Balance in Language Teaching

Dr Rob WaringJeju SETA

November 25, 2011

The goals of language teaching

Ensure they can read, write, speak and listenBuild pragmatic, cultural as well as linguistic knowledgeDevelop learning strategiesDevelop independenceDevelop a sense of ownership of the languageBuild confidence and a ‘can do’ attitude

What do learners need to know?

Learners need 7000-8000 word families to read native novels easilyAbout 2000 everyday words occur in all types of English.Learners need ‘specialist words’ as well.There are two stages in word learning.

1. The form-meaning relationship (its pronunciation, spelling and meaning)2. The deeper word knowledge– its different meanings– Its derivations (useful, useless, uselessness, etc.)– if it’s typically spoken, or written– if it’s useful or rare, polite or rude– the topic are we usually find it in (e.g. science, music, biology)– its collocations and colligations

What’s a collocation?

Collocations are words which often appear together.We say We don’t (usually)

saybeautiful girl handsome girlblonde hair yellow hairbig surprise large surpriseblack and white white and blackgo to work go to jobcatch fire do fire / go firehigh cost expensive costdemand a response ask a responsemake a mistake do a mistake

What’s a colligation?

Colligations are words which often appear together grammatically

We say We don’t (usually) say

depend on someone depend of someonebe good at something be good on somethingask for something ask on somethinggive something to someone give something someone

What collocations do they need to learn?

Verb uses of one word - Idea… “Abandon an idea.” abandon, absorb, accept, adjust to, advocate, amplify, advance,

back, be against, be committed/dedicated/ drawn to, be obsessed with, be struck by, borrow, cherish, clarify, cling to, come out/up with, confirm, conjure up, consider, contemplate, convey, debate, debunk, defend, demonstrate, develop, deny, dismiss, dispel, disprove, distort, drop, eliminate, encourage, endorse, entertain, explode, explore, expound, express, favor, fit, fit in with, follow up, form, formulate, foster, get, get accustomed/used to, get rid of, give up, go along with, grasp, hammer out, have, hit upon, hold, implement, imply, impose – on sb, incorporate, inculcate, instill, jot down, keep to, launch, meet, modify, negate, oppose, pick up, pioneer, plant, play with, popularize, present, promote, propose, put an end to, put forward, put – into practice, raise, refute, reinforce, reject, relish, resist, respond to, revive, ridicule, rule out, spread, squash, stick to, subscribe to, suggest, support, take to, take up, test, tinker with, toy with, turn down, warm to …

What else do they need to know? IIILexical phrases and chunks of language

How’s things?I’d rather not … If it were up to me, I’d … So, what do you think? We got a quick bite to eat. What’s the matter? What do you mean by that?Well, what do you know? Look what the cat just dragged in

Plus THOUSANDS more

What else do they need to know? IVThe grammar systems (e.g. the present perfect tense)

A government committee has been created to …He hasn’t seen her for a while, has he? No, he hasn’t.Why haven’t you been doing your homework?There’s been a big accident in Market Street.Have you ever seen a ghost?

It’s very hard to see the patterns – there are many forms:Statement, negative, yes/no and wh- question forms, Simple or continuousActive or passiveShort answers and questions tags (Yes, I have. …… hasn’t he?)Regular and irregular - has vs. have walked vs. boughtPresent perfect for ‘announcing news’, PP for ‘experiences’, etc. etc.

The forms of the present perfect tense

I have given.You have given.He/she/it has given.We have given.They have given.Have I given?Have you given?Has he/she/it given?Have we given?Have they given?I haven’t given.You haven’t given.He/she/it haven’t given.We haven’t givenThey haven’t given.What have I given?What have you given?What has he/she/it given?What have we given?What have they given?

I have been given.You have been given.He/she/it has been given.We have been given.They have been given.Have I been given?Have you been given?Has he/she/it been given?Have we been given?Have they been given?I haven’t been given.You haven’t been given.He/she/it hasn’t been given.We haven’t been givenThey haven’t been given.What have I been given?What have you been given?What has he/she/it been given?What have we been given?What have they been given?

I have been giving.You have been giving.He/she/it has been giving.We have been giving.They have been giving.Have I been giving?Have you been giving?Has he/she/it been giving?Have we been giving?Have they been giving?I haven’t been giving.You haven’t been giving.He/she/it hasn’t been giving.We haven’t been givingThey haven’t been giving.Yes, I have. No, I haven’t.Yes, you have.No, you haven’t.Yes, he/she/it has.

No, he/she/it hasn’t.Yes, we have.No, we haven’t.Yes, they have.No, they haven’t……, have I?….., haven’t I?……, have you?……, haven’t you?….., has he/he/it?….., hasn’t he/she/it?….., have we?..…, haven’t we?….., have they?….., haven’t they?

How long will it take to teach them?• An average word needs 30-50 meetings for it to be learnt

receptively from reading (more for productive use)• An average word’s meaning takes 10-15 meetings to learn

from word cards or word lists• To learn the collocations and ‘deeper’ aspects of language

learning takes MUCH longer.• There’s little research into the rate learning of collocation,

colligation or lexical phrases from reading• We know nothing at all about how long it takes to master a

particular grammatical form e.g. a tense

How well are our courses presenting the language students need?

Research suggests an average language course:• does not systematically recycle the grammatical forms outside

the presentation unit / lesson• has an almost random vocabulary selection without much

regard to frequency or usefulness (mostly based on topic)• rarely, if ever, recycles taught words either later in the unit,

the book, or the series• provide little additional practice in review units or workbooks• has an overwhelming focus on new material in each lesson

The number of words a learner will probably learn from course work (225,000 words over 3 years)

Probably known Partially Known Probably unknown

50+ 30-49 20-29 10-19 5-9 1-4 Total

Course book only 523 210 229 472 580 1,261 3,275

Data from Sequences, Foundations, Page Turners and Footprints by Heinle Cengage 225,000 60,800 570,000 174,000 (=1,029,000)

Add one reader a

week1,023 283 250 539 570 1,325 3,990

Add two readers a

week1,372 380 367 694 877 2,882 6,572

How are we going to teach what?Discrete knowledge ‘Fuzzy’ knowledge

Intentional learning e.g word cards

Selection issues – what do we teach?Sequence issues – in what order?

Scaffolding issues – how do we consolidate previous learning?

Presentation issues – what method?

Incidental learning e.g extensive reading

Rough gradingEnsuring recycling

Engaging textMatching input text to intentionally

learnt materials

Individual wordsImportant lexical phrasesFalse friendsLoanwordsImportant collocations and colligationsBasic grammatical patternsImportant phrasal verbs, idioms etc.Word, phrase and sentence level awareness

Register, Genre …Pragmatic knowledgeRestrictions on useMost collocations and collocationsA ‘sense’ of a word’s meaning and useA ‘sense’ of how grammar fits with lexis - the tenses, articles etc.Discourse level awareness

A Typical Reading Text

Short texts

Many difficult words

Many exercises

Definitions given

What’s the optimum vocabulary coverage for building fluency?

SlowReading speed

High

% of known vocabulary100%

LowComprehension

High

90% 98%

ReadingPain

(too hard, poor comprehension,

high effort,de-motivating)

Intensive reading

(Instructional level, can learn new words and grammar)

Speed reading practice

(very fast, fluent, high

comprehension, natural reading,

enjoyable)

Extensive reading

(fast, fluent, adequate

comprehension, enjoyable)

Graded readers

Graded readers are GRADED

Phonics Easy vocabMore difficult vocab

Easy grammarMore difficult grammar

Nativebooks

Why can’t Korean students read, listen, speak and write well?

Their language knowledge is often abstract, separated, discrete and very fragile to forgetting

There’s too much work on “the pieces-of-language” and not enough comprehensible, meaningful discourse

They haven’t met the words and grammar enough times to feel comfortable using it

They CANNOT speak until they feel comfortable using their knowledgeNot enough exposure. To acquire a 7000 word vocabulary requires

them to meet about 10-15,000,000 words. A typical Junior high 3-year course book series has 250,000 words.

They haven’t developed a ‘sense’ of language yet

Questions

Make a list of say 20 activities you (or your students) most often do in your classes. e.g. explain things on the board, use the course book, discussions, pronunciation practice, read aloud, …….

Compare with a partner

The Balanced Curriculum

Receptive Productive

Language Study

• Explicit teaching• Dictionary work• Studying from a

grammar book• Intensive reading• Language awareness

activities• Conscious word learning

• Controlled language production activities.

• Language and pronunciation drills• Gap fill exercises• Memorized dialogs• Sentence completion tasks• Tests

Fluency Practice

• Extensive reading• Extensive listening• Watching movies• Browsing the Internet• Listening to the radio or

music

• ‘Free’ language production activities.• Casual conversations• Debates and discussions• Email, and online chat• Diary writing• Essays

The Balanced Curriculum

Receptive Productive

Language Study

Fluency Practice

Build language knowledge and get control over it

Develop learning strategies

Develop a sense of how the language works

Build autonomy

Build pragmatic and cultural knowledge

Balance in Language Teaching

Receptive Productive

Language Study

Fluency Practice

- provides new knowledge about language features-raises awareness of how the language works- raises awareness of learning strategies

- Learners get a feel for how the language works- consolidates the discretely learned language features- allows learners to meet huge amounts of text

-gives practice in checking whether something is known- allows learners to actively construct language- focuses on accurate control over language features

- gives real time opportunities to experiment with language use- gives feedback on the success of language use- builds fluency of language production

The Balanced Curriculum

Receptive Productive

Language Study

Fluency Practice

Box 1 - Formal Learning

Building knowledge about the language

Awareness raising

Box 2 - “Getting Control”

Linking knowledge

Accuracy focus

Box 3 - Fluency Input Networking knowledge

Comprehending input fluently

Box 4 - Fluency Output Experimenting with language

Developing fluency

How does learning happen?

Noticesomething

We don’t understand

Get feedbackTry it out

Get more input

Understandand add to our knowledge

Correct use

Incorrect use

“Then they saw an ancient temple …”

Notice something

Get more input

(feedback)

Try it out

Add to our knowledge

The Cycle of Learning

The Balanced Curriculum and the Cycle of Learning

Receptive Productive

Language Study

Fluency Practice

Notice things

Add to your knowledge

Get more input

Notice things

Add to your knowledge

Get more input

Try it out (controlled)

Try it out (free production)

What happens if they don’t do these things?

Receptive Productive

Language Study

Fluency Practice

- Fewer chances to notice new things- Hard to add new knowledge

- Can’t check the accuracy of what they learnt

- Not enough input- Few chances to develop automatic processing - Can’t develop fluent eye movements

- Can’t experiment with their knowledge fluently

Beginner (young learners)Aim: basic language building

Receptive Productive

Language Study

Fluency Practice

PhonicsMatching sounds to wordsFlashcardsGamesSome basic word order

Listening to VERY easy storiesRead along with the teacher

Read and repeat

Read aloud

Lower ElementaryAim: Consolidation

Receptive Productive

Language Study

Fluency Practice

AlphabetFlashcardsWord studySome grammarStudy skills

SpellingWriting simple sentencesFun tests to check understandingSimple memorized dialogs

Reading very simple storiesListening to simple stories

Read aloud

Elementary / Lower IntermediateAim: Initial fluency

Receptive Productive

Language Study

Fluency Practice

Word buildingGrammarIntensive readingIntensive listening

Complex spellingsSome testsControlled productionRole-plays

Extensive readingExtensive listeningSpeed reading

Topic controlled conversationFree chattingJournals / diariesEmails

IntermediateAim: Fluency and speedReceptive Productive

Language Study

Fluency Practice

Intensive readingCollocation ColligationLexical chunks

Extensive ReadingExtensive ListeningSimple moviesSimple songsSpeed reading

DebatesEssaysPushed outputSpeechesDiscussions

Control over complex discourse markersCohesion, coherence

AdvancedAim: High level language control

Receptive Productive

Language Study

Controlled production

Fluency Practice

Intensive readingColligationsIdioms etc.High level lexis

Native textsNative moviesSongsRadio, TV shows

DebatesFormal EssaysPushed outputComplex discourse

Making them fluent

Give opportunities for fluency….

F ast and efficient reading and listening practiceL ink their practice to real tasks

U nderstanding is primary E ncourage speed development work N urture confidence and motivation T ry extensive reading and listening

Be careful about using Native-level (L1) materials to build fluency

Native books, magazines etc. are too hard to read fluently for MOST Korean learners

Children’s books for natives are full of difficult words, phrases and concepts

Native children already know 5000 words and almost all the grammar BEFORE they start to read

Korean children know almost no English words and no grammar before they start English. Native texts usually are NOT suitable.

Don’t confuse the final target (to read native texts) with the starting point and the way to get there.

The balance of teacher roles

Receptive Productive

Language Study

knowledge sourceprovider of accurate modelscontrollerelicitor

testerfeedback organizerprompterjudge

Fluency Practice

counsellorguideresourceobserver

assessorparticipantfacilitatormanagergoal setterobserver

True or false?

The balanced curriculum tells us what needs to be done.The balanced curriculum suggests activities be done in the order,

Box 1, 2, 3 and then 4.The balanced curriculum should replace your curriculum.Students can easily understand the balanced curriculum.TBC is an ideational framework for teachers planning curriculums

and lessons.

Thank you for your time

Dr. Rob Waringwaring_robert@yahoo.com

http://www.robwaring.org/presentations/

www.keera.or.kr

Receptive Productive

Language Study

Fluency Practice