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Marianna Mercer

Dr. Cho

C&T 491

29 June 2017

Instructional Unit Narrative

Part I.

English as an international language is constantly developing, shaping, and shifting,

recently to fit the needs of its growing function as a lingua franca, not only fitting the ideal of

native speakerism. An increasing acceptance of the English language spoken and utilized in the

expanding and outer circles, as well, has changed the mode of teaching English as a second or

foreign language. Teachers, then, must be aware of the English variety of the region that they are

teaching in. Canagarajah, editor of TESOL Quarterly and World Englishes professor, emphasizes

the need for students to develop a complex language awareness[recognizing] the contexts

where they can be creative but also the contexts where they have to be observant of established

norms. Consequently, teachers should not shun but incorporate and refer to local varieties of

English, ensuring the clarification of proper context and allowance for the norms of each variety.

Introducing this mindset in a Korean classroom counters much of their native speakerism

ideal. Additionally, it reaches beyond the intense focus on English as a written, grammatical

form an instructional method of English that [opposes] a one-size fits all pedagogy (Byean),

that is strongly reinforced by rigorous testing standards. Byean, another contributor to the

TESOL Quarterly, says that direction should be formed as students to the curriculum,

encouraging autonomous learning and promote active participation. This idea of English

adaptation and creative class structure is vital for my personal development as a teacher, seeking
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to teach English as a second language. Through TESOL articles and my experiences at

Kyunghwa High School, as well as Korea as a whole, I have been able to grasp the need for a

change in English instructional methods.

A reoccurring issue is the mastery of English on paper, but lack of competency when it

comes to conversation. I want to further my knowledge in the area of teaching conversational

English, as well as explore opportunities in which to expand its prevalence in the Korean

education system. My goal is to create a classroom environment that encourages conversational

English in and outside of the classroom, given students already limited opportunities to engage

in the language informally. In Korea, I have found this ideal to be possible through the native

teachers at Kyunghwa students are engaged in and out of the classroom through activities,

clubs, and other resources. Yet, despite the accomplishment of this structure, I still have

witnessed the lack of English fluency due to students limited time and intense studies, in which

standard written English is a forced priority.

Part II.

Given the information of EIL as adaptable and constantly shifting, with need for context,

my co-teacher, Heaven, and I were eager to form lessons that could help with a global context,

both culturally and linguistically. Our class schedule included six periods, three teaching second

grade and three teaching first grade at Kyunghwa High School. Each class entailed a fifty minute

period with over thirty students in each. The layout was six tables diagonally lining the room so

that groups for activities could easily be formed. Heaven and I chose the topic of Holidays and

Traditions, for, while it could introduce vocabulary and cultural practices, the topic also allowed

time in class for students to hone their speaking and listening skills. Anne Katz chapter on

Assessment in Second Language Classrooms proved to be helpful in our goal of incorporating

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reading, writing, speaking, and listening into our fifty minute lesson.

The classes showed a diversity of language levels and educational experiences. Some

were extremely reliant on their native language, Korean, or would even utilize Chinese or

Japanese over English. On the other hand, some students jumped at the opportunity to speak in

English and were competent in most areas of the class. It was also important to consider the

students variety of experiences some had studied abroad in Australia, Canada, or the U.S.

Some had traveled to Japan or China. I could certainly see a range of English proficiency based

on their experiences with immersion, or in many cases, very little immersion. Additionally, it

was important to weigh in the differences between first and second graders, differentiating

between their levels of English and comprehension. With the second graders, explanations did

not have to always be as involved. However, for first graders, repetition was even more

important and questions directed at the class were vital for assessment.

Our lesson determined that by the end of it, students will know the names and cultural

practices/backgrounds of five major American holidays and will be able to relate their own

cultural traditions to those of American holidays. These objectives led us to focus on proper

context of vocabulary and the present tense of English speaking and writing through listening

and reading skills, as well. Our forms: holiday terms, traditional norms, and present tense were

accomplished through the relation of holidays through dictation, restatement of terms through

memorization, and connection of Korean traditions to American ones. Formative assessment is

then implemented through these functions, and the overall evaluation of the students output is

accomplished through a final review and written answers to questions regarding holiday

terminology.
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