Now you have made your first experiences with mini lessons, and most of you have done it very well. There were lots of possibilities to explain this grammatical structure to students. Room to be creative!! Kudos to the people with cool attention getters.
This was our initial practice, so don't worry if it wasn't perfect yet. I will email out the best solutions from both my grammar courses, so you have an example of what it should have been like.
Some have missed the topic - the topic was not the difference between Me and My as in "this is me dress, this is my dress" - we were not teaching pronouns to beginning learners of English. We were teaching how to construct pronouns coupled with -ing forms (gerunds), such as "Do you like him driving? Do you like his driving?"
Our topic was GERUND PHRASE with POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE. The main difference between using either ME or MY is that in one case, the verb with the -ing form acts as an object with an attributive adjective (HIM), and in the other case, it is a GERUND with a possessive adjective (HIS).
Let's go back to our example, "Do you like him driving?" It has a different sense than the other sentence, it means you actually dislike HIM driving, e.g. when he's drunk. It places disdain on the driver rather than on the action, the driving. HIM becomes the object, and DRIVING is the attributive adjective.
The second example means in general; "do you like his driving," i.e., his driving (style) in general, or does it frighten you. You don't like HIS driving because he always drives too fast. It places the disdain on the ACTION, the driving, not on the subject, the driver. DRIVING here is a gerund, serving as the (accusative) object of the sentence. (What do you like? His driving.) HIS is the possessive adjective.
So be careful -- sometimes, it does not work to give the kids a handout with "wrong sentences" and "right sentences" -- here, both were right, they just had different meanings.
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Today, we are constructing another mini lesson; this time for an Asian student who has English as a second language (ESL).
In order to deal with diversity in our students, we need to understand the background of their native languages. We do this by reading research, by observing our students, and by simply asking them.
Task 1: Proofread the sample text below. It is an original text written by an SIU TESOL student last year. (And she was a good student!) Then, take a piece of paper, and repair as many mistakes as you can find. Rewrite the sentences correctly, with regard to good grammar AND style.
The Beijing is a modern city and there are a lot of places to visit. First, there are many new building was build. One of the new buildings, it looks like a bird’s nest. Then, it have a big history. You can visit a lot of old buildings to know the history, just like “the summer Palace”. Finally, many people come from different country, there are kinds of restaurant. You can eat which you want to taste. Beijing is a nice place.
Task 2: In class, we will discuss a list of specific errors that occurred, and we will group these errors into categories.
Here is an example for a category: modifiers
In Chinese, modifiers always precede the noun, whereas in English they can follow the noun, especially for attributive clauses. Therefore, Chinese students often have problems constructing an attributive clause. For example:
· Their owners may want to come to the store knows the pets better.
· These are all good strategies should be used.
· There are some people want to live in the countryside.
· The Plan provides lots of good statistic numbers which very helpful.
· My grandfather is the only person who influenced by his actions.
Another category: pronouns
One salient error is the leaving out of the relative pronouns, because they don’t exist in Chinese. For instance, the first sentence, if written in Chinese, would be like: “Their owners may want to come to knows the pets better the store.”
To find more categories, take the following ERIC document for help. (Look only on pp. 47-62 for specific error types.)
Task 3: Pick one of your categories, or one category mentioned on pp. 47-62, and write a short passage how you as a teacher/tutor/editor would explain to the Asian writer above WHY this can’t be said in English. Use her sentences as samples, and give her some other examples, too. Please write with quotation marks (how you would actually say it to the student). Give plausible examples of right/wrong sentences, and explain to the ESL student how to use the grammatical form you picked correctly. (Don't just explain, "we do it this way in English.")Email this assignment to me. If you can't finish in class, this will be homework for next Monday, August 25th.
Here is an example of how a teacher explained article use to an ESL student:
In a case study, a Costa Rican boy used the “the” too often, for example, “the nature has a lot of secrets.” The teacher replies: “Let me ask you, if you are walking in the woods, where is nature?” – “It’s in the trees. It’s kind of … everywhere,” the student replies. “Right. It’s everywhere. So nature is a very general noun. We talk about nature but we are not talking about a specific place or specific trees…” (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman 1983, 9-10).
Task 4:
Post a short comment to this blog about your own experience with Asian students, if you are observing/student teaching and have made any experiences so far. You can also write about what you observed outside of class with regard to Asian ESL persons. Or, post your personal thoughts about teaching children of diverse cultures. What would you do to make it easier for them? Any accommodations? Or would you treat them like the rest of your students? If you had an Asian student in your class who wrote great essays but placed the articles wrongly each time, would you take points off or give her the good grade her content deserves? If you give her the good grade, would it be fair to your American students who get points off for mechanics??? Let your conscience speak.
HOMEWORK: Read the complete article (the ERIC document above).
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24 comments:
I have observed in one school, and while there were ESL students there, non of them were Asian. However, I did go to school with a boy that transfered from China, who confused word order and the meaning of certain words, but who quickly adapted to English's rules. He was quite young at the time, and this probably made the transition from one language to the other a bit more fluid.
This does not mean that Asians taht are older than he was cannot learn, it means that it may take more time and patience to educate them.
The question "is it fair to the other students" is one that came up in another class I have taken. A principal who had a doctorate in education explained that "fair" means doing whatever is best for each individual student. Therefore, the Asian student may deserve an A, while an American student may deserve a B for the same work. I myself would probably use this same logic. The same amount of effort may be invested in the class by both students, but one's knowledge of the subject may be less developed than another's.
For Asians students who write good essays but place the articles in the wrong place, I would take off some but not for every single time he/she did it. I would give a lesson to the entire class on where to place them. It never hurts to refresh students about a topic, and it would also help the Asian student without making he/she feel like he/she is the alone in making this problem.
While all students should be treated and graded the same many factors need to be considered. If I had a classroom with 21 English speaking students and 4 Chinese speaking students, I would consider the fact that the English speaking students had been learning since they were very young while the others might be beginners. The situation would be the same if it were a student who had a reading disability. I would consider progress in my attempts to grade his or her papers rather than the current product and help he or she the best way possible.
I won't start observing until later in this semester, so I have not come across this problem in a classroom yet. However, I am a resident assistant and just the other day a student left me a note that contained the following sentence: "I will stay with my friend until I can move." The problem was, she crossed out the 'will' in an attempt to correct herself. I found it very interesting that she had started out correctly and been so unsure of herself that she changed it to the wrong way. Obviously, learning English is incredibly difficult.
In order to be fair, I would offer (and strongly suggest) the Asian student time to come in with a rough draft so he and I could go over it and work on any grammar issues. I would also offer this to my entire class. Most students probably wouldn't take the offer, but that would be their choice. I believe this way would be fair and helpful to everyone.
If I had an Asian student in my class that had written a great essay but yet had his or her articles mixed up, I think I would just go by what he or she is trying to say and grade them on their context. I probably would have two grades. One would be for the context and the other with the usage of mechanics. The American students should know their grammar better than the Asian student so it would make sense that they would score a bit higher on the mechanics part. But because the Asian student had written a good essay, but yet just mixed up a few things, I would give them a grade that was sufficient. After that I would give the paper back to the Asian student and help him or her with her mistakes.
I think a lot of the way I would grade would have to do with how far into the school year we have gone. I am not sure that I would grade any one students with a correct incorrect format. This is right and that is wrong type of grading. I would look at a students progress over the course of the year. If it is early in the year I would take the time to explain in detail what kinds of things need changed and why. As time goes on the student, hopefully would become a better writer and start doing things in a more correct form of grammar in the "English" language.
The only experience that I have had with Asian students in my classroom has been in my toddler classroom at the daycare that I used to work at, so I haven't yet had the opportunity to teach ESL students above that age group. I guess I would first try to spend some extra time with the ESL student and work with him/her on grammar usage before subtracting points. However, I wouldn't want to be unfair to my other students, so I would also devote class time to teaching proper grammar usage. I would give all of my students a chance to get their point across before editing their grammar.
My grading of the students work would depend on the situation. If I taught ESL than I would be more lenient, because these students are just learning English and I've been told that English is the hardest language to learn. If I had American and Asian students in an English or grammer class then I would probably grade accordingly. I may not take off a lot of points, but I definately would not let it slip by. If we don't try to correct them they'll never learn. The same goes for American students.
This situation calls for restraint on the part of the teacher, because there has to be an understanding of the students' background. I would explain to the Asian students that there are some grammatical issues, but nothing that cannot be fixed with a little dedication and effort on the part of the student. I would not show too much restraint on grading his/her paper correctly, but I would keep his/her effort in mind when it comes time for grading. Patience is key to the professors lesson!
Last semester I have observed in a classroom, ages three to five. I have not come in counter with any Asian students in my classes although, I have friends who are Asian. I have noticed they use the word "The" frequently in their writing and speech. For a student who is learning how to read, write, and speak English, I would, ore than likely, give the student a B for effort. Some American students may see this as unfair, but I do not. An American has been taught the English language their entire life where as an Asian student is beginning, there for I would have a little bit higher expectations for the American student.
Currently, I am rooming with a girl from Korea. She's awesome. Her English is not that bad, actually. She always has her translator/dictionary with her, or she just asks me what something means or how to say a sentence correctly. I have not really noticed any patterns in her speech as far as leaving out articles or having too many. I will definitely start paying attention now.
As far as grading goes, that would be somewhat difficult. The fairest thing that I could think to do would be to create two different grading rubrics: one for my ESL students and one for everyone else. This way all the students can be graded at their own levels and have an equal opportunity to get the same amount of points.
I have had little experience with students from China, or ESL students in general. If I was teaching an ESL student, I would definitely give them some time to adapt to the new way of doing things compared to the students who already grasp the concepts and take it for granted. If the student did not show signs of improvement and was not making an effort to learn the rules, then I would eventually start to take off points like I would for everyone else.
I haven't had a lot of experience with Asian students, but I have spent a lot of time with Latinos who are trying to learn English. It helps them a lot to know when they are making a mistake. I think as a teacher, I would point out their mistakes, but also, make sure to tell them how to fix it. In order to be an effective teacher, you need to take the extra time to help the students who want the help. If an ESL student is making more effort than a native English speaker, then the ESL student should get the better grade. It's really unfair to grade based solely upon grammar and not look at content when a student is trying to do their best work.
I haven't really worked with Asian ESL students, or really any ESL students for that matter. My closest experience to something like that was when I was in high school. We had a foreign exchange student from Mexico. She was already decent at English, but her hardest problem adapting seemed to be thinking of the words quickly enough while she was talking. Either way, though, by the end of the year, you would have never known that she wasn't from America.
As far as how to grade them...that would all depend on what level they're at. If they have been speaking English for almost or just as long as everyone else, then they would be graded on the same standard. However, if they are beginners and I know that, I would have to grade their papers a little differently. I mean, obviously they're not going to get a perfect score when there are mistakes, but if they have a genuinely good paper that just has too many articles in it, I don't feel like they deserve a failing grade. I think it would be fair to my American students, too, because it would be fair in the reverse situation if an American was getting graded not as harshly about grammar in an all-Spanish school when they weren't fluent. The important thing is just to make sure that I provide as much help as I can to any of my struggling students (especially ESL but any others as well) so that they can catch up.
Last year, I observed at a local high school, and there was one Asian student in the class. She was overwhelmingly intelligent but withdrawn. After reading the ERIC article, it came to my attention that she may have been embarrassed by her English. Being shy and getting exceptional grades caused her to be labeled as a nerd in the eyes of some of the students. This is unfortunate because she is a very nice girl. One interesting point to note about her is that she played the clarinet beautifully and got along well with others in the band. It's interesting how much she excelled when the language barrier was taken out of the equation.
As for the grading question...
I would give the student a grade based largely on content for the first couple of papers. However, I would make myself available for grammar and writing tutoring or to review drafts. Since this would also be available to the other students, there would be no preferential treatment. If the student took advantage of these opportunities and showed effort and improvement, I would continue to make allowances, but they would be smaller and smaller each time since his or her grammar should be improving.
I think that I would probably begin the year by grading leniently. Then, as the year progressed and the ESL students refined their English skills, I could be a little tougher in my grading. If the ESL student does not improve their skills, then time may have to spent outside of class to get their English skills where they need to be. The lenient grading may not be fair to English speaking students, but they would probably want to be treated the same way if they were taking Spanish, French, or any other foreign language.
I believe that if I was grading an ESL students paper and they made many mistakes that has to do with the differences between their native language and Englsih then I would take off points for the first time they made the mistake. Such as if they were making mistakes with plural words I would take off points once, and then try to help them individualy with what they were doing wrong. I think that sometimes it is harder to try and help ESL students, because if you are not and ESL student yourself, its hard to understand their point of view and why they are making mistakes. Before moving to southern Illinois six years ago I lived in southern California, and attended a school that had a high Asian attendance. However, they did not have that much trouble since they had been learning English from such a young age. I think that it helps children to learn those types of rules while still young.
I don’t have any experience with ESL students. However, if I were to grade an ESL student that had difficulty with placing articles I would take that into consideration. Before the assignment I would offer extra help to the ESL student and if they took advantage of the opportunity to come in for help then I would make a separate grading rubric for the ESL student, but, if they feel they don’t need the extra help then that shows they are confident in their abilities and I would use the same grading rubric that I used for everyone else. It’s a little harsh, but, I plan on teaching high school so the ESL student would be old enough to make the right decision.
Doing this assignment made me realize that English must be the most difficult language to learn. There are many different words, spelling, punctuation, rules and then exceptions to those rules. I believe at this point in my life, I have taken the language for granted. You do not realize how difficult it is until you have to pass along your knowledge. It always seems like the answer to these questions should be "because that's just how it is in English." However, looking deeper into it, everything has a reason in the language. I believe that I would offer extra help to ESL students because they would be at a higher disadvantage than students that grew up in our country. However, the student must want to learn as well. I would offer as much help as needed after class or after school, but I think I would have to hold him or her at the same standards as the rest of the class on grades. I know that one way to learn is by seeing the same mistakes made on your papers multiple times. I think that is how I learned best. However, as long as the student shows progress, even though it is not perfect, their grade would improve. If they went from making ten grammatical mistakes to only five on the next paper, I would recognize this and reward them with a much higher grade.
I went to a predominately black high school in St.Louis, MO so I did not get a chance to interact with ESL students and see their struggles with learning the English language. It wasn't until college when I actually understood how hard it is for them to be in an unfamiliar place with people using a language that they weren't accustomed too. After reading the document on Asian ESL students I realized just how different our two languages are. If I were a teacher and had ESL students I would not take off points every time they did not use a "S" on nouns or misplaced an article. I would just take extra time out of my schedule to work with them to help them become stronger writers. Honestly, I don't think American students would get mad if a teacher cut an ESL student some slack on their papers, because we are not in their situation and learning a new language is really hard!! Believe me I had two years of Spanish in high school and two semesters of Spanish in college and I still don't know how to write it for real!
My observations have not really included many Asian students, and when there ones-it was at the high school level and their speech seemed fine. However, I went to high school with a lot of people who ESL students. With many of them, not limited to Asians, their speech was generally correct with a few placement mistakes. I'm not exactly sure how I would handle the situation with an ESL student's work. Most likely I would grade more on progress made than on how many actual mistakes a paper contained. Comparing the progress of an ESL individual is much more fair than comparing them to the rest of an English speaking class.
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