Teaching Speaking Skills to Non academic Adult English Language Learners in the US. Dr. Kathi Bailey Monterey Institute of International Studies

Transcription

1 Teaching Speaking Skills to Non academic Adult English Language Learners in the US Dr. Kathi Bailey Monterey Institute of International Studies

2 Monterey Institute of International Studies Pierce St., Monterey, CA Fisher Graduate School of International Business Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation Graduate School of International Policy Studies Graduate School of Languages and Educational Linguistics

3 Monterey Institute of International Studies Graduate School of Languages and Educational Linguistics MA in TESOL MA in TFL Language instruction for the whole Institute Custom Language Services Intensive English as a Second Language

4 Introduction to Teaching Speaking

5 Speaking Speaking is one of the most basic human traits.

6 Speaking All physically, mentally, and psychologically normal children learn to speak their home language.

7 Speaking But speaking in a second or foreign language is not easy, and not all adults learn new languages, even if they live in the country where the language is spoken.

8 Participant Survey For whom is English the home language? Who knows an language other than English? What language(s)? Where/how did you learn the language (living in the country? Taking classes?) How well do you speak it?

9 Participant Survey How well do you speak your second language? 5 = native speaker competence (including accent) 4 = ability to shift levels of formality as needed 3 = full functional ability; no patterned grammar errors only occasional mistakes 2 = limited functional ability in a workplace setting; routine social communication; some patterned grammar errors 1 = knows words, phrases, some grammar; many patterned errors

10 Adult English Language Learners TESOL: : Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (a profession and the professional association) ESL: : English as a Second Language (in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK) EFL: : English as a Foreign Language (e.g., in Japan, Argentina, Mexico, Croatia, etc.)

11 Adult English Language Learners CATESOL: : The California and Nevada Affiliate of the international TESOL association Annual State Conference, San Diego, April 12 15, 15,

12 Adult English Language Learners Adult non academic learners of ESL in the US: people who are learning English but not necessarily to obtain a post secondary secondary degree at a college or university. Refugees Permanent residents Temporary residents Immigrants (documented and undocumented)

13 Adult English Language Learners The 2000 Census reports More than 31 million foreign born individuals 51.7% Latin America 26.4% Asia 15.8% Europe 2.8% Africa 2.7% Northern America 0.5% Oceania

14 Adult English Language Learners The 2000 Census reports languages spoken at home by people five years old and older 82.1% speak only English at home 17.9% speak a language other than English at home (nearly 47 million people) Of these, 21 million people (about 8.1% of the total US population over the age of 5) report that they speak English less than very well.

15 Adult English Language Learners US Dept. of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education 1,119,589 adult learners enrolled in federally funded, state run ESL classes This figure = 42% of the enrollment in federally funded state run adult ed. classes.

16 Adult English Language Learners Enrollment in non federally funded classes is very difficult to track Laubach Literacy s s (now ProLiteracy) ) report: 77% of their programs provided ESL classes to 67,547 adult ESL students

17 Adult English Language Learners Instruction is offered by Community colleges Adult school programs Libraries Community centers Prison systems Businesses Churches Organizations (e.g., Habitat for Humanity)

18 Adult English Language Learners The adult learner population is 69% Hispanic 19% Asian 85% live in metropolitan areas in the western US (Fitzgerald, 1995)

19 Adult English Language Learners Adult ESL students 98% foreign born 72% speak Spanish at home 92% report that they read well or very well in their home language, but only 13% report that they speak English well 73% were placed in the beginning class (Fitzgerald, 1995)

20 What is involved in speaking a second or foreign language? When you speak in a language other than your home language, what processes are involved? What mental components must you use?

21 Units of Spoken Language PHONOLOGY MORPHOLOGY distinctive feature phoneme syllable morpheme SYNTAX word phrase clause STRESS RHYTHM INTONATION DISCOURSE utterance text (from van Lier, L Introducing Language Awareness. London: Penguin, p. 15)

22 Units of Spoken Language All of these units phonemes, morphemes, words, phrases, clauses, utterances, and texts must function together in real time and usually during interaction with limited time for planning

23 Units of Spoken Language Segmental Phonemes: Consonants and Vowels Suprasegmental Phonemes: Pitch, Stress, Intonation, and Rhythm

24 Units of Spoken Language 1. I didn t t steal the money. 2. I didn t steal the money I I didn t steal the money. 4. I I didn t t steal the money.

25 Units of Spoken Language 1. I didn t t steal the money. It was Juan who stole it! 2. I didn t steal the money.... Honest! I really didn t! 3. I I didn t steal the money. I only borrowed it! 4. I I didn t t steal the money. I took the diamonds instead!

26 Fluency and Accuracy Accuracy: : speaking with correct correct grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc.; applying the rules of English Fluency: : speaking fluidly, confidently and at an appropriate pace, pausing at expected points

27 Fluency and Accuracy At beginning and intermediate levels, efforts to speak fluently and accurately at the same time often work against each another.

28 Proficiency Speaking (and reading, writing, and listening) in a wide range of contexts Combining accuracy and fluency while speaking; Proficiency permits fluid, confident, correct correct speech at an appropriate pace, pausing at expected points. ACCURACY + FLUENCY = PROFICIENCY

29 Speaking Needs of Adult ESL Learners Equipped for the Future (EFF) Initiative 1,000+ adult learners across the US (including some ESL learners) responded to Goal 6 of the National Education Goals Essay prompt: : What did this goal mean to them?

30 Speaking Needs of Adult ESL Learners Goal 6 states: By the year 2000, every adult American will be literate and possess the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

31 Speaking Needs of Adult ESL Learners Four macro macro goals goals emerged: 1. ACCESS: : To gain access to information and resources so that adults can orient themselves in the world. 2. VOICE: : To express ideas and opinions with the confidence they will be heard and taken into account.

32 Speaking Needs of Adult ESL Learners 3. ACTION: To solve problems and make decisions without having to rely on others to mediate the world for them. 4. BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE: Learning to learn so that adults can be prepared to keep up with the world as it changes. (Merrifield, 2000)

33 Speaking Needs of Adult ESL Learners ACCESS to information and resources To obtain appropriate housing To meet basic needs (e.g., buy food) To get and succeed at work To get medical care and understand care options and instructions

34 Speaking Needs of Adult ESL Learners VOICE and ACTION To communicate with employers, neighbors, service providers, school personnel, etc. To advocate for their own rights and their children s To participate in social, recreational and political activities

35 Speaking Needs of Adult ESL Learners BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE: To start their own businesses To complete their secondary education To enroll in higher education To participate in English based vocational training or literacy programs To obtain their citizenship

36 Research on Adult ESL Learners Very little research exists on the speaking skills of adult ESL learners in the US. Research has focused on K 12 K students and academic ESL students in post secondary contexts. Many adult ESL teachers are untrained and/or have no time to conduct research.

37 Research on Adult ESL Learners One national study (Condelli( et al., 2003) of literacy development found gains in low level level learners speaking skills. 38 classes in 13 programs in California, Arizona, Illinois, Texas, New York and Washington 495 learners: More than half were Spanish speakers; others were Hmong,, Somali and speakers of 30 other languages

38 Research on Adult ESL Learners Condelli et al. (2003) used the BEST (Basic English Skills Test) as the criterion measure. They found instructional variables class variables student variables related to gains in oral language skills.

39 Research on Adult ESL Learners 1. Instructional Variables Faster growth was found Where teachers used the students native language as an aid to instruction Where the teacher used a varied practice and interaction strategy Where the teacher emphasized oral English communication (Condelli et al., 2003, p. 4)

40 Research on Adult ESL Learners 2. Class Variables Classes that had more scheduled instruction time (hours per week) had more student growth (Condelli et al., 2003, p. 4)

41 Research on Adult ESL Learners 3. Student Variables Faster growth in speaking skills was found Younger students Students who attended at a higher rate Students with higher initial basic reading skills (Condelli et al., 2003, p. 4)

42 Research on Adult French Learners in Canada Adult immigrants learning French as a second language in Quebec 2 cohorts were studied: Cohort 1: 36 Southeast Asian immigrants; average age = 27 years Cohort 2: 45 Polish and Latin American immigrants; average age = 34 years Tested after a 900 hour 30 week program Tested again 6 months later

43 Participant Survey How well do you speak your second language? 5 = native speaker competence (including a native like accent) 4 = ability to shift levels of formality as needed 3 = full functional ability; no patterned grammar errors only occasional mistakes 2 = limited functional ability in a workplace setting routine social communication; some patterned grammar errors 1 = know some word and phrases, some grammar; many patterned errors

44 Research on Adult French Learners in Canada Half of Cohort 1 placed at FSI Level 2: They had acquired the minimum knowledge of French necessary for limited functions in a workplace setting. Half of Cohort 1 placed at FSI Level 1: Their French was barely adequate to fulfill their personal needs and was not considered adequate for the workplace. (d Anglejan et al., 1986, p. 191)

45 Research on Adult French Learners in Canada What about Cohort 2? After 30 weeks of instruction 20% scored at FSI Level % scored at FSI Level % scored at FSI Level 3 (d Anglejan et al., 1986, p. 191)

46 Research on Adult French Learners in Canada The Good News: 6 months later results for both cohorts improved significantly over the six month period BUT these learners were not equipped with the language skills necessary to compete with native speakers in the job market (d Anglejan et al., 1986, p. 192)

47 Standards for Adult ESL Learners TESOL Standards for Adult ESL learners see Short (2000) or visit National Reporting System (NRS) (6 levels of functioning) The Canadian Language Benchmarks (Pawlikowska Pawlikowska Smith, 2000) Australia s s Standards for the AMEP (Adult Migrant Education Program; Brindley,, 1998)

48 Parting Thoughts Teaching ESL to adults means being awed every day as we witness the tenacity and perseverance of immigrants carving out better lives for themselves and their families (Spelleri Spelleri,, 2002)

49 Parting Thoughts If you would like to have a written version of this talk, please see my chapter in J. Comings, B. Garner, and C. Smith (eds.), Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Vol. 6: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2006.

50 Parting Thoughts If you would like to read more practical ideas about teaching speaking to beginning, intermediate and advanced learners, please see my book, Practical English Language Teaching: Speaking (McGraw Hill).

51 Parting Thoughts For reference lists on pronunciation and the teaching of speaking, please visit my website: Click on Resources Resources and go to the panel on the left side of the page. Click on the reference list(s) ) of your choice.