DIDACTICS II

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Newsletter 6                                                                       22nd September 2001

 

 

Universidad Tecnológica Nacional

Instituto Nacional Superior del Profesorado Técnico

Cátedra de Didáctica Especial del Primer y Segundo Ciclo de la EGB –Segundo Año

Profesores : Omar Villarreal & Andrea Coviella,

                    Marina Kirac, Marisa Caccia and Claudia Alvarez

 

Instituto Superior de Formación Docente Nro 41 - Adrogué

Profesor: Omar Villarreal

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"The most important function of education at any level is to develop the personality of the individual and the significance of his life to himself and to others. This is the basic architecture of a life: the rest is ornamentation and decoration of the structure"

Grayson Kirk

 

 

Dear All,

 

Happy Spring!

Welcome to the rush of the last part of the year.

Here we are again to accompany you on this very last stage of our journey. As usual we will be eagerly waiting for your queries, your questions and  your contributions.

Have you thought of socializing your answers to the questionnaires? You know that is an invaluable aid when it comes to final revision for the parciales.

 

 

As Richard Marx would say we´ll ” be right here waiting for you”

A big hug to you all

 

Omar Villarreal

 

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Questions for Reflection prepared by Prof. Andrea Coviella  

 

Willis, Jane & Dave Willis (eds) . 1996. Challenge and Change in Language

Teaching. Oxford : Macmillan Heinemann.

 

Paper 8  :

 

ARC Model; a Descriptive Model for Classroom Work on Language

by Jim Scrivener.

1        What does PPP stand for?
2         Explain the PPP paradigm.
3       Why does Scrivener state that PPP is prescriptive?
4       Why is prescription dangerous?
5       What does PPP assume as regards the speaking skill?
6       Why is PPP considered a straitjacket by many authors?
7       What is the most effective way to teach a foreign language?
8       What does ARC stand for?
9         Explain and exemplify each of the components of this model.
10         Explain the eight features of the ARC model.
11       There are six type classes in the paper by Scrivener. Read them and 

          analyse them according to the ARC model.
12      What is , perhaps, the most important strength of ARC?
13      What are the implications of ARC for a training course?

 

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To revise the main concepts in Ken Woodman´s celebrated book, a few questions by Analía Figliola, one of our assistant teachers.

 

 

Goodman, Ken. 1986. What's whole in Whole Language ?  Portsmouth, N.H. : Heinemann Educational Books.

 

 

1-     Mention some characteristics that can foster and hinder learning. Explain them.

2-    What is a bottom up view of learning? Do whole language teachers subscribe to this view? Why? Why not?

3-    What’s the meaning of  “power”?

4-    In what way/s does power promote learning?

5-    Is language a social or individual construction?

6-    What clues do we have that show that language is constantly changing to meet the personal and social needs of users?

7-    When does Smith think learning is really complete?

8-    What would happen if the creative force of children went unchecked?

9-    What similarity is there between the learning of hearing-impaired people and the learning of a second language by many people?

10-Mention and analyze different functions of written language.

11-  Explain what the language theory Whole Language is based on consists of.

12-What should a whole language curriculum contain?

13-Mention and explain different roles of the whole language teacher.

14-Which books are the best for `beginning literacy`?

15-What is metacognition and how can it be fostered?

16-What does a curriculum guide consist of?

17-There are certain steps teachers have to take to become whole language teachers. Which are those?

 

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Have you read Freeman and Freeman already? Here are some questions to guide your reading or revision. They were prepared by Lic. Marina Kirac, Prof. Claudia Alvarez and Prof. Marisa Caccia :

 

Freeman, Yvonne S. & Freeman, David E. 1992. Whole Language for Second Language Learners. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann

 

 

Chapter 1

Learning goes from Whole to Part

  1. Why is the child said to acquire his first language from whole to part?
  2. What is the traditional American system of education compared to?
  3. Why do you think Goodman concludes that this system is logical, but not psychological?
  4. Why is the phonics instruction an example of part-to-whole learning?
  5. What does the look-say-alternative lack in order to make the reading process efficient?
  6. What is the overt target of teaching reading whole to part?
  7. How is the focus on parts treated within this approach?
  8. What does Cummins´model show?
  9. What are the two kinds  of profiency he distinguishes?
  10. How can the 2nd. Language teacher take  the context embedded variable into account?
  11. How can a context reduced language be less cognitively demanding ? Relate it with the social and psychological aspects.
  12. Why is part-to –whole learning not easy?
  13. What are the implications of a whole-to-part approach in the teaching of a 2nd.language?

 

Chapter 2

Lessons  should be learner centered

 

  1. When does the empiricist method of 2nd. Language teaching date from?
  2. What were the needs it covered?
  3. What gave rise to the rationalist approach?
  4. Hoew did it differ from the previous one?
  5. What are the similarities and differences between whole language and CLL?
  6. What kind of questions make students get involved in both subject and curriculum?
  7. Mention their characteristics.
  8. What does informal publishing consist in?
  9. What is the difference between informal and formal publishing?

 

 

Chapter 3

Lessons should have meaning and purpose for Learners now

 

1.       What does a 5-year-old know already about his own language?

2.     Compare the learning of a school language in a 5-year-old?

3.     Why is a class based on grammar counterproductive for learning?

4.     What kind of output is expected?

5.     What is the oucome of a notional-functional approach?

6.     What do vocabulary approaches lack?

7.     Explain why 2nd. Language learning purposes cannot be met in short time and what is proposed to be done instead so that learners in due time can serve their real purpose?

8.     What is the starting point of Don Howard´s plan?

9.     What are the different steps in it?

10.  Take a theme and plan a set of activities related to it.

 

Chapter 4

Learning takes place in social interaction

 

1         In what way can the use of computers in the classroom reproduce a

behavourist model?

2       What school of Psychology do Whole Language teachers support?

3       Discuss the influence of Piaget´s and Vygotsky´s work on the role of social interaction and the construction of meaning.

4       How does Krashen´s views relate to Piaget´s in terms of social construction of language?

5       Summarize the different views that Freeman and Freeman present of Theory and Research about the Importance of Social Context.

6       How does Brumfit define the role of instruction in foreign language classrooms?

7       What kind of activities does Willis (1983) say are typical of foreign language classrooms?

8       Describe Widdowson´s model (1978) of “use” and “usage”.

9       Define Paulo Freire´s “problem posing” method and say how it relates to the Whole Language principles listed by Ken Goodman.

10    What Whole Language activities that promote Social Interaction do Freeman and Freeman mention? Which of these do you think we could use in our Argentine context? Can you think of any other/s?

11     Mention the Kagan´s ( 1986) findings  about individualistic classrooms and classrooms where cooperative learning takes  place? How do these relate to the implementation of Whole Language?

12    Review the model Problem Posing unit that Freeman and Freeman present in their book (pp 124 through 130). Evaluate it critically. Do you think it could be used in FLES programs in our EGB?

 

                 

Chapter 5

Lessons should include all four modes

 

1-What are the advantages of a lesson consistent  with the whole language principles?

2-Define transmediation. Provide an example.

3-Discuss “language is speech, not writing” (Diller 1978)

4-Discuss  Total Physical Response by Asher  and The Natural Approach, by Krashen and Terrel. Include adaptations.

5-According to Krashen, Why is” reading exposure “ important?

6-Why is it important to use the four modes?

7-Discuss the distinction among learning styles.

8-Suggestopedia. Define and discuss.Compare to whole language  principles.

9-Provide an example of a lesson using all four modes.

 

Chapter 6

Learning should take place in the first language.

 

 

1-Discuss “Learning should take place in the first language”

2-What do Language and Bilingual Education have in common?

3-Discuss  Bilingual Education and its historical background.

4-“Using a second language learner’s first language in school is important”, Why?

5-Discuss  Cummins’  and  Krashen’s views on  instruction.

6-“Development of a positive self-image is another benefit of bilingual education”. Discuss.

7-Point out the differences between the Canadian and U.S. versions of immersion education.

8-Discuss the bilingual programs used and conclusions.

9-According to Cummins, what’s an interactive-experiential approach to pedagogy?

10-Mention the importance of reading and writing in the first language.

11-Discuss the reading materials for Spanish –speaking students.

12-How can monolingual teachers help bilingual students?

13-What does cross-age reading mean?

14-why are pen pal letters important?

 

 

Chapter 7

Faith in the learner expands student potential

 

 

1-How can teachers help students develop their potential?

2-What does LEP stand for? What’s the disadvantage?

3-Discuss  the misconceptions about bilingualism.

4-What does Olsen’s and Mullen’s report emphasise?

5-What are the advantages and disadvantages of BSM?

6-Discuss  LAS and ITP.

7-What is portfolio assessment and Why is it important?

8-What does CALLA stand for?  Define it.

9-What’s the organization of a CALLA lesson?

10-Discuss Sheltered English – Comprehensible Content.

11-State your opinion on the whole language principles.

 

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Do you remember the definition of Notion and Function we studied in Ficha de Cátedra 1 (Van Ek : 1976)?

 

We thought a good way to revise this topic that will be with you for the rest of your professional career was to see what a few ELT practitioners had to say on the topic.

 

The following is part of a  discussion about the topic Notions and Functions that  was published in the List : TESL-L@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU

 

 

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I looked up the definitions of notion & function in the first edition of
H. Douglas Brown's book, _Teaching by Principles_.  To quote from a
longer explanation on page 67:

"Notions," according to Van Ek and Alexander (1975), are both general
and specific.  General notions are abstract concepts such as existence,
space, time, quantity, and quality..."Specific notions" correspond more
closely to what we have become accustomed to calling "contexts" or
"situations."  Personal identity, for example, is a specific notion under
which name, address, phone number, and other personal information
is subsumed...The "functional" part...corresponds to language
functions...[such as] identifying, reporting, denying, accepting,
declining, asking permission, apologizing, etc.

Karen Stanley
Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
<kstanley@charlotte.infi.net> <karen_stanley@cpcc.cc.nc.us>

 

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In his 1976 book, "The Threshold Level for Modern Language Learning in
Schools," J.A. van Ek lists 6 categories of functions (imparting and seeking
factual information, expressing and finding out intellectual attitudes,
expressing and finding out emotional attitudes, expressing and finding out
moral attitudes, suasion, and socializing), each with numerous subcategories
(e.g., under "suasion" are "suggesting a course of action" and "requesting
others to do something").  In the same book, van Ek lists 8 categories of
notions (existential, spatial, temporal, quantitative, qualitative, mental,
relational, and "deixis" or grammatical terms that do not fit neatly into
the other notional categories).  There are likewise numerous subcategories
(e.g., relational > actions, events, contrasts, possessive, logical).  The
book also contains lexical and structural inventories as well as some
background on the functional-notional approach to language teaching.  It's a
handy little book with lots of "useful, everyday" language.

 Dr. Dennis Bricault, Director of ESL Programs & Coordinator of First-Year
Spanish
3225 West Foster Avenue                 Tel. +1-773-244-4942
North Park University                   Fax: +1-773-244-4958
Chicago IL  60625  USA                  e-mail: dbricault@northpark.edu
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To clarify the difference between functions and notions, the definitions
of the words themselves give the clearest answer.  Common functions are
most simply defined for our purposes as 'language to accomplish a
specific purpose', while notions are quite simply 'ideas'.

For quite complete lists of both, I would refer readers to the
Australian Language Levels Document.  Some examples given there are:

Functions:  socializing (greetings, leave-takings, introductions etc),
exchanging information (identifying, describing, comparing, reporting,
agreeing, enquiring about, expressing doubt etc), expressing attitudes,
getting things done (offering, requesting, making arrangements etc),
organizing and maintaining communication (attracting attention, seeking
confirmation, asking for clarification, etc)

Notions:  People, places, things, events, qualities, ideas
(propositions, existence/non-existence, presence/absence, availability
etc), time, space, quantity, characteristics, evaluation (price, truth,
importance, ease, difficulty etc)

We find these lists helpful because sometimes they point out an area of
language that needs attention.  We do not teach 'notions' as such, or
'functions' as such.

Hope this helps,

Martha J. Beach
Language Connections and LINC Program Coordinator,
Calgary Catholic Immigration Society
Calgary, Alberta
email:  beachm@cadvision.com  or ccislc@cadvision.com

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Dates for Parciales and Make-ups

 

In all cases 50 Multiple Choice Questions.

INSPT - UTN

 

Second Parcial ( Both for the Morning and Afternoon Shift)

Friday 16th November 9:00 hours

Publication of results and signing of “Libretas Universitarias”:

Friday 16th November 12:00 hours

Make-up Second Parcial  ( Both for the Morning and Afternoon Shift)

Wednesday 21st November 13:30 hours

Make –up of either or both 1st and 2nd Parcial ( Both for the Morning and Afternoon Shift)

Friday 23rd  November 9:00 hours

Publication of results and signing of “Libretas Universitarias”:

Friday 23rd  November 12:00 hours.

 

ISFD Nro 41

 

Second Parcial

Wednesday 14th November 19:00 hours

Make-ups

During “Período de Compensación” according to the regulations of Provincia de Buenos Aires