller setting. Contemporary Trends in Educational Visits Northwest Coast Art Offering a first-hand look at local Marvin Olivet; University of Wash-ESL programs, these half-day trips TESOL'98 ington, WA. Oliver, an internationallygive insightful glimpses into local Via Satellite renowned Native American artist,programs. will give a slide presentation and Special Exhibits c elected sessions of TESOL'98 explain his bronze, steel, glass, andTwo special exhibits highlight global will be broadcast via satellite wood works as well as the TESOL'98community ties among English lan- to remote locations around the world and in the United States. artwork and logo. guage educators and their students. TESOL'98 has arranged with The first is a double exhibit called WorldNet and Visionary Additional Highlights "Refugee Stories" and "Our Lives: Productions, Inc., to broadcast CALL Room & Technology Sessions Refugee Women's Photographs," three live international satellite StagedbyTESOL'sComputerconsisting of photographs and recol- teleconferences from Seattle. Assisted Language Learning interestlections by refugees and language The first teleconference will section, the "electronic village" willlearners in North America. The sec- be the opening night plenary offer consultations, discussionond special exhibit is an AIDS quilt "Techno Fear? Techno Joy?" groups, demonstrations and an opencreated by friends and family of featuring Richard Boyum, Fredric house to allow attendees to try share-AIDS patients around the world. Litto, Denise Murray and David ware, freeware, demos and CDs. Thornburg and will air on March Many sessions will explore the use of ack by Popular Demand 17, 1998, 7-9 pm Pacific technology for language teaching andAs in previous years, there are a Standard Time (PST). learning. number of popular events that contin- The second broadcast is the Presidential Plenary featuring Publishers' and Software ue to delight, enrich and entertain the attendees. Some of the highlights are: TESOL President Mary Ann Exposition Christison titled "Application of One hundred and sixty companies Swap Shops Brain-Based Research to Second and agencies will showcase their lat- Awards Program Language Education," Wednes- est products and services. Fun Run day, March 18, 1998, 11:30- Employment Clearinghouse 12:30 pm PST. This session will Review job openings, schedule inter- Daily Door Prize Drawings feature a live interactive question- views with more than 100 onsite Social Events and-answer session with TESOLers in Brazil, Europe and recruiters and sign up for career Networking Room counseling. Venezuela at 12:45-1:30 pm PST following the plenary in Seattle. IEP Accreditation The third broadcast is titled Workshop "Curriculum for Middle and A preconvention work- Secondary School Literacy shop will be held for inten- Development" featuring Mary Lou siveEnglishprograms McCloskey, Alfredo Schiffini and seeking accreditation. Lydia Stack and can be viewed on Thursday, March 19, 9:30-10:15 Presentation of the am PST. TESOLers in Canada, Pre-K-12 ESL Europe and Mexico will have the Standards and opportunity to interact with Assessment TESOLers in Seattle during this TheStandardsProject session. Team will present and dis- For more teleconference infor- cuss the recently published mation, contact ACE network at standards for ESL and its 850-784-9942 or go to www.ace- implementation in publicThe WorldNet broadcast will facilitate the network.com. schools. interaction of TESOLers worldwide.

ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 25 i.) W 0 g Shenanigames isaWinner! BY CHERYL PAVLIK

Asuccessful supplementary act- Each game begins with a sum- Obviously, a supplementary text ivity book must contain a vari-mary so that teachers needn't readof this sort must be adaptable for ety of activities and be easy tothrough all of the directions in ordermany different teaching situations. use, flexible and fun. Shenani-games,to understand the point of the activi-The authors of Shenanigames have a new book of ESL/EFL activities ty.In addition, a section entitledmade their text flexible in several dif- and games by James Kealey and"Preparation by Teacher" explainsferent ways. Donna Inness, gets high marks in alleverything that must be done before First, they often give alternate of these categories. class. This section also includes notesdirections for both small and large To begin,theauthorshaveand hints that will help the activity gogroups. In addition, because they included nearly fifty different activi-more smoothly. There is a separateknow that class temperaments differ, ties. In addition to new twists on old they also offer the option of a com- favorites such as "Find Someone Grammar-Focused petitive or cooperative activity. Who" and "Bingo," Shenanigames The games are also flexible in provides a wealth of new activities terms of time. Some activities such as includinganimaginativegroup "Fractured Sentences" or "Condi- crossword and a murder mystery that tional Chain Reaction" are short and works! could easily be done in just ten or fif- The activities are divided into SHENANIGAMES teen minutes. Some such as "The twenty-two grammatical categories. I/ Great Modal Race Around North Most of the grammar points covered r111,,, firI,iVc/ /1. t 1'; America" require more time and are normally taught in beginning and and1;11"141 preparation. lower intermediate classes; however, James Kealey Most of the games and activities there are also some which address Donna Inness are appropriate for teenagers and higher level structures such as the adults while some can even be used future passive and the past perfect. with younger children. Best of all, Shenanigames is veryset of directions for students. This Shenanigames will be a welcome easy to use. Many teachers have hadeliminates the possibilitythat aaddition to the textbook collections the experience of having a "fun"teacher will give students incompleteof busy ESL teachers who understand activity fail miserably because stu-or incorrect directions that doom thethe importance of fun activities but dents (and sometimes even the teach-activity beforeit begins. Finally,usually don't have enough time to ers) did not completely understandKealey and Inness have done almostcreate them. Shenanigames, James what to do. Kealey and Inness under-all of the prep work. Most activitiesKealey, Donna Inness; Pro Lingua stand the pitfalls of game-playing andinclude photocopiable worksheets onAssociates, 1997, price: $23, 152 pp. have designed virtually foolproofperforated pages for interactive use in activities. the classroom. Litig1ts4te Lattgi7si, E very ESL teacher has his or her favorite class 350. After he inserted another quarter, the machine story; these stories usually concern comical lin- displayed the digital letters "d i m e." To you and me guistic/cultural misunderstandings. My own favorite this means ten cents. But he misread it as two separate story occurred many years ago in a small ESL school words "d i" "m e" which means "tell me" in Spanish. in Washington, DC. On the first day of school a young He leaned closer to the vending machine and whis- Hispanic student joined our beginners' English class; pered: "Una Coca Cola por favor." Needless to say, he had just arrived in the U.S. the other students died laughing and the story of the During break he went to buy a Coke from the sodabilingual vending machine spread like wildfire! vending machine. This machine contained a little window with a digital display. The display indicated how Dominick Egan teaches ESL to university students much to insert for a soda, e.g., 600. The thirsty student at Catholic University in Washington, DC. inserted a quarter and the machine promptly displayed

If you have a true and humorousESLstory you would like to share, e-mail it to [email protected], subject: linguistic laughs.

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TAE, STORY ScTM A unique literacy program that For many people who want to buy a home, language and a lack of information have motivates students to speak been barriers. The Fannie Mae Foundation is and read their new language! committed to helping students overcome these This innovative multi-sensory program is obstacles. being used in ESOL classrooms nationwide. We have developed a free ESL teaching module Each STORY SKr includes a well-known children's book, an audiotape of the book, a collection of toys and miniatures on homeownership that helps students develop representing the characters and other key elements of the speaking, reading, and writing skills in English story, and complete, easy-to-follow instructions. as they learn how to find and buy a home. To order free class sets (1 teacher's manual Watch in and up to 20 student workbooks), call amazement as 1-800-544-9224. the students retell the story We also provide a free step-by-step guide on the homeownership process in nine languages: with the toys! English, Spanish, Chinese,Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Haitian-Creole, Polish, and Portuguese. Fivedifferent STORY SACKS are Currently available. For your free guide in English and/or any Set Offive/$180.00 Each Sack/$36.95 of these languages, call 1-800-688-HOME. For more information call: INTERACT STORY THEATRE 0:\FanmeMae FOUNDATTION 1-800-276-8087 1998, Fannie Mae Foundation. All rights resented. 28 ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 27 KOREAN STUDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES

BY MARC VAN DER WOUDE

Korean students constitute a sig- rigorous education is crucial to theirEileen Sir of UCLA's Center for nificant portion of the Ameri-children's well-being and that privateKorean Studies, most Korean college can ESL community. Accor-schools are better and more prestigiousstudents new to the U.S. pass the Test ding to Mr. Jung Kun Han, Educationalthan public schools. of English as a Foreign Language Attaché at the Korean Los Angeles KoreansalsoattendKorean(TOEFL) in Korea before entering the Consular office, there are 2,000,438schools in large numbers. There arecountry. Of those who do not, many Koreans living in the U.S. The largestover 470 Korean schools throughoutstudy in U.S. colleges and universities concentrations of Koreans can bethe nation, mostly in the urban areasin ESL programs to improve their found in the three major urban centersalready mentioned. These are mainlyEnglish and prepare for the TOEFL. of the U.S. The greater Los Angeles"Saturday schools" operated by com- area and its well-established Korea-munity organizations which teachEducation and Families town are home toover 600,000Korean and other subjects predomi-In general, the younger the student, the KoreansandKorean-Americans,nately in Korean (Hangul). Thesemore likely he is to have entered the arguably the densest population ofschools reflect the commitment ofU.S. with his parents on a permanent Koreans in the world outside Asia. Korean parents to maintain strong cul-basis. Typically, K-6 children, and New York and Chicago are second andtural, social and familial ties with theireven some middle school students, third with 473,760 and arrive with their parents 225,598Koreansand whohave cometo Korean-Americans America for career pur- respectively. poses and have acquired Some Koreans immi- legal resident-alien sta- grate to America at young tus. Often these families ages while others move stay in the U.S. and during their high school, eventually acquire citi- college and later years. zenship. Likewise, they arrive by Family arrangements different means, pursue for the education of high diverse goals and possess schoolstudents are varying levels of cultural more diverse.Like literacy and English skills. younger students, many The wide range of ages, highschoolstudents goals and language com- also enter the U.S. with petency of theselarge theirfamilies,either numbers of Korean stu- traveling with their par- dents pose opportunities ents or joining family and challenges for the ESLOver 2 million Koreans and Korean-Americans live in the U.S.,members who have pre- community. comprising a large portion of the ESL community. viously established resi- dency. These students Public and Private Education country of origin, especially parentstend toachieve high marks and gradu- At the elementary through high schoolwith children who have resided in U.S.ate ontime; they are motivated and levels, many Koreans attend publicsince infancy or early childhood. Whilesecure. school in the U.S. Based on their expe-there are bilingual programs in public Other Korean parents place their riences in Korea, families tend to haveschoolsinthe major U.S.cities,high school children with their broth- an abiding faith in public educationKorean parents generally seem to pre-ers, sisters or family friends in the U.S. which, in Korea, is operated centrallyfer instruction for their children in onewhile they, the parents, remain behind through the Ministry of Education. language or the other, not both. in Korea, or, increasingly, in any num- Therefore, many Korean parents hap- Korean college students in theber of Latin American countries. Since pily place their children in U.S. gov- U.S. attend public universities and col-the practice of leaving children with ernment funded education leges in large numbers. Many Korean"aunts" and "uncles" can often be dis- However, significant numbers ofcollege students in the U.S. are here onruptive to a family, it is not the most Koreanelementarythroughhighsome type of exchange program.desirable living arrangement. In terms school pupils are switching to privateOthers enter collegeafter havingof academic performance, these stu- schools. This trend reflects the perva-attended American high schools fordents tend to display the full spectrum sive view among Korean adults thattwo or more years. According to Ms.from success to underachievement

28 ESL MAGAZINEJANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 '' 29 depending on many factors, not the least of which is the legitimacy of their Academic Writing: immigrational status. Another arrangement for high The Challenge forKorean Students school students is the practice of parents or guardians providing U.S. bank A II students entering our academ- in hagwon (private institutes), this is accounts, automobiles and apartments ic English program (the English primarily to improve TOEFL scores for their children, enrolling them in Foundations Program at Hawaii and little attention is paid to acade- school then leaving them to their own Pacific University) take a battery of mic writing. devices. The parents leave for overseas, tests including sections on listening, Second, Korean students get structure, vocabulary and reading very little practice with composition and the guardiancommonly an older, comprehension, as well as a 35- in their first language. We have to university-attending cousinoften minute writing sample and an oral question how much academic writ- neglects his charge for his own studies. interview. Our experience has been ing in the Korean language is Because of the sensitive nature of leav- that the weakest skill for Korean emphasized in the kugo (national ing a minor unsupervised and because, students is usually the ability to language, i.e., Korean) courses. technically, the paperwork for these compose a grammatical, coherent Most secondary classes and lower students appears legitimate, there are essay in English. division college classes enroll well few authorities willing to discuss this A more telling indication comes over 50 students, a fact that pre- practice. Nevertheless, though nearly from the Test of Written English vents an average teacher from impossible to confirm, this problem is (TWE) Guide, both the demanding many well-known in Korean communities third edition (1992) essays or composi- throughout America. and the fourth edition tions from students. Paradoxically, the apparent indif- (1996), published by When they do, many ference or neglect of Korean parents Educational Testing essays are short, who leave their children in the U.S. Service (ETS) about personal, sentence- while they reside abroad is actually an the results of the by-sentence, stream- indication of their high regard for the TWE. This writing sam- of-consciousness U.S. educational system and their great ple test is given with essays. This genre desire to provide every opportunity for the TOEFL and is often does not trans- their child's prosperous future. In gen- scored on a 1-6 scale. late well into acade- eral, whether they live in Korea or in The TWE Guide gives mic English and will be criticized and countries such as Paraguay, Chile, Peru score means of all examinees over the scored low by native andGuatemala where many previous two years, Young Korean students getEnglish teachers on Koreans operate established businesses classified by native little composition practice.the basis of being Koreans look upon America as a language. ETS warns "disorganized" or paragon of higher education. that the "data do not permit any "without a thesis." If little practice It is appropriate to note that since generalizations about differences in in academic writing is done in many Korean students enter the United the English writing proficiency of the Korean by Koreans in Korea, we can States through Latin America, English various national and language hardly expect a better show in isoften their third language after groups" because "different selective written English. Korean and Spanish. Additionally factors may operate in different This lack of experience with among students of this group, linguistic parts of the world to determine who composition among Korean students identification with the Spanish-speak- takes the test." Nevertheless, in has several implications for academ- ing world, more than with Korea, is not 1992 the Korean mean (3.04/6.00) ic writing teachers. First, teachers uncommon. For example, one of my was 113th out of 113 reported should be prepared to begin teach- own students (we'll call her Se Young), languages groups, and in 1996 it ing writing at a lower level than with who prided herself on her English (3.29) was 116th out of 117 other language groups. Second, translation skills, volunteered to trans- reported language groups. With all there may need to be a particular, late for a group of visiting Korean due respect to the ETS warning, sustained effort by teachers to help exchange students. Se Young had lived these results lead us to conclude Korean students transition from in Latin America for 12 years. When that Korean students are not doing writing sentences to composing paragraphs. Finally, Korean students she spoke to the Korean exchange stu- well on this widely used English writing test. may require special encouragement dents in their native tongue, she was to think and write in English rather met with stunned silence; Se Young We have come to two conclusions as to why Korean written than rely on translation. couldn't understand their reaction. English scores are so low. First, in When she asked what the matter was, Korea, students get very little prac- one Korean student boldly stated, "We Edward E Klein, Ph.D. is Professor tice in English composition. of Applied Linguistics and Associate don't speak Spanish. Please speak Composing English is not normally a Dean of the English Foundations Korean." part of the middle or high school English curricula where grammar- Program at Hawaii Pacific University In the Classroom translation approaches still domi- in Honolulu. He spent five years of his Regardless of their country of origin, nate. In addition, though it is 30-year teaching career in Korea, Koreans tend to be highly motivated, extremely common for Korean stu- teaching at the secondary and eager and respectful in the classroom dents to do additional English study university levels and in ahagwon. because of the strong emphasis on edu- ESL MAGAZINE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 2 0 29 cation in their culture. There are, how-equivalent idea in English, but it loose-total physical response (TPR) approach ever, noteworthy linguistic and culturally translates to personal pride, dignity,is useful in acting out a transaction at differences which present Korean stu-or feelings. If not careful, a teacher canMcDonald's or the local CinePlex, for dents with entirely new challenges ineasily injure a Korean student's kibun.example. Classroom games such as the American classroom. To insult or disgrace a Korean student"Twenty Questions" can help over- For example, there are four mainby personal confrontation or to promptcome the reticence common to many levels of speech in Korean (intimate,performance through shame is a coun-Korean students and can encourage plain, polite-informal and polite-for-terproductive classroom strategy; it isspeech.Additionally, it is crucial to mal), no explicit definite or indefinitelikely only to incur a student's person-build a communicative, meaningful articles and a subject-object-verb (S-0- al animosity and intellectual resistance. vocabulary that is specific to students' V) syntactic pattern as opposed to theOnce their kibun has been violated, it islives. Vocabulary related to school, English S-V-0. Phonologically, Kor-extremely difficult to regain their trust.American culture and sports (the NBA ean vowels often merge so that in the Student trust can also pivot on theis highly popular among Koreans) is English words "racquet" and "rocket,"teacher's style of classroom manage-interesting and meaningful to them. for eiample, there is no appreciablement. Korean students come from a Finally, a useful tactic to assist difference to the Korean ear. Othersociety based on strict hierarchies. TheEnglish language acquisition among common speech hurdles include diffi-strong authority in their culture isKoreans is to learn a little Korean one- culty pronouncing the English frica-reflected in schools and families; theyself. A basic understanding of Korean tives /f/, /v/, /z/, /6/ and /0/, which areare accustomed to discipline. There-greetings, phrases and formalities will absentinKorean.Also, go a long way in discovering Koreans have trouble pro- 544 theparticulardifficulties nouncing"w"combined Korean students may with certain vowels. For encounter. Korean classes instance, the word "wood" is are offered in most major often pronounced "oo-dah." urban areas. Also, In-Seok Hence, I am often refefred to Kim's Colloquial Korean not as Mr. van der Woude, (Rout-ledge, 1997)isan but more commonly as Mr. excellent resource for begin- "pen-deh-oo-dah" by native11=1111.01111. ners and advanced students Korean speakers. alike. Of course, there are cultural as well as linguistic Looking Ahead challenges in the classroom, Since 1976, over 30,000 a place where cultural values Koreans have immigrated to become learning issues. For the U.S. annually, according instance, in America, chil-Students at the L.A. Hankook School, California. to California's State Depart- dren are taught to maintain ment of Education. Small eye contact when addressed by anfore, a relaxed, laissez-faire instruc-Korean communities through-out the adult. In Korea, where firm genera-tional approach is often not successfulcountry have blossomed dramatically tional hierarchies prevail, such bold-with Korean students. It confuses andwithin the last decade alone. The estab- ness by a minor toward an elder coulddistracts them because educationallishment of major Korean media in our be considered insolent. More than oneinformality contradicts their expecta-largest urban centers testifies to the ESL/EFL instructor has thought that hetions. In my experience, Korean stu-increasing representation of Koreans in was being ignored when, in fact, he was dents respond best to a highly disci-America's ethnically diverse society. being shown all possible deference. plined, structured learning environ-The immigrational trend of Koreans Another Korean valueis groupment. When firm classroom leadershipliving and studying in the U.S. is achievement. Emphasis is placed onis established early, the requisite trustexpected to remain bullish (although mass learning and deference to a supe-necessary for language acquisition canthe recent economic crisis in Korea rior's judgement instead of individualdevelop. may reduce new student numbers, view points and critical thinking. For Successful classroom tactics forespecially college exchange students, instance, in Korean schools, haviriglanguage acquisition among Koreanfor 18-24 months). students speak aloud in class is not astudents include sustained silent read- America remains a land of oppor- popular mode of pedagogy. Expressinging (SSR), role playing, games andtunity and dreams for many overseas a personal opinion aloud could be con-meaningful vocabulary building.ForKoreans, especially where education is sidered arrogant, and asking a questionSSR, I allot 10-20 minutes, allowingconcerned. The challenge for American insults the teacher's labors by admit-students to choose the reading material ESL professionals, now and in the ting the student "doesn't understand."(as long as it is appropriate), reasoningfuture, will be to meet the educational Therefore, in initial stages of instruc-that their interests, not mine, will builddemands of these important members tion, it can be difficult to draw outtheir literacy.I encourage popularof our national community. Korean students to read aloud, answeryouth literature such as the Sweet questions or speak in front of class. Valley High series, Goosebumps andMarc van der Woude, M.A. teaches Perhaps more so than studentseven comic books for beginners. RoleEnglish/ESL and is Chairman of the from other cultures, Korean studentsplaying of "real-life" situations inEnglish Department at L.A. Hankook can be sensitive due to their highlywhich students are likely to find them-School. He has served on the English developed sense of kibun. There is noselves in America is also effective. A Textbook Review Committee in Seoul. 30 31 ESL MAGAZINEJANUARY/FEBRUARY 1998 Upcoming events...

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birds have increased in numbers since the settlement of the country, owing to the increased food supply resulting from cultivation; and in some cases, at least, this increase has taken place in spite of the fact that the Click on the phrase in birds were extensively shot for food. While the native prairies paragraph 2 that describes produced an abundance of forage what blackbirds mainly ate for the larger ruminants and small rodents, they did not offer a great prior to the existence of crops. variety of plants having seeds large enough to be suitable for bird food. The Immense areas of wild rice in the swamps and marshes, on the contrary, furnished a bountiful supply

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FEATURES ^ The Mouse Replaces The Pencil: ; m111,1, TOEFL Goes Electronic by Effie Papatzikou Cochran 10

Bring Language to Life! Page 10 Using Video in Your ESL/EFL Program by Kathleen F. Flynn 18

Accuracy vs. Fluency: Which Comes First in ESL Instruction? by Miriam Eisenstein Ebsworth 24

Russian Immigrants in the ESL Classroom: Success, Motivation and Acculturation by Michael Berman 28 Page 18 DEPARTMENTS Editor's Note 4 Letters to the Editor 5 News Briefs 6 Conference Calendar 9 Technology 9 Reviews 17 Linguistic Laughs 17 New Products 27 Page 24 Catalog Showcase 31

Who's Reading ESL Magazine? Check out our Web site at www.eslmag.com! Jodi Crandall Professor of Education, In our next issue: Co-Director, ESOL/ What ESL Bilingual Program and professionals earn Director, Doctoral Full-time vs. Program in Language, part-time employment Literacy and Culture, Meet Dave Sperling University of Maryland of Dave's ESL Cafe Baltimore County Teaching Middle '(UMBC). Eastern students And more! Page 28

ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 3 IMD 0 4 ® 129 GED 4

The TOEFL is Publisher GEORGEH. CLEMES, III

Changing the Way Editorial Director We Test English! MARILYN ROSENTHAL Editor KATHLEEN R. BEALL his issue of ESL Magazine focuses on one of the biggest changes in language testing in decades. After 34 years on Contributing Editors EFFIE PAPATZIKOU COCHRAN

paper, the TOEFL will be converted to a computer format MIRIAM EISENSTEIN EBSWORTH beginning in 1998. Find out more about the big change and how you can KATHLEEN F. FLYNN KEE WON LEE help your students prepare. Effie Papatzikou Cochran's interview with CHRISTINE MELONI Julia ToDukta, Executive Director of TOEFL, and preview of the TOEFL SUSAN STEMPLESKI BILL STOUT tutorial will assist you on your way. CINDY TRACEY

CHERYL PAVLIC Video is a great way to bring life to your classroom and can significantly enhance English language learning. Kathleen Flynn discusses Webmaster the benefits of using video and introduces some new products along with CHARLES FOWLER guidelines for making the most of video in your English program. Advertising Sales 410-570-0746 410-798-5607 (fax) Miriam Eisenstein Ebsworth addresses the longstanding debate of [email protected] accuracy versus fluency and gives advice to teachers on finding a balance Subscription Information Introductory rate:1 year, 6 issues, U.S.: between the two based on the needs of the students. $16.95,Canada/Mexico: $24.95, outside North America: $34.95. All prices in U.S. $ and must be paid in U.S. funds. To sub- For our international focus, Michael Berman shares stories and insights scribe, fill out subscription form on page from his experiences teaching Russian students and other students from the 23 (photocopy additional forms if necessary) and mail with payment to:ESL Magazine,P.O. Box 6209, Lafayette, IN former Soviet Union. These students from diverse backgrounds share 47903-6209. Or fax subscription form with credit card information to 765-743- characteristics to which ESL/EFL teachers should be sensitive. 3545. Please call 765-743-6813 for all other subscription inquiries. We want to be your partners for the success of English language ESL Magazineis published bimonthly students. Send your "letters to the editor" to eslmagazine@ by Bridge Press, Lic 220 McKendree Avenue compuserve.com or ESL Magazine, 220 McKendree Ave., Annapolis, MD Annapolis, MD 21401 [email protected] 21401. We look forward to hearing from you. www.eslmag.com

ISSN: 1098-6553

Marilyn Rosenthal, Ph.D. ESL Magazineis abstracted and indexed with ERIC. Editorial Director © 1998 Bridge Press, LLC, All rights reserved. Z7 4 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 1g4VC4G2@, V® 411g gIDOVC,G2

ItY1111 or 1.01.11-11t AtItatil sow I> I'd like to send my warmest con-Trippingly on the Tongue Olbro era gratulations and thanks to everyone at> Congratulations! A job well done! ESL Magazine. What a quality publi-Very needed magazine!I consider '11 cation! I've devoted the past threeJoan Morley to be the "Moses" of ESL years to creating interactive Webteachers, taking us to the "promised pages for ESL/EFL students andESL land," where pronunciation is teachers from around the world, and itfinally given its rightful place after so was so refreshing to read Christinemany years of neglect. In a brilliant, Meloni's superbly written feature arti-yeteasy-to-understandstyle,she cle on using the Internet in the class-clearly defines that promised land and Send your "letters to the editor" to shows us the way to get there. In this [email protected] or write room. Keep up the excellent work to ESL Magazine, 220 McKendree Ave., because my subscription is on its way!article she sets a definite path to fol- Annapolis, MD 21401. Please include DAVE SPERLING low. I hope she continues writing on your name and position or address. Creator of Dave's ESL Cafethesubject of pronunciation,so teacher trainers and school administra- Our Debut Issue I> I was very happy to read Christinetors start providing and supporting this > Love ESL Magazine! Just exactlyMeloni's article. It is a very usefultype of training to present and future what the ESL community needsintroduction for ESL teachers whoESL teachers. timely, comprehensive, stimulatingwant to get their virtual feet wet. MAYA LEON MEIS articles. A fabulous publication. Vilmi's and Robb's side-bars offer a Community College of Denver, CO concrete and concise description for EMILYLITEs > With the much needed refocus that Chair, Materials Writers Interest Section teachers to follow. I hope you will continue to invite teachers using thepronunciation teaching and learning is beginning to enjoy, Joan Morley's arti- 1> News about what's happening inWeb or e-mail to teach and share theircle was an excellent and timely dis- the profession, what new products and successes or failures, especially in other countries. I also liked the Webcussion-starter. The recently formed materials are available, and valuable Speech/Pronunciation Interest Section site listing, which serves as a starter. ideas for use in the classroomI of TESOL had the article posted on found them all in the issue of ESL LINDA MAK Hong Kong U. of Science & Technologytheir bulletin board at the TESOL con- Magazine thatIreceivedatthe ference in Seattle, and literally crowds TESOL Convention. This issue was of ESL teachers were reading and enjoyable and informative. > My heartiest congratulations on the premier issue of ESL Magazine. It's acommenting on its ideas. Your inclu- KATHY TRUMP sion of Ms. Morley's article in your George Mason University, VA wonderful addition to print media targeted at ELT practitioners. I thorough-pre-conference edition helped stimu- > Kudos on the first issue! ly enjoyed every page! I particularlylate and focus the interest in speech/ KAREN ASENAVAGE enjoyed Christine Meloni's featurepronunciation. Al Ain, United Arab Emiratesarticle. Dr. Meloni communicated a LARRY MORGAN Chair-Elect Speech/Pronunciation wealth of information in a very reader- C. Congratulations to the team for thefriendly manner, and I've not seen Interest Section auspicious and far-sighted publication such a treatment of ELT and the NetKorean Students in the U.S. of ESL Magazine. I had the pleasure of anywhere else. >I have just finished reading the very reading it over to cover. I suggest a The article provides an excellent new section called "Quotes," where helpful article on Korean students by and markedly multifaceted overviewvan der Woude. I found myself nod- ESL/EFL professionals share favoriteof how ESOL and the Net are coming and relevant quotations. ding in agreement throughout and together and will,I firmly believe,plan on giving the article to my col- DR.FRANCISCO GOMES DE MATOS become recognized as a classic docu- Federal U. of Pernambuco, Brazil leagues. I especially appreciated the ment in the story of our profession andway he outlined specific linguistic and The Internet in the Classroom its involvement with this new andcultural problems, expectations that >I was pleased to see ESL Mag-exciting medium. I was also particu-students and families have, and sug- azine's Web site online and Christinelarly pleased tosee such ESOLgestions on how to work with them. I Meloni'sexcellentarticle"TheInternet pioneers as Ruth Vilmi, Kejilook forward to next month's article Internet in the Classroom." I sharedKitao, Thomas Robb, Mark War-and hope this becomes a regular fea- this resource with a group of about 80schauer and Dave Sperling recognizedture in your magazine. Thank you. teachers at a Conference in Comp-by name in the article. I greatly look CELIA O'MALLEY iegne, France called "Multi-media etforward tofutureissues of ESL DePere, WI Magazine and many more articles by langues etrangères" in March. It was Clarification: "hot off the press." A nice "coup"! Dr. Meloni. Kudos! TESL-L and TESL-EJ are independent elec- LINDA THALMAN DENNIS OLIVER tronic entities, which may have been unclear WebFrance International Director Arizona State University in the Tech. Dept. of the Jan./Feb. issue. cr ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 0. 5 MgC0@ B17301 TESOL'98 Sets United States-Puerto Rico New AttendancePolitical Status Act Record Passes in the House With 9,300 attendees, TESOL '98 he United States-Puerto Rico Political Status in Seattle, March 17-21 sur-TAct was passed in the House of Representatives passed previous TESOL convention in early March and has been referred to committee attendance records. The 1998 confer- in the Senate. A series of Senate "workshops" on ence attracted about 800 more atten- the bill will begin in early April. The bill outlines a dees than last year. The conferenceprocess by which Puerto Rico could vote to deter- also hosted more than 150 exhibitors. mine its political status: a U.S. commonwealth as it Besides the Seattle attendees, numer- is currently, a U.S. state, or an independent republic. ous ESL/EFL The act declares that if Puerto Rico elects statehood, (1) any language professionals requirements of the Federal Government would apply to Puerto Rico to the participated in same extent as throughout the United States; (2) that it is in the best interest of the confer- the United States to promote the teaching of English in Puerto Rico as the lan- ence in 48 guage of opportunity and empowerment so that public school students achieve U.S. states English proficiency by the age of ten; and (3) that a plan for transition to state- and other sites hood should include proposals and incentives to enable the citizens of Puerto around the Rico to expand their English proficiency, including using English as the lan- world via guage of instruction in public schools, awarding fellowships and scholarships, World Net and providing grants to organizations to promote English language skills. broadcasts. Currently, the only language laws in the United States are in effect in Puerto Rico where the official language of the Federal courts is English and where English proficiency is required of those who serve on Federal juries. New York Board Also, the non-voting delegate to Congress from Puerto Rico must be proficient Proposes to in English. Eliminate ESL International Exchange Certification Program for Teachers n November of 1997, the New York IBoard of Regents Task Force, in ince 1992 Rotary Internationallanguage learners immersed in an their document "Teachers for SClubs have sponsored teachersalien culture. The exchange prepares Tomorrow," recommended eliminating from school districts, colleges, andteachers to better serve all interna- ESL teacher certification for kinder- universities as teachers of English intional students in their own their garten through twelfth grade teachers. Spanish, Portuguese and Russianown schools. In its place, the Task Force recom- language countriesthroughthe U.S. Rotary Clubs pay round mended that teachers certified in areas Rotary InterCountry Teacher Ex- trip transportation and the host other than ESL become ESL teachers change program. Club provides room, board by taking a group of courses leading to Teachers have been and local transportation. an ESL endorsement. The Task Force placed in over 50 dif- Teachers do not need held hearings for public comment in ferentcommunities to speak the language different regions of the state. Persons for four week ses- of the host country wishing to comment were required to sions to teach practi- but should have a sign up to speak. cal English to speak- stronginterestin The "Tomorrow" document is cur- ers of other languages learning. rently being revised for a final vote by whowouldbenefit Information about the Board in April. ESL teachers, par- from a working knowl- the Rotary InterCoun- ents, principals and members of the edge of English. try Teacher Exchange may higher education community have vig- Duringtheexchange, befoundat:http://www. orously opposed this proposed action teachers learn about the language,RITE-Teacher.com. (Rotary mem- claiming the endorsement training culture, customs, history, and geog-bers may contact Conrad Heede at would not produce competent ESL raphy of the host country. This inter- [email protected] Teachers may teachers at a time when English stan- national experience provides teach-contact William Eubank at william dards for graduation are being raised. ers with greater empathy for second @raytown.com.)

6 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 MgM3 B121:1CW@ INS Initiates Adult ESL Participation Pilot Project for International Increasing in the U.S. he last national study of adult education, conducted in April 1992, showed Student Tthe total number of adult education clients receiving ESL instruction had increased by 268% over the 12 years since the previous study done in 1980. In Information fact, adult ESL learners constituted a majority (51%) of adult education clients in that year, receiving 76% of the hours of instruction (Wrigley, 1993). he Immigration and NaturalizationChisman, Spruck-Wrigley & Ewen estimated that 1.8 million adults are TService (INS) has undertaken aenrolled in some form of ESL instruction every year (Cohen, 1994). pilotproject,TheCoordinated Of the three most common types of literacy programsAdult Basic. Interagency Partnership RegulatingEducation (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), and ESLESL is the InternationalStudents(CIPRIS),fastest growing, serving the largest number of adult literacy students in the which may lead to the redesign of theUnited States (Cohen, 1994). In these programs alone, enrollment of English process of providing documentationlanguage learners nearly tripled from 1980 to 1995, from 396,000 to over 1.4 for and keeping records regarding million in 1995 (Adult Learning & Literacy Clearinghouse, 1997). Most litera- non-immigrant international studentscy students enrolled in ESL programs reside in California, Texas, New York, in the United States. This redesign Florida and Illinois, accounting for 75% of ESL enrollments nationwide (U.S. would implement some of the require- Department of Education, 1996). ments of theIllegal Immigration The National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education reports that many Reform and Immigrant Responsibility more adult students are on waiting lists, particularly in urban areas. In San Jose, Act of 1996. California, for example, more than 4,000 were reported on waiting lists, and a The pilot will establish an INS Massachusetts Department of Education survey verified 15,000 on waiting lists CIPRISdatabaseandelectronic statewide (National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education, 1996). reporting of student information from Of the ESL students cur- participating schools to the INS. The rently enrolled in adult educa- CIPRIS Task Force includes represen- tion programs, the majority tatives from the INS, the Departmentare Hispanic (69%) and Asian of State, the United States Information (19%). Almost all ,reported Agency (USIA), and the Department reading well in their native of Education as well as various higher language; however, only 13% education, data systems and telecom-reportedspeaking English munications consultants and contrac- well at the time of enrollment, tors. Twenty-two schools, institutions,and 73% were initially placed and programs in Alabama, Georgia,in beginning level ESL class- North Carolina, and South Carolinaes (Fitzgerald, 1995). are participating in the pilot. As part of the CIPRIS project, a student will eventually receive aEconomic Hardships Affect Student/Exchange Visitor Identifi- cation Card that will replace the 1-20 English Education in Korea and the IAP-66. This card, rather than he economic crisis in Asia has Native English-speaking teachers a signed/endorsed 1-20 or IAP-66, willTaffected English language educa-who are already in Korea with current allow students to depart and re-entertion in South Korea. (South Koreacontracts face difficulty because their the U.S. freely as long as they main-received a $55-billion "rescue pack-salary is worth less than half of what tain valid status and have a valid visa. age" from The International Monetarythey expected when they first signed. This will save time and effort for stu- Fund last December.) With the KoreanCanadian James Smith, for example, dents and school personnel. Thewon falling to half its value in just asigned a one-year contract with an CIPRIS program, which will givefew months, native English-speakingEnglish academy in Sanbon city last schools and the INS direct electronic teachers are rushing to leave Korea. November. He came to Korea to earn communication via the Internet, will As a result, teaching English inmoney by teaching English in order to also provide an easy way for schools public schools is being left to Koreanpay off his college debt, but this is no to notify the INS of changes in a stu- teachers. Many English institutes thatlonger possible for him. Sadly, many dent or exchange visitor's status. This were once very prosperous are now innative English-speaking teachers face will make it easier to assist the student or exchange visitor in maintaining danger of bankruptcy resulting fromthe same situation. English education decreased enrollment due totheis suffering as a result of the ailing legal non-immigrant status throughout scarcity of native English-speakingeconomy. their stay in the United States. teachers. by Korea Correspondent, Kee Won Lee

ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 7 Build English Conversation Skills with: YRAOTTAUgry ¶Ai Eyygrouy A revolutionary speech recognition title. Users interview four suspects to get information to solve a mystery. Interviews and navigation through the program are done by the user speaking to characters in the computer. For more information about TRACI TALK

TRACI TALK. Speech recognition, and other ESL/EFL programs from Courseware 3D graphics and a mystery to solve. Publishing International, visit our Web site http://www.usecpi.com TRACI TALK, The Mystery is available from the following: Courseware Publishing International The Comenius Group Linguatronics 20380 Town Center Lane, Suite 169 Educational Cybershop 104 Cone Branch Drive Cupertino, CA 95014 68 Clinton Road Middletown, MD 21769 Tel: (408) 446-4590 Glen Ridge, NJ 07028 Tel: (800) 373-4991 Fax: (408) 446-4588 Tel: (973) 748-2864 Fax: (301) 371-5345 http://www.usecpi.com http://www.comenius.com http://www.linguatronics.com Delta Systems Alta Book Company 1400 Miller Parkway 14 Adrian Court McHenry, IL 60050-7030 Burlingame, CA 94010 Tel: (800) 323-8270 Tel: (800) ALTA/ESL Fax: (800) 909-9901 Fax: (800) ALTA/FAX http://www.delta-systems.com http://www.altaesl.com

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8 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 lig@lial(DICDOW "Mooing": Great for Language Learners B Y CHRISTINE MELONI Do your students want more practicethe virtual campus. In the Student Union a MOO in a language other than your communicating in English outside they can play Boggle, Scrabble, andnative language. I enjoy visiting the of class? Send them to a MOOother games. They can go to the library MOO Frangais for learners of French. where they can practice their English towhere they will find a resource room and For more information about MOOs: their hearts' content 24 hours a day. stacks, or they can wander in the gar-D Welcome to schM0Oze! MOO stands for Multi-user domain,dens. If they want to be alone, studentshttp://schmooze.hunter.cuny.edu:8888 Object-Oriented and is a virtual world can go to their private dorm room. D Educational MOO: Text-based where users can move around and "talk" Teachers can take their students to avirtual reality for learning in (via the keyboard) to the people theyschM0Oze classroom. There studentscommunityAn ERIC Digest by meet. It's like a chat room. can carry on a general class discussion,Lonnie Turbee. http://www.syr.edu/- Themostpopular MOO foror they. can be divided into small groupslmturbee/ericdemo.html ESL/EFLstudentsis"schM0Ozewhere they will hear only the other students in their group. They also have use Neteach-L MOO Sessions University" created in 1994 by Julia http://spot.colorado.edu/-youngerg/net- andEricSchweitzer,bothof a blackboard and overhead projector. Falsetti moo.html instructors at Hunter College of the City A very convenient feature of this University of New York. There areMOO is that students can log their con-D Foreign Language MOOs approximately 600 individuals who visit versations for reference later (if they http://www.cet.middlebury.edu/resource schM0Oze regularly. have permission from the other partici- s/flMOOs.html WhenoneentersschM0Ozepants,ofcourse).The Neteach-LD MOO Francais University, there is a campus map. FromElectronic List has periodic conferences http://moo.syr.edu/-fmoo thatpoint,oneseesonlywords.at schM0Oze which are logged and MundoHispaho However, when users enter the various available at Neteach-L's Web site. http://web.syr.edu/-lmturbee/mundo.html areas, they find detailed descriptions Although schM0Oze is a virtual Questions and comments may be which create vivid images in their minds. university, secondary and adult education sent to Christine Meloni at meloni@ Also, users can describe themselves sostudents will enjoy it as well. gwis2.circ.gwu.edu or Dept. of EFL, that others know what they "look" like. An excellent way to get a feel forGeorge Washington University, Wash- Users can go to various locations on what your students experience is to visit ington, DC 20052. Conference Calendar March 1998 17 Louisiana TESOL (LATESOL) June 9-12 International Language Testing Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana. 24-27 Association for Language Association (ILTA), Monterey, California. Contact Jo Ann Robisheaux 504-549-5275, Awareness (ALA). Quebec, Canada. Contact Dariush Hooshmand. [email protected]. Proposal deadline Contact Joyce M. Angio, 418-659-6600. 14-17 American Association for Applied March 1. Expected attendance: 100. Expected attendance: 125. Linguistics (AAAL) Annual Conference, 3-4 Illinois TESOL-BE (ITBE) 24th Annual July Seattle, WA. Contact Matt Howe, 612-953- State Convention, Chicago, IL. Contact 13-16 English Teachers' Association in 0805, [email protected]. Exp.: 1,000+. Fran Michalski, 312-996-8098, michalsk Israel (ETAI). Jerusalem, Israel. Contact H. 17-21 Teachers of English to Speakers of @uic.edu. Expected attendance: 800. Hoffman, [email protected]. Other Languages (TESOL) Annual 23-26 California TESOL (CATESOL) Annual Expected attendance: 800. Conference, Seattle, WA. Contact TESOL, Conference, Pasadena, California. 13-17 inaugural World Conference on 703-836-0774, [email protected]. Expected Conference Hotline: 626-583-4358. Computer Aided Language Learning, U. of attendance: 7,500. Expected attendance: 2,500. Melbourne, Australia. Contact Fauth Royale 19-21 National Council of Teachers of 25 Eastern Pennsylvania TESOL [email protected]., http://www.arts. English (NCTE). NCTE Spring Conference, (PennTESOL-East) Conference, unimelb.edu.au/hIc/worldcall/. Albuquerque, New Mexico. Contact NCTE, Philadelphia, PA, Contact Tobie Hoffman, 28-August 1 Linguistic Association of 217-328-3870. 215-473-4430, fax 215 895-6775, Canada and the United States (LACUS), 1125-27 TESOL Arabia Conference, Al Ain, [email protected]. Exp.: 300. Claremont, California. Contact Ruth Brend United Arab Emirates. Contact: Barbara May 313-665-2787, [email protected]. Kelly, 971-3-5046208, [email protected]. 7-9 Florida Sunshine State TESOL Annual 31-August 1 The Ohio State Conference Expected attendance: 600. Conference, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Contact on Second Language Reading/Writing 26-29 3rd Pacific Second Language Judy Jameson, 352-331-4318, judy@cal. Connections, Ohio State University, Research Forum (PacSLRF 98), Tokyo, org. Proposal deadline: March 15. Columbus, Ohio. Contact Coordinator, Japan. Contact Peter Robinson, Expected attendance: 600. ESL Programs, [email protected]. [email protected]. Expected: 500. 20-21 New Jersey TESOL/Bilingual August April Education (NJTESOL/NJBE) Spring 10-12 National Council of Teachers of 15-18 32nd International Association of Conference, East Brunswick, New Jersey. English (NCTE), Bordeaux, France. Contact Teachers of English as a Foreign Judith B. O'Loughlin, 201-652-4555, NCTE, 217-328-3870, 217-328-0977 fax. Language (IATEFL) Conference, [email protected]. Expected: 700+. 14-16 TESOL Academy, Seattle, WA, Manchester, UK. Contact Jill Stadjuhar 20-23 Centre for Research on Language Seattle University. Contact Stephen Grady, e-mail 100070.1327. Exp.: 1,500. Teaching and Learning (CREAL), Canadian 703-836-0774, [email protected]. IM 2-4 Tennessee TESOL (TNTESOL) Association of Applied Linguistics (CAAL) Ili 27-30 international Association of Conference, Knoxville Hilton, Knoxville, International Congress, Ontario, Canada. Teachers of English as a Foreign Language Tennessee. Contact Margi Wald, 423-974- Contact Chantel Dion, 613-520-2600, (IATEFL), Constantsa, Romania. Contact 4890, [email protected]. Expected att. 150. Expected attendance: 400. IATEFL, [email protected].

441`,-J ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 9 The Mouse Replaces The Pencil: TOEFL Goes Electronic

BY EFFIE PAPATZIKOU COCHRAN, ED.D.

Withinitial conversions sched-large-scale revisions and improve-staying current with technology. ETS uled for July 1998, the Test ofments to the TOEFL test, which hasrecognizes that this can only be English as a Foreign Languagebeen developed and administered byaccomplished over time. The CBT is (TOEFL) will eventually reside exclu-ETS over the last 34 years. The pro-the first computer-based effort. It is an sively on computer. Thus, Educationalject has been spearheaded by theelectronic platform to help create new TestingService(ETS)officialsTOEFL Policy Council, a 15-memberitems to improve the test and bring observe, there will be no more testboard consisting of deans, admissionsabout other changes. booklets and blackening of little ovalsofficers and international student Dr.Julia ToDutka, Executive with a number two pencil. Faster testadvisorsfromprimarilyNorthDirector of TOEFL, says about the results and a greater variety of testingAmerican colleges and universities.TOEFL CBT, "We're supporting the times and dates are among the advan-The TOEFL program has been work-improvement of language and test tages offered by the new platform.ing closely with the Policy Council'sassessment. We've responded to a However, everyone is curious aboutCommittee of Examiners to imple-challenge from higher education." how this technological advance willment the changes. Dr. ToDutka is no stranger to the work, and some are a bit worried. The hope is that the redesignedworld of English language students, Aren't there still parts of the worldTOEFL will better simulate the waybeing a non-native speaker of English where computers are not yet com-people actually communicate, beherself and a former ESL instructor, monplace? What about students whomore performance-based, and assessteacher trainer, and college dean. She are not computer literate or even key-more accurately the ability of interna-gets very excited describing what the board comfortable? tional students to communicate in aca- new TOEFL CBT can offer:"It demic settings. enables us to look at issues of com- The Impetus for Change The Policy Council recognizesmunicative competence." The TOEFL computer-basedtestthat computers are the direction of the Having herself taken the TOEFL (CBT) is part of the TOEFL 2000 ini-future and cannot be ignored. TOEFL25 years ago, ToDutka brings to this tiative that began in 1993. The intentmust be ready to serve students andtest conversion a personal perspective of the TOEFL 2000 project is to makeinstitutions as well as possible byon the human experience of TOEFL What the new CBT offers: more flexibility for scheduling the exam; topic orientationand context-setting visuals test dates will be completely replaced by during the Listening section continuous testing in permanent and mobile closer text interaction in the Reading section computer testing centers worldwide writing assessment via typed or handwritten faster score reporting; concordance table essay with every TOEFL administration available in May assessment tailored to each examinee's a more private test environment with ME level of abi I ity personal volume-control headphones electronic platform for future innovations in greater examinee control over the pace of test design theListening section

10 4'3 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 exams. She promises that ETS willhave answered correctly the sametakers in some Asian countries, more continuetoworkcloselywithnumber of questions, the one whoseinfrastructure and system work needs ESL/EFL professionals during thequestions were more difficult will getto be in place to satisfy assessment TOEFL transformation process. a higher score. design. Hence, the period of prepara- Furthermore, in order to strength- Another benefit for examineestion for Asia is longer. en the TOEFL and the ancillary ser-will be the way the test is adminis- Testing will eventually be avail- vices the program offers, she lookstered. They will no longer be testedable at more than 650 centers through- forward to meeting with educators intogether in a large room; each individ-out the world. the field who will bring to the atten-ual will sit in a private carrel with tion of ETS those language issuesheadphones and individual volumeQ: Now will the score scale which may have been overlooked. Tocontrol, all of which should enhancebe changed and how will that end, she hopes to work with mem-their ability to concentrate. scores be reported? bers of the teaching community both In addition to these benefits, byA: New scales are anticipated for all in the U.S. and around the globe. Shephasing out the "paper and pencil" testsections due to the addition of the describestheentireprocess "anand using computer technology, ETS essay and new question types. A con- important partnership for the constantis moving into a brand new generation improvement of our services." of language assessment options. Fromcordance tablerelating scores on the The following is based on anthis electronic platform, the door topaper-basedandcomputer-based interview with Dr. ToDutka. future innovations in test design istestwill be available in May to assist wide open. score users in setting new standards. Q: What will be the benefits For instance, types of questionsUntilfulltransitionto CBT is of the TOEFL CBT? that could not be included with the achieved, institutions will receive both A:The score reporting on paper-based and the new test will be con- CBT scores. siderably faster. The Electronic Score exam'scomputerization Reporting willal- will make it possible for low institutions to the scores of some sec- download their test scores from ETS. tions to appear immediate- The target date for ly on the screen for the this is fall 1998. examinee to see. Official scores will be sent within Q: What has Ers 10 to 15 days (rather than done to study fourto six weeks), the effects of depending on the time . ii computer requiredtoscorethe literacy on test 111 I 0 essay, which will now be scores? included with every A:In response to TOEFL administration. theapprehension Also, in many locations a testpaper-based test can be introduced inthat there will be a negative effect on taker will be able to retake the testthe futurefor example, a speakingexaminees who are not familiar with once per calendar month. component and other performance-the computer or keyboarding, ETS has based questions. Another benefit is that assessment done a two-phase international com- of the test taker's language skills will puter familiarity study. ETS analyzed be more individualized. The ListeningQ: When exactly will the TOEFL and Structure sections are computer-CBT come to the U.S. and other 90,000 questionnaires from 1996 adaptive. This means that each exami-parts of the world? TOEFL test takers. The findings were nee begins with an intermediate levelA:Implementation will be inauguratedthat 50% were excellent in computer question. If the examinee answers itthis summer when ETS introducesskills, 34% had intermediate skills, correctly, the next question is typical-computer-based testing for TOEFLand 16% had low skills. ly more difficult;if the answer isexaminees everywhere except select The high and low familiarity incorrect, the next question is typical-Asian countries. Those Asian coun-groups were given a computerized ly less difficult. The TOEFL CBT willtries will follow by the year 2000, sotutorial and then administered some be, in effect, a test in which every testthat by then, the TOEFL CBT willcomputer-based test questions. When taker has a completely individualizedhave completely replaced the tradi-the two groups' performances were experience, always working at his or compared, it was deterinined that no her own ability level. tional test throughout the world. After the CBT becomes opera-practical differences existed in CBT The new computer-adaptive sec- performance between the experienced tions will take question difficulty intotional in a country, the option of taking the paper-based test will no longercomputer users and the computer consideration when scoring those novices after adjusting for language parts. Thus, even if two examineesexist. Due to the large numbers of test ability. 4. d ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 1 1 Q: What is ETS doing to prepare having had good language instruction. test takers for the computer- Behind every good test taker is a good based platform? teacher. The relationship between A: Beginning in March, and for aassessment and instruction must be whole year, ETS isofferingtoaffirmed as TOEFL makes its transi- all prospective test takers a free tutorialtion to CBT. The tutorial is intended totest with 67 practice items on a multime-teach the computer skills needed for takers. dia CD-ROM. the CBT. The major Examinees don't need to be con- investment cernedabouttheirtypingskillsQ: Whoisfooting thebill in the CD- because they have the option of hand-for aU0 these changes? ROM tutorial at- writing the essay. tests to ETS's wish to A: ETS is making the financial invest-be fair to test takers in all countries Q: How can teachers help stu- ment in the development of the inter-and make it possible for everyone to dents prepare for the new test? national testing network and has con- become familiar with the test. A: The 67-question CBT CD-ROMtracted with Sylvan Learning Systems Sampler will be available to anyoneto set up computer testing facilitiesConversion Concerns who wishes to learn about the TOEFLworldwide. While the CBT is a truly visionary CBT. Teachers can help by encourag- In addition, the TOEFL Policyidea and ETS is working to improve Council is presently exploring the testits practical application, the big ques- ing students to complete the tutorial tofee structure and how it might possi- familiarize themselves with the com- tion on everyone's mind is, of course, bly be modified to assist needy indi-"what about international students ponents of the new test. This will helpvidual applicants. (The fee for the test alleviate any apprehension they may who are neither familiar with comput- is$100domesticallyand$125er terminology nor have significant have about the change. Obviously, stu-abroad.) The Council is seeking tocomputer skills?" dents need good language instructionimplement ideas that will work and ETS admits that access to com- as well as some computer skills indoes not wish to block access to any-puters for practice is important. The order to do well on this new TOEFLone. They will continue to exploretutorialhelps examinees become CBT. Students can't do well withoutoptions that will be equitable forfamiliar with the test format and to learn the basic computer skills needed for the test. It is difficult to believe, however, Tempo Bookstore that test takers with low computer The Languages Resource Center skills will not be adversely affected by To Learn Foreign Languages and English as a Second Language (ESL) the CBT format. Critics of the transition may say that the conversion dates Translation Aids Cassettes Children's Visual Aids Language Videos Language Arts Electronic are premature. Teacher CD-ROM's (Preschool & K-12; Translators The improvements in the TOEFL Resources CD's ESL; Phonics; Special Book test, however, do hold promise for Dictionaries Cards Bilingual; Requests: Any those committed to quality language (Worldwide & Games Multicultural) Title, Any Field Special Fields) 202-363-6683 instruction and assessment. 4905 Wisconsin Ave. NW, WashingtonD.C. 20016 For More Information Fax:202-363-6686E-Mail: [email protected] For updates on the CBT and other Mon-Sat: 10-10, Sun: 11-7 information, visit ETS's Web site at www.ets.org. Details about ETS's TOEFL computer familiarity study, its concordance table, as well as specific information on test registration and Shenanigames payment, test center locations, and testing policies are also available on Grammar-Focused the TOEFL Web site. Teachers can also join the Internet mailing list by ESL-EFL Activities and Games typingtheire-mailaddressesat Dr. Donna Inness and Dr. James Kea ley www.toefl.org/edindx.html or by call- 49 grammar games for middle school to adult learners ing 609-771-7100. 96 pages of photocopyable masters $23.°° plus s8rxVisa/MC/AmEx Effie Papatzikou Cochran, M.Ed., Ed.D. is Associate Professor in the PRO LINGUA ASSOCIATES Department of English at John Jay 15 Elm St. Brattleboro, Vt 05301 USA 800-366-4775 College of Criminal Justice in the City University of New York.

12 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 The TOEFL Computer-Based Test (CBT) in Brief

The TOEFL CBT has four sections. It has the three a sentence with four underlined parts, click on the part sections that the traditional TOEFL has (Listening, which is grammatically incorrect; 2) Given a sentence with Structure, Reading) but will include a written essay a blank in it and a list of four words or phrases, click in with every test administration. The Listening and Structurethe oval next to the word or phrase that correctly com- sections are computer-adaptive which means that they pletes the sentence. begin with questions of intermediate difficulty then proceed to questions that are easier or more difficult based Reading on the student's responses. The questions are presented The Reading section measures a non-native speaker's one at a time. The student cannot proceed without answer-ability to understand non-technical reading material and ing the question; neither can the student go back and allows closer interaction with the text than was possible change an answer once it has been confirmed. The with the paper-based test. The student is first presented Reading and Writing sections are not computer-adaptive. with a text which he or she must scroll through to read in its entirety. The student may not proceed to the questions Listening without reading the text (or at least scrolling through it). The Listening section measures the candidate's ability to Questions are then presented one by one along with the understand spoken North American English. The TOEFL text. The section is not computer-adaptive, so the student CBT allows test takers to listen through a set of head- may skip questions and return to them later or return and phones to conversations, lectures, and group discussions change answers. accompanied by appro- The examinee is asked priate visuals on their to demonstrate comprehen- monitors. For the conversion by identifying main sations, the image on topics and supporting the screen depicts the ideas, making inferences, people talking but does identifying the author's not present pictures purpose, specifying the related to the content of meaning of words in con- the conversation. For text and identifying refer- some of the lectures, in ents. There are several addition to a picture of 'question formats: 1) Given , the person lecturing, a question with four there may be pictures or answers listed beneath it, diagrams that relate to choose the best answer part of the lecture. The (words or pictures) by click- listening stimulus and its Y ing on the oval next to it; 2) Given a question, visual(s) are presented t, first and only once. The answer it by clicking on the student then hears and The CBT adds new question types and an essay to every test appropriate word, phrase, sees the questions one sentence or paragraph in at a time. Finally, the administration. the passage; 3) Given a possible answers appear along with the question. sentence and a reading passage marked with several pos- There are three question types: 1) Single-answer sible insertion points, point to the place in the passage questionsgiven a question and four answers, click with where the sentence could be best inseeted. the mouse on one answer. The answers may be either words or phrases with ovals which darken when clicked, Writing a set of pictures from which one must be selected, or a The Writing section assesses the student's ability to write single picture or diagram with several labeled parts; a well-organized essay in standard English on a given 2) Questions with more than one answergiven a topic. The essay can be handwritten or typed on the question and a list of answers, choose all the correct computer. If it is to be handwritten, the test center sup- answers by clicking in the box next to each one. Selected plies paper for outlining and writing notes as well as the answers will be marked with an "X" (rather than the official Answer Sheet for the final essay. Thirty minutes darkened oval of the single-answer questions). Answers total are allotted; this includes time for planning and can be unselected by clicking on the box again. revising the essay. The essay will be graded by two 3) Matching or ordering questionsgiven a set of words readers using the same criteria that are used for the Test or phrases and a set boxes, move a word or phrase into of Written English (TWE). The essay score will be combined the correct box by clicking on one then the other. The with the Structure score and will count as one half of the boxes may be numbered to represent a sequence or may Structure/Writing scaled score. The rating on the essay be labeled with terms or categories. will also be reported separately. Structure Scoring The Structure section will measure the international The examinee will receive a scaled score for each section: student's ability to recognize standard written English. 0-30 for Listening, 0-30 for Structure/Writing, 0-30 for The student will respond to two question types: 1) Given Reading. There is also a total scaled score of 000 to 300. EPC ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 13 CD-ROM TOEFL Sampler: A Tutorial for Taking the TOEFL on Computer

How will the new computer-basedWindows 95 or Windows NT 4.0, 8 orsuch as the clock, "help", "confirm format affect test takers? ETSmore megabytes of RAM, CD-ROManswer" and "next" (question). It also hopes to prepare test takers asdrive, VGA display with 640x480 res-explains the screen layout, which dis- much as possible and minimize anyolution and 256 colors, a sound card,plays the name of the section, the time potential negative effects of the newspeakers and a mouse. Without soundremaining, the number of the question computer version. Just as sample testscapability, one can still use the struc-on the screen over the total number of have helped test takers prepare for theture, reading and writing parts of thequestions in the section. Instructions traditional TOEFL, a sample comput-tutorial. Simple installation instruc-about selecting, cutting and pasting er test should help students prepare fortions come with the CD which willare provided in the writing lesson. the TOEFL computer-basedtestcreate a TOEFL folder on your hard The four remaining lessons cover (CBT). drive when installed. each section of the test. Each lesson gives general informa- The Need for a Tutorial tion and "rules" about the ETS recognizes that all stu- testsectionsothat dents, those with computer Plel. examinees will know skills and those without, will what to expectfor benefit from direct experience example, whether or with the computer format. not questions may be Thus ETS has produced the skipped and returned TOEFL Sampler to orient all to, how much time is test takers to the new format allotted or whether or and also to teach some basic not one may take notes. computer skills to those with lit- Thelessonsthen tle or no computer experience. demonstrate the question Based on their computer famil- types and give step-by-step iarity study, ETS has high hopes instructions on how to answer them. that their Sampler will level the Lessons also include practice ques- playing field for test takers. tions. The Listening section provides ETS has produced 440,000 copiesDescription of the Tutorial 27 practice questions. There are 20 of the free Sampler which is availableThe TOEFL Sampler consists ofStructure practice questions and 20 on compact disc (CD) or can be down-seven lessonsthree on basic com-Reading questions. The Writing sec- loaded from the TOEFL Web site atputer skills and four on the test itself.tion provides four practice questions www.toefl/org.cbtutprq.html. The sys-The Basic Computer Skills tutorialalong with six graded sample essays, tem requirements for the Sampler are:explains how to point and click withone to represent each possible score a personal computer with at least athe mouse, how to scroll through afrom 1-6, i.e., failing to top passing 486 processor, Windows 3.1, text and how to use the testing toolsscore. After the practice questions

Milestones in ESL Testingby Bill Stout, The Lado TEFL Certificate Program 1.903 19 64 Frederick Kelly's RobertLado Robert Lado introduces theThe inception of Friedman's Silent Reading introduces the English Test for Foreign the TOEFL, whichdissertation Test is published, Test of Aural Students (the Michigan is designed as proposes the first ever Comprehension Test), a discrete-item examan admission cloze reading multiple choice in English as a focusing on first language criterion for tests for ESL test in any subject. Foreign language. interference errors. universities. students.

.1 9 Inception of U.Jeanne The College Board and John Carroll coins the terms for of Cambridge Greenleaf's French ETS publish English "discrete-point" and "integrative" Certificate of Pronunciation Test Examinations for Foreign testing, stating a preference for the Proficiency in makes use of the Students. latter because it offered "broader English (CPE).newly invented and more diffuse sampling over the dictaphone. total field of linguistic items."

14 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 Ell have been answered, the questions, Help Odelsting - Practice Questions & Review C0000nlla1338.E11 takes getting used to. Concepts such 14.3 the student's answers and the status as pointing to, selecting or clicking on flat was ems storm we of each (correct, incorrect or not lent night] icons or text, advancing to other answered) appear in a table format 'Did your power go net? It oar. didl screens or returningtoprevious for review. Examinees may revisit And then my alarm did.. menus will be new concepts for many. off tlros morning. so I : questions by clicking on them in oy first closet In addition, there is new vocabulary. the table. Although some computer terms such as "icon" and "scrolling" are defined Strengths of the TOEFL Tutorial when firstused,others suchas The tutorial certainly accomplishes "menu"and"click" arenot. the goal of orienting students to the (=> Furthermore, in order to access the computer format. It introduces all lesson on how to use a mouse, one the question types and provides a A screen from the TOEFL Sampler must click with the mouse through at large number of practice questions. least five screens. listening practice section. It also allows students to review Finally, although the differences File their answers. The graphics are Reading Comproheasthe Practice Questions A Review C 0010.91. between the Sampler and the test itself good, and the topics are interesting. WIPft3 NOW was d that enabled earth hanene to control tgare emphasized at several points in the The use of fire: NUM keep e firs gothg for an "If:WI Also, students can "pause" in the equation length of ante end then tc am moaned in c't it gn. tutorial, examinees may find it diffi- Posing oe ON ebON from IP...Om lo Pner.th..., icon Orl In order to moor Mth geonma it rrmy be uodut to listening sectionthepicture defingOsh between the ptheicaL mental. erd social cult to keep the differences straight. preconditions thin were necessary. No doubt math freezes and the talk stops, but the Pthrthool thalweg em wedpastureand dm owthamteta (Weida for drying °Reds SI Me nod and marrodang them mem essonlial. Even theme written text is there for the students bonne could make fros themselves. one of the Recommendations edolronee OW foY Sod Kea* &of Prootee ee to read before they go back to the well) had over other enimida was that they were able Anyone planning to take the TOEFL at holds Wicks Isith which May could rummage in Pm sound with the picture. Upon com- smothering fire *Shout getting burned. Afier a forest fire fey were able to search through the ashes for computer-based test should use the food end probably naked OW key night prolong the pletion of an exercise, the program Myth bonne by Ihrowing Mendes on a Even mom tutorial. Those with limited computer important. hummer. was Me celooN lo Pidl oP encouragesthestudentwith, burningmane, end tramped b Ina phco wawa it skills will need support using the =Ad not be adinguished by rain or wthd. Proceed "Good, you have completed the Ella Ws vms Weedy no Orte smolter cdde Sampler. English language programs exercise." Also, it provides addi-L.4 could perhaps use the Sampler in a tional prompts if one makes a mis-A screen from the TOEFL Sampler TOEFL preparation class to ensure take or pauses for too long. reading practice section. that their students use it and to help

Re thdp TOEFL Sampler Omegans IMOET them in doing so. enislitall .ilviz_l Concerns Do you agree or disagree with the following statemend Teantana &foot l asht lelortiag embyalde sod Iva la Itoati. sitodeatx ETS still needs to address the ques- Ube momsw4 epwific%samples Ito suppon yaw opinion. For More Information Sims& _ tion of access. Will students without Score 5 An essay othisleme For updates on the CBT, the TOEFL l - ellectivegroddlesses the enrol; task computer experience, who perhaps ' - Onall merited and well developed Saxe 5 -uses dearly appropess dosses to support e ewes or derstreste ideas Sampler and specific information on - displays consistent toady into use ol lengunge need the tutorial more than anyone, s -demonstrates syrdacticththey and epproptiele ward choice test registration and payment, test cen- Some 4 have access to the computer system Estax ter locations, and testing policies, visit s idostrimgly mwpon Me Wee Mel Mathew shrwld mWm Warning enimmble 44 Soon 3 hm for the students. TN. I support with Ms fogoning masons. needed to use the Sampler? Also, First hil us Oka Me pthrothologioN component of a Mothm. A child orOldaN ETS's Web site at www.ets.org or call WMbe more remodive, th anything including Wades.d 44subOd mew4 many schools and students have presented M en tharestingend enjoyable manner. U eel Mwe W missyildhord 609-771-7100. Teachers can also join S... 2 MWMe mho4d be wean or will raNd Me mew pmeented as he Macintosh computers and cannot awW4m,studying is a burden on him. My Second point I. that he presetsday Emden, faces tremendousamount of the Internet mailing list by typing their Scans I dioniroons such as Seaman rolestsion Progrenowei Our" diot".6. Imi use the PC-based tutorial. ETS is momenta some wd many more. To gel Me elutthms moth from 0 Mese and th e-mail addresses at www.toefl.org/ looking into this option, however. edindx.html. For those without computer t EPC experience, the Sampler will be aA screen from the TOEFL Sampler Sampler screen images reprinted with permission challenge. Any computer platformwriting practice section. from Educational Testing Service, copyright owner

1979 The first meeting of the Language Testing Research 1997 1984 Colloquium. Language 1990's The University of First Testing The International Michigan Conference The Test of English for issue si=i=1Q=Language Testing debates the emphasis International Communi- of the Association and the on discrete-point vs. cation (TOEIC) first adminis-journal Association of integrative testing. tered; in Japan; designed Language Language Testers in for non-academic purposes. Testing. Europe are founded.

ac?.11(0 g(91g3(0) 1.19910 1970'0 1976 1932 1989 less John 011er continuesThe TOEFL is ACTFL Provisional TOEFL first TOEFL research on the revised and Guidelines are published includes the Test moves to TOEFL validity and benefitscondensed with scales for speakof Written English computer of cloze format test-from five ing, listening, reading, (TWE), an essay based ing of integrative sections to writing, and culture (cul-test of academic format. language skills, three. ture was later dropped).writing proficiency. 1

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"A worthwhile, recommended experience. Excellent learning opportunities for professional growth. Excellent peer discussions." 12QW13 U7@ The Ultimate in Survival English! BY CINDY TRACEY EF Multimedia has published sever- paper by making the sentences fit, fol-nique" which allows the user to freely al delightful and truly innovativelow the directions from an old map and turn around a full 360 degrees and view programs for ESL/EFL students,perform other tasks through conversa-the surroundings. The game also fea- one of which is "Escape from Planet tures three dimensional graphics and Arizona," designed for intermediate specially composed sound and music. level ESL learners, ages 12 to adult. i The playing time is approximately The underlying premise is that 40 hours. Users can save their the user is an alien whose spaceship progress to pick up where they left has crash-landed in the Arizona off the last time they played. desert. In order to get the parts need- The beauty of "Escape from Planet ed to repair the ship, the alien must Arizona" isthat English learners interact with the humans in the near- become engaged inthis software by town. It must look for clues and because the graphics, plot and char- follow directions to obtain the neces- acters are so intriguing. sary parts. With the help of actors andtions with the characters. Each charac- The CD-ROM is a hybrid designed QuickTime video, the user is quicklyter has something they need the alien tofor Windows 3.11, Windows 95 or immersed in a town and meets a banker,help them do. Once the task is complet- Macintosh. There are translations avail- artist, librarian, saloon keeper, and othered, they provide the necessary parts forableinSpanish, French, German, townspeople. the spaceship. But time islimitedItalian, Swedish and Japanese. When the user meets one of thebecause the alien may run out of foodAvailable from World of Reading at characters, he or she must respond toand die. 800-729-3703. The suggested retail the character by clicking on one of sev- There is a glossary with definitionsprice is $60 and site license pricing is eral sentences. Each sentence elicits aof all the vocabulary used, so when the available; however, due to the extensive different response from the character.user goes to the saloon, for example,video, it is not networkable. The various personalities keep the storyand is offered a "Sasparilla Float," he or interestingthe banker is prim andshe can access the dictionary to see proper and becomes rude when shewhat this drink is. There is even a Europe $235 realizes the alien doesn't know what an"cheater's guide" available if one gets ATM card is; the artist is a free spirit,really stuck and does not know how to Asia $370 etc. proceed. The user learns how to make a tele- The program was developed using phone call, put together a torn piece of"Quick Time Virtual Reality Tech- So. America $167 Fly as an international courier for Letteig1ts4te Lattg17s! the "big name" freight companies. It's the cheapest way to fly. Over ne of the teachers from our ESL school tutors in the home of a young 1000 r/t flights weekly. OJapanese woman who has a new baby. During a lesson last April, the woman told her tutor that she loved the American tradition of announcing Examples: to the neighbors a child's first steps. The teacher said that she didn't know Europe, Middle East,Africa: Amsterdam, Brussels, Cairo, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dublin, of such a tradition, so the student walked her teacher over to a neighboring Frankfurt, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Milan, apartment where a sign prominently proclaimed the Easter message, "He Nairobi, Paris, Rome, Stockholm,Tel Aviv, Zurich. has risen!" Asia, Pacific Rim, South Pacific: Auckland, Kaleen Wineinger, M. A. Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Cairns, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Director, The English Workshop Sydney,Taipei,Tokyo. An ESL teacher holding and end-of-term party at her house noticed that Mexico, Central and South America: Buenos A...there wasn't enough ham on the table. She gave a young Spanish Aires, Caracas, Guatamala City, Guayquil, Kingston, La Paz, Lima, Managua, Mexico City, Panama, Quito, student $10 and asked him to buy ham at the corner shop. Ten minutes Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, San Juan, Sao Paulo, Santiago. later he returned with his bounty, but when the teacher opened the bag, she didn't find any ham. Instead, there were three jars of jam inside. She had AIR COURIER forgotten that the "h" sound in Spanish is represented by the letter "j". For a FREE When the misunderstanding was discovered, everyone laughed (ja, ja, ja). info kit call Dominick Egan 1-800-822-0888 Catholic University, Washington D.C. ASSOCIATION, Denva; Colaacb 303-215-9000 E-mail your true and humorous ESL story to [email protected], subject: linguistic laughs. http://wwwaircourier.org

ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 50 17 Bnng Language to Using Video in Your ESL/EFL Program BY KATHLEEN F. FLYNN, PH.D. Are you looking for a way toStudents can see facial expressions,allow the them to be copied (with per- liven up your classroom? Dogestures, and whether the speaker ismission), so that students can rent the you want to get your studentshesitant or not about a particular sub-videos or tape them off the air and more involved? Try video! The videosject. They can observe the body lan-them watch them at home. available today bring language to lifeguage of a situation, how far apart Videos appeal to a wide variety of in the classroom. They get studentspeople stand, how the characters reacttoday's ESL students. Younger stu- involved in cultural situations, jobto emotional situationsinformationdents are part of the video generation. hunting, family matters, even person-that is difficult to get from a book orMany are more comfortable watching al decision making. an audio tape. This context has sever-videos than reading books. Many Are you curious about usingal advantages. adult learners need to see cross-cul- video? Consider all the advantages. First, the language is authentic;tural situations being acted out. This One characteristic of video is that itthis motivates students and also teach-adds to their confidence in facing new presents language in the context ofes language that is useful. In addition,situations in a new language. life; it shows students how languagethe context increases the probability Finally, videos offer flexibility. is used naturally in realistic settings.that the second language input will beMany adult ESL learners have fami- comprehensible; hasn't everyone hadlies and/or are working and have to L" the experience of being able to guessmanage their study time carefully. the meaning of something said in aStudents can go to a lab or check out foreign language because of the con- a tape and watch it several times. text in which it was said? Moreover,Slower learners can spend more time the settings presented in video teachwiththematerialwhilemore more than languagethey teach cul-advanced learners can progress at ture, which many students need totheir own speed. know as much as they need to know Not all ESL learners study in aca- English. Students who are new todemic ESL programs. Some learners the culture feel comfortable becauseare part of the new "Welfare to Work" they can see how others have han-programs which are being started dled typical problems witharound the U.S. These learners are in school, family, or finding a job.school and need to learn English or Video can also add varietyimprove their English skills quickly. to the classroom so that moreThey don't have time to commute, than one method is used to pre-there may not be a campus that's easy sent language. Not only willto get to, and they are trying to juggle this make a class more interest-the demands of work, school, and family. Video can provide the flexible -.114,-"'", ing, but it can help students with different learning styles. Manyinstruction they need. visual learners feel left out in Video is also applicable in dis- the typical classroom setting buttance learning programs which fit the can benefit from the visual inputbusy schedules of many working stu- of video. Auditory learners alsodents who can benefit from a combi- benefit since they can listen tonation of classroom and home study. TOP: Crossroads Café customer, Jess, videos more than once. In a distance learning class, students creates a rapport with the troubled son Becausevideoscanbemeet with a teacher six to eight times of the café waitress, Kathryn. watched again and again, theyin a semester and then watch the ABOVE: When vandals target Crossroads can provide the repetition thatvideos on their own time. The videos Cafe, owner Victor Brashov and Rosa language learners need. Mostare aired on public television or can Rivera, the cook, share a reflective moment.companies thatx sell ESL videosbe rented or borrowed. 18 iq ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 (Uri_ Types of Video Connect With English There are videos available for a wide(CWE) is a video series com- variety of students and instructionalposedof48 15-minute settings. Three main types of ESLepisodes. The story follows a videos available today are videoyoung woman who must pull series, supplementary videos, andup her roots in Boston and video-assisted learning(see chartmovetoCalifornia.Her below). dreams and struggles are much In a video series, the video is anlike those of ESL students. essential part of the course. StudentsThere are also two other video watch the video both in class and atsegments which introduce the home. Most video series have anseries and student learners who involved plot line and a number ofdiscuss the series on tape. This is characters providing students withone of the interesting features of real-life situations to discuss and writeCWEstudents get to see the about. There are text books, photoreactions of other ESL learners books that follow the plot, readers,CWE is organized so that it can and lab work books. Most video seriesbe used off-air, in a classroom or are designed to be used both in a tra-lab, as part of a home-study pro- ditional classroom and as part of a dis-gram, or a combination of these. tance learning program. In fact, the The series is divided into three video series described here havefour segments. There are video been aired on public television sta-comprehension books, conversations in the United States. tion books and grammar guides for How you use video in your ESL TOP: Scene from Connect With English each segment, supplemental videoin which the Mendosa's celebrate. program depends on your focus. Ifscripts, and a series of graded readers. your program has a distance learningIt is currently being aired on publicABOVE: Connect With English has class or you want to use ESL videostelevision in the U.S. included a discussion session at the end on an ongoing basis, then a video of each episode which depicts non-native series will offer you and your students Crossroads Café is a video seriesspeakers practicing English by talking a rich amount of material. There arecomposed of 26 half-hour episodes.about the video. These discussions show three major video series availableThe series revolves around the lives ofviewers they need not have a complete today. six characters who work at or frequentgrasp of English in order to participate in meaningful conversations. Types of Video to Use in the ESL Classroom Numberof Teacher's Public Episodes Guide TV Level* Publisher

Connect With English 48+2 A, C Videos: Annenberg/CPB Video Books: McGraw-Hill Crossroads Café 26 Series A, C Videos: INTELECOM Books: Heinle & Heinle Family Album, USA 26 A, C Prentice Hall

Insights -Books 1 and 2 2 Videos C Addison-Wesley Longman

ABC News ESL Video Library 10 Videos A, C Prentice Hall Regents Supple- Mosaic One and Two 2 Videos McGraw Hill mentary C Videos Interactions One and Two 2 Videos C McGraw Hill

Side by Side 4 Videos A Prentice Hall Regents

Spectrum 2 Videos A, C Prentice Hall Regents

Video- I Want to Read 3 Videos A, LT New Readers Press Assisted Learning TV Tutor 8 Videos A, LT New Readers Press

*A=Adult, C=College, LT=Literacy Training. ,52 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 19 the café. There are two photo storybusiness, health, the environment, andexercises, and practice in all four lan- books and two work texts. It is alsoAmerican culture then explore theseguage skills. These texts are not being aired on public television in thetopics further with a correspondingintended to replace the main grammar U.S. text. The text contains reading materi-book in a course. Instead, they provide al related to the stories, vocabularycurrent topics for reading, writing, and Family Album, USAis a video discussion. series about a family in the U.S. and A second type of supplementary the people with whom they interact. video is produced to accompany a There are 26 half-hour episodes and text book or book series. These four student books that are meant to be videos are intended to enhance a used in a classroom setting. There are book series, for example, by pro- also two Viewer's Guides which con- viding video clips that explain a tain the scripts and are designed for reading selection or highlight lan- independent study. This series origi- guage functions,structures,or nally aired on PBS and is now seen on vocabulary. The Interactions and educational channels in the U.S. and Mosaic series now have video pro- overseas. Family Album, USA has grams with clips of authentic mate- aired in over 60 countries. nals related to the themes of each chapter. There is also a video guide The second main type of video is for Mosaic that includes video- supplementary video. These are gen- based activities. The Side by Side erally used as part of a class, but they II and Spectrum seriesalso have can also be used in a lab. Supple- videos and video workbooks mentary videos come in two vari- designed to supplement the main eties. One type is designed to pro- texts. mote a specific skill such as taking The third type of video avail- notes or understanding lectures. able is video-assisted learning For example, the Insights series for use in a lab, classroom, pull- presents high-level university lec- out class, or home-based learn- tures on video and through the ing. Video-assisted learning is companion text provides support usuallyintroducedbythe in understanding the lectures and teacher who shows students the vocabulary. The lectures are not how to use the tapes. Students edited and provide a very real then work at their own pace in introduction to the demands of lis- the lab or at home.Videos such tening to a professor who isa as I Want to Read and TV Tutor native English speaker and who are designed to strengthen a does not slow down to accommo- specific skill such as reading or date students with limited English basic word recognition. These proficiency. TOP:The Stewart family of Family Album, USA.videos are meant to be self- Another example of this type of paced so that an adult student supplemental video is the ABC NewsBarrom: A Stewart family picnic. As viewers with limited literacy skills can series. Students watch actual ABCfollow the daily lives of the Stewarts, they learnbenefit from repeated viewing news broadcasts on topics such asEnglish as well as American culture. in the lab or at home. These Continued on pg. 22 Video Really Works! Patricia Dooley: don't drop out. They watch the episodes ESL Distance Learning Teacher at home and then they are ready when they What I love about using a video series is how come to class. I'm sold on using video. I excited my students get about learning. They I r- don't think I want to teach from just a beg me to go over the video, and they talk book again! about the characters as if they were their friends. It's almost like talking about a show Maria Chacon: that we all have seen the night before on TV, ESL Distance Learning Student but then we have a book and can do gram- This is my favorite class because everything mar exercises. The first time I taught this is clear from the tapes. My son makes the course, I wasn't prepared for the emotional video tapes for me from the public TV station involvement that the students had. They get PatriciaDooley and he watches them with me. I watch them upset when something unfair happens to one again and then I work in the book. It doesn't of the characters. I like to use this emotion to talk matter if they speak fast on the tape because I can about situations that they deal with everyday and how listen again. This is really good. I work and I don't have they can avoid being treated unfairly. The best thing time to take the bus to go to the lab. IfI watch the about teaching with a video series is that my students video at home, it is better for me.

20 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 NOW AVM LE Powerful New Drama for A new video series t allows Le h! your dents to... onnect English

4 Rebecca Casey is a young woman with a dream To make it come true, she has to leave her

family, her fnendseverything she has knownand start all over again in a new wodd.

Nothing is obvious, nothing is easy, and every bit of her dream costs more than she planned.

But once she has the road, the dream takes over

IS IT A )41.:"-1,,; A ?

It's Connect with English, the highly anticipated ESOL television, video and print course from the producers of French in Action, and Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish Led by a distinguished panel of academic advisors, WGBH-Boston, the McGraw-Hill Companies, and the AnnenberWCPB Project have joined forces to create a ground-breaking series that will change the way young adult and adult learners, all over the world, connect with English.Connect with English provides 48 fifteen-minute 3-part story episodes plus an introduction and a segment of student portraits for a total of 12 and 1/2 hours of video.

CONNECT WITH ENGLISH features a vanety of flexible print materials that include:

Video Comprehension Books 1-4 help Connections Graded ReadersII Video Scripts1-4 provide the students build comprehension skills and feature controlled vocabulary and instnictor with complete transcripts of gain a clear understanding of the characters grammar at four distinct levels of dif- the Connect with English story, includ- and story line in Connect with English. ficulty to encourage new readers to ing theoriginal filming and stage be able to read with understanding as directions. Conversation Books 1-4 help students well as enjoyment. (16 books) develop oral communication skills using Instructor's Manualscontain the themes found in Connect with English Home Viewer's Guide helps stu- answer keys, detailed teaching sug- as a springboard for classroom discussion. dents study at home or in a tutorial gestions and a testing program. There learningsituation.Available in is a separate manual for each of the Grammar Guides 1-4 help students English and in four bilingualedi- followingsetsofbooks:Video develop mastery of the grammatical struc- tions: Spanish/English, Chinese/English, Comprehension Books 1-4, Conver- turesfound throughout Connect with Korean/English and Thai/English. sation Books1-4,and Grammar English. Guides 1-4. For a FREE PREVIEW of the video and a Connect with English print sampler call: 1-800-624-7294

The AnnenbiaPB ProjectE 14447:111, row two videos can be used for are materials that will not ESL and adult literacy students 6" benefit students without and may also be used with the guidance of a teacher. younger learners. I Want to LiT It takes a skilled teacher Read introduces phonics and 411. to show students how to word recognition from context. apply the lessons learned TV Tutor is a more basic set of from these videos in real videoswhichbeginwith academic or lifesitua- sound-letter associations and tions. pronunciation. These videos Overall, video can provide learners with basic make learning a richer information which they can experience. Students get view as many times as they more time on task and need in order for learning to can do their lessons when take place. their schedules allow. To respond tothisneed, Potential Drawbacks Kathleen Flynn demonstrates the technique of pausing the publishersareadding One fear of administrators isvideo and asking students to write about a scene. videocomponentsto that teachers will simply start more of their materials. In a video and essentially stop teaching.check-out or library system so that the the next few years we will Of course, this doesn't need to hap-videos can circulate among studentssee even more videos that bring lan- pen. Training teachers in how to usewho want to use them in a lab or atguage to life in the classroom. Stay video in the classroom is importanthome. These are costs which an ESLtuned! and can be provided through in-ser-program willhavetotakeinto account. Considering all the potentialKathleen E Flynn, Ph.D. is Professor vice workshops. Some publishersbenefits of video, it can certainly beof Credit ESL and the Chair of the offer workshops to schools that pur-worth the investment. Credit ESL Division at Glendale chase a video series. Some might ask if video willCommunity College in California. She Other issues include the cost ofreplace teachers. The answer is anis author of several ESL texts and the videos themselves, copying videos emphatic "no"! The video series andteachesdistancelearningESL or renting them, and maintaining asupplemental videos available todaycourses.

TESOL Video Interest Section The TESOL (Teachers of English ESL Software ESL Software to Speakers of Other Languages) Convention in New York City in 1999 will mark the tenth anniversary of the formation of the TESOL Video Interest Section (IS). The Video IS, a special interest group of the international TESOL association, focuses on the production and use of video Don't let our name fool you! and video-related technologies in the teaching of ESL. We sell the largest number of ESL software programs The section publishes a newsletter (TESOL Video News), Preschool through College ALL at discounted prices. coordinates video-related projects, and organizes video-related pre- Visit our catalogue online at: http://www.wor.com sentations and other events for Annual TESOL Conventions. Membership is open to all mem- Or call for our print catalogue bers of the international TESOL (800) 729-3703 or (404) 233-4042 association. For more information, please contact: TESOL, 1600 Fax (404) 237-5511 Or E-mail [email protected] Cameron Street, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314-2751 USA, WORLD OF READING, LTD. tel: 703-836-0774, fax: 703-836- 7864, e-mail: [email protected]. P.O. Box 13092 Atlanta, GA 30324-0092 by Susan Stempleski 55 22 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 r MEM =MN MIN 1=1111 MIN SubsaTEn effilneo I want a quality ESL publication that combines informative articles by industry lead- . ers, refreshing publication design and information about the latest ESL/EFL products and servicesall at the low introductory rate! I understand I must fill out this form, sign it and fax it to the number below with my credit card information, or mail it to the address below with payment. Introductory Rate: 1 Year, 6 issues, U.S.: $16.95, Canada/Mexico: $24.95,* Outside North America: $34.95.* Regularlrate: 1 Year, 6 issues, U.S.: .$4-9:95",-Canada/Mexico....$297957 Outside North America:-$39-:95. Name Payment Title CI Check or Money Order. Payment must be Organization enclosed with this form. Checks should be payable to ESL Magazine. Address CI Credit Card. City El ElNE3 to Cc] El 011C:Virlis State/Province Postal Code Card # Country Exp. Date.LE- Phone (in case of a problem with your order) Signature Date (required) S ignature (required) Subscription price: Maryland residents add 5% sales tax: Date (required) TOTAL Photocopy this card for additional subscriptions. *All prices in U.S.$ and must be paid in U.S. funds. Please take a moment to answer these questions: 1. Please indicate your specific 3. Do youwork in a public or position. (check 1) private institution? 6. What dollar amount (U.S.) of a. 0 teacher a. 0 public b. 0 private ESL materials/services do b. 0 administrator you purchase each year? c. El director 4. Do you purchase ESL teach- a. El 0-$999 z. CI other ing materials or services? b. 0 $1000-$4,999 a. 0 yes b. 0 no c. El $5000-$10,000 2. What level of ESL do you 5. What kind of materials or d. El Over $10,000 work with? services would you purchase? a. El elementary (Pre-K-6th grade)a. 0 books 7. What is your highest earned b. 0 middle school (7-8th grade)b. 0 software academic degree? c. 0 high school (9-12th grade)c. 0 video a. 0 Bachelors or equivalent b. 0 Masters or equivalent d. El college/university d. 0 hardware c. 0 Doctorate e. LII IEP/Intensive Language Centere. El audio f. CI adult education f. 0 educational trips g. El teacher preparation g. 0 travel insurance Thank You. h. 0 map & geography materials z. 0 other FAX THIS FORM TO 765-743-3545 (must include credit card information) or call 765-743-6813, or mail with payment to: ESL Magazine, P.O. Box 6209, Lafayette, IN 47903-6209 NIM MINN

sr? ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 23 ACCURACYvs.FLUENCY: Which Comes First in ESL Instruction? BY MIRIAM EISENSTEIN EBSWORTH, PH.D.

While communicative compe-notes that fluency "is sometimes con-constraints. Sentence level grammati- tence has been widely acceptedtrasted with accuracy, which refers tocal accuracy that violates principles of as the goal of teaching Englishthe ability to produce grammaticallydiscourse and appropriateness is also as a second language, there is consid-correct sentences but may not includepossible, but such language would not erable debate regarding the ideal waythe ability to speak or write fluently"be truly accurate in following the com- to help students learn English. The(p.141). municative rules of the target lan- "fluency first" movement engages guage. learners in purely meaning-oriented practice until they have attained fluen- "The degree to which Alternative Approaches cy in the second language. Issues of 1. Meaning first grammatical and phonological accura- fluency and accuracy The "fluency first" approach assumes cy are dealt with at a later time. are stressed will valy that early work in the new language However, others express concern that should focus on meaningful practice a unilateral focus on fluency will with the nature of the in context both in receptive and pro- reduce the likelihood that learners will ductive skills. In other words, give ever attain accuracy in their second learner community and learners a substantial dose of compre- language oral and written production. hensible language and the opportunity with learners' back- to use it. Whether or not the language Definhig Fluency and Accuracy grounds and goals." produced at early stages is grammati- To examine the "fluency first" argu- cally accurate is considered unimpor- ment, let's start with some definitions. tant. In fact, "fluency first" advocates The Longman Dictionary of Language Clearly, fluency and accuracy arefear that early attention to accuracy Teaching and Applied Linguisticsoverlapping constructs. For example,may get in the way of fluency, could defines second language fluency as acertaindegree of accuracyis make the learner overly self-con- "the ability to produce written and/orrequired for fluency. A steady streamscious, and impede second language spoken language with ease...speakof speech which is highly inaccuratedevelopment from both cognitive and with a good but not necessarily perfectin vocabulary, syntax, or pronuncia-emotional dimensions. command of intonation, vocabularytion could be so hard to understand as A second, related possibility is and grammar...communicate ideasto violate an essential aspect of fluen-suggested by Krashen and Terrell's effectively, and produce continuouscybeing comprehensible. On the"Natural Approach," in which ideal speech without causing comprehen-other hand, it is possible for a speakerearly second language input is intelli- sion difficulties or a breakdown ofto be halting but accurate or for agible but slightly ahead of the learn- communication."Longman'salsowriter to write well but not under timeer's interlanguage (a learner's own .N.ogeng Mevu Undai the Sun I n his text entitled,25 Centuries of Language Teaching, instruction inspecific Kelly reveals that linguists have been arguing the accu-grammar elements can racy vs. fluency debate for ages. In a 1648 version of speed acquisition if these inductive methodology, Comenius commented, "All elements are presented things are taught and learned through examples, pre- when learners are devel- cepts, and exercises. The exemplar should always opmentally ready. As a come first, the precept should always follow, and imita- practical matter, class- L . tion should always be insisted on." Cooper used mini- room teachers can't wait another century for the issue mal pairs to teach accuracy in phonology in the seven- to be resolved. They need to develop sensible and teenth century. Substitution drills go back to the responsive approaches to supporting their learners' 1500's! second language development as the debate continues. Today, Pienemann(1984) suggests that formal What is a teacher to do?

24 5V ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 evolving form of the new language).common in Asia and Eastern Europe. other, or both. Again, substantial Indeed, it is widely accepted that input The "Silent Way" isanotheramounts of comprehensible input at at all stages of acquisition should be"accuracy first" approach, consideredappropriate developmental levels for "comprehensible" to the learner. Therevolutionary when first proposed bylearners is recommended. However, Natural Approach also recommendsGattegno in the 1960s. Through theappropriate feedback and conscious that early practice focus on listeninguse of colored rods and abstract colorattention to how the second language skills, allowing for a "silent period" charts called "fidels," the learner com-is structured are also included. The before the learner feels comfortablemences with a focus on the rule-gov-degree to which fluency and accuracy speaking. As speech emerges, mean- erned nature of the language, its gram-are stressed will vary with the nature ingful practice is urged. Accuracy ismar and phonology. Vocabulary isof the learner community and with thought to evolve as the learner pro-kept to a minimum, and language islearners' backgrounds and goals. gresses, without conscious attention to presented in manageable chunks, with In a clear and practical guide to form or overt error correction. meaning made clear through action. Incommunicative teaching called "The This leads to an important distinc- the case of The Silent Way, issues ofTapestry Approach," Scarcella and tion among language methodologists.grammar are not dealt with consciousOxford take the "fluency plus accura- According to The Natural Approach cy view." They discuss how accuracy and proponents of "fluency first," it is and fluency interact in formal learn- crucial to focus on meaning exclu-, ,,, ing, noting that while the goal of most sively in early stages of learning. students is effective communica- Feedback is considered neces-//:' \ tion,. there are some learners sary only when intelligibility/ \ who require a high level of isaffected. Ideally, the7 mastery. The Tapestry Ap- clarification provided proach encourages teach- throughsecondlan- ers to work on both. In guage instruction inter- Scarcella and Oxford's action is thought to words, "formal instruc- result in greater clar- `,, tion and practice can ity and fluency on \*enhance both fluency the part of the learn- and accuracy." er. Those learners who wish to focus Evaluating the onaccuracyare Alternatives encouraged to do so Criticismsofeach through reference to a \ approachbypropo- grammar text and/or \ nentsoftheothers private discussions with abound. Too much focus the teacher. /on grammar gets in the way of fluency. Too much 2. Accuracy first error correction makes learn- Another possibility for lan- 'ersself-conscious. Lack of guage instruction is to begin by t, focus on accuracy results in fos- making accuracy a priority, usually ' silized learners whose errors have through focusing on how the language become highly resistant to improve- works from the beginning. This means ment. teaching the second language deduc- What are the underlying issues tively. One such approach, sometimesly, and metalinguistic aspects of lan-here? As Stevick pointed out some called "Cognitive Code," was tradi-guage are not discussed. Error correc-years ago, learners continue to acquire tionally associated with Chastain. Intionand feedbackareprovidedlanguages successfully via radically this case, a lesson would begin with athrough visual cues which encouragedifferent formal methods. The key conscious review of a particularlearners to correct themselves. Theappears to be that not all English grammar structure or rule, followedaccurate use of the grammatical build-learners are the same. It is certainly by a substantial amount of languageing blocks of the language providesthe case that different learner popula- practice illustrating the point. Perhapsthe framework for the development oftions have distinct goals regarding the because this reminded people toofluency, as subsequent instructionEnglish they need. They may require it much of the disgraced grammar-trans-focuses on both. to varying degrees for oral or written lation approach, albeit without the communication, formal or informal translation, it was never widely adopt-3. Accuracy and fluency contexts, for reading signs and cereal ed by ESL methodologists.Itisfrom the beginning boxes, filling out forms, writing let- rumored, however, that some ESLA third alternative is to deal with bothters, using the telephone, using the teachers, particularly those with a lin-fluency and accuracy from the begin-Internet, or writing academic or scien- guistic bent, have privately used thisning of second language instructiontific papers. The result is that not all approach which is not unlike someand to continue working on each,learners seek the same degree of flu- grammar-based language teachingsometimes emphasizing one,theency and accuracy in their English. t, ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 %.2,14' 25 Students may also have different clearly need to develop both fluency timetables for achieving their lan- and accuracy as soon as possible. For guage goals. Max and Gina, survival English is the Max, for example, is a blue collar priority. But even for them, meaning- worker who uses English primarily to centeredlanguagepracticemust communicate on the job. Gina, a include sufficient accuracy so that they homemaker, needs functional English can be understood by others. The real to survive in daily life. Liudmilla is a issue is not a choice of fluency or dentist who must master academic accuracy firstthe two are inextrica- texts in English, pass competitive as. bly related. Professionals must make examinations, and communicate suc- decisions geared to learners' back- cessfully with her patients. Juanito is a 0:1 grounds, styles, abilities and require- child who must learn academic and .kk ments. social English to connect with peers Students need the opportunity for and teachers. Mei Ling is a university substantial interaction so that they can student who needs to pass a writing get feedback on their own production test to take classes for credit. Franktool for accuracy. The awareness com- and practice in understanding others. wants to be a legal secretary and mustponent is used as a precursor to aThe level of attention given to accura- have excellent speech for dealing withprocess writing class with feedbackcy must be appropriate for them. A the public and exemplary Englishfor meaning and accuracy. This makesreflective teacher needs to discover writing skills for correspondence. learners dramatically more successful what works with every learner in every Research into the issue does notthansimilarlearnerswithoutit.class. What should come first is nei- provide simple answers. KrashenFinally, in a recent study with C.ther fluency nor accuracy but rather makes an effective case for compre-William Schweers, the author hasthe learner. The teacher needs to hensible input. Swain shows thefound that the majority of teachersdecide what will be most effective in importance of comprehensible outputsurveyed favor the judicious use ofsupporting each learner's acquisition and the need for feedback to learners.grammar for accuracy within a mean-of English and success in the context Long and others stress that interactioning-centeredcommunicative ap-of their own lives. is the key to success. proach. Teachers of young children Montgomeryand Eisensteinare more likely to advocate relativelyMiriam Eisenstein Ebsworth, Ph.D. is found that a combination of a gram-less attention to form. Director of Doctoral Programs in mar class and a meaning-focused class Multilingual, Multicultural Studies at based on field trips resulted in greaterImplications the New York University School of grammatical improvement for learnersTeachers must balance issues of fluen-Education, Department of Teaching than taking the grammar class alone,cy and accuracy depending on the spe- and Learning. She has authored two but there was no improvement in flu-cificneedsoflearnersandthetexts and numerous articles on second ency. Camhi's writing method beginsresources of time and materials forlanguage acquisition research and with grammatical awareness as theinstruction. Mei Ling and Liudmillapedagogy. Accuracy and Fluency Self-Assessment for Teachers Self-Assessment What activities in my class emphasize both? How do I feel about my students' errors? How do I provide feedback to my students? How do I feel about my students' fluency? How often do I correct students? When my students talk to me outside of class, How do my students respond to feedback? which do I tend to notice more, their accuracy or Do my students seem cautious and calculating to their fluency? avoid errors in their production? Do I enjoy teaching grammar? pronunciation? Do they seem to feel free to produce language vocabulary? without great concern about errors? What techniques do I believe help students with Am I satisfied with my students' progress in accuracy? accuracy? What techniques do I believe help students with Am I satisfied with my students' progress in fluency? fluency? Are my students' satisfied with their progress in Class Assessment accuracy? What are my students' needs and goals for English? Are my students' satisfied with their progress in What percentage of class time do my students fluency? spend using productive skills? Does the emphasis in my classroom match my What percentage of class time do my students students' needs and goals? spend using receptive skills? Which area, accuracy or fluency, may be lacking in What activities in my class emphasize accuracy? my classroom and what activities could I add to What activities in my class emphasize fluency? promote this more?

26 58 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 RIQV99 1712C)Cig@V@

BY CHERYL PAVLIC

North Star call the Addison Wesley Longman50 countries. The Windows version North Star, by Addison ESL Help Desk at 1-800-266-8855 orfeatures 3D graphics and a "role play" Wesley Longman, is a visit their Web site at http://www.awl-activity in which the user selects a new, fully integrated elt.com. character in a scene and replays the four-level adult scene taking the part of that character. series that builds International Traci Talk: In role play the user sees the scene language compe- The Mystery from the eyes of the character selected tence and develops This new CD-ROM teaches Englishand says that character's lines as other personal ex-pres- conversation skills. The user solves acharactersrespond. IBM speech sion.North-Star mystery by interviewing four sus-recognition isused. This program consists of a lis- pects. Interviews are all by voice; therequires a Pentium PC, 16 MB of tening/speaking book and a readinguser speaks and suspects respond toRAM and Win 95. A set of 3 CDs /writing book on each of four levelswhat is said. IBM's Voice Type speechcosts $395. Basic, Intermediate, High Intermedi-recognition, with fine tuning by CPI, ate and Advanced. makes this possible. The typical userActive English The texts are integrated in a num-needs 30 to 50 In April 1998 CPI will release a new ber of ways. They are cross-referencedhours to solveTRACIPrALK Windows/Macintosh hybrid CD ver- to the highly successful Focus Onthe mystery. The sion of its intermediate level Active Grammar series. In addition, theyprogramrequ- English series. The new version fea- offer unit by unit thematic integrationires a Pentium tures a dramatically improved inter- and related vocabulary. Furthermore,PC, 16 MB of facedesignplusimprovedand North Star motivates students by usingRAM and Win expanded activities. Active English is contemporary themes with a creative 3.1or Win 95. The cost is $125.ideal for high school and lower level perspective on ideas and issues ofAvailable from CPI or leading distrib-college ESL/EFL programs. The pro- wide concern. North Star encouragesutors such as Delta and Alta Californiagram requires a Pentium PC, 8 MB of critical thinking and personal expres-Books. RAM and Win 95 or a Power Mac sion through a variety of creative exer- with 8 MB of RAM. A set of 4 CDs cises. Accelerated English costs $395. The Intermediate and AdvancedIn January 1998 CPI released the For further information, contact levels are available now. The BasicWindows versionof AcceleratedCPI, 20380 Town Center Lane, Suite and High Intermediate Levels will beEnglish,The SoapOpera.This 169, Cupertino, CA 95014; fax: 408- available in the spring. For furtherupdates their popular DOS title used at446-4588; e-mail: [email protected]; information and examination copiescolleges and universities in more thanWeb site: www.usecpi.com. KAEDEN BOOKS A WORLD OF DISCOVERY DISCOVER OUR EXCITING NEW BOOKS FOR ESL PROGRAMS AND ATERISK READERS

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ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 C 27 Russian Immigrants in the ESL Classroom Success, Motivation, and Acculturation

BY MICHAEL BERMAN, M.A.

ver the past decade, the Russianeignties in the classroom. In fact,Education /Eurasian region has arguablyalthough mostAmericans and LIVE A CENTURY, LEARN A CENTURY. 0been the most topsy-turvy politi-Canadians view divisionsinthis Russian proverb cal and socio-economic arena in theregion as political, these distinctionsRussian students in the United States world. Since 1991, fifteen states haveare as much ethnic in nature as theyand Canada have a long-standing rep- declared their independence, and theare political. Sovereign borders gener- utation for being among the most region's market economies are under-ally coincide with ethnic identity. Ahighly motivated and well-prepared going unprecedented change. WhatUkrainian, for example, consideredstudents in their classes. Several fac- the world may have once mistakenlyhimself Ukrainian, not Russian, eventors would explain such a trait. First, perceived as a homogenous Soviet most schools in the former Soviet Union has now displayed Union are rigorous. They preach disci- its true diversity. It is cer-1,,- pline and often take students beyond tainly difficult to make i typical United generalizations about peo- 41P Statesand Can- plefromthisdiverse adian high school region. Nevertheless we curricula in certain may benefit from consid- "VIP" subject areas, the ering the impact on the sciences in particu- ESL classroom of educa- lar."If you pass tional, cultural, and lin- high school," says guistictraitsshared by Rita Kaushansk- these students. aya, a recent gradu- First, what do we mean ate of Long Island when we say "Russian?" University who ar- We can say, in a sense, that rived from Ukraine there are really two Russian in 1991, "you know homelands. One corresponds to the what is taught here present day nation of Russia, in university." John which conforms to the territory Slade, an English inhabited by ethnic Russians. The teacher at the Bodö other includesstatesthatare Graduate School of Business in north- beyond Russia proper but were ern Norway, wrote of students in St. once part of the pre-World War I Petersburg in 1991: "These teenagers Russian Empire and, subsequently, do not slouch and stare at the teacher the Soviet Union. We are dealing with glazed eyes that have watched with a chameleon of a word, aChallenges in the new culture include ten thousand hours of television. These kids are hungry." term that can simultaneouslymaking friends, learning English and even In addition, Russian students are function as an ethnicity, a nation-shopping. ality, a region, and a language. In often focused on their career paths at a this article, "Russia" will be treated as before Ukraine became independent inyoung age, having come to the United a region including Russia proper as1991. I recall being corrected quicklyStates and Canada with their profes- well as the former Soviet states.by Yuri, a Ukrainian student of mine,sional goals already in mind. This is a Unless otherwise specified, "Russian" after having mistakenly called him avestige of the former Soviet educa- will refer to a person from this region.Russian. Yet he corrected me withtional system, which encouraged all However, despite the broad use ofsome fatigue, obviously growing tiredstudents to channel their interests into the term "Russian" in the article,of making the effort. The job of thea single professional field at an early which is simply practical in this con-ESL teacher is to assist students in thisage. The more general education typi- text, the ESL teacher should be veryeffort rather than making it more bur-cal of the West was traditionally char- careful to recognize national sover- densome. acterized as "bourgeois decadence" L.. I and was viewed as wasteful. 28 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 A 1981 survey of 900 Sovietto achieve a high place in society if theAssistant training program at the Jewish refugees conducted by theCommunist regime were to collapseUniversity of Rhode Island, English Soviet Resettlement Program of theand they were able to return home.programs reflect the economic dispar- Council of Jewish Federations notedEven if they ultimately decided not toity within the region. Petro, who the factors that had motivated theirreturn home, higher education wastaught ESLatNovgorodState move to the United States. Secondseen as essential for successful adapta-UniversityinRussiain 1997, only to escaping religious persecution,tion to American society. describes ESL programs in Russia in bettering their children's educational terms of "haves" and "have-nots." At future was the main reason immi- English Education Novgorod, for example, she describes grants had come. Russian JewishThe same survey cited above identifiesa program which offers an internation- immigrants were bringing with them athe language barrier as the most press-ally seasoned faculty, small class centuries-old tradition that valueding problem for Russian immigrants.sizes, and up-to-date methods, equip- education highly. So what can we say about the qualityment, and texts. However, in the Meanwhile, non-Jewish RussianofESLprogramsin Russia?majority of schools in Russia, Petro immigrants were also determined to According to Allison Petro, coordina-witnessed "have-not" programs that push their children educationally so astor of the International Teachingwere burdened with large classes,

UKRAINE TO AMERICA: A Student's Journey to a New Home, Culture and Language atyana Pashnyak immigrated to the United States At times she felt overwhelmed by the challenge of Tfrom the Ukraine with her family as a teenager in learning English. Although she knew the grammar and 1992. She believes her experiences, both cultural and the vocabulary, it was difficult to understand some linguistic, are similar to those of many students from Americans. Pronunciation was clearly the most difficult the former Soviet Union and hopes her story may be aspect of learning English, and she also had difficulty helpful to other students as well as to ESL teachers. with articles. Other obstacles included tests; multiple For two years Tatyana, her parents, younger brother choice and true/false exams were the most difficult. and sister made plans to move to America from their Tatyana's high school had a Russian language home in lzmail near the city of Odessa on the Danube program. The teacher for this program assisted Tatyana River bordering Romania. Relatives waiting in the United and was a mentor to her. It was comforting to have States supported them throughout months of delays, someone to turn to for help with translation when a trips to Moscow and extensive paper- dictionary was inadequate, especially with work. The family anxiously awaited final unique expressions. This teacher encouraged permission to emigrate. They sought her to read extensively and to try to under- personal safety and an escape from the stand written and spoken phrases without depressed economy there. looking up every word. Tatyana was proud to The Pashnyaks sold their home in serve eventually as a student assistant is Ukraine for $15,000 to buy their this program, helping students with Russian Aeroflot plane tickets. Passengers were while she learned Englisha great exchange. limited to two suitcases per person The turning point for Tatyana in grasp- Tatyana filled hers with books, clothes, ing the English language came in her litera- family photos and mementos, as well ture class. The students read Mark Twain's as souvenirs to share with new friends. short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of The anticipation of a new life in America Calaveras County." Tatyana could not make was exciting yet clouded by the difficult sense of this story and read it over and over, reality of leaving possessions, family as many as ten times. Once she mastered it, and a familiar language behind. Tatyana Pashnyak something clicked and future reading seemed During her first month in America, to come much easier. Tatyana felt overwhelmed by her new experiences. The Tatyana explains that reading has helped her most cultural atmosphere was free and open-people were coupled with the strong support of teachers, friends smiling. Supermarkets and shopping centers were a and family. She also found software that included surprise. Choosing items rather than waiting in long English grammar helpful. lines and settling for anything available was vastly dif- Although Tatyana has been successful in learning ferent. Selecting an item and placing it in a shopping English, she continues to challenge herself. For exam- cart rather than having it handed to her was a shock. ple, she has determined to refine her pronunciation Tatyana's English background consisted of English skills by listening to tapes, music, and television, as classes that began in the fifth grade but which met only well as through everyday conversation. Her advice to once a week for forty-five minutes and were based on other ESL students: "Don't be afraid. It's okay to make British pronunciation and vocabulary. During her first mistakes. Keep reading and speaking in English." She days at Douglas County High School in Douglasville, has completed three years at the State University of Georgia, Tatyana concentrated on listening and grap- West Georgia and is now enrolled in the teacher pling with new vocabulary. Initially, she spent half of education program there. each day in English classes. She continued to work on vocabulary and reading to strengthen her skills. Her By Diane Boothe, D.P.A. Diane is Assistant Professor education was a high priority for her and she was moti- at State University of West Georgia and President of vated to excel. GeorgiaTESOL, USA. I ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 62 29 antiquated Soviet-era textbooks, andrequest or offer, Russians generallywill probably not speak Russian as his little or no access to native speakers ordon't mince words. For this reason,or her first language, or may not speak modern equipment. These programsRoberta Drucker, director of theit at all. lacked the ability to bring the EnglishNewcomer Resettlement Program of Second, although we have seen language to life and provide meaning-the Jewish Social Service Agency inthat Russian immigrants take their fuloralpractice.Therefore,theRockville, Maryland, cites the fre-children's education very seriously, English background and ability ofquent need for job counseling to helpmany are not accustomed to develop- Russian students in ESL classroomsprevent Russians from misperceivinging personal, direct, or confidential across the United States and Canadapolite orders as requests. relationships with their children's will tend to vary as much as the coun- Similarly, she notes, this direct-teachers. Many Russian parents may tries from which the students come. ness may cause a new Russian immi-not be comfortable advocating for grant to take literally your invitation totheir children in the classroom the way "A Valk on the Vild Side" "drop by anytime." Also stemmingparents do currently in primary and Culture and Adjustment from this perceptual framework is thesecondary schools in the United States The material culture and affluence ofnewly-arrived Russian's frequent dif- and Canada. Teachers at this level may the United States and Canada can beficultyindifferentiating betweenneed to take initiative in establishing quite a socio-economic shock for newfriends and acquaintances. this kind of relationship with parents. Russian immigrants, as well as for Third, special education is a very those who have been here a while. new concept throughout the Russian Robert Hughes, an ESL teacher at region and is only beginning to take Truman College in Chicago, shares an root in educational systems there. illustrative story. He asked his class of Consequently,students with mild mostly elderly Russians to examine learning disabilities, previously unrec- and discuss a picture in their textbook ognized in their native countries, stand depicting Americans eating hot dogs to benefit greatly from having their from a park vendor. Hughes expected problems correctly assessed in the a discussion of American fast food or United States and Canada. However, perhapstheunhealthydietsof the teacher's job here is particularly Americans. Rather, his students chose challenging since it can be difficult or the topic, "In America, food is readily impossible to detect mild disabilities available." when the student speaks little English. More recent immigrants typically Fourth, while race, religion, and come from opposite circumstances ethnicity are becoming common class- with ironically similar results. "We room and public topics of discussion don't have a shortage of food," in the United States and Canada, these explains Katia Prokopenko, a high Cultural adjustment may include topics are traditionally not spoken of school student from Pskof, Russia, changing the Russian "work face" publicly in Russian society. Such an "but most people don't have enough into a smile. aversion traces back to the former money to buy food." Katia's grand- Soviet attitude toward these issues. mother complains that she doesn't Finally, body language differ-Therefore, lack of participation in know which is worse, "having lessences may result in misperceptions inclass discussion of these subjects food that we can afford, or more foodthe classroom or the workplace. Ashould not be interpreted as a student's that we can't afford." For many newgood example, Drucker notes, is thelack of ability or ideas. and Soviet-era immigrants alike, theirRussian "work face." Many Russians Finally, as with all immigrant views on what are necessities andconduct what they perceive as work,populations, we must remember that luxurieswilldifferwidely fromschool included, with a consistentthey have not usually come here to American and Canadian views. Anexpression of seriousness. For exam-change themselves and their culture; ESL teacher's complaint that hisple, a Russian immigrant student ofthey have come to change their coun- washing machine is broken will oftenmine from Moscow, Olga, told me shetry of residence. We cannot assume meet with bewilderment rather thanhad once been asked at work if shethat people want to be like Americans sympathy. was depressed. Having had this expe-or Canadians. It is the ESL teacher's On the other hand, there arerience, she now smiles more frequently.responsibility to help students find a notable exceptions to thisas an balance between their old world and increasing number of Russian busi-Further Notes for the Classroom their new one. nessmen come to the United StatesFirst, in the area of pronunciation, and Canada who are accustomed tothere are a handful of common prob-Michael Berman, M.A. teaches ESL at the material and economic culture oflems for native speakers of Russian.Montgomery College in Rockville, their new countries. These difficulties include /3/-/x/, /x/-Maryland. He is a contributing author Another cultural difference is that/a/, /a/-/a/, /i/-/iy/, /h/-/ow/, /u/-/uw/,in McGraw-Hill's new series Connect Russians are generally more direct/0/, /6/, /w/, /v/, /h/, /r/, /0/, and voicedWith English and is the author of the than Americans and Canadians. Thatfinal consonants. Keep in mind, how-forthcoming ESL textbook The Listen- is, where Americans and Canadiansever, that a student from Latvia,ing System. Michael is a fourth-gener- would be politely circuitous in aTajikistan, or ,Gcorgia, for example,ation Russian immigrant. V 30 B3 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 Projected Learning Programs Cambridge University Press The PLP cata publishes a wide

logsfocus on =CD OaCAIIGX)1007 Ca2C00 range of ESL texts your hi-tech edu- C006300e 0 UMW GCOZOCia including the adult ca_in-z12 cational require- a-WM course New Inter- ments with com- atFT1 Ti.EJ change, the New puter software, Interchange Video 21-[©VMM CD-ROM and Course, Passages, Stay current with the latest video products. and skills texts for language schools & ESL/EFL products and Call college programs, services for English teaching 800-248-0757 teacherresource for our compre- books such as Five-Minute Activities, professionals. hensive catalogsEnglish, Social and many other teacher training titles. To place your catalog or product in the Studies, Vocational/Tech, Family and CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Catalog Showcase, call 410-570-0746. and Consumer Science, 40 West 20th Street, NY, NY 10011-4211 Science/Math. tel: 800-872-7423; e-mail: [email protected]

Call or write for a free catalog! Learn English with Recorded Books READING RAINBOW RecordedBooks, 12 NEW packages Inc.offersover University of help beginning to 2,000 unabridged Hawai'i Press inter-mediate ESL audiobooks and 2840 Kolowalu St. learners in grades other products to Honolulu, HI 96822 2-6 learn English. improve students' Each package con- listening, speaking, and reading skills. Call Toll-free tains a READING RAINBOW video, 6 Call today for our 888-UHPRESS copies of the fea- new ESL catalog. ture book, and a languageactivity 800-638-1304 guide. www2:hawaii.edu/uhpress Call READING RAINBOW for a free catalog: 800-228-4630.

Grant Offered Lesson Plans and Activities...is avail-the lookout for our upcoming CD- Compu-Teach Educational Software isable in electronic, bound, or loose-leafROM program, Traditional English offering a partnership grant on theirform (for easy copying) at a cost ofGrammar.Youcan see a sample at ten award-winning K-12 titles whicharound $15 (USD). http://www.zianet. com/jkline/ have had great results with ESL stu- To see a sample of this book on Be sure to visit the Instructional dents. Call 800-448-32245 and tellthe Internet, go to http://zianet.com/Systems "Cookie Jar" at our Web site them you heard about the grant in ESLjkline/tutor.html or e-mail Jim Kline,http://www.zianet.com/jkline/isys- Magazine. Editor,InstructionalSystemsattems.html for free stuff for ESL/EFL [email protected]. Also, please be onand English students and teachers. Help for Teachers and Tutors of ESL/EFL Lesson Plans and Activities for Tutors of Adults in English as a Second LEARN TO TEACH ENGLISH Language by Dave Keith (Instruct- as a Second Language ional Systems, 59 pp.) provides practical, workable ideas for conducting 4-week intensive courses ESL/EFL classes and tutoring ses- 10-week evening/ Saturday sions. Mr. Keith, who teaches ESL in Naples, FL, spends his summers teachingEnglish in Lithuania. Per, 95% job placement overseas and in the U.S. Requests from teachers and tutors for Includes l2,hours Practical Teaching in an ESL Classroom practical help resulted in this book. $1,950 includes fees, books, etc. The activities, lesson plans, and exercises will provide many hours of useful instruction for ESL/EFL students. WASHINGTON, DC 202433-4222 Certificatewww.lado.com/home_t.htm To place a classified ad call 410-570-0746. 6 4 ESL MAGAZINE MARCH/APRIL 1998 31 1

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Gign4CYJMQ@ Developing Active Vocabulary: Making the Communicative Connection by Jayme Adelson-Goldstein 10 Page 7 Dave Sperling: A Man with a Virtual Passion by George H. Clemes, III 20

Arab Students in the U.S.: Learning Language, Teaching Friendship by Paul Kwilinski 28 Oc:noluauct, Editor's Note 4

Letters to the Editor 5 Page 10 News Briefs 6 Conference Calendar 8 Technology 17 Reviews 18 Christine Meloni's Networthy 27 New Products 27 Catalog Showcase 31 Linguistic Laughs 31 Page 20

Who's Reading ESL Magazine?

Charles A.S. Heinle President of Heinle & Heinle Enterprises, Inc. Check out our Mr Heinle has established Web site at five publishing companies www.esimag.com! in forty years of language publishing. These publish- (many resources) ing programs have included ESL, EFL, ESP and langyage teaching -111. materials4 30 languages. 138 Page 28 ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 3 Q1D04®G2°@ MCYtifg

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\--4, Activities Teach Editorial Director Vocabulary! MARILYN ROSENTHAL Editor KATHLEENR.BEALL ayme Adelson-Goldstein, coauthor of the Oxford Picture Dictionary,

connects communicative teaching methods with the development of Contributing Editors JAYME ADELSON-GOLDSTEIN a) active vocabulary. She highlightsa variety of classroom activities that KAREN ASENAVAGE PAT FINLAYSON provide new and engaging ways of teaching vocabulary. JOHNHICKOK MARILYN KNIGHT-MENDELSON In just a short time, Dave Sperling has become known worldwide for his PAUL KWILINSKI TOMMYB.MCDONELL Web site "Dave's ESL Cafe." In an exclusive ESL Magazine interview, we CHRISTINE MELON1 meet the man behind the counter at the Cafe. Dave candidly discusses his ERIC MILLER MICHAELANGELO RODRIGUEZ background, how and why he started the Cafe, teaching, his books, lecturing and life in general. Learn from this pioneer who has led the way in serving Webmaster CHARLES FOWLER ESL/EFL students and professionals around the world. Advertising Sales 410-570-0746 We welcome the increasing number of Arab students who are coming to 410-798-5607 (fax) [email protected] study in North America. Paul Kwilinski shares his experiences and cultural Subscription Information comparisons with Arab students who create a lively atmosphere in the Introductory rate:1 year, 6 issues, U.S.: $16.95, Canada/Mexico: $24.95, outside classroom and the social circles of students. North America: $34.95. All prices in U.S. $ and must be paid in U.S. funds. To subscribe, fill out subscription form on page ESL Magazine would like to extend its congratulations to the entire EF 23 (photocopy additional forms if necessary) and mail with payment to: ESL Education organization for winning the Whitbread, the grueling eight-month Magazine, P.O. Box 6209, Lafayette, IN 47903-6209. Or fax subscription form around the world sailing race. In a world of high-tech corporate sponsors, it with credit card information to 765-743- 3545. Please call 765-743-6813 for all is refreshing to seen an education and language organization not only enter other subscription inquiries. ESL Magazine is published bimonthly such a race, but win! It was especially exciting for the staff of ESL Magazine by Bridge Press, LIE 220 McKendree Avenue to watch the boats first-hand as the race made Annapolis, MD one of its Annapolis, MD 21401 [email protected] stops. Well done! www.eslmag.com tar,-ai_eL ISSN: 1098-6553 ESL Magazine is abstracted and Marilyn Rosenthal, Ph.D. indexed with ERIC.

Wm...... mai CM Russian Immigrants Accuracy vs. Fluency III Robots F. Pasties in the ESL Classroom >Ireallyenjoyed readingthe > Michael Berman's excellent articleMarch/April1998issueof ESL The Mouse elucidated several important pointsMagazine. Dr. Eisenstein Ebsworth Replaces that ESL teachers need to know abouthighlights and correctly frames the The Pencil: issue by stating that a balance of accu- TOEFL Gm Electronic teaching Russian students. I have found another classroomracy and fluency depends on the spe- issue to add to his, which is notcial needs of the learners. As with a restricted to Russians, certainly, butchild learning to speak, ESL students which has been common in my expe-make repeated "fluid" attempts at speaking until accuracy is achieved, Send your "letters to the editor" to rience among this group of students, [email protected] or write namely, cheating. I wonder' if workingperhaps many years later. It is very to ESL Magazine, 220 McKendree Ave., under the Soviet system encouragedimportant that fluency be encouraged Annapolis, MD 21401. Please include students to band together to help eachand positively reinforced if the sec- your name and position or address. other. In any case, this behavior has anond-language learner is to progress. obvious impact on their acculturationRepeated criticisms or corrections by TOEFL Goes Electronic to American classrooms. teachers,orsociety,hinderthat I> The lead article in the March/April In a similar way, it appears thatprocess. issue is timely and useful for studentssome Asian students complete assign- When I moved to a Spanish- as well as those who help prepare stu-ments for less able classmates as partspeaking country in order to improve dents for the TOEFL. I am pleasedof their duty to assist fellow immi- my Spanish, I was constantly ridiculed with the quality of the articles andgrants or as a favor, not realizing thatfor speaking "Spanglish," or a broken resourceful information found in yourhere such outside help is viewed asform of Spanish. It took all that I had magazine! Keep up the good work! dishonesty. Perhaps a frank discussionto make the effort to move up a notch BARBARA MACLEANof this delicate issue could be the topicon the language-learning ladder. After CEO, Knowledge 3000 of a future article. all, language learning is a creative GAIL SCHMITTprocess that, like most works of art, > Dr. Cochran has thoroughly cov- Montgomery College, Rockville, MDrequires much trial and error. ered all the aspects of the new com- MICHELANGELO RODRIGUEZ puter TOEFL test and has elicitedUsing Video in Your ESL/EFL Atlanta, GA much information from its executiveProgram director, Dr. To Dutka. The article1> Thank you for assuages fears for those who feel thatyourinformative the changes instituted by ETS mightarticleonusing adversely affect students, especially in videos in the class- areas of the world where access toroom. I had heard computers poses a problem. of a few of these9. In short, this article is a "must" forseries but did not those of us in this field as it alerts us torealize there was so riot important changes in TESOL testingmuch excellent Vo, practices and describes testing historymaterial available. in the making. It was particularly MARY YEPEZ, PH.Dhelpful to have a New York, NYcomprehensive summary to draw > I am delighted to see a comprehen-from, which I'm sive review of the computer-basedsure will save TOEFL test and the TOEFL Samplermany people and in the most recent issue of ESLprograms from Magazine. This test will be launchedcommitting to one on July 24th. The first registrationseriesandlater The Dictionary came in from Auckland, New Zealandrealizinganother Illustrates over 3,700 words in full-color, each clearly at 8:00 in the morning on June 10. Iwould have been labeled and defined in context look forward to working with all mymore suitable for Offers 140 key topics targeted to meet the vocabulary ESL colleagues to ensure the highesttheir particular needs of adults and young adults quality of product and service in thisneeds. I am really Monolingual English, English/Spanish and English/Chinese first generation of computer-basedbecoming a fan of editions of the Dictionary now available language assessment. ESL Magazine! Oxford University Press JULIA TO DUTK A MARIDA HINES ESL Department (800) 445-9714 or (919) 677-1303 Executive Director, the TOEFL program Gaithersburg, MD Visit us on the World Wide Web at: www.oup-usa.org/esl/ 1.tby ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 70 5 MgVg3 120QP3 $3.6 Billion Acquisition to Create the World's Largest Education Business Dearson, the UK-based interna- Modern Curriculum Press, also of Simon & Schuster, publish tional media group, announced supplemental materials, especially for middle and high school in May its agreement to purchase students and teachers. Simon & Schuster education divi- AWL publishes books, multimedia and learning programs sions from Viacom for $3.6 billion. in major academic disciplines for primary, secondary, higher The combination of Simon & education and professional markets worldwide. In 1997, it Schuster education and Addison earned operating profits of $98 million on sales of $924 mil- Wesley Longman (AWL), already lion. CE Jovanovich was previously president of McGraw- owned by Pearson, creates the Hill's Education and Publishing Group. world's largest education business, AWL's U.S. school group publishes K-12 materials and and the largest ESL publisher inMarjorie Scardino, programs for reading, language arts, social studies, mathemat- North America. The acquisition isPearson Chief Executive ics and science under the Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley expected to save $130 million for the companies by the yearimprints. It also has an electronic education division. AWL's 2000. higher education group publishes books and multimedia prod- Pearson's Chief Executive, Marjorie Scardino, comment- ucts in many academic subjects for the U.S. and international ed on the acquisition, "Education is one of the great growthcollege markets through the Addison-Wesley, Longman, and industries of our time. This is a tremendous opportunity toBenjamin Cummingsimprints.ItsLongman English meet, in print and electronically, the growing demand of stu-Language Teaching (ELT) business is a major publisher of dents of all ages and in all parts of the world for stimulating ELT materials in the world. and effective educational programs." Peter Jovanovich, chief executive of AWL and future CEO of the combined business, said: "Both companies have long New York Board Task Force and fine traditions of helping teach, enlighten and enrich children, young adults and professionals in the United States and Withdrawls ESL Certification throughout the world. The combination of the professional, intellectual, editorial and financial resources of our two com- Proposal panies means that we will be able to take this work forward he New York Board of Regents Task even more effectively in the future." TForce has unofficially withdrawn its Simon & Schuster is the world's largest higher education November 1997 proposal to eliminate business, selling print, electronic and distributed learning ESL certification for kinder- products to college and adult markets in the U.S. and interna- garten through twelfth grade tionally. Its U.S. school division, through the Silver Burdettteachers. Nevertheless, the Ginn and Prentice Hall School imprints, publishes K-12 texts Task Force plans to review for all major disciplines. Computer Curriculum Corporation is its educational technology business. Globe Fearon and current ESL certification requirements and may propose changes. Proposition 227 Passes in California n June 2, voters in California passed Proposition 227 tothey are transferred to English language mainstream class- Oend bilingual education in the state (61% for, 39% rooms; 3) Allows parental waivers to the above for chil- against). The following is a brief overview of the controver-dren with special needs; 4) Allocates money for English sial ballot measure. classes for adults who promise to tutor limited English Proposition 227's background. The initiative was filedproficient students; 5) Permits enforcement suits against in May 1997 by California businessman Ron schools by parents and guardians. (Full text of Unz, Chairman of the "English for the the proposition can be found at: http://prima- Children" project (web site: http://www.one-PROPOSIMONry98.ss.ca.gov/VoterGuide/Propositions/227. nation.org). Joined by Co-Chair Gloria Matta 227 htm). Tuchman, an Orange County teacher, Unz and Opposition to Proposition 227. Lawsuits the "English for the Children" project maintain that the cur-have already been filed against Proposition 227's passing, so rent bilingual system produces English proficiency in onlyactual implementation into law is pending court rulings. 5% of students originally classified as not proficient inOpponents to the proposition, such as the group "Citizens for English, a "95% failure rate." an Educated America: No on Prop 227" (Web site: What Proposition 227 says. The initiative ends the cur-http://www.noonunz.org) list critical flaws with 227, among rent bilingual educational system in the state. It: 1) Requiresthem the now-illegal status of truly successful bilingual pro- all public school instruction be conducted in English;grams at individual schools throughout the state. 2) Allows students not fluent in English one year of intensive, sheltered English immersion instruction, after which John Hickok, California State University, Fullerton

6 71 ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 13flgVO3 flEE New Study Shows Marked EF Language Wins the Improvement for Around the World LES/NES Students Whitbread Sailing Race Anumber of limited English speaking (LES) and non-English speaking F Language, one of two boats (NES) middle school students in Pasco Esponsored by EF (Education First) County, Florida participated in a project Education,wontheprestigious ,. entitled "Talk to Me." Whitbread Sailing Race on May 24, Talk Systems, Inc., of Roswell, GA 1998, after eight months of grueling provided students with small, portable ocean racing. EF Language finished receivers with "earbuds" to wear during first out of nine boats. class. A bilingual paraprofessional used a "It's going to be hard to duplicate Talk Systemml to communicate with the this," said Paul Cayard, skipper of EF Language. "This is a special moment. students. The paraprofessional repeated Are ' or paraphrased the teacher's lesson. Just going around the world in a sail- Translation was only used when it was boat is specialbut to win the race is extra special." considered essential for students' com- EF Education wanted to partici- prehension of a difficult concept. Using pate in a global event that would the Talk System,TM the paraprofessional bring together its over 1,800 employ- could only be heard by the LES/NES stu- ees worldwide. Because EF employs dents and not by other students. an equal number of men and women, Beatrice K. Palls, Supervisor of theyenteredtwoboats EF ESOL, Foreign Language, and Foreign Language with an all-male crew and Student Studies for Pasco County direct- EF Education with an all-female ed the ongoing project and reported on it crew, which finished ninth. in May at the Sunshine State TESOL The victory marks the end of a Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. three-year program for Team EF, the Palls and colleagues reported that only two-boat syndicate in the race after six weeks students showed marked and the first company that announced J.0 y improvement in affective behavior, par- their sponsorship in the Whitbread. '4, ticularly in taking responsibility,self- Much of the success of the cam- y_ confidence, participation, motivation, paign was attributed to the enthusiasmEF Language sailing in the Whitbread rule following and interaction. Palls et al andsupportofEFemployees. also reported preliminary evidence for Thousands of staff from around the world followed the race and participated in the improved academic achievement. Palls stopovers. Leading the company's support was Bertil Hult, the founder and owner of stated that LES/NES students using the EF. "This Race has been a great adventure for our staff, our teachers and our students. Talk System remained interested and It has been an experience of a lifetime for all of us." involved, and their learning of English EF Education is a language-oriented multinational group of nine companies and was enhanced. One student participant non-profit organizations, offering education services to over 500,000 participants a commented, "This means we don't have year. EF maintains 70 offices in 40 countries, with its world headquarters in to fail anymore!" Stockholm, Sweden and its North American base in Boston, Massachusetts. The estimated cost of entering a boat in the Whitbread is $10 million, however sponsorship can defray much of the cost. EF is not currently planning to enter the next 4111lfl Whitbread. The first around the world sailing race took place in 1968. A British newspaper, The Sunday Times, offered £5,000 to the sailor who, single-handedly and without entering a port, could sail fastest around the world. Nine boats accepted the challenge, but only one finished the raceSuhaili, sailed by Englishman Robin Knox-Johnson, who was instrumental in forming an organized ocean race under the sponsorship of the English brewer, Whitbread. The first Whitbread Around The World Race was sailed in 1973-74. Since then, the Whitbread has been held every fourth year, and no two races have been exactly alike. In the beginning the boats were large and comfortable, but relatively slow. Technology has progressed rapidly since then, and today's boats are sophisticated speed-machines with little comfort for the crew. As the boats have changed, so has everything else. Almost all crew members today are professional sailors, the organization in each port has improved, communication with the boats has advanced greatly, sponsor interest and commitment have grown, and media coverage has exploded. The Whitbread is now one of the world's most-watched sporting competitionsa global event with global appeal. The Talk SystemTM 7 2 ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 7 01N9@ (13120Q@ CATESOL Conference Considers TESOL Arabia Sets the Future of Education in CaliforniaAttendance Record he 29th annual CATESOL (California Association of Teachers of English ESOL Arabia set a new attendance Tto Speakers of Other Languages) conference was held in Pasadena in Trecord at its annual conference in April. Approximately 2,500 participants attended a record 350 presentations, MarchinAl Ain,UnitedArab according to conference co-chair Chan Bostwick. The conference focused on Emirates. the pedagogical and political future of second language eduction in California. The fourth annual conference drew Plenary speakers included Jack Scott, Assemblyman for the 44th District, who over 800 delegates from more than 25 spoke on the future of education in California and Kathleen Bailey, TESOL countries. The conference was the President, who addressed the teacher's role in the learner-centered classroom. largest of its kind in the entire Middle The next annual conference will take place outside California for the first East. time, hosted by CATESOL's Nevada affiliate in Reno, Nevada The theme was "Unity through Marilyn Knight-Mendelson, ESL Instructional Supervisor Diversity," and the plenary speakers Napa Valley Adult School, Napa, CA were Professor David Crystal and Dr. Diane Larsen-Freeman. There were more than 100 concurrent sessions, and Tempo Bookstore 30 publishing companies were represented. Twenty major institutions par- The Languages Resource Center ticipated in the new Recruitment Expo. To Learn Foreign Languages and English as a Second Language (ESL) The field of English language edu- Translation Aids Cassettes Children's Visual Aids cation is growing in the Middle East; Language Videos Language Arts Electronic TESOL Arabia has a membership of Teacher CD-ROM's (Preschool & K-12; Translators over 600. Resources CD's ESL; Phonics; Special BOok Informationregarding TESOL Dictionaries Cards Bilingual; Requests: Any (Worldwide & Games Multicultural) Title, Any Field Arabia and the TESOL Arabia Confer- Special Fields) ence '99 "Teaching Learning and 202-363-6683 Technology" is available from Geoff 4905 Wisconsin Ave.NW, WashingtonD.C. 20016 Stoutat [email protected] or Fax:202-363-6686 E-Mail: [email protected] Joyce Zomer at [email protected]. Mon-Sat: 10-10, Sun: 11-7 by U.A.E. Correspondent, Karen Asenavage Conference Calendar .May Melbourne, Australia. Contact Fauth Royale 18-20 Slovak Association of Teachers of 7-9 Florida Sunshine State TESOL Annual [email protected]., http://www.arts. English (SLATE) and the University of Conference, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Contact unimelb.edu.au/-hIc/worldcall/. Zilina, Zilina, Slovak Republic. Contact Anna Hlavanova, [email protected]. Judy Jameson, 352-331-4318, judy@cal. 17-19 TESOL Academy, San Antonio, TX. org. Proposal deadline: March 15. Contact Stephen Grady, 703-836-0774, 18-20 international Association of Expected attendance: 600. [email protected]. Teachers of English as a Foreign Language 20-21 New Jersey TESOL/Bilingual 28-August 1 Linguistic Association of (IATEFL). Symposium/British Council/ Education (NJTESOL/NJBE) Spring Canada and the United States (LACUS), IATEFL, Hevelius Hotel, Gdansk, Poland. Conference, East Brunswick, New Jersey. Claremont, California. Contact Ruth Brend Contact IATEFL, 100070.1327@ Judith B. O'Loughlin, 201-652-4555, 313-665-2787, [email protected]. Compuserve.com, www.iatefl.org/. [email protected]. Expected: 700+. 31-August 1 The Ohio State Conference October 20-23 Centre for Research on Language on Second Language Reading/Writing 1-3 Southeast TESOL'98 Annual Teaching and Learning (CREAL), Canadian Connections, Ohio State University, Conference, Louisville, Kentucky. Contact Association of Applied Linguistics (CAAL) Columbus, OH. Contact Coordinator, Tricia Davis at 606-622-4382. international Congress, Ontario, Canada. ESL Programs, [email protected]. 15-18 Second Language Research Forum Contact Chantel Dion, 613-520-2600, '98, U. of Hawai'i, Honolulu. Contact SLRF Expected attendance: 400. August 10-12 National Council of Teachers of '98, 808-956-5984, [email protected], June English (NCTE), Bordeaux, France. Contact http://www.Ill.hawaii.edu/slrf98/. 24-27 Association for Language NCTE, 217-328-3870, 217-328-0977 fax. 15-17 Texas Foreign Language Awareness (ALA), Quebec, Canada. 14-16 TESOL Academy, Seattle University, Association (TFLA), El Camino Real, TX. Contact Joyce M. Angio, 418-659-6600. Contact TFLA, 1320 Modiste Dr., Houston, Expected attendance: 125. Seattle, WA. Contact Stephen Grady, 703- 836-0774, [email protected]. Texas 77055. 713-468-4959, 26-28 TESOL Academy, The Johns Hopkins [email protected]. 27-30 International Association of U., Baltimore, MD. Contact Stephen Grady, 17 National Council of Teachers of English 703-836-0774, [email protected]. Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL), Constantsa, Romania. Contact (NCTE), professional development services July IATEFL, [email protected]. videoconference. Contact NCTE, 1111 W. 13-16 English Teachers' Association in Kenyon Rd., Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096. Israel (ETAI), Jerusalem, Israel. Contact H. September 217-328-3870. 16-20 Institute for Intercultural Hoffman, [email protected]. 17 Michigan TESOL (MITESOL) Annual Expected attendance: 800. Communication, 5th European summer seminar, Budapest, Hungary. Contact: Conference,Lansing, Michigan. Contact 13-17 Inaugural World Conference on [email protected]. Jean Holther, 734-663-8137, A2Jean@aol. Computer Aided Language Learning, U. of corn. Expected Attendance: 200.

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ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 7 4 9 Developing Active Vocabulary: Making the Communicative Connection

BY JAYME ADELSON-GOLDSTEIN

Looking at the phrase "vocabularyguage student alike. The first type ofSelecting Active Vocabulary development," some of us willvocabulary is passive or receptive. It isto Develop conjure up images of long wordthe vocabulary wesee(or hear) andThe ESL classroom is the perfect lists. Others will see analogy testsunderstand but don't necessarilyuse. arena for developing students' active from school. Still others will think ofOur passive vocabulary allows us tovocabularies. Through needs assess- crossword puzzles and word games. recognize and comprehend much ofments such as illustrated question- For those of us who work in thewhat we hear or read in our daily lives. naires and teacher-led question and ESL classroom, however, anotherThe typical native speaker's passiveanswer sessions, the teacher can dis- vocabulary contains between 45,000 image comes to mind. We can envi- cover students' goals (personal, school sion, far too readily, a teacher valiant-and 65,000 words. ly trying to give context and meaning The second type of vocabulary isand work-related) as well as their to new words while most of her stu-active or productive. This is the vocab-working and living situations. This dents frantically search through theirulary we not only understand but actu-information helps the teacher deter- bilingual dictionaries for translations. allyusein our speech or writing. Amine which language should be target- This is not a reassuring image, espe-person's active vocabulary is generallyed for instruction and which should cially in these times when teaching not. language in context isso highly For example, it may not be neces- valued. Once teachers sary to make grocery shopping lan- The emphasis in teacher-training guage a high priority with a communi- and language journals has been on understand this ty of learners who do all their grocery techniques and strategies that develop shopping in their first language. On students' communicative competence connection, the other hand, it may be critical to in the four skill areaslistening, teach a specific lexicon to students to speaking, reading and writing. ESL they can help students enable them to participate fully in a students, however, rarely read the lat- employ it to learn, special school function, such as a estjournals or research articles on health fair, or to succeed in a particu- language acquisition. retain and use the lar workplace setting. When students Because many students believe work with target language that they that comprehension at the word level vocabulary they need. use in their daily lives or that relates to is critical to their success in English, their future goals, this language more they rebel against communicative readily becomes part of the students' strategies that ask them to jump overmuch smaller than his or her passiveactive vocabulary. words they don't understand in a read-vocabulary, around 10,000 words. ing or listening passage. Most studentsHowever, this number isstill largeVocabulary Development and the will happily purchase and use a bilin-enough to accomplish complex com-Communicative Framework gual dictionary or an electronic trans-municative tasks. Itis now fairly commonplace to lation device. With this discrepancy While most passive vocabularyobserve ESL teaching that features between student perception and teach-development comes through receptivecommunicative goals such as being ing methodology, it is worthwhile forprocesses (listening and reading),able to identify the locations of items teachers to examine the connectionactive vocabulary development usual- in a kitchen, being able to invite a between communicative methods andly occurs when speakers find ways tofriend on an outing, or being able to active vocabulary development. Onceuse or produce new words in theirdiscuss different cultures' views on teachers understand this connection,speaking or writing. It is also interest- time. More and more ESL texts, in they can helpstudents employ it toing to note that active vocabulariesconjunction with states' model stan- learn, retain and use the vocabularyoften reflect social and work situa-dards for instruction, feature needs- they need. tions. Workers, families and otherbased and/or high interest topics along groups have lexicons that are activatedwithmeaningful,communicative Active versus Passive Vocabulary only when people of that group arepractice activities. There are two types of vocabularycommunicating with one another. Despite all this support for com- available to native speaker and lan- municative language teaching, teach- r, 0 e.9 10 ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 ers are left wondering how vocabulary TEACHER:What is it? SUNTREE:Oh, I don't dance. Movies. development fits into this kind of STUDENTS:A bowl. My kids like movies. framework. The ESL classes des- TEACHER:Right. It's a bowl. Jung, Afterwards one member of each cribed below illustrate a variety of put the bowl in the sink. group reports their list while another strategies teachers use to develop the student records the words reported by active vocabularies of their students r- each group on the board. The teacher through communicative instruction in checks the students' comprehension of their classes. '[;rd.\ the words by making statements about R the locations and asking students to A Tour of Three respond by stating "true" or "false." ESL Classrooms For example: The first class on our tour is a begin- TEACHER:People usually read at ning level ESL class. The students in clubs. the class have just finished identifying STUDENTS:False. seven out of ten pictures of kitchen "As items. There are simple drawings of a She then proposes two new words for refrigerator, a stove and a sink on the the list:concert and gallery. She chalkboard. The teacher is holding up checks to see if any students know pictures of three items the students these words, and when no one seems could not identify: a bowl, a pot, and a to, she writes them on the board and frying pan. As he holds up each pic- teaches the new words with examples ture, the teacher talks about the item, and acting. Next, the students use their naming it and describing it. He talks list of words as substitutions in a con- briefly about the bowls, pots and pans , versation practice activity. he has in his home. He talks about STUDENT 1:Do you have plans what kinds of food go into each item. for Saturday? The teacher then pauses and gives the STUDENT2: No, I'm free. picture of the bowl to a student, STUDENT1: Would you like to go to a Jung Kim. (Jung walks to the board and tapes the concert with me? picture onto the image of the sink.) TEACHER:Point to the bowl. STUDENT2: Sure. Who's playing? The bowl is in the sink. It must be STUDEN'T 1:The Bangles. (Students point to picture.) dirty. TEACHER:Who has the bowl? In the class next door, intermedi- Three doors down, an advanced STUDENTS:Jung. ate level students in small groups arelevel class has just finished reading a TEACHER:Right. He has the bowl. brainstorming a list of places that arepassage about the ways different cul- Does he have the pot? good Saturday night destinations. tures deal with time. The teacher has STUDENTS:No. asked numerous comprehension ques- TEACHER:Does he have the bowl? JORGE:A party. tions to establish students' understand- STUDENTS:Yes. ANA:A club. ing of the main points and now asks TEACHER: ISthat a pot or bowl? SuNTREE:What is it? the students to call out the words or STUDENTS:A bowl. ANA: A place you dance. phrases from the reading that relate to Vocabulary Reflection for Teachers killed teachers spend time reflecting, not only on the REFLECTION ACTIVITY 2 Sprocess that occurs within the classroom, but on theWhat's the opposite of... various components of the language they teach. Good dry? teaching activities often result from such reflections. strong? The following exercises (adapted from Working with rough? Words by Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman) will help you thick? or your teacher-trainees consider 1) the role that previ- hard? ously acquired words play in vocabulary development, and 2) the pot holes waiting for language learners on Now give the opposites of the following: the road to vocabulary acquisition. dry wine strong cigarettes REFLECTION ACTIVITY 1 a rough sea Look at the list of words below and come up with a thick person definitions for each. Which words in your vocabulary a hard exercise led you to your definition? a readeress What does this indicate about the very common lunocracy practice of teaching opposites. a teachee a toolery a doglet computerette

ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 7.6 11 time. Students point out phrases suchterm memory and helps them retnevetake turns naming an item and writing as "on time," "in the nick of time,"the new information more readily.it on the paper. At the end of the "quality time," "fashionably late," etc.Therefore, the tasks in these classesroundtable, one student reports back The teacher then asks the studentsassist students in organizing, filing,from each group, and a class list of to categorize the time words andand using the new language in con-vocabulary is amassed. The teacher phrases as positive, negative or neutraljunction with previously "filed" lan-adds any new vocabulary at this time concepts. In some cases, students dis-guage. and then provides practice activities agree and a class discussion ensues. that make use of both the teacher-gen- Later the teacher will have the stu-Communicative Classroom erated and student-generated words. dents choose five words from the read-Techniques Teaching the meaning of new ingthattheydon'tunderstand.The activities in these classes camevocabulary can take many forms in the Working in groups, the students willout of specific TESL concepts such ascommunicative classroom. Using pic- pool their lists and their knowledge toearly production from Krashen andture cards, picture dictionaries, or see if they can 1) define the words forTerrell's Natural Approach, Spencerteacher or student-generated drawings their teammates; 2) recognize theKagan's Cooperative Learning tech-in conjunction with teacher explana- roots of any of the words; and 3) makeniques as well as the problem posingtions is common at the beginning lev- contextual guesses about the words' and discovery methods of learning. els.In intermediate and advanced meanings. As a final activity, the stu- If we acknowledge that knowingclasses, new vocabulary is often pre- dents will use a dictionary to look upstudents' needs is critical to effectivesented through a reading or listening any unknown words and evaluate theteaching, then pre-assessment activi-passage. While context is a key ele- accuracy of those definitions they'veties become an important part of thement in making new words compre- created. hensible, the form of the word itself should not be overlooked. Helping Vocabulary's Role Rather than a discrete students identify the parts of a com- in the ESL Lesson pound word or meaningful suffixes The three teachers we've just visited number of words, such as -er and -less enables them to are all building students' vocabularies be self-sufficient language learners, withinacommunicativelesson. related or otherwise, the and allows them to attack new words Despite the differences in levels, top- lesson's or task's objective with problem-solving rather than ics and language focus, the students translation strategies. are moving from "see-level" (the abil- is the basis of the While both pre-assessment and ity to recognize words, i.e., passive presentation strategies are critical to vocabulary) into "use-level" (the abili- vocabulary that is an effective lesson, they do not create ty to use the words to communicate, active vocabularies. This is left to the i.e., active vocabulary.) presented and practiced. practice and application stages of the The first two lessons focus on lesson. Many of the communicative speaking and listening skills and are,teaching cycle, allowing the teacher toactivities that are used to develop lis- therefore, communicative. The thirdidentify which language within a topictening, speaking, reading and writing lesson has a reading focus and perhapsarea is already "owned" by the stu-skills play a dual role in building a stu- a less obvious communicative naturedents and can be used to give contextdent's active vocabulary. Activities until we consider that reading andto new or unknown language. such as "mixers" give students the writingare opportunitiesfor the Visuals of any kind make excel-opportunity to produce new vocabu- author and reader to communicatelent assessment tools, and they can belary in a guided but interactive setting. with each other. Therefore, activitiesrecycled as presentation and practice When students circulate, asking that encourage students to discover theresources. One way to use visuals is toand answering questions such as, meaning of an author's words rein-post them around the room, distribute"Where are you going to go this week- force the communicative aspects ofindex cards with the matching words,end?" they are participating in a per- reading. and then have students post their indexsonalized substitution drill. In order to The lessons above show howcards beneath the appropriate pictures.create a communicative activity, stu- meaningful vocabulary lessons comePicture dictionaries are another way todents have to be asked to actively lis- from the context of the overall lesson.use visuals for assessment. By mask-ten for or recall the information they Rather than a discrete number ofing the word lists beneath the pictureshear during the mixer. In this way words, related or otherwise, the les-and asking students to identify theanother level of production is added to son's or task's objective is the basis ofitems in the picture, the teacher canthe activity and retention is enhanced. the vocabulary that is presented anddetermine which words are unfamiliarInformation gap tasks that ask stu- practiced. Most importantly, students' to most students. dents to exchange information based prior knowledge isactivated and A brainstorming activity (called aon a chart, graph, or drawing usually exploited from the outset, so that the"roundtable" in Kagan's work) is ainclude the new vocabulary presented teacher can focus on a limited numbervery effective pre-assessment tool.in the lesson. In asking for and giving of new vocabulary items. RetentionGroups of four to five students pass athis information, students are once research indicates that a meaningful,single paper and pencil around theagain drawing on their productive focused task helps learners move new group in order to list all the words theyskills and incorporating new words information from short term into longknow for a specific topic. Studentsinto their vocabulary.

12 '7 7 ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 Stu 111ent Vc pbleary Activrit his communicative vocabulary activity was adapted could Work in pairs to practice the new information by Tfrom Vocabulary in Action by Linda Taylor. The activity creating their own pictures and labels.) .can be'used at any proficiency level and in any area of 3. With the class, talk about what steps are necessary ESL (from elementary to university level) depending on to drive a car (make a salad, get onto the Internet etc.). the chosen topic. The topic of "driving" used below Through the use of mime, the previous vocabulary, and would be most appropriate for adult learners at the high questions such as"Where do I sit?" generate a short beginning to low intermediate level. list of directions that would guide a new driver: "First, LEVEL: Beginning to advanced, depending on the topic unlock the driver's door. Next, sit down in the driver's STUDENTS: All ages seat." Be sure to add any directions that you have prepared that the class does not generate. Have volun- GROUPS: Whole class and small groups teers demonstrate the sequence of actions while TIME: 1/2 2 hours (depending on complexity the class reads the directions to them. of task) 4. As a comprehension check, have the class PURPOSE: To move language from the give you directions. Make mistakes so that passive to active vocabulary. Students they can correct you (and so that you can start by learning basic vocabulary check their understanding). related to the topic and then use the vocabulary in connected dis- 5. Divide the class into small groups course to accomplish a particular and give each group a set of the directions. Have them practice task. reading and acting out the sequence. MATERIALS: 1) 3x5 cards/labels with (If possible, provide each group with a target language for the lesson, 2) A large tape recorder and have each member of the picture of the item(s) to be labeled, 3) A group record one or two steps in the set of directions that fit the topic (e.g., How sequence until the whole sequence is on tape.) to drive a car, how to make a fruit salad, how to use the Internet, etc.) 6. Take the class out to your car and have each group identify their new driver. (In the case of the fruit Procedures salad, the class might go to the school cafeteria 1. Show the class the picture of the car (fruit salad kitchen. In the case of the Internet lesson, the class ingredients, computer, etc.) and ask learners to volun- might go to the computer lab.) Have each group take teer any of the associated words that they know. (If you turns giving their set of directions (or play their tape use a class set of pictures, students can work in small recorded directions) to the driver. groups or pairs to generate a list of words they know 7. Back in the classroom have the class decide on the that can later be shared with the class.) most and least important directions in the sequence. 2. Distribute the cards/labels for the new, vocabulary. An application activity can be for the students to write a Have students with the appropriate labels place their set of directions for parking a car (making another kind labels on the pictures. (Following this activity, students of recipe, using another computer application, etc.). KAEDEN BOOKS A WORLD OF DISCOVERY DISCOVER OUR EXCITING NEW BOOKS FOR ESL PROGRAMS AND ATERISK READERS NATURAL LANGUAGE TUT

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ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 745 13 In addition to the types of activi-The Communicative have immediate application to stu- ties that integrate vocabulary develop-Connection dents' lives. This application moti- ment, there are specific vocabularyAs we build our understanding of thevates students to participate in mean- building activities that operate withinlinks between communicative lesson-ingful practice tasks, which in turn the communicative framework. Forplanning and the development of anfoster retention of the new language. example, giving small groups the taskactive vocabulary, we can help ourWhen students retain the new lan- of categorizing or classifying wordsstudents understand this connection as guage, they begin to own it and use it, by type, topic, affect, etc. creates awell. When students' needs determineand in doing so, demonstrate their meaningful task in which students canthe topic and content of a lesson, anycommunicative competence not only use their communicative resources tonew language that is presented willto their teachers, but to themselves. negotiate meaning and reach consensus on how to categorize words. A low-levelbeginningclass Communicative Vocabulary Resources studying the lexicon of family rela- Background and Techniques tionships could work in small groups "A Comparison of Three Learning Strategies for ESL Vocabulary to place the relationship words in the Acquisition." by Thomas S. Brown and Fred Perry, Jr., TESOL Quarterly, categories of male, female, or both. 25, pp. 655-670, 1991. They could then follow up this activi- Working with Words: A guide to teaching and learning vocabulary by Ruth ty by using their picture dictionaries Gairns and Stuart Redman, Cambridge University Press. to check the accuracy of their work. A Early Production, Teacher Training Through Video by Mary McMullin, higher beginning class could use their Longman Publishing Group. ESL dictionaries and the chart below Cooperative Learning: ESL Techniques by Mary McMullin, Longman to discover which animal names have Publishing Group. irregular plurals. "The Vocabulary Knowledge Framework" by Paul Meara, Vocabulary Acquisition Research Group, University of Wales Swansea Virtual Library Animal NameIrregular Plural?Plural Form (http://www.swan.ac.uk/cals/vlibrary/pm96d.html), Nov. 1996. ape ri0 apes Teaching and Learning Vocabulary by I.S.P. Nation, Newbury House. bison yes bison Making It Happen: Interaction in the Second Language Classroom, From cat Theory to Practice by Patricia A. Richard-Amato, Addison Wesley Publishing Group. deer eagle Activities for Active Vocabulary Development fish The Oxford Picture Dictionary Teacher's Book by Jayme Adelson-Goldstein, Norma Shapiro and Renee Weiss, Oxford University Press. gorilla Communication in English by Kenneth Glowacki, Linmore Publishing. Word by Word Teacher's Resource Book and Activity Masters by Steven J. Intermediate level learners can Molinsky and Bill Bliss, Prentice Hall Regents. give peer dictations. Using sentences thatfeaturewords withsimilar Vocabulary by John Morgan and Mario Rinvolucri, Oxford University Press. sounds, spelling or structure, one stu- Live Action English by Elizabeth Romijn and Contee Seely, Alemany Press. dent dictates to a partner or a small Chalktalks by Norma Shapiro and Carol Genser, Command Performance group. The students writing the dicta- Language Institute. tion can use clarification strategies to The Basic Oxford Picture Dictionary Teacher Resource Book by Norma ensure that they are writing the correct Shapiro, Jayme Adelson-Goldstein and Fiona Armstrong, Oxford U. Press. word. Vocabulary in Action by Linda Taylor, Prentice Hall Regents. STUDENT1: The trees were bare when the black bear came back ESL Vocabulary Web Sites to the forest. Vocabulary Acquisition Research Group Archive STUDENT 2:The trees were what? (http://www.swan.ac.uk/cals/bibl/varga97.html) An annotated bibliogra- phy of research papers and resources in vocabulary acquisition published STUDENT1: Bare, no leaves. in 1997. To see papers from 91-96, just insert two-digit year after "varga" STUDENT 2:B-a-r-e? in the Internet address. STUDENT1: That's right. Planet English (http://www.tesol.com/index.html) This kind of activity links vocabulary A Web site devoted to students and teachers of ESOL. Features lessons, through form rather than topic. In cre- games and a marketplace in which to find ESOL materials. ating an opportunity for students to ESL Vocabulary Construction Page (http://grove.ufl.eduk-tsniad/) practice a particular clarification strat- This page is designed to pull together useful vocabulary building activi- egy, a peer dictation task becomes ties, on-line exercises and resources for students and teachers of ESL. effective on two levels: developing Dave Sperling's ESL Cafe (http://www.eslcafe.com) active listening skills as well as This site has games, lessons plans, activity suggestions and excellent vocabulary. resource lists for ESL teachers. Crossword Puzzles for ESL Students (http://www.aitech.ac.jp/tesljjcw)

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Have you ever found a great Webschool or program to choose the bestfrom Mac to PC or do you need spe- site that you wanted to use withprojection system for you. Send acial adapters? your class, but it just wasn't fea-questionnaire to colleagues to find out>Brands. Some of the most popular sible to gather 25 people around onewhat types of presentations are done.brands are Proxima, Vivatek, Sharp computer? Have you ever tried toDo people use Hypercard, CD-ROMs,and Nec. Prices range from $3000 to teach a class in a computer lab with noor do distance learning? Then this$8,000 or more. projection system so that you had to walk around and demonstrate the same Just imagine your class with an command repeatedly? Or do you have EPSinstead of having to crowd a class so large that a TV screen is too around one computer or strain to see a small for the entire class to see clear- TV, all of your students can have easy ly? If so, then an Electronic Projection visual access. Now, if you could just System (EPS) could be a valuable find a technology to grade all those asset in your classroom and for others papers! in your school or program. An EPS projects information onto Tommy B. McDonell has an MPS in a screen or wall from your computerProxima Desktop Projector 5800 Interactive Telecommunications from or television, allowing a large group toProxima's DP5800 offers high-quality NYU and is Executive Director of view TV programs, video tapes, com-projection at an affordable price. Learning English Adult Program, Inc. puter software, CD-ROMs, e-mail, in New York City. Web sites, etc. Imagine being able to demonstrate software while your classtechnology may be for you. follows along. You can project a lesson As with any type of technology, Europe $235 or a game such as "Where in the Worldthe more you know about it, the easier is Carmen San Diego?" onto theit is to make the right purchase. To screen, and your class can work as amake the selection process easier, here Asia $370 team. An EPS can also be used in your are some things to consider: school or program for staff develop-> Resolution. Know the resolution So. America $167 ment, distance learning, and multi-of your computer. If it doesn't match media presentations. the system purchased, the picture will Fly as an international courier for There are two types of EPS: a liq-be fuzzy. When shopping for a pro- the "big name" freight companies. uid crystal display (LCD) panel and ajection system, take a sample of what It's the cheapest way to fly Over multimedia projector. The LCD sits onyou plan to view and try it. top of an overhead projector and is 1000 !It flights weekly used in a darkened room. Multimedia> The Room. Are there windows and Examples: projectors have a built-in light sourceno blinds? For a light room, multime- Europe, Middle East,Africx Amsterdam, and do not require an overhead projec-dia projectors are good. If the room is Brussels, Cairo, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dublin, tor. dim, an LCD panel may work better. Frankfurt, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Milan, Nairobi, Paris, Rome, Stockholm,Tel Aviv, Zurich. To work either system, simply dis-> Size. LCDs are smaller but require connect your computer monitor and Asia, Pacific Rim, South Pacific: Auckland, an overhead projector. Multimedias Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Crns, Hong Kong, reconnect it to a cable that runs to thecan weigh eight or more pounds. Will Honolulu, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, panel or projector. If itis an LCDyou have to move your projection Sydney,Taipei,Tokyo. panel, place it on top of an overheadsystem around a lot? Mexico, Central and South America: Buenos projector. The image is sent from your Aires, Caracas, Guatamala City, Guayquil, Kingston, monitor's port into the projector and> Option/Add-ons. Options add to La Paz, Lima, Managua, Mexico City, Panama, Quito, then onto a wall, allowing you to seethe cost. Do you need a remote con- Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, San Juan, Sao Paulo, Santiago. the image on the wall and on the mon-trol or power zoom? Look at the itor. Most models have controls tonumber of ports or video inputs so For a FREE adjust the size, placement, and claritythat you can later add a VCR or laser of the image. disc player if necessary. info kit call These projectors are costly, so> Setup. Do you use PCs or Macs in 1-800-822-0888 before getting one, analyze your class-your program? If you use both, does ASSOCL4770M Camel Cobrado 303-215-9000 room needs and the needs of yourthe EPS allow you to switch easily http://www.aircourier.org

ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 17 G2QWEIQW9@ Short Cuts Goes A Long Way for Adult ESL Students BY ERIC MILLER

When ESL teachers consider asequence. This often alarms teachersselves bear no printed vocabulary. "Do newtext,we oftenpagewho do not realize that these "chunks"you ever...?" can become "Does John throughitratherquickly.of language are not only essential forever...?" without making new materi- Unfortunately, we tend to recognizetruly effective communication, but canals; manipulatives are recycled for only the familiar when doing so, sim-be learned if properly presented andwhatever language need the teacher ply because we have done it before.contextualized. wishes to address, reducing photo- Teachers and coordinators are prone to Many expressions necessary forcopying to a minimum. Short Cuts dismiss activities that present differentcompetent communication cannot bedirectly addresses grammar quite dif- paradigms and could think, "Thatconveniently categorized into specificferently from most texts, though prob- wouldn't work in my class." grammatical forms. When asked, "Doably more effectively. At the end of Short Cuts (McGraw-Hill), a newyou ever go dancing?" one probablyeach chapter the student will find series of low level adult ESL texts bywill not respond with a simple "Yes, Iiconic depictions of English syntax James Mentel, gives teachers gooddo," or "No, I don't," but rather,rather than metalinguistic terminolo- reason to abandon this attitude and gy. The teacher can cut up transparen- consider a new paradigm for their cies of these and move them around to classrooms. This three-part series show students, for example, draws upon a simple though sur- how auxiliary verbs work when prisingly versatile device called we make questions in English. "manipulatives": images or icons (Kudos to Mentel, who recog- on small pieces of paper which nizes that "be " is not really a students cut and move around on a verb, but a copulaor sometime larger sheet that displays the con- auxiliaryand should be pre- text of the language being studied. sented to students as such.) For example, students place For the skeptical teacher or small pieces of paper with images administrator who still cannot see of vegetables or utensils on a full- the potential of Short Cuts, the sized sheet depicting a kitchen, teacher's guide will give a clearer complete with counters, drawers, cab- picture of the possibilities. A com- inets and a refrigerator. They can prac- plete lesson plan accompanies each of tice asking where things are, where to the four sections within every chapter, put things, or telling other students including detailed explanations of where to put things. The advantage how to introduce new language as over a simple fixed image is that the well as activities for listening, speak- objects or markers can vary and allow Short Cuts features manipulatives ing (group work), reading, and writ- for the natural variation of circum- that can be cut out and moved on ing. Not every activity requires the stances that occur in real life. The the picture. manipulatives, and expansion activi- instructor can use transparencies of ties allow for practice in more open, the manipulatives to direct class activ- "Yeah, once in a while," or "Sure,real-world situations. An imaginative ities or an enlarged poster board kitquite a bit," or "No, never." Studentsteacher, however, can use the manipu- which corresponds to the students' set. need tolearn such responses tolatives in ways that even Mentel has Short Cuts is organized accordingbecome truly proficient in conversa-not mentioned in the teacher's guide. to realistic language situations. Unliketional English. Short Cuts, in this par-Mentel encourages teachers to inno- many "communicative" texts, howev-ticular case, gives students a variety ofvate and has created a Web site where er, which simply contrive topics inanswers, ranging from "No, never," tothey can share their ideas. order to support a linear grammatical"Yes, all the time," and the most com- Short Cuts is a series which all agenda, Short Cuts includes a moremonly used expressions in between.adult ESL teachers and administrators realistic assortment of the expressionsStudents can then place icons of freeshould consider, without taking any needed in these situations. This meanstime activities on the appropriateshort cuts. Look it over very carefully, thatanygivenchaptercontextplaces on the continuum according toand try to imagine a different, perhaps ("GettingAround,""Likesandthe information they encounter in lis-much better, way of teaching. Dislikes," "The Job Site") might pre-tening, speaking, or reading activities. sent students with expressions which Grammatical issues are incorpo-Eric Miller is an ESL Instructor and have not yet been grammatically ana-rated into manipulative lessons quiteTeacher Advisor at the L.A. Unified lyzed or practicedinthetext'seasily since the manipulatives them-School District, Adult Division. 18 83 ESL MAGAZINEMAY/JUNE 1998 Announcing 0 0 T autsiAgnding 'VC COO r Aiut E ttg,se

VOCABULARY ASIcs Reading Level: 4-6 Judith NadellBeth JohnsonPaul Langan Vocabulary Basics will help your most basic students learn 240 words important for moving ahead in school and at work. Students learn in the best possible way: by working closely and repeatedly with the new words. No other book on the market provides so much and such varied reinforcement.

GROUNDWORK FOR A ETTER V MARY, 2/E Reading Level: 5-8 R. Kent SmithBeth JohnsonCarole Mohr A slightly higher-level text than Vocabulary Basics, the newly- revised edition of Groundwork for a Better Vocabulary has been expanded so that it now teaches 250 words.

Key features ©' each book: An intensive words-in-context approach. Each new word is presented in at least nine different settings. To develop "ownership" of the new words, students are also asked to use the words in speaking and writing situations. Varied practice and appealing content. You'll find your students motivated by the wide variety of activities as well as by the lively, realistic, often humorous practice materials. Sensitivity to the needs of adult ESL students. Information is presented in a clear and easy-to-understand wayin a friendly, accessible tone of voice that never condescends. oOutstanding price. While the books are comprehensive enough to serve as primary texts, their modest net price of $7.90 also makes them inexpensive supplements in any ESL class.

TOWNSEND PRESS 0 PAVILIONS AT GREENTREE-408 0 MARLTON, NJ 08053 1-800-772-6410 0 www.townsendpress.com Helping you help students learn Dave Spe itez: AT. Man withaVirtual Passion

BY GEORGE H .CLEMES, III

When you meet Dave Sperling, thrives on it. from school, live in Japan, and then creator of the popular Web site Dave Sperling has a lot to teachcontinue my studies in psychology. "Dave's ESL Cafe," you'llus. In the following exclusive inter-Needing to support myself, I got my quickly realize that he is a man of pas- view, ESL Magazine learns what hasvery first teaching job teaching gram- sion. Dave is passionate about themade Dave, at the age of 37, such amar at the Tokyo International College Cafe of course, for which he is mostsuccessful pioneer in ESL. in Meguro, Tokyo. With no prior known, but he's also passionate about teaching experience, I had no idea teaching, writing, lecturing, his familyItow did you get started in ESL? how to teach grammar, so I stood up in and life in general. I traveled extensively as a kid, whichfront of a very bored class and started Dave has good reason to bemade a powerful impression on me.teaching the parts of speech! Oi! I upbeat: his award-winning Web siteMy first trip was to the Middle Eastlearned fast, though, and soon made gets over one million hits a month andand Europe when I was eight. Maybeoral communication the central part of ravesfromaroundthe my teaching. world; he loves his teaching After teaching only a job; the latest version of his short while, I was hooked! book Dave Sperling's They say that you either Internet Guide was just love teaching or you hate it. released this year; he is lec- I foundIloveditand turing around theworld stayed in Japan for five about the Internet and ESL; years. and he has a lovely wife and I then went to northern two kids. Thailandlookingfora What is inspiring about change from the fast pace Dave, however, is that his of Tokyo. What I found was positiveattitudedoesn't my wife! Dao and I met at spring from his success in a party and were married a life;rather,hissuccess year later.I also taught comes from his positive atti- EnglishatChiang-mai tude. Universityin northern Besidescallinghim Sperling with his ESL students at Cal-State, Northridge. Thailand and at the exceptionally optimistic, American University Al- Dave's closest friends and colleaguesthis was the beginning of my interestumni Language Center. attribute his achievements to a uniquein ESL! I've always been fascinated We came back to the U.S. in 1992. blend of congeniality, ingenuity, and I left psychology behind and earned an hard work. The reason Dave can be soby people from other countries, andESLteachingcertificate from pleasant and hard working at the samemost of my best friends in high school California State University, North- time is that he genuinely loves what heand university were from abroad. Iridge in 1993 and an M.A. in applied does. also backpacked through Europe inlinguistics and ESL in 1995. Dave is a California native withthe summers of 1979 and 1980 and global interests. He collects musictraveled overland through Egypt,Nave you always had an interest from around the world, frequents eth-Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Sudan inin technology or computers? nic restaurants and Asian cafes in Los 1982. A lot of people are surprised that I Angeles, and enjoys Asian cinema. He While in college, I wanted to be adon't have a background in technolo- speaks basic Thai and Japanese aspsychologist and earned a psychologygy. I took a computer class in high well as Spanish, which he practices indegree from Pepperdine University inschool and hated it. Most of the other Mexico where he takes his family for1982. After I graduated, I had thecomputer students were really into the occasional get-away. He is notopportunity to visit friends in Japan. math and science, but I wasn't. In fact, afraid to try new things and, in fact,My plan was to take two years offthat was the beginning of my comput-

20 ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 er phobia! I managed to resist computers for another 15 years! Even in college I typed my papers on a type- writer. Where I first taught in Japan, only a few of the secretaries had computers; there weren't computers in rural Thailand either. However, when I started graduate school in 1992, I had no choice but to use computers to conduct research and write my papers.

How did you get involved with the Internet? I bought my first Mac in 1992, and it came with a modem. The very first night I got online and sent my first e- mail from my home in Los Angeles to a friend across the world in Bangkok. Imagine my exhilaration whenI received a message back from him within minutes! I was amazed at how quick and easy it was, and again I was hooked!

How did Dave's ESL Cafe beOn? The Cafe started in the fall of 1995, t- but it almost never happened. After I earned my M.A., I went to Thailand for the summer of 1995 to visit friends and family, and I was almost killed in a motorcycle accident. I hit a pot-hole hidden by a puddle and landed on my head, breaking several bones in my face. My helmet saved my life. When I came back to the States after a summer in the hospital, I was in the mood to do something more with my life. Having surfed the Internet in 1994 and 1995, I had realized that most of the ESL/EFL Web pages were not very interactive, interesting, or fun Dave Sperling is often at his computer with his daughter and usually consisted only of pages of Shannon on his lap and his dog at his feet! information and links to other Web sites.I wanted to create somethingduced our first Web page using thebeginning of the semester, the students completely different. class's digital pictures and writinghad barely attended class. Now they I got a job teaching an Englishsamples, which were humorous auto-loved class! They also weren't writing writingclassatCaliforniaStatebiographies. This was our first effort,anything before using the Internet, not University, Northridge. My studentsand we successfully published it oneven in their own language. Now they had been in university ESL programsthe World Wide Web! We called itwere writing daily! The students pro- before and simply weren't motivated,"Dave's Writing Class." It's still there!gressed noticeably in their English and so I offered to teach them writing in(http://www.csun.edu/hces1004/began to communicate quite well. The the context of the Internet. Reluctant-CSUN.html). computer reallyis a powerful lan- ly, they agreed. I got access to the In a few short weeks my studentsguage acquisition tool! campus computer lab and introducedbegan to receive e-mail from dozens That was the beginning of my the students to the Web, which wasof students around the globe, and topublishing on the Web. I thought, "If I just beginning at that time. I bought amy surprise, they quickly becamecan do this for my class, why not do $99 digital camera and began teaching motivated to read, write, and commu-something for the whole world?" myself and the students how to usenicate daily in English on the Net, as Originally I wanted to form a graphics and create Web pages. well as in my classroom. This wasteam to create a Web site for ESL stu- In December of 1995 we pro-truly a stunning transformation. At thedents and teachers. I tried to get a pro-

"A lot of people are surpritAd that I don't have a background in technology." 86 "If I can do this for my class, why not try to do somethingfor the world?"

grammer, a graphic designer, writers,cult thing to do. I had always loved toabout 20 jobs a day. There is also a job but nobody would even considerwrite, but nobody wanted to publishdiscussion area and a place to post doing it. They asked, "What does itme! I wasn't looking for money, I justresume links. We get over a million pay?" and I told them, "Nothing. Atwanted to create. So when I learnedhits a month! least not yet. Maybe someday!" Youabout the Internet, I thought, "Wow, At one point I wanted to create an have to remember that in 1995 theI'll just do it myself right here!" entire course in ESL on the Web, but Web was still in its formative stages. Eventually I needed a place to putthat is very difficult. I created individ- With no takers I had to developall these pages I was creating, and Iual modules instead. I've got 15 the Web site myself. I experimentedcame up with Dave's ESL Cafe. A vir-teacher forums which include class with some ideas, and the first page Itual place where ESL/EFL peopleactivities, adult education, linguistics, came up with was the Graffiti Wall,meet. bilingual education, computer-assisted which came as an inspiration from my learning, elementary education and environment! Did you have other name ideas? employment. There is a lot of interesting graffi- We also have 15 student forums ti in Northridgesome really artisticNo, that was it. I have always liked cafes and hang out in them even now.on such topics as hobbies, holidays, stuff. Someone would write something current news, movies, computers, lit- and someone else would respond andA cafe is an interactive place with a nice atmosphere where people meet.erature, music, learning English, etc. add to it and so on. This interested me, The student forums are very interest- and I wondered if I could do this onSo I picked the word "cafe" as part of the name. I considered some high-teching. I learn a lot about students from the Internet for ESL students by creat- various countries in the forums! ing a site where they could expressnames like "Virtual" or "Cyber Cafe" but decided on "Dave" because I'm their creativity on a virtual wall. I Do you have any help came up with the idea on a Monday,Dave and "ESL" because I teach ESL! However,I often joke with mywith the Cafe? and by Friday I had it up and running!students that I need to change myMy friend and colleague Dennis I had some time off that winter Oliver, who teaches at Arizona State and continued to experiment withname because on the Internet in Japan my students called me Da-bu, whichUniversity, has collaborated with me additional page ideas. I came up with on much of the Cafe's content and has the Question Page, where I answermeans"fat."AndinThailand, Sperling is sometimes pronouncedbeen a great help. He is my main questions from students and post the writer and has written the idiom sec- answers in a kind of "Dear Dave" col-Super-ling, meaning "Super Mon- key!" tion, phrasal verb section, many of the umn. As students began writing ques- quizzes, and the "Hint of the Day." I tions concerning methodology or run everything past Dennis before it TOEFL, for example, I began toIs your Web site for teachers goes up on the Web. search the Internet and give studentsor students? I also have a team of teachers links so they could get more informa-It's about 50/50. There is a lot foraround the world who help answer tion for themselves. both, and I try to keep a balance.questions on my Help Center, my The more pages I created, theTeachers often use the Cafe in theirglobal virtual classroom for ESL/EFL more I loved it. This became my wayclasses. The most popular teacherstudents. of publishing. I had learned that get-page, however, is the Job Center, espe- ting published was really a very diffi-cially the Job Offers, where I postWhere do you work on the Cafe? I do most of the work at home, in my -Arrisa.asrealac- 4." ..3:IMI"'_3:17, bedroom, actually. I also work from my laptop when I'm traveling. A lot of people think I work in some slick office with computers humming all around me and assistants scurrying to and fro, taking care of Cafe business. In reality, I work from a desk in my M - bedroom. I'm known on the Net as ----Z-7-1..- "Papa Dave" because it's common for me to work with my children on my lap and my dog at my feet! Once I was in my hotel room at a a conference in Yuma, Arizona. I had the door open and was working on my laptop on the bed. Two teachers walked by my room and did a U-turn and came back. They knew of me and the Cafe from my conference presentation and asked, "What are you doing?" I explained I was posting jobs 4 Ai 22 147 ESL MAGAZINEMAY/JUNE 1998 on the Cafe. "Is this how you run theWhat are your future plans The project happened quickly. Cafe?" "Yeah," I said with a grin.for the Cafe? The book went into print in March of They had envisioned a big staff, officeGet it out of my house, or at least my 1997 and has been very well received, building, etc. All I need is a telephonebedroom! Also, I'd like to fine-tuneI am pleased to report. As any writer line and my laptop. I can work on themy ESL Web Guide, which is now upknows, once you have a book out Web site from just about anywhere,and running with over 1,500 ESL/EFLthere, you worry that someone will and no one knows the difference. resources and over 350 categories. just tear it apart, but nobody has. I use I've also just started taking onthe book when I give workshops. How much time do you sponsors after avoiding it for three We've done a 1998 revision of the spend on the Cafe? years. The cost of operating the Cafebook called Dave Sperling's Internet The Cafe takes several hours a day.was getting to be too much to maintainGuide (Prentice Hall Regents). This My routine starts at 5:30 or 6:00 in theon my own. My last bill was almostupdate has a host of new addresses morning. With a hot cup of coffee$600 for the month! Now I'm gettingand comes with a CD-ROM. I'll also nearby, I work on e-mail for an hourinto the business end of things, whichbe publishing a student guide called and a half. Then I take a break to cookis a challenge. The ESL Internet Activity Book for breakfast for the family, shower, dress, Students in time for TESOL '99 in New York. and take my son to school. After . more work on the Cafe, I break , As a result of the books and to walk my dog, Alby. i the Cafe, I get a lot of invita- Daily Cafe work includes 0 tions to speak on the Internet lots of e-mail, updating pages, Z and ESL all over the world. posting graffiti onto the Graffiti 0 I Recent engagements have been Wall, posting answers to my inOrlando,Boston, New Question Page, posting new Jersey, New York, Hong Kong, jobs, screening submissions to Sao Palo, Rio, Japan, Thailand, the Job Discussion forum, log- Chile, Bolivia, Malaysia and ging ontotheCafe's Chat , Singapore. It's been fun! Central to make sure everyone 1. isbehaving,validatingand Is it hard to juggle adding links into my Web Guide teaching, lecturing, and fixing various areas of the writing and the Cafe? Cafe. It's very difficult. Even with When I actually add a new helpfromcolleagueslike page to the Cafe, it can take 15 Dennis Oliver, the Cafe takes or more hours per day, and I lit- several hours a day. I teach 20 erally don't sleep!It's easier hours a week. Somehow I've now than it used to be, however. managed to write a book and lecture If I made a programming mistake inYou have written the first book about ESL and the Internet. around the world. My friends and fam- the past, it could take two hours to find ily know I can be a workaholic at and fix it. Now I can usually remedy a What inspired you to write it? problem in a matter of seconds. MoreMy book project began in 1996. I hadtimes, so this year I've tried to have processes such as deleting postings aregiven a presentation at the CATESOLmore balance. I'm spending more time now automated, too. The Cafe can beconference in San Francisco, and Iwith my family. At some point I'll a lot of work, but I really do enjoy it. was approached by editor Sherylprobably have to cut back on the Olinsky from Prentice Hall Regents toteaching. What kind of feedback have you write a book about the Internet. It received about the Cafe? sounded interesting, so I gave it someOf all your jobs, which is I get feedback from all around thethought. We got together and brain-your favorite? world. Creating something so visiblestormed different ideas. I wrote up aTeaching. I love teaching. Whether tends to attract a lot of attention. Theproposal, sent it in and promptly for-I' m teaching students or teachers feedback has been really fantastic, andgot about it. By the next summer itabout computers or the Internet, it's that'swhatkeeps megoing!was approved. just a part of who I am. I especially Occasionally people suggest changes The book is called The Internetlove teaching ESL. I've been doing it such as making a background lessGuide for English Language Teachersfor a long time, and it's amazing that I obtrusive. Sometimes I can make the(Prentice Hall Regents). I wanted tostill have such a passion for it. I'm changes, sometimes I can't. Overall,write an introductory guide for teach-thrilled that I can have such a great the feedback is really motivating. ers who knew almost nothing abouttime in the classroom! Right now I'm At the beginning of March thisthe Internet but at the same time pro-teaching a listening/speaking class year my server crashed. For about 40vide enough information so it wouldwith students from about seven differ- hours the Cafe just didn't exist. I gotbe useful for everyone. I knew froment countries and a beginning English about 300 e-mails a day saying,my own experience that such a guideclass. I just love it. Honestly, not a day "Dave, where's the Cafe!?" That was awould be helpful for learning a newgoes by when I don't think, "Wow! disaster. technology. I'm really fortunate to be doing this." It's not like a job to me.

ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 23 "I love teaching. Whether I'm teaching studentsor teachers about computers or the Internet, it's just a part of who I am."

My teaching style is fun-filled,have met through the Cafe has beenI can't let them bother me or hold high-energy, and personable. Humorastounding! Dennis, for example, isme back. is important in my teaching and in mynow a close friend. There are so many life. I love to laugh and to make peo-other people whom I would never ple laugh. If students can understandhave met had I not started the Cafe. What words of wisdom my humor and laugh, that builds their For me, Dave's ESL Cafe is morewould you like to pass on confidence. I also enjoy having stu-than just publishing something; it'sto your ESL/EFL colleagues? dents visit my home. I'm alwayscreating and enjoying relationships allI often close my presentations with learning from them. around the globe. The Cafe is a centralthe following quote from Lynore Writing has been a new but won-location where ESL/EFL studentsCarnuccio, a teacher in Mustang, derful experience for me. It's very dif-around the world congregate. That'sOldahoma: ferent from what I've done in the past.exciting. "We have done some work with It's not like putting a grammar book the Net, but what I find when I speak together, which has already been done. to other public school teachers is fear. The Internet guide was brand new;What would you say is your However, in many cases, I think the there was nothing else out there like it.biggest accomplishment? fear comes from lack of experience or What is really gratifying is that it isI'm really proud of the Cafe. The changing people's lives. I get e-mails exposure to the Internet." from teachers who tell me that theobstacles I've overcome have been My advice to teachers: overcome book has really helped them. amazingmy lack of technical train-your fear and apprehension about the I also enjoy the Cafe. There areing, the fact that I'm not a program-Internet and give it a try. I promise that two things that I really love about it.mer, the lack of financing, and the lackyou won't regret it. The Net is a fun, First, it's such a great feeling to beof income from the Cafe. I've beenuseful, and extremely powerful tool able to publish what I want. When Iable to overcome allthat and putfor both you and your students, and it have an idea like the Graffiti Wall, Itogether something that helps count-is going to be more and more difficult don'thavetogothroughanyless people around the world. to ignore it as we approach the twenty- bureaucracyI can just do it. I've learned that lots of things arefirst century. My motto is "Just do it!" Second, the number of people Ihard, but the hard things always pass.That's what created Dave's ESL Cafe.

Prentice Hall Regents presents New ESL technology tools foryour classroom! Navigate the Information Superhighway Use the power of multimedia like a pro with the 2nd edition to reinforce your D'AvE'S;EAL.G.. of Dave Sperling's INTERNET grammar lessons! INTERNET GUIDE! GUIDE NEW CD-OM CD-ROM Included! compatible with Macintosh & The creator of the innovative "Dave's ESL Cafe" has been PC Windows hard at work keeping up with the changes on the Net so 3.1 or 95 by Howard Beckerman, you don't have to!His new 2nd edition has lots of new Charts & Exercises by Betty Schrampfer Azar web links, and in it you'll find everything you need to: Enjoy clearly focused grammar exercises, innovative TALK with other language teachers and ESL/EFL students video clips, original audio segments, and a variety of read- from around the world. ings that present grammar in context. GATHER class material. ORDER TODAY! Use with the Azar Grammar Series or with any other ESL READ the latest journal articles. CALL TOLL-FREE grammar program. ACCESS language learning software. 1-800-947-7700 Move from grammar exercises to coordinated multimedia ISBN 0-1 3-91 8053-2 activities at the click of a button! FIND a teaching job. Choose from over 50 grammar topics, 80 Azar grammar CREATE your own web page and muchmorel charts, and 70 extension activities.

PRENTICE HALL REGENTS , : I I Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 I

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26 ESL MAGAZINEMAY/JUNE 1998 Christine Meloni 's NETWOR THY Web Crossword Puzzles Make Vocabulary Development Fun! Afun way to study vocabulary in a As soon as the students have fin- The URL for the Crossword foreign language is to do cross-ished a puzzle, they can check theirPuzzles for ESL Students Web site is word puzzles. For this reason,answers.Iftheyareusingahttp://www.aitech.ac.jp/-teslj/cw. the editors of the Internet TESLJavaScript-enabled browser, their puz- If you would like to contribute a Journal launched the "Crosswordzles will be automatically checked.puzzle, you will find the necessary Puzzles for ESL Students" project.For other browsers students will beguidelines and instructions at http:// When the January/February issue ofshown the answers and can check the w w w.ai tech. ac. jp/- ites lj/cw/proj ect. ESL Magazine went to press a html. So far, a small number of Countries Where English Is Spoken contributors have been working few months ago, this project Click on each box to enter letters In the crossword punk, then press the Check Answers button. If you are offered only four puzzles (see stuck, press the Hint button to get a letter. overtimeVera Mello, Charles Kelly, Elek Mathe, Aviva Furman "The Internet in the Classroom," ' f- 1-I- r'rI- I- Across 3r- and Martin Holmes. They would page14). Now the number ,._I. huropean country whose capital Is London I- `EF E E I 5. African country whose capital is Nairobi. greatly appreciate your assistance exceeds 40. E 6r I- 7. Nation which k also a cotuinent, The puzzles are classified E E F r Down in building up this site. Martin into three levels of ability: easy, I- 2. Mr Clinton's country. Holmes originally developed the 1-1-1-1-E1-1-Efli:17,ere6 "w".both English and French are spoken. medium and difficult. The num- 6. (with 3 down) Mr Mandela's country. JavaScript and HTML template ber of words per puzzle ranges I- for this kind of puzzle. Few 3..5unit-enabled Browsers from seven to 26. ( Check Answers I The Internet Journal is a 1133 monthly Web magazine which Each puzzle has a theme. SFIZ`",7,yo.ro:17, For example, you'll find puzzles offers articles, teaching tech- that relate to animals, planets,Sample crossword from the Internet TESL Journal's niques, lesson plans, projects metals, vegetables, fruits, parts"Crossword Puzzles for ESL Students" project. (including self-study quizzes, of a house, and medical terms. Somepuzzles themselves. Internet treasure hunts, and jokes for themes are grammatically oriented; The puzzles can also be down-the ESL classroom), and selected links for example, the answers are parts ofloaded and completed offline. Thefor ESL teachers and ESL students. speech, past tense verbs, or adjective"Hint Button" and the automatic cor- Check it out! opposites. recting feature are still operational. Christine Meloni can be reached An added feature that studentsInstructions for downloading are givenfor comments or questions at mel- will appreciate is the "Hint Button." Ifat the site. Another option is for [email protected] or at the EFL Dept., they get stuck in the middle of a puz-ers to print out the puzzles and distrib-The George Washington University, zle and are unable to continue, theyute them for students to complete inWashington, DC 20052, USA. class. can click on this button to get a letter. " WorldWalker Language Lab activitiesstimulating.Exercises, a verb form index, phonetic Destination: Pictures and sound are used to build 200 listings, and an alphabetical index guide Australia sentences with more than 500 words in students through pattern practice, applica- This is an interdiscipli- each language. Students who are more tion of the new language to other topics, nary CD-ROM that fluent will enjoy the animal exploration in and personalization questions. Lesson supports English Ian- the Walkabout Game. plans in the Teacher's guage instruction with- A The program, which includes a com- Book expand the vo- in science, math, and prehensive Teacher's Guide, is availablecabulary through read- social sciences lessons. for Macintosh and Windows for $44.95.ing, writing, listening, Students explore a new language on aLab packs of five, site licenses and aand speaking. journey to the wilds of Australia. TheyNetwork version are also available. Soleil The Oxford Pict- can switch at any time between English,Software, 800-501-0110, e-mail info@ ureDictionary,by Spanish(orGerman)andFrench.soleil.com, http://www.soleil.com. Norma Shapiroand Fascinating facts about Aussie animals Jayme Adelson-Gold- and culture can be read or listened to inOxford Picture Dictionary stein, is the core of a forthcoming pro- native speakers' voices. The Oxford Picture Dictionary presents gram which includes a dictionary cassette, The California Clearinghouse gaveover 3,700 words in meaningful contextteacher's book and focused listening cas- WorldWalker an "Exemplary" rating, say- with engaging artwork. More than 140sette, beginning and intermediate working that the language embedded in the key topics in 12 thematic units cover aca- books, classroom activities (over 100 lessons allowed students learn both con-demic studies, workplace, community,reproducibles), readers, and overhead tent and language. Students who are tran-health care, home and family for begin- transparencies.Spanish and Chinese sitioning to English reading will find the ning ,andlow-intermediatestudents. bilingual editions presently available.

MAY/JUNE 1998 27 ESL MAGAZINE qj Arab Studentsin the U.S. Learning Language, Teaching Friendship

BY PAUL KWILINSKI

Saed al-Mubariisconcernedin the United States. Despite a slight Because Arab students represent a abouthis finalexaminationdecline in 1997, the number of newvariety of countries as well as regions tomorrow.Althoughhehasstudents coming to the U.S. from Arabwithin countries, their educational attended every classin his ESLcountries has been increasing, whichbackgrounds are diverse. However, it course, he worries that his writing hasis encouraging for programs lookingis fair to say that students from urban not improved enough for him toto increase their Arab enrollment.areas tend to have had more exposure advance to the next level of study.However, we are still a long way fromto English and other outside influ- During the course, Saed found writing ences. Students from top schools have to be the most difficult part of learning "The American had excellent English instruction, but English. Tonight he will get together it seems that the average Arab student with his friends,all from Saudi 'way of doing things' has had less exposure to English than Arabia, and study the material one students from other countries such as more time. is not just an China or Russia. Saed is just one of many Saudi Arabian students in the United States adventure for these Cultural Differences learning English. For him, as with One of the greatest hurdles for Arab many other international students, studentsit is a direct students upon arrival in the U.S. is cul- English is just the beginning of his tural adjustment. Issues related to this training. Saed will eventually graduate challenge to their often outweigh those of classroom from his English program and enter a native culture." performance. New students may feel university to study engineering. If he bewildered by the lack of familiar cul- does well at the university, he may tural structures. Arab students tend to pursue a graduate degree. Along the1980 when the entire Middle East pro-be highly social and reach out to peo- way, Saed will meet Arab studentsvided roughly 29% of the internation-ple from other cultures immediately. from The United Arab Emiratesal students in the U.S. Today, students They are often confused and hurt (U.A.E.), Egypt, Kuwait, and Jordan.from the entire Middle East representwhen they find their initial interactions Indeed, there is a significant numberabout 6.5% of the total enrollment,less than successful. The American of students entering the United Statesand, of course, all those students are"way of doing things" is not just an from Middle Eastern countries. not Arab. adventure for these studentsit is a According to Open Doors 1996- The vast majority of Arab studentsdirect challenge to their native culture. 1997 (an annual publication of theinthe U.S. are males studyingGiven the differences in family struc- Institute of International Education),business and engineering. Over half ofture, roles of women, religion, laws the Arab students enrolled in under- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, U.A.E., Jordan, and the cultural diversity of American and Cyprus are the leading countriesgraduate or graduate programs aresociety, it is not difficult to imagine enrolled in one of these two disci-how completely alien it all seems to of origin for Arab students attendingplines. post-secondary educational programs the new arrival. What pirt, ycur nit hees ma°den s? n oneoccasion as I was helping students from the tohave assured the security of OU.A.E. set up checking accounts rather than carry each individual's bank around rolls of cash, the process reminded me that the account! cultural strengths of Arab students can become cultural The strength here is that difficulties in some situations. Arab students simply can't As a group we went to the bank to complete the refuse another Arab student task at hand. With boisterous enthusiasm, the stu- who needs help. They solve problems communally. In dents helped each other decipher the forms, spell the contrast, the difficulty in this situation is the lack of words, write out the letters, and copy information from cultural awareness regarding the information they were their passports. However, their voices echoed through sharing. the bank, and thus they publicly shared secret informa- Pat Finlayson tion such as their mothers' maiden names, which were Senior Instructor, ELS Language Centers, Seattle, WA

28 g 3 ESL MAGAZINEMAY/JUNE 1998 Arab students seem to expect thetiable" can be carried even further ifCultural SensltMty American family to resemble the onethe authority is a woman. There is anAbout three weeks after Saed's arrival they left at home. A truly family-ori-adjustment period for many Arab stu-in the U.S., he was called in to talk to ented culture, Arabs have clearlydents when dealing with femalethe student advisor The advisor asked defined roles for each family member.instructors, directors or others in posi-Sued how he was doing. Was he feel- The father is the bread-winner andtions of authority. While this is noting homesick? Was he getting along moral center of the family. The moth-usually a case of outright disregard forwiththeotherstudents?Saed er is the caregiver in the home. Nearlythe female in charge, it often takes theanswered that everything was fine. He all the needs of a young man are takenform of extended negotiation; the finalhad some initial trouble adjusting to care of by his mother. She is the one todecision is perceived as temporary,the food in his homestay, but he had make his bed, do the laundry or fix avalid only until the student can findtaught the family how to cook a few of late night snack. In the case of asomeone to give him the answer hehis favorite dishes. He now felt more wealthy family, servants would dodesires. comfortable. The advisor told him that these things. It is easy to see that had been a great way to confusion might arise if these handle the situation. He expectations were pressed upon then said that he had a del- an American household by a stu- icate matter to discuss with dent, especially a one-parent Sued. It seemed that sever- household or one with a work- al of Saed's classmates had ing wife and mother. A high mentioned that Saed schoolorcollegestudent t always wore a heavy, sweet expecting his bed to made for cologne and thatit was him may begreatlydisap fteistLswilifIRM&' bothering classmates sit- pointed. ting near him. Did he have Another cultural difference ;. any ideas on how to handle relates to rules and laws; the this situation? Arab world depends heav- This would be a difficult discussion ily on connections and I, negotiation. When coming with anyone of any from a culture in which culture. The discussion getting what you want with Saed was suc- depends on who you are or cessful because he felt whom you know, it is not 4 .--a..1 he was in a supportive unusual for a student to environment and that assume this will work the he was respected. In same way in the U.S. workingwith any While the other students in international student, his social group may actu- one can fall into a trap ally grant a student special ofpresenting the status, the expectation that "right way" of doing it extends into all areas of things without regard life can lead to problems. - for the way the student Although the enforcement r_ wants to do things. of rules in the U.S. may be Often, a student can perceive this somewhat dependent on one's identi- as a lack of respect for his culture ty, perhaps we react poorly when this or, in some cases, for himself. The expectation is reflected back to us by a issue of comfort in a foreign envi- visitor. Certainly, expectations of spe- ronment is often fundamentally an cial treatment are not met in the class- issue of respect. Arab students may arrive in room. Arab students are highly social and Negotiation is the process by the U.S. anticipating that discrimi- verbal, often helping to draw out nation will be directed toward which it seems all decisions are made. students from other cultures. The term "final grade" seems to hold them. This expectation comes little meaning at times. Students will fromtheU.S.mediathey spend hours lobbying for a higher In dealing with any authority,encounter at home and the interpreta- score, comparing their performance tothese students, as do students from alltion it is given by their local leaders. that of classmates and asking forover the world, will follow the path ofThe U.S. support of Israel is seen as reconsideration. The question, "Willleast resistance. A request resulting inanti-Arab. Our own struggles with you help me?" can be misunderstood.a negative response will be repeated torace relations point to potential prob- I have offered extra tutoring and spe-as many people as possible in the hopelems. A offense against any one stu- cial work to many students who, inthat someone will say "yes." If some-dent can be interpreted as an offense reality, were requesting a grade change. one does say "yes," the student willagainst all. It is vital that the issue of The theme of "everything is nego-take all future requests to that person. respect be strongly and consistently

ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 29 reinforced in working with any cultureamong a student's language skills;the students. group. Consistency in treatment of thehowever, if a student can't read, he Pat Finlayson, Senior Instructor at individual is as important as consis-often cannot be placed at the appropri-ELS Language Centers in Seattle, tency in treatment of the group. Thisate level of conversation class becausenotes that Arab students need to devel- will minimize the potential for misun-he will not be able to read the materi-op their visual memory to supplement derstandings and frustration. als. This can cause initial frustrationtheir excellent oral retention. Because During their time in the U.S.,especially with a student alreadyArabic is highly phonetic and English Arab students tend to stay in their ownstruggling with cultural adaptation. often isn't, beginning students benefit social group. This can cause students Generally, writing skills are thefrom letter writing practicewith from other countries, as well ashardest for any ESL student to master.emphasis onleft-to-rightreading American students, to feel a bit intim-Arab students frequently have the(saw/was) as well as "reverse spelling idated and thus inhibited from reach-most difficulty. Focus on the alphabettests" in which the teacher pronounces ing out to them. Even when Arab stu-and spelling is often the first step forand then spells a word which the students are placed with American fami-incoming Arab students. With harddent then writes. lies, they tend to cling to their fellowwork, these students usually master Regardless of the linguistic chal- Arab students for guidance. Usuallythe necessary writing skills, but thislenges, these students are a joy to within the first three months these stu-area develops much more slowly thanwork with. Multilingual classrooms dents make the transition successfullytheir verbal skills, thus creating seri-can suffer from a lack of verbal initia- and live comfortably and function tive from the students, but having Arab within their setting. Homestay orga- students usually solves this problem. nizers have claimed that Arab students Open and verbal, these students are are both their most challenging place- wonderful participants in the class- ments and their most successful. room. In a good homestay, these stu- Additionally, they are welcome dents become one of the family, and catalysts in the social environment of spend less time with their Arab class- any institutionthey participate in mates. The student comes home for activities and get others involved. dinner and participates in family activ- They want to share their culture with ities. These students also introduce the those around them and are regarded as family to their own culture. It is not the center of the social scene. I have unusual for these students to be the seen many relationships form between most successful in their studies. Arab students and those from other countries that have lasted for years and Classroom Challenges Many Arab students feel that their continue to develop. Indeed, of all my The classroom presents other chal- time in the U.S. is the most prized former students, I am visited by my lenges for students as well as for theirexperience of their lives. Arab students more than any other classmates and instructors. Being very group. Individually, they tell me that social, i.e., verbal, Arab students canous frustration. ESL programs cantheir time spent in the U.S. is the most appear more fluent than they reallyonly preview and hint at the rigorousprized experience of their lives. are. Classrooms can become the set-standards for academic writing at the Saed, after being in the U.S. for a ting for contests in which students vieuniversity level. While all ESL stu-few months, has learned a number of for opportunities to talk as much asdents suffer from split levels of fluen-strategies to be successful. While he possible. Lost in this is the concept ofcy in the various language skills, it canstudied with his Saudi friends, he also accuracy. Less verbal students, somebe dramatic at the upper level for Arab spent time with a few of his non-Arab Asians, for example, may feel they dostudents. classmates. Their discussions were in not have access to the instructor in the Again, these students are highlyEnglish and helped him practice the classroom. The instructor is left with verbal. They progress fairly well in thestructures needed to pass his exam. the responsibility of managing this sit-area of spoken grammar. Tenses andSaed knows that his work must show uation so that it is equitable for allpronoun usage are usually not a prob-his ability to write clearly, accurately and of instilling the idea that speakinglem. Pronunciation is usually clear,and to be original. While a lot of hard and speaking accurately are two dif-strong and easy even for other ESLwork remains ahead, Saed will reach ferent things. students to understand. Vocabularythe fluency he needs to progress. He One of the greatest needs of newacquisition is hindered only if readingpassed his writing test, and more students is to taste success immediate-skills lagand they often do. await him as he continues to climb the ly in their English program. Initial Reading presents a few problem-ladder toward completing his ESL placement of these students in ESLatic issues to the students. The obviousprogram and entering the university. programs can be challenging anddifference of reading left-to-right can problematic. When students have notcause some initial difficulties. Also,Paul Kwilinski is Center Director of had exposure to the alphabet, yet canthe phonetic properties of English,ELS Language Centers, Seattle, and is speak and communicate at a basicwith all its exceptions to the rules, arecurrently the National Administrator level, this can be a difficult situation.not as strong as those of Arabic. It isfor language training for a major Programs are usually set up to handlechallenging to find interesting andArab airline. He has also Directed situations in which there is disparityappropriate reading materials for allELS Centers in Asia and New York.

30 s ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 Free CD Demo! Cambridge University Press Laureate's new publishes a wide Mac/Win95 CD range of ESL texts contains 14 inter- including the adult active demos of course New Inter- our award-win- change, the New ning software. Try Interchange Video 2XEM©/A2 these programs Course, Passages, with your kinder- and skills texts for Stay current with the latest garten and ele- language schools & ESL/EFL products and ser- mentary students college programs, who need to gain teacherresource vices for ESL professionals. books such as Five-Minute Activities, basic oral English and many other teacher training titles. competence. Call 800-562-6801 for To place your catalog or product in the our FREE CD DEMO and 1998 catalog CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Catalog Showcase, call 410-570-0746. announcing FREE 35-USER NETWORK 40 West 20th Street, NY, NY 10011-4211 versions! tel: 800-872-7423; e-mail: [email protected] Call or write for a Learn English with New Title From Labyrinth! free catalog! READING RAINBOW This exciting book by 12 NEW packages languageteachers help beginning to provides insight into University of intermediate ESL networked computer Hawai'i Press learners in grades interaction andits impact on language 2840 Kolowalu St. 2-6 learn English. learning. Honolulu, HI 96822 Each package contains a READING Call 800-879-2144, RAINBOW video, 6 see http://labyrinth. Call Toll-free copies of the fea- 888-UNPRESS daedalus.com, or e- ture book, and a mail info@daedalus. languageactivity com to order print or electronic copies guide. of the book and to learn about the award-winning writing software that www2.hawaii.edu/uhpress Call READING RAINBOW for a free catalog: 800-228-4630. many of its authors use.

ESP Instructor Wanted Call 800-448-32245 and tell them youESL/EFL classes and tutoring ses- 18 contact hours per week, preparationheardaboutthegrantinESLsions. Lesson Plans and Activities...is and committee work in curriculum,Magazine. available in electronic, bound, or testing or Integration Program, seven loose-leaf form (for easy copying) at a facultiesinSciencesandArts,Help for Teachers and Tutors cost of around $15 (USD). To see a Teaching Assistants, Honors Studentof ESL/EFL sample of this book on the Internet, go Program and Community Outreach.Lesson Plans and Activities for Tutorsto http://zianet.com/jkline/tutor.html One year renewable contract, housing,of Adults in English as a Secondore-mailJimKline,Editor, electricity and water stipend, one R/T Language by Dave Keith (Instruct-Instructional Systemsat jkline@ ticket per year, tickets and schoolingional Systems, 59 pp.) provides practi-zianet.com. for family and tax-free salary com-cal, workable ideas for conducting mensurate with education, experience and publications. MA in TESOL or relatedsubject or RSA Diploma required. Send CV by July 15 to Karen Lettights6te La/417s! Asenavage, ESP Coordinator, UAE It's Universal! University, P.O. Box 17172, Al AM, During a brief visit among the Toposa people of rural south Sudan, I UAE; or [email protected]; or learned how to say three things in Toposa: I used my first two phrases [email protected]; or fax 0097 1- when I was introduced to people: "Hello," and "My name is Katy." My 3-511-371. new acquaintance, usually delighted to hear mespeak in his language, would often launch into further conversation in Toposa. At this point, I Grant Offered would use my third phrase, "I don't understand Toposa." On one occasion Compu-Teach Educational Software is when I said this, the person paused, thought for a moment, then employed offering a partnership grant on their ten the universal method of dealing with language barriershe raised his award-winning K-12 titles which have voice and repeated himself! had great results with ESL students. E-mail your true and humorous ESL story to [email protected], subject: linguistic laughs. To place a classified ad call 410-570-0746.

31 ESL MAGAZINE MAY/JUNE 1998 96 0 0 LA D

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5 5' July/August 1998 Vol. 1, No. 4

The Expanding Role of the Elementary ESL Teacher: Doing More than Teaching Language by Jodi Crandall 10 Page 10 Going Corporate: Teaching English in the Workplace by Faith Hayflich 18

Learning to Listen by Marc Helgesen 24 Haitian Students in the U.S. , by Roger Savain 28

CIQCPCJI;341MCMV@3 Page 18 Editor's Note 4 Letters to the Editor 5 News Briefs 6 Conference Calendar 8 Technology 17 Reviews 23 Christine Meloni's Networthy 27 Catalog Showcase 31 Page 24

Who's Reading ESL Magazine?

Dona De Sanctis Check out our Editor of Ambassador, Web site at a cultural magazine for www.eslmag.com! Italian Americans, published by The National (lots of links!) Italian American Found- ation in Washington, D.C. Ms. De Sanctis formerly taught EFL in Italy. Page 28

ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 1 00 3 EDITOR'S NOTE LUL MASA:1111i TM Elementary ESL Publisher GEORGE H. CLEMES, HI

Teachers Shoulder Editorial Director Greater Responsibility MARILYN ROSENTHAL Editor KATHLEEN R. BEALL ising academic standards, the increasing use of standardized Contributing Editors assessment and other factors have increased the responsibility of JODI CRANDALL FAITH HAYFLICH elementary ESL teachers for the overall education of language MARC HELGESEN GEORGE JOR learners. Jodi Crandall describes the expanding role of the elementary ESL DEBRA KENDRICK EMILY LITEs teacher. She highlights content-based instruction and the TESOL Pre-K-12 LINDA MAK TOMMY B. MCDONELL Standards as two means which can help teachers equip students for CHRISTINE MELONI academic achievement. She outlines the development of interesting thematic KATHY THORPE JEANA REMINGTON units that provide students with the language, skills and content they need for ROGER E. SAVAIN

mainstream classes. Webmaster CHARLES FOWLER A variety of factors are contributing to the increasing need for English Advertising Sales language instruction in the workplace. Faith Hayflich describes this growing 410-570-0746 410-798-5607 (fax) arena for ESL instruction and helps teachers evaluate this alternative [email protected] Subscriplion Information instructional setting for themselves. Emily Lites and Kathy Thorpe give Introductory rate: 1 year, 6 issues, U.S.: $16.95, Canada/Mexico: $24.95, outside guidelines for evaluating workplace instructional materials. North America: $34.95. All prices in U.S. $ and must be paid in U.S. funds. To sub- Marc Helgesen explains the need to prepare students for successful scribe, fill out subscription form on page 23 (photocopy additional forms if necessary) and mail with payment to: ESL listening and shares tips for teaching effective listening skills. Magazine, 220 McKendree Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401. Or fax subscrip- Roger Savain discusses the history of the Haitian people and the tion form with credit card information to 410-810-0910. Please call 410-570-0746 for all other inquiries. characteristics of their culture that contribute to their academic success in the ESL Magazine is published bimonthly United States. by Bridge Press, LLC 220 McKendree Avenue Thank you for the response to our article on Dave Sperling. Your letters Annapolis, MD 21401 [email protected] www.eslmag.com confirm the importance of Dave's contributions to the ESL/EFL field. ISSN: 1098-6553

4 ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 Dave Sperling: Great article on Dave Sperling and A Man with a Virtual Passion congratulations to Dave on everything I just read the interview in ESLhe has accomplished! I heard about Magazine, "Dave Sperling: A Manthe Cafe a year ago and have since met with a Virtual Passion." The articleDave and have seen firsthand his love brought into view a person of whomfor what he does. Ifeel fortunate to we can all be proud. People like Dave,have experienced his wonderful sense unselfish, generous, intelligent, cre-of humor, and I admire his dedication ative and possessing a sense of humor,in maintaining his Web site. I tell my make this world a wonderful place inchildren that their goal in life should which to live. The truth is, I wish I Send your "letters to the editor" to be to make a difference, to make the [email protected] or write could be one of his students! "Happyworld a better placeyou have done to ESL Magazine, 220 McKendree Ave., is the man who can make a living bythat Dave. Thanks. Annapolis, MD 21401. Please include his hobby!" DEBBIE J . LEE your name and position or address. JOSE ANTONIO Alberta, Canada Spain Developing Active Vocabulary I'm very happy to see the article on IapplaudJaymeAdelson- Just a note to say that Dave's ESLDave's ESL Cafe in ESL Magazine. I Goldstein's insightful article "Devel-Cafe is very useful for finding newmet Dave online several years ago and oping Active Vocabulary." It is acces-jobs. I've found my last two jobshave visited him and his family in sible and thorough. Any teacher read-through postings inthe job list!L.A. In addition to its stated purpose ing it will have a great place fromThanks, Dave! :-) of ESL, the Cafe is also an important which to start using a communicative KAYE MASTIN MALLORYmulticultural resource. Teachers and approach to vocabulary teaching. The e-mailstudents who visit the Cafe are inter- "tour" of the three levels of ESL class- ested in language issues, but many are rooms gives readers a firsthand look at Thanks a million for the touching,interested in a multicultural exchange. the way students atalllevels canoverwhelming article "A Man with a AN/I GOLD actively and meaningfully acquireVirtual Passion!" I've been a big Be'er Sheva, Israel new vocabulary. The myriad examplesadmirer of Dave Sperling and his great will assist all teachers in adding toWeb page for nearly two years. I'mArab Students their repertoire of communicativeprobably his biggest fan in Japan! I've I appreciated Mr. Kwilinski's por- vocabulary teaching techniques. Theread lots of articles about him and histrait of Arab students and their way of extensive list of resources is an invalu-activities, but I've never read one asteaching friendship and sharing their able reference. wonderful as this. While most articlesculture while they study in the U.S. LORI HOWARDand interviews only cover things likeWe Americans are often too eager to University of California at Berkeleyhis background and details of his Webknow how our country and ways site, your article communicates much impress newcomers and forget to learn As an adult ESL instructor, I readmore. It tells us a great deal about his from those who come. True friendship the article on developing active vocab-charming personality and what he'sinvolves mutual respect and mutual ulary with great interest. My interme-like deep down. I'm very proud to beappreciation. Thank you for the diate and advanced students alwaysa fan of such an incredible person! refreshing reminder. ask me how they can develop their KEIKO TSUJI ROBERTA SMITH vocabulary. Until now, I've only been Japan West River, MD ableto recommend reading. Ms. Adelson-Goldstein'stechniqueof focused task oriented use of new MASTERS DEGREES IN TEACHING ENGLISH vocabulary is the answer. I'm delight- AS A SECOND LANGUAGE ed to report that I used the technique outlined in the article immediately. OPTION Ileads to K-12 teaching The results were terrific and my stu- certification OPTION IIleads to Adult/International dents loved it. The next day they came MANHATTANVILLE teaching into class proudly using their newly COLLEGE acquired vocabulary. Thanks for a Join us at a small, private, co-ed, liberal arts great article! 2900 Purchase Street college in suburban New York for individual Purchase, New York 10577 teaching programs using theory to CHARMAINE BUDASKA improve practice! Adult ESL Instructot; Los Angeles, CA For information : Contact Dr. Krute (914) 323-5141 [email protected] We shape the teachers who shape the world!

ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 44; 5 W Workforce Investment Partnership Enacted nAugust7,President measures in order to ensure the improvement of adult edu- OClinton signed into law the cation and literacy services. The Act also encourages pro- Workforce Investment Partner- grams that promote phonemic awareness, systemic phon- ship Act of 1998, which consoli- ics, fluency and comprehension. dates more than 60 federal train- This Act replaces the Adult Education Act, the National ing programs into three block Literacy Act of 1991 and certain adult education and litera- grants to states.Title 11 of the cy program provisions of the Refugee Education Assistance law,knownastheAdult Act of 1980. Education and Family Literacy Act, creates a partnership among Cambridge University Press the federal government, states and localities to provide, on a Acquires St. Martin's voluntary basis, adult education and literacy services. ESL Product Line The purpose of the partnershipis to assist adultsin ambridge University Press and St. Martin's Press have 1) becoming literate and obtaining the knowledge and skillsCsigned an agreement whereby Cambridge University Press necessary for employment and self-sufficiency; 2) obtain-has acquired the St. Martin's College Division's ESL product ing the educational skills necessary to become full partnersline in a deal that took approximately six weeks to negotiate. in the educational development of their children; and 3)The effective transfer date for publishing and distribution completing secondary education. responsibilities was June 24, 1998. Cambridge University Included in the term "adult education" are services orPress is a leading publisher of ESL/EFL materials for a variety of audiences in North America and international markets. instruction below the postsecondary level for individuals Robert L. Biewen, Chairman of the Scientific American who are 16 years or older, who are not enrolled or required/St. Martin's College Publishing Group, stated, "I am pleased to be enrolled in secondary school under state law and whothat the St. Martin's ESL authors and their books will have a are unable to speak, read or write the English language. good home at This Act provides grants to states and directs them toCambridge University CAM IL RED GE award multiyear grants or contracts to eligible providers toPress. Since this small UNIVERSITY PRESS develop, implement and improve adult education and liter-list does not have a acy activities. Eligible providers may include local educa-proper fit with our overall strategic plan, I am glad that it will tional agencies, community-based organizations, volunteerbecome a part of the distinguished publishing program at Cambridge University Press." literacy organizations, institutions of higher education, Mary Vaughn, Publishing Director of ESL/EFL in public or private nonprofit agencies, libraries, public hous-Cambridge's North American branch, commented, "This ing authorities, other nonprofit institutions able to provideacquisition will contribute significantly to our ESL publishing literacy services to adults and families or a consortium ofplans for the college and university market and will reinforce these entities. States are also directed to adopt performance our strong position in global ESL/EFL publishing." Percent of Population Who Can Converse in English in European Union Countries 80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

NetherlandsDenmark Sweden LuxembourgGermany Belgium France EU Italy Poland Spain Russia SOURCE: Eunobarometen The Economist, Oct. 25, 1997

6 403 ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 MRWS, DDORV@ Resources From Pro Lingua 800=3664775 Shenanigames "Global Learn Day II" Grammar-Focused ESL Activities Showcases Distance Education and Games by Donna Inness and James Kea ley lobal Learn Day II (GLDII) will take place on the second Sunday of GOctober 1998. It is intended by organizers to be a global celebra- 49 fun grammar games for tion of education and educators. The main event will be the second middle school to adult learners 'round the world voyage of a five-masted virtual clipper known as the 96 photocopyable masters Franklin. The date was chosen to correspond with the celebration of "Easy-to-use, flexible, and Columbus day. The 28-hour Webcast "voyage" includes 21 "ports" fun...virtually foolproof." host institutions in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americasthat will fea- Cheryl Pay lik,ESL Magazine, Jan./Feb. 1998, vol. 1, Num. 1 ture presentations by experts in the fields of technology and education. SMENANIOAMES &remain arz Individuals from more than 200 countries will man chat rooms, and an Aethillra and Gann NOW $3 OFF Jam Rootolf audience of up to 100,000 will be able to interact with speakers, crew With This Coupon Doom Moose and each other. SPECIAL PRICE: $20.00 EA. PLUS S&H Organizers describe GLDII as "part exhibition, part expedition, part Print Name experiment and all conference." The theme is "A Return Voyage to the Address New World of Distance Education." The conference will address five major Phone topics, each representing the five 0 My check enclosed for $23.00 masts of the ship. The foremast 0 Charge my: Visa, MC, Amex for $23.00 is Teaching English as a Card # Foreign Language and will be Expiration Date chaired by Eric Baber, a Signature IPro Lingua, 15 Elm, Brattleboro, VT 05301I London instructor who will low =No lead a global panel discussion about English language instruction on the Internet. Europe $235 Discussions will address methods, pedagogy and technology, Asia $370 and new opportunities afforded by the technological revolution. Other "masts" include Access and Disabilities, So. America $167 Lifelong Learning, Globalization, and Appropriate Technology. Fly as an international courier for GLDII will feature more than 120,000 accredited courses available via distance delivery from thousands of universities worldwide. This the "big name" freight companies. number is expected to exceed one million in the next two years. It's the cheapest way to fly. Over Participants will learn how to evaluate and select courses as well as 1000 nit flights weekly. how to market educational programs worldwide. The voyage will also Examples: demonstrate technology that will allow attendees to take a tour of the Europe, Middle East,Africx Amsterdam, Hermitage in St. Petersburg and allow instructors in London to teach Brussels, Cairo, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dublin, English to students in Albania. Frankfurt, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Milan, Broadcast.com in Dallas is providing Webcasting services without Nairobi, Paris, Rome, Stockholm,Tel Aviv, Zurich. charge. Hundreds of volunteers have participated in the project. Asia, Pacific Rim, South Pacific: Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Cairns, Hong Kong, Chief organizer, John Hibbs, is also the founder of the Benjamin Honolulu, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Franklin Institute of Global Education in San Diego and of the Franklin Sydney,Taipei,Tokyo. Knowledge Corps, an alliance whose membership is recruited from the Mexico, Central and South America: Buenos 200,000 Americans, Australians, British, Canadians, Irish and New Aires, Caracas, Guatamala City, Guayquil, Kingston, La Paz, Lima, Managua, Mexico City, Panama, Quito, Zealanders who teach English abroad. Hibbs states that these teachers Rio de Janeiro, Salvador; San Juan, Sao Paulo, Santiago. "are the most resourceful persons on the planet." His goal is to assist them through the vehicle of distance learning. "The opportunities of AIR COURIERFor a FREE distance learning for those who teach abroad are extraordinary." Participation in GLDII requires only an Internet connection and a info kit call late version browser. Participants may register at www.bfranklin.edu. or may write to [email protected]. ESL Magazine is a sponsor of 1-800-822-0888 ASSOCIA770N. 303-215-9000 this event. Darner Colorado http://www.aircourier.org ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 i4m4 7 A MQU7c5 12EIQC#@ Hong Kong Alters English Education Policy While English continues to be one of the two official lan-However, there is a growing acceptance of American, guages of Hong Kong (the other is Cantonese), theCanadian, Australian and other Englishes, especially in Education Department of Hong Kong has ordered a changeinternational business, science, technology, the computer in the use of English as a medium of instruction in highindustry,world news and entertainment.National schools. Of Hong Kong's 424 high schools, 300 teach inGeographic,X-files,ER, 60 Minutes and movies like Cantonese and 124 in English. The Education DepartmentTitanic are well received. has ordered 24 of the latter to shift to Cantonese in September 1998, while permitting 100 to continue teaching George Jor, Hong Kong Correspondent in English. The new message from the government for teachers and students in Hong Konguse the mother tongue. This policy has caused resentment Tempo Bookstore among the principals, parents and students in both secondary and primary schools. The Languages Resource Center Campaigns have been launched to prove To Learn Foreign Languages and English as a Second Language (ESL) that students and teachers have the ability Translation Aids Cassettes Children's Visual Aids to learn and teach in English. Language Videos Language Arts Electronic Teacher CD-ROM's (Preschool & K-12; Translators Schools that are still allowed to teach Resources CD's ESL; Phonics; Special Book in English are perceived as better and more Dictionaries Cards Bilingual; Requests: Any prestigious and are sought after by many (Worldwide & Games Multicultural) Title, Any Field parents and students. Heep Yan School Special Fields) received over 800 applications for less 202-363-6683 than 100 openings. 4905 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington D.C. 20016 Fax: 202-363-6686 British English continues to be taught E-Mail: [email protected] and highly esteemed in Hong Kong. Mon-Sat: 10-10, Sun: 11-7 Conference Calendar

July September 17Maryland TESOL (MD TESOL) Annual 13-16 English Teachers' Association in 16-20 Institute for Intercultural Conference, Howard Community College, Israel (ETAI), Jerusalem, Israel. Contact H. Communication, 5th European summer Columbia, Maryland. Contact Sara Rose at Hoffman, [email protected]. seminar, Budapest, Hungary. Contact: 410-532-3156. Expected attendance: 250. Expected attendance: 800. [email protected]. 17 National Council of Teachers of English 13-17 Inaugural World Conference on 18-20 Slovak Association of Teachers of (NCTE), professional development services Computer Aided Language Learning, U. of English (SLATE) and the University of videoconference. Contact NCTE, 1111 W. Melbourne, Australia. Contact Fauth Royale Zi Dna, Zilina, Slovak Republic. Contact Kenyon Rd., Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096. [email protected]., http://www.arts. Anna Hlavanova, [email protected]. 217-328-3870. unimelb.edu.au/--hIc/worldcall/. 18-20 International Association of 17 Michigan TESOL (MITESOL) Annual 17-19 TESOL Academy, San Antonio, TX. Teachers of English as a Foreign Language Conference, Lansing, Michigan. Contact Contact Stephen Grady, 703-836-0774, (IATEFL). Symposium/British Council/ Jean Holther, 734-663-8137, A2Jean@aol. [email protected]. IATEFL, Hevelius Hotel, Gdansk, Poland. com. Expected attendance: 350. 28-August 1 Linguistic Association of Contact IATEFL, 100070.1327@ Compuserve.com, www.iatefl.org/. 17-18 Korea TESOL Annual Conference, Canada and the United States (LACUS), Kyung-hee University, Seoul, South Korea. Claremont, California. Contact Ruth Brend October Contact Kirsten Reitan, reitankb@sorak. 313-665-2787, [email protected]. 1-3 Southeast Regional TESOL Annual kaist.ac.kr. Expected attendance: 900. 31-August 1 The Oh lo State Conference Conference, Louisville, Kentucky. Contact November on Second Language Reading/Writing Tricia Davis, 606-622-4382. Expected attendance: 500. 7 Washington Area (WATESOL) Annual Connections, Ohio State University, Conference, Bethesda, MD. Contact Columbus, OH. Contact Coordinator, 2-4 New York TESOL 28th Annual Goedele Gulikers 301-982-1125. Expected ESL Programs, [email protected]. Conference, Buffalo/Niagra. Contact Tim or attendance: 500. August Miriam Ebsworth, 973-762-1530. Expected attendance: 500. 6-7 TexTESOL V State Conference, 10-12 National Council of Teachers of Arlington, Texas. Contact Jean Conway English (NCTE), Bordeaux, France. Contact 15-18 Second Language Research Forum [email protected]. Expected attendance: NCTE, 217-328-3870, 217-328-0977 fax. '98, U. of Hawai'i, Honolulu. Contact SLRF 1,200. 14-16 TESOL Academy, Seattle University, '98, 808-956-5984, [email protected], http://www.Ill.hawaii.edu/slrf98/. 20-23 24th Annual JALT (Japan Seattle, WA. Contact Stephen Grady, 703- Association for Language Teaching) 836-0774, [email protected]. 15-17 Texas Foreign Language International Conference, Omiya Sonic 27-30 International Association of Association (TFLA), El Camino Real, TX. City, Omiya, Saitama, Japan. Contact Teachers of English as a Foreign Language Contact TFLA, 1320 Modiste Dr., Houston, Janina Tubby, [email protected]. Expected (IATEFL), Constantsa, Romania. Contact Texas 77055. 713-468-4959, attendance: 2,500. IATEFL, [email protected]. [email protected].

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TilE STORY SctTM A unique literacy program that Teaching motivates students to speak and read their new language! EnglishItiAN This innovative multi-sensory program is being used in ESOL classrooms nationwide. As Each STORY SKr includes a well-known children's book, an audiotape of the book, a collection of toys and miniatures representing the characters and other key elements of the Mission (u) story, and complete, easy-to-follow instructions. Sharing your ability to speak and read Watch in English can be a ministry With English, IbTO amazement as disadvantaged groups can gain access to SIch: the students education or jobs. In some countries, an English instructor can have a ministry of retell the story presence and accompaniment that would with the toys! not be possible in any other way. Two-year opportunities available worldwide. Five different STORYSACKsare currently available. Set of five/$180.00 Each Sack/$36.95 1-800-779-6779 www.pcusa.oremsr Mission For more information call: Presbyterian Church (USA.) Service 100 Witherspoon Stmet Recruitment INTERACT STORY THEATRE Louisville,KY40202-1396 1-888-501-7986 ieG ESL MAGAZINEJULY/AUGUST 1998 9 TheExpanding/AZ'le of the Elementary S ,Teachen// Domg More tanTeaching Language, BYJODI CRANDALL j)/:/

"Teachers of English as a second orin the mainstream classroom.shown, students are likely-to be able to foreign language to young childrenWhatever the context, elementary ESLachieve these through social interac- must impart English skills at the sameteachers are likely to find themselvestion with peers in a relatively short time that they foster socialization;teaching not only language, but alsotime. It is Goal 2 which is the heart of heighten an awareness of the self; thethe academic concepts and strategiesthe standards document and increas- immediate classroom community, andto help English language learners useingly the core of elementary ESL: to the community beyond the school;their new language more effectivelyhelp English language learners "use introducecontentconcepts;andfor learning. English to obtain, process, construct, expose students to art, drama, litera- and provide subject matter informa- ture, and music. They must accomplish tion in spoken and written form" in these objectives through enjoyable content areas across the curriculum activitiesthat address the whole (Standard 2 of Goal 2). Children may childthe child's physical cognitive, be able to acquire social language social, and emotional development." without much assistance from their Schinke-Llano & Rauff, 1996 ESL teacher, but to understand social studies textbooks, read and work math Rising academic standards, word problems, and follow directions increasing use of standardized and complete science reports is likely assessments, growing numbers to require the assistance of the ESL and diversity of English language teacher, who can provide comprehen- learners in the elementary grades, and sible, yet meaningful opportunities for increasing reliance upon ESL without children to interact and converse in mother tongue literacy or language thatacademiclanguageasthey support: all these have led to a more explore new ideas, relate these ideas to challenging role for elementary ESL prior learning, and react and respond teachers, who may be expected to to each other. And for an elementary shoulder greater responsibility for the ESL teacher to be able to help students overall education of English language "to achieve academically in all content learners. Elementary ESL students need areas,"requiresthattheteacher Today, elementary ESL teachers content-based English instruction become very familiar with the goals may be required to teach initial litera- to succeed in school. and curriculum of other content areas cy, provide the major language arts and be able to align or integrate ESL instruction, introduce academic con- The new TESOL pre-K-12 ESLinstruction with the core curriculum. cepts, promote academic and socialstandards reflect this expanded role in language development, and help stu-the three goals for ESL instruction: Content-Based Language dents make up for missed prior Instruction in Elementary ESL schooling, as well as serve as coun-GI:iAL 1: To use English to'communicate in social settings; Content-based language instruction selor, interpreter, and community and (CBLI)which focuses on the lan- school liaison. While attempting toGoAL 2: To use English to achieve guage of academic content areas, as accomplish these many objectives,academically in all content areas; and well as core concepts and strategies elementary ESL teachers may also for learning theseprovides a means find that the 30-minute "pull-out" ESLGOAL 3: To use English in socially and culturally appropriate ways. of achieving the integration of ESL class has given way to 90- or 120- instruction with the core curriculum. minute ESL/language arts blocks or Goals 1 and 3 are important, but inIn a 30-minute pull-out class, an ESL even full-day assignments in which teacher might survey students on their ESL teachers "plug-in" and work col-second language contexts, as Cummins, Collier and others havefavorite foods, colors or pets and have laboratively with classroom teachers them construct a graph recording their 10 107 ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 results, integrating learning the lan-the English language learner to therecord what they already know about guage of numbers and comparisonsmainstream classroom, and thematictrees, what they want to know about with an important mathematical con-teaching helps children build on theirthem, and later, what they have cept. Or, over the course of a semester learned. This K-W-L chart will serve or year, students might plant seeds and JfILij'V to mark their progress throughout the chart their growth, noting the effects of unit. They may go outside and collect sunlight or darkness and water or leaves to press and describe in a class drought. In discussing and recording book, or spend time in cooperative their results, students might use the groups studying one treehow it future tense to predict the outcome, the looks, what it feels like and how it past tense to confirm or disconfirm smells. their predictions, and appropriate mea- They may use their impressions of surement vocabulary as they chart that tree to write a diamante or their plant's progress. cinquain poem or collect pieces of To integrate key vocabulary, con- bark or leaves and use them in a shape cepts and learning strategies from sev- poem they write about "their" tree. eral content areas and foster opportu- Following this, the teacher and stu- nities for including multicultural liter- dents may engage in shared reading of ature and other types of texts, the a book such as The Great Kapok Tree teacher might build an instructional or The People Who Hugged the Trees. unitaroundathemesuchas Follow-up discussion might focus on "Families," "Animal Babies," "Fossils the value of trees to people and other and Dinosaurs," "The Planets," or living creatures, the threat of the loss "Food." Thematic teaching also pro- of trees and what people can do to vides opportunities for a number of meet their needs without overhar- different activities. Games, chants, vesting. songs, Total Physical Response (TPR) A culminating activity might be activities, role plays, stories and drillsESL teachers can help students the planting of a class tree in the are still part of the elementary ESLachieve academically in all areas. school yard, with follow-up activities teacher's instructional repertoire, as throughout the year in which students are software programs and electronicprior learning and relate what they aredocument the changes and growth in "keypals" or "sister classes" whichlearning to the larger context of theirthe tree over time. Sensory adjectives, link students across miles, but in a the-lives and world. the names for the parts of a tree and a matic unit, these activities are all inte- A sample thematic unit on "Trees"leaf, and comparatives could all be grated and interconnected through anillustrates how academic content andtaught within this unit, which inte- interesting and motivating theme. skills across the curriculum are devel-grates scientific knowledge, social Content-based language instruc-oped within an ESL class. In this unit,responsibility and academic English tion, by integrating language learningstudents begin by discussing what theythrough a variety of oral and written with science, mathematics and socialknow about trees, filling out the firstEnglish activities. As this unit demon- studies, helps smooth the transition forpart of a "K-W-L" chart on which theystrates, thematic teaching can also Developing Thematic Units Choose a theme that: 3. Identify content objectives. Motivates and interests students (or a theme which they have selected) 4. Identify critical thinking skills, study skills or learning strategies. Focuses on relevant content from across the curriculum 5. Develop activities which: Facilitates meaningful dialogue and interaction Foster authentic language use Is grade- and age-appropriate Integrate listening, speaking, reading and writing Appeals to different learning styles Draw upon students' prior knowledge and lead tohigh- Offers opportunities for activities appropriate for er levels of understanding "multiple intelligences" Are appropriate for a variety of learning styles Is related to current events or concerns Develop learning strategies Use a variety of grouping strategies Plan the thematic unit: Provide periodic feedback and assessment 1. Identify appropriate texts to use or adapt (stories, poetry, academic texts, trade books or students' work). 6. Sequence the activities. 2. Identify language objectives. Functions Grammatical structures Vocabulary

ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 108 1 1 activate and appealtomost ofidea how it was made. So they engag-Donald provides a delightful opportu- Gardner's "multiple intelligences"ed in an experiment in making peanutnity to focus on pronunciation of through opportunities for movement,butter. They hypothesized about theEnglish long vowels (E-I-E-I-O) and singing or chanting, story telling,taste and texture of peanut butter atsingular-pluraldistinctions(duck- drawing and describing pictures, giv-various stages, followed directions toducks, dog-dogs, and horse-horses) ing and following directions, andhelp make it, then tasted and talkedwith the appropriate pronunciation of engaging in projects and experiments. about it as their teachers recorded their(-s, -z, -iz). I have also found that chil- Thematic teaching can also beimpressions on a large chart. Finally,dren have a great deal of fun making effective in plug-in ESL programs, inthey voted on whether or not peanutthe sounds of the animals in English which the ESL teacher co-teachesbutter tasted good and whether it wasand in their own language(s) while with the mainstream teacher. Forbetter when it was "chunky" orsinging the song. Cards with pictures example, in one Wisconsin elementary"smooth." In sequencing, predicting,of the animals and their names can be school, the author observed ESLconfirming or disconfirming the pre-made by the students and used in teachers work in small groups in thedictions, comparing and contrasting,games such as "Concentration," "Go morning (usually during a portion ofthe children used the academic lan-Fish," or other memory card games. their language arts module) on vocab- guage and skills that will be needed This unit can be followed by a ulary, grammar and other aspects offor other scientific experiments and inunit on "Zoo Animals," with a focus English, and in the afternoon, co-teachother comparative activities. on similarities and differences among with the mainstream teachers, who By having the ESL teacher in thethe various animals. A trip to a farm often bring several classes of studentsmainstream classroom, the childrenand a zoo, of course, would make all together for longer periods to accom-not only had the benefit of a greaterthis even more engaging and memo- modate science experiments or socialnumber of supportive teachers in therable for the children. Thematic units, studies projects. In one particularlyclassroom, but the mainstream class-while taking more time to develop and memorable afternoon, all the firstroom teacher also had the opportunitypresent, may offer a more engaging graderswith their teachers, the ESLto observe how the ESL teacher adapt- and productive use of the short EFL teacher and some teacher aidespar-ed instruction to make it more com-class than a series of activities that are ticipated in a unit on peanut butter thatprehensible to the English languagenot related to a central theme. The began with small groups engaged inlearners. theme helps students develop cogni- shared reading of Peanut Butter and Thematic teaching is also possibletive schema about their world as well Jelly and a discussion of favoritein EFL contexts. For example, a unitas the language to discuss and learn foods. Some of the students had neveron "Farm Animals" might begin withmore about it. eaten peanut butter, and few had anya discussion of pictures of these animals, followed byThe Challenges of CBU teaching songsfor Elementary ESL such as "OldPerhaps the greatest challenge for Ihe tnglish leacher's Assistant: MacDonald had aCBLI in elementary ESL is the scarci- farm" or "There The Newsletter for Busg, Innovative ty of good materials. Some excellent was an old ladymaterials are available. Science for ESL/EFL Teachers and Tutors who swallowed aLanguage Learners offers wonderful fly."Old Mac-suggestions for integrating science Introducing... a NEW Periodical for Send for your free copy of ESL/EFL Teaching elizateth Claire'3 Professionals. II Fresh teacher-tested sy Engli h activities and games. Each issue thematic. NEWS for newcomers to the USA 1/4 Photocopiable worksheets. Ifs current, It's relevant, you'll love Jargon-Free Adult and high school interest level. 3rd-grade reading level U.S. customs, culture, holidays, heroes, history, citizenship preparation, current news, survival tips,science, U.S. geography, safety, readers stories, sports, humor, idioms, vocabulary builders, quiz, crossword puzzle, editorials.

$20 individual U.S. subscription. Overseas: $35 Class discounts available. Fax Elizabeth Claire at (201) 791-1901 or Call (201) 791-5014 PHONE: 715.425.8891 / Toa-FREE 1.877.ESL.NEWS or E-mail [email protected] FAX: 715.425.2921 or Write toEasy English NEWS,P.O. Box 2596-D , Fair Lawn, NI 07410 [email protected] Ask for a current issue, no charge, right now, before you forget. Pe& 12 ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1 998 and ESL through thematic units relat-currently in preparation and whenstandards movement have provided ed to plants, animals or heat. The rela-available, will facilitate greater vocab- additional exciting challenges, as ESL tively new series Scott Foresman ESL:ulary development in the contentteachers work together to align their AcceleratingEnglish Languageareas. However, available texts areESL curriculum, first, with the core Learning integrates academic con-few, requiring ESL teachers to devel-curriculum in the school and then with cepts and language with learningop their own thematic units, a time-the standards set by TESOL. Summer strategies and literature in engagingconsuming though interesting chal-curriculum development teams pro- and appropriately challenging units.lenge for teachers. vide a start on this process, but help- Inaddition,The Oxford Picture The publication of the TESOLing teachers to implement the new Dictionary of the Content Areas ispre-K-12 standards and the entirecurriculum and standards will take A Sample Thematic Unit Theme: Trees Presentation In small groups, have students list all the ways that Language Objectives Lis-rENINGListen to the story (The Great Kapok Tree). people, animals and other plants benefit from trees. Show pictures of birds' nests, lumber, small trees SPEAKING living under larger ones, squirrels eating acorns, etc. Talk about similarities and differences in trees. if students need some suggestions. Describe leaves or trees. Record students' ideas on a chart according to who Discuss the value of trees to people, animals, etc. benefits (people, animals, plants). Retell the story (language experience story). Read The Great Kapok Tree. Preview the book with the students. Show the pictures. Ask students about READING where the story takes place. Point on a globe or map Read language experience story. to where rain forests are located. Read and sequence sentences from the story (strip story). While reading the story, stop frequently to talk about the kapok tree and the animals that live in the rain 10 WRITING forest. Label or write captions for tree book Practice Create a tree poem. Discuss the story. Go through the book again, pointing STRUCTURESplurals (-s, -z, -iz), comparatives (bigger, out more of the things in the pictures. Ask students if smaller, lighter, darker, etc.) they can remember the names of the animals and how each benefits from trees. As they talk, take notes on VOCABULARY the chart. From these, ask students to retell the story Trees, parts of tree (trunk, bark, leaves, roots, etc.) in their own words while you record their words. Shapes (round, oval, square) Application Names of the animals in the story Depending on age and English level, ask students to: Descriptive adjectives (smooth, rough, pretty, colors, Draw and label the parts of a tree. size, etc.) Working in pairs, create a tree/leaf book: paste Content Objectives leaves on sheets of paper, describe the leaves, name Understand similarities and differences in leaves and the tree. trees. Complete a chart which identifies ways people use Understand the value of trees and the importance of trees that allow the trees to continue living (renewable protecting and planting them. resources) and ways that cause trees to die. Study Skills Plant a tree in the school yard and create a sign for it. Sequence information. In groups of three, create a tree poem (using a dia- Compare and contrast effects of different uses of mante, cinquain or shape poem). trees. Evaluation and Closure Warm Up Ask students to share their "application" projects with Take students on walk around school grounds. Point the class. to different trees. Touch them. Talk about them. Build Have students work in small groups to create tree vocabulary. Encourage students to look closely and to posters that combine their work. pick up fallen leaves and bark to take back to class. Follow-Up When back in the class, ask students to describe If students plant a tree, create a class tree diary. their leaves. Elicit vocabulary for colors, shapes, size and other characteristics. Ask students to look at the tree carefully periodically (perhaps once a month) and to describe changes in Show pictures of different trees. Ask students to talk the tree. about trees in the school yard, in their yards, in the neighborhood, etc. Identify ways in which the trees are Measure the tree's growth periodically and chart that the same/different; small/large, etc.). growth on the classroom wall. Create a semantic web recording what students know Appoint different students each week/month to be about trees. Transfer to a K-W-L chart and ask what responsible for caring for the tree, watering it, if nec- else they want to know (learn) about trees. essary, and reporting to the class about its growth. ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 11 13 substantially more time and effort. ers in their classes. An experienced Exchanging More An additional challenge is classelementary school teacher who adds time. Even with 90- or 120-minutean M.A. in TESOL is a great asset to Than Just Ideas classes, the time for thematic teachinga school. However, efforts in some may be limited, and what time isstates to reduce ESL certification to an available may be interrupted byendorsement and to require that teach- requests for interpreting, testing, otherers become certified as elementary special assignments and the ongoingschool teachers before they add a few testing and placement of new students.courses in ESL are misguided and Classroom teachers may overlook theshort-sighted.Whileelementary scheduled departure time for ESL stu-teachers may need to learn how to dents or may refuse to let these stu-teach the increasingly diverse students dents leave because "they are involvedin their classrooms, teaching ESL in something too important to miss."requires knowledge and experiences Sadly, it is these same teachers whobeyond those which would be avail- may also say, "You take care of it.able in a brief endorsement program. THE FULBRIGHT You're the English teacher," when aTeacher education partnerships which student has trouble with the languagelink those preparing to teach ESL with TEACHER EXCHANGE of mathematics or the reading or writ-others preparing to teach science or PROGRAM ing requirements of the regular class-social studies offer the opportunity for room. these prospective teachers to learn Opportunities for educators at the For those engaged in preparingfrom each other. Partnerships between elementary, secondary, and two- ESOL teachers, the challenges areschools and universities that offer year post-secondary levels to: also great. Prospective elementarylong-term internships to teacher can- Exchange classrooms with ESL teachers need time to observe,didates are also promising. Teacher teachers from other countries. assist and co-teach in both ESL andpreparation is a continuing challenge, Participate in a six-week mainstream classrooms if they are toone which must be met if future ele- administrative exchange. be prepared to integrate ESL and thementary ESL teachers are to success- core curriculum in their teaching. Infully fill their expanding roles. Attend a Classics Seminar in the M.A. Program in ESOL/Bilingual Italy. EducationattheUniversityofJoAnn (Jodi) Crandall is professor of Maryland, Baltimore County, manyEducation, Co-Director ESOLJ TO QUALIFYYOU MUST: students have been teaching elemen-Bilingual Program and Director, Be a U.S. citizen. tary school for years and want to teachDoctoral PrograminLanguage, Be fluent in English. ESL because of their positive experi-Literacy and Culture, University of Have a Bachelor's degree or ences with the English language learn-MD Baltimore County (UMBC). higher. Be in at least third year of full- time employment. Hold a current full-time ESL Standards for teaching or administrative position. Pre-K 12 Students feu Minorities are encouraged to CSL Standards for Pre-K-12 Students is the %amps apply. I first national guide to assist states and local school districts in addressing the particular For more Information and instructional needs of ESL students, who must application material contact: learn a new language as well as academic con- The Fulbright Teacher Exchange tent. Development of the ESL standards was a Attention: L.E. three-year project funded by the TESOL associa- 600 Maryland Avenue, S.W. tion and carried out primarily through the grass-roots, volunteer effort Room 465 of TESOL members. Hundreds of teachers, researchers, administrators Washington, DC 20024 and language specialists participated in the .project. (800)726-0479 The standards are organized around three goals and each goal [email protected] has three standards according to grade-level clusters pre-K-3, 4-8 and http://www.grad.usda.gov/ 9-12. The standards include behavioral descriptors, progress indica- International/ftep.html tors and real classroom scenarios. For more information about the ESL Standards and their imple- Applications must be post-marked mentation in pre-K through twelfth grade classrooms, contact Deborah by October15, 1998 Short, Project Director, or Emily Gomez at the Center for Applied Linguistics at 202-429-9292. FliazuguT Copies of ESL Standards for Pre-K-12 Students are available from

-Sponsored by the U.S. Information A9ency- TESOL at 703-518-2522, e-mail [email protected].

14 " ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 Your job just got easier.

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Based on Visi-Pitch II, the leading product in speech therapy, Visi-Pitch II for ESL contains many powerful tools for teaching pronunciation. Developed in conjunction with Dr. Garry Molholt, Ph.D., a leading educator in the field of ESL, Visi-Pitch 11 for ESL is a complete system with both hardware (external module, internal plug-in card, microphone, speaker, etc.) and software.

`..n,otootlfsinftss i s Cho Spoil The software provides training on essential features of CURREN( VOWEL TABLE CARDINM7 pronunciation such as intonation, timing, and stress. It displays C>CH1VUNPRAC4.1161. suprasegmentals, vowels, and consonants in real time, with split- . . ; 1 ... I 1 . screen, instant playback, and waveform editing capabilities. +1141.1 i i Spectrograms, too, can be displayed to show formants and 4 1. coarticulatory patterns. Further, they can be used to show .po . x 5 4 4 4 i students acoustic patterns of consonant productions such as . . g . voice onset times, voicing vs. unvoicing, frequency Z4. 6 i 4+0'.

'.... characteristics, durations, and more. , A 200-page textbook, written by Dr. Molholt, serves as a i guide to using Visi-Pitch 11 for ESL. In addition, a companion i°

: 1

CD-ROM database, of more than 1250 sample productions of A. 1: 1: 14 12 10 native and non-native speakers, can be loaded directly into the Frogooncy of £2 (Hz x 166ffooarl hole ) program for listening and visual comparisons of speech productions. Visi-Pitch II for ESL is a result of many years of collabo- Sample display for vowel training. Students can observe their vowel production (see red dots) rative work to develop a practical, proven approach to ESL in real time in comparison to the screen target. training and accent reduction. For more information about Visi-Pitch II for ESL, contact Kay Elemetrics or a local representative.

Kay Elemetrics Corp. 2 Bridgewater Lane + Lincoln Park, NJ 07035-1488 USA Tel: 1-800-289-5297 (USA and Canada) + (973) 628-6200 : Fax: (973) 628-6363 E-mail: [email protected] + Web: www.kayelemetrics.com II rh X Annou.ancing Two Outstanding New Vocabulary Boolcs For Adult ESL Students

VOCABULARY BASICS Reading Level: 4-6 Judith Nadel Beth JohnsonPaul Langan Vocabulary Basics will help your most basic students learn 240 words important for moving ahead in school and at work. Students learn in the best possible way: by working closely and repeatedly with the new words. No other book on the market provides so much and such varied reinforcement.

Key fetures of each book: An intensive words-in-context approach. Each new word is presented in at least nine different settings. To develop "ownership" of the new words, students are also asked to use the words in speaking and writing situations. Varied practice and appealing content. You'll fmd your students motivated by the wide variety of activities as well as by the lively, realistic, often humorous practice materials. Sensitivity to the needs of adult ESL students. Information is presented in a clear and easy-to-understand wayin a friendly, accessible tone of voice that never condescends. Outstanding price. While the books are comprehensive enough to serve as primary texts, their modest net price of $7.90 also makes them inexpensive supplements in any ESL class.

For a free exam copy of the instructor's edition of either book, please call or write us. Your order will be sent out the day we receive it. Additional information about each book, including a list of words in the book and sample pages, is available at our website. TP TOWNSEND PRESS PAVILIONS AT GREENTREE-408 MARLTON, NJ 08053 1-800-772-6410 0 www.townsendpress.com Helping you jupio students learn 213 Vg@IIRC)1©@V Comfort at the Computer BY TOMMY B . MCDONELL, M P S

Students' comfort has much to do o upper arms are close to your sidesD Lighting with how they learn. If students and elbows form right angles (90If glare is a problem, there are several are not comfortable while work- degrees). solutions. Position the screen at right ing at the computer, this will affect angles to any bright light sources. their learning. Therefore, teachersD Work Station Don't face a window. If you have trou- need to pay attention not only to com-First, make sure you have enoughble reading the screen, adjust the puter software for students but also toroom. Place materials or suppliesbrightnessand contrastcontrols. the set up of computer work stations.where they don't interfere with yourReflections may be eliminated by tilt- Habits developed at school can be con-movements. Arrange the work area so ing the display. tinued at home. These tips .also workthat you face the display and keyboard for setting up your own office atdirectly,without having totwist1> Keyboards school or at home. your body. The keyboard and mouse are often the Ergonomics, the scientific study reason for hand or wrist pain and of human work, has as its goal the carpal tunnel syndrome. Keyboards reduction of musculosketal disorders should be detachable so the angle and by adapting work to fit the person. The position can be adjusted. Wrist/palm OccupationalSafetyandHealth rests should be made of soft support- Administration, or OSHA, defines ing material and be the same height as ergonomic disorders as those of mus- the keyboard. culoskeletal and nervous systems Use the palm rest to rest your occurringin the upper or lower hand prior to typing; don't use it while extremities or the back. Disorders typing or you will put stress on your include carpal tunnel syndrome, vari- hands. When typing, your wrists ous tendon disorders and lower back should be as straight as possible and injuries. Common symptoms are: your forearms parallel to the floor. o painful joints, wrists or shoulders,A divided keyboard promotes natural 0tingling and numbness in handsand comfortable hand position. D The Mouse and feet, When moving the mouse, use your o back or neck pain, D The Chair whole arm, not just your wrist. Your o stiffness. Both chairs and monitors are often themouse or trackball should be at the These symptoms are caused orcauses of neck and/or back discom-same height as your keyboard and aggravated by repetitive motion orfort. Every chair is different, but onewithin easy reach. awkwardpositionsforextendedshould be able to adjust the fit, tilt and periods of time. height of the chair for good postureD Extra Tips and comfort. The chair should fit theRemember to stretch from time to Tailor Your Work Space To back snugly or have a back cushion. time. After twenty minutes of typing Fit Your Body's Needs Set the chair height so that handsor looking at the monitor, take a break The best computer lab or teacher'sand wrists are at about the same levelfor a minute or two and look around office is one in which the workspace isas the home row on the keyboard. the room. tailored to fit the body's needs. The Feet should be on the floor or on a If you have pain that lasts for best position for your body is one thatfoot rest. more than a few days, call your doctor generates the least amount of strain. to determine the problem. Making the right ergonomic adjust-L> Monitor ments to the chair, keyboard and dis-The top line of the monitor should be The next time you experience play are important. just below eye level to keep the neckneck or back pain at work, or notice a straight. Adjustable arms, tables orstudent's discomfort, consider the set I> Your Body platforms can help bring the screen toup of the computer work station and If you work with a computer, the rec-the proper height. The monitor shouldlook for ways to make it more ommended position for your body isbe placed 18 to 30 inches away fromergonomically correct. one in which your: the you. The screen should be easily shoulders are relaxed, viewed so that the your head isn't turn- Tommy B. McDonell is Executive o wrists form straight lines withing to the side or tilting up or downDirector of the Learning English Adult arms, hands and fingers, regularly. Program, Inc. (LEAP) in New York.

ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 17 GOING CORPORATE: Teaching English in the Workplace BY FAITH HAYFLICH

The union of auto manufacturingrole is expanded. To be successful, arelated situations (e.g., "How much giants Chrysler and Daimler-teacher must adapt to this new envi-paper do you want?" not "How much Benz was the merger "heardronment and meet these challengesmeat?"). Many of a teacher's favorite 'round the world," causing many to sitwith energy and creativity. books may not be useful within the up and take notice. English language When a teacher walks into a cor-corporate setting because they focus teachers should alsotakenoticeporation, he or she becomes antoo much on school situations or life because the accelerated globalizationinstructor, trainer or consultant. Theskills or are oriented towards the of business is just one of several fac-students are employees of the corpora-wrong age group. tors causing the growth of corporatetion and are known as participants or ESL in North America, growth that istrainees. The school represented byCreative Scheduling providing increased opportunities forthe teacher is the vendor or provider.Class schedules must conform to com- teachers. Everyone who has an interest in thepany schedules. Students may come to More and more companies areclass may be referred to as a "stake-class for two hours twice a week, or seeking English language and cul- three hours once a week, or some- tural training for their employees. times for a whole day for one Berlitz International, Inc., one of class. Classes may take place the largest language teaching enti- before or after work or on the job. ties in the world, reports that in just They can even occur during a the last five years, corporate enroll- graveyard shift from 11 p.m. to 1 mentsforEnglishlanguage a.m. or 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. instruction have increased from Since classes may be two or 21% to 32% of their total corporate eight or twelve weeks long, a enrollment. Among their English teacher who works full-time in a training clients are familiar names corporate setting may have a such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola, schedule that changes constantly. Samsung, Daimler-Benz and Overlapping courses may provide KPMG Peat Marwick. 28 hours of teaching in one week Other international companies and only six in the next. Trainers such as Toyota, Panasonic and typically need to schedule vaca- Canon have all offered English tions in advance and inform the classes for their employees in the corporate client since there are no U.S. and abroad. Hilton now offers regularly scheduled school vaca- English classes for management tions. and support staff nationwide. Other Scheduling individual classes ESLtrainingentitiesreport requires juggling the priorities of increases in the number of corpo- various stakeholders in a com- rate clients from a variety of fieldsholder." Students, their supervisors,pany. When the students are profes- including technology,realestate,the division manager and the trainingsionals (e.g., engineers, scientists, and management, law, design, finance,manager may all be stakeholders. accountants), scheduling may be rela- publishing/media, and hospitality sec- The language in the classroomtively easy. Classes can usually occur tors, as well as associations and feder-relates primarily to work rather thanduring the day or sometimes immedi- al agencies. life skills or school situations. Thisatelyafterwork becausethese means that conversation practice isemployees often schedule their own Changes and Challenges geared toward situations that occur attime. The main issue is scheduling What is it like to teach ESL in a cor-work (e.g., meetings). Sentences usedaround meetings and business trips. poration? It can be exciting and full offor pronunciation exercises include For hourly workers such as clerks surprises. One encounters new termi-work-related vocabulary (so that hard-or manufacturing employees, schedul- nology, schedules, instructional set-ware engineers talk about "hardware"ing can be more challenging. Training tings and goals. Even the teacher'sinstead of "holloware"), and grammaron company time ensures good atten- and functional exercises include work-dance but may lower output in a pro- 18 I I 115 ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 duction environment, so supervisors limited English speaking employ- Organizations That may request training after hours. ees and their managers, saving However, employees may then have a time and reducing costly errors; Have Provided English difficult time coming to class because Improve communication and rela- Training for Employees of second jobs or baby-sitting needs or tionships among coworkers to cre- >- Apple Computer car pools. Employees may work 12- ate greater cooperation; >- Applied Komatsu Technology hour shifts three days per week and be Encourage employees to report >- Compaq tired if they come to class after their problems and devise solutions; >- Digital Equipment shift. A typical solution in a produc- Improve employees' communica- Dolby Labs tion environment is to provide training tion skills and self-confidence so Fujitsu America for two hours twice per week with one that they can assume greater 0- Hewlett-Packard hour on company time and one hour responsibility and be promoted in IBM on the employee's own time. the organization; Kobe Precision Improve communication between Quantum Instructional Settings limited English speaking employ- >- Silicon Graphics The classroom in a company is often a ees and customers in order to Solectron conference room. This may be a won- enhance customer relations; Sony derful training facilitybetter than any Improve the quality and speed of >- Sun Microsystems school classroomwith video, an over- production through better reading >- 3COM head projector, flip charts, white- of job specifications, better under- >- Xerox boards (some of which can print out standing of instructions and Cirrus Logic what the teacher has written on them), increased ability to interpret math- >- Intel moveable tables and a thermostat that ematical information. Motorola can be set for comfort. On the other 0,- National Semiconductor hand, a teacher may find herself in a These kinds of goals can be excit- >- Samsung large cafeteria or a room designed foring for the trainer who sees his work McDonald's O.- Coca-Cola >- Daimler-Benz "One encounters new teninology, KPMG Peat Marwick >- General Motors Nikon Precision, Inc. >- Silicon Valley Group schedules, instructional settings and goals. 0- Chemical Pharmaceutical Panasonic >- Stanford University Medical Center Even the teacher's role is expanded." Adobe Toyota ten people with a class of twelve.have a direct impact on the students >- Oracle There may be a noisy ventilation sys-and those around them. For example, Bank of America tem to compete with a pronunciationone company found itself saving Citibank class. $1,000,000 per year on one production Metropolitan Life Add to these challenges the possi-line due to work-related ESL training. >- Wells Fargo Bank bility of a high priority corporateIn the class,the employees had >- Bureau of Land Management meeting taking place in the regularlylearned to discuss and solve problems >- United Defense scheduled training room so that thethey were having in meeting their pro- Litton Applied Technology instructor must find an alternate roomduction goals. By solving some of >- Lockheed Missiles & Space at the last minute. One corporate train-these problems, they were able to save >- U.S. Air Force er arrived at her meeting room in athe company money and receive Hyatt Hotels fast-growing company only to findbonuses in the process. MCI that it had been converted into an In another case, an employee >- Northern Telecom office over the weekend. wanted to apply for a promotion but >- Lucent Technology was not meeting the interviewer's >0 Pacific Bell Diverse Students and Goals expectations even though he was good >- SynOptics The corporate setting also often pre-at his job. His ESL class helped him >- Canon sents goals that differ from those in aacquire the skills he needed to succeed Pioneer Electronics school setting. Companies hire ESLin an interview and get a well- Toro Irrigation teachers to improve productivity anddeserved promotion. Chevron Corporation save money. More specifically, they ESL teachers in a corporation 0.- Asian Management Institute may request that a class: serve a wide variety of students. > Sonoma State University Improve worker participation in A teacher may conduct training for: > University of California total quality management (TQM) A group of employees who are in >- General Electric teams; the U.S. for 6 months of job train- > Levi Strauss Improve conmiunication between ing from their company but whose >- Los Angeles Times Waste Management 0 br 19 ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 4 116 English skills are inadequate teacher should maintain contact for that training; with the stakeholders to inform A high-ranking executive who them of the progress of the class needs to make presentations and any problems. The trainer but has trouble being under- should also be informed of any stood because of his accent; factors affecting students' jobs A group of manufacturing that could be brought into future workers, some of whom are lessons. At the conclusion of not literate, who must read training, results of post-tests and manuals on the job and speak questionnaires to students' super- to colleagues and supervisors visors asking about progress and to solve problems; usefulness of the training can help Hotel workers who are not the company evaluate the training literate and know very little and determine whether or not to English yet must answer provide additional training for guests' questions; employees. Engineers who have lived in With the diversity of students the U.S. for many years but and goals typically present in a whose career development is ESL professionals may serve a wider variety company, teachers must be care- stymied because of poor of students in a corporate setting. ful not to overextend themselves. communication; Since an hour of class in a work- Bank clerks who need to write writing needs on the job are veryplace may require several hours of grammatically correct letters to different. preparation,successfulworkplace customers. teachers learn to prepare classes effi- Developing Instruction ciently and spend their time develop- For each of these groups, the cur-In order to conduct a class that meetsing materials that can be used in more riculum and materials will be differ-the needs of the participants, the train- than one class. For example, a fre- ent. Ideally, the trainer will encourageer must first do a needs assessmentquent need in manufacturing is for the company not to combine too manythat includes placement testing and anemployees to learn to clarify. Teachers different groups into one class. Foranalysis of the language used on thecan create a standard lesson on clarify- example, a writing class with nativejob. The next step is to divide the par-ing skills and then adapt it for each and non-native speaking engineers canticipants into classes according to typenew level or company. be successful as long as the latter haveof job and language level.The cur- advanced English skills. However, ariculum is then developed with inputAn Expanded Role writing class with engineers and man-from students, supervisors and man-In a company, teachers take on a new ufacturing workers may be less suc-agers, if possible. role. They become not only teachers to cessful if their educational levels and As trainingtakesplace,the (continued on page 22) U.S. Business English Instruction for Foreign Business Professionals Two ways to serve you: Our Instruction Features: 1. "The Wisconsin Experience." Learn U.S. Pre-Seminar U.S. Business Business English through Orientation Program English Instruction our immersion program at Improve seminar Build your business English skills: our Wisconsin location. comprehension Learn U.S. business English 2. We will teach at our Maximize seminar learning Practice business conversational location or yours, even English internationally. 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2 0 ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 1 7 Evaluating Business and Workplace English Materials BY EMILY LITES AND KATHY THORPE Evaluating business or workplace English instructional 3. Match Learner Needs with the Contents of Textbooks materials can be daunting since the materials chosen Comparing textbook tables of contents with your learning often have a major impact on the success of the goals is a good place to start. Level and general appropri- learning experience. For any corporate or workplace set- acy then become important considerations: ting, trainers typically cannot find published materials that Is the level appropriate? exactly fit trainees' needs. Trainers must usually rely on a Are the materials relevant to your trainees? combination of their own materials and published materials. The following steps should help trainers evaluate Are the materials sufficiently sophisticated? materials and select those which best fit the needs of the Is the language natural [American] English? trainees. Are the situations authentic?

1. Conduct a Brief Needs Analysis 4. Identify Positive Qualities in Each Textbook Identify specific learning goals before selecting materials: The search is further narrowed as you examine individual What do learners need to be able to do in English? characteristics: What general skill areas are important? Is there a strong [listening, speaking, reading and In what communication situations will they writing] component? participate? Is there a variety of exercises and activities? What are individual and corporate expectations? Is there a logical progression in the activities? At what level are the learners currently? Is there a mix of controlled, semi-controlled, and free expression activities? Target Proficiency Do the activities include authentic, problem-solving tasks when appropriate? Current Proficiency Are activities sufficient in number, nature and depth = Focus of Coursework to reach mastery of the target language and skills?

The needs analysis might be 5. Check for Differentiating done via questionnaires, interviews, Qualities and/or talks with corporate adminis- These additional considerations trators and trainees. Although diffi- may help you finalize the decision: cult to get, this information is tremendously helpful to course Is the content interesting, designers. relevant and engaging? Are the directions clear and 2. Analyze and Select Specific simple? Language Skills Are communicative activities A key concern is whether the materi- open-ended? Do participants als focus on the high frequency, assume roles and stances? authentic language actually used in Are they adequately prepared business contexts. With oral skills, areas beforehand? Is there opportunity for learners to of particular need might include: relate the topics to their own experience? Telephoning Does the textbook elicit cross cultural information? Setting up appointments and meetings Is there attention to business protocol, often a con- Traveling internationally cern for international executives? Participating in and running meetings Are the art and layout user-friendly and inviting? Giving presentations Are companion materials (cassettes, video, CD-ROM, Socializing instructor manual, etc.) useful? Persuading others The perfect textbook may never exist, but as more Negotiating materials are published for different skill areas, it Discussion skills becomes easier to match quality materials with the needs Executive etiquette of program participants. Cross-cultural awareness and business protocol Also important may be skills more closely aligned Emily Lites, Executive Director of American Business with participants' specific occupations: taking orders; English, is designing an online business English training placing orders; customer service; making travel arrange- center for corporate and individual users. Visit her online ments; receiving visitors; giving company tours; describing at http://www.bizenglish.com/. products and services; describing company history, Kathy Thorpe is Coordinator of Executive English organization and structure; describing a process or Programs at the Economics Institute where she teaches, procedure; interpersonal skills or teamwork. designs courses and programs and writes materials. She ii can be reached at [email protected]. ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 21 their students, but advisors to the com-gual company wanted all employeesAmerican Society for Training and pany. They must, as usual, satisfy theirto speak English on the floor duringDevelopment to meet local corporate students and their own teaching super-working hours so that everyone would trainers or make cold calls to inform visor, but also the students' supervi-feel included in discussions. Studentslocal corporations of the services. sors and the human resources depart-in ESL training spent several weeksOther contact can be via brochures, ment of the company. This requiresdiscussing the pros and cons of speak-advertisements, yellow page listings diplomacy and an ability to be neutraling English on the floor, including fac-or the Internet. when considering the needs of differ-tors that made it easy or difficult for Pay for workplace teachers varies. entstakeholders.Manufacturingthem to speak English. Class represen- Some community colleges and adult supervisors are ultimately responsibletatives brought their reports to theeducation centers pay a small premi- for production. When employees arestakeholder group, and the group dis-um dn top of their regular pay rates for in classes, they are not producing acussed ways to encourage speakingcorporate work. Some pay extra for product. A teacher may need to beEnglish on the floor. One result was acurriculum development and mileage. willing to suspend classes for a weekposter contest. A more importantIn California, rates for ESL teachers in when there's a production push whileresult was greater understanding bycorporate settings can range from $25 also demonstrating to supervisors howthe employees and their supervisors ofan hour for adult education programs the class will ultimately help meetthe ramifications of speaking or notor private schools to $100 per hour or production goals. speaking English. more for teachers who get contracts on In some of the most successful their own. large-scale workplace programs, thereGoing Corporate The need for corporate ESL teach- is a stakeholder group that meets reg-Teachers who want to teach in theers is growing, providing an exciting ularlythroughouttheprogram.workplace have several ways to gocareer alternative for ESL profession- Participants include the ESL teacher,about it. One is to get a workplace jobals. While it requires flexibility and people from the human resourcesthrough a community college, adultadaptability, the rewards can be great staff, selected students from the pro-education program or through a com-for those who like creative challenges. gram and their supervisors or man-pany like Berlitz or LinguaTec (in the agers. The ESL teacher's role is toSan Francisco Bay Area). An instruc- advise, provide information about thetor can also approach a company inde- educational process and encourage thependently. In this case, it is best to use P.Faith Hayflich is President of stakeholders in making their deci-a wide variety of methods. Some con-LinguaTec, a corporation she founded sions. tact should be personal. The teacherin 1980 to provide English language For example, one very multilin-can join a local chapter of thetraining in the workplace.

Would you and your students like a complete Business English Website? Do you have what it takes Announcing... American Business English to teach in a company? IAIlilethere are a variety of different corporate situa- A New Online Resource for tlions,if you can answer yes to most of the following International Executive Training questions, you have a good chance of being successful as Online language training center a corporate ESL trainer. Do you have a Master's degree in teaching ESL? Custom materials writing p1/4:rtieric nfl Have you ever worked in a corporation? Consulting services 1 s sines Do you have experience in designing English for Document editing Specific Purposes (ESP) or Vocational ESL (VESL) gb-sh Bookstore programs? And coming soon ... Do you use a wide variety of teaching techniques? Instructor resource room! Are you flexible and organized? Can you function independently? For more information, please contact: Are you willing to adapt to corporate goals, expecta- American Business English tions and time constraints? Tel: +1 303.443.7736 Fax: +1 303.443.1524 Can you be impartial in a dispute between employees Email: [email protected] (i.e., your students) and their supervisors? Do you like the challenge of meeting the needs of a Please Visit Us Online! variety of different people? http://www.bizenglish.com Can you establish a professional peer relationship with your students? Do you like to develop class materials?

22 119 ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 REVIEWS ELLIS Software Supplements Instruction and Promotes Practice

BY JEANA REMINGTON

As an ESOL instructor,I amlogue from the video segment is trans-lessons as many times as they want. always concerned that my stu-ferred to the computer screen whereWhile students are working at their dents spend as much time asthe student is guided through a seriesindividual stations,I am able to possible using English. I also want myof learning activities that include lis-move from student to student and pro- students to enjoy the personalized, tening, vocabulary, phrases, grammar, vide that critically important "one on individual instruction that comes fromculture and pronunciation. Writingone" time, listening, assisting and a small class setting. Unfortunately,activities are provided in a companionclarifying. time deficiencies and other constraintsworkbook. Often students feel that taking sometimes prevent these ideals from Students are encouraged to speaklanguage classes keeps them from being realized. However, I'm English through the use of role playstudying what they really came to col- excited that there is now a pow- lege forcomputer science, medicine, erful multimedia instructional engineering, etc. For many of my stu- program series called ELLIS Two dents, the ESOL computer lab is their firstexperiencewithcomputers. (English Language Learning and r-°7-1.745 Instruction System) by CALI, However, by the time a stu- Inc. that is helping us meet our liY1 I* Os* dent completes a semester of individual student goals. 1.11,, ESOL courses with the user friendlyELLISprograms, The three core programs of Nes paolle.l.a.w. ELLIS (Intro, Middle Mastery they have not only gained a and Senior Mastery) cover a Ce- higher level of comfort with wide range of English ability. Intro is the personal computer but the beginner program and addresses have actually learned a little of the needs of persons with minimal how it works. Using the indi- English ability. It contains 400 hours vidualized computer instruc- of interactive instruction and is built tion also increases our stu- around themes that reflect the survival dents' motivation. skills necessary for a person who may Finally, as a lab coordinator, I face be new to an English speaking envi- many technical challenges. Keeping ronment. This program uses a large computers running, software updated number of graphics and a built-in and penpherals repaired can be time- Native Language Help/Guide. Ellis software uses video and role consuming. The ELLIS products have MiddleMasteryandSeniorplay activities and allows students to runconsistentlywelland,with Mastery are the intermediate and view progress and scores. CALI's frequent updates, have always advanced programsthatprovide remained "state-of-the-art" applica- increasingly higher skill levels as stu-activities in which they assume thetions. Also, as someone who delivers dents move through the integrated cur-role of one of the actors in the videofive or six orientations per day at riculum. segment and insert their voice into thethe beginning of each semester, I can Two other programsincludesegment for playback and review.say that my students learn to use this Master Pronunciation, which is a prac-There are multiple practice activitiesfairly complex program with ease. tice program for pronunciation skillsthat prepare students for their perfor- The ELLIS software combined and accent reduction, and an on-linemance evaluations. with the increased student-teacher computer-adaptive assessment called Through a combination of class-interaction and individualized practice Placement that indicates which pro-roominstructionandlaboratoryhas created a richer learning experi- gram and where within that programassignments using the ELLIS pro-ence for our ESOL students. the student should work. grams, we are able to work with a The strategy of the programs is tolarge group of students and still ensure create a "real world" learning environ-that each student has a quality oppor- ment for each lesson that is relevant totunity to practice English at her or hisJeana Remington teaches ESL at the student's life through the presenta-own pace. Students can listen to, prac-Richland College of the Dallas County tion of a short video segment. The dia-tice and repeat lessons and portions ofCommunity College District. ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 12' 23 0 _,Earrn

BY MARC HELGESEN

Every day we listen to many dif-so, choose and read one (and only one)ERIKA: Tennis? Look out the window. ferent things in many differentof the three tasks below. It's raining. ways. Perhaps your alarm clock rang this morning. You heard it andTASK 1 RAFAEL: Raining? Oh, no! woke up. That's listening. Maybe theWhat's the main topic How you read depended on which TV or radio was on as you ate break-of the conversation? task you chose. Task 1 required fast. You weren't really paying atten-El sports reading for the gist or general under- tion until something you wanted to0 the weather standing. Task 2 asked for specific know aboutthe weather or the0 the window information. Task 3 required infer- newscame on. Then you focused in. ence. If you had been listening to the Both being aware of the sounds in theTASK 2 conversation instead of reading it, you background and your focusing wereWhat's the weather like? would have adjusted your listening to types of listening. Maybe you had a0 It's sunny. fit your task. conversation with your family or0 It's cold. roommate. Hopefully you were listen-0 It's raining. ing. At work you talked Types of listening and listenedto different Listening for gist people in different ways In the first task, all three answers sports, the wea- for different purposes. The ther and the windowwere list goes on. The point is part of the conversation. this: What's important is not just what we're listen- However, the weather was ing to. It's what we're lis- the most important thing. tening for. Readers doing Task 1 were No one has to be looking for the gist or main taught how to adjust their idea. They didn't focus on listening to match their understanding everything. purpose in their native lan- Rather, they read to see guage. It grows naturally what was important. out of exposure to and Listening for gist works the having to understand dif- same way. Students only ferent things. Yet, what focus on the main ideas. If happens in the classroom? one compares listening to All too often, textbooks reading the other receptive skill, listening for gist is a introduce students to a lot like skimming. very narrow range of listening types and tasks. But Gist listening is like standing in a watetfall. The to be effective listeners, students need TASK 3 message washes over you and you get a variety of both. They need to learn Do the people go outside? a general understanding. how to listen. 0 yes The first step in learning how to0 no Listening for specific information listen is for students to notice their Task 2 involved looking for specific tasklearners need to be aware of Now read this conversation andinformation: What is the weather like? what they are listening for. The goal answer the question in your task. Looking forspecific affects the way they listen. To demon- information doesn't mean reading and processing strate the point, you're going to read a RAFAEL: I need some exercise. Do you every word to find the answer. Rather, very short conversation. Before doingwant to go outside? Maybe we could play tennis? it's about scanning for the needed 24 12.1 ESL MAGAZINEJULY/AUGUST 1998 data. The reader's focus was probablyabout the different listening types? something like this: Exercises like the one at the beginning of this article (which is based on one Teaching Tips RAFAEL:xxxxx exercise. xxxxx from Active Listening from Cam- How did you know? When contem- outside? xxxxx play tennis? bridge University Press) are useful for plating a task involving gist or infer- creatingawareness. By regularly ence listening, students identify the ERIKA: xxxxx window. xxxxx pointing out task types, teachers raining. words that gave them the clues. This encourage learners to notice their own helps learners who missed the infor- listening goals. RAFAEL:Raining? xxxxx. mation know how their classmates As useful as these three types of caught it. Rather than paying attention tolistening are both for learner aware- every word, people think about whatness and as a checklist for teachers Do it in pairs. If learners find a pas- they need to understand and look forplanning classes,it's important to sage difficult, have them listen in that information. Listening for spec-remember that the skills are rarely pairs. They help each other find the ific information is quite similar to theused in isolation. At times, a specific answers. This usually means they focus on sharing what they did under- reading skill of scanning. word or two will give the clues that help learners understand the gist. In stand rather than panicking over what This is where students often get they missed. into trouble. They try to catch every-some cases, global knowledge of a topic makes it easier to focus on spe- thing, often taking the time to mental- Choose your own level. While ly translate it into their mother tongue. cific information or to infer meaning. The important thing is that students checking an activity, write the answers This word-by-word processing leads on the board or an overhead projector. to slow, tedious reading. With listen-have experience with a variety of listening types and tasks. Then play the passage again. ing, it's impossible. It simply takes too Students choose their own level of long. The key is to get students to support. Those who feel they under- focus on what they are listening for.In which direction stood the listening well close their One good way is simply to have themare they listening? eyes and imagine the conversation. read the task or questions before lis-These listening types need to be con- Those who were less certain look at tening. Do theyhavetowritesidered within the overall framework the task in their textbook and try to answers? Check boxes? Fill in a form?learners use to make sense of what spot the information as they hear it. Number pictures? In real life, peoplethey hear. Over the past several years, Those who found the listening difficult always know why they are listening.the distinction between "top-down" watch you. As they hear the passage, In class, the learners need to know, and "bottom-up" processing has emer- point to the answers just before they too. ged as a useful metaphor for how are spoken. Listening for specific informationlearners make sense of what they Play it again, later. If students isn't understanding everything andlisten to. using what you need. It's knowing found listening to natural English Basically,top-downlistening difficult at the beginning of a course, what you need and catching that. starts at the point of overall meaning. go back to the same passage a It makes use of general knowledge and month or two later. In most cases, Inference lifeexperience, sometimes called what used to be difficult to under- Task 3 required inference. The ques-"content schemata." Top-down listen- stand is now easier. This helps them tion was simple enough: Do they going simply means thinking about what see their own progress and builds outside? Of course they don't. It'sone already knows about the topic, the confidence. raining. Notice that they never saytask and likely answers. In short, lis- specifically that they aren't going toteners use what they already know Don't give out the script. In most go outside. It isn't necessary. about a topic to understand more. cases, don't give out the scripts. It Inference is an important skill, but Bottom-up listening, on the other can reinforce the idea that they need one that's often left out of elementaryhand, makes use of the "parts" of lan- to catch every word to "really" under- level textbooks since it is considered aguage to try to understand what's been stand. When the script is given out, it high level of comprehension. This isheard. These parts include vocabulary, should be for a specific purpose such unfortunate because learners really dogrammar and sounds. Because so as listening and underlining a particu- need to be able to "listen between themuch language study involves the lar point of grammar. lines" from theverybeginning.parts, many learners are overly reliant Indeed, beginners who lack extensiveon bottom-up processing. This "puz- Listen to enjoy. Stories are a won- vocabularies and knowledge of lan-zle it out" approach is like trying to derful source of listening material. guage functions and grammar oftendeal with English as if it were their They can excite and involve students. need to infer a lot just to compensatefirst language in codestudents catch And, if learners can explain whether or not they like a story they've heard, it for what they don't understand. a piece (a word or phrase), focus on its Inference is neither magic nor demonstrates understanding at a very meaning, perhaps mentally rearrange high level. Ironically, the most sophis- pure imagination. It is hearing mean-it to fit their first language's grammar, ticated comprehension question might ing that is there, even when the wordsand then go on to the next piece. That simply be: Did you like the story? aren't. sounds easy enough, but it's actually Why? How do we educate studentsquite difficult to do effectively. To

ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 122 25 illustrate this point, read the followingtheir language and increases their lis- Adapting Textbooks excerpts from a passage and write atening skills. title for it. If a textbook book lacks pre-listening The simplest way to promote top- Itasks and a range of listening types, A few years ago, the Canadiandown processing and activate language is through a pre-listening warm- here are ways to add them. National Swim Team put ladybugs up. Just as doing pre-reading exercises on their chests. Preview Tasks is a good way to get learners ready to Students work in pairs or small 200 years earlier, a cross on the read, pre-listening tasks should be a groups. They look at the tasks and say back might have stopped a standard part of listening lessons. The or list everything they know about the topics. Add a time limit to keep them whipping. pre-listening task "reminds" learners focused. of what they already knowor want In some places, it's about beauty. to knowabout the topic. That is, it If the topic is unfamiliar, learners can list at least three things they East Africa. Polynesia. gets them in touch with their own top- down knowledge. At the same time, would like to know or think the record- At times, it is related to occupa- ing will include. that top-down information is made up tion. For better or worse. If there is a picture with the task, of words and phrases, the bottom-up have students work in pairs. How Think before you make a judg- elements of vocabulary and grammar. many items in the picture can they ment. And think before you make The warm-up is more than an intro- name in English in two minutes? a decision. duction of the topicit's a way to activate background knowledge and Adding Listening Types In this age of AIDS, you've got to integrate the directions of listening. GIST be careful. Choose the main idea of the listening The specific warm-up will, of passage as well as two or three other What title would you give the pas-course, depend on what the students items from the passage. Write all the sage? Most people feel frustratedare going to listen to. If they are going items on the board in a scrambled reading this. What's the topic? All theto listen to the passage on tattoos as order. Students listen and decide words are understood, but what is itpart of a lesson on cultural differences, which is the main point. about? That feeling is the frustrationthey might do a pre-listening task in If the passage tells a story, pairs or small groups in which they choose four or five events. Again, of bottom-up processing. All the write them on the board in a scram- pieces are there, but they just don'tsay or list everything they can think of bled order. Learners listen and put the add up. related to the topic in five minutes. events in order. Include one extra This passage's real title is "TheTheir list could include who gets tat- event not from the story so students Tattoo:AcrossCultures,Acrosstoos, common tattoo images or any- must listen to the entire passage. Time." However, without that back-thing they know about the topic from LISTENING FOR SPECIFIC ground (top-down) information, read-other cultures. INFORMATION ers can't make use of their own gener- Earlier it was pointed out that stu- Choose a group of items that come up al knowledge: Why do people get tat-dents should always know their task several times in the listening passage. before they listen. Reading questions They might be content items like toos? Group membership is one rea- names of food, colors or people or son. That could include bikers and, ainadvanceactivateswhatthey grammar items such as -ing verbs, few years ago, the Canadian swim-knowespecially if they try to answer past tense verbs, modals or adjec- mers. European sailors used to get athem. Students need pre-listening tives. Tell the students what to listen cross or a picture of Jesus tattooed ontasks. By the time the listening begins, for. Play the passage. Students raise their backs so that no one would dareit's too late. They are either ready to their hands each time they hear the whip them. In many cultures, tattooscatch the information and to succeed item. This is a way to show their or they aren't. answers and cue others who might are a sign of beauty. Occupations? For have missed it. Generally, listening for better, Thai soldiers were tattooed for Listening is an important skill. Do content items is a way to preview the bravery. For worse, Japanese andstudents need practice? Of course. But main listening task. Listening for gram- Korean gangsters get the markings tothey need more than that. They need to mar points is usually best after they show toughness and cultural defiance.be aware of their purpose, to integrate already know the general meaning. A recent problem has been the spreadtheir listening directions and to acti- If the listening task involves vate the English that they already answering comprehension questions of the HIV virus through tattoo ink. or filling in blanks, students work in Knowing the title would havehave. If learners gain these skills, pairs before they listen. They try to helped the reader use top-down pro-they've learned more than the answers guess the answers to the questions. cessing and make sense of the pas-toaparticular exercise. They've Later, when they listen, they find out sage. Without it, the reader was facedlearned how to listen. whether or not they were right. with same difficulty as learners who INFERENCE try to listen from the bottom up. Marc Helgesen is Professor at Miyagi Look for opportunities to add infer- Teachers can't replace bottom-upGakuin Women's College, Sendai, ence. Two places to start: processing with top-down. It wouldn'tJapan, and has co-authored many Focus on the speakers' emotions. textbooksincludingtheActive How do they feel? How do we know? be desirable even if it were possible. Look for the "background informa- They key is to get learners "listeningListening series (Cambridge tion." Has the speaker been here/ in both directions." They need to inte- University Press) and the English done that/tried this before? grate top-down and bottom-up pro-Firsthand, Impact and Workplace cessing. When they do, it activatesEnglish series (Longman).

t't L. 26 123 ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 Language Translationonthe Web: Fast and Free, But Not Foolproof The popular Web search engineand readability of the translations, Ifor translating Web sites on research Alta Vista has recently launchedentered the following text: topics. The imperfect translation will a translation service. The URL is "As I was strolling through thecertainly be more useful to you than http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com/Tuscan countryside, I saw row afterno translation at all.It's also less cgi-bin/translate. Simply type in therow of olive trees and acres and acresexpensive than a paying a translator. address of a Web site you would likeof vineyards. My heart leapt with joy For instruction, teachers might to translate, and you'll have a com-at the beauty of the setting." generate English translations of texts plete and free translation in a matter of I requested an Italian and a French(these could be original passages writ- seconds. The translation will not be ten by students) and then ask students completely accurate, but it will give to discuss the accuracy of the gram- you a general idea of the content of the mar and vocabulary of the transla- site. You may also have translated any tions. text you type in. Currently, one can A French professor at my univer- request translations from French, sity told me that she knows some of German, Italian, Spanish and her students are using Alta Vista for Portuguese into English and vice their homework assignments because versa. If used carefully, this translation their errors are clearly not typical stu- service can be of value to teachers dent errors. Unfortunately, ESL/EFL both for research and pedagogy. students, too, could hand in composi- Just for fun, I asked for a transla-translation. When shown to an Italian- tions translated into English from their tion of my own home page intoFrench bilingual, the comment was,native languages (if one of the five French. The translation soon appeared"The English version is poetic whileoffered by the Alta Vista service), but but left something to be desired. Somethe French and Italian translations arethese shouldn't be too difficult to rec- words were simply not translated and,mechanical, choppy and not particu-ognize. for some reason, Washington, D.C.larly accurate." The most obvious Alta Vista is furnishing an excit- became Washington, C.C. I certainlyerror in both translations was the wording service which can have significant wouldn't post an Alta Vista translation"setting" which became the equivalentvalue if used properly. One must real- of my site without checking with aof "configuration" in French and "reg-ize, however, that the translations will reliable native or near-native speakerulation" in Italian. not be completely accurate and that of the language first. Despite the limitations, teachersthere isthe potential for "cyber- To have an idea of the accuracywill find this service useful in researchcheating." KAEDEN BOOKS A WORLD OF DISCOVERY

011Y SUPPLEMENTAL READING MATERIALS FOR EMERGENT TO EARLY FLUENCY READING PROGRAMS

SEE OUR NEW CATALOG 1 -800-890- READ 114401-356-0030 de con Inental United Sates ,47 ), 27 Haitian Students in the United States BY ROGER E. SAVAIN

The master of ceremonies at a recent middle class, beneficiaries of the govern-of seasonal and permanent cane cutting recognition banquet in Browardment bureaucracy, a few economicallymigrations are vividly depicted in two County, Florida was a poised youngdominant Euro-Africans called mulatres, renownedHaitiannovels:Jacques woman in her early twenties. She was, inand Syriens, descendants of Levantine Roumain's Gouverneur de la Rosée and a characteristically modern way, articu- immigrants. These few, whose standardJacques Stephen Alexis' Compere late, spirited, bright, and she was Haitianof living mirrors that of American middle General Soled. American. and upper-middle class households, shut- According to Stepick, some 500 Bernadine Destin is a member of thetle between Port-au-Prince and southHaitians permanently migrated to the Haitian Youth for Cultural and Edu-Florida, and now routinely speak English United States each year between the sec- cational Awareness (HYCEA), a supportalong with fluent Kreyol and, occasional- ond World War and the mid 1950's, group operating at Ely High School inly, French. "while another 3,000 came temporarily Broward County. With over 400 mem- Students of Haitiandescentin as tourists, students, or on business." The bers, this group helps students of HaitianAmerican public schools come mainly coming to power of Papa Doc Duvalier in descent adjust to life in the United States, from the Haiti's economically depressed 1957 caused a moderate exodus com- learn English and perform successfullypopulation. The 1990 U.S. census identi-posed of bourgeois merchants and pro- through their high school years. At thefied them among the poorest immigrantsfessionals. According to Stepick, by the same time, the organization and its mem-at the time of entry. However, the same late 1960's "nearly 7,000 Haitians each bers cherish and celebrate the lan- year became permanent immigrants guage and traditional values of their to the U.S. and another approximate- home country. ly 20,000 came with temporary visas More than 100 Haitian each year." Nearly all remained, espe- Americans graduated this year from cially in New York, whose Haitian Ely. Over half are college bound. American population is estimated at Those present at the banquet were , over half a million, and in smaller notable for their intelligence and numbers in Boston, Chicago and motivation. They carried on stimu- f Washington, D.C. lating conversations in standard, The Haitian population in the United grammatically correct English and Statescontinuedtomushroom in Haitian Kreyol. through the 1970s. Over a two-year Ms. Destin and HYCEA mem- period, from 1980 to 1981, South bers are not exceptions among Florida saw a mass migration of Haitian American students in South Haitians, the famed "boat people" Florida and throughout the U.S. An who landed on the heels of the Mariel impressive number of Haitian highThese 1998 Haitian high school graduates Cuban exodus. However, while the school graduates from Florida, Neware optimistic about their future. U.S. government greeted the Cubans York, Boston and Montreal go on to as political refugees, Haitians were college. Many are admitted to the coun-survey finds the vast majority gainfullydeemed economic refugees similar to try's most renowned institutions. This isemployed and thriving in time. For overMexicans clandestinely crossing the more significant given the fact that most57.9% of the Haitian population report- Texas and California borders. of these students' parents, some 20 yearsing entry between 1980 and 1990, Oco- A new community emerged just ago, lived in Haiti's isolated rural vil-nomic indices, while low, show promis-north of downtown Miami that became lages and inurban shanties whereing signs that may be evident in the next known as Little Haiti. Most who come schooling was often rare or inadequate. census. through leave to purchase homes and Inhisrecent book, Pride andtake residence in more upscale neighbor- In Search of a More Fulfilling Life Prejudice, Haitians in the United States, hoods. Little Haiti's appearance reflects Haiti's people are divided into two dis-Alex Stepick observes that "Haitians its ongoing function as point of entry for tinct societies. One is rural and makes uphave a long history of migration and a less evident but steady stream of new close to 80% of the population. Ruraltemporary sojourns to other countries." commerce. folk are culturally and ethnically near toSince early in the 20th century, Haitian As a whole, the Haitian American the Africans who, brought to the Newpeasants have contracted to cut sugarcommunity of south Florida today is a World in chains, revolted and establishedcane in the Dominican Republic. Thiscomplex one, stretching from Homestead an independent nation in1804. Thepractice continues today, and Haitianto Orlando. Estimated at 250,000, its remaining 20% congregate in urbanlabor is an essential element of thepopulation is composed primarily of areas like the capital city, Port-au-Prince,Dominican sugar industry. Haitians alsomedium and high wage workers along where close to 2 million people exist onworked and settled in significant num-with a growing number of prosperous the margin of survival. A small, influen-bers until 1960 in the cane growing entrepreneurs and professionals. Many of tial bourgeoisie is comprised of a blackOriente province of Cuba. The dynamics these have resettled from larger and bet-

28 1 25 ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 ter established Haitian American com-presented with models of behaviortions add to identity and personality con- munities in New York and Boston. informed by the wider American cultureflicts. The notion of "minority" in the Most new immigrants from Haitiwhere self-reliance, creativity and inde- U.S. clashes with the established Haitian moving to the U.S. in 1981 underwent apendence are prized. In Haitian homesself-image shaped by the history of a rac- revolution in living standards. Emergingchildren must be obedient and defer toial and cultural majority. American cate- from peasant society and its urban ver-the authority of parental figures. Thesegorizations that factor in elements of sion, Haitian immigrants quickly learnedinclude not only father and mother butwhite, black, rich or poor can also trigger to cope in a society centuries removedother adult members of extended fami-feelings of non-acceptance and rejection. from their own both technologically and lies. The label offanmi extends as well to The fear of standing out that all chil- socially. Within weeks of their arrival,the "friends and allies" that make updren experience is compounded by the they succeeded in securing work, anynearly all of the social interactions theseconfusion of racial classification undif- work at any pay. In no time, they par- children enjoy. ferentiated by cultural distinctions.Is layed these jobs into stable, adequately Other than through television and"Haitian American" a racial or cultural compensated positions that led, in manyradio, contact with the broader Haitiancategory? Does "Black" or "African instances, to supervisory and even man- community remains limited. From anyAmerican" pertain to native Americans agerial posts.. point in South Florida, round-the-clockof African ancestry, and so on? Native Haitians who quickly joined theKreyol language broadcasts keep anAfrican American classmates are also ranks of hard and dependable workers,appreciation for Haitian music and lan-perplexed and can be both accepting and also placed the highest priority on educa- guage alive. Weekly television broad- alienating. In the same breath they resent tion. The importance of education as an casts bring news of Haiti along with the Haitian Americans standing apart and economic engine is well establishedlatest music videos. Moreover, recentthen accuse them of trying too hard to dogma throughoutHaitiansociety. grants of amnesty to undocumented"look like us." Taking advantage of free schooling in theimmigrantsallowedthousandsof Haitian children are often intimidat- U.S. becomes the new immigrant's most Haitians to regularize their status in theed and confused when asked to express immediate reward. This gift is claimed 1990's, making travel back and forth totheir feelings, show openness, deal with not only for children but for adults who Haiti a widespread practice today. intimacy or take responsibility. They rush to learn English, often learning as Still, the quest for education and avoid eye contact not in disrespect but in well to read and write for the first time.economic prosperity is clearly rooted in deference as the Haitian culture disap- Understanding the connection between the belief that succeeding on Americanproves of children confronting adults work advancement and education, theyterms matters most. However, like chil-with their stare. At home, adults domi- are an avid clientele of vocational anddren in other immigrant communities, nate the decision-making process. This adult education centers. Haitian Americans navigate the contrast-causes difficulty in class when pupils are ing values of a permissive atmosphere atcalled upon to think creatively, act inde- Coping with US. Education school and in the community at large,pendently and take risks. Children of Haitian heritage generallyand home discipline that is authoritarian Corporal punishment is ubiquitous live in two worldsone dominated byand purports to serve as sole arbiter of ain Haitian households. The proverb their school, the other by their home andcomplex reality. "Spare the rod, spoil the child" is social environment. At school, they are American racial and class distinc-emblematic of traditional Haitian child Mother Knows Best ome seventeen years ago, Estomene, a young Haitian In Miami, Estomene worked as a teacher's assistant at Swoman, arrived in Queens, New York with her husband, Thomas Jefferson High School. Her dedication, enthusiasm Joseph Dorcely, a carpenter. Their three daughters and one and leadership brought praise from staff and students. son joined them a year later. Her experience at Thomas Jefferson inspired her to The family came from Laboule, an area south of Port-au- become a guidance counselor. She enrolled at Miami's Barry Prince where well appointed villas tower over modest University Adult Continuing Education Program and received a dwellings and peasant huts. Estomene grew bachelor's degree in social work in 1994. With up there with her parents, people of modest a scholarship, she enrolled in graduate school means. She went to elementary school in and in May of this year received a master's Laboule and secondary school in Port-au- degree in elementary education from Barry. Prince but dropped out in the tenth grade. Reflecting on her academic experience in Like many immigrant women, Estomene the U.S., Estomene said: "I came to this coun- came to New York with a limited knowledge of try seventeen years ago as a tenth grade drop English and faced the challenge of adjusting to out. I have been in school here sixteen years. a new life and caring for her four children. Still, This fall,I am returning to Barry for my spe- she found the time and energy to attend ESL cialization. Two years from now, I will be a cer- classes at night in Brooklyn. She also became tified guidance counselor." active in the Haitian community, volunteering Estomene Dorcely's perseverance and ded- in a program helping Haitian refugees. ication set an example for her children. Her Within a year of her arrival, Estomene wasEstomene Dorcely oldest daughter, Cassandre, 25, received a encouraged by a Haitian American history pro- bachelor's degree in health administration in fessor to complete her graduate equivalency degree (GED). 1997 from Florida International University. Stephanie, 24, is a After two attempts, she got her GED; "not in French," she graduate of Johnson and Wales Institute in business adminis- explains proudly, "but in English." This launched a new acade- tration. Valory, 20, currently attends Florida International mic career for her. Working as a teacher's aide and inter- University's School of Education on a full scholarship. She is preter, Estomene attended Medgar Evers College and earned also part of the "Summer Link Haitian Culture" that prepares 54 credits between 1986 and 1988. She then moved with students for magnet schools. Her brother, Cleef, 22, is work- her husband and children to Miami. She immediately ing and attending Miami-Dade Community College. And resumed her studies at Miami-Dade Community College Estomene's two grandchildren have already been inspired by where she received an associate's degree in 1992. their grandma's achievements.

ESL MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 1998 126 29 rearing. In many second generationis the language of work and commerce. when referring to others, the student will Haitian American families, especiallyKreyol, on the other hand, is the lan-often confuse he and she because in among professionals, more moderate,guage of intimacy, friendship and famil-Haitian Kreyol the equivalent of he and supportive and democratic practices areial interaction. Even if born in the U.S., a she is only /i. taking root. New arrivals, however, uponchild raised in a Kreyol-speaking house- Written Haitian Kreyol is based on learning of legal prohibitions againsthold is unlikely to have any extensive four principles:1) one sign for each chronic or severe corporal punishment,contact withthe English language,sound; 2) the same sign for the same feel powerless and confused. Lacking aexcept via radio or television. sound; 3) there is no silent letter; 4) each normative rudder, some parents abdicate While this may impart a basicletter has its own function. If a student their disciplinary responsibilities thereby knowledge of the language, children ofhas previously learned to read and write giving rise to a small but important seg- working class families usually beginin his language, he may find English ment of Haitian American students who their formal education without havingspelling confusing. The same sound pro- behave and perform poorly in school. been read to in English or Kreyol or hav- duced with different spellings or one let- Academically, among difficult casesing had access to books in any language. ter producing different sounds can be are new arrivals who are well into their Kreyol,onlyrecentlywritten(see daunting. Until he learns to recognize adolescence and yet have received littleHaitian Kreyol in Ten Steps, Schenkmanand pronounce various letter combina- or no formal schooling. These studentsBooks, by this writer), is a vibrant buttions, he may read the words incorrectly. require extensive remediation in order toprimarily oral mode of communication. There are ten vowels in Haitian complete a high school program. Related An effective early childhood educa- Kreyol which are the phonemes in sylla- problems can be an isolated family unittion plan must accommodate the realitybles. Their sounds never change regard- that lacks the support of a network of kin of two distinct but not incompatible cul- less of their position in a word. They are: such as single working mothers, and the tural strategies. Haitian American homea (cat), an (no equivalent), e (say), e lure of criminal behavior. The latter,life dominated by Kreyol should be(get), en (lens), i (sea), o (low), 6 (ought), which has never been a serious problem incorporated in early efforts to teach chil-on (no equivalent), ou (two). in Haitian communities, is now discour- dren to read. This avoids any rift between In the Haitian Kreyol alphabet, there aged not only by strong community andthe essential mastery of reading and writ-are ten vowels, three semivowels and criminal sanctions but also by the threating skills in English and loyalties to anseventeen consonants. There is no c but of automatic expulsion from the U.S. affective core. While books for childrench = sh, no u but ui, no consonants q and The goal of educators and families is in Kreyol are few and not often of thex. The letter g always has a hard sound. the nurture and development of well edu- best quality, they can be found and newThe letter j is pronounced like the end of cated and well adapted young adults. ones are published every year. "beige." The nouns, the adjectives and Haitian children immigrating from Haiti In 1992 Intechnica Internationalthe verbs do not inflect for gender, num- and Haitian American children born and introduceda CD-ROM inHaitianber, person, or tense. Knowing these par- raised in the U.S., draw from a mixed bagKreyol/English that teaches English ticularities of Haitian Kreyol can enable of strengths and weaknesses that affectreading, writing, listening and speakinga teacher to help a Haitian student over- schooling. Strong family ties developto Haitian students. In 1995 Harcourtcome difficulties in learning English. self-esteemandtheconfidenceofBrace ESL/EFL publishedthe Haitian Showing respect for the language of belonging to a well defined cultural enti- Kreyol/EnglishPictureDictionary. adults may be an important way to ty. Add to this the strength of the unwa- Prentice Hall Regents published Word by involve parents in the schooling of their veringconvictionthatthehighestWord English/Haitian Kreyol in 1996children. The principal benefit that better achievement is success in America and and Basic Word by Word, an abridgededucated and motivated families extend the understanding that this requires aversion of its picture dictionary in 1997. to their children is a seamless learning good education. These works and others with theenvironment. Under ideal conditions, Some weaknesses for Haitian stu-same educational intent conform to thehome is a place where informal and fordents are holdovers from life in Haiti. At official written form of Haitian Kreyol asmal education are joined. Facilitating the a few expensive private schools in Port-established by the Haitian Ministry ofpartnership of Haitian American parents au-Prince, parents participate in gover-National Education in early 1980. in the intellectual growth of their chil- nance issues and consult with teachers on Haitian Kreyol is one of the Creolesdren requires acknowledgment of their the progress of their children. For the that flourished on former colonial islandscultural contribution. most part, however, PTAs or any compa-in the Caribbean, the West Coast of In the context of cooperation, teach- rable organizations are non-existent inAfrica and the Indian Ocean. Its spellingers and parents can recognize and antici- Haiti. Even literate Haitian parents tendis phonetic, its vocabulary draws from pate linguistic difficulties. More substan- to entrust the fate of their children to an 16th through 18th century lexical Frenchtive issues might also be addressed all-knowing school administration. As inand its syntax is based on principles ofsocial skills and attitudes that are best the French model, but lacking its profes-West African languages. suited to a competitive and highly tech- sionalism, expertise and resources, a cen- A Haitian Kreyol speaker will oftennological global environment. Kreyol tralized governmental entity monopo-have some difficulty with the pronuncia-and English, or Korean and English, or lizes oversight and curricular develop-tion of the letter r, and the use of "to be."Spanish and English, are powerful foun- ment. The reality, sadly, is that mostIn Haitian Kreyol there is no r at the enddations for preparing young Americans school children in Haiti attend privateof any syllable and r is replaced by w to meet the challenges of the 21st century. schools for lack of sufficient public ones,before o, 6, on, ou. The student will say and all are largely unregulated by the"fame" instead of farmer, "dola" insteadRoger E. Savain is a bilingual education ministry of education or by the parents. of dollar, "wonn" instead of round. consultant with the Multicultural Educa- Moreover, Haitian has no "to be."tion Department of Broward County The Bilingual Challenge Instead of "It is four o'clock," the student Public Schools. He is the author of Hait- Bilingualism, a dominant feature of themight say "It four o'clock." Because theian Kreyol in Ten Steps and the transla- rich Haitian American cultural life, canletter s is not sibilant in Haitian Kreyol,tor of numerous educational texts, hand- also be a shortcoming. In tight-knitthe Haitian student might say "espb" orbooks and picture dictionaries. He lec- Haitian American communities, English"estop" instead of sport or stop. And tures on Haitian language and culture.

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FEATURES Carolyn Graham: A Conversation with the Creator of Jazz Chants® by Marilyn Rosenthal 10 1 Page 10 Without Slang and Idioms, Students are In the Dark! by David Burke 20

Homestay: Highlights and Hurdles by Doug Ronson 26

DEPARTMENTS Editor's Note 4

Letters to the Editor 5 Page 20

News Briefs 6

Conference Calendar 8

Technology 17

Christine Meloni's Networthy 18

Reviews 24

Catalog Showcase 31 Page 26

Who's Reading ESL Magazine?

ESL Magazine ONLINE! Elyane Comarteau www.eslmag.com Editor in Chief of (lots of links!) .e;Standpoints magazine, produced by the Centre National de Documentation - Pedagogique in France. Page 7

ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 3 QC)04@l;29@ GIOVg

TM The magazine for English as a My Friend Second Language professionals.

and Colleague, Publisher Carolyn Graham GEORGE H. CLEMES, III Editorial Director t was more than 22 years ago that I first saw Carolyn Graham at a TESOL MARILYN ROSENTHAL conference in the ballroom of the New York Hilton in 1976. She was presenting something called "Jazz Chants." There were about 500 ESL Editor teachers in the room and the atmosphere was electric. Everyone was buzzing KATHLEEN R. BEALL about this amazing woman who had come up with a new approach to teaching Contributing Editors truly conversational English through jazz rhythms. KAREN AsENAVAGE

I was sitting at the back of the room, watching the crowd and watching all DAVID BURKE

of the other publishers watching her and watching each other. I had just started JOHN HICKOK

in the publishing business, working for Oxford University Press. I had been RICK INDENBAUM hired to develop their American English publishing program in New York TOMMY B. MCDONELL

because I had been a teacher and teacher trainer and knew the field. They CHRISTINE MELON!

certainly didn't hire me because of my knowledge of publishing, which was DOUG RONSON almost zero at that time! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I said to myself, "This is fantastic! Webmaster CHARLES FOWLER It can really work in the classroom." At the end of the presentation, I askedmy publishing friends naively, "Isn't that terrific?" And they said, "Sure, but they Advertising Sales won't let you publish itit's too radical. You're supposed to publish series. 410-570-0746 410-798-5607 (fax) That's where the big money is." [email protected]

Fortunately, I was idealistic enough to believe that if something is good Subscription Information and it works, it should be published. I marched right up to Carolyn, mustered Introductory rate: 1 year, 6 issues, U.S.: $16.95, Canada/Mexico: $24.95, outside up all my courage, and said, "I think this is wonderful. I want to publish it." North America: $34.95. All prices in U.S. Fortunately, Oxford University Press felt the same way about quality materials $ and must be paid in U.S. funds. To subscribe, fill out subscription form on page and still does. They supported the project. Carolyn was delighted. Jazz Chants 30 (photocopy additional forms if neces- became her first book, and it was my first book as an editor. sary) and mail with payment to: ESL Magazine, 220 McKendree Avenue, Through the years, Carolyn Graham has developed her Jazz Chants for Annapolis, MD 21401. Or fax subscrip- both children and adults and has been invited all over the world to present tion form with credit card information to 410-810-0910. Please call 410-570-0746 them. She and I have collaborated on many different books both at Oxford for all other inquiries. University Press and elsewhere. I have been at countless presentations she has ESL Magazine is published bimonthly given in various parts of the worldeach one even more dynamic. It was only by Bridge Press,1.tc recently that I was again sitting in her presentation and I said to myself, "This 220 McKendree Avenue Annapolis, MD 21401 is fantastic. It really works!" [email protected] www.eslmag.com So it is with great pleasure that I share with our readers the cover story "Carolyn Graham, a Conversation with the Creator of Jazz Chants." ISSN: 1098-6553 ESL Magazine is abstracted and indexed with ERIC. Marilyn Rosenthal, Ph.D. 0 1998Bridge Press, u.c, all rights reserved. Editorial Director 33 11.

4 s41. ESL MAGAZINESEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 11, ,Q 4 4 g G2

rooms, but additional practice, adapta-Haitian Students in the U.S. tions, and expansions are needed forI> Excellent article on Haitian stu- the ESL students, combined with thedents in the U.S.; we are subscribing! essential ingredients of extra time and VILMA T. DIAZ trained ESL professionals. A good ESOL Director, FL Dept. of Education 5,1fh resource for teachers is The Global 9!1..

, Classroom, Vol. I and II (Addison-> I was pleasantly surprised to read The Expanding Role of t e Wesley, 1994), a thematic multicultur-Mr. Savain's article. Haiti suffers not Elementary tTeacher only from "bad press," but also from AfF al model for the K-6 and ESL classroom, written by Michelle De Cou-coverage in the popular and profes- Send letters to eslmagazine@compuserve. Landberg, an ESL teacher fromsional media that is as superficial as it com or ESL Magazine, 220 McKendree Fairfax County Public Schools, VA. is fleeting. Consequently, misinforma- Ave., Annapolis, MD 21401. Include your DR. BETTY ANSIN SMALLWOODtionaboutHaitiansand Haitian name and position or address. Center for Applied LinguisticsAmericans circulates widely, and we Chair; TESOL Elementary Interest Sec. Americans erroneously believe that The Expanding Role of the the "Haitian problem" is unique. Mr. Elementary ESL Teacher D. Thank you! I enjoyed the articleSavain demolishes such nonsense by > Jodi Crandall's excellent article onabout the role of elementary ESLidentifying a set of connections among the expanding role of elementary ESLteachers very much. It is so true thatculture, language and society that teachers highlighted the importancewe do much more that teach language. challenge educational policy and prac- that Goal 2 of the TESOL ESLWe are routing this article to thetice in the U.S. today. Standards for Pre-K-12 Studentsgrade-level teachers in our building to Anthropologists will take issue plays in ESL teaching today. Goal 2,help explain what we do each day. with some of Mr. Savain's generaliza- Standard 2 focuses on the need for JANICE MICKLEtions about Haitian culture and soci- ESL students to learn academic lan- Lincoln, Nebraskaety. Likewise, linguists will find fault guage to acquire content area knowl- with certain aspects of his description edge. As Dr. Crandall pointed out, ele-Learning to Listen of Haitian Creole, especially his com- mentary ESL teachers must wearI> Marc Helgeson reminds us of theparisons of Haitian Creole sounds many different hats. Perhaps the mostneed to use a wide range of basic lis-with those of U.S. American English. critical role ESL teachers play in help-tening tasks to promote active listen-However, minor inaccuracies don't ing ESL students achieve success ining. His suggestions could serve as thedetract from Mr. Savain's constructive school is to teach them the academicscaffolding for listening classes wheremessage. His observations about lan- language skills necessary to reachthe teachers' job is to help studentsguage as a symbol of national, racial, Goal 2. By incorporating the ESLtake the reins of their own learning. and class identity and his call for an Standards into their instruction, they RANDALL S . DAVISapproach to education that bridges dif- will do just that. Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Labferences between life "at home" and EMILY GOMEZ Japan, www.esl-lab.com"in school," are instructive in them- Center for Applied Linguistics selves. They should also prompt fur- ESL Standards & Assessment ProjectGoing Corporate ther investigation by ESL Magazine > Kudos to Faith Hayflich for her arti-readers who seek effective and equi- D In the past, the term "content-basedcle on corporate ESL teaching. I have table means to address the problems of instruction" was viewed by elemen-often wondered about the market foreducation in a world whose complexi- tary educators as more of a middle andthis in the U.S. I taught English fortythat is, diversity and unitycan secondary school ESL issue. However,seven years at corporations in Japan.no longer be ignored. in reality, elementary ESL teachersAmong the corporations I taught for in DREXEL G . WOODSON, PH.D. have also been doing it for years, withJapan: Mitsubishi Automotive, Bureau of Applied Research in thematic units. As Dr. Crandall pointsMitsubishi Petrochemical, Nippon Anthropology, University of Arizona out, these offer a natural integration ofDenso(automotivesupplierto language and content and are consis-Toyota), Mitsukan (vinegar company),> Overall, a great article on Haitian tent with mainstream elementary cur-BASF Japan, Toshiba, Toyota, AWstudents in the U.S. Mr. Savain han- ricula. Thematic units also help pre-Aishin (Toyota transmission supplier),dles well the history and immigration pare students with the academic learn-and for Ford Motor Co. in a Mazdaof Haitians. However, concerning pro- ing strategies needed for the standard-joint-venture. nunciation issues, Mr. Savain is a lit- ized exams in the content areas (e.g., It is great to hear that U.S. corpo-tle too general. There is also a fair social studies, science, math) that arerations employ a lot of nonnativeamount of teaching materialfor increasingly required of all elementaryEnglish speakers and that there is anCreole speakers on the market today. students. increasing need for TESL in this area. JAN MAPOU My own research has shown thatThanks for bringing this to light! Sosyet Koukouy Director the same thematic material can work PHILIP N . CARSON Correction: The URL for the Crossword Puzzles for in both ESL and K-6 grade-level class- Colorado Springs,C0 ESL Students is: http://www.aitech.ac.jp/ites1j/cw/

ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 5 RE2N9@C3120Q?@ New Universities, TESOL Names New New Opportunities Executive Director he Persian Gulf region has always provided numerous eachers of English to Speakers of Tprofessional opportunities for those in the EFL field. TOther Languages, Inc. (TESOL) Those opportunities have increased since the United Arab announced the selection of its new Emirates (U.A.E.) has granted approval for non-government- executivedirector,Charles S. based tertiary institutions to begin offering programs. Amorosino, Jr., concluding TESOL's Since the late 1980's, the government founded U.A.E. seven-month search. Amorosino, an University in Al Ain and the Higher Colleges of Technology association executive for more than (HCT) in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ras Al Khaimah. These have 16 years, assumed his post on September 15. He fills the position met the country's needs by educating Emirati nationals. While vacated by Susan C. Bayley in the University offers bachelor's degrees in seven faculties with November 1997 following her seven several post-graduate programs, years as executive director. HCT offers certificate, diplo- Ras Al Khaimah "I am most fortunate to haveCharles S. Amorosino, Jr ma and bachelor's courses in this opportunity to help TESOL Dubai engineering,business, and advance its efforts as the world's foremost provider of English Abu Dhabi health sciences. Both have as a second language and English as a foreign language ser- intensive English and English vices," Amorosino said. "I am excited to be part of this promi- for Specific Purposes (ESP) nent association as it expands its influence in promoting high programs which together hire hun- standards for teaching in the classroom and advocating for dreds of instructors each year. learners in their communities." However,withthegrowing With the exponential growth in the need for English lan- Emirati and expatriate population, more tertiary institutions guage learning worldwide, TESOL President Kathleen M. were needed. In the fall of 1997, American University Sharjah Bailey said that Amorosino's dynamic leadership qualities and experience make him an excellent choice to help the organiza- (AUS), University of Sharjah and Higher Colleges of tion achieve its objectives. "Chuck is a perfect match for Technology opened their doors on one large campus in TESOL," Bailey said. "At a time when the number of limited Sharjah, and the American University of Dubai began classes. English proficient children and adults throughout the United While HCT serves an Emirati population, the others serve an States is increasing and the global demand for learning Emirati and expatriate Arab population with an increasing English is exploding, Chuck's experience and vision will help number of Asian students. Student populations range from us achieve our organizational goal of connecting our global 1,100 to 1,750 with one-third of those participating in inten- community through English language learning." sive English, English for Academic Purposes and ESPpro- grams. The number of EFL instructors hired in each institution the other tertiary institutions. ranges from 10 to 25. With the rapid development of the U.A.E., the demand for This fall the government has opened Sheikh ZayedEnglish language skills has also grown. These schools and a University in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Currently, these arehost of smaller institutions provide unique professional, cultur- women's campuses with approximately 1,200 students and 65al and financial opportunities for EFL teachers. instructors. The University offers majors similar to those of by U.A.E. Correspondent, Karen Asenavage Updateon California's Proposition 227 wo major lawsuits to block the implementation ofschoolsa handful of specialized, state-approved TCalifornia's Proposition 227 (passed in June by vot-schools offering unique curricula such as dual-immer- ers, 61% to 39%, ending bilingual education in the state) sion language teaching. For regular school districts, the were filed this summer. Both were defeat- State Board has refused to offer exemptions. This ed. On July 31, both a U.S. District Judge prompted an Alameda County Superior in Los Angeles, and a U.S. Circuit Court ofPROPOSITIONCourt judge, on August 27, to order the State Appeals in San Francisco, rejected argu- Board to consider requests from regular dis- ments to block 227. 227 tricts. On September 11 the State Board School districts throughout the state appealed this rather than complying (citing, have been hurriedly changing their programs to complyamong many factors, its effort to follow the law and voter with the new law. However, some districts-38 accord-sentiment). The appeal is pending. The results of the ing to a recent counthave filed with the State Board ofappeal are expected in the coming months. Education to be exempt from 227. The State Board has John Hickok, TESOL Librarian granted exemptions but only to special "charter" California State University, Fullerton

6 1 1 35 ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 B01:11P'@ NEW from Pro Lingua 800-366-4775 House Seeks to Reform Discussion Bilingual Education Strategies n September 10 the House of Representatives passed the English by David & Peggy Kehe QLanguage Fluency Act (H.R. 3892). This bill would amend the 1965 authors of Conversation Strategies Elementary and Secondary Education Act for the stated purposes of 1) ensuring that children and youth who are English language learners Students practice leading and master English and develop high levels of academic attainment in participating in detailed discussions. English; and 2) assisting local educational agencies that experience They learn how to make sure they large increases in immigrant student populations. The bill mandates understand and are understood. parental choice in how children are taught English and gives states They learn vital skills needed flexible federal funding for meeting the English instructional needs of for success in highschool, college, K-12 students. the workplace, or business. The act would combine two existing federal programsThe Bilingual Education Act and the Immigration Education Actand convert them $3 OFF with this coupon (SPECIAL PRICE: $9.50, PLUS S&H)(Ds EN) into a state block grant. States would then award grants to local educa- Pro Lingua, 15 Elm, Brattlebom, VT 05301 tional agencies. Funds may be used to develop and implement new PRINT NAME: English language instructional programs. Other uses may be training for ADDRESS: classroom teachers and other school personnel to improve instruction and assessment or to obtain educational technology or instructional materials. At least 90 percent of funding must be used for English language PHONE: instruction. Not more than 10 percent may be used for professional [] FIND ENCLOSED MY CHECK FOR $12.50 development including meeting teacher certifi- [I CHARGE MY VISA, MC, AMEX FOR $12.50 cation requirements. This bill requires that NUMBER: funded programs be designed to assist EXP. DATE: / SIG: student in attaining English skills within two years. Funds may not be used for the instruction of a student in a program for more than three years. Europe $235 The bill would also rename the Department of Education's Office of Bilingual Asia $370 Education and Minority Languages Affairs as the Office of English Language Acquisition. $167 According to the U.S. Department of So. America Education, there are approximately 3.1 million Fly as an international courier for limited-English-proficient students in the United States. the "big name" freight companies. It's the cheapest way to fly. Over 1000 rit flights weekly. House Bill Would Increase Examples: Europe, Middle East,Africx Amsterdam, Number of Visas for Skilled Brussels, Cairo, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Dublin, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Milan, Temporary Foreign Workers Nairobi, Paris, Rome, Stockholm,Tel Aviv, Zurich. Asia, Pacific Rim, South Pacific: Auckland, n September 24 the House of Representatives passed the Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Cairns, Hong Kong, OWorkforce Improvement and Protection Act (H.R. 3736), a bill that Honolulu, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, bears the popular titles of H-1B Visa Bill and Nonimmigrant Specialty Sydney,Taipei,Tokyo. Workers Bill. The bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act Mexico, Central and South America: Buenos Aires, Caracas, Guatamala City, Guayquil, Kingston, to increase the annual number of visas for skilled temporary foreign La Paz, Lima, Managua, Mexico City, Panama, Quito, workers from the current cap of 65,000 a year to 115,000 for the Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, San Juan, Sao Paulo, Santiago. next two years, to 107,500 in 2001, after which time the quota would return to 65,000. For a FREE The act seeks to meet the increased workforce demands of the information technology industry. The bill also seeks to protect U.S. info kit call workers by requiring prospective employers to demonstrate that they have not fired American workers in order to hire foreign workers and 1-800-822-0888 have first attempted to recruit qualified Americans for positions. ASSOC/AWN. 303-215-9000 Denys; Colcvalo http://wwwaircourier.org

ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 /U 3 6 7 Computer-Based TOEFL Launched

On July 24 the first TOEFL computer-based test (CBT)700 internationally. was administered in Auckland, New Zealand to a can- Since registration opened on June 10, more than didate who began his test at 8:34 a.m. local time and fin-49,000 people have registered for the CBT, which is cur- ished in two and a half hours. The pioneer examinee choserently available in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, to type the required essay into the computer rather thanAfrica, Australia and selected Asian regions, and will be handwrite it. More than 2,600 tests were administered onoffered throughout all of Asia in the year 2000. the first day of TOEFL computer-based testing worldwide. Within the next year, an estimated 400,000 people About 1,900 took it in the United States and Canada andworldwide will take the CBT. The test is administered at Sylvan Technology Centers, universities, aswellas USIS advisingcenters, Tempo Bookstore Fulbright and bi-national centers. The TOEFL Program is distributing The Languages Resource Center 300,000 free TOEFL CD-ROM Samplers To Learn Foreign Languages and English as a Second Language (ESL) with sample CBT questions and explana- *Translation Aids Cassettes Children's Visual Aids tions of the computer skills needed to take Language Videos Language Arts Electronic the test. Teacher CD-ROM's (Preschool & K-12; Translators The TOEFL test is the latest college Resources CD's ESL; Phonics; Special Book Dictionaries Cards Bilingual; Requests: Any admissions test to move from paper to (Worldwide & Games Multicultural) Title, Any Field computer. The Graduate Record Special Fields) Examination (GRE) General Test has 202-363-6683 been moving to computer since 1993 and 4905 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington D.C. 20016 the Graduate Management Admission Fax: 202-363-6686E-Mail: [email protected] Test (GMAT) completely switched for- Mon-Sat: 10-10, Sun: 11-7 mats in October 1997. Both are ETS tests. Conference Calendar

September 15-17 Rocky Mountain TESOL, Tuscon, AZ. Expected attendance: 450. 16-20 Institute for intercultural Contact Cheri Boyer, 520-621-5709. Communication, 5th European summer Expected attendance: 600. 30-31 Ohio TESOL, Dublin, OH. Contact seminar, Budapest, Hungary. Contact: Diane Nelson, 937-767-6321. Expected [email protected]. 15-18 Second Language Research Forum attendance: 400. '98, U. of Hawai'i, Honolulu. Contact SLRF 18-20 Slovak Association of Teachers of '98, 808-956-5984, [email protected], November English (SLATE) and the University of http://www.Ill.hawaii.edu/slrf98/. Zilina, Zilina, Slovak Republic. Contact 7 Washington Area (WATESOL) Annual Anna Hlavanova, [email protected]. 15-18 TexTESOL IV, Houston, TX. Contact Conference, Bethesda, MD. Contact Rose Mary Schouten, 713-718-7750. Goedele Gulikers, 301-982-1125. Expected 18-20 International Association of Expected attendance: 300. attendance: 500. Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL). Symposium/British Council/ 15-18 Mexico TESOL (MexTESOL), 6-7 TexTESOL V State Conference, IATEFL, Hevelius Hotel, Gdansk, Poland. Guadalajara, Mexico. Contact Carlos Arlington, Texas. Contact Jean Conway, Contact IATEFL, 100070.1327@ Oceguera, [email protected]. [email protected]. Expected attendance: Compuserve.com, www.iatefl.org/. Expected attendance: 2000. 1,200. October 17 Maryland TESOL (MD TESOL) Annual 14 TESOL Scotland, Stirling, Scotland. 1-3 Southeast Regional TESOL Annual Conference, Howard Community College, Contact John Landon, johnlandon@mhie. Conference, Louisville, Kentucky. Contact Columbia, Maryland. Contact Sara Rose at ac.uk. Expected attendance: 200. 410-532-3156. Expected attendance: 250. Tricia Davis, 606-6224382. Exp. att.: 500. 19-21 TESOL Ontario, Toronto, Ontario. 2-4 New York TESOL 28th Annual 17 National Council of Teachers of English Contact Renate Tilson, 416-593-4243. Conference, Buffalo/Niagra. Contact Tim or (NCTE), professional development services Expected attendance: 800. videoconference. Contact NCTE, 1111 W. Miriam Ebsworth, 973-762-1530. Expected 20-21 Puerto Rico TESOL (PRTESOL), attendance: 500. Kenyon Rd., Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096. 217-328-3870. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Contact John 8-10 TESOL Chile 7th Annual Conference, Steele, [email protected]. Expected Santiago, Chile. Contact Samuel Fernandez- 17 Michigan TESOL (MITESOL) Annual attendance: 1000. Conference, Lansing, Michigan. Contact Saavedra, 562-239-2522. Expected 20-21 TESOL Italy, Rome, Italy. Contact attendance: 500. Jean Holther, 734-663-8137, A2Jean@aol. corn. Expected attendance: 350. Lucilla Lopriore, [email protected]. 9-10 Mid-America TESOL, St. Louis, MO. Expected attendance: 900. 17-18 Korea TESOL Annual Conference, Contact Phylis Mithen, 314-977-3210. 20-23 24th Annual JALT (Japan Expected attendance: 300. Kyung-hee University, Seoul, South Korea. Contact Kirsten Reitan, reitankb@sorak. Association for Language Teaching) 15-17 Texas Foreign Language kaist.ac.kr. Expected attendance: 900. international Conference, Omiya Sonic Association (TFLA), El Camino Real, TX. City, Omiya, Saitama, Japan. Contact Contact TFLA, 713-468-4959. 24 Indiana TESOL, Indianapolis, IN. Janina Tubby, [email protected]. Expected Contact Trish Morita, 317-578-4577. attendance: 2,500.

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t Graha A conversation with the creator of Jazz Chants®

BY MARILYN ROSENTHAL, PH.D.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Carolyn Graham is teaching ESL at New York Universityation at NYU. I understand that you one of the most creative and prolificand playing ragtime piano in variouswere able to make this happen in the contributors to the field of ESLIEFL. piano bars in New York. I would beclassroom and try it out with students. During the early days of Americanteaching my students during the day- ESL/EFL publishing, her first book,time and playing ragtime music atCG: It was my good fortune to be at Jazz Chants®,was published bynight. One day, just by accident, I real- NYU at that time because my boss OxfordUniversityPress(1978).ized that rhythm of the spoken lan-was thebrilliant professor Rudy Oxford had just opened its American guage was exactly the same rhythm asBernard, and he was very open to new office, and its Editorial Director was ideas and not at all alarmed by the Marilyn Rosenthal, who is currentlythe music I'd been playing. I heard it when somebody said, "Gee it's goodwords "Jazz Chant," which, until that Editorial Director of ESL Magazine. time, nobody had heard. I went to him We are pleased to publish this conver-to see you. You look wonderful." I heard that ragtime beat-1-2-3-4. and said, "I want a large room where sationthattook placerecently students could come in, free, after between these two seasoned professionals who have been working class, and we're going to do something together at various times and places new." Professor Bernard said, "What for many years. are you going to do?" I said, "Jazz "One day, just by Chants." And he just gave me the room! accident, I realized that Mt The name Carolyn Graham has MR: And the rest is history, of course! become a household word among rhythm of the spoken Carolyn, you know I'm not musical, ESL/EFL professionals around the and one question which has always world. However, as new teachers enter language was exactly been asked of me throughout the years the field, they are intrigued with the is, "How can a teacher who is not concept of chanting and want to know the same rhythm as the musical use Jazz Chants?" How can exactly what it means. Since you, you help people like me? Carolyn,createdtheterm "Jazz Chants®,"theconcept,andthe music I'd been playing." CG: I know. I get this question all the methodology behind it, please explain time. A lot of teachers are afraid that what a Jazz Chant is. you have to be a piano player or a singer to do this thing, and it's not at CO: A Jazz Chant is really a way of all true. Of course, it helps to have a connecting with the natural rhythms ofWIR: How were you able to launch it insense of rhythm. It helps if you, in spoken American English and linkingyour classroom? fact, have a musical background. But them tothenatural rhythms of CG: The first thing I did was to start tofor teachers who don't happen to have American jazz. listen with this new awareness. Ithat, it can still be very easily worked MR: So, I guess you could say it's awould listen in coffee shops andinto your classroom. I think, initially, fragment of authentic language pre-would hear things like, "How do youit helps to use the tapes and perhaps sented with emphasis on its inherentlike your coffee?" I went to the airportpractice a little at home so that you natural rhythm. Carolyn, how did theand I heard things like, "Have a won-feel comfortable with clapping and concept of Jazz Chants first occur toderful trip. Don't forget to call mekeeping that 1-2-3-4 beat going. But you? when you get back." So, everythingit's not at all difficult. I've seen it done started to sound like a Jazz Chant! with teachers all over the world with CO: It really happened about 25 years various degrees of natural musical ago in New York City when I was it You were very lucky in your situ- ability.

10 1 3 9 ESL MAGAZINESEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 And the language of the chantbeing developed for Italy by Oxfordguage development. almost forces you into the rhythmUniversity Press in England. MR: Some people have said that the because the language is so conversa-LIM And do you feel comfortablereason for the great success of Jazz tional. The language then becomes the doing the British English? Chants is the fact that it appeals to the rhythm and the rhythm is in the lan- right side of the brain. This is the per- guage. CO: Well, I have to have some transla-formance side of the brain, which CG: Exactly. The nice thing is thattion occasionally. I'm also in therelates to music and rhythm. For chil- Oxford collection of children's poetry.dren who learn in this manner, as we're not imposing this beat onto theI have four poems intheir newopposed to those who learn with the language. We're just making the con-Anthology of First Verse (Britishanalytical, left side of the brain, this is nection. The beat is there. It's the nat- English). I'm very pleased about that. another way to access the language. ural, spoken form. It's not like rap- Do you emphasize this in the "creative ping, which is a distortion. It's a classroom"? poetic distortion, but it's a distortion. The Jazz Chant is in no way CO: Definitely. I think the west- a distortion of the language. Jazz ern classroom is very left brain- Chants should reflect exactly the centered, certainly in Europe, sound of a native speaker in nat- but also in the United States. ural conversation, including the There tends to be more emphasis stress, the rhythm and THE into- on left brain learning, whereas, nation. in reality, there are many students (including myself as a stu- MR: We've also seen in your pre- dent) who are more right- sentations that the rhythm of the brained and who could perhaps words themselves gives the child be much more successful stu- or adult confidence because if dents if they were offered an they listen to the rhythm, they opportunity to use things like can't make a mistake. music, dance and drawing, uti- CG:I've discovered that the lizing this other side of the brain. rhythm isthis really powerful MR: You've been able to use tool which we can use in the Jazz Chants inother fields classroom. It's the rhythm that beyond ESL/EFL with all kinds really seems to be the aid to of childrennative speakers, memory. children in special education, MR:Carolyn, you talk about how etc. Tell us about some of these the rhythm really emphasizes the experiences and the power of natural beat of American English. Jazz Chanting. But in your presentations around CG: I was very intrigued to get a the world, you've done Jazz call from the New York School Chanting with British teachers.Carolyn Graham, August 1998. for the Deaf and find that they How does it work with British were using my books to work English? MR: That's wonderful. You've beenwith deaf children. They invited me to CG:Of course, Jazz Chants were cre-doing teacher training workshops income and see the results. They had the ated for American English, and theyNew York, Japan and in many differ-children signing the chants rhythnli- work veryverywellwiththeent places throughout the world. Oftencally.It was really exciting and American sound system. But to mythe workshop is billed as "Carolynimpressive to see. I have also had a great surprise, they seem to also be aGraham and the Creative Classroom."chance to see work being done with veryeffectivetoolwithBritish Tell us more about that. emotionally disturbed children in a English. Many British teachers are variety of places. CO: My idea of the "creative class- using Jazz Chants and also a lot of my MR: There's a very interesting story songs for the language classroom. room" is to engage the teacher in the creative process and to use the arts inabout the power of Jazz Chants and a MR:Aren't you doing a project withour language teaching. That is,tochild who had real trouble relating to Oxford University Press from Englanddraw on poetry, on songs, on simpleothers. What happened with that with Italian teachers using Britishdance movement (I'm not talkingchild? English? How can you do this? about anything complicatedI'm notCO: This was a situation where the CG:Yes. I'm very pleased to havea dancer), just going to the arts for ourchild, about six years old, was selec- been invited to do all of the songs andnourishment, for the wonderful possi-tively mute. That is,she had just chants for a new children's seriesbilities they offer for our students' lan-decided not to speak and had some ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 140 11 really terrible conflict with her moth- My first experience with this waslovely story, but also one which can be er. One day after the mother's visit, thein Japan where we worked with asung and where the song reinforces therapist had taken the child on her lapseries of Japanese folk tales. Mythe actual rhythm and the language of and tried to help the child explain herfavorite one was The Fisherman andthe story. real feelings. They had been usingthe Turtle Princess. I wrote a perfor- You were talking about having Jazz Chanting with these children, andmance piece based on that story andteachers use classroom settings for the child said, "I can't tell you, but Ithen wrote songs and chants based ondeveloping chants. Tell us about that. can chant it to you." And then the childthe folk tale. began to chant, "My mother doesn't CO: I love to create material coming like me, My mother doesn't like me." Mt The Fisherman and the Turtlefrom the classroom. For example, What it told me was that the chantPrincess later turned into a marvelouschants and songs based on students' form gave her a kind of safe way tostory book. It's a trade book with anames. This works particularly well in express pain, the way music does forchant book, a video and an audio cas-the primary classroom. I'll give you an some of us, the way a song allows you sette. You've brought the whole folkexample. You could take a student's to say something which might be very,tale to life in lots of different media. very painful if you spoke it directly. name like "Andy." You could use any name, but I'll use a four-letter name as ME% What an impressive story! Also an example. You could begin with a beyond the field of ESL/EFL, you've chant like this: done a number of performances for "My idea of the A-n-d-y, AN-dy bookstores such as Barnes & Noble. What was that like? 'creative classroom' is to A-n-d-y, AN-dy Ce: That was a marvelous experience. And simply chant it to that 1-2-3-4 It was, of course, very different from a engage the teacher in beat. Then you can take a very simple classroom setting because we had the melody and move that into a song. mommies with the children and some- the creative process and CV1R: Lately, you've done a number of times even infants in strollers. And the children's concerts in Japan, Germany, wonderful thing about Jazz Chanting to use the arts in our the Czech Republic and Slovakia. is that it seems to connect so power- What do you hope to accomplish with fully, even with a baby. I would see language teaching." these concerts and why are they babies in carriages start to move to the important to you? beat! Even though they obviously =8.117.1MIDII. .M/MINN ON- couldn't produce language, they had CO: Well, it's just a wonderful oppor- the rhythm and they could relate to it. tunity for me to perform with the chil- You could see that they got tremen-CG: That was an exciting projectdren in various countries. I was so dous pleasure hearing that 1-2-3-4. because we were really bringinglucky in Moscow to have the New together the two different cultures. WeMoscow Jazz Band backing me up so ME: You've also been doing some fas-had a sound track of American jazz.the children could chant and dance cinating work taking folk tales fromWe had all the video animation donewith me with a live band behind us. various countries and making themin Tokyo, and the art was done by aAnd in Tokyo, I had this wonderful into marvelous story books withwonderful, talented, young AmericanDixieland band and was able to be the rhythm or songs or chants. What folkartist working out of Connecticutpiano player/singer with them as we tales have you been working with? John Himmelman. He also did the artperformed for the children. CM This began with my work withfor my book The Story of Myrtle Marie. He brought so much to theMR: Aren't there hundreds of children Jazz Chant Fairy Tales where I was at these concerts? taking the standard Brother Grimmbooks with his beautiful art! fairy tales (Goldilocks and the ThreeMR: He seems to really understandCG: Yes. But it's really fun. At the last Bears, etc.) and turning those verywhat you're trying to achieve with thechildren's concert in Tokyo, we had familiar stories into Jazz Chant perfor-language, and he has made the lan-children ranging in age from about three to ten, and then we had the moth- mance pieces for children in class-guage even more alive with the art. rooms. What I discovered then when I ers and teachers. We had a huge gym- started to do a lot of work in otherOS: Yes. He was wonderful to worknasium space. When I say "concert," countries were the great possibilitieswith. The Story of Myrtle Marie wasthat's really a misleading term. It's not of using folk tales or fairy tales as aone of my favorite stories, and I had anreally a formal thing where the chil- source for teachers to create their ownopportunity to perform that at Barnesdren are sitting silently, listening to performance pieces, chants and songs,& Noble in various settings in Newme. Not at all. It's a performance with so that children are reinforcing theirYork and New Jersey. these children, who are all taking part. own culture as they're learning the They're all moving, clapping, stamp- MIR: It's very unusual to have a trade new language. ing, dancing. They are the seagulls; book where the story is not only athey are the lighthouse; they are the 12 k ESL MAGAZINESEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 dolphins and we just play together. We sing, we dance. Even very young children, whose feet don't touch the floor, are clapping their hands and trying to tap the beat with their feet. What Do You Like? MR:You play together, but it's more than play. It's couched in play. It looks like play. It feels like play, but... 0 I Me - CG:Yes...it's a language learning activity. I MR:That's the thing. A lot of people IBee gel - koe, yesIdo. 7 may think,"Well, maybe Jazz Chants !Mt is just fun and games." It is, but it's do.too. much more than that. I too_ CG:It is, but it's a reinforcement. I think of it as an excellent tool for rein- I like ire mato, yes I dn.oI blue basebeIL yes I do. I Eke ice erearn,yes I dn. I fike baseball. yes I do. forcing basic grammatical structures I Like ire cream. I Boa basalsall I do tom and also for presenting natural spoken I do, too_ Hike ine ateom. too. language. It's a really good accompa- I Iike baseball, too. niment to a functional syllabus. MR:It's especially beneficial for children from cultures where they're not permitted to speak out or express their feelings. But Jazz Chants allows them to do that. CG:Definitely. I think another one of the benefits of Jazz Chants is that you The Love/HateSong can work with a very large group. In Grammarchant Africa, recently, I was in high schools She loves him. where they have over 100 students and He loves her. they love us. very little in the way of materials. You Third person s, yes,yes! We love them and I love him. could work with Jazz Chants and Not in the question, no,no! engage the entire group. The African He loves me. Third person s, yes,yes! We love everybody. students were just wonderful, with no! their beautiful music and dance back- Not in the negative, no, ground. They were just the perfect Third person s, yes,yes! She hates him. audience. I was thrilled to work with Not in the plural, no,no! He hates her. We hate them andthey hate us. them. Third person s, yes,yes! I hate him. MR:Where were you in Africa? Third person s. Yes! He hates me. We hate everybody. CG:My first visit was really in Africa. Thatis,West AfricaMali and Burkina Faso. Last year, I went to Ethiopia and Eritrea. GRAMMARNOTES MR:What has been the most memo- Song 1. The Love/Hate in the third person ssimple rable experience in your travels? This chant providespractice and insubject and objectpronouns. CG:In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia I had a present (loves/hates), presentedas a song onthe tape accom- wonderful experience because years This chant is also ago I had written a song based on panying Grammarchants. Kip ling's Jungle Book called "He's an Ethiopian." At that time, I had never been to Ethiopia and had no plans to go there. But then last year, I had an ABOVE: From Let's Chant, Let's Sing by Carolyn Graham 1994 by invitation from USIS (U.S. Informa- Oxford University Press. BELOW: From Grammarchants by Carolyn tion Service) to work with the teachers Graham 0 1993 by Oxford University Press. Both used by permission. ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 04 1412 13 and children in Addis Ababa. So I hadshould saymake plans for a concert a chance tosing my "He's antour where I'll be performing with a

mar Ethiopian" song on television in Addisband for the children and teachers in Ababa. various countries where I have already GM: Carolyn, you know "He's andone a lot of training and Jazz Chant workshops. I would like to take the Ethiopian" (10 1997 Carolyn Graham) band, for example, to Tokyo, Osaka, is one of my favorites. Can you sing that song for me? Hiroshima and then perhaps do the same kind of tour in other countries CO: Sure. like Russia. I did a lot of work in The Works of Moscow and St. Petersburg. I'd like to He's an E-thi-o-pi-an. Carolyn Graham He's from E-thi-o-pi-a. go back with the band and perform for Ev-ery mor-ning, he wakes up in the children in these countries. All works include audio cassette E-thi-o-pi-a. : I understand that you want these except where noted. He's an E-thi-o-pi-an. to be free concerts. He's from E-thi-o-p-i-a. CO: Yes, of course. The idea is to give Published by Oxford University Press Ev-ery day he goes to school in something back for all the wonderful E-thi-o-pi-a. (www.oup-usa.org/esl/) things that have been given to me by He's an E-thi-o-pi-an. the fieldby the teachers, by the chil- Ili* Jazz Chants (A) He's from E-thi-o-pi-a. dren and by the students. O. Small Talk: More Jazz Chants (A) Ev-ery night he goes to bed in E-thi-o-pi-a. MR: Carolyn, you have so much ener- Grammarchants (A) gy and passion for your work, and He's an E-thi-o-pi-an. sheer delight in what you do! You Ir Jazz Chants for Children (C) He's from E-thi-o-pi-a. must have at least five different pro- Ev-ery night he falls a-sleep in jects that you're working on for the 10. Jazz Chant Fairy Tales (C) E-thi-o-pi-a. near future. Can you tell us a little bit 10. Mother Goose Jazz Chants (C) C422: Wonderful. I love it. One of theabout some of your new projects? things you do so successfully is to CG: One of my new favorite projects is IP- Let's Chant, Let's Sing series (C) show teachers how they can use what- calledTiny Talk ever they have in their culture or coun- withOxford 10. Sixty songs for the University Press. I had an opportunity Tiny Talk course (I) try and turn it into a chant. Can you give us another example of that? to do the music for Susan River's Tiny The Electric Elephant* (A) Talk, which is a book designed for C : One of the most memorable work-three-year-olds in Taiwan. Oxford is shops, at least for me, was in Bamako,now gathering the songs for a Tiny Published by Delta Systems Mali. I had a family of drummersTalk Songbook. So, I'm very much (www.delta-systems.com) accompanying me in the workshop. Itlooking forward to seeing that and was sensational, and I decided to showperhaps touring with it. The Big Chants Series (C) the teachers how we could create chants based on their natural sur-PM: That's interesting. There seems to Fisherman and the be a whole new area emerging on lan- Turtle Princess (C) roundings. Their environment was a village with lots of wildlife and won-guage development with very young children. 101- Chocolate Cake (C) derful huge trees, plants, flowers and bees. I took bees, bats and crocodiles CG: Yes, the research is showing that a IP- Turn of the Century Songbook (A) (Bamako is famous for its crocodiles),baby's language development is very Story of Myrtle Marie (C) and I created a little chant. It goes likemuch helped by hearing the lan- this: guageby the mother speaking to the 1* Singing, Chanting, Telling Tales* (A) The bees of Bamako sting. infant and singing to it. I think also The bats of Bamako bite. that the baby responds to the rhythm The crocodiles of Bamako crawl and that helps them with their lan- Published by JAG Press around all night. guage development. I've seen this (www.jagpublications-esl.com) WM, I see what you mean about using happen. Rhythm and Role Play (A) what thereis. On another topic,MR Isn't there a project in the works Carolyn, if you could do anything indealing with the language develop- the world for the ESL/EFL field in thement of babies with their mothers? I * No audio cassette. A=adult (high school-adult), next five years, what would that be? C=children (K-6), 1=infant (3 and under) believe it's called Jazz Baby. CO: I'm now starting to dreamor I 4. continued on page 16 14 ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 The gUIV U&11,14 series Self-teaching guides to American Slang and Idioms Rhythm and Role Play STR E ET TA L K-1covers informal conversational English as it would be heard in Carolyn Graham's school, social situations, and in the enCHANTing playlets workplace. Special sections include initials, 11171/1 fruits and vegetables, body parts, clothing etc. are based on cartoon No obscene language. $16.95, 270 pages, stories by the famous and softcover. Sergio Aragones of ROLE STREET TALK-2 MAD Magazine fame. PLAY features the language They will delight your commonly heard on television: newscasts, students! by weather, sports, and traffic. Carolyn Special sections on exclamations and foreign TEXT N\ raham words that have been $10.95 \ cartoons by STREET TALK .1 absorbed into American Sergio THE RE. OF AMERICAN IN ragones English. $16.95, 254 AUDIOCASSETTE pages, softcover. $14.95 STREET TALK-3 is a thorough ad tor JAG PuBLICATIONSA collection of the most commonly used Mention idioms. Sections cover survival idioms and 1 IWOdiscount language used by criminals and police; a section on proverbs is included also. $18.95, 320 pages, softcover. To order on web: www.jagpublications-esi.com E-mail: [email protected] OPTIMA BOOKS Phone Toll Free (877) 710-2196 Phone or Fax: 818-505-9002 2820 Eighth Street Phone (outside US) (510) 848-8708 Berkeley, CA 94710 FAX (800) 515-8737 JAG PUBLICATIONS www.optimabooks.com email: [email protected]

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ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 15 contidued from.page 14 That is, new chants, new songs and a CG: Yes, Jazz Baby has been one of couple of performances by Carolina my really fun projects where we are Shout. looking at the mother with the baby at ME: OK. Now you have to tell every- home, and we're offering very accessi- Er one who Carolina Shout is? ble materialschants and songs that can be done with that very early age. 1 CO: Carolina Shout is my name as a barroom piano player. I took that name MR: That's a very interesting work in from the famous old piano solo called progress.Whatotherworksin "Carolina Shout" and since my name progress can you tell us about? was Carolyn, I thought I could borrow CO: There's another project being it to use as my stage name. designedbyaveryinnovative Marilyn Rosenthal and Carolyn Graham.MR: You've done a number of evening Japanese publisher using the performances at TESOL as Carolina American blues to teach English tovide sample chants and songs from the Shout, so it makes sense that you're Japanese businessmen. We call it "Thedifferent titles. I'm hoping it will alsogoing to include this in the forthcom- Business Blues." I've written a seriesgive my workshop schedule, includinging book. of songs about the blues:"Themy international schedule, so a teacher Carolyn, you're doing so many Business Blues," "The Tokyo Blues,"can know in advance if I'm going tothings and your dynamism shows not "The Answering Machine Blues,"be appearing in Tokyo, for example. Ionly with something like the 21st "The Cell Phone Blues" and thingscan also be reached by e-mail at theanniversary of Jazz Chants, but you're like that. creating new material all the time. You Web site. The address is:don't stop. You travel all around the MR: People often ask, "Where can Ihttp://www.delta-systems.com. Clickworld. Tell us how you feel about the learn more about Carolyn Graham'son "Specials." field and what it means for you to con- methodology? Where can I learn how tinue doing this? to do it, how to create it?" Singing, CO: I've been teaching ESL for over Chanting, Telling Tales was a method- 25 years, and I can honestly tell you ology book that you wrote some time that I've never been borednever ago. Are there any plans to revise that I'm always looking for been bored with my studentsnever book? new ideasnew ways been bored in my classroom. And the CG: Yes. I'm in the process now of reason for that is that I'm always look- reworking it. I'm doing a lot of teacher to use the things I love ing for new ideasnew ways to use training now, particularly at Columbia the things I love which are music, University. I do a seminar there in the which are music, poetry poetry and storytelling. I use those fall and spring, and that work is help- things to make my class more dynam- ing me with the revision of Singing, and storytelling. icmore interesting. I think our field Chanting, Telling Tales, which I use as is marvelous because it's so open. my course book. .remwomommti".imiMI=1"1That is, it's open to the arts. ,MMgM., At this moment, I'm on my way to MR: Many people have asked, "WhereMR: The original Jazz Chants wasTokyo where I'm going to be giving a program for Japanese artists from var- can I find Carolyn Graham's books?publishedin1978byOxford She has so many different publishers." ious disciplines who are going to show University Press. Its 21st anniversaryhow they use their art in the class- CO: Oxford University Press is myis coming in 1999. What are the plansroom. Now that's going include a main publisher, and they would befor the revision? dancer, a flower arranger, a tea cere- able to help. with the Oxford line. All CO: This is really a thrill for me. Themony specialist, a martial arts person, of My books are also available at a magician/fire eater, and a drama per- fact that the original Jazz Chants isson. It's going to be so interesting for Delta, who distributes everything,.still out there is extraordinary to me, including the Oxford line. me. It's going to be like a master class but one of the most wonderful thingswhere we're going to explore all those MR: Yes. Delta features the completeis that I'm back with my original edi-different things and see how we can works of Carolyn Graham. I under-tor on this project, you! bring that magic, that power of the arts stand that Delta has created a special into our language classrooms. Carolyn Graham Web page on theirMR: And I'm delighted about it as MR: That sounds wonderful. We wish Web site. How does it work and whatwell! you all the best and thank you for shar- is the benefit to teachers in the field? CO: I think it's going to be a lot of fun.ing the magic of Carolyn Graham with CO: Well, it keeps people up-to-dateWe're planning to keep a core of theour ESL Magazine audience. on my new material. It's going to pro-old favorites, the Jazz Chant classics, but also offer a lot of new material. Jazz Chants® is a registered trademarkofOxford University Press. 16 kiittl 4-5 ESL MAGAZINESEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 ITE2C3G9C.11.®17 Closed Captioning Opens Doors to Learning B YTOMMYB. MCDIDNELL, MPS If you use television programs or the screen are identified. gram and to ascertain students' videotaped materials in your class,> Noises or sounds important to the understanding. If there are areas of considering expanding the educa- plot are written. uncertainty or disagreement, show tional potential of these tools by using the segment again with the captions closed captioning. Although closed> Captions may be edited to keep up on for students to read. Allow stu- captioning is not a new technology, it is with the video and, therefore, may dents to explain any changes in their one of the least expensive ways to fos- not match word-for-word what is understanding based on their read- ter literacy, build reading fluency and spoken. ing of the captions. assist in English language learning. It Knowing these principles will be> Have students view a program or can be especially helpful for integratinghelpful both to you and your students' program segment without captions listening/viewing with reading andfor your viewing. and listen for any vocabulary they writing. don't know. Have them try to write Before Using Closed the new words as they hear them. History of Closed Captioning Captioning in Class Play the segment again with cap- Printed words appeared with images onBefore using closed captioning in class, tions on and allow them to find and screen long ago in silent movies, andyou should become familiar with how it copy the written form of the new they still appear as subtitles in foreignworks. Watch any teleyision program words. films. Closed captioning, however, wasor videotaped material that is closed- pioneered by The Caption Center of > The Caption Center tellsof a WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts in teacher who turns a listening/view- the early 1970s. Originally developed ing activity into a reading activity in for the deaf and hearing impaired, this way: students watch the first closed captioning is now used by teach- part of a program with the audio on ers in ESL and literacy programs. and the captions off. For the second part of the program, the instructor How It Works mutes the sound and turns on the The captions are written material that is captions.Students have to read to timed with and encoded in the video discover the end of the story! signalusingspecializedsoftware. > A listening/viewing activity could Captions are "closed" because they are also become a writing activity: stu- hidden unless decoded to appear on dents can try to write out the dia- screen either by the decoder inside a logue they have watched or fill in television or an external decoder. Sincecaptioned.It will be marked with one blanks on a paper copy of the dia- July 1993, all televisions sold in theof thetheclosed captionlogos. logue. They can check their answers U.S. with screens over 13 inches have aFamiliarize yourself with turning the by watching the segment again with built-in decoder. If your school televi-captions on and off with the controls on the captions on. sion is older than this and you don'tyour television set. Any closed-cap- want to buy a new one, you can pur-tioned broadcast can be videotaped on There are many possibilities for chase a decoder that sits on top of youryour VCR; even with your TV's closedthe use of closed captioning in the ESL television. These cost between $100caption feature turned off, the encodedclassroom. It is a valuable tool, and yet and $200. Closed captioning is avail-captions will still be recorded. You canfor those with new televisions, it is also able with many television broadcaststhen show the tape to your class with orfree! and on many videotapes. without the captions, depending upon For more information on closed For those who haven't viewedyour lesson plan. captioning, visit The Caption Center closed captions, it is good to know the Web siteat www.wgbh.org/wgbh/ basic principles developed by TheClassroom Ideas pages/captioncenter/index. html or Caption Center for creating captions: Planning is the key to using closed cap-Gary Robson'sFrequently Asked tioning successfully in class. Here areQuestions About Closed-Captioning at > Captions usually appear under the some ideas for using it: www.robson.org /capfaq/index.html. person speaking. > Have students watch a program or C> A single sentence may extend segment of a program without theTommy B. McDonell is Executive through several captions. captions.Use questions to lead aDirector of the Learning English Adult > Narrators or speakers not visible on discussion of the content of the pro-Program, Inc. (LEAP) in New York.

ESL MAGAZINESEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 17 Electronic Postcards Holiday Greetings for Writing and Reading

Students of all ages and EnglishMarch 17 everyone in the U.S. is Irish! Mother's Day proficiency levels will enjoy send-If you visit this site, you will find ten(http://www.sunset-north.com/auro- ing and receiving electronic holi-images to choose from for your St.ra5.htm)You have a selection of 43 day postcards. Teachers can make usePatrick's Day postcard. You may alsocards at Aurora's Mother's Day Cards of these cards to give their studentsread about the legend of Saint Patricksite. In addition to your greeting, you opportunities for authentic writing andand listen to some Irish music. Youmay add a poem (from among three reading practice in English. may also go to the Barnes and Noblechoices) and music (e.g., Rossini's Aria Postcard sites abound on the Web.site to view some books about Ireland. de Figaro or Beer Barrel Polka). You This is how they work. You create a will also find a very informative histo- card for someone who will then receive ry of Mother's Day. an e-mail message directing him/her to Father's Day the Web site where the personalized (www.bayareagold.com/postcards/inde greeting is waiting! One can find postcards for many x.htm) Don't forget Dad! At this site holidays. Here is a sampling of Web you can choose an animated musical sites for ten important holidays cele- card. Select the design you like the best, the background color, the color of brated in the United States. the text, and the music. My favorite is New Year's Day the greeting that floats toward you (http://www.bluemountain.com/newye from outer space. It reminds me of the art) This site offers several animated beginning of the film Star Wars. Thanksgiving New Year's cards with music. You can Fourth of July hear the gray wolf howl and watch the (http://www.d11-lever.com/postcard/ thanksg.html) This page has hundreds (http://www.atlanta.to/4th.html) Send a New Year Star spin in a beautiful dis- card to celebrate Independence Day. play of colors. My favorite is the Peaceof different images for Thanksgiving There are four images, three with fire- Dove which gracefully flaps its wings. postcards. Most cards feature the traditional turkey. crackers and one with fireworks. You Valentine's Day can also read the full text of the (http://www.lovingyou.com/post- Easter Declaration of Independence at this (http://www.xenus.com/postcard/east-site. cards/valentine.shtml) Valentine's Day er.htm) This site offers seven postcards postcards abound on the Web. This site Halloween offers animated romantic and humor-with the Easter Bunny, one with an Easter Egg, and one religious Easter(http://www.e-cards .com/catalog/cat- ous cards. card. If you already have a digitalselection .pl ?cat=halloween)Inthe St. Patrick's Day (computer graphic file) image of yourPumpkin Patch select from among six portrait or logo, you may add it to anyfriendly jack o'lanterns with flickering (http://www.wizardry-design. candles for your Halloween cards. com/postcards/stpatricksday.shtml) Oncards that you send. Christmas MASTERS DEGREES IN TEACHING ENGLISH (http://www.postacard.com/christmas.s html) This Christmas site offers many AS A SECOND LANGUAGE lovely scenes. After you have chosen OPTION Ileads to K-12 teaching the picture, you can select the text and certification the background color. You can also OPTION II - leads to Adult/International select a song! MANHATTANVILLE teaching COLLEGE There are many more postcard and Join us at a small, private, co-ed, liberal arts greeting card sites on the Web. This is 2900 Purchase Street college in suburban New York for individual only a small sampling. Go to a search Purchase, New York 10577 teaching programs using theory to engine such as Yahoo! and type in improve practice! "electronic postcards." You will find For information : Contact Dr. Krute (914) 323-5141 [email protected] many fun sites. Christine Meloni can be contacted at We shape the teachers who shape the world! [email protected].

18 ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 Announcing oOutstanding N Vocabula For Adult ESL Students

VOCABULARY BASICS Reading Level: 4-6 Judith NadellBeth JohnsonPaul Langan Vocabulary Basics will help your most basic students learn 240 words important for moving ahead in school and at work. Students learn in the best possible way: by working closely and repeatedly with the new words. No other book on the market provides so much and such varied reinforcement.

Key features of eoh book: An intensive words-in-context approach. Each new word is presented in at least nine different settings. To develop "ownership" of the new words, students are also asked to use the words in speaking and writing situations. Varied practice and appealing content. You'll find your students motivated by the wide variety of activities as well as by the lively, realistic, often humorous practice materials. Sensitivity to the needs of adult ESL students. Information is presented in a clear and easy-to-understand wayin a friendly, accessible tone of voice that never condescends. Outstanding price. While the books are comprehensive enough to serve as primary texts, their modest net price of $7.90 also makes them inexpensive supplements in any ESL class.

TOWNSEND PRESS 0 PAVILIONS AT GREENTREE-408 0 MARLTON, NJ 08053 1-800-772-6410 0 www.townsendpress.com Helping goll help students learn 4 Without Slang and Idioms, Studentsarein the Dark! BY DAVID BURKE

After writing a successful seriesSLANG: Nonstandard vocabulary of athe English language. of books on French and Spanishgiven culture or subculture. In other She was so animated and fiery slang and idioms (the Streetwords, slang is typically a nonstan-about her platform that English remain French and Street Spanish series), itdard word, not a phrase as is an idiom.pure and untainted that she soon never dawned on me to write a seriesSlang would include words likeattracted a crowd of teachers at our of books focusing on Americanisms.pooped, to down a drink, the grind,booth (so who needs fancy signs and After all, we don't use that muchboob-tube, threads, bonkers, basket-banners?). slang...or do we? case, etc.Slang words may or may One of the onlookers, obviously When I was working out at thenot have alternative literal meanings.disturbed by her statement, chimed in, gym with a French friend of mine,They may be "made up" words. "Ma'am, not to teach students every- Pascale, a friend of his came up and day slang and idioms is to assure that enthusiasticallyinquired,"What's they remain outsiders. Let's face it, we up?" Pascale paused a moment, took a all speak in code." step backward and looked up, check- Another teacher added, "You're ing out the ceiling. doing your students a great injustice Realizing he didn't get it, I quick- because they'll never be able to fully ly piped up and explained, "Oh, that's integrate and you're only teaching slang for 'How are you?" He looked them one part of our language." confused, obviously not understand- Flushed and noticeably irritated, ing how "What's up?" could possibly she quickly retorted, "Then it's our have anything to do with "How are responsibility as teachers to perpetu- you?" But his friend didn't stop there. ate the purity of the English lan- "So, Pascale, did you hear how guage..." then turning toward me, the Italian soccer team licked the "...not promote its demise by teaching French team?" As Pascale's eyes nontraditional language." widened and his mouth dropped open, 5 I defended by position (and my an expression I hadn't seen since the life's work) by adding, "If you've cho- days of "Our Gang" comedy, I sud- sen not to teach slang to your students, denly realized where he had gone with that's certainly your decision. But you that one and could only imagine whatIDIOM: A phrase that is commonlymust admit that the average native image his mind was conjuring up. understood in a given culture or sub-speaker does use a certain amount of It was at that moment that I real-culture to have a meaning differentslang and idioms in everyday speech." ized for the first time that there wasfrom its literal meaning. A good exam- "Well Icertainly don't!" she absolutely no way a nonnative speakerple of this is "to bend over back-hurled back as she picked up her mate- of English could fully understand anwards." This phrase is commonlyrials she had placed on the table. "I'm American movie, TV show, newsunderstood in our culture to mean "tosorry to be so agitated about this, but it broadcast, or even a typical conversa-exert an enormous effort in order tojust really ticks me off!" tion without help because our lan-accomplish something." The literal It was like something out of a TV guage is loaded with nonstandardmeaning, however, is the physical actcomedy. All the teachers who were English, i.e., slang and idioms. it describes, of which few may actual-now swarming around her repeated in ly be capable of doing! unison, "Ticks...you...off?" Defining Terms It was such a delicious moment Since we use both terms, slang andWhy Should I Teach that it almost had a flavor. Hardly able idioms, we ought to define them. INonstandard English? to contain my glee, I responded with asked a group of ESL teachers, "WhatEach year at the TESOL Convention,the jubilation and triumph of a lottery is the difference between slang andI'm approached by the occasionalwinner, "That was slang! It was so nat- idioms?" Everyone had their ownteacher who is annoyed that I writeural to you that you didn't even answer. After consulting several dic-classroom texts on slang and idiomsnotice!" tionaries, all having slightly differentand that I am, as one teacher put it at Then, stunned and somewhat takes on the definitions, I would like tolast year's convention in Seattle, con-uncertain now of her own convictions, propose these definitions: tributing to the decay of the purity ofshe said, "No way! C'mon! that's just

20 ESL MAGAZINESEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 a colloquialism." However, slang in general doesnotfallsions as: No way' ? 'C'mon'? Those areinto the category of obscenities, a "to be ticked off' both slang expressions!" common misunderstanding, especially "to pig out" She looked dazed for a momentamong nonnative speakers of English. "to stand someone up" then burst out laughing and said, "Ya "to get one's second wind" know, I didn't even realize it!" Is Slang Only Used "to be wiped out" We spoke for quite some timeBy The Lower Classes? "to get canned, etc." after that, and I learned that part of her"Absolutely not!" I tell my interna- Within this category are common- disapproval stemmed from the facttional students. There is universally used initials which represent com- that she was equating slang withslangthatisused by everyone.plete sentences, another important cat- obscenity. Oddly enough, this is a fair-However, there are many subcate-egory to be conquered by the norma- ly common mistake. In fact, in Japan,gories of slang used by specifictive speaker. Although they sound the term slang has a negative contextgroups. Slang can be seen as a familycompletely normal to native speakers, for the same reason. tree with universal slang at the top rep-to the outsiders, they are nothing but a Under the guise of the dictio-resenting words that are not only usedmeaningless string of letters. nary's definition of slang as nonstan-consistently in the media, but by virtu- Imagine how a secretary, whose dard English, leaving quite a bit ofally everyone. This huge category offirst language is not English, would room for interpretation, obscenitiesterms and expressions spans all ages,respond upon being given the follow- and curse words could indeed besocial groups and economic groupsing information: FYI, the CEO wants placed into the category of slang.with such common words and expres-you to pick up a BLT and an OJ for the How Do You TeachSlang and Idioms? Throughout my 15 years of writing self-teaching "Real Speak" books on slang and idioms and speaking to numer- Unanimously, teachers and students absolutely love ous groups during lecture tours around the world, going back through the dialogues using common reduc- I've been able to interview the teachers and students tions. Learning the slang and idioms without this step who have used my original books. Through these inter- leaves the students at a loss when they hear native views, I have been fortunate to hear from teachers first- English speakers. When a standard sentence of ten syl- hand which techniques worked and which ones fell lables is suddenly transformed into five syllables with short. reductions, the students are always amazed and delight- The consensus has been the desire for a text with ed. Since students have all heard this type of delivery, 1) with fewer slang terms and idioms packed into each this portion of the lesson is always met with lots of chapter; in other words, they want more "bite- laughs and, more importantly, an eagerness to learn size"chunks of information; and 2) more classroom this "funny" way we all speak. activities. My newest classroom edition (Street Speak, After slang and idioms are presented, understood 1998) is based on hundreds of these helpful corn- and practiced with reductions, a variety of reinforcement ments. This new format is already being used at Berlitz, activities can make the meaning stick. Whole class Duke University, Aspect International, Boston University, activities as well as pair work can be successful for rein- EF International, ELS Language Centers, and American forcing a lesson. At my last TESOL lecture, I had a English Academy, among other places. group of 100 teachers do a pair work activity. The laugh- From my experience and from my conversations ing and tittering during this ten-minute period demon- with teachers, I've found the following method to be the strated the potential fun of pair work. most effective way to teach slang and idioms. A Sample Group Activity: Presentation Slang and Idioms Concentration Game 1. Start with a natural dialogue that contains no more Students responded to this one with wild enthusiasm. than twelve slang words and idioms. According to stu- The teacher divides the class into two teams. In front of dents, any more than that is simply too many. the classroom, the teacher posts 36 cards in six rows of six. The cards are all clearly numbered 1 through 36. 2. Based on the context of each phrase, allow the stu- Half of the cards have slang words or idioms written on dents to guess what each slang term or idiom means. the back while the other half have the meanings. The For example: "It really ticks me off when you lie!" Ask goal is to match a slang word or idiom with its meaning. the students to guess what that could mean. Ask, "Is With only one student choosing at a time, the the speaker happy that the other person is lying?" The teams take turns trying to choose two cards that match. students will erupt in a big "No! The speaker is angry!" When a match is made, the person who made the correct match must use that term in a complete sentence. 3. To really lock in the meaning, it's fun to go around If that person cannot, a person from the other team the classroom and have each student use "No, it ticks gets to try. Whichever team gets the correct answer me off!" as they respond to your questions such gets a point. I've found that when the person who made as "Do you like it when people borrow money from the correct match is allowed to be helped by the entire you?" "Do you like it when your brother or sister bor- team to form a correct sentence, it creates an immedi- rows your clothes without permission?" etc. ate bond among members of the team and inhibitions are overcome. Students are then more willing to take chances and make mistakes; a glorious moment for any language teacher who may have a shy student! '50 ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 21 VP ASAP. OK? Abbreviations and go)! would be at a loss. Imagine someone acronyms are a large part of our daily not familiar with idioms being told language, many of which are used DocroRs: We need to gork (anes-during a meeting that he or she "has thetize) the patient before calling in commonly yet whose literal meaning the floor" or being asked to "take the the blade (surgeon). is unknown even by native speakers; ball and run with it." for example, LASER (light amplifica- SOME SOUTHERNERS: I'm more The following paragraph would tion by stimulated emission of radia-scared than a long-tailed cat in a roomsurely go over the head of the average tion), SCUBA (self-contained under-full a rockin' chairs or I'm morenonnative speaker, yet the terms and water breathing apparatus),and TIPscared than a porcupine in a balloonexpressions are certainly common in (to insure promptness). factory. the business world (and this is just the Just below universal slang on the tip of the iceberg): "I don't know who family tree are subcategories used by Slangandidiomsareusedblew the whistle on Bernie, the paper specific groups such as teens, rappers,throughout the world, and many of ourpusher in accounting, but he just got surfers, different trades, economicown common expressions have equiv-called on the carpet by the big wigs for groups, and racial groups; there isalents in other languages in othercalling in sick again. If he doesn't pull even regional slang. Many of theseplaces.These can be entertaining toittogether soon, he's gonna get subcategories contain their own verylearn! For example: canned, and cush jobs like his don't colorful expressions. For example: AMERICAN: You'll pulling my leg! grow on trees!" TEENS: Our home-ec (home eco- Sports jargon is particularly wide- FRENCH: Tu te paies ma t8te! (liter-spread in business since sports perme- nomics) teacher is really phat (beauti- ally: You're treating yourself to myate American culture. This may also ful) and her class is the bomb (great)! head!) be related to the fact that both sports RAPPERS: Hey, homie (friend)! Why SPANISH: !Me estas tomando eland business in the past have been pre- you wallin' (being a wall flower)pelo!(literally: You're taking mydominantly influenced by men. To my instead a bustin' a move (dancing) tohair!) knowledge, nothing has shaped the that def jam (great music)? language of business more than sports, GERMAN: Du willst mich wohl aufand not just one sport: SURFERS: The big mama's (ocean)den Arm nehmen! (literally: You want fully mackin' (pumping out) someto take me up the arm!) gnarly grinders (huge waves) with cor- BASEBALL: to field a phone call, to be home free, to come out of left field, duroy to the horizon (one after theIs It Okay To Use other). to be in the ball park, to be out of Slang In Business? someone's league, to pitch ideas, DINER WAITERS/WAITRESSES (from I tell students, "Definitely!" In fact,that's one strike against him/her. the 1950s): Gimme a cold pig on abusiness is notorious for creating a green sea (ham sandwich with let-slang or jargon of its own. Clearly, a BOATING: to be on an even keel, tuce), burn 50 (on toast) and put shoesnonnative speaker who doesn't have aeach man for himself, to go down with on 'em; they're going for a walk (toworking knowledge of business jargonthe ship, to like the cut of someone's

New 3rd edition of the little book of Americanisms , What AreThose Crazy Amarteana Saying? "What Are Those Crazy ni,c1 &Mon An 0=3Y undandond thouaanda of Amartean Evevasions br Americans Saying.by,...effer Jared RicEtr This handy book provides a simple, quick way to learn the meanings of thousands of puzzling American expressions not found in most dictionaries.

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,cs 22 ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 jib, to shape up or ship out, to begroups, I have found that the vastnew friends, the French family I was smooth sailing, to take the wind out ofmajority of teachers feel that familiar-living with at the time said that I one's sails. izing students with slang, idioms andshould never repeat these words to even some vulgarities is much moreanyone nor should I ever see those BOXING: to go a few rounds withdesirable than having students pick upteenagers again. Having never been someone, to be a heavyweight, to be athis type of language haphazardly ontaught this type of slang, I was com- lightweight, to hit below the belt. the street. pletely unaware that I had just been FOOTBALL: game plan, to run inter- The main concern is that studentsbefriended by members of a gang. ference for someone, to take the balloften hear vulgar or provocative words As educators, we need not pro- and run with it, to tackle a problem. used loosely and gratuitously and,mote the actual use of slang, idioms, therefore, don't understand the fulland certainly not vulgarities, but we do HORSE RACING: to be down to the weight and connotation of a particularhave a responsibility to familiarize the wire, to be first out of the gate, to be interm or expression. The unsuspectingnonnative speaker with this type of the homestretch, to jockey for posi-student may find himself in an embar-language. After all, whether we like it tion, to be left at the gate, to be neckrassing situation. However, havingor not, this nonstandard English has and neck, to be right out of the chute,first been exposed to this type of ver-existed for years and will continue to to win by a nose. nacular in the classroom, these poten-exist. Knowledge of slang and idioms SWIMMING: to dive right in, to gettially embarrassing situations may beis fundamental to nonnative speakers' one's feet wet, to go in headfirst, toavoided. understanding of the language that sink or swim, to jump off the deep In addition, being able to recog-native speakers actually use. It is also end, to test the water. nize vulgar language is essential foressential for those who want to inte- one's own safety or survival. When Igrate into our culture; without slang TRACK AND FIELD: to come in alived in France as a 15-year-old, I metand idioms, students will always be close second, to clear a hurdle, to havea group of teenagers who eagerly tookoutsiders. This nonstandard English the inside track, to jump the gun, tome under their collective wing since Imay even be important for students' keep pace with someone or something,was a curiosity for them, being ansafety and well-being. to pace oneself, to set the pace. American who knew verylittle French. I could only understand about David- Bur-k-e- -is -the- -author- -of- -mere Should Teachers Teach two percent of what they were saying,than 21 books on slang and idioms Naughty Words? but they always seemed upbeat andincluding Street Speak and Biz Speak After years of presenting to numerousfriendly. When I started to repeat someclassroom editions. teachersandleadingdiscussionof the new words I had heard from my

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ESL MAGAZINESEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 r 23 EQWEIQW9fl The Oxford Picture Dictionary: "I See What You Mean!" BY RICK INDENBAUM

/t was quite a change to have myto 80 years old and represent over 20"Focused Listening" cassettes, I can students beg me to order a picturedifferent countries. As is true of mostoffer my studentsthatpractice dictionary for them rather than forclasses, their skill levels vary. Somewhether or not they have or can afford me to ask them again and again to buycan read and write very well withouta copy of the dictionary. My students their dictionaries so we being able to speak,especially enjoy the challenge of could all do certain while others can com-developing their listening skills with exercises in class municateorallybutthe tapes because they feature the top- together. This is exact- have no literacy skills.ics and kind of language students really what happened when TheOxfordPicturely hear outside the classroom. I introduced the new Dictionaryandthe The Oxford Picture Dictionary Oxford Picture Dic- accompanyingprogram is a gold mine for all kinds of tionary (Oxford Uni- teacher's book, "Foc-ESL classes. It has brought a fun and versity Press) to my used Listening" cas-contemporary atmosphere into my beginning ESL class at settes, vocabulary cas-classroom, and the students keep com- CulverCityAdult settesandoverheading back for morel School in Culver City, transparencies create a California. flexible program that is I learned about the excellent for a multi-Rick Indenbaumteaches ESL Oxford Picture Dictionary in a work- level class. at Culver City Adult School, Culver shop given by the authors, Norma The teacher's book contains step- City, CA. Shapiro and Jayme Adelson-Goldsteinby-step lesson at the CATESOL convention lastplans that save a spring. As an artist, I was immediatelylot of preparation attracted to this book by its beautiful-time. They allow The [nglish leacher's Assistant: ly illustrated pictures and colorful for-me to give my mat. As a teacher, I know that learning studentshighly The Newsletter for Busy, Innovative a new language and particularlyeffective conver- ESL/EFL Teachers and Tutors vocabulary can be taxing. However,sation and listen- having something this pleasing to looking lessons that at makes the job much easier. My stu-include meaning- Introducing... dentsobviouslyagreewith mefulcommunica- because we always seem to lose tracktive activities a NEW Periodical for of time whenever we open this book. ranging from ESL/EFL Teaching The page size (8.5 by 11 inches)individualprac- Professionals. allows for a well-arranged and un-tice (e.g., catego- crowded format with lots of room forrizingandse- Fresh teacher-tested students' notes. There are over 3,700quencing) to activities and games. words, including 400 verbs, depictedinteractive group III Each issue thematic. in the context of scenes and imagesexercises (e.g., Photocopiable that reflect real life. The 12 units, suchproblem solving, worksheets. as "People," "Health," and "Com-discussion ques- munity," correlate to a basic ESL cur-tions, and speech- Jargon-Free riculum. The various topics withines.) each unit meet the vocabulary needs of I'malways my diverse class. My students and Iseekingsupple- also appreciate how the verbs, adjec-mental materials tives and "dreaded" prepositions arethat provide com- presented in phrases, adding to themunicative prac- PHONE: 715.425.8891 / Tou.-FREE 1.877.ESL.NEWS context of the vocabulary and demon-tice.Withthe PAX: 715.425.2921 strating realistic language. overheadtrans- [email protected] My students range in age from 18parencies and the

24 ESL MAGA.ZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 ave tough ) Your job just got easier.

FamAireaz Complete hardware and software system custom- ized for ESL application Database of hundreds of speech samples to teach important pronunciation and intonation patterns Includes textbook from bk31:111:-.V7 leading ESL educator Innovative displays to help students master proper pronunciation Presenting7C1=1AM Ii UT M. Based on Visi-Pitch 11, the leading product in speech therapy, Visi-Pitch II for ESL contains many powerful tools for teaching pronunciation. Developed in conjunction with Dr. Garry Molholt, Ph.D., a leading educator in the field of ESL, Visi-Pitch II for ESL is a complete system with both hardware (external module, internal plug-in card, microphone, speaker, etc.) and software. ..uston hodnAhalUthiChart xtx The software provides training on essential features of CURRENT UONEL TABLE: CARDINN pronunciation such as intonation, timing, and stress. It displays tRE,E111:0814P88C4.NSP suprasegmentals, vowels, and consonants in real time, with split- ^ ; ; screen, instant playback, and waveform editing capabilities. 3

Spectrograms, too, can be displayed to show formants and 4 7 4 coarticulatory patterns. Further, they can be used to show students acoustic patterns of consonant productions such as t ! voice onset times, voicing vs. unvoicing, frequency 6 Oq. characteristics, durations, and more.

A 200-page textbook, written by Dr. Molholt, serves as a 1 guide to using Visi-Pitch II for ESL. In addition, a companion 8

CD-ROM database, of more than 1250 sample productions of 24 28 10 16 14 12 10 9 8 Froquoncu of F2 Oh x 180(logarithnic)1 native and non-native speakers, can be loaded directly into the 046 program for listening and visual comparisons of speech productions. Visi-Pitch 111 for ESL is a result of many years of collabo- Sample display for vowel training. Students can observe their vowel production (see red dots) rative work to develop a practical, proven approach to ESL in real time in comparison to the screen target. training and accent reduction. For more information about Visi-Pitch II for ESL, contact Kay Elemetrics or a local representative.

77 Kay Elemetrics Corp. 2 Bridgewater Lane + Lincoln Park, NJ 07035-1488 USA Tel: 1-800-289-5297 (USA and Canada) + (973) 628-6200 + Fax: (973) 628-6363 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.kayelemetrics.com 2541 HOMESTAY Highlights and Hurdles BY DOUG RONSON

When host parent Doug Menardto choose homestay as opposed tothey are interested in is money or hav- got out the mop, the Japanesecampus residence because they knowing a babysitter, I just forget it," says student staying at his homethey will be looked after," says Mary-Susan McKelvey, homestay coordina- rushed to fetch her camera to take aLou Nolte, homestay coordinator attor with ELS in Philadelphia. photographof him washingtheQueen'sUniversityinKingston, kitchen floor. "She wanted to send theOntario. Whatever the reason for stu-Homestay Challenges picture back to Japan, because other-dents choosing homestay, it is clearUpon arrival in North America, the wise nobody would believe that a manthat it brings challenges not associatedstudents invariably experience culture would do that," laughs Menard. withdormitoriesorapartments.shock. Asian students, whose culture Homestayinternational students is so different from ours, often suffer living with North American families most acutely. "We had one student is a recipe for a wide range of experi- who said that everything was shock- ences: culture shock, joyous relation- ing," says Nolte. "The food was ships, miscommunication and inter- shocking. The fact that the host father culturallearning."Studentsgo prepared supper or washed the dishes through a variety of experienceslov- was shocking." ing it, hating it, being homesick and The differences between their crying," says Barbara Land, homestay home country and North America can coordinatorwith ELS Language be quite striking. Students may have Center in Houston. "I always tell the totally unrealistic expectations about students that it's OK to cry." life with an American family. "They There are hundreds of homestay come here thinking that all Americans programs across North America and are very wealthy and that the houses thousands of students and host fami- are big and beautifur says McKelvey. liestakingpartatanytime. Usually, participants get their Participants range from 14-year-old image of American families from tele- high school students to 40-year-old vision or the movies and expect their businesspeopleto 70-year-old host family to conform to that. "The retirees. The vast majority of interna- family which is in the media is the tional high school students studying in abnormal, not the normal," notes the United States and Canada live with Land. Alternatively, some students host families. As well, an estimatedHomestay student Yoon-Seop Kim expect that their host family will be one-third of young adults attendingtries her hand at cooking. exactly like their family in their home ESL programs at colleges or private country. Some are surprised to find out language schools take advantage ofMatching Students and Families that families here represent many homestay when it is offered. In matching students with host fami-races and may come in all shapes and lies, coordinators probe students about sizes, including single-parent families Reasons for Homestay their interests and desires and careful-and childless couples. Students choose the homestay experi-ly check the background of host fami- Often, students come expecting ence for a variety of reasons. "Most oflies. Usually, prospective hosts mustthat families will be able to spend end- them want to be in an environmentcomplete an application form andless amounts of time helping them wheretheycanimprovetheirundergo an in-home interview andwith their English and explaining how English," says Katherine MacDougall,inspection of the home and the stu-North American society functions. summer housing coordinator at thedent's room. Increasingly, homestayThey get a shock when they realize University of California at San Diego.coordinators are asking families tothat both parents usually work and that "The second reason is that they wantprovide evidence from local police thatin the evening they may be busy taking to experience American culture." they do not have a criminal record. the children to soccer practice and A thirdfactor,althoughnot Coordinators also try to determinemusic lessons. always stated, is safety. "Many of thethe family's motivation in hosting a Unfamiliar foods can also disturb parents of the students encourage them student. "If I get the feeling that allstudents' sense of belonging in the 26 155 ESL MAGAZINESEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 new culture. For some students, espe- Helping Students Cope a student goes through and provides cially Asians, the food is dramatically Ultimately, time helps students adjustadvice on handling day-to-day situa- different."Somefamiliesserveto what seems like a bizarre lifestyletions.It deals mostly with teenage microwave dinners or hamburgers,in North America. Commented oneexchange students, although some of and they find it hard to get used tostudent: "First, I felt I couldn't contin-the advice may be useful for families that," says MacDougall of UCSD.ue homestay because I didn't knowhosting young adults. Adds Nolte: "Families try to find outwhat should I do. However, gradually Classroom teachers are encour- what they like, but they've signed upI could understand lifestyle and real-aged to do their part to help homestay for an experience with a Canadianized host family's kindness. When itstudents adjust to North American family,sothey havetoexpectwas my birthday, they held birthdaysociety. California's Monterey Canadian food." party for me. I don't forget in my life."Institute of International Studies has Another common issue is smok- Many schools are actively assist-integrated a number of homestay- ing: "A lot of our families don't allowing students in overcoming these chal-related activities into its curriculum. In smokingatallintheir homes,"lenges and in making their experienceone project, students gather informa- MacDougall says. "There have beenin America one to treasure. Some offertion about the immigration history of cases where students have been toldworkshops on culture shock or pro-the host family and report this to the this, but they continue to smoke in vide counselling to those having diffi-class. This helps students get to know their rooms." Hosts are inevitablyculties. their host family and also teaches angry when they smell smoke coming In addition, homestay coordina-them about the diverse backgrounds of from a student's room. tors are helping students be better pre-families in America. Family pets can also be a sourcepared before they leave home and to Other classroom activities include of conflict. In many cultures, it is nothave realistic expectations for theirrole-playing a dinnertime conversa- considered clean to have animals insojourn. A number of ESL programstion with the host family or preparing the house, so students are surprised toare sending their homestay students aa photojournal by selecting a photo see their hosts petting and even kissingnew booklet, The Essential Guide forthat shows their experience in North pets. Land, of ELS Houston, comparesHomestay Students in North America,America and writing a paragraph it to an American living in a countryso that they can make the most of theabout it. where goats and chickens are com-homestay experience. This 60-page Regardingconflicts,however, monly allowed to roam about thebooklet covers everything from expec-teachers are urged to let homestay house. "It's a big adjustment to havetations to culture shock to how tocoordinators deal with any conflict dogs or cats in the house," she says. make a sandwich. It is currently avail-that arises between a student and host Rules of common courtesy alsoable in English, Japanese and Koreanfamily. When a student approaches a vary around the world. "One of the bigwith versions in other languages beingteacher about a homestay problem, the issues is letting the host family knowconsidered. teacher is only getting one perspective if you are not going to be home onThere is also a book available foron the story. Homestay coordinators time for a meal," notes Land. "In somehomestay parents, the Host Familyhave extensive experience in mediat- countries, you just sort of do what you Survival Kit. This 215-page booking any conflicts between students and want." explains the stages of adjustment thathosts and have probably heard the North Meets South in Canadian Homestay When Brenda Cadena Costillo came to Canada to "It's essential to respect the differences between improve her English, her decision about accom- people around the world," Brenda says. For example, modations was easy: homestay beat out other Mexico is largely Catholic, but she likes to discuss reli- choices hands down. "To learn more gion with fellow students from Japan about Canada, I think the best option and Korea. "We can show our points is homestay," says the 23-year-old of view as long as we have respect for from Acapulco, Mexico. "I can find ` each other." out how is the family, how are the With her fellow students, Brenda talks customs." about music and pop culture. Conver- Brenda admits that everything is sations with her host mother give her different from what it is in Mexico, a chance to learn about Canadian gov- but she has enjoyed the experience ernment and politics. She even found since she arrived in May. "When you out that the Canadian style of cooking come here, you have to come with is very different. Her host mother care- your mind open. When you come with fully measures out every ingredient. this in mind, it is easy to adapt." "We never cook like this; my mother While studying at Queen's Uni- never does that. We do it like this," versity in Kingston, Ontario, Brenda is she says, pretending to grab a pinch living with host parent Margaret of salt and throw it in a pot. Skolnick and two other international Brenda plans to return to Mexico in students. She has enjoyed staying with other students time to be with her family at Christmas and then look because it gives her an opportunity to learn not only for employment. "I came here because English is very about Canada, but other countries as well. important to get a job."

ESL MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 156 27 exact same issues before. ,nator at the local school. If the studentwillingness to be open to other cul- For students who are still in highfails to heed a warning, he is sent backtures and on the host family's ability to school, a somewhat different set ofto his native country. understand the student's perspective. expectations exist. "Host parents treat Says Nolte of Queen's University: them like teenagers of their own," saysHomestay as Highlight "They get over the difficulties sooner Dianne Eddy, homestay coordinatorAcross the continent, homestay coor-or later, and then it's a very valuable with the Langley District Schooldinators report that most students arelearning experience. They realize that Board in Langley, British Columbia. very enthusiastic about their homestaythere are many good ways of doing Each year, her board hosts about 300experience. Sometimes students willthings, not just one right way." international students, 250 of whommove to an apartment after a term in a Concludes one student about his stay with local families. "You are ahomestay. Coordinators advise thatexperience with a Canadian family: parent, but you are a second parent,"hosts should not be offended by this"I don't have any difficulties to live says Eddy. "They have curfews. Youthe student may simply want to try liv-with them. I had a excellent time. need to make sure they do their home- ing independently before returning toThey are always kind, even though work and so on." his or her native country. In somethey are busy. They tried to show me Eddy also makes it clear that thecases, homestay leads to lifelongCanadian culture and helped me host families do not have legal respon-friendships and to North Americanimprove my English skill. Thank you sibility for a high school student'shosts traveling to their student's coun-to have introduced wonderful family." actions. Hosts who are worried that atry to visit. student's behavior is dangerous or ille- Ultimately, the success of theDoug Ronson is a host parent in gal can contact the homestay coordi-homestay depends on the student'sKingston, Ontario and has made presentations about homestay at ESL Oxford University l'ress conferences. He is currently working on 'a study comparing the gains in English proficiency of students living in homestay, apartments and college . The Oxford Picture Dictionary residence. He can be reached at ron- Illustrates over 3,700 words [email protected]. I Offers 140 key topics Teacher's Book, Cassettes, The Essential Guide for Homestay Transparenciesand Students in North America, 60 pages, Bilingual Dictionariesavailable $2 to $4 depending on the volume ordered. For more information contact [email protected] or call 800-615-8666. Oxford University Press ESL Department (800) 445-9714 or (919) 677-1303 Host Family Survival Kit, 215 Visit us on the World Wide Web at: www.oup-usa.org/esl/ pages, $13.95. For more information contact interculturalpress@internetm- ci.com or call 800-370-2665. KAEDEN101 eA WORLD OF DISCOVERY SUPPLEMENTAL READING MATERIALS FOR EMERGENT TO EARLY FLUENCY READING PROGRAMS

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'g.1:a'ODWQ@ Has Whole Language Failed? by Stephen Krashen 8

Literature for Language Learning Page 8 by Mary Lou McCloskey 14

EFL Positions: Finding the Right Job by Karen Asenavage and Bob Hunkin 20

Chinese ESL Students in the U.S. by Frank Tang and Helene Dunkelblau 26

DQGYZAMQZ4g, Editor's Note 4 Page 14 Letters to the Editor 5

News Briefs 6

Conference Calendar 7

Christine Meloni's Networthy 12

Technology 18

Reviews 25

Catalog Showcase 31 Page 20

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Page 26 ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 Ut 3 QC)04®1 ED4g

TM The magazine for English as a Developing Literacy Second Language professionals. Publisher with Literature GEORGE H.CLEMES, III Editorial Director MARILYN ROSENTHAL

7' have known Dr. Stephen Krashen since we were both professors in the Editor KATHLEEN R.BEALL City University of New York (CUNY) system in the 1970s. We were both

teaching at the graduate center. He was also running the ESL institute at Contributing Editors KAREN ASENAVAGE Queens College. He is a brilliant linguist as well as an ESL icon, and the HELENE DUNKELBLAU ERIN HOLMES influence of his theories has been felt worldwide. Dr. Krashen has contributed BOB HUNKIN STEPHEN KRASHEN greatly to the fields of language acquisition, ESL, reading and bilingual VIRGINIAD.LEZHNEV MARYLouMCCLOSKEY education. We are very pleased to have him write our cover story on whole CHRISTINE MELONI KIRSTENB.REITAN language. His discussion of the question "Has whole language failed?" reveals DUANE M. SIDOR FRANK TANG the success of this approach when correctly understood and applied. Webmaster In keeping with the topic of whole language, Mary Lou McCloskey CHARLES FOWLER presents compelling reasons for integrating literature with English language Advertising Sales 410-570-0746 instruction. She also explains how to guide students successfully through 410-798-5607 (fax) [email protected] literature so that they reap the linguistic, cognitive and personal benefits. Subscription Information Introductory rate: 1 year, 6 issues, U.S.: $16.95, Canada/Mexico: $24.95, outside From their posts in the United Arab Emirates, Karen Asenavage and Bob North America: $34.95. All prices in U.S. $ and must be paid in U.S. funds. To sub- Hunkin share a wealth of information and good advice on seeking and obtain- scribe, fill out subscription form on page 30 (photocopy additional forms if neces- ing EFL teaching positions. Their perspectives as recruiters and teachers can sary) and mail with payment to: ESL Magazine, 220 McKendree Avenue, streamline the process for the job seeker and help make his or her experience Annapolis, MD 21401. Or fax subscription form with credit card information to more rewarding. 410-810-0910. Please call 410-570-0746 for all other inquiries.

Frank Tang and Helene Dunkelblau, both with extensive experience in ESL Magazine is published bimonthly by Bridge Press,LLC 220 McKendree Avenue teaching English to Chinese students, expose as myths six common beliefs about Annapolis, MD 21401 [email protected] Chinese students and explain the realities that teachers must understand to meet www.eslmag.com the needs of their students. ISSN: 1098-6553 ESL Magazine is abstracted and indexed with ERIC.

4 Ali 5ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 11,g44gG2 V® VI Ig gCOliCIG2

and thearticle by David Burke,point out that much of the impact of "Without Slang and Idioms, Studentsthe experience may not be apparent are In The Dark!" I wholeheartedlyimmediately. More likely, the process agree that we have to include idiomsof learning about oneself, one's own in guiding our students toward profi-culture and other cultures that began in ciency. I can remember my first expe-the home of host family will continue rience in France. I'd learned properfor years afterward, as the puzzling, textbook French only. I had five yearsfrustrating and amazing elements of invested in language study (this wastheexperiencearereconsidered. back in the days of the audio-lingualChallenging as it may be for adminis- Send letters to eslmagazine@compuserve. method), and I felt as if I'd landed intrators, teachers and learners to medi- coin or ESL Magazine, 220 McKendree the wrong country; there was so muchate the cultural immersion process, the Ave., Annapolis, MD 21401. Include your I didn't understand in the way of slang name and position or address. implications of the experience are and idioms amongst my French-long lasting and profound. Carolyn Graham speaking college student peers. MOLLY J. LEWIS I> The Carolyn Graham piece was a LAUREN SCHAFFER Director, Intensive English Programs great tribute to a true ESL innovatorFrench Instructor, Ashland High School Monterey Institute of Int'l Studies and an inspiration to those of us whoHomestay enjoy bringing the arts into our class-I>I'm gratified to see a continuingClosed Captioning rooms. In addition to hearing aboutdiscussion of the homestay experience Thank you very much for this inter- her own material, I would also havefor learners of English. I'd like toesting article. May I suggest, for ESL loved to know which were Carolyn'sunderscore two of the points present-teachers who live outside the United favorite commercial recordings toed. First, the need to provide completeStates or Canada and do not receive bring into the classroom. In fact, thatand regularly updated logistical andAmerican captioned TV programs, to would make a nice article in itself. cultural information to both the stu-include in your magazine a list of edu- MICHAEL BERMANdent and host family, both before andcational videos with closed captions Montgomery College, Rockville, MDduring the program itself, cannot beavailable for teaching in schools to overemphasized.Secondly,thosechildren and adults. Slang and Idioms who've experienced homestays as GENEVIEVE MOREL I>I just read your Sept/Oct '98 issuelearners would probably be the first to France

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ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 5 G-20Q@ 6th Annual Korea TESOL Global Learn Day II Conference Postponed he 6th annual Korea TESOL conference was held at TKyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea on rganizers of Global Learn Day II have rescheduled October 17 and18. The theme "Advancing Our Otheir global webcast and virtual 'round-the-world Profession: Perspectives on Teacher Development and voyage to December 19-20. John Hibbs, "Skipper" of the Education" attracted over 525 teachers from Korea, Japan event, said, "We were not satisfied that our delivery and several other Asian countries. Conference goers methods would do justice to either attendees or to the attended over 120 presentations including three plenaries exceptional presenters featured. There was simply more given by Dr. Donald Freeman, School of International intellectual cargo than we could _ Training, Brattleboro, Vermont; Dr. Carol Numrich, well load. Columbia University, New York City; and Dr. Peter "From the beginning, Robinson, Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan. we have said our conference Kirsten B. Reitan, Korea Correspondent was part expedition and part experiment. We were not willing to put the expe- New Asia Journal Launched dition or the experiment at risk when so much assis- 97 he Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education and tance would be provided in the Development (APJTED) has launched its first issue. next seven weeks. We sincerely This international academic journal is dedicated to theory regret the considerable inconvenience to so many, development, empirical research, policy formulation, and. especially our presenters and our hosting partners." practical improvement in teacher education, staff develop- . More information about Global Learn Day II is ment and teaching in Asia. For more information e-mail available at http://www.bfranklin.edu. [email protected]. LEP Student Statistics The following are nationwide statistics for Limited English Proficient students in the U.S.

3wrrnillionThe number of limited English proficient students nationwide.

13 millionThe number of students in state and local bilingual programs.

Over 75% of all limited English proficient students attend 75(3/high poverty schools.

Approximate number of students identified as limited English proficient 64%000that are not served through any special program.

The percentage increase of limited English proficient students in less 100%than a decade. 0 0 The number of LEP students served by Title VII. The five most common language groups for limited English proficient m'rop 5 students are Spanish (72.9%), Vietnamese (3.9%), Hmong (1.8%), Cantonese (1.7%) and Cambodian (1.6%).

Source: Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs (OBEMLA), May 11, 1998.

6 ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 Conference Calendar November 19-21 TESOL Ontario, Toronto, Ontario. (ACP!), San Jose, Costa Rica. Contact 6-7 TexTESOL V State Conference, Contact Renate Tilson, 416-593-4243. ACPI, 506-222-5023. Expected attendance: Arlington, Texas. Contact Jean Conway, Expected attendance: 800. 500. [email protected]. Expected attendance: 20-21 Puerto Rico TESOL (PRTESOL), 1,200. San Juan, Puerto Rico. Contact John February El 6-7 Oklahoma TESOL (OKTESOL), Steele, [email protected]. Expected 18-20 British Columbia TESOL (BC-TEAL), Stillwater, Oklahoma. Contact Ravi Sheorey, attendance: 1000. 405-744-9471. Vancouver, British Columbia. Contact Kris 20-21 TESOL Italy, Rome, Italy. Contact Mirski, 604-736-6330. Expected atten- 7 Washington Area TESOL (WATESOL) Lucilla Lopriore, [email protected]. dance: 600. Annual Conference, Bethesda, MD. Expected attendance: 900. Contact Goedele Gulikers, 301-982-1125. 20-23 24th Annual JALT (Japan March Expected attendance: 500. Association for Language Teaching) .11 26-27 Massachusetts TESOL (MATESOL), 7 Georgia TESOL (GATESOL), International Conference, Omiya Sonic Boston, Massachusetts. Contact Bea Miniconference, Atlanta, Georgia. Contact City, Omiya, Saitama, Japan. Contact Jessie Hayden, [email protected]. Janina Tubby, [email protected]. Expected Mikulcky, 617-264-7393. Expected atten- attendance: 2,500. dance: 600. 7 Los Angeles Regional (CATESOL), 1117-19 TESOL Arabia, Al Ain, UAE. Contact Los Angeles, California. Contact Monica Geoff Stout, [email protected]. Alcaraz-Snow, [email protected]. January 1999 20-21 TESOL Greece, Athens, Greece. 13-14 Washington Association for the 17-21 Australia TESOL, Sydney, Australia. Contact Nadia Broome, 30-174-88459. Education of Speakers of Other Languages Contact [email protected]. (WAESOL), Tacoma, Washington. Contact Barbara Reisman, 253-536-5081. Expected 21-23 Thailand TESOL (ThaiTESOL), April attendance: 800. Bangkok, Thailand. Contact Naraporn Chan- Ocha, [email protected]. 23-25 TESOL Spain, Madrid, Spain. Contact 13-14 TESOL France, Paris, France. Expected attendance: 600. Steven McGuire, [email protected]. Contact Susan Foster Cohen, 22-23 Alabama-MississIppi TESOL I 15-18 California TESOL (CATESOL), Reno, [email protected]. Nevada. Contact Shirley Altick, 702-329- (AMTESOL), Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Contact 1114 TESOL Scotland, Stirling, Scotland. Susan Lucas, [email protected]. 7889. Expected attendance: 2000. Contact John Landon, johnlandon@mhie. 26-27 TESOL Ukraine, Khmelnitskiy, 23-24 Georgia TESOL (GATESOL), Athens, ac.uk. Expected attendance: 200. Georgia. Contact Terry Williams, 706-542- Ukraine. Contact Nina Lulkun, 4095. 14 Northern New England (NNETESOL), [email protected]. Manchester, New Hampshire. Contact Birna 27-29 Costa Rica Associacibn 23-24 Illinois TESOL/BE, Chicago, Illinois. Ambjornsdottir, 603-647-0992. Expected Contact Anna Cuomo, 630-829-6663. Costarricense de Professores de Inglés attendance: 185. Expected attendance: 950.

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ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 11.14 8 7 BY STEPHEN KRASHEN, PH.D.

This is not the Comprehension The "failure"ofthewholeare developmentally ready to acquire. language approach to literacy The Comprehension HypothesisHypothesis version of whole lan- development has been widelyclaims that we learn to read by readingguage.Practicebasedonthe reported. I attempt here to give a clear(Goodman, 1982; Smith, 1994a) andComprehension Hypothesis will focus definition of whole language, discussthat other aspects of literacy compe-on providing interesting and compre- some of the research, and providetence are the result of meaningfulhensible texts, and an important role some information about the impact ofreading. Reading, it is claimed, is theof the teacher isto help children whole language in California. source of much of our vocabularyunderstand them. knowledge, writing style, advanced What is WhoieLanguage? grammatical competence and spelling.The Output Hypothesis Delpit (1986) has argued that "holistic There are several competing defini- teaching approaches" do not give tions. One use of the term "whole lan- One use of the term guage" refers to what we will call the minority children competence in the Comprehension Hypothesis. Other "whole language" forms "demanded by the mainstream" definitions are very different, even (p. 383) and recommends the teaching contradictory to the Comprehension refers to what we of skills in context. Delpit's view of whole language, however, was instruc- Hypothesis. will call the tion that emphasized a great deal of writing: "I focused energy on 'fluen- The Comprehension Hypwahesis Comprehension The Comprehension Hypothesis (also cy' and not on 'correctness' (p. 381). Hypothesis. Delpit's conclusion that a focus on known astheInput Hypothesis, 1985)claimsthatthe Other definitions are writing fluency will not do the job, Krashen, although not supported with data or development of literacy and the devel- very different, even opment of language in general occur writing samples in her report, is con- research onwriting in only one way: when we understand contradictory... sistentwith messages. Smith (1975) stated the (Krashen, 1993). There is no support Comprehension Hypothesis in the title for the hypothesis that writing itself of his book Comprehension andMa Orrocomprehensible causes language acquisition or literacy Learning, claiming that comprehen- Orruput Hy thestis development. Acquisition of the con- sion and learning are very much theIncredibly, whole language has alsoventions of writing, it has been argued, same thing. Reading pedagogy, ac-been described as just the opposite ofis a result of reading, not writing cording to the Comprehension Hypo-the Comprehension Hypothesis: pro-(Smith, 1994b; Krashen, 1993). Delpit thesis, focuses on providing studentsviding incomprehensible input. Losdoes not mention whether reading was with interesting, comprehensible texts,AngelesTimesreporterRichardemphasized in her classes. and the job of the teacher is to helpColvin (1995) characterizes whole The Comprehension Hypothesis children read these texts, that is, tolanguage as giving children texts theydoes not suggest that we avoid writing. help make them comprehensible. Thedo not understand: There is evidence that writing, while direct teaching of "skills," e.g., phon- The frustration of students taughtnot a means of language development, ics instruction, is helpful only when itwith the whole language method wasis a powerful way of clarifying think- makes texts more comprehensible. obvious last year in the faces of hering (Krashen, 1993). More precisely, comprehension offirst graders, said Tammy Hunter- messages is necessary for languageWeathers, a teacher at Hyde ParkLook-Say acquisition and literacy development,School in the Crenshaw area of LosShanahan, the CEO of Gateway, the but it is not sufficient. It is certainlyAngeles. "The children were in tears,"company that produces Hooked on possible to comprehend a text or mes-she said, when they were asked to readPhonics, claimed that his son had been sage and not acquire anything. We texts even though they, did not know thetaught "with what was known as the acquire when we understand messagesletters or sounds. "They look at youwhole language method and was that contain aspects of language thatwith three paragraphs on a page andexpected to remember hundreds of we have not yet acquired but that wethey say, 'What do we do with this?" whole words by their shapes, with 8 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 8 ESL MAGAZINE occasional clues from pictures or con-ing. After a review of more recentand a focus on words in isolation. text" (Shanahan, 1994, p. 3). This isstudies of method comparisons involv- In Reutzel and Cooper (1990), neither whole language nor an appli-ing beginning readers, I have conclud-results favored whole language, but cation ofthe Comprehensioned that when "whole language" is inboth groups read a great deal. Hypothesis butis"Look-Say,"afact real reading, it does very well. In Eldridge and Baird (1996), a method that focuses on the memoriza-Students in classes that do more real"phonemic awareness" approach was tion of sight words. reading have better attitudes towardclaimed to be superior to whole lan- reading (McKenna, Stratton, Grinklerguage, but "whole language" included No Phonics? and Jenkins,1995;Merver and"studying" words and sentences in The Comprehension Hypothesis doesHiebert, 1989), read more (Freppon,stories. Also, the children in whole not forbid the direct instruction of1995), do as well as traditional stu-language "were taught to read" using a phonics. Weaver (1994) and Krashendents on tests in which the focus is onbasal reader (p. 198). (1996) have pointed out that propo-form, do as well or better on more Stahl, McKenna and Pagnucco nents of phonics typically support thecommunicative tests (Merver and(1994) reported in their metanalysis teaching of just the straight-forwardHiebert, 1989; Hagerty, Hiebert andthat whole language students were phonics rules and expect children toOwens, 1989; Morrow, O'Connor andbetterin fourstudies,traditional "induce" the more complex rules. ThisSmith, 1990; Klesius, Griffith andmethodology was better in one study is exactly the position of those some-Zielonka, 1991; Morrow, 1992) andand no difference was found in 12 times considered to be anti-phonics.show better development of the kindstudies. While all studies analyzed by There is surprising agreement whenof language used in books (Freppon,Stahl et al. are listed in their bibliogra- one looks at the research. Smith's con-1995; Purcell-Gates, McIntyre andphy, they do not tell us which studies clusion (Smith, 1994a) appears Freppon, 1995). were used in the analysis. In addition, to be the most reasonable: Teach many of the studies are unpub- "skills" when they help make lished. We thus have no idea texts comprehensible. Itis, of what "whole language" meant course, an empirical question in this analysis. just how useful direct teaching of Method comparison studies phonics is in making texts com- thus show that whole language prehensible. is not a failure. On standardized tests, children who do What is Whole Language? more real reading do as well as The term "whole language" does or better than children who not refer only to providing inter- read less, and they consistent- esting, comprehensible texts and ly do better on other measures, helping children understand less ^ a result very similar to that comprehensible texts. It involves found for sustainedsilent instilling a love of literature, reading for more advanced problem-solving, critical think- readers (Krashen, 1993). ing, collaboration, authenticity, personalized learning and muchWhole language involves instilling a love of literature.A Decline in California? more(Goodman,Birdand There is the perception that Goodman, 1991). In terms of the Foorman, Francis, Beeler, readingperformance has process of literacy development, how-Winikates and Fletcher (1997) is thedeclined in Californiabecause ever, the Comprehension Hypothesisonly apparent counterexample to theCalifornia fourth graders did so poorly is a central part of whole language. generalization that students who doon the recent National Assessment of more real reading will outperformEducational Progress (NAEP) com- Does Whole Language Work? those who do less. It was not clear inpared to other states, and in 1987 a lit- The claim has been made that skills-this study, however, that the "wholeerature-based approach was officially based approaches produce resultslanguage" children did more readingendorsed by the state. But there is no superior to whole language approach-than the other children; the abysmalevidence that reading scores have es. The origin of this claim is Challscores in reading comprehension fordeclined in California, as shown by (1967) who concluded that methodsall subjects in this study suggest thatthe California Assessment Program which stressed systemafic phonicsnone of the groups did much reading. (CAP) scores from 1984 to 1990: instruction were superior to methods On the other hand, when whole CAP Scores that stressed intrinsic phonics (lesslanguage is not defined as real read- Grade 1984198519861987198819891990 phonics and in context) and that bothing, it does not do well when com- 3 268274280282 pared to skills-based methods. Here 282277275 systematic and intrinsic phonics were 6 249253260260265262262 superiorto are some examples: "Look-Say,"which 8 250240243247252256257 In Holland and Hall (1989), no dif- involved no phonics at all. None of 12 236241 240246250248251 these comparisons dealt with the kindferences were found between whole Source: Guthrie et at, 1993, cited in McQuillan, 1998. of whole language considered here,language and a basal method, but the that is, methods that emphasize a greatwhole language method emphasized To be sure, California did poorly deal of interesting, meaningful read-deliberate vocabulary developmenton the NAEP test, but as McQuillan

ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 70 9 (1999) has pointed out, performing poor- References ly is not the same thing as declining. Chall, J. 1967.Learning to read: The great debate.New Krashen, S. 1996.Every person a readerCulver City, CA: York: McGraw-Hill. Language Education Associates. Thereisstrong evidence that Colvin, R. 1995. State report urges return to basics in Merver, K. and Hiebert, E.1989. Literature-selection California's poor performance is relat- teaching reading.Los Angeles TimesSeptember 13, 1995. strategies and amount of reading in two literacy approaches. In S. McCormick and J. Zutell (Eds.)Thirty-eighth ed toitsprint-poor environment. Delpit, L. 1986. Skills and other dilemmas of a progressive yearbook of the National Reading Conference.Chicago: California ranks last in the country in black educator.Harvard Educational Review56:379-385. National Reading Conference. pp. 529-535. the quality of its public libraries. In Eldredge, L. and Baird, J.1996. Phonemic awareness McKenna, M., Stratton, B., Grindler, M. , and Jenkins, S. training works better than whole language instruction for 1995. Differential effects of whole language and tradition- addition, its children do not have read- teaching first graders how to write.Reading Research and al instruction on reading attitudes.Journal of Reading ing materialat home; California Instruction35:193-208. Behavior27:19-44. ranked ninth in the country in the Foorman, B., Francis, D., Beeler, T, Winikates, D. and McQuillan, J. 1998.Literacy crises: False claims and real Fletcher. J. 1997. Early intervention for children with read- solution.Portsmouth: Heinemann Publishing Company. number of children ages tive to 17 living problems: Study designs and preliminary findings. Learning Disabilities 8:63-71. Morrow, L. 1992. The impact of a literature-based pro- ing in poverty in 1995 and near the gram on literacy achievement, use of literature, and atti- bottom of the country in the percent- Freppon, P. 1995. Low-income children's literacy interpre- tudes of children from minority backgrounds.Reading tations in a skills-based and whole-language classroom. Research Quarterly27:250-275. age of homes with more than 25 books Journal of Reading Behavior27:505-533. Morrow, L., O'Connor. E.. and Smith. J. 1990. Effects of a inthe home (McQuillan,1998). Goodman, K.1982.Language, literacy and learning. story reading program on the literacy development of at- Moreover, all of these variables are London: Rout ledge Kagan Paul. risk kindergarten children.Journal of Reading Behavior 22:255-275. strongly correlated with NAEP read- Goodman, K. Bird, L., and Goodman, Y. 1991.The whole language catalog.Santa Rosa. CA: American School Purcell-Gates, V., McIntyre, E.. and Freppon, P.1995. ing scores (Krashen, 1995, Publishers. Learning written storybook language in school: A comparison of low-SES children in skills-based and whole lan- McQuillan, 1998). All this points to Hagerty, P.. Hiebert, E. and Owens. M. 1989. Students' guage classrooms.American Educational Research comprehension, writing, and perceptions in two approach- Journal32:659-685. the conclusion that California's prob- es to literacy instruction. In B. McCormick and J. Zutell lem is not whole language but a lack (Eds.) Thirty-eighth yearbook of the National Reading Reutzel, D. and Cooper, R.1990. Whole language: Conference.Chicago: National ReadingConference.pp. Comparative effects on first-grade reading achievement. of reading material. 453-459. Journal of Educational Research83:252-257. Holland. K. and Hall, L. 1989. Reading achievement in Shanahan, J. 1994. Letter.Hooked on Phonics Magazine1:3. Has Whole Language Failed? first grade classrooms: A comparison of basal and whole Whole language has not failed. If it is language approaches.Reading Impinvement26: 323-329. Smith,F.1975.Comprehension and learning.Katonah, NY: Owen. defined, in part, as providing children Klesius, J., Griffith, P., and Zielonka, P. 1991. A whole language and traditionalinstruction comparison: Overall Smith, F. I994a.Understanding reading.Fifth Edition. with comprehensible and interesting effectiveness and development of the alphabetic principle. Hillsdale. NJ: Erlbaum. Reading Research and instruction 30:47-6 I . texts and helping children understand Smith, F. I994b.Writing and the writerSecond Edition. them, it has done extremely well. Krashen, S. 1985.The in/nit hypothesis.Beverly Hills: Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Laredo. Stahl, S.. McKenna, M. and Pagnucco, J. 1994. The effects Stephen Krashen, Ph.D., (Linguistics, Krashen, S. 1993.The power of reading.Englewood, CO: of whole-language instruction: An update and reappraisal. Educational Psychologist29 (4):175-185. UCLA)iscurrently professor of Libraries Unlimited. Krashen, S. 1995. School libraries, public libraries, and the Weaver, C.1994.Reading Process and Practice EducationattheUniversityof NAEP reading scores.School Library Media Quarterly23: Portsmouth, NH: Heinetnann. Southern California. 235-237. TESOl'99. March9-iP1999 New York,NeW.York

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ESL MAGAZINENOVEMBER/DECEMBEIR 1998 172 11 - n. Web Resources for Feature Films in the ESL Classroom The use of feature films seems to beavailable at http://www.gen. umn.edu/gories: films, video, directors, research, increasinglypopularinthefaculty_staff/yahnke/film/Default.htm. festivals and others. ESL/EFL classroom. TeachersFilm Databases Trailers and Sound Clips include them for a variety of reasons:Two databases that are invaluable forTrailers of movies that are now playing to improve students' listening skills, toteachers seeking information on specif-or that are coming soon can be viewed introduce aspects of American culture, icfilmsare The Internet Moviein Real Video at http://movielist.sirn- to supplement the reading of literaryDatabase(http://us.imdb.com)andplenet.com. Clips of sound tracks of works and to provide variety. The WebCineMedia (http://www.afionline.org/current and past movies can be heard in offers numerous sites that can helpcinemedia/). Real Audio at http://www.movietunes. teachers who want to plan lessons corm based on films. Buying and Renting Films Cinema History If the films are not available locally, Teachers who would like some back- teachers can buy or rent them through ground information on film history the Internet. A site that I have used to should consult the site of Professor orderhard-to-getItalianfilmsis Robert E. Yahnke from the University http://reel.corn. of Minnesota. Yahnke is working on a Teachers can, therefore, find a cinema history and has posted the first large quantity of materials that will six chapters of his work on the Web. The Internet Movie Database contains a wealth of information. It is anassist them in successfully integrating The URL is http://www.gen.umn.edu/ films into their courses. Not only is the faculty_ staff/yahnke/film. excellent site for film reviews. It has sections devoted to actors, actresses, showing of films pedagogically sound, Film Lists directors, writers, composers, produc-it is also enjoyable for students and When trying to decide which films toers and others. There are filmographiesteachers alike. And gathering informa- use, teachers can peruse the numerous(over 2,250,000) and biographies.tion about films on the Web can be fas- lists of films on the Web. Perhaps theOther features include box office infor-cinating. most prestigious is the American Filmmation, links to theater schedulesNote: The URLs given in this column Institute's list 100 Greatest Movies ofonline and a movie quiz. were active at press time. All Time which can be found at CineMedia boasts thatitis the http://AFI.100movies .com/100l i st. as. largest film and media directory on the Personal lists such as Fifty Great Films Internet. It offers more than 20,000Christine Meloni can be contacted at compiled by Professor Yahnke are alsolinks to sites in the following [email protected]. KAEDEN101 BOOKS A WORLD OFDISCOVERY

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It's two in the afternoon on a sleepy,imagination, interaction and collabo-acquire the structures of the language. warm day in May in Georgia. ButrationwhilebuildingskillsandBeatris, a student in Newton County, no one is sleeping in Ms. William'sschemata for language development.Georgia, wrote her poem "Ode to My class of sixteen high-school ESOLLet's consider a few of these com-Jacket" after studying Pablo Neruda's students from sixcountries. Ms.pelling reasons for using literature"Ode to My Socks." She incorporated Williams introduces a Yiddish folkwith language learners. and adapted many of the poet's struc- tale "It Could Always be Worse" by tures into her own composition about having students share some of their MotivationLiterature motivatesher own experience. Neruda's "which own past troubles and mishaps. Shestudents by addressing themes theyshe knitted herself with her sheep- then reads the story aloud. She readscare about. In response to the questionherder's hands" becomes Beatris' of a foolish man who is unhappy withVu asked in Ms. William's class,"that she bought with her own money his life and of a clever rabbi who usesSonia, a student from Mexico, eagerlyout of her own pocket." outrageous means to teach the man toshared her reasons why stories that appreciate what he has. Many of theseem to be only lies have important ImaginationLiterature offers students are amused by the foolishtruths in them: "Many people are likestudents ways to imagine and think man in the story, but Vu, a Vietnamesefunny man in the story," she said.creatively. Students like Vu, who have teen who lived through many trials"They think their life very hard, but itspent much of their lives just fighting and much suffering before arriving inway of thinking that make life hard."for survival, need both the freedom this Georgia high school, looks trou-Good literature is about the humanand the opportunity to cultivate these bled. "Why we read these stories," heexperience; it is meaningful to stu-abilities. Good literature demands asks, "if they are all a lie?" dents from many cultures and lan-thought from the student reader. guage backgrounds. Students who are learning a new lan- Why use literature? guage need and deserve the challenges What a wonderful, thoughtful and ModelsQuality, age-appropriateto their imaginations that appropriate challenging question Vu asks! Whyyet accessible literature provides mod- literature provides. indeed should we use literature forels of language with sophistication language learners? Literature is valu-and complexity that challenge lan- Interaction and collaboration able and valid for learners of Englishguage learners to develop new vocab-Language is best learned in settings in because it can help them accomplishulary in context, learn effective use ofwhich it is used for authentic purpos- important goals: enhancing students' mechanics to convey meaning andes. Well-selected literature can provide a common text and a common Story Mapping: Comparing Two Folktales experience that gives students opportunities to construct knowledge by Title It Could Always be Worse Ming Lo Moves the Mountain "negotiating" or "figuring out" mean- by Margot Semach by Arnold Lobel ing for themselves. With well-con- Characters Man, Rabbi Ming Lo, Wife, Wise Man structed collaborative activities, stu- Setting Small village in Europe Near mountain in China dents will understand the literature Problem House is too crowded Mountain is too close to house better, relate it to their own ideas and Reaction Ask Rabbi for help Ask Wise Man for help experiences and incorporate the literature into their own actions and pro- Goal-setting Manpeace Manto move the mountain jects. After her students studied two Rabbiteach the man to Wise Manto move Ming Lo folk tales, Ms. Bell encouraged them be happy with what he has to work in small groups comparing Attempt to Take in chickens Try to move mountain with and contrasting the stories using a teach Goal Take in goat tree, noise, bread and cakes story map. This graphic organizer (see Take in cow left) provided just enough structure to Outcomes Things get worse and worseNothing works help students understand the challenge Resolution Takes animals out and livesWise Man has people move of the task. Gradually they began to peaceful life as he was themselves and think they interact until the room buzzed with moved the mountain problem solvers. 14 1 5 ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 EReading DevelopmentWhenguage learners is not necessarily "atbooks he has amassed from book students spend time reading, they getgrade level" for these students, andclubs, donations and his personalpur- better at it. Many studies have shownmaterials at the "right" language levelchases. He supplements the classroom that if students read texts that interestare not necessarily age-appropriate. collection each month by borrowing a them and that are at the right difficultyBut the challenge is not insurmount-stack of books from the media center level, just spending time readingableit just demands efforts by teach-on the current themes and topics the books of their choosing will increaseers, media specialists and schools toclass is studying. students' vocabulary, reading compre-selectmaterialscarefully andto Learners of English need works hension and understanding of whatinclude appropriate works for learnersfrom many genresfiction, nonfic- books can do for them. This, ofof English in their collections. tion, poetry, songs, plays, speeches course, doesn't mean that students works that provide useful, real, high- learning English don't need carefulWhat literature should quality language models. We don't readinginstruction. They dobywe choose? need to "water down" or rewrite liter- teachers knowledgeable in teachingIt's DEAR (Drop Everything Andature for studentswe only need to reading who make an effort to under-Read) time in Mr. Sosa's fourth gradechoose it carefully and teach our stu- stand students' cultural and linguisticbilingual class. Students are sitting atdents how to choose it carefully. What backgrounds. But it does mean that we their desks, standing in front of a big-are Mr. Sosa's criteria in putting need to provide books and time forbook rack and sprawled on pillows attogether his classroom collection? students to spend with them. the reading centereach one engaged Finding these books can be a chal-in a book. Mr. Sosa has a large class- Student interest. Is the material lenge since the "right" level for Ian-room library of English and Spanishappropriate to the ages and interests of Scaffolding fof Reading Providing Support Through theReading Process 1. Read Aloud.Afterdeveloping the schema and back- strategy to ensure group responsibility for the content and ground, introduce a text by reading it aloud to students. to assess comprehension. You may choose to read through the entire text the first time for continuity. Stop to ask and answer questions 5. Shared Reading. After initial Read Aloud, the classor when needed during the second and subsequent read- group reads together from a shared text in a big book, on ings. Ask students which words they don't understand andthe overhead projector or on a chart. Texts usually have provide pictures, translations or definitions as needed. elements of rhyme, rhythm and repetition and are read Read Aloud is a good way to familiarize students with the many times. Teachers use the content of the text to dis- text to prepare them for other kinds of reading. It also cuss ways to unlock meaning from text: literary concepts, provides a model for pronunciation, phrasing andexpres- background or content-area concepts, vocabulary, gram- sion. mar and conventions of print.

2. Choral Reading. Students each have their owncopy of 6. Guided Reading. The teacher works with a smallgroup a text. They all read aloud together. Often the teacher or a of students who have similar reading processes. Books student stands in front of the class to lead the choral are carefully leveled. Teachers select and introduce new reading. When reading dialogues, plays or stories with dia- books and support students as they read the whole text logue, different groups often read different parts of the to themselves. Based on close observation of students' text. Assessment suggestion: After students are comfort- reading, teachers make relevant teaching points during able with a text, have a student lead the choral reading and after the reading. while you walk around the room, standing behind individuals as they read. Note their progress on self-stick notes 7. Intensive Reading: Marking a text. Students read and for individual folders or on a class checklist. mark a short text for a specific purpose, e.g., "Underline the words in this poem that puzzle you." [Purpose: to 3. Reciprocal/Paired Reading. In this form of pairedor assess and then teach vocabulary.] After discussing and group reading, readers participate in a dialogue about the resolving questions regarding the first marking, students text. Each person takes a turn as "teacher," readinga read and mark for other purposes and discuss, e.g., short passage and asking questions about it to the group. "Circle the line of the poem that is the most surprising." Turns may rotate after a paragraph or a longer section. In [Purpose: discovery of typical structures of text.] "Asyou preparation for Reciprocal Teaching, students learn the listen to me read the poem, underline the words I stress." strategies of summarizing, clarifying, question-generating [Purpose: to develop awareness of stress.] and predicting. Teachers model the "teacher role." The student "teacher" then uses these strategies in question- 8. Independent Choice Reading. Students are taught how ing and leading the group discussion. to choose books at their independent reading level, are given a choice of interesting and appropriate books and 4. Jigsaw Reading. The teacher divides a long reading are provided with time for sustained silent reading. into sections. One or two individuals in a group read each Teachers may ask students to keep a record of books section and prepare to teach it to the group. When the they read, to read books to parents and have parents group meets, each individual teaches the group about the keep records, and/or to respond to readings in literary section he or she read. The teacher usesa "group quiz" journals. or the "numbered heads together" cooperative learning

ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 ft;1,0 76 15 the students? Mr. Sosa doesn't havegrounds of his studentsboth insupport students as they learn lan- rigid criteria about the format of thehome countries and in immigrant situ-guage through literature (and learn books. He knows, for example, that ations. He includes books by individu-about literature through its language). picture books are sometimes veryals from many cultures so that he can Thematic organization offers stu- appropriate for older learners. Manyhave confidence in the accuracy of thedents opportunities to relate concepts picture books have powerful themes,cultural information they contain. Heand works of literature to one another. rich illustrations and can be veryalso strives to avoid books with stereo-The revisitation of themes, ideas and appropriate for older learners who aretypical views of cultures and tries toterms provides enhanced contextual delighted to have texts they can read.find a variety of representations of theinformation that makes the language Mr. Sosa has had instances of studentsmany culturesfrom traditional sto-more understandable to students and in his class teasing others about read-ries set long ago to present-day eventsprovides the repetition with variation ing "baby books." He addressed thein ever-changing cultures of the mod-they need to remember the new lan- problem first by making it clear that inern world. Finally, because he knowsguage. Themes can be developed in his class, people didn't make fun ofthe importance of identity in learningmanyforms.Onemonth,Ms. one another. He then taught all the stu-and development, Mr. Sosa looks forWillingham's second grade class read dents how to help one another choosestories of empowermentstories thatevery book in the library by Carmen books they could read. Finally, hehelp students value themselves andLomas Garza. They studiedthe brought in some books in several lan-their unique cultural heritage and learnauthor's home region of south Texas guages and asked students to readto work effectively and solve prob-as well as other books related to her them. Everyone found "baby books" lems peaceably with others. themes. that were too hard for them because Inevitably, in multilevel class- they were in a new language, and Relevance to the curriculum. Mr.rooms with new learners of a lan- everyone grew in empathy for strug-Sosa knows the value of teaching lan-guage, students will be addressing gling English and Spanish readers. guage thematically in order to recycle,texts that are very challenging for re-use, and build on related vocabu-them.The"into-through-beyond" Linguistic accessibility. Are thelary and language structures. Hismodel is a means for supporting stu- books within the reach of students?classroom book collection is alwaysdents in their study of literature. Mr. Sosa keeps books in separate bas-supplemented with a set of library kets at a wide range of reading lev-books on the current theme and he IntoBefore you read. Before stu- elsfrom wordless picture books toencourages students to seek out anddents read a text, teachers need to help challenging "chapter books." To help acontribute works as well. them develop the background knowl- student choose DEAR time books, he edge necessary for understanding the asks the student to read a 100-200- Quality illustrations. Mr. Sosawork. If Ms. Willingham's class is word passage from a sample book in aworks to develop his eye for qualityreading a story from another country basket to see if the level is appropriate.artwork inchildren'sliterature. such as The Day of Ahmed's Secret, If students don't know the meaningsIllustrationsareparticularly set in Egypt, they locate the coun- of 5-10% of the words and can't sum-important to students for whom try on a map, look at pictures of marize the passage, both teacher andthe language isa challenge. people from that part of the world students know that the book is proba-Pictures provide needed contex- and discuss culture and customs. bly too difficult and that they shouldtual information, especially Teachers must also develop look in a different basket. when they are close- connections between ly correlated the content and Quality language. Although theto the text. theme of the languageinbooks students readFine art story and should be accessible, Mr. Sosa knowsillustra- the stu- that students want and deserve rich,tions dents ' interesting language as well. Teachers can o w n may need to provide selections withalsopro- expe- simpler structures and vocabulary formote higher level thinking and riences. Ms. Bidot prepares her learners of English, but the ways thatdiscussion in classes with lan- high-school students to read an the author uses language can be richguage learners. The students' access toarticle about school uniforms by and interesting. Students need suchvisual art is not limited by their lan-encouraging them to exchange their language to help them develop high-guage levels, so in this area they canown experiences and opinions about level thinking as well as to builduse and stretchtheirintellectualuniforms. They come to the literature vocabulary and schema in the new lan-capacities. "tuned in" with background informa- guage. tion, language and personal invest- How do we use literature effec- ment. Cultural relevance. Mr. Sosatively with learners of English? knows that although students areA teacher who is convinced that using ThroughAs you read. Teachers delighted to learn about others through literature will be effective with learn-may use a variety of strategies that literature, they also want to see them-ers of English and who has workedprovide scaffolding and support for selves in books. He works to findhard to acquire appropriate texts will students as they read. To develop the books that depict the cultural back-also need to knowrhat strategies beststory schema of the story-song "The

16 ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 S. 7 Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly" with his kindergarten ESOL students, R8600096 gOT Ye. h!rng Meg-alum Mr. O'Brien uses graphic organizer and nesanv 'biD Lemma og Enzne,11 (shown on page 16) as he reads (and 0 Atwell, N., In the middle: New understandings about writing, reading, and learning, sings) the story aloud. To teach read- Heinemann, 1998. ing skills to her third-grade ESOL o Benedict, S. & Carlisle, L., Beyond words: Picture books for older readers and writers, students in context, Ms. Ong uses the Heinemann, 1992. shared reading strategy. To help stu- 0 Blood, P. & Patterson, A. (Eds.), Rise Up Singing: The Group Singing Songbook. Sing Out Corporation, 1992. dents develop strong questioning 0 Craik, F. I. M. & Tulving, E., Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic skills and improve their reading com- memory, Journal of Experimental Psychology, 104, 268-293, 1975. prehension, Ms. Bell uses "reciprocal 0 Crystal, D., English as a global language, Cambridge University Press, 1997. teaching" with her middle school stu- 0 Curtain, H. A. & Pesola, C. A., Languages and children: Making the match- dents. She teaches students to ask one foreign language instruction in the elementary school, Addison-Wesley, 1988. o Elley, W. B. & Mangubhai, F., The impact of reading on second language learning, another various types of questions as Reading Research Quarterly, 19, 53-67, 1983. they read-questions for summariz- 0 Enright, D. S. & McCloskey, M. L., Integrating English: Developing English language and ing, clarifying, predicting, etc. literacy in the multilingual classroom, Addison-Wesley, 1988. 0 Fountas, I.C. & Pinnel, G.S. . Guided reading: Good first teaching for all children, Heinemann, 1996. Beyond-After you read. o Gardner, H., Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice, Basic Books, 1993. Interacting with literature is a fine 0 Hayes, C. W., Bahruth, R., & Kessler, C., Literacy con cario, Heinemann, 1991. beginning, but the learning extends Kezwer, P., Worlds of wonder: Resources for multicultural children's literature, 1995. far beyond the last word of the selec- 0 Spangenbertg-Urbschat, S. & Pritchard, R., Kids come in all languages: tion. Discussion, cooperative learning Reading instruction for ESL students, International Reading Association, 1994. activities, retelling, dramatizing and 0 McCloskey, M. L., Integrated language teaching strategies, Educo, 1998. 0 McCloskey, M. L., Linse, C., and Hooper, S., Teaching language, literature, and culture, many other projects can help students Addison-Wesley, 1991. apply the information and values 0 McCloskey, M. L. & Stack, L., Voices in literature: Integrated language and literature for they've acquired through literature. ESOL, Heinle & Heinle, 1993. After reading stories about courage, 0 Peregoy, S.F. & Boyle, F. B., Reading, writing, and learning in ESL, Longman, 1997. Richard-Amato, P. A., Making it happen: Interaction in the second language classroom, the freshman students in Ms. Ennis's Longman, 1988. English for ESOL class write their 0 Schiffini, A., Reading Instruction for the Pre-Literate and Struggling Older Student, own stories about the courageous NABE News, December 15, 1996. people from their own lives-friends, 0 Silwyester, R., A celebration of neurons: An educator's guide to the human brain, familymembersandneighbors ASCD, 1995. 0 Sleeter, C.E., Empowerment through multicultural education, State University of they've met or heard about. The sto- New York Press, 1991. ries are revised, edited, illustrated and 0 Tharpe, R.G. & Gallimore, G., Rousing minds to life: Teaching, learning and schooling in bound into a lovely class book called social context, Cambridge University Press, 1991. Palinscar, A.S., The role of dialogue in scaffolded instruction, Educational Psychology, Caring and Courage. 21:71-9, 1996. 0 Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G., et al., Questioning the author, International Reading Vu asked a challenging question: Association, 1997. "Why should we read stories that are Fountas, I.C. & Pinnel, G.S., Guided reading: Good first teaching for all children, all lies?" The value of such stories Heinemann, 1996. for learners of English is found in the Gibbons, P., Learning to learn in a second language, Heinemann, 1993. 0 Robb, L., Reading strategies that work, Scholastic professional books, 1995. truths students discover in these 0 Ruddel, R. B. & Reddel, M. R., Teaching children to read and write, "lies," in the language learning that Allyn & Bacon, 1995. literature promotes, and in the growth 0 Stahl, S.A. & Hayes, D.A., Instructional models in reading, Lawrence Earlbaum of students' minds. Teachersmust Associates, 1997. choose literature to meet the needs of 0 Yopp, H.D. & Yopp, R.H., Literature-based reading activities, Allyn & Bacon, 1996. language learners and use literature to scaffold these students' linguistic and cognitive development. Perhaps the most important truth is in what we Get to know CREDE do in classrooms where teachers and Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence language learners are reading, ana- lyzing, discussing and reflecting on CREDE (cred) n. a national research center that assists the nation's population of literature that has meaning for their diverse students at risk of educational failure to achieve academic excellence in lives. grades pre-K-12. CREDE publishes newsletters, research reports, educational practice reports, and other materials for teachers and administrators, on six topics: Mary Lou McCloskey, Ph.D., author of texts and series for ESOL teachers 0 Language learning & academic achievement 0 Professional development and students,has worked with 0 Influence of family, peers, & community 0 Assessment children, teachers, schools, universities, districts, and departments and 0 School reform & system studies 0 Instruction in context ministriesof education on four continents. 4646 40th St. NW, Washington, DC 20016202-362-0700credeecal.orgwww.crede.ucsc.edu

ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 17 Vg@IIM(D11,10W Multimedia CD-ROMs Promote Language Learning BY DUANE M. SIDER

Over the past few years, multime-guage by hearing simplified speech in alsopart of thenaturallearning dia CD-ROM technology hasa context that provides the cues toprocess. This can be difficult for a proliferated.Many ESL/EFLmake this speech comprehensible. Trueteacher to do for each member of a professionals are enthusiastic about the class. potential of multimedia CD-ROM Another benefit of interactive CDs materials to revolutionize the contem- is their ability to captivate students porary classroom. Others are skeptical with sound, pictures, text and video. about a computer's ability to do a Interested students are teachable stu- teacher's job. Some worry about com- dents! puters replacing teachers in the class- Multimedia CD-ROM technology room. Given the variety of materials also provides individualized instruc- available and the competing opinions tion. The best programs engage learn- regarding this technology, it is impor- ers at their own levels, in their own tant to consider its value for English styles and at their own paces. Students language instruction. can also easily accrue the practice time Perhaps the greatest benefit of they need. Another advantage is that it well-designed multimedia CD-ROMs "immersion-style" CDs provide theallows teachers to provide personalized is their ability to approximate the nat-natural speech along with thousands ofattention while managing an entire ural process by which languages arereal-life photographs and video. Theseclass effectively. acquired. A child usually learns Ian-programs clearly convey meaning For ESL/EFL programs, CD-ROM through arichtechnology offers unique resources for contextsothatefficient and effective language acqui- The Classics Are Now at Alta! studentsrapidlysition when it is combined with immer- associate words insion-style teaching methods. Working Action English Pictures the new languageindependently, students use CDs to by Maxine Frauman-Prickel and Noriko Takahashi with familiarmaster basic vocabulary, language objects and ideas.structures and communication skills, LOOK AGAIN All Sides of the Issue: Activities for PICTURES By drawing onbuilding a solid foundation in the lan- Cooperative Jigsaw Groups students'naturalguage and the confidence to learn. by Elizabeth Coelho, Lise Winer, instinct for learn-Teachers can then create settings in BACK &FORM and Judy Winn-Bell Olsen Pair ActivItie for ing language, truewhich students practice and expand Language Back & Forth: Pair Activities immersion pro- their language skills and receive perfor Language Development gramsonCD- sonal responses to their questions. CD- by Adrian S. Palmer, Theodore S. ROM can increaseROM technology provides the flexibil- Rodgers, and Judy Winn-Bell Olsen comprehensionity of selecting isolated chapters for and reduce learn-use in conversation groups, coordina- i'11322f12.3414 Look Again Pictures: ingtime.Pro- tion with theme or task-based activi- For Language Development es grams thatpro-ties, review of problem areas or induc- and Life Skills vide the opportu-tive grammatical study. This approach by Judy Winn-Bell Olsen nitytopracticemakes best use of the computer and the Writing Warm Ups: speaking and writ- teacher. 70 Activities for Prewriting ing with comput- Despite the many benefits of mul- by Abigail Tom ers complete thetimedia CD-ROM technology, teachers and Heather McKay natural languageneed not fear that they will be replaced; learning process. computers free teachers to teachto CONTACT US FOR YOUR FREE 1999 ESL RESOURCE CATALOG! A secondprovide the personal, human interac- important charac-tion that promotes learning. Good Mill BOOK(avraPURBIKIts teristicofthisteachers will always discover how to 14 Adrian Court, Budingame, California 94010 USA technology, theuse the best new tools of instruction for Phone: 800 ALTA/ESL or 650.692.1285 abilitytogivethe essential work of teaching. Fax: 800.ALTA/FAX or 650.692.4654 immediatefeed- Email: ALTAESL@AOLCOM Website: WWW.ALTAESL.COM backand verifyDuane M. Sider, Fairfield Language comprehension, isTechnologies, http://www. trstone.corn

18 ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 C rado Convention Center * Denver, Coloradu

For more information, contact: National Association for Bilingual Elucation 1220 1 Street NW, Suite 605, Washington, DC 20005-4018 Phone: (202) 898-1829 * Fax: (202) 789-2866 E-mail: * Web: hunl/www,nabe.org

1EL 131F11INDOTIlenigED) EIGIEUQUDUB B Y KAREN ASENAVAGE AND BOBHUNKIN

Considering a change to an EFLanother language and want to liveate EFL teacher training qualifications. setting? The process of discover- where it is spoken? Can you handle theThe Trinity College Certificate and ing, evaluating and applying forpollutionandpovertythatareDiploma are also well-recognized. EFL teaching positions and actuallyinevitable in a number of countries In general, the difference between getting hired outside your home coun-with EFL jobs? Ask yourself if youthe American MA and the UCLES- try can be daunting. However,therecould live in a place that has culturalRSA Certificate and Diploma is that are steps to take and resources avail-restrictions different from those youthe typical American MA, while it able to make the process manageable.are used to. Remember, too, that theincludes many practical and applied So, before you pack your bags and hopEuropean Community (EC) countrieslinguistic aspects, is broadly theoreti- on the next plane, take a few things into aren't likely to hire a foreigner to fill acal. The UCLES-RSA qualifications consideration. Finding the right jobposition that one of their nationals canfocus on practical classroom skills and before you go can help make the theoretical basis for the difference between pro- them. Most British MA's fessional success or a profes- require practical teaching sional nightmare. qualificationslikethe UCLES-RSA or consider- Considev Vow Gteasaros able experience. They are First of all, think about why thereforelesslikelyto you might want to go over- include a practicum. The seas. A little self-examination UCLES-RSA Certificate is a good idea. You should and Diploma areboth have several compelling rea- availableinthe United sons or you could be a first States. year dropout. Need money? In addition to your Need internationalexperi- academic qualifications, it ence? Want adventure? Want is helpful to acquire as to travel? Want to get away much teaching experience from a problem situation? fill. Ultimately, it's best to focus youras you can, preferably at all levels of You can go anywhere to get inter-search on a specific place. You'll saveEnglish proficiency. Most employers national experience and adventure.time looking for and preparing for thelook for several years' experience. For And any large continent will provide ajob you want! teaching positions in tertiary or univer- wide range of travel opportunities. If sity education, three to five years of you have heavy financial commit- Coonziellev Voaarr qaaalidffilcagions experience is the normally required. ments, you'll have to head to theWhile it's true that you can get a job Also, don't limit your experience Middle East. Unfortunately, you can'talmost anywhere abroad just becauseto mainline ESL/EFL. Consider getting go anywhere to escape problems. Inyou speak English, those EFL/ESLexperience in English for specific pur- fact, going overseas often magnifiesprofessionals with the top qualifica-poses (ESP) in a program that teaches those very same problems. One EFLtions take the best jobs. The American business, medical or another special- instructor once commented, "If youMaster of Arts degree (MA) in teach-ized English. Computer-aided lan- have a crack in your character, it caning English as a second languageguage learning (CALL) is increasingly turn into a pothole overseas!" (TESL) or in a related field is sufficientimportant overseas, especially since to get a job nearly everywhere, but thethe TOEFL is now computer-based. Considerr GOV Deermation coursework should include a Any computer experience or expertise Now think about where you mightpracticum. An MA with experience isis an asset as are materials or curricu- want to go. Be realistic about the limitsmore valuable than one without it. lum development. The same is true for of your tolerance. Can you endure tem- Good employers in a British-influ-testing. Maybe you've even done some peratures over 110 degrees or snow andenced settingusuallyrequirethecomputer-generated exams (CGE) or ice for eight months out of the year?UniversityofCambridgeLocalcomputer-adaptive testing (CAT). The Do you want to be near an ocean? LiveExaminers Syndicate (UCLES)old adage is, "Try it at home before you in a large city or a small village? AreCertificate or Diploma (formerly andexport it!" there any ethnic groups that you've had more commonly called the RSA, Royal Most people considering a job experience with that you would love toSocietyofArtsCertificateorabroad will have enough experience, work with again? Are you fluent in Diploma). These are British postgradu-but many will not have enough evi-

20 ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 a dence of professional development. Door through the country's Web site. TryGetUng ConzilallaTed you belong to your local affiliate oflarge international companies withfew a Pandarian Teachers of English to Speakers ofsatellite offices in the region. Also, visitWith all the resources available today, Other Languages (TESOL)? HowESL/EFL Web sites; Dave's ESL Cafefinding great job possibilities isn't dif- about TESOL International,Thehas a job opportunity section as doficult, but getting the interview may be. International Association of TeachersTESOL Placement, The Chronicle ofRegardless of your qualifications, you of English as a Foreign LanguageHigher Education, Times Educationalmay be overlooked if you don't present (IATEFL) or other professional teach-Supplement, ESL Magazine Online andyourself well. There are many books ing organizations? These membershipsEnglish Language (EL) Gazette. Many on how to create the ideal résumé or look good on a résumé or curriculumTESOL affiliates also have Web pagesCV, but there are a few details that can vitae (CV). Moreover, their publica-with useful contact information. Once make all the difference in the world. tions and conferences provide a wealthyou've found a relevant Web site, there First, there is a difference between of information as well as job and net-are usually a large number of links to a résumé and a CV: a résumé is a skele- working opportunities. other sites that may be helpful. tal summary while a CV is longer and Have you published anything or In addition to the Web, refer to themore detailed. For work outside the presented at conferences? How manytraditional hard copy versions of theUnited States the traditional one-page times have you gone to a presentationabove-mentioned publications as wellrésumé doesn't tell employers enough and thought, "I could've done that"?as Current Jobs International and ELto get you an interview, and they usual- These accomplishments make youProspects. There are also recruitmently won't contact you for more informa- more marketable, more competitive.registerslike the English Languagetion. So, provide a fairly detailed Sure you speak English, but so do a lotTraining (ELT) Guide. account of your education and experi- of other people. And as professional Finally, go directly to the people inence. ESL/EFL standards improve, morethe field. Contact large international Employers expect to see what people are acquiring the right qualifica-English programslike Englishyou've accomplished and may request tions. What sets you apart? Language Services (ELS), Americancopies of your degrees, transcripts, cer- Language Academy (ALA), Languagetificates or anything else that validates FOndiuDg Pozntione 'R(ED Coneikflarr Schools International (LSI), the Britishyou. They may be bringing you across How do you discover EFL job opportu-Council, and International House; they several continents perhaps for several nities? Fortunately, you have lots ofall have schools around the world. Callyears, so they may ask for more paper- help with the World Wide Web. Manyyour alumni office or local TESOLwork than an employer at home would. recent candidates have indicated thataffiliate. Contact your friends whoFew employers have time to read an their job search began on the Web.already teach abroad. They often knowentire CV (the latest estimate is 20 sec- Locate universities or schools in theof good jobs, and you'll already have aonds). They need to see quickly what region you've targeted, either by namefriend in the region. distinguishes you from other applicants Be Nice and Keep in Touch... BY BOBHUNKIN heysay that the difference between friends and rela- already working there. She was able to give me the Ttives is that you can choose your friends. In the small inside information that an advertisement or even an world of teaching EFL, it is best to view one's colleagues interview rarely supply: Yes, we would get paid on time; as an extended family. the interviewers are very keen about X but not Y; don't In my first job, a three-month summer school at accept the first house they offer you; and so on. In this Eurocenter in London, Terry was assigned to "look after case, Kathy even checked out houses for me in advance me." (Mentoring was not yet a buzzword.) and recommended one. While other new A middle-aged charmer and know-it-all recruits were still living out of suitcases in who wore tweed jackets and cravats, he a hotel, I was sitting on my new sofa was not like my idea of a friend. watching my new television! However, since I knew very little and As in any family, try not to get involved Terry claimed to know a lot,I did not risk in feuds and don't burn your bridges rejecting his patronage. behind you. The insignificant person you When I woke up one morning to find cleverly insulted five years ago could be that my summer job was over and that heading the interview panel for your dream three months' teaching experience and job next year. I have been that interviewer. an RSA Certificate were not as awe- Was I scrupulously fair? Yes. Did I try to inspiring to prospective employers as I persuade other interviewers that this was had hoped, I phoned Terry. It turned out agreatcandidate and wonderful human that Terry hadcontacts!After interviews Bob Hunkin in Oman. being? Sorry, no. with two directors of studies (DOS), I had So don't fall out with people you don't two part-time college jobs thatgotme through the winter have to fall out with. Be nice and keep in touch. Take the and into alastingcareer in EFL. advice of Dr. Samuel Johnson, the 18th century lexicogra- A former colleague was also quite helpful to me as I pher, "A man should always keep his friendships ingood sought my current position at United Arab Emirates repair." I would update that by adding "or woman" and (U.A.E.) University. I was intending to apply to U.A.E. "especially in the EFL business." University and heard that my ex-colleague Kathy was Hope to see you overseas soon.

ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 18Z 21 (something other than the color ofgood candidate for the job. Some cul- Resu é Checklist paper you use). tures may equate aggressive self-mar- Cover Letter When creating or updating yourketing with an inflated ego, so be care- j Use a standard letter format CV, all the traditional rules apply. Itful. Close the letter by expressing your with appropriate headings, the should delineate the right qualifications willingness to maintain contact and correct contact name (if avail- and highlight your strongest points. Ityour availability for an interview. able), addresses and closings. should also provide contact informa- If you fax or e-mail your cover let- / Indicate the position for which tion. ter and CV, always follow up by send- you are applying. Two important CV features are aing hard copies of both in the mail. Be "Summary of Qualifications" and asure to include all your contact infor- / Summarize your experience. brief description of each job experi-mation including your e-mail address. / Highlight experience particularly ence. The summa- relevant to the position (ESP, ry, in paragraph or CALL, curriculum or materials bulleted form, development, testing, manage- includes years of ment, professional organiza- experience and lev- tions). els,special skills, / Affirm your interest and other languages willingness to interview and spoken, relevant maintain contact. overseas experi- J Politely sell yourself; for exam- ences, ESP, CALL, ple, "My approach to English curriculum, testing, language teaching is.... etc. The job My...would surely be assets to descriptions should your program." Or "It appears i nclude essential that the combination of reference informa- my...and...would be particularly appropriate for this position." tion but should also describe your work / Even if using e-mail, send a with positive, active formal cover letter and hard verbs and adjectives copy of your CV. that show quality / Always follow up with a hard and quantity (i.e., copy communication whether developed and you accept the job or not. implemented com- municativeactivi- ties that increasedKevin Watson, left, pictured here in Japan, is an EFL Résumé/CV student involvement If Be sure it looks professional. and motivation ininstructor at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan and has classes of 25 stu-taught English in Paris, Madrid, Taipei, Ukraine and the / No typographical or spelling U.A.E. He recommends personal contacts and personal errors. dents of mixed ability).Thesetwointerviews for obtaining EFL teaching positions. / Don't handwrite information. items save prospective employers timeIf employers can't get in touch with / Summarize your strengths in a yet also provide details that they willyou, they can't give you an interview. "Summary of Qualifications" take the time to read later, after you section. have made the short list for an inter- PvG3Davring flor? Elnuaertvilevez / List education, institutions, view. If your efforts pay off, you'll be prepar- locations and years. Unfortunately, a super CV alone is ing for interviews. Some institutions / List positions, institutions, not enough. Your cover letter is alsomay pay for your travel, perhaps to locations and years with a brief important and should spark the interesttheir embassy, but it's more likely that description of the jobs. of a potential employer. The letter isyou'll be investing in your career by specific whereas your CV is all-inclu-traveling at your own expense. You / Use strong, positive, action may have a telephone or a teleconfer- words in job descriptions (e.g., sive. The cover letter should explain "developed," "initiated," how you fit their job description. Itence interview. Many institutions rely "increased," "improved," "facili- should also highlight any experienceon this type of interview either for tated," "created"). you've had with students from thatfinancial reasons or if they need to hire county or experience in that country orquickly. Whatever the case, make the / Include special experience in job in their specific institutional culture.most of it and be prepared. As one EFL w descriptions (ESP, CALL, curriculum or materials development, Identify the person screening CVs ormanager concisely states, "This is your testing, management, profes- interviewing and address the letter toopportunity to exhibit your ability, sional organizations, etc.) him or her. In the first paragraph, iden-willingness and manageability." tify the position you are applying for As always, first impressions count / Don't leave any gaps in year and where you saw it advertised. Thenand professionalism is always in style. sequence. show how your qualifications meet theESL/EFL professionals often dress / Have a colleague check your let- job requirements as listed in the ad andcasually, but in an interview situation, ter and résumé or CV. politely explain why you would be aslacks with a shirt and tie, if not a suit, 22 183 ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 areappropriatefor men. Women Ask about professional issues. Top 20 should always dress modestly in a con-How will you be evaluated? Will you servative dress, skirt or pant suit. receive professional development and Interview Questions Bring a hard copy of your CV andsupport? If you are a new teacher, you 1.Tell me about yourself. supporting documents or a portfolio ofwill definitely need this. You may ask 2. Describe your philosophy of your work to the interview. One EFLabout your salary. Some institutions ESL/EFL/ESP/EAP. teacher we know has a three-ringwill tell you immediately; others take 3. What are your strengths and/or binder full of testimonials and worktime to review your CV, basing salary weaknesses? samples. He's never been out of a job! on specific items you've included, 4. Describe your most successful Also bring a copy of the face page of teaching experience. which is why a detailed CV is best. 5. Describe your teaching style. your passport and some small passport-Remember, however, that money isn't 6. What are the broad responsibilities size photos. everything. Weigh the benefits; for of a teacher? If an institution decides to hireexample, more vacation andless 7. Why are you interviewing with this you, they'll ask you for the necessaryrestrictive institutional policies in a for- school/institute/company? additionaldocuments. These mayeigner-friendly environment may be 8. How would you set up a specific include a work visa, copies of all yourworth more than a higher salary. program such as reading or for a degrees, transcripts, marriage and birth Ask about additionalbenefits. specific client? certificates (all authenticated by yourHow many days of vacation are provid- 9. Describe a lesson plan for...(e.g., own embassy), medical certificatesed and when can you take them? Do teaching present perfect, note and, in the Middle East, HIV tests.you get housing? Return flights home taking, summarizing, etc.) 10. Where do you see yourself five Some institutions may also conduct aeach year? An end-of-contract gratu- years from now? background security check. ity? If you don't know, ask, or you may 11. Describe the best manager you Be prepared to talk about yourselfbe disappointed. Medical and life ever had. and your experience. Standard inter-insurance of the quality you'd expect 12. What special characteristics do you view questions are still used, and some are usually not part of the package. You bring to a job? employers like to know how well youshould get the former before you leave 13. How do you divide your time among can think on your feet. Because you'reand the latter when you arrive as it's major responsibilities? applying for a teaching position, theylikely to be cheaper than at home. 14. What aspects of your current job do want to know if you can speak in an What about the community? Are you like most? The least? organized and effective manner. Be 15. What are or were your most impor- there places where you can keep up tant responsibilities? concise and don't ramble. The rule ofyour work-out schedule, go to movies, 16. How important is communication thumb is "broad on content, short onattend concerts and go shopping? Ask and interaction with others in your duration, thirty seconds per answer." if there are other teachers that you can job? However, don't just answer theircontact with additional questions. 17. What is or has been your role as a questions. Bring along some of your After careful thought, accept a job group or team member? own. While you no doubt asked somethat suits you, your needs and your 18. Describe a situation in which you general questions before deciding tointerests. Your first job abroad may not experienced conflict and how you take the interview, remember not tobe all that you've imagined, but once resolved it. overwhelm a potential employer withyou're there, the opportunities are end- 19. What are some of your non-work too many specific questions before youless. The world becomes smaller and interests? have the opportunity for a face-to-faceyou soon build a network of friends 20. Describe your ideal job. interview. The interview is the time towho can help you find a job anywhere ask intelligent, specific questions. Anyou want. So, have fun looking for and Top 10 employer may snap you up like a greatgetting that English teaching job and, Interview Problems white shark because you're a gourmet whatever you do, don't forget your 1.Candidate is unfamiliar with the job dish or more likely because you have passport! or organization. "naive foreigner" written all over you. 2.Candidate offers information Ask questions about classes andKaren Asenavage is the Coordinator of prematurely or sets limitations instruction. How many contact hours?the ESP Unit of the United Arab before receiving a job offer. More than 25 per week and you shouldEmirates University and the past 3.Candidate doesn't sell him/herself. begin to smell the sweat shop. WhatPresident of TESOL Arabia. She has 4.Candidate mentions too many per- about classroom resources and text-worked in the United Arab Emirates sonal biases or negative situations. books? While it's possible to teachfor the past five years. 5.Candidate doesn't fit into hiring with chalk, a blackboard and an old quotas. 6.Candidate is late with any part of grammar book, it's a bit overrated.Bob Hunkin, RSA Diploma TEFLA, the application, interview or process. How many students will be in a class?M.Ed. TESP, is an Assistant Coordin- 7.Candidate does not follow up on the At 18 they begin to blur into a mass,ator of the ESP Unit at United Arab interview. and at more than 25 you may neverEmirates University. He has 20 years' 8.Candidate lies or misleads the learn their names. Will you be teachingexperience in EFLIESL and ESP as interviewer. childrens' classes? This means moreinstructor, administrator and teacher 9.Candidate's CV has questionable preparationtime.Some overseastrainer in the U.K., Spain, Portugal, periods or gaps of information. employers think children's classes areJapan, Hungary, Oman and the United 10. Candidate is not qualified or is the same as adult classes, only moreArab Emirates. overqualified for the position. lucrative. Adapted from Gary Dessler, Personnel-Human continued on page 24 Resource Management, 5th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall 1991. ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 e.A4 184 23 continued from page 23 Contacts You Need Professional Development Organizations The STREET TALK Series Professional Language Organizations www.polyglot.cal.msu.edu/mfla/orgs Self-teaching guides to American Slang and Idioms Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development STREET TALK-1 covers informal (ASCD)www.ascd.org STREET TALK-1 International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign H.141.034411401,,,./.1. conversational English as it would be heard in school, social situations, and in the Language (IATEFL)www.iatefl.org 4aP National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA) workplace. Special sections include initials, [email protected] fruits and vegetables, body parts, clothing etc. National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)www.ncte.org No obscene language. $16.95, 270 pages, TESOL International (TESOL)[email protected] softcover. Employment Contacts STREET TALK-2 American Language Academy (ALA)www.ala-usa.com features the language British Councilwww.britcoun.org commonly heard on Chronicle of Higher Educationwww.chronicle.com/jobs television: newscasts, Dave's ESL Cafewww.eslcafe.com weather, sports, and traffic. EL Prospects-4-44 0 171 255 1972 Special sections on English Language Centers (ELS)www.els.com exclamations and foreign ELT [email protected] words that have been Eurocenterswww.eurocenters STREET TALK:0 absorbed into American Electronic Job Shopwww.go-ed.com/jobs/iatefl English. $16.95, 254 The International Educator TIE/IA+0181 840 2587 pages, softcover. International Housewww.international-house-london.ac.uk International SchoolsEdustaffing%[email protected] STREET TALK-3 is a thorough TEFL Pro [email protected] collection of the most commonly used [email protected], [email protected] idioms. Sections cover survival idioms and Yahoo Employment Directorydir.yahoo.com/Education/ language used by criminals and police; a section on proverbs is included also. $18.95, Health Insurance 320 pages, softcover. Blue Cross and Blue Shieldwww.bcbswe.com Bupa Internationalwww.bupa-intl.com Exeter Friendly SocietyF44 1392 477 200 OPTIMA BOOKS Phone Toll Free (877) 710-2196 ExpaCare+44 1483 717 800, Fax: +44 1483 776 620 GlP 2820 Eighth Street Phone (outside US) (510) 848-8708 Goodhealth [email protected] (7. International Health Insuranceihigihi.dk, www.ihi.dk Berkeley, CA 94710 FAX (800) 515-8737 Norwich Union [email protected] www.optimabooks.com email: [email protected]

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24 ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 t,) 1;2gWOQUq&5

Discussion Strategies such as reacting to your partner's opin-son and why it is important. The activi- David Kehe and Peggy Dustin Kehe ions, allow the students to express them- ties begin with a listening exercise for Pro Lingua Associates, 1998 selves more freely. the sounds targeted in the lesson. The A large number of discussion strate-"Discrimination Game" is scored like 6 6 wanted to speak up in class, but gies (as summarized in Unit 28) are"Tic-Tac-Toe." The user can choose I just couldn't." Either the classintroduced,practiced and recycled:male or female voices as the model for discussion went too fast, therejoinders, follow-up questions, clarifi-this gatne and at any time throughout the student was shy, or cationexpressions,comprehensionprogram. The game can be played thestudentdidn'tDiscussion checks, answering with details, inter-repeatedly with new words each time. understand what was Strategies rupting, words that describe, telling what The next activity addresses minimal said. Howmany you've heard, volunteering an answer, pairs. The user listens to the model then times have we heard summary clarification, telling others' repeats and records his or her own voice. remarkslikethis opinions, helping the leader, expressingThe user then plays back the model from our students? opinions and referring to a source. voice followed by his or her own record- Like-wise, how many Discussion Strategies is an excellent ing. This feature is the heart of the pro- times have we asked, David Kehe text for a high-intermediate to advancedgram. The user gets immediate feedback Peggy Dustin Kehe "How can I get my communicationskillscourseforby hearing the difference between his or studentstopartici- ESL/EFL learners interested in practic-her own speech and themodel's. pate more in class discussions?" Help ising and perfecting their discussion skillsLearners can listen to and imitate the on the way. for either academic or professional pur-model as many times as they want. Users Discussion Strategies, the latestposes. Students gain confidence fromcan save recordings on their hard drive book by David Kehe and Peggy Dustinsmall group discussions and progressor on a floppy disk, Kehe, published this year by Pro Linguatoward leading large group discussions.which is very useful Associates, offers step-by-step, interac-The book provides support to help stu-for tracking progress. tive solutions to problems of discussiondents feel comfortable in performing The "Extra Help" freeze-up. At first glance, the book looksvarious discussion tasks. This is a wor- feature includes video confusing because the content seemsthysequeltoKeheandKehe'soffacialclose-ups jumbled. For example, Student A usesConversation Strategies, a very success- and x-ray drawings pages 1-66; student B, pages 67-131;fultextforintermediatestudents. that demonstrate how student C, pages 133-190. But, in fact,Discussion Strategies offers a solution to to move the mouth to the book is very user-friendly and clev-discussion freeze-up and opens the chan-form the words and erly arranged in a series of informa-nels of communication. sentences. tion/discussion gap tasks in which the Lessons continue with sentences students learn and practice various dis- Virginia D. Lezhnev, Ph.D., teaches inusing the target sounds, professional cussion strategies. As the students per-the Intensive English Language Program vocabulary, workplace vocabulary and form these tasks, they learn how to par-and teaches Methodology of Languageextra practice, all with the same proce- ticipate in the natural give-and-take ofTeachingtoJapaneseteachersofdure for recording. discussion and how to fill in those gaps English at Georgetown University where The bank of words and sentences is when they think that they have nothingsheisSenior CLED (Center forlarge and comprehensiveover 5000 in to say. Language Education and Development)total. Although the professional vocabu- In Units 1-27, the tasks are done inInstructor larytargetsworking adults,Clear pairs or triads. This allows students to Speech Works can be used by a variety of practice their discussion strategies with- learners in various settings, virtually in the security of small groups. The roles Clear Speech Works anyone who wishes to improve their pro- within the small groups are assigned in Elizabeth Blackmer, Ph.D. and nunciation. the task. For example in Unit 10, A reads Linda Ferrier, Ph.D. The production quality of Clear the first part of the article; B and C inter- CD-ROM, Royale Software Speech Works is highly professional. The rupt and ask clarification questions; A video and graphics are strong and clear. clarifies. B reads the second part of the Clear Speech Works is a pronuncia- A computer novice can use this program article, and A and C interrupt and so on. tion improvement CD-ROM for with ease. Unit 28 is a summary discussion of Windows. It makes basic pronun- Clear Speech Works is an excellent all the strategies. Unit 29 is a model,ciation instruction an engaging multime- new tool for ESL students. My students teacher-led discussion. In the final unitsdia experience. It is easy to use, fun and have found it provides the instruction, 30-38, the students lead small group dis-effective. practice and feedback they need to speak cussions for 40-minute periods. There are 24 lessons, each of which English with greater clarity and confi- In most of the units, the discussionfocuses on specific sounds and aspects dence. Suggested retail price: $79.95 U.S. centers on an article of general interestof English speech. The high-tech fea- such as "Telling Lies" or "Stress."tures bring the learning activities to life.Erin Holmes teaches pronunciation to Structured activities guide the use ofAt the beginning of each lesson anadults at Humber College in Toronto, strategies, and open-ended activities,instructor explains the content of the les- Canada.

ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 25 Chinese StucieL 0 yths it

BY FRANK TANG, PH.D. AND HELENE DUNKELBLAU, PH.D.

ver the past 20 years, there hasdo not speak the same language,Wirth #2:Chinese is very different been a dramatic increase in thealthough the dialects can all be calledfrom English. Thus, negative transfer 0Chinese-speaking population in"Chinese." For example, students fromoften takes place in the process of the United States. At the time of theBeijing and the northern part of China learning English. 1990 census, there were nearly 1.3 mil-speak exclusively Mandarin, the officialReality:It is true that Chinese is very lion people in the United States wholanguage of China, but those comingdifferent from English, at least on the spoke Chinese in their homes, approxi-from Shanghai or the provinces in thesurface. English is a phonetic language mately 98 percent more than in 1980. Itcentral and western regions of Chinawith an alphabetic writing system; is estimated that by the year 2000 thespeak Mandarin as well as a localChinese is an ideographic language in number of Chinese-speaking individuals dialect. Students from southern China,which the basic unit is the character in the United States may double again.however, speak Cantonese even thoughwhich is made up of strokes that form This dramaticincrease is reflected in thethey usually can also understand andcomponents that have meaning and, number of Chinese students enrolled inspeak Mandarin. sometimes, phonetic value. English is American public schools, many of Because most of the early Chinese multisyllabic and inflectional while Chi- whom are limited English proficient. immigrants to the United States came nese is monosyllabic and non-inflectional. As more and more Chinese studentsfrom southern China, a large number of Becauseofthesedifferences, enter our schools, educators are askingChinese immigrants in America speak Chinese students encounter certain diffi- important questions: Who are theseCantonese. However, the number ofculties when learning English. They Chinese students? Do they all comeMandarin speakers in this country hastend to have trouble relating English from China? Do they speak the sameincreased rapidly since the 1980's. In thesounds to irregular spellings. They must language? What are their educationalpast few years large numbers of studentsalso work hard to learn structures such and linguistic backgrounds? What arehave come from Fukien Province, whichas the third person singular "s," verb their learning styles and strategies? Areis in southeast China. These studentsconjugations, plurals, articles and cer- they really a "model minority" made up speak Fukienese, a dialect totally incom- tain prepositions, none of which exist in solely of high achievers? And mostprehensible to the rest of the ChineseChinese. They also have difficulty with importantly, how can educators workpopulation. certain verb tenses and aspect. most effectively with this particular Students from Hong Kong speak It should be noted, however, that group of students? Being able to distin-primarily Cantonese, butthis mayChinese and English share many simi- guish myths from the realities aboutchange in years to come as Mandarin islarities in phonology, morphology and Chinese students is necessary for teach-now promoted in the schools since Hong syntax. In general, Chinese students ers to be effective in teaching them. Kong returned to China in 1997. Almost have little difficulty acquiring relatively allstudentsfromTaiwanspeakaccurate English pronunciation although My%) #2.: All Chinese students comeMandarin though many of them alsodepending on their native Chinese from China, and they all speak thespeak Mingnan, the Taiwan dialect. dialect, they may have trouble differenti- same Chinese language. It is interesting to note that Chinese ating among Englishshortvowel [Meaty: Not all Chinese students comestudents from southeast Asia and Pacificsounds, between the consonants /1/ and from China. In fact, Chinese studentsIsland nations also speak different/r/, and pronouncing "th" sounds, which come from all over the world. AlthoughChinese dialects. Studentsfromdo not exist in Chinese. In morphology, the majority do come from the People's Singapore and Malaysia generally speakChinese characters can indicate meaning Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan andMandarin, but those from Vietnam andin the same way that prefixes and suffix- Hong Kong (now part of the PRC), the Philippines speak mostly Cantonese. es do in English. In syntax, basic sen- many also come from Southeast Asia In light of this, it is important fortence structure is the same in both lan- and Pacific Island countries such asteachers to recognize that Chinese stu-guages: subject + verb + object. These Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singaporedents will often have a rich linguisticsimilarities mean that knowing Chinese and the Philip-pines. A small numberbackground and sophisticated linguisticis not a hindrance to the acquisition of even come from Latin America and theability even though they may have onlyEnglish and in some ways may even Caribbean. basic facility in English when they firstfacilitate it. When we speak of the Chinese lan-arrive in the United States. Their language, we are really referring to a groupguage background, which may evenMyth#3: Chinese students share of eight mutually unintelligible dialects,include advanced literacyskillsin similar cultural values and educa- loosely connected by a common writing Chinese, is an asset to draw upon intionalbackgrounds.Theytake system based on Mandarin Chinese.helping students acquire English. schooling very seriously, study dili- Therefore, in reality, Chinese students gently and tend to be high achievers.

26 ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 Reality: Chinese students do sharefrom Hong Kong. Those from the elitequick money in sweatshops or restau- many common beliefs about culture and all-English schools are far superior in rants. education even though they may comeboth academic competence and English Itisimportant for teachers to from variouspartsof the world.proficiency to students from publicremember that Chinese students, like Education is highly esteemed and aschools where Chinese is the medium ofany other ethnic group, come from a good education is deemed indispensable instruction. variety of educational backgrounds. for future success. Although the PRC The idea that all Chinese studentsTeachers must use good diagnostic and and Taiwan have totally different politi-are high achievers and "whiz kids" is aplacement testsin both English and cal systems, their educational systemsfallacy. While itis true that manyChinese whenever possible to determine are amazingly similar inthat bothChinese students do work very hard and early on the students' educational and emphasize the acquisition of basicachieve high scores on tests such as thesocio-economic levels.This will help knowledge and skills, and both incorpo- Scholastic Achievement Test, there areguard against unreasonable expectations rate moral and cultural education intoperhaps as many who fail their classes.about their.students. The better teachers the curriculum throughout the grades. In New York City public schools, forknow their students, the better chance Common belief in the value of edu-example, statistics show that the dropoutthey have of working with them suc- cation, however, does not guarantee thatrate for Chinese students has risen in cessfully. all students will have had the samerecent years, perhaps because most of preparation before coming to the United the recent arrivals from China are fromMyth #4: Chinese students tend to States. Even students from the sameremote rural areas. These students bearbe quiet in ESL classes, reluctant to Chinese speaking country do not havelittle resemblance to "high achievers" orparticipate and weak in verbal abili- the same attitude towards learning."model minority" students. They havety. They enjoy learning in a teacher- Students from the PRC, for example,receivedlittleeducation,no priorcentered classroom, listening to the may differ considerably from each otherEnglish training and many of them areteacher's lecture, taking notes, in their academic preparation dependingeven illiterate in Chinese. These stu- doing repetitive drills, studying gram- on which part of the country they comedents often do not consider school to be matical rules, reading and reciting from. Students from large cities, such asthe key to success, nor do they taketexts. Shanghai and Beijing, are generally farlearning seriously. They may want toReality: To a certain extent, this is true. better prepared academically than stu-pass their classes and get their diploma,However, to put Chinese students' learn- dents from remote inland or rural areas. but they may not have enough self-con-ing behavior into perspective, one must This is due to the uneven distribution offidence or may not work hard enough to first understand the traditional Chinese both human and material resources inreach high academic goals. Instead, theyattitude towards learning. To most education. The same is true for students set the goal forthemselves to make Chinese, learning involves the mastery English and a New Dream hen Wu knew very little English when he came to the Zhen Wu not only learned English and other acade- ZUnited States from Shanghai, China in the summer of mic subjects thanks to the ESL and bilingual teachers, 1997. He became a student at Liberty High School, an but he has excelled in art. His talent was discoveredby alternative high school for recent immi- theschool principal. Zhen Wu then partici- grant students in New York City. At school pated in an art projectto paint theentire he had four periodsofEnglish each day wall of the fifth floor of the school building. andoneperiod of mathematics, biology Later he was selected to assist the and global history taught by Chinese- school's art teacher and to participate in English bilingual teachers. another art project outside of school. In a In the ESL classes, he was taught year'stime hehas won three city-wide art how to understand, communicate, read awards. and write English. The American teachers Now Zhen Wu is astudent inthe inten- oftenasked the students to speak upin sive English immersion program at class, participate in group activities and LaGuardia Community College City complete various individual projects. The Universityof NewYork (CUNY). His plan is teacher also took the class to museums, to pass the CUNY English reading and writ- libraries and evenBroadwayshows.While ing testsina year and start his formal col- thefield trips were fun, talking and writing lege education as soon as possible. When about the trips were not. Zhen Wu often Zhen Wu paints "Freedom,"askedabout his learning experience in the had to spend the entire evening writing a mural which he designed United States, he said, "I have to thank my down what he saw and learned duringtheand painted for Liberty teachers in LibertyHigh Schooland mypar- trip so that he could report tothe class High School. . ents. Theyhave taught me so much and the next day. At first, Zhen had a hard given me so much help. Without their sup- time adjusting to the American way of port, Iwouldhave dropped outofschool a teaching and learning. He said, "Our ESL teachers rarely long time ago." teach us any grammar, nor do they correct our errorsin Zhen Wu's fatherused tobea famous Peking opera speaking. They just tell us to speak up and write down artistandhis mother a fashion designer in China. As what's in our minds." neither speak any English, they now workinthe packing After a year's study, Zhen Wu has made great departmentof an arts andcrafts company. "Ihope I progress.Most importantly hehas found the confidence don'thaveto follow them tochange career. I mustlearn he had lost. He is no longerquiet ortimid. He has English well enough to makemydream come true." begun to participate moreoftenand learn more actively. Zhen Wu dreams of becoming a computer art designer.

ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 18h 27 of a body of knowledge. Students areand encouragement from both theiryour expectations of student behavior expected not only to master the knowl-teacher and peers. and to explain the importance of class edge but also to be able to reproduce it. participation in learning. Free, voluntary The main sources of knowledge are theilEyth #6:Chinese students tend toreading and writing programs also work teacher and the textbook. That is whybe docile, obedient and well-disci-well with Chinese students. Chinese students have great respect forplined. They have a lot respect for teachers and reverence for books. Thisteachers, and they never complainMyth #8: Chinese parents are very attitude towards learning is rooted in the about them. supportive of their children in educa- teaching of Confucius: "It is always use-(Reality: Chinese children are tauiht totion. They go to great lengths to ful to open a book. When the timerespect their teachers from the time they push their children towards academ- comes to use your knowledge, you willare very young. They look upon theiric success. regret how little you have read." Withinteacher as repositories of truth andReality:This statement ispartially this approach, learning a foreign lan-knowledge and expect them not only totrue. Chinese parents do have great guage becomes mastering its vocabu-have a profound understanding of aexpectations of their children and sup- lary, phonetic and grammatical rules,subject but also to be good at making portthemintheirschoolwork. and memorizing classics of the targetsystematicpresentationsandclearAnecdotes and research findings seem language. explanations of difficult points. In the to support this common belief. The fol- From the traditional Chinese pointtraditional Chinese view, the teacher islowing story demonstrates the high of view, intelligence is not necessarilyan authority who leads students from theexpectations Chinese parents hold for measured by how well one expressesunknown to the known, and authority istheir children: A mother asked her oneself in public but by the ability toto be respected, not questioned or chal- daughter about the grade she received on retain and reproduce a body of know-lenged. It is, however, a mistake to thinka test. The daughter answered,"90."The ledge acquired through arduous study.that Chinese students never complain. mother said,"90?Well, if you had stud- Verbal ability is rarely emphasized inYes, they may never challenge a teacheried a bit harder, you might have gotten the classroom. Few students want toby asking questions in class or by point- 95." So,the daughter studied harder and make a mistake in front of the class,ing out a mistake that a teacher hasgot a95on the next test. The mother whichwouldmeanlosingface. made. Yes, they may never complain tothen suggested, "How about 100 next Moreover, students are not evaluated bya teacher's face or file a written griev-time?" So, the daughter studied harder how they speak but by how they performance to the principal. Yet they do com- and got a 100. This time the mother said, on written tests. plain, and they complain a lot when their"Very good. Now, will you be able to However, English language educa-expectations of a teacher are not met. Tokeep it up?" tion has been changing lately. In bothwhom do they complain? They com- This anecdote is a good example of the PRC and Taiwan, instructionis plain to their parents, friends and anyonethe research findings of Stevenson and beginning to move away from tradition- they trust. Stigler that were reported in their book al grammar-translation and audio-lin- What do Chinese students complain The Learning Gap (1992).As part of gual approaches towards communica-about? Many feel that American teach-their study, they asked a group of tive language teaching (CLT). In theers are "lazy" because they do little lec-American mothers in Chicago and a PRC, for example, a recent joint projectturing, don't provide enough explana-group of Chinese mothers in Beijing the between the official People's Educationtion of reading material and tend to usefollowing type of question: "Suppose Press and Longman, Inc. has produced agroup activities or "games." American your child takes a math test and the aver- series of English textbooks for theteachers are "irresponsible" becauseage score for the class is 70. What score nation's students from grades four to12. they do not give students enough writtendo you think your child would get?" The Unlike any of the previous textbooks,homework to do, nor do they collect orAmerican mothers reported an average this new series has integrated CLT and acorrect their homework. American ESLof82and the Chinese mothers,85.Then structural syllabus. Gone are the expli-teachersare"not wellorganized"they asked the parents to give the lowest cit grammar presentations, monotonousbecause they often have too many activ- score with which they would be satis- mechanical drills and simplified readingitiesin one class and don't providefied. The American mothers reported an texts. Instead, one sees situational dia-enough systematic teaching of structureaverage of 76 and the Chinese mothers logues, meaningful practice of languageand rules. reported94!This shows that American skills and interesting, authentic read- Obviously, these complaints are themothers would be satisfied with scores ings. According to the teacher's manual,result of misconceptions about thelower than those they expect from their students should be encouraged to partic-American educational system and itschildren, but Chinese parents would ipate in group activities, oral presenta-philosophy of active participation in the only be satisfied with grades higher than tions and communicative practice. classroom and misunderstandings aboutthey had expected. If this trend continues, American the role of the teacher, who, in this coun- Now let us ask whether Chinese educators will see a new type of Chinesetry, is looked upon more as a facilitatorESL students in the United States student, one who is more vocal, moreof knowledge rather than a provider ofreceive the same parental support as willing to volunteer answers and more knowledge. Therefore, a rule of thumbthey did in their home country or active in using English. Until that time,to work effectively with Chinese stu-whether their parents still hold such high teachers must be patient with theirdents is first and foremost to win theiracademic standards for their children. Chinese students and should consider trust and show them you care. Once theyNumerous anecdotes about Westing- some of the latest research, whichlike and trust you, they will open theirhouse scholarship winners of Chinese reveals that Chinese students tend to behearts to you and will respect you. Youdescent seem to indicate that Chinese more actively involved in learning in amight even want to try to find time tostudents continue to experience high more friendly, low-anxiety learningwork with them individually after class.expectations as well as strong support environment in which they feel respectIn class, it is helpful to make explicitfrom their parents. However, a more

28 kl 8 ESL MAGAZINENOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 careful look reveals that most of thely, we should not ignore the growingcollege levels in China and the United award-winners are from middle classnumber who are in desperate need ofStates for over 20 years. families or families with parents whohelp and attention. Let us not confuse are highly educated professionals. Butmyths with reality but make a real effortHelene Dunkelblau, Ph.D., is presently what about immigrant working classto know our real Chinese ESL students. Instructional SpecialistLiteracy for parents who may not have much educa- the Office of the Superintendent of tion? Because of their relatively lowFrank Tang,Ph.D.,isDirector ofBronx High Schools, New York City socio-economicstatusandlimitedMultilingualMulticulturalStudies Public Schools. She worked in a Chinese English proficiency, many of these peo-(TESOL, Bilingual Education, andbilingual education program in a New ple have had to give up their originalForeign Language Education) at SchoolYork City high school for many years professions to work in garment factoriesof Education, New York University. Heand twice taught college and graduate or restaurants or take other low-incomehas taught English at high-school andlevel English courses in China. jobs in which they are compelled to work long hours. For this group of parents, support Poapsubscription CWgf:ntocznocagpurchase! for their children is often reduced to moral support or verbal encouragement. 5 Award-Winning They have little time to actually sit down and help their children with schoolwork. Also, even if they would like to help, Video-Based ESL Programs their limited ability in English prevents Stage One & Open Door To English them from giving substantial help. Their Stage One introduces ESL students to over 1,000 English words and life in the USA. apa la4+ 4+1414 lack of English also prevents them from Includes Teacher's Guide and 12 nonsequen- .3y. attending parent-teacher conferences or tial videos. Each video format has mimes i introducing topics and new vocabulary, ; maintaining regular contact with teach- r j ers. Many students come from families artist, skit, content lesson, math (the univer- '1+; sal language) lesson, field trip and a sing- illti in this situation, and the lack of family along."Useful for libraries with active ESL support should not be ignored. programs."American Library Association. ESL teachers are often an immi- For ages 11 through adult, $469. grant student's first contact in their new Open Door to English is a musical introduc- country. Getting to know your students' tion to beginning American-English sentence social and economic background is vital structure and vocabulary (roughly 500 words). Includes 32 lessons on 12 videos for providing them with the service they plus Teacher's Guide. For ages 4-12, $399. need. Having an interpreter keep parents informed of school regulations and stu- Speak To Me An ABC-Clio Award-winner and a Four-Star dent performance is extremely helpful. rating from Video Rating Guide.The pro- Sending notices and report cards in gram is in English, Study Guides are in Chinese as well as in English is another English AND the learner's native language. effective way to keep parents informed. For adults and adolescents with beginning English proficiency. Levels 1, II and III (each Sometimes teachers need to reach out to level with 3 videos and 200 page Study parents who do not come to parents' Guide) $229 per level. Pronounce After Me meetings. Considering the respect the (2 Pronunciation/Vocabulary videos and 2 Chinese people have for teachers, direct Survival Vocabulary videos) $229. Entire Speak To Me System (all 13 videos and 3 communication (even through an inter- workbooks), $699 (save over $200!). preter) with parents will always receive Business Express more attention than merely sending An ABC-Clio Award-winner, with a Four- a note. Star rating from Video Rating Guide, recommended by CA Instructional Technology Conclusions Clearinghouse.A comprehensive U.S. business primer covering economy, legal The stereotype of Chinese students is matters, banking, real estate, office rental, that of a highly successful group of supplies & packaging, marketing & advertising and employment & sales. For high- "model minority kids" or "whiz kids." It 3.4414,1KIK ...... is assumed that they all come from fam- school students and adults. 7 videos, 4 audio tapes and 2 study guides, $499. 30-DAYMONEY BACK GUARANTEE ilies that are caring and supportive, and All products carry a 30-daymoney it is believed that they bring with them a Blip and Blab, Language Explorers back guarantee. Simply return the strong belief in education and sound Our newest program focused at elementary product in re-saleable condition and school level, this series consists of 9 videos receive a no-questions-asked refund. academic preparation. plus an additional video with all the songs Contrary to these myths, there are from the entire series. Full of music and significant differences among Chinese animation, the series begins with numbers, Shipping and Handlingin U.S. add 6% of immigrants who come to the United colors, adjectives and progresses through order; outside U.S. add 9% of order. conjugations, gender, verb forms, positions, Major credit cards and institutional purchase States,considerabledifferencesin question forms, future tenses, etc., $579. orders accepted. socio-economic background, parental For Speak To Me, Business Express and Blip and Blab programs, please specify desired expectations and support, learning styles Study Guide language (Spanish, Portuguese, German, Russian, Korean, Chinese or Vietnamese). and strategies, and school performance. While as a group, Chinese students may HomeWorks Mc.0600-2914@e33 still appear quite successful academical- P.O. Box 5673, Lafayette, IN 47903Fax: 800-876-1844

ESL MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1998 1190 29 1 SUBSCRIBE TO ESL MAGAZINE! II want a quality ESL publication that combines informative articles by industry lead- . ers, refreshing publication design and information about the latest ESL/EFL products and services, all at the low introductory rate! I understand I must fill out this form, sign it and fax it to the number below with my credit card information or mail it to the address below with payment. Introductory Rate: 1 Year, 6 issues, U.S./P.R.: $16.95, Canada/Mexico: $24.95`, Outside North America: $34.95* Regular-Rite: 1 Year, 6 issues, U.S./P.R.:-.$4-9-.95;Canada/MexicoL429:9570utside North America:4397957 Name Payment Title 0 Check or Money Order. Payment must be enclosed with this form. Checks should be made out to ESL Magazine. Organization 0 Credit Card. Address ws. 111 IEZ City State/Province Card # Postal Code Exp. Date.ELI- Country Signature Date Phone (required) (in case of a problem with your order) Subscription price: Signature Date. Maryland residents add 5% sales tax: (required) TOTAL Photocopy this card for additional subscriptions. *All prices in U.S.$ and must be paid in U.S. funds. Please take a moment to answer these questions: 1. Please indicate your specific 3. Do you work in a public or 6. What dollar amount (U.S.) of position.(check 1) private institution? ESL materials/services do a. 0 teacher a. El public b. El private you purchase each year? b. 0 administrator. . a. El 0-$999 c. 0 director 4. Do you purchase ESL teach- b. El $1000-$4,999 z. 0 other ing materials or services? c. El $5000-$10,000 a. 0 yes b. 0 no d. CI Over $10,000 2. What level of ESL do you 5. What kind of materials or work with? 7. What is your highest earned services would you purchase? a. 0 elementary (Pre-K-6th grade) academic degree? b. 0 middle school (7-8th grade) a. 0 books g. 0 travel a. 0 Bachelor's or equivalent c. 0 high school (9-12th grade) b. 0 software insurance b. 0 Master's or equivalent d. El college/university c. 0 video h. CI map and c. 0 Doctorate e. El IEP/Intensive Language Center d. 0 hardware geography f. 0 adult education e. 0 audio materials g. 0 teacher preparation f. 0 educational z. LI other Thank You! trips FAX THIS FORM TO 410-810-0910 (must include credit card information) or mail with payment to: rESL Magazine, 220 McKendree Ave., Annapolis, MD 21401 USA ESL Magazine, 220 McKendree Ave., Annapolis, MD 21401 USA, Phone: 410-570-0746, Fax: 410-810-0910 E-mail: [email protected], www.eslmag.com MOVII It fl CIO ;;;;rae;;;;..., kill itIni. A ,A. 0.1.mino

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