MTB-MLE Training of Trainers

L2 and L3 Acquisition: Principles and Strategies What every MLE teacher needs to know
Paraluman R. Giron, Ed.D.

The Big Pictures, The Big Rocks

What are the big rocks in

your life?
-family- loved ones,

education, dreams, teaching,

worthy cause, doing things that

you love, health.

Reflection:
What are the big rocks of language development?

Group Discussion

Abstraction & Implications

Language Development

How do children acquire their first language (L1)? L2? L3?

Same or Different? Language acquisition and Language learning

How is L1 developed? How do babies learn to talk?

How do parents and family member help babies talk?

The Language Acquisition

Language Acquisition
At Home Natural In school Contrived receptive way
___

way
____ ____ ____

expressive ___

___

Moving from
Receptive: Semantic processing (listening to understand)
Expressive: Syntactic processing (formation of words & sentences to communicate)

Stages of Language Development

1. The

silent or preproduction

period

 Communicates with gestures, actions and formulaic speech Often still in silent period Building receptive

vocabulary

2. Early Production Characteristics Can say. I don't understand

Can label and categorize

information

3. Speech Emergence Characteristics

Use language purposely Can produce complete sentence

4. Intermediate Fluency

Characteristics
Can produce connected

narrative
Can use reading and writing within the context of a lesson

 Can write answers to

higher level questions

Can resolve conflicts

verbally

Stage
Preproduction

Characteristics
The child has minimal comprehension does not verbalize nods yes and no draws and paints

Approximate Time Frame

0 6 mos.

Teacher Prompt
show me. circle the where is? who has? what is ..?

Stage
Early Production

Characteristics Approximate Time Frame

The child has minimal comprehension Produces one-ortwo word response Participates using key words and familiar phrase Uses present-tense verbs 6 months to 1 year

Teacher Prompt
Yes/No Either/Or One-or-two word answer Lists Labels

Stage

Characteristics

Approximate Time Frame

Teacher Prompt
How? Explain Phrase or shortsentence answer

Speech The child Emergence has good comprehension can produce simple sentences makes grammar and pronunciation error frequently misunderstands jokes

1 3 years Why?

Stage

Characteristics

Approximate Time Frame

3 5 years

Teacher Prompt
What will happen if? Why do you think.?

Intermediate The child Fluency has excellent comprehension Makes few grammatical errors

Stage
Advanced Fluency

Characteristics Approximate Time Frame

The child has a nearnative level of speech

Teacher Prompt
Retell . Make . Hypothesis on ..........

5 7 years Decide if.

Shifts in Classroom Structures for English

Learners

We are moving from: Focus on product Teachercontrolled classrooms Pre-planned, rigid curricula Measuring only performance

and shifting to: Focus on process Studentinvolved classrooms Flexible, openended curriculum Gauging competence and potential

Praising correct answers Building on

approximation

Why do we learn language?

What are the purposes of

language?

Hallidays Language Functions

Function
Instrumental Regulatory Representation

Example
I want Do as I say Me and you

Purpose
To communicate desires & wishes To control behavior of others To manage the social environment

Function
Personal Heuristics Imaginative

Example
Here I come Tell me why Lets pretend

Purpose
To express self, feelings To ask about the words To create new words

Literacy functions that children demonstrate

Function
Exploratory Instructional Personal

Example
How does it work Between you and me For me

Purpose
To experiment with print To share information To claim ownership

Authenticating
Transactional

To legitimate

To act grown up

Between me and To make meaning Text

Learning Trajectories
Alphabet Letter Knowledge

links letters with sounds links letters with words

Ages 35

name more letters name familiar letters say letter name Phonological awareness syllables alliteration rhyming

Print Knowledge explore books uses both language points to words; labels pictures helps tell stories, pretends to read recognize some familiar words

Growth root wordsconsist of one meaning unit tall, fish, eat 1200 words 600 words

Estimated Root Word Vocabulary 2400 words 1800 words

3000 words

Ages 15

Oral Language Comprehension

beginning sounds shows interest takes a turn

words in sentences Ages 35

takes turns Retells, uses new words keeps to Contributes topic Ages 35 , ask questions

uses complex grammar specialized vocabulary

What is language proficiency?

The ability to hold a conversation in familiar faceto-face situations. This is also called BICS Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills Mostly developed in the Mother Tongue by age 5. Can be developed in school in a second language in two years or so. The discrete forms of language phonological awareness, phonics, spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. can be learned in school through direct instruction or through a literacy-rich environment, or both, but takes longer.

What is CALP Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency?

This involves less frequent vocabulary, academic terms, and ability to produce increasingly complex written language. English language learners require 5 or more years to attain grade level expectations in academic language. Lots of reading strengthens academic language acquisition since much of these terms are found in books.

How do we begin to develop second language oral proficiency?

Developmental Interdependence Hypothesis
The level of development of the second language competence is partly dependent on the level of competence already achieved in the first language. The more developed the first language, the easier it will be to develop the second language. Thus, the MT subject is crucial to developing the L2. Learning to use language, to articulate ones thoughts, ask and answer questions, debate, explore etc. in the L1 first will make it easier to develop those skills in the L2 later.

Cognitively Undemanding Easy thinking

Context Embedded/ Familiar ideas

Greeting someone Talking about the weather today Making their own books based on their own spoken or written stories
Giving instructions about making a painting Use simple measuring skills Role play Dramatic stories Solution seeking Explaining & justifying

Reciting nursery rhymes Listening to a story or poem on cassette Describing something seen or heard on TV Listening to the news Reading a book and discussing the contents Relate new information in a book to existing knowledge Discuss ways that language is written, styles and conventions Reflecting on feelings

Context Reduced/ Unfamiliar or new ideas

Cognitively Demanding/ Difficult thinking

Why focus on Oral L2 before L2 Literacy?

Researchers say
oral proficiency in the target language (L2) [is] of critical importance for the development of second language reading comprehension among 3rd and 4th grade students (Droop and Verhoeven,
2003)

Principles for planning for oral L2

Very early stages: Emphasize listening and responding with action (activity listening). Make the activities fun and nonthreateningbuild confidence! During oral L2 phase, focus on vocabulary and grammarbut do not stress the teaching of grammar rules through lots of drills.

From the researchers

children must hear the second language spoken in a rich oral language environment. And they must have opportunities for talk, and talk, and more talk in that second language (Marie Clay, 1995).

For later oral L2

1) Encourage talking (everyday language first in the L1 during MT subject, then in the L2) 2) Begin using the language for activities that require higher order thinking application, analysis, evaluation, synthesis 3) Begin using the language for regular subjects (but provide plenty of help from the L1 to ensure comprehension)

General principles
Learning a new language should be meaningful relate to everyday activities use familiar everyday language be non-threatening, enjoyable, F u N !

Total Physical Response (TPR) CABLAwhat & why?

TPR allows learners to acquire L2 vocabulary in a manner similar to the way that they learned their first language. All language is immediately understandable, involves actions and allows learners to pass through a silent period whereby they build a comprehension base before being asked to speak (like we did learning our L1).

To plan for early CABLA

1) List the most productive/important vocabulary items (naming words, describing words, action words-roots and affixes) that the students will need to learn 2) Develop a plan for introducing these in a gradual process that includes plenty of review. 3) Put the plan into a clear, readable format that is easy for teachers to use.

4 basic kinds of CABLA CABLA Body CABLA Object CABLA Picture CABLA Story

CABLA (using the Body)

Learners listen, observe and then follow the teachers commands that involve general body movement (Examples: stand up, sit down, turn around, turn right, turn left, lift up your arm, touch your nose, etc.) At first, the learners do not speak; later they give commands to each other.

CABLA (using objects)

Learners listen, observe and then follow commands relating to objects (example: pick up the mango; put down the mango; give me the banana; take the orange to Lee, show me the leaf, etc.) Again, no oral response is expected at first. Later, the learners give the commands to each other.

CABLA (using pictures)

Learners look at a picture of a familiar scene while the teacher describes some of the activities taking place in the picture. Teacher asks the learners questions. Example: Here is a girl getting water from the well. Here is a woman carrying firewood. Show me the girl getting water from the well. Learners are not expected to respond orally at first.

 CABLA-Story picture

OR Teacher tells learners to draw objects on chalkboard, in their books, slates, etc. (Draw a tree; draw a chicken under the tree; draw a girl standing by the chicken, etc.) Learners follow the directions. Later, learners give these same kinds of directions to the teacher, to each other,

CABLA. Drawing a picture as instructed by the teacher

CABLA (using stories)

Teacher introduces new vocabulary that will be used in the story and learners become familiar with it. T. tells the story while doing actions. Teacher tells the story a second time and volunteers act out the story (without words) as the teacher talks. Later, the learners tell the story to each other and act it out.

CABLA Re-telling a story

CABLAActing out a story

More CABLAActing out another story

Other activities for more advanced oral 2LA

Asking open-ended questions that require learners to describe, explain, critique...) Assignments that build awareness of and confidence in different types of oral language use (examples: describing things, explaining things, arguing a point, critiquing, etc.)

IMPORTANT REMINDER
If the program is for children.. Make sure their 2LA activities are FUN! ! ! !

Introducing Reading L2
Begin with a transition primer, reviewing five letters a day from the L1 until that orthography is all reviewed, then adding letters in the L2 that do not occur in the L1 in individual lessons. Use the primer format of the Two Track Method. And encourage creative writing as in the story track component.
development of second language children. in F. Genesee (Ed.), Educating Second Language Children, 126-158. Cambridge: CUP, and from others.

Adapted from Dennis Malone, adapted from Hudelson, Sarah. (1994) Literacy

General strategies
Create a print-rich environment Charts with terms relating to subject content Charts for attendance, classroom chores Words of favorite chants or songs Labels on objects around the classroom (door, window, desk, etc.) Student-generated stories - Word walls in each language. During lessons write key words on the word wall for L1, L2 or L3. Every day refer to some of those words by asking students to find a word, define it, find the equivalent in the L2 etc. Encourage collaborative learning Include lots of reading in all the learners languages.

Reading
Read to the students daily; ask questions to make sure they understand the text. Write short, repetitious, familiar songs on chart paper; point to the words while singing the song with the children. Provide a variety of short, simple stories for the children to read. Begin with words the children have already learned orally Use a transfer primer to teach the L2 letters

Writing
Encourage students to draw a picture and label it; later encourage them to write a short story about the picture. Encourage students to tell a short story and then write it. Dictate short L2 sentences as students practice writing, focusing on correct grammar, spelling, punctuation. Ask them to retell the meaning in their L1.