Teamwork and Place-Based Curriculum and Instruction in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Theses Digitization Project John M. Pfau Library 2002 Teamwork and place-based curriculum and instruction in teaching English to speakers of other languages Mary Kay Bider Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons Recommended Citation Bider, Mary Kay, "Teamwork and place-based curriculum and instruction in teaching English to speakers of other languages" (2002). Theses Digitization Project. 2268. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2268 This Project is brought to you for free and open access by the John M. Pfau Library at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses Digitization Project by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TEAMWORK AND PLACE-BASED CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES A Project Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Education: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages by Mary Kay Bider March 2002 TEAMWORK AND PLACE-BASED CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES A Project Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Mary Kay Bider March 2002 Approved by: ABSTRACT The purpose of this project is to apply the theories , of the educational reformer, John Dewey, to the discipline of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Dewey's 1 revelations on the importance of experiential learning provide the foundation of the place-based curriculum movement in regular education. This project puts forth a j framework to incorporate community investigation, outdoor i education, and project-based learning into an EFL curriculum that is taught in the area of Big Bear Lake, l California. This project also features a curriculum component consisting of team-building activities aimed at J increasing self-esteem and intercultural communicative i competence. Five key concepts serve in the development of the ! curriculum design: background and present theories of experiential education; the importance of place-based ! curriculum and instruction; team-building; intercultural , communicative competence, and second language acquisition theories. The above concepts, though different in nature, intersect to provide the basis for a curriculum plan that emphasizes direct experience and students' in-depth knowledge of place. In light of the need for intercultural iii awareness in a technological world, it is important that students have the choice of learning English in a natural setting emphasizing the value of community and teamwork. This guide offers a selection of lessons aimed at instilling an appreciation of teamwork and place-based knowledge as a means of achieving pride of community, intercultural awareness, and social conscience. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to the following people who have inspired me to complete this project: to Dr. Lynne Diaz-Rico, whose ideas and suggestions helped me to realize that I really could complete this task; to Dr. Gary Negin, whose generosity I truly appreciate; to my children, Chelsea, Matthias, and Luisa, who encouraged me- to continue; to my husband Bernhard, whose technical help was invaluable; and to Mr. Timothy Thelander, whose technical prowess and competence helped me meet my deadlines. v DEDICATION This work is dedicated to the memory of Sister Mary and to my Aunt Anna, both so dear to my heart. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................... v LIST OF TABLES....................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES...................................... x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Background of the Project ....... 1 English as an International Language ....... 2 Target Teaching Level ..................... 3 Purpose of the Project.......................... 4 Content of the Project.......................... 6 Significance of the Project ..................... 7 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Background of Experiential Education ............. 8 John Dewey....................... :......... 8 David Kolb and the Experiential Model ...... 17 Paulo Freire............................... 25 Key Features of the Freiean Approach ....... 27 The Nature of Modern (Experiential Education.................................. 3 0 Nine Characteristics of Experiential Learning................................... 34 Experiential Learning in Higher Education.................................. 38 Place-Based Curriculum and Instruction .......... 39 vi Outdoor Education, Environmental Education, and Place-Based Education: A Comparison............................... 39 Characteristics of Place-Based Education.................................. 44 Importance of Place-Based Curriculum and Instruction................................ 44 The Concept of Teamwork......................... 4 6 The Importance of Intercultural Communication ................................... 52 What is Intercultural Communicative Competence?................................ 53 Second Language Acquisition Theories and Applications to English as a Foreign Language............................. ........... 5 9 The Affective Domain ....................... 61 Implications for English as a Foreign Language................................... 66 CHAPTER THREE: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK A Description of the Model...................... 68 Place-Based Objectives ..................... 69 Teamwork Objectives ........................ 70 Intercultural Communicative Competence Ob j ectives................ ................. 71 Language Learning Objectives ............... 72 CHAPTER FOUR: CURRICULUM DESIGN The Rationale for the Design.................... 76 The Content of the Lesson Plans................. 7 6 vii CHAPTER FIVE: ASSESSMENT OF INSTRUCTION Introduction .................................... 82 APPENDIX A ASSESSMENT FORMS ......................... 91 APPENDIX B LESSON PLANS ............................. 97 APPENDIX C WARM UP ACTIVITIES ....................... 193 REFERENCES 200 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Kolb's Learning Styles ...................... 20 Table 2. McCarthy's Learning Styles .................. 23 Table 3. Concepts and Components of the Teaching Model ....................................... 74 Table 4. Objectives of the Lesson Plans .............. 80 Table 5. Assessment of Instruction ................... 84 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Kolb and Fry's Learner Abilities ........... 18 Figure 2. McCarthy's 4MAT Cycle as a Change System..................................... 24 x CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the Project The human brain is innately active. It is "on" when it is actively engaged in choosing, ordering, or problem solving. The brain is not necessarily active when attempts are being made to pour information into it. Therefore, it is imperative to design lessons that challenge students to become dynamically involved. This is true in the regular education classroom as well as in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). As the numbers of non-traditional learners increase, there is a need to educate students who have diverse learning styles and needs. As the importance of knowing the English language continues to increase worldwide, methods of teaching it have also been on the rise. Current methods include the communicative approach; The Natural Approach (Krashen & Terrell, 1983); Total Physical Response [TPR] (Asher, 1982); and Content-based ESL. Other methods of instruction are the grammar-translation method, the audiolingual method, Suggestopedia, (Lozanov, 1982); and The Silent Way (Gattegno, 1982) . 1 Teachers in the regular education classroom often employ the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA). This approach (Chamot & O'Malley, 1987) encourages direct instruction of learning strategies within academic subject areas (Diaz-Rico & Weed, 1995) . The purpose of CALLA is to enrich the language that students may use for academic communication while furthering their ability to comprehend the language and discourse of different subject areas (Diaz-Rico & Weed, 1995) . Although the majority of language learning programs found today do not utilize just one approach in teaching, certain aspects of these aforementioned methods of language instruction are found in many modern language programs. English as an International Language There are more, than 400 million speakers of English as a second language. English is the language of business and international relations. It is used in international air traffic control, and is the language of maritime , communication and diplomacy. It is an important tool for international travel and athletics. It is used as a contact language between nations and parts of nations, and it is often used in scientific circles. It is important to 2 the music and entertainment world. An estimated 80% of the world's computer data are processed and stored in English (Kitao, 1996) . English is viewed by many as a candidate for the world's most important international language. Many developed countries require English not only in the secondary school curriculum, but also in the primary : schools. Educational policy makers have begun to realize the significance of the English

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