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A Content-Integrated Translingual Literature Curriculum for Chinese-Speaking University-Level EFL Learners

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A Content-Integrated Translingual Literature Curriculum for Chinese-Speaking University-Level EFL Learners Hamline University DigitalCommons@Hamline School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations School of Education Summer 2020 A Content-Integrated Translingual Literature Curriculum for Chinese-Speaking University-Level EFL Learners Croix Clayton Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Clayton, Croix, "A Content-Integrated Translingual Literature Curriculum for Chinese-Speaking University- Level EFL Learners" (2020). School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations. 4502. https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/4502 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at DigitalCommons@Hamline. It has been accepted for inclusion in School of Education Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Hamline. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. A CONTENT-INTEGRATED TRANSLINGUAL LITERATURE CURRICULUM FOR CHINESE-SPEAKING UNIVERSITY-LEVEL EFL LEARNERS by Croix Cambria Clayton A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English as a Second Language Hamline University Saint Paul, Minnesota August, 2020 Primary Advisor: Julia Reimer Secondary Advisor: Celia Martin Mejia Peer Advisor: Elisa Rivas Copyright by CROIX CAMBRIA CLAYTON, 2020 All Rights Reserved To my beloved family and friends, whose belief, support, and encouragement lit the road ahead for me throughout this challenging process. To my capstone committee, especially Julia Reimer, whose advice and patience helped bring my ideas from creation to completion. The word ‘gratitude’ barely suffices. Thank you for everything. “Education begins with poetry.” - 孔⼦ (Kongzi, a.k.a Confucius) TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….1 From Anecdote Recollection to Pattern Recognition…………………………………….4 Chinese-speaking English Language Learners in Higher Education…………………….6 My Role as a Scholar and Educator………………………………………………………7 Outline of Chapters……………………………………………………………………….8 Terminology………………………………………………………………………………9 CHAPTER TWO: Literature Review…………………………………………………………………….11 CDELL Academic Needs………………………………………………………………………..11 CDELLs’ Academic Struggles………………………………………………………….11 Why do CDELLs Struggle with English?………………………………………………13 CDELLs: Critical and Creative Tasks…………………………………………………..16 Why is there a ‘Creativity Gap’?………………………………………………………..16 Toward a Balanced Curricular Solution…………………………………………………18 Summary…………………………………………………………………………………21 A Monolingual Consensus in ELT………………………………………………………………..23 Defining Monolingualism………………………………………………………………..23 A Ban on Classroom L1………………………………………………………………….24 An Unsupported Consensus?…………………………………………………………….26 The Direct Method (DM) and the Origin of the Monolingual Consensus……………….27 Summary…………………………………………………………………………………28 The Translingual Approach to ELT……………………………………………………………….29 Code-switching…………………………………………………………………………..29 Translanguaging………………………………………………………………………….30 Translingual Advantages for Language Teaching………………………………………..30 Translingualism for Effective and Relevant Dual-Focus Coursework…………………..32 Translingualism to Balance Student- and Teacher-Centeredness………………………..33 Translingualism for Critical-Creative Thought…………………………………………34 Summary………………………………………………………………………………..35 Translation and Language Teaching……………………………………………………………..36 Definition….…………………………………………………………………………….36 Attitudes Toward Translation in ELT..…………………………………………………..37 The Utility of Translation in Language Teaching.………………………………………38 Translation for Meeting CDELL Educational Needs……………………………………39 Summary…………………………………………………………………………………40 (Contact) Literature and Aesthetics in ELT………………………………………………………41 Literature in ELT Today………………………………………………………………….42 Contact Literature………………………………………………………………………..43 Literature for an Effective and Appropriate Curriculum..……………………………….44 Literature for Critical and Creative Thought.……………………………………………45 Summary..………………………………………………………………………………..46 Critical-Creative Thinking………………………………………………………………………..47 Critical-Creative Thought: a Single Habit with Different Ends…………………………48 CDELLs’ Need for Critical-Creativity…………………………………………………..49 Teaching Critical-Creative Habits of Mind.……………………………………………..49 Summary…………………………………………………………………………………51 The Gap…………….……………………………………………………………………………..51 CHAPTER THREE: Methodology………………………………………………………………………..54 Setting..………………………………….……………………………………………….55 Audience…………………………………………………………………………………56 Rationale………………………………………………………………………………………….56 Theoretical Base………………………………………………………………………….57 Two Types of ‘Dual Focus’………………………………………………………………57 English Mastery Focus Areas…………………………………………………………….58 Models……………………………………………………………………………………61 Goals and Objectives……..………….…………………………………………………………..63 Objectives……………………………………………………………………………….64 Approach………………………………………………………………………………..65 Format………………………………………………………………………………….………..65 Organization…………………………………………………………………………….65 Framework………….………………….………………………………………………..66 Unit-level curricular components (chart)……………….……………………………….67 Summary………………………………………………………….………………..…….………68 CHAPTER FOUR: Curricular Resource Guide………………………………………………….……….69 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………72 Unit 1…………………………………………………………………………………………….77 Lesson 1…………………………………………………………………………………81 Lesson 2…………………………………………………………………………………96 Lesson 3………………………………………………………………………………..116 Unit 2……………………………………………………………………………………………131 Lesson 1……………………………….………….……………………………………135 Lesson 2………………………………………………………………………………..151 Lesson 3…………………………..……………………………………………………160 CHAPTER FIVE: Conclusion………………………………………………………………..…………170 Correlations with the Literature Review………….……………………………………170 How the Guide Addresses Challenges faced by CDELLs …………………………….170 The use of Translingual Pedagogic Methods……………………..……………………174 Implementation……………..………………………………….……………………….176 Limitations to Curricular Guide Effectiveness…………………………………………180 Future Research Opportunities…………………………………………………………181 Presenting the Guide to Others…………………………………………………………183 Summary………………………………………………………………………………..184 References……………………………………………………………………………………….186 !1 CHAPTER ONE Introduction From his seat in a buxiban [補習班, ‘cram school’] classroom, ‘Kent’, a twenty- something software engineer, tells me that many of his fellow young Taiwanese feel frustration at what they perceive as their education system’s inability to teach certain skills they need to compete in the global marketplace. “I think maybe our schools cannot teach us to think originally, so our companies always follow trends but never lead them,” he offers. A tremor of nods and sighs moves through the small classroom. Emboldened by this show of support, he elaborates: “maybe we are not too creative, like Westerners, so instead I think usually we just make a change or improvement to other people’s work. So yes, we can improve something; make it cheaper to produce, more efficient, you know…but to innovate, to make a completely new idea, this is very difficult…we work hard, but…” he raises his hands in a gesture of helplessness, and looks to the others for affirmation, which they give, and for a few moments it appears that some kind of emotional dam has broken. Students chime in rapidly, simultaneously, finishing one another’s sentences, wondering out loud why, despite their intense efforts, they fail to grasp the fabled skills of critical thinking and creative problem solving that are spoken about in such reverent tones in the international academic, business, and technology literature. Theories fly; some are funny, some heartbreaking. “Are we too nice? Are Westerners good at innovating because they always disobey their parents? Is it because we don’t work hard enough? Is our system corrupt? Is !2 something wrong with us?” I can see the frustration and embarrassment in their eyes. They look at me and ask, “What do you think, teacher?” For ‘Irene’, an eleven-year old who loves animals and singing, English is less of a job and more of a game, though it is a game with perhaps more consequences for her future than she knows. Her parents do know, however, that English ability is a predictor of economic success in the modern world, and have duly placed her in a private school where English is taught twice a week by a ‘native-speaking’ instructor; namely, me. But Irene and her classmates present unexpected challenges for me. If my adult students brim with nervous energy and an almost desperate desire to achieve, these children seem bored, passive, and disconnected. Despite having, by the principal’s assurance, six years of practice under their belts, the learners have an extremely limited comprehension of English, are barely able to read or write it, and most of their training centers on an English-language storybook about two children (“Dick and Jane,” of all things) who take their dog on a train ride to the seashore. They proudly bellow impressively long passages of this text at me, in thickly accented unison, regardless of what I actually tell them to do. Simple comprehension questions about the story quickly reveal that they grasp none of its content, but have memorized the alien phonetic patterns through repetition alone. Questions like “how are you?” and “what do you like to eat?” draw empty, nervous stares. Nonetheless, the principal seems fully satisfied with their progress, and has great confidence that with my expert
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