English 772: Methods and Approaches in ESL 5-12

January 2001

COURSE SYLLABUS
Internet version
Revised 1-23-01

Instructor: Dr. John M. Green
Office: Sullivan 207C
Office Hours: By appointment. I am not keeping regularly scheduled office hours this semester, but I will be easy to reach by phone or e-mail.
Office Phone: (978) 542-6252
E-mail: <jgreen@salemstate.edu> or <john.green@salemstate.edu>

 

Texts for the course

Heath, Inez Avalos, and Cheryl J. Serrano, eds. 1999. Annual Editions: Teaching English as a Second Language 99/00. Second Edition Guilford, CT: Dushkin/McGraw-Hill.   Larsen-Freeman, Diane. 2000. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.  Second Edition.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.   Richard-Amato, Patricia A. 1996. Making It Happen: Interaction in the Second Language Classroom: From Theory to Practice. Second edition. White Plains, NY: Longman.   ESL Standards for Pre-K—12 Students. 1997. Alexandria, VA: TESOL.   Additional readings (handouts) as assigned by the professor.  

Course description

English 772 is the second of a two-course sequence dealing with the theory and practice of teaching English as a Second Language. The primary emphasis of the first class (English 770) is on theory, while the primary emphasis of English 772 is on practice. Because it doesn't really make sense to discuss theory and practice separately, we will frequently be noting the theoretical assumptions underlying practical techniques in English 772, just as we noted the practical applications of theoretical ideas in English 770. It is hoped that both courses will be useful as well as informative to practicing teachers.  

Course requirements

Informal e-mailed response journal.

For each class meeting where the syllabus indicates a reading assignment or assignments, students must prepare an informal response journal. If there is more than one reading assignment, you only need to do one journal entry.

Your weekly response journal should be sent to me by e-mail by 2 p.m. on the Monday that it is due. You should also bring a printout of your journal with you to class. As a printout, the journal should be at least one page long if single spaced, or two pages long if double spaced.

A response journal is not the same thing as a synopsis or a précis. A response journal is an informal, personal reaction to the reading assignment as a whole, or to some aspect of it that you found particularly striking in some way. It can be something that seemed significant or thought-provoking, or something that struck you as absolutely right or dead wrong, or something you were not sure of but want to think about some more -- or something you found totally bewildering. It need not be written in an "academic" style. The same tone you would use writing a personal letter is fine. Please be honest. This is my way of finding out what people think of the readings before we discuss them in class. This is also a technique you may want to adopt in your own classes. At the beginning of each class, you will share your responses to the reading(s) in small groups. Journals written after a reading assignment has been discussed will not be accepted.

 

Language learning narrative.

You will write a language learning narrative, in which you reflect on your own experiences as a learner of other languages. Detailed guidelines for this assignment will be distributed early in the semester. If you wrote a language learning narrative last semester in English 770, you should use that as a starting point and revise it by adding material in which you relate your own experiences to what we will learn this semester about language learning and teaching methods. I have set aside a class period at the end of the semester for us to share our language learning histories.  

Course project.

The course project will be a major requirement for the course. For students seeking certification as part of the English Department's MAT in ESL program, this project will satisfy the Commonwealth's requirement for a pre-practicum field experience. Students who are not seeking certification will complete a project which will be equivalent in scope to the formal pre-practicum.

Your course project will involve experiences such as the following:

 More detailed guidelines for the course project will be distributed early in the semester. Results of projects (i.e., what you learned) will be shared with other class members. I have scheduled the final two meetings of the course for this purpose, but a project may be presented earlier, if you wish to do so and if there is no problem with the time and sequencing constraints of the course.   Evaluation Grades in the course will be based on fulfillment of the above requirements, and also on attendance and class participation.   Schedule of reading assignments and topics to be discussed L-F = Larsen-Freeman, Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.

R-A = Richard-Amato, Making It Happen.

AE xx = Annual Editions volume (xx = article number)
JAN 22 Introduction / orientation to course.
JAN 29
  • L-F, Chapter 1, "Introduction" (1-9);  Chapter 2, "The Grammar-Translation Method" (11-22); Chapter 3, "The Direct Method" (23-33); Chapter 4, "The Audio-Lingual Method" (35-51).
    •
    FEB 5
  • L-F, Chapter 5, "The Silent Way" (53-72); Chapter 6, "Desuggestopedia" (73-87);  Chapter 7, "Community Language Learning" (89-106).
  • Additional reading: Green, "An Understanding of Counseling-Learning" (handout).
    •
    FEB 12
  • L-F, Chapter 8, "Total Physical Response" (107-119).
  • R-A, Chapter 7, "The Total Physical Response and the Audio-Motor Unit" (115-126); Chapter 8, "The Natural Approach: How It is Evolving" (127-155).
    •
    (FEB 19) HOLIDAY (Presidents' Day)
    (FEB 26) No class -- your professor will be attending the international TESOL convention in St. Louis, Missouri.  More information on this conference is available on TESOL's home page.
    MAR 5
  • L-F, Chapter 9, "Communicative Language Teaching" (121-136).
  • R-A, Chapter 9, "Jazz Chants, Music, and Poetry" (156-171); Chapter 10, "Storytelling, Role Play, and Drama" (172-191); Chapter 11, "Games" (192-201); Chapter 13, "Affective Activities" (235-256).

    •  

     

    Tentative plan for course project / pre-practicum due.
    (MAR 12) No class (spring recess).
    MAR 19
  • R-A, Chapter 12, "Ways to Promote Literacy Development" (202-234).
  • AE 10: Bromley, "Buddy Journals for ESL and Native-English-Speaking Students" (71-75).
  • AE 11: Ogulnick and others, "Entering the Fictive World: Enhancing the Reading Experience" (76-80).
  • AE 24: Villarreal, "Parents as First Teachers: Creating an Enriched Home Learning Environment" (148-152).
  • AE 26: Carger, "Attending to New Voices" (163-167).
  • R-A, Chapter 15, "Tools of the Trade" (283-296).
  • AE 31: Green, "Cruising the Web with English Language Learners" (188-192).
  • AE 32: Sayers, "Confronting an Embarrassment of Riches: Internet Search Tools" (193-195).
  • OPTIONAL READINGS (elementary emphasis):
    • AE 9: Ernst and Richard, "Reading and Writing Pathways to Conversation in the ESL Classroom" (64-70).
    • AE 13: Monroe, "Multicultural Children's Literature: Canon of the Future" (84-89).
    MAR 26
  • R-A, Chapter 14, "Classroom Management" (257-282).
  • AE 30: Krashen, "A Gradual Exit, Variable Threshold Model for Limited English Proficient Children" (181-185). 
  • L-F, Chapter 10, "Content-Based, Task-based, and Participatory Approaches" (137-158) 
  • R-A, Chapter 16, "Teaching through the Content Areas" (297-309).
  • OPTIONAL READING (elementary emphasis): 
  • AE 4: Lemberger, "Factors Affecting Language Development from the Perspectives of Four Bilingual Teachers" (30-37).
    •
    APR 2
  • L-F, Chapter 11, "Learning Strategy Training, Cooperative Learning, and Multiple Intelligences" (159-175); Chapter 12, "Conclusion" (177-189).
  • AE 16: Stergis and Perrin, "Learning Strategy Instruction in the Bilingual/ESL Classroom" (CALLA) (99-102) ).
  • AE 17: Christison, "Teaching and Learning Languages through Multiple Intelligences" (103-107).
  • TESOL's ESL Standards for Pre-K?12 Students document, pp. 1-27.  (After reading these pages, please take a few minutes to look at the rest of the book and see how it is organized.  Reading assignments in this book for next time will vary and will be made in class tonight.)
    •
    APR 9
  • TESOL's ESL Standards for Pre-K—12 Students document. Page numbers assigned will vary; some students in class will read standards for grades 4-8 (pp. 69-106) and some will read standards for grades 9-12 (pp. 107-151).
  • AE 14: Vigil, "Effective Math and Science Instruction--The Project Approach for LEP Students" (92-93).
  • AE 18: Heath, "The Social Studies Video Project: A Holistic Approach for Teaching Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students" (108-113).
  • AE 22: Short, "Assessing Integrated Language and Content Instruction" (129-141).
    •
    (APR 16) HOLIDAY (Patriots' Day).
    APR 23 Presentation of language learning histories
    APR 30 Presentation of course projects.
    MAY 7 Presentation of course projects.

    Equal access policy (students with disabilities): "Salem State College is committed to providing equal access to the educational experience for all students in compliance with Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act and The Americans with Disabilities Act and to providing all reasonable academic accommodations aids and adjustments. Any student who has a documented disability requiring an accommodation, aid or adjustment should speak with the instructor immediately. Students with Disabilities who have not previously done so should provide documentation to and schedule an appointment with the Office for Students with Disabilities and obtain appropriate services." (Salem State College catalog)

    Copyright 2001 John M. Green

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