Creating an optimal environment for learning English: The role of assistant language teachers

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Creating an optimal environment  for learning English: The role of assistant language teachers Ken Urano, Hokkai-Gakuen University urano@hgu.jp December 11, 2017 @ Hokkaido Citizens Activities Promotion Center (Kaderu 2-7)

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Before we begin... • Please consider this talk as a proposal, rather than a lecture. • Your questions and comments are welcome at any time.

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About me… • Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. • Grew up in Nagano Prefecture.

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• Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education @ Shinshu University, Nagano • Master’s degree in English as a second language @ University of Hawai’i

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• Currently professor   @ Faculty of Business Administration,   Hokkai-Gakuen University • Teaching mainly English for business purposes

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• I’m also a visiting professor   @ Graduate School of Foreign Languages, Nagoya Gakuin University • Supervising master’s students at its correspondence program

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About me... • I’m a teacher of English. • I’m a researcher in second language acquisition.

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About me... • I’m a teacher of English. • I’m a researcher in second language acquisition.

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Researchers’ roles,  teachers’ roles • Researcher • Making guidelines • Teacher • Adapting the guidelines

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What we know from research

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Second Language Acquisition

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Second Language Acquisition • is not the sole source of information for foreign language teaching, • but oﬀers some useful insights.

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• is a ﬁeld of study which attempts to understand the process of learning a language other than the ﬁrst. Second Language Acquisition

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• We know that learning a second language is far more difficult than learning the first. • The goal of second language acquisition (SLA) research is to find the reasons why this is the case. Second Language Acquisition

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SLA Basics

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SLA Basics Learner Input Output Listening & reading Speaking &  writing

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• We cannot use words or grammar rules that we do not know when we speak/write. • We acquire such knowledge from input. • Input precedes output. SLA Basics Learner Input Output

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We know... • Importance of input • No input, no language learning

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Importance of input • Limited input sources • Outside the classroom • Textbook • Teachers’ role as a main source of input

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What about output? • Output is also important, but • Input is crucial. Input (Listening/Reading) Output ʢSpeaking/Writing)

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What about output? • Output is also important, but • Input is crucial. Input (Listening/Reading) Output ʢSpeaking/Writing) X

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But...

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Not all input is good.

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It’s Greek to me! http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/dnevill/2402430135/

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Comprehensible input

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By the way...

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I have two daughters.

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MSR: ͜ΜͲύϑΣ৯΂ʹ͍ͬͯ͘ʂ We’re gonna eat some parfait! AKR: ύϑΣʁ Parfait? MSR: ͜ΜͲΞΠε৯΂ʹ͍ͬͯ͘ʂ We’re gonna eat some ice cream! AKR: ΞΠεʂ Ice cream! Conversation between   a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old

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Even a 6-year-old knows how to adjust her talk

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Speech adjustment • Caretaker speech • a.k.a. motherese, baby talk, etc. • Foreigner talk • Teacher talk

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Question

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Question How do you adjust your speech?

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• Language learning takes place • When learners understand the meaning of the input, and • When they pay some attention to the form, • At the same time. We know...

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Form-meaning mapping

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Gestures & visual aids

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Gestures & visual aids Statue of Liberty

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Gestures & visual aids http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/philofphotos/249220155/

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Gestures & visual aids • They are useful, but • They need to be used with caution • Because students may not pay attention to the form.

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Gestures & visual aids http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/zigazou76/3593523470/ Statue of Napoleon

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Gestures & visual aids http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/irenetong/2570306240/ Statue of King Kamehameha

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Gestures & visual aids Statue of Liberty

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Gestures & visual aids Statues

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To simplify or not to simplify...

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• Everybody knows that Mike is diligent. Suppose your students don’t know this word. To simplify or not to simplify...

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• Everybody knows that Mike is diligent. To simplify or not to simplify... hard-working

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Simpliﬁcation • Replacing diﬃcult items with easy ones.

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Simpliﬁcation • The girl who is wearing blue jeans is my sister.

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Simpliﬁcation • The girl who is wearing blue jeans is my sister. There is a girl over there. She is wearing blue jeans. That’s my sister.

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Simpliﬁcation • Generally improves comprehension, but • Takes away the chance to learn a new item.

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Instead of simplifying...

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Elaborate!

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Elaboration • Giving additional information to improve comprehension without removing the diﬃcult item.

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• Everybody knows that Mike is diligent, I mean, hard-working. Elaboration

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• Everybody knows that Mike is diligent, I mean, hard-working. Elaboration kept in the input

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• Everybody knows that Mike is diligent, I mean, hard-working. Elaboration improves comprehension kept in the input

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Or...

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You can interact!

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• Everybody knows that Mike is diligent. Do you know what diligent means? (No.) It means hard-working. So, everyone knows Mike is hard-working. Interaction

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• Everybody knows that Mike is diligent. Do you know what diligent means? (No.) It means hard-working. So, everyone knows Mike is hard-working. Interaction comprehension check

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We know... • Simpliﬁcation improves comprehension, but it does not help language learning. • Elaboration does both. • Interaction does both, too.

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Quick summary • Input is necessary for SLA • Form-meaning mapping • Roles of simpliﬁcation, elaboration, and interaction to help comprehension Learner Input Output

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• Roles of output in SLA • Noticing • Hypothesis testing • Metalinguistic knowledge Output

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• Positive evidence • Information about what is grammatical in the target language • i.e., input • Negative evidence • Information about what is not grammatical in the target language Positive evidence &  negative evidence

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• Many scholars argue that positive evidence alone is not suﬃcient for SLA. • Roles of negative evidence Positive evidence &  negative evidence

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1a. δϣϯ͸Ώͬ͘ΓίʔώʔΛҿΜͩɻ 1b. John slowly drank coffee. 2a. δϣϯ͸ίʔώʔΛΏͬ͘ΓҿΜͩɻ 2b. *John drank slowly coffee. Positive evidence (1b) is not sufficient to learn that 2b is ungrammatical in English. Positive evidence &  negative evidence

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Corrective feedback  to provide negative evidence Positive evidence &  negative evidence

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Corrective feedback • Students need to pay some attention to form. • Corrective feedback can help learners shift their attention to form. • It can also provide negative evidence.

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Feedback options • +/– Explicit • +/– Correction

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Feedback options Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction +

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Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction + Feedback options

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Clariﬁcation request S: I go to the library yesterday. T: Pardon?

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Feedback options Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction +

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Feedback options Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction +

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Recast S: I go to the library yesterday. T: Oh, you went to the library  yesterday. Did you borrow any   books?

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Feedback options Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction +

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Feedback options Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction +

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Repetition S: I go to the library yesterday. T: “I go to the library yesterday”? S: Oh, I went to the library yesterday.

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Feedback options Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction +

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Feedback options Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction +

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Elicitation S: I go to the library yesterday. T: Yesterday, you ... S: ... went to the library.

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Feedback options Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction +

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Feedback options Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction +

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Metalinguistic clue S: I go to the library yesterday. T: It’s about yesterday, so what tense   do you have to use? S: Past tense. I went to the library   yesterday.

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Feedback options Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction +

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Feedback options Feedback type Explicit–Implicit Correction Clariﬁcation request Implicit Explicit – Recast + Repetition – Elicitation – Metalinguistic clue – Explicit correction +

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Explicit correction S: I go to the library yesterday. T: It’s about yesterday, so you have to use the past tense went. S: OK. I went to the library   yesterday.

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Feedback options • Implicit feedback • does not block the ﬂow of communication, but • learners may not notice the negative evidence. • is considered more eﬀective with advanced learners.

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Feedback options • Explicit feedback • is easier to notice, but • often stops communication.

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Feedback options It is important that individual teachers decide which feedback options to use for which students on which errors.

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• Ways to help comprehension • Positive evidence & negative evidence • Roles & types of corrective feedback Learner Input Output Quick summary (2)

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Researchers’ roles,  teachers’ roles • Researcher • Making guidelines • Teacher • Adapting the guidelines

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Researchers’ roles,  teachers’ roles • Researcher • Making guidelines • Teacher • Adapting the guidelines

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Guidelines Methodological Principles

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Methodological Principles Methodological Principles are universally desirable instructional design features, motivated by theory and research ﬁndings in SLA, educational psychology, general educational curriculum design, and elsewhere, which show them either to be necessary for SLA or facilitative of it. (Long, 2009, p. 376)

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Methodological Principles 1 Use task, not text, as the unit of analysis. 2 Promote learning by doing. 3 Elaborate input. 4 Provide rich (not impoverished) input. 5 Encourage inductive (“chunk”) learning. 6 Focus on form. 7 Provide negative feedback. 8 Respect “learner syllabuses.” 9 Promote cooperative/collaborative learning. 10 Individualize instruction.

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MP1 Use task, not text, as the unit of analysis. • Task-based language teaching (TBLT) • target tasks, pedagogical tasks, task sequencing MP2 Promote learning by doing.

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MP3 Elaborate input. • Do not simplify. • Do not rely solely on “authentic” texts.

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MP4 Provide rich (not impoverished) input. • Exposure to varied input sources

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MP5 Encourage inductive (“chunk”) learning. • Implicit instruction

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MP6 Focus on form. During an otherwise meaning-focused classroom lessons, focus on form often consists of an occasional shift of attention to linguistic code features— by the teacher and/or one or more students—triggered by perceived problems with comprehension or production. (Long & Robinson, 1998, p. 23)

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MP6 Focus on form. Instruction types Unobtrusive ɹ㲗ɹ Obtrusive Πϯϓοτߑਫʢinput ﬂoodʣ λεΫඞਢݴޠʢtask-essential languageʣ Πϯϓοτิڧʢinput enhancementʣ ҙຯަবʢnegotiationʣ ϦΩϟετʢrecastʣ Ξ΢τϓοτิڧʢoutput enhancementʣ ΠϯλϥΫγϣϯิڧʢinteraction enhancementʣ σΟΫτάϩεʢdictoglossʣ ҙࣝߴ༲ʢconsciousness-raisingʣ Πϯϓοτॲཧʢinput processingʣ Ψʔσϯɾύεʢgarden pathʣ ɹ̭ ɹ̭ ɹɹ̭ ɹɹ̭ ɹɹɹɹ̭ ɹɹɹɹ̭ ɹɹɹɹɹɹ̭ ɹɹɹɹɹɹɹɹ̭ ɹɹɹɹɹɹɹɹ̭ ɹɹɹɹɹɹɹɹɹɹ̭ ɹɹɹɹɹɹɹɹɹɹɹɹ̭ FonF procedures (Doughty & Williams, 1998)

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MP7 Provide negative feedback. • Feedback on error (e.g., recasts) • Error “correction”

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MP8 Respect “learner syllabuses.” • Timing of pedagogical intervention to developmental readiness • What is taught ≠ what is learned. • Teachers cannot decide when certain items/rules are learned. • The idea of “feeding.”

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MP9 Promote cooperative/collaborative learning. • Negotiation of meaning • Interactional modiﬁcation

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MP10 Individualize instruction. • Needs analysis • Consideration of individual diﬀerences (e.g., memory and aptitude) and learning strategies

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Summary

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Summary • Importance of comprehensible input • Elaboration and interaction to enhance form-meaning mapping • Corrective feedback to increase awareness • Methodological Principles

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My last question

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• How will you incorporate today’s ideas into your teaching? My last question

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References • Doughty, C. J., & Long, M. H. (2003). Optimal psycholinguistic environments for distance foreign language learning. Language Learning & Technology, 7, 50-80. Retrieved from http://llt.msu.edu/ vol7num3/doughty/ • Doughty, C., & Williams, J. (Eds.) (1998). Focus on form in classroom second language acquisition. Cambridge University Press. • Long, M. H. (1996). The role of the linguistics environment in second language acquisition. In W. C. Ritchie & T. K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 413-468). New York: Academic Press. • Long, M. H. (2007). Problems in SLA. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. • Long, M. H. (2009). Methodological principles for language teaching. In M. H. Long & C. J. Doughty (Eds.), The handbook of language teaching (pp. 373-394). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. • Long, M. H., & Robinson, P. (1998). Focus on form: Theory, research, and practice. In C. Doughty & J. Williams (1998).