Conference information

The TESOL Journey

Improving Communication with Parents

Using an Image Archive in the ESL Classroom

Plus book, video and software reviews

Spring 2012 h p://ohiotesol.or g Vol. 4, No. 3 Ohio TESOL Board Executive Committee - Voting Members President First Vice President Second Vice President Beverly Good Jessica Burchett David Smith [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Interest Section Representatives K-12 Post Secondary/Higher Ed. Adult Education Research /Teacher Ed. / Betsy Wood Vacant Wendy Bucky Applied Linguistics [email protected] [email protected] Tim Micek Elizabeth McNally [email protected] [email protected] Advisory Board - Non-Voting Members Treasurer Recording Secretary Past President Membership Coordinator Marty Ropog Jill Kramer Christina Terrell Linda Berton [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Advisory Liaisons Advocacy OFLA Liason ODE Lau Resource Center Liaison Don Beck Lillian Acker Dan Fleck dbeck@ ndlay.edu [email protected] dan." [email protected] Brenda Custodio [email protected] Committees Awards and Grants 2012 Conference Chair Volunteer Coordinator Exhibitor Liason Susy Oldham Brenda Custodio Vacant Mary Benedetti [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Charlotte Putt [email protected] Communications Team Web Manager Journal Editors Listserv Manager Mike Dombroski Content: Brenda Refaei Bob Eckhart [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Layout: Chris Hill [email protected]

Ohio TESOL Journal is published three times a year by Ohio TESOL. The deadlines for the next three issues are August 15 (Autumn issue), December 15 (Winter issue), and March 15 (Spring issue). Ohio TESOL is not responsible for any opinions expressed by contributors to the Journal. Submissions accepted for publication may be edited and / or republished on our website and in other media.

Photo credits: Dani Simmonds (front cover), Joe Zlomek (page 10), kristja (back cover).

2 Ohio TESOL Journal -- Volume 4, Number 3 2012 Conference Call for Proposals

Ohio TESOL Conference in Conjunction with the Lau Center Ohio Department of Education

Leading Language Learning

November 9 and 10, 2012 The Ohio State University Student Union, Columbus, Ohio

Ohio TESOL welcomes proposals for sessions at its 2012 conference. Ohio TESOL welcomes propos- als for sessions at its 2012 conference. Proposals are being accepted for non-commercial sessions. Please read all of this information before submitting a proposal. General Presentations: This Call for Proposal form is for submissions that are non-commercial in nature. You may submit your general proposal electronically by going to http://www.ohiotesol.org/. Proposals are due June 22, 2012.

Proposals are accepted for the following types of strations of computer or technology activities in sessions: the computer lab are welcome. “Make it and Take it” activities are also encouraged. Paper 50-minute sessions. These are mainly of a presen- Panel Discussion tation format (40 minutes) followed by 10 min- 50-minute sessions, with 3 or 4 panel members, utes of questions and answers and discussion. leading to substantial audience discussion; one specifi c topic should be pursued by all speakers, Demonstration while the coordinator introduces speakers, sum- 50-minute sessions with substantial audience marizes their approach to the topic, and leads the participation. Demonstrations involve the actual discussion. Submissions should include a clear doing of a task, or series of tasks. For example, description of the thematic focus, the proposed the presenter could explain the steps in the actual contents of the discussion, and a list of the ac- performance of a language learning simulation by tive participants. Topics can include research or having the audience participate in one. Demon- practice. For example, with respect to research, a

http://ohiotesol.org 3 2012 Conference panel could offer several points of view on a con- Proposal Format: troversial subject such as the pedagogical value of explicit grammar instruction. On the other hand, · Title of Presentation (15 words or less) the coordinator of a non-academic topic provides the initiative for the session. She/he will approach · Brief Description (30-40 words)-This informa- colleagues and invite them to participate and co- tion will be included in the conference program. ordinate their efforts. · Abstract (200 word maximum) Poster Presentations Posters will be on display during a set time to be Proposals on all topics of relevance to teaching announced later. Presenters will be expected to English to Speakers of Other Languages are en- remain at the presentation site (a bulletin board) couraged. Please submit your proposal at http:// for approximately half an hour in order to discuss www.ohiotesol.org. their topics with attendees. Poster presentations are designed to depict a topic by means of pictures and brief notes. Many possible topics suitable for posters can be pursued, from research notes to a detailed lesson plan. For example, a language learning fi eld trip for intensive English students could be depicted with pictures, maps and sam- ples of materials.

Graduate Research Graduate students are invited to discuss their re- search projects with conference attendees. Three students with similar topics will be scheduled for one concurrent session; each presenter will talk for approximately 15 minutes. Proposals may be from individual students or a group interested in working together.

4 Ohio TESOL Journal -- Volume 4, Number 3 The TESOL Journey: How Did We Get Where We Are?

By Angel Anorga

The fi eld of TESOL is constantly growing – a liv- In his article, “TESOL at Forty: What are the is- ing entity that never ceases to expand. The TESOL sues?” Canagarajah (2006) highlights the impor- journey has been long and will continue on as long tance of differentiating the fi eld of TESOL and its as participants continue to collaborate, actively organization. Although the organization had 40 promote effective pedagogies, engage in inquiry, years of work under its belt at the time of his pub- and carry out research with the goal of enhancing lication, TESOL as a fi eld has been in existence the overall practices in the fi eld of TESOL. This far longer than that. According to Canagarajah, paper will address several themes that have seen vestiges of TESOL have served individuals since great development throughout the history of TES- the 1400s, based on Howatt’s and Spack’s books. OL and will attempt to address the issue of how Is the history of TESOL really that extensive? One we got where we are in the fi eld of TESOL. relevant point mentioned by Canagarajah in 2006 is that, during the During TESOL’s new century, the fi rst 25 years of ex- Examination of the long journey of waves of globaliza- istence as a fi eld and TESOL as a fi eld and as an organiza- tion have begun as even as a recognized the national bor- national and inter- tion reveals progress, achievements, ders weakened as national organiza- and accomplishments a result of the in- tion, several themes crease in interac- gained preponder- tion between com- ant attention among scholars in the fi eld. Many munities. Moreover, with the development of embraced a learner-centered approach, which new technologies, physical contexts interact with seemed to be the most practical for the pre-mil- virtual space, compressing the idea of time and lennium decade (the early 90s). One idea during space. this time was sparked by the infl uence of Freire (1970) and his focus on empowering students. It The 2000s continued to introduce themes that is inspiring to realize that, more than 20 years are crucial to TESOL. In 2008, A. Pavlenko intro- ago, efforts were underway to incorporate coop- duced the controversial issue of policy and social erative learning with the idea of creating a more justice through her case study in which a nonna- participatory learning environment. In addition, tive speaker of English was interrogated by a po- this was the decade in which content-centered lice offi cer. Pavlenko’s request for the implemen- education began to expand through the curricu- tation of bilingual standards in the US criminal lum, emphasizing the aim of integrating language justice system raises a voice on behalf of the ESL learning with subject matter. The analysis of the population in the US, most of them immigrants. fi rst 25 years of TESOL by Brown (1991) eluci- The increase in immigrant populations in the US dates the initial path taken by TESOL that would year by year allocates the majority of potential open possibilities for the following two decades. ESL students; however, not all of them have ac-

http://ohiotesol.org 5 cess to ESL education. Pavlenko’s article is a clear doors for sociocultural researchers to expand the example of advocacy for needed ESL education; fi elds of their practices. Thus, solidly based on Pavlenko’s rationale also verifi es the need for in- sociocultural perspectives, language socializa- creased studies that discuss sociopolitical issues tion theory has started to infl uence ESL pedago- related to English Language Learners (ELLs). gies. The potential of the application of language ESL immigrants constitute one of the main work- socialization theory into classroom practices is ing forces in the US. Upon reading this article, unlimited. This theory has its basis in the fi eld of one can conclude that ESL teachers not only have anthropology and seeks to study the individual as responsibility for furthering the development of part of a social and cultural environment with an language skills, but they also have social responsi- attempt to understand individuals growing social- bility to advocate for their students and for those ly and culturally (Zuengler & Miller, 2006). The who belong to the general ESL population. path of language socialization and its infl uence in the ESL classroom portrays an interesting shift in Another important theme that has infl uenced the fi eld. Zuengler and Miller provide a scope of TESOL for many years is the different views be- this path since the 1980s, during which language tween cognitive and sociocultural perspectives. socialization theorists focused on how children According to Zuengler and Miller (2006), between socialized in their immediate communities. In the 1970 and the 1990s, the second-language acquisi- 1990s, language socialization focused on adults tion process was perceived as a process of inter- and how these learners participated culturally nalization, an important part of psycholinguistics. and socially as they learned the target language. The acquisition of L2 was perceived as a cognitive process in which input and output played impor- In an extensive review of the literature, Duff tant roles in shaping knowledge. Cognitivists have (2010) disclosed the different stages of language been important players in the defi nition of second- socialization in the fi eld of TESOL and Applied language acquisition; however, to believe that ESL Linguistics. She identifi ed language socialization students will obtain knowledge through isolated as a multimodal and multilingual process. This practices (completely disconnected from their process is characterized as dynamic; as such, the environment) would be challenging to accept in process of language socialization is generally spot- our communicative and participatory classrooms ted at the academic level or academic discourse. in the 2010s. Evidently, even when a student is In another experimental study, Morita (2000) solely studying his textbook, he or she is also in- studied how graduate students, native and non- teracting with whoever wrote that book. Thus, in native English speakers, develop their language the 2000s, the awakening sociocultural theory in socialization skills through participation and en- the ESL classroom has become one major theme. gagement in oral academic presentations. Morita The arrival of sociocultural perspectives has con- utilized an ethnographic approach and collected tributed to promotion of the use of language in video recordings of oral presentations, interviews real-world situations facilitating the developing questionnaires, and observations gathered over on concepts through social interaction. The socio- an 8-month period. Her fi ndings are crucial to the cultural classroom promotes the practice of ev- fi eld of TESOL, as she suggested that both native eryday activities using the target language in the and nonnative speakers of English gradually de- classroom. Vygotsky, the founder of sociocultural veloped their insertion into the oral academic dis- theory, took an interest in the transformation of course. This process included important instruc- self, or the innate capabilities of an individual to tor-student and student-student interactions and interact with their immediate environment. ESL negotiations as the participants prepared for their classrooms today are being transformed in small oral presentations. Morita’s article is preeminent communities where all the members interact, so- to situate TESOL in modern times; her excessive cialize, and learn together. clarity of her methodology assumes an extreme preponderancy of language socialization theory in The paradigm shift during the past decade, from the ESL classroom today. As many teachers and cognitive to sociocultural learning, has opened instructors actively seek ways to include their stu- 6 Ohio TESOL Journal -- Volume 4, Number 3 dents into academic discourse in the target lan- guage, Morita’s study is one of the most adequate References applications of such. Brown, H.D. (1991). TESOL at 25: What are the issues? TESOL Quarterly, 25 (1) , 245-260. Another important recent trend in TESOL, al- Canagarajah, A. S. (2006). TESOL at 40: What are the issues? though still rather scarce in the literature, is the TESOL Quarterly, 40 (1) , 9-34. use of participatory inquiry approach practices Du! , P. A. (2007a). Second language socialization as socio- as a paradigm of research. The emphasis of this cultural theory: Insights and issues. Language Teaching, 40 , paradigm is on teachers as researchers participat- 309-319. ing with their students in order to fi nd answers to Du! , P. (2010). Language socialization into academic dis- their research questions. The co-researchers and course communities. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, co-participants work together as a team in an ef- 30 ,169-192. fort to provide an insider perspective. In a recent Morita, N. (2000). Discourse socialization through oral class- participatory inquiry-based study, Samimi, Kim, room activities in a TESL graduate program. TESOL Quarterly, 34 (2) , 279-310. Lee, and Kasai (2012) attempted to document the experiences of three nonnative English speakers Pavlenko, A. (2008). Non-native speakers of English and the Miranda warnings. TESOL Quarterly, 42, (1) , 1-30. who were graduate students that included the pro- cess of transferring from peripheral participation Samimy, K., Kim, S., Lee, J. A., & Kasai, M. (2012). A partici- pative inquiry in a TESOL program: Development of three to full participation. In this study, the research- NNES graduate students’ legitimate peripheral participa- ers make reference to interventions that empower tion to fuller participation. The Modern Language Journal, 95 the participants over a period of 3.5 years. This (iv) , 558-574. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01247.x 0026- 7902/11/558–574. study provides a different angle by which to ap- proach research in the TESOL fi eld, and the par- Zuengler, J. & Miller, E. R. (2006). Cognitive and sociocultural perspectives. TESOL Quarterly, 40 (1) , 35-58. ticipatory nature of this study can be utilized as a model for other professionals in TESOL. It is also important to mention that the utilization of participatory inquiry and action research is also growing in educational studies. Thus, the fi eld of TESOL might fi nd an increase of similar studies in the near future.

This paper presented several of the most impor- tant salient topics in the fi eld of TESOL. Examina- tion of the long journey of TESOL as a fi eld and as an organization over the last 40-50 years reveals the progress, achievements, and accomplish- ments throughout the journey. Further explora- tion regarding what is next in TESOL (and what is not to come) will prove interesting. As profes- sionals, scholars and educators in TESOL con- tinue to embrace effective pedagogical practices with more dissemination of empirical studies; the TESOL journey will continue to shine on the ho- rizon.

Angel Anorga has taught English as a foreign language in South America and currently teach- es Spanish in Ohio. He is also a graduate student completing his doctoral degree in Second Lan- guage Studies at the University of Cincinnati. http://ohiotesol.org 7 Improving Communication with Parents of English Language Learners

By Monica E. Falzone

As an ELL teacher in an elementary school and does not make them understand you better. It is a middle school, I work with many other profes- normal tendency to want to raise your voice when sionals who communicate, or try to communi- speaking to an English language learner. But re- cate, with the parents of my ELL students. If the member, they aren’t deaf! They just don’t know parents of my ELL students do not speak fl uent English! English, the communication between the class- 5. Be explicit. Use “yes” and “no”. Do not use room teacher and ELL parent is usually stressful ‘Uh-huh” or “yeah”. for both parties involved. Classroom teachers are eager to help and desire to communicate in the 6. Use basic words when possible. For ex- best way possible. Here are ten things that pro- ample: ‘small’ is a better choice than ‘miniscule.’ fessionals working with English language learn- 7. Avoid using contractions. Do not and can- ers should keep in mind. Apply these suggestions not are better than Don’t and Can’t. A lot of times and you will see improved communication and non native speakers have diffi culty distinguishing an increase in your cultural competence. Passing between Can and Can’t. these suggestions out to teachers before Parent- Teacher conferences may be particularly helpful 8. Be aware of cultural disparities. Try to and much appreciated by your colleagues. be sensitive to the fact that among cultures there are different standards for eye contact, touching 1. Use a slow rate of speech. If you are nor- and the amount of personal space between each mally a fast talker, you may want to slow down a other. Follow their lead in order not to offend. For little bit. example, it is frowned upon for an Arab male to 2. Avoid blending your words together. touch a female who is not his wife. A handshake is “Do- ya-wanna-see …” considered touching. As native English speakers we are not cognizant 9. Be aware of English dialect differences. of the fact that we do this very often. It is more The dialect of English you are speaking in may not helpful to enunciate each word, such as: “Do you be the dialect they learned. Some of our parents want to see…” and students have studied British English instead 3. Refrain from using idioms or expres- of American English. sions while speaking. Examples of this are: 10. Smile and be patient. A smile is a universal • Your child is performing below par . language that they are sure to understand. • Was he feeling under the weather yesterday? • He has ants in his pants. Monica Falzone is an Instructor of English to Idioms take a long time to learn in another lan- Speakers of other Languages at Willoughby- guage. Using these will really confuse them and Eastlake City Schools, Licensed in Spanish and they will be left guessing what you mean. TESOL grades pre K-Adult, has extensive travel experience, is bilingual in Spanish and is a Ful- 4. Speak in a regular voice. Talking louder bright Hays Scholar. 8 Ohio TESOL Journal -- Volume 4, Number 3 A Thousand Words on a Picture: Using an Image Archive in an ESL Classroom

By Nils Samuels

Because the classrooms where I teach adult ESL tagged with “bowl,” “dairy,” “container,” “snack,” rarely have internet access, any plan to use com- “dish,” “curd,” and “food,” but also “noncount” puter images and a projector involves serious and “round” and “side order.” All for what is just a preparation. Happily, online image archives like bowl of cottage cheese. corbis.com make the work easier by offering thou- sands of searchable royalty-free choices. To de- But wait: my student asked about “bow,” not cide how many and what words to include in the “bowl.” I search again. Now the fi rst image is a offl ine image archive on my laptop, I relied princi- threatening face aiming an arrow at the viewer. pally on the Oxford Wrong again. Add- 3000 online, from ing “ing” to verb the Oxford English “What is ‘bow’?” a student asks in searches elimi- Corpus, which lists response to the reading. Fortunately, I nates homonyms. the most impor- Finally I locate a tant English words, have a computer picture to show her. promising image, supplemented by Obama bowing to the Corpus of Con- the emperor of Ja- temporary American English at Brigham Young. pan. This picture has its own story, so I have to be I usually created dedicated lists for nouns, adjec- careful not to get sidetracked. But for the fairytale tives, verbs, and so on, especially since different about the milkmaid that we are reading, the pic- types of words present different problems (how ture works, if imperfectly. should phrasal verbs be represented?). When these lists overlapped (bore, boredom, boring), I An image search sometimes provides too many generally chose one image to represent the vari- associations. What if the image is too evocative? ous forms of the word. Likewise, many synonyms One way to muffl e that possibility lies in choosing share the same image. pictures like the bowl of cottage cheese. Many stu- dio shots oblige with white backgrounds and no Deliberation and diligence in collecting images distracting humans (helpfully tagged by Corbis ar- outside the classroom mean quick retrieval in- chivists with “nobody” and “white background”). side the classroom, so it pays to be both selective Computer generated illustrations also can present and (paradoxically) expansive. Each image needs a simplifi ed version of a more complex idea. to be named and tagged. Some of this labor has already been done: extensive keyword tagging Mostly, though, the way we tell stories in class by online image archivists yields unexpectedly involves humans like Obama, Emperor Akihi- diverse choices in my offl ine archive. When sup- to, and milkmaids. The people in those pictures plying my own tags, I have added any associa- come from all cultures and backgrounds—black, tive word I can think of, trying to anticipate what white, men, women, boys, girls, and babies. I have I might look for later. So “cottage cheese.jpg” is worked to make the archive inclusive, recognizing

http://ohiotesol.org 9 zontal board than vertically ori- ented pictures do. Image format matters, too, since adding tags is easiest for jpegs. Because they are silent, I prefer animated gifs; videos with sound I fi nd too dis- tracting. Those animated gifs I have show simple actions like “skipping” but also the contract- ing of “cannot” to “can’t” (an animation created at makeagif. com). I often gather a series of images beforehand into a Power- Point, which accommodates all these formats and allows me to overlay words and written narra- tives. Keyboard shortcuts make late that many terms associated with women were all this searching and preparation inside and out- underrepresented (especially clothing, makeup, side the classroom much faster. and accessories). For common terms, I have in- cluded different images to give me options when Problems remain. Abstractions are often tricky. illustrating a story— an image of an angry busi- “Loyalty” has no picture, in part because it’s dif- nessman doesn’t match a young milkmaid who is fi cult to show duration in a snapshot. Similarly, upset. “Upset” itself spans “nervous,” “angry,” and adverbs of time like “already” and “yet” resist rep- “sad,” all of which fl ash across different faces. resentation. While facial expressions are gener- Other discoveries: my image library helps me tell ally cross cultural, a dog shaking off water means stories quickly. Adding a numerical tag to a se- something different to Muslims. Pictures with ries of pictures tightens the search results, so that complicated interactions are great for discussion “728” retrieves only the pictures I want for a spe- and generating their own stories but not when cifi c story. If I project the image on a whiteboard, trying to illustrate one meaning for one word. the ample white space permits me to gloss the picture and add details. A fork in the road can be- Maybe the biggest drawback to these 5000 pic- come a backdrop to hand-drawn fi gures making tures is also their strength. A powerful image can choices: “Should they go left or right?” Defamil- be distracting. The Great Wall of China towers iarizing makes images stick better in memory (so over whatever meek words I link to it. I don’t want India’s Chand Baori represents “stairs”). Histori- to convert my interactive classroom into a movie cal (“stagecoach”) and contemporary (“minivan”) theater with silent faces locked on a white screen. images are both needed, especially when working If it’s already impossible to contain meanings for with stories across time. Roosevelt shaking hands so many slippery words, adding pictures can mul- contrasts with Obama shaking hands and distin- tiply those complexities. How to best employ these guishes between simple past and present perfect, pictures requires fi nding the right balance so that for instance. Slowly I have added both historical they supplement but don’t supplant more direct fi gures such as presidents and imaginary crea- student/teacher interaction. I don’t want visual tures, such as witches and trolls. immediacy to trump pedagogical utility. In a lan- guage class, after all, pictures, however beguiling, Even the best images won’t work if their format shouldn’t be worth more than words. and quality aren’t right. Higher resolution imag- es are better for detailed pictures, such as crowd Nils Samuels has taught for Community and Ref- scenes or landscapes and especially maps. Hori- ugee Immigration Services, Godman Guild, and zontal images naturally display better on a hori- the Columbus Literacy Council. 10 Ohio TESOL Journal -- Volume 4, Number 3 Book Review Embedded Formative Assessment

By Tim Micek

This book has two main purposes: fi rst, to provide ciples into action. Chapter 7 reviews research on “simple, practical ideas” for changes that teachers getting students involved in learning and shows can make to develop their teaching and, second, that student ownership of learning can result in to provide evidence that these changes will pro- “extraordinary improvements” in achievement; duce improved learning. Wiliam does not specify the chapter concludes with techniques for class- an audience for his book, but teachers, especially room implementation. of children (all of his examples are drawn from the P-12 setting), and teacher educators would be Wiliam’s book is excellent for those seeking to the most likely to benefi t from it. improve their teaching or, in the case of teacher educators, their students’ teaching. It is a very Embedded Formative Assessment is divided into practical and readable work that is based on ex- seven chapters. In Chapter 1, Wiliam explores tensive research, yet that research is used se- why education is vital to the economic prosperity lectively and always supports original thinking. of all nations and why most attempts to improve Wiliam provides numerous practical techniques student achievement have failed. In Chapter 2, to help teachers realize goals, for example, eight he reviews the research on teachers’ professional strategies (with several sub- strategies) for elicit- development and shows that although there are ing evidence of learners’ achievement (Chapter many ways to develop teachers’ professional prac- 4) and eight more strategies for helping students tice, attention to formative assessment is likely to become instructional resources for each other have the greatest impact on student achievement. (Chapter 6). The readability comes not just from Chapter 3 reviews some of the research on the ef- Wiliam’s straightforward style but from the phys- fects of ensuring that learners understand what ical characteristics of the text. His transitions are they are supposed to be doing and explains why it particularly effective at summarizing one topic is good to distinguish among “learning intentions, and previewing the next. the context of the learning, and success criteria” (p. 51). The chapter also supplies techniques that The layout clarifi es the author’s ideas; and the teachers can use to share those intentions and cri- graphics represent textual information in concise teria with their students. Chapter 4 emphasizes forms. At 162 pages (plus ancillary material), the the importance of discovering where students are 7x10 paperback is a manageable read for busy in their learning; provides guidelines for good teachers. Given its use in the Ohio Performance questions, as well as alternatives to questions; Assessment Pilot Program, the book is a resource and offers guidance on using questions to modify that teachers might want to know about. instruction to meet student needs. In Chapter 5, Wiliam reviews research on feedback, includ- Tim Micek is Associate Professor of Education ing why some forms of feedback “are at best, use- and Director of the MATESOL program at Ohio less, and, at worst, actually lower performance” Dominican University. (p. 107), and discusses how teachers can give stu- dents feedback that advances learning. Chapter Reference 6 explores the role that students can play in in- creasing their peers’ learning and concludes with Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded formative assessment . Bloom- several classroom techniques that put these prin- ington, IN: Solution Tree. Pp. x + 189.

http://ohiotesol.org 11 A Critique of Two Computer Assisted Language Learning Applications: Webladder and VOANews

By Ting Xiao

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) The fi rst application, VOANews (http://www. methodology has been widely applied in second voanews.com/specialenglish/index.cfm) pro- language teaching and learning. Various CALL vides comprehensible updated news stories in applications assist the learning of language at both audio and video for beginning and interme- different levels in different ways. This article will diate English learners. The familiar vocabulary, explore two CALL applications designed for adult the single voice of the announcer, the slow speak- learners to improve their English listening and ing pace, and the interesting topics help to create reading competence respectively. a comprehensible text. It is an integrated English learning website combining reading, listening, Chapelle and Jamieson (2008) provide a frame- and vocabulary learning program with the focus work for evaluating CALL software and programs on listening skill. in the form of tips for teaching with CALL. They Listening in a hyperme- emphasize the appropria- Two CALL applications dia environment will ease tion, interaction, and eval- designed for adult learners the learners’ dissatisfac- uation aspects of the CALL tion and concern (Brett, materials and programs. to improve their English 1997). VOANews is so de- For example, CALL pro- signed as to provide all pos- grams should incorporate sible means to help learners materials that are appropriate for learners of all practice and improve listening skills. With two levels, should provide opportunities for learners columns of links to different language categories to interact with the computer during the learning on both sides of the screen, the website probably process, and should include evaluation of learn- overwhelms the learners at fi rst sight. However, ers’ learning outcomes. The two CALL websites the hyperlink brings learners visual, glossary discussed in this article share some common fea- and contextual support so that the learning pro- tures. Both websites use Voice of America special cesses are interactive but not interrupted. For ex- English news as media to provide the authentic- ample, under “English Learning”, words related ity of the language; both allow learners to interact in a news story, the grammar behind them, and with the computer for getting help with the lan- various types of supporting words quizzes are guage in the text to enhance the accessibility; both provided to enhance vocabulary learning and to provide learners with different level of reading/ consolidate the understanding of the listening listening texts to comprehend the applicability. texts. Clicking “Watch” will bring out the video of These three “A”s (authenticity, accessibility, and a special English development report with sub- applicability) provide a channel for English learn- titles running on the screen at the same speed as ers to interpret information successfully. the news announcer. Therefore, listening, as the 12 Ohio TESOL Journal -- Volume 4, Number 3 most implicit language skill (Hulstijn, 2003) can health care. Based on the number of new words in be strengthened through receiving both audio and the text, the level of diffi culty is also indicated for visual information. learners to select accordingly. The design of the exercises exhibits the idea of transforming com- The convenient access to various types of assis- prehensible input into output, which is the key tance on this listening web program compensates in second language acquisition (Krashen, 1989). the implicitness of the listening process. Further, Users of this software are fi rst asked to do a mix- the instruction of how to use the web site is also and-match vocabulary exercise, then read the text provided on the web page, which makes VOANews in which all the words are listed and linked to a a compound but not complicated self-study re- dictionary, and fi nally write a summary of the source for intermediate learners. It is also a won- reading. derful resource for teachers of beginning English learners to incorporate authentic listening mate- As pointed out by Chapelle and Jamieson (2008), rials to arouse students’ interest and motivation. language learners are less likely to learn much of the language if they cannot understand what The other application, Webladder (http://www. they are reading. Reading is a crucial process of readingenglish.net/students/) is a CALL reading language learning by which learners can develop program for intermediate and advance English their language ability and strategies for language learners. Webladder provides learners with good use. Webladder is designed to be a one-size-fi ts- opportunities to interact with a computer. By set- all (or rather one-site-fi ts-all) reading program ting up a user account, learners can choose news with a wide range of topics and diffi culty levels stories under 10 different categories, from aspects for students at different learning stages to choose of America to popular topics like environment and from. There are only three “layers” beneath the http://ohiotesol.org 13 front page. Click once to choose the topic, second click to turn to the story and the third click to start References vocabulary learning, reading and summarizing. Brown, H.D. (1991). TESOL at 25: What are the issues? TESOL Quarterly, 25 (1) , 245-260. At fi rst glance, it doesn’t seem to contain the vast Canagarajah, A. S. (2006). TESOL at 40: What are the issues? information that any CALL application is expect- TESOL Quarterly, 40 (1) , 9-34. ed to have. Nevertheless, the VOA news texts have Du! , P. A. (2007a). Second language socialization as socio- been modifi ed in order to have every word linked cultural theory: Insights and issues. Language Teaching, 40 , to an online dictionary. The obstacle in reading 309-319. seems to be taken away. It is true that to access Du! , P. (2010). Language socialization into academic dis- to the embedded glossary or the online dictionary course communities. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, is not as time-consuming as the traditional look- 30 ,169-192. up behavior. However, fi ndings in a study (Chun, Morita, N. (2000). Discourse socialization through oral class- 2001) indicate that most second language (L2) room activities in a TESL graduate program. TESOL Quarterly, 34 (2) , 279-310. readers tend to look up unknown words imme- diately upon encountering them, particularly “if Pavlenko, A. (2008). Non-native speakers of English and the Miranda warnings. TESOL Quarterly, 42, (1) , 1-30. this could be done simply” (p.392). As a conse- quence, learners lose their train of thoughts when Samimy, K., Kim, S., Lee, J. A., & Kasai, M. (2012). A partici- pative inquiry in a TESOL program: Development of three they stop constantly to look up the words. By the NNES graduate students’ legitimate peripheral participa- time they have collected quite a few words from tion to fuller participation. The Modern Language Journal, 95 the reading text, they have forgotten what the (iv) , 558-574. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01247.x 0026- 7902/11/558–574. text is about. In other words, the reading task is transformed into vocabulary learning. Obviously, Zuengler, J. & Miller, E. R. (2006). Cognitive and sociocultural perspectives. TESOL Quarterly, 40 (1) , 35-58. it is unlikely that lower level users of this web pro- gram can get to the third step: writing a summary of the reading text in their own words.

To what extent does hypertext succeed in easing readers’ access to and processing of information? Rouet and Levonen (1996) found out that learners can benefi t from moderate degrees of nonlinear- ity, but hypertext imposes a higher cognitive load on readers and thus is less benefi cial. Therefore, Webladder is appropriate for intermediate and advanced English learners and their teachers to use as reading supplements in and out of class. The range of reading materials allows teachers to select one article for the whole class as well as articles of different levels to meet individual stu- dents’ needs. However, language teachers need to plan carefully and offer deliberate guidance for students to effectively navigate and make the best use of Webladder.

Ting Xiao is a doctoral student in Literacy and Second Language Studies program and an ESL instructor at the University of Cincinnati. Her research interests include ESL writing pedagogy, ESL teacher cognition research, ESL program development and ESL test/service assessment. 14 Ohio TESOL Journal -- Volume 4, Number 3 Video Series Review ColloTunes: Engaging, Collocation- Based Spoken Word for ELLs

By Rebecca Hale

Jason Levine, a.k.a “Fluency MC,” offers ESOL educators and ELLs an unusually interactive opportunity to engage high-fre- quency NAE collocations – through spoken word raps and songs for the entire classroom ensemble!

Levine, Academic Director of Campus Education in New York City, has created a series of free YouTube videos, ColloTunes, as well as CDs and DVDs for purchase with accompanying lyrics and vocabulary card games (http://www.colloandspark.com). ColloTunes are not geared exclusively towards students of ESL, but rather to learners of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds who work towards fl uency and communicative competence in the specifi c discourse of North American English language learn- ing, Mathematics and Social Sciences.

ColloTune video content ranges from ESL to mathematics, so- cial studies, science and test preparation (SAT, GRE, TOEFL and GED). ColloTunes promotes a philosophy of the “Three R’s” –– “Relax, Repeat, Remember” and may prove effective for EFL, ESL and ESP, by presenting diverse, high-frequency vocabulary in meaningful “chunks” of language (Jianzhong, 2003).

Levine refers to himself as a “Teacher-Trainer-Language Ex- plainer-High Stress-Drainer-Knowledge-Entertainer.” ESOL ed- ucators may choose to follow his example and ulitize ColloTune videos in the ESL classroom in a spirit of play and purposeful persistence. Rhythm and rhyme intersect throughout ColloTunes materials to engage students of diverse learning styles and edu- cational backgrounds in multimodal explorations of collocations which embed subject-specifi c content in high-frequency NAE vo- cabulary.

Reference Jianzhong, Pu. (2003). Colligation, collocation and chunk in ESL vocabulary teaching and learning. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 6, 438-225.

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