P R T E S O L - G R A M Visit www.puertoricotesol.org PRTESOL-GRAM A publication of PRTESOL: An organization concerned with the teaching of English to speakers of other languages. Post-Convention Highlights President’s Message Page 3 Meet the New PRTESOL Board Page 9-11 Short Report on Brain Based Learning Activity in Ponce and the Northern Chapter Conference Page 19 36 Annual Convention Summer Institute Page 22 Professional Articles Structured Supports for English Learners Dr. Deborah Short Page 13 Language Anxiety: What it is and what can be done to lessen its effect. Dr. Sonia Pagan Page 4 Bringing English into the Students Prof. Elizabeth Kohmetscher Page 20 Americanʼt Ámbar Annette Betancourt González Page 8 Qualitative Research: An Ethnographic Interview Study Dr. M. Caratini Soto Page 6 PRTESOL Activities Page 19, 22-23 A Quarterly Newsletter Volume 36, Issue 1 SPRING 2009 PRTESOL President Miguel Camacho and members of the Puerto Rico TESOL board of directors promoted Puerto Rico at the TESOL Convention in Denver, Colorado. Read their report 43 rd Annual TESOL Convention in Denver (p.18). From left to right: Dr. Naomi Vega, PRTESOL Treasurer; Prof. Edna C. Ortiz, former Board Member; Dr. Josue Alejandro, Member at Large; Nancy Lamberty, former Board Member; Carmen D'Cruz, PRTESOL member and Prof. Miguel Camacho, PRTESOL President (seated).
Transcript
P R T E S O L - G R A M
Visit www.puertoricotesol.org
PRTESOL-GRAMA publication of PRTESOL: An organization concerned with the
teaching of English to speakers of other languages.
Short Report on Brain Based Learning Activity in Ponce and the Northern Chapter Conference
Page 1936 Annual ConventionSummer Institute
Page 22
Professional ArticlesStructured Supports for English LearnersDr. Deborah Short
Page 13Language Anxiety: What it is and what can be done to lessen its effect.Dr. Sonia Pagan
Page 4
Bringing English into the StudentsProf. Elizabeth Kohmetscher
Page 20
Americanʼt Ámbar Annette Betancourt González
Page 8
Qualitative Research: An Ethnographic Interview StudyDr. M. Caratini Soto
Page 6
PRTESOL Activities
Page 19, 22-23
A Quarterly Newsletter Volume 36, Issue 1 SPRING 2009
PRTESOL President Miguel Camacho and members of the Puerto Rico TESOL board of directors promoted Puerto Rico at the TESOL Convention in Denver, Colorado. Read their report 43rd Annual TESOL Convention in Denver (p.18).
From left to right: Dr. Naomi Vega, PRTESOL Treasurer;
Prof. Edna C. Ortiz, former Board Member; Dr. Josue Alejandro, Member at Large;
Nancy Lamberty, former Board Member; Carmen D'Cruz, PRTESOL member and
TESOLGRAM is a periodical service to English language educators and administrators published by Puerto Rico TESOL, P. O. Box 366828, San Juan, PR 00936 -6828.
Newsletter Staff Editor: Carmelo Arbona Assistant Editor: Dr. José R. Sellas Aponte
Contributions Articles on English language teaching, theory, and education in general, creative writing, book reviews, poems, and short stories are welcome. Submissions must be typewritten, double -spaced, and no longer than five pages. They should be sent in a diskette or e-mailed along with a letter authorizing its publication. If photos are sent along with the articles they should be properly identified on the back with the name of individuals appearing in the photos. Include school affiliation; return address, e -mail address, and telephone number. Articles are subject to editing for style, space, and other considerations. If photo files are sent, please send them in .jpg, .gif, or .bmp formats.
Copy Deadline for 2009 Articles and advertising copy must be submitted by: May 1 for the summer issue, August 30 for the fall (pre-convention issue) November 15 (post-convention issue) for the winter issue. Bibliographies should follow APA or TESOL Quarterly style.
TESOLGRAM Advertising Are you looking for the best audience for your ESL resources?You get maximum exposure for our advertising dollar by placing your ad with Puerto Rico TESOL. ESL teaching professionals, department heads, consultants, and school administrators in both the public and private sectors will see your ad. Circulation: 1,000. To receive a consecutive run discount, the discount must request it in advance and the total amount (price in parentheses) must be paid in advance.
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Itʼs Time to Change! The 35th Annual PRTESOL Convention has taken its rightful place in history. Teachers from all over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic met for two exciting days of training, learning, sharing, planning, and having fun. What a joy it was to meet so many of our readers.
However, we are now deep into 2009. Puerto Rico and the world are experiencing great changes. The teaching of English is experiencing changes also. Teaching English is a science (linguistics, phonology, morphology, etc). Even the changes in technology affect what and how we teach. Iʼve had students bring in their homework on an iPod, on flash drives, even a PSP. One student would not take notes (at least the way weʼre used to). He would wait until I had filled the white marker board with the lesson content, and then he would take a digital picture to download to his laptop.
But TESOL is also an art. The art of communicating, of motivating reluctant students, of creating teaching and assessment materials, designing digitalized and virtual lessons, even decorating the classrooms involves applying new technologies to reach a new generation.
This yearʼs theme is “Winds of Change: Teaching for Tomorrow.” We look forward to 2009 with high hopes of seeing PRTESOL grow in influence around Puerto Rico and the Caribbean helping teachers at all levels in both the science and the art of teaching English.
I am delighted and honored to serve as the 2009 President. Our 2009 convention theme is: Winds of Change: Teaching for Tomorrow. As we are all anticipating change on a national, economical and educational level, we are excited about the changes that our organization is experiencing at this very moment. One of these changes is having the support of Dr. Juan Rodríguez, the Undersecretary, and Dr. Evelyn Veguillas, the English Program Director, both of the Puerto Rico Department of Education.
The only thing constant about the future is that it will continue to change. If there is one thing that we cannot and should not do, it is to stay the same. We are moving towards a competitive, complex, and diverse world. In the "Winds of Change," we cannot always direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails and make changes in our course.
How to improve and assess teaching performance is an issue of great importance to all educators. The 21st century will demand a new kind of teaching and learning. We must choose the right road and move forward. We must take some bold new steps to make fundamental changes in our teaching to guarantee the academic achievement of our students.
I encourage you to join our voyage, full of winds of change, to teach for tomorrow.
Prof. Miguel Camacho
President, PRTESOL 2009
Call for Nominations It is never too soon to consider running. Would you like to be involved in a professional development experience that * Gives you a perspective on ESL at all levels of the educational system * Helps you develop tremendous leadership skills * Provides valuable networking opportunities with ESL professionals throughout the island * Enhances your resume * Informs you of and involves you in sociopolitical issues relevant to ESL and education and is fun at the same time?
If your answer is yes, you may want to consider nominating yourself or a colleague for a position on the Board of Directors. The following positions are open this year: Vice-President, Secondary and Student Representative. Nominees need to be a PRTESOL member. Please submit name, e-mail, and phone number of candidate to Prof. Audy Perez at [email protected].
Make a difference by becoming involved in the Board of Directors.
Duties Vice-President
Succeeds to the presidency upon completion of the current Presidentʼs term of office. Assists the President in organizing the Annual Convention. Chairs the Annual Convention Program. Acts as liaison with regional chapters to coordinate the calendar of regional activities. Serves as parliamentarian.
Representatives Represent the interests of the members in their particular professional areas. Promote and help organize activities and presentations for members in their professional areas. Recruit possible new members for the Organization through the promotion of different campaign initiatives. Assist with the Annual Convention, the Summer Institute, and any other professional activities related to PRTESOL.
Language Anxiety: What it is and what can be done to lessen its effects.
Dr. Sonia M. Pagán CáceresUPR Bayamón
Sometimes you are at your wits end because you cannot understand why your college students are afraid or anxious about speaking English in the classroom. You have tried everything under the sun and yet they still do not want to participate orally. Although the students who are in college today are more exposed to English through the media, globalization and advances in technology, the truth is that research conducted in Puerto Rico during the past decade (Caratini,1997; Cortés, 2002; Meléndez, 1997; Pagán, 2007) continues to indicate that students are still apprehensive about speaking in the English class. Language anxiety could be one reason for this apprehension. In the recent second language (L2) teaching context, one of the greatest challenges for ESL/EFL teachers is to provide students with a learner-centered, low-anxiety, and comfortable classroom environment. In their efforts to create such an environment, the issue of student anxiety and its consequent negative effects on L2 learning and performance seems to pose an even greater challenge to all language teachers, as it can potentially hamper the optimal learning and teaching from taking place in the classroom (Ohata, 2005). It becomes necessary then for ESL/EFL teachers to recognize that the first and foremost important task is to have a better understanding of the nature of student anxiety in terms of when, where, how, and why students feel anxious, before addressing effective ways of anxiety reduction (Spielmann & Radnofsky, 2001).
That leads to the following question, what exactly is language anxiety? Anxiety is a common occurrence in the study of foreign [or second] language and has detrimental effects on a studentʼs ability to learn a foreign language (Horner, 2002). Anxiety is difficult to define because it can range from “an amalgam of overt behavioral characteristics that can be studied scientifically to introspecting feelings that are epistemologically inaccessible” (Casado & Dereshiwsky, 2001 p.539).
It is the feeling of tension and apprehension specifically associated with second language contexts, including speaking, listening and learning. It is a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process; and as a complex concept, dependent upon not only oneʼs feelings of self-efficacy but also appraisals concerning the potential and perceived threats inherent in certain situations (Pappamihiel, 2002). It inhibits the capabilities of students learning a foreign language for a variety of reasons including fear of negative evaluation, communication apprehension, and low self-concept (Horwitz, Horwitz, & Cope, 1986). For Gardner and MacIntyre (1993), language anxiety is the fear or apprehension learners sometimes feel when they are expected to perform in the target language in which they are not proficient.
It develops from the fear an individual feels about orally communicating. It is a specialized anxiety related to language use in situations or language learning circumstances, rather than just a reflection of generalized anxiety (Daly in Horwitz & Young, 1986; Gardner & MacIntyre, 1993; Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1986; Horwitz & Young, 1991).
This apprehension, or anxiety, may intensify when participants communicate in the second language, especially if they believe their level of second language (L2) competence to be very low (MacIntyre et al. 1997). Studentsʼ previous language learning experiences, their motivations, and their self-concepts about language learning (Saito, Garza, & Horwitz, 1999) may also influence this anxiety.
For many students, the English language class may be more anxiety-provoking than any other course they take (Campbell, Christine, & Ortiz, 1991 in Horwitz et al., 1986; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1989) and may interfere with the acquisition, retention and production of the new language (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1991). In the language classroom, increased levels of anxiety can have a variety of negative effects ranging from physical to emotional manifestations. Some students may sweat, tremble, suffer from heart palpitations, forget what they were going to say, and even freeze on the stop. Additionally, anxious students are less likely to volunteer answers. They will also tend to avoid difficult linguistic structures that more relaxed students would be willing to attempt. Word production of anxious students also tends to be less complex and interpretive. Such difficulties can lead some ESL teachers to assume that anxious students are not capable communicators in the second language (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1991).
Those involved in teaching English in Puerto Rico need to recognize that language anxiety can hinder studentsʼ oral performance. For this reason, it is necessary to understand this phenomenon in order to help students alleviate feelings of anxiety so students are comfortable in class and are not afraid to speak English. Teachers must concentrate not only on the cognitive processes of their students but also on the affective or emotional areas as well because emotional well-being is a predictor of success in academic achievement (Goleman, 1995).
Following Walshʼs (1991) suggestion, “ teachers should explore the diverse and multiple realities of their students, to understand the histories they bring with them and all the tensions these histories may imply. This will “help teachers to comprehend students, guide instruction, and gain insights into how it is students come to know” (p.1).
By studying language anxiety, teachers will be able to recognize the types of barriers that hinder effective communication in the classroom and consider this when preparing curricula. I agree with Elaine Horwitz (in Young, 1999) , who advises teachers to make “the sincere discussion of learnersʼ feelings about language learning- their goals and their successes, as well as their fears- a fundamental part of the language classroom experience (p.xiii).”
ReferencesCaratini, M.(1997). Learning English as a second language in Puerto Rico: The experiences of a small number of college level adults. Doctoral Dissertation. New York University. Casado, M. & Dereshiwsky, M.I. (2001). Foreign language anxiety of university students. College Student Journal, 35, 539-550.Cortés, C.M. (2002). The relationship between attitude, motivation, anxiety, and proficiency in English as a second language of first year university students in Puerto Rico. Dissertation. Andrews University.Gardner, R.C., & MacIntyre, P.D. (1993). On the measurement of affective variables in second language learning. Language Learning, 3, 157-194.Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.Horner, L. (2002). Fear factor: Foreign language anxiety in the secondary Spanish Program. Wake Forest University. Horwitz, E.K., Horwitz, M.B. & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language anxiety. Modern Language Journal 70, 125-132.Horwitz, E.K., & Young, D. J. (1991). Language anxiety: from theory and research to classroom implications. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.MacIntyre, P. & Gardner, S. (1989). Anxiety and second language learning: Toward theoretical clarification. Language Learning, 39(1), 251-275.MacIntyre, P. & Gardner, S. (1991). Methods and results in the study of anxiety and language learning: A review of the literature. Language Learning 41, 85-117. MacIntyre, P., Noels, K.A. & Clement, R. (1997). Biases in self-relatings of second language proficiency: The role of language anxiety. Language Learning, 47, 2, 265-287.Meléndez, A. (1997). Language learner perceptions on the circumstances and factors that contribute to oral English language anxiety in Puerto Rico Doctoral dissertation. New York University.Ohata, K. (2004). Cultural as well as personal aspects of language learning anxiety: A case study of seven Japanese individualʼs reflective accounts of language anxiety experiences in the United States.Pagán, S. (2007). Puerto Rican College Studentsʼ Perceptions of Circumstances Influencing Language Anxiety in the English Classroom. Doctoral Dissertation. Inter American University of Puerto Rico.
Pappamihiel, N. E. (2002). English as a second language students and English language anxiety: issues in the mainstream classroom. Research in the Teaching of English ,36, 327- 355.
Saito, Y., Garza, T.J., & Horwitz, E. (1999). Foreign language reading anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 83, 202-218.Spielman, G. & Radnofsky, M.L. (2001). Learning language under tension: New directions from a qualitative study. The Modern Language Journal, 85, 259-278Young, D. (1999). Affect in foreign language and second language earning: A practical guide to creating a low-anxiety classroom atmosphere. Boston: Mc Graw-Hill.Walsh, C. (1991). The tension of voices past and present: Colonization, schooling and linguistic imposition Pedagogy and the struggle for voice. New York: Bergin and Garvey.
Qualitative Research: An Ethnographic Interview Study
Dr. M. Caratini Soto, 2009Full Professor, Inter American University, Ponce Campus
Abstract
The following article presents an overview of the methodology utilized in my ethnographic study for a doctoral degree from New York University. This account describes data collection, data analysis and methods of presentation of findings in this paradigm. The purpose of this article is to present the value of qualitative research as an alternative to conduct research in other disciplines.
Introduction
Ethnographic interviews seek to discover the meaning of the experiences of the people from whom we want to learn (Bogden & Biklen, 2006; Ely, Anzul, Freidman, Gradner, & Steinmetz, 1994; Loftland & Loftland, 1984; Merrian, 1988; Mishler, 1991; Spradley, 1979). I conducted ethnographic interviews with five adults in a small city in the center of the island of Puerto Rico who returned to their local college and who were engaged again in basic English courses.
Methodology
In ethnographic interview studies an initial interview screening process is customary to give students the opportunity to know more about the study. I guaranteed students that their accounts would not be discussed with other teachers. I explained that I would protect their anonymity by using pseudonyms in the research report. I asked the participants to decide the best time and place for subsequent interviews. In addition, I asked each participant for permission to tape record the interviews and they could listen and decide if they would like to continue.
Ethnographic interviews seek the words of the people we are studying, the richer the better, so we can understand their situations with increasing clarity (Ely, et al., 1994, Seidman, 2006.). This method was the major data-collection strategy of the study. Ethnographic interviews were particularly appropriate for data collection because by gathering descriptive data in the participantʼs own words, I as a searcher developed insights on how to interpret a piece of their own world (Bogdan & Biklen, 2006). As Spradley (1979) mentions, you seek to discover patterns of meaning. The interview sessions helped me to discover patterns of meaning and understand the world from their point of view, what they knew, in the way they knew it, and inferred the meaning of their experiences as I recursively collected and analyzed the data.
The ongoing recursive analyses in the field log that was part of the cyclical process of doing-thinking-doing (Ely et al., 1994) was the most important guide to further probing and developing questions.Due to the importance the culture and the context play in naturalistic studies, I held the interviews in Spanish. In this way, I was able to capture the essence of the participantʼs experiences because concepts are inherent in language and they are the metaphors we live by (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980.) I transcribed the interviews and translated the portions that were relevant to the study. These translations were checked with a professional colleague. I kept them in a numbered ongoing computerized log form, and in the participantʼs exact words. I reflected on the interviews, listened to them and analyzed them so I could plan the next one.
In naturalistic inquiry, all that goes on in the research process is of vital importance. Therefore, keeping a log of observations, transcripts of interviews, analyses, and documents was essential. The log is “the home of the substance that we use to tease out the meanings and reflect upon them as they evolve” (Ely et al., 1994 p. 69). In the log, I coded my data along the margins and began to make connections between emerging categories and patterns. I wrote analytic memos throughout the process for hunches and possible directions for future data collection (Holliday, 2007;Loftland & Loftland, 1984). From these data, I built my analysis. All of this information was stored in my computer and separately on drives to avoid accidental loss.
Data Analysis
As is characteristic of naturalistic inquiry, data collection and data analyses are concurrent and cyclical (Ely et al., 1994, Tesch, 1990). The interweaving of data collection, self-reflection, coding, and analysis directed me to the meaning-making process (Strauss & Corbin, 2008). In order to paint a picture as true to my participantsʼview as possible, so that the informants spoke for themselves, I created themes that reflected the meanings that were most evident and/ or those that were emotionally charged. A theme can be described as a statement that
captures the actual words of the participants, also known as “in vivo codes” to present themes, which were followed by narratives and thematic discussions and analysis. I intended to capture my interpretations in a descriptive and interpretative account of the data in light of existing concepts and theories (Tesch, 1990, Wolcott, 1990.) In order to present these meaningful accounts, I devoted one chapter to profiles of the participants that illustrated the implicit themes. Following that, I devoted a chapter to a thematic discussion that highlighted specific themes and integrated material from each portrait specifically related to each particular theme.
Trustworthiness
Guba and Lincoln (1985) suggest prolonged engagement as one way to make oneʼs findings credible. Moreso, I adopted my researcherʼs stance to maintain my “detached wonder.” I collected data for two semesters and an additional year analyzing them to provide for a greater likelihood of credibility. I persisted until no new categories emerged. Participant checking is an additional technique described by Guba and Lincoln (1985) as contributing to trustworthiness. Throughout the process, I needed to verify my interpretations, reflect on the data, and develop an organizing system (Tesch, 1990). I worked to present the data, findings, interpretations, and recommendations in a coherent way. Triangulation contributed greatly to the internal validity of my study. I checked sources of data, methods and consulted research to confirm my emerging findings (Merriam, 1998). Lincoln and Gubaʼs criteria helped me to monitor my presentation of findings and make the transferability judgments I needed to provide the reader with a clear picture of the qualitative product. In the end, there were many methodological considerations about ethnography that were challenging to discover intricacies and questions provoking excitement and passion as the data was analyzed.
Conclusion
To conclude, ethnographic studies are a viable alternative to study the cultural context and collect data about the social setting being investigated. It is a powerful tool to describe and reconstruct the participantʼs symbolic meanings and patterns of a group of people (LeCompte & Presille, 1993; Merriam, 1998). Although this study was in the area of English education, it can be extended to other disciplines interested in the “how” and nature of the events to be understood in context.
References
Bogden, R. C. & Biklen, S. K. (2006). Qualitative research for education.: An introduction to theory and methods. Boston: Allyn & BaconEly, M., Anzul, M. Friedman, T., Gardner,D. & Steinmetz, A. (1994). Doing qualitative research: Circles within circles. Philadelphia: Farmer Press.Guba, E. & Lincoln. Y. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.Holliday, A. (2007). Doing and Writing Qualitative Research. CA: Sage.Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Lofland, J. , & Lofland, L. (1984). Analyzing social settings: A guide to qualitative observation and Analysis (2nd Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.Merriam, S.B., (1998). Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education. CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc. Mishler, E. G. (1991). Research interviewing: Context and narrative. MA: Harvard University Press.Seidman, I. Interviewing as qualitative research: a guide for researchers in Education and the Social Sciences NY: Teachers College Press.Spradley, J. (1979). The ethnographic interview. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (2008). Basics of Qualitative research:Techniques and Procedures for developing grounded theory.CA: Sage.Tesch, R. (1990). Qualitative research: Analysis types and software tools London: Falmer Press.Wolcott, H. F. (1990). Writing up qualitative research. CA: Sage.
(A short essay) Written by: Ámbar Annette Betancourt González
Ms. Betancourt is a student of Dr. Evelyn Lugo, Eastern Chapter PresidentNov. 4th, 2008
The United States of America, the land of the free the home of the brave. Where people from all over the world come to pursue “The American Dream”; after all the struggle that this country has lived and seen from the Civil War to world wars, from slavery to segregation; from John F. Kennedy to Dr. King and now from 12 years of the Bush administration to the next 4 (or even 8) years of Barack Hussein Obama. Who would have believed that what Bobby Kennedy said 40 years ago (“I know that in forty years America will have an African-American President.”) would become reality exactly 40 years later (1968-2008). This is for all of those, who like me, had lost faith in the American people and American values that unlike the people here in Puerto Rico who are still needing a change instead of having a change. Well now Americans all over have had their voices heard in a cry for change; in a cry for hope. It is a great day for our country and as Obamaʼs campaign slogan says: “Yes We Can!” Yes, we can make a difference, yes, we can ban hate, yes, we can fight oppression, yes, we can love without boundaries, and yes, we can unite as our forefathers intended us to. We can unite in this melting pot of a country where as I wrote before to pursue our dreams and leave a mark in world history! To all who said Americanʼt, today the people said American (yes, I know, cheesiest line ever, but cʼmon a black man who came from nothing is our President! You cannot say that is cheesy). Finally someone who understands what struggle and hard work is, who is humble and against all odds ran a marathon to make a change… Finally… a change!
Writing quotations
If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are rotten,either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.
Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)
No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.
Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1915)
Detail makes the difference between boring and terrific writing. It’s the difference between a pencil sketch and a lush oil painting. As a writer, words are your paint. Use all the colors.
Rhys Alexander, Writing Gooder, 12-09-05
True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written; in writing what deserves to be read; and in so living as to make the world happier for our living in it.
Pliny The Elder (23 AD - 79 AD)
There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are. Somerset Maugham,
The New York Times Book Review, September 30, 1984
Miguel Camacho, PRTESOL President I am an English educator for the Department of Education at Asunción Rodríguez de Sala High School in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico, where at present I teach 12th grade. I have taught all secondary levels for the past nine years. I became involved in the board of directors of PRTESOL as the membership secretary during the years 2002 and 2003. In 2003, I received an award for the "Most Valuable Board Member". In 2006 and 2007, I was the sponsorship chairperson, and in 2007 and 2008 I worked as the Southern Chapter President.
Dr. Gladys Pérez, PRTESOL Vice-President I have been a member of PRTESOL and International TESOL for more than 20 years. I have over 35 years experience teaching English at the secondary level of the Puerto Rico public school system and private universities. I have held several positions within the Puerto Rico Department of Education, some of which have been Curriculum Technician, English Zone Supervisor, Director of the State Literacy Resource Center, Director of the Bilingual Education Program, and Director of the English Program. Currently, Iʼm an English professor and the Associate Dean of the School of Social and Human Sciences at Universidad del Este, Carolina Campus. As a member of PR TESOL, I have offered workshops at the Conventions. I chaired the PRTESOL Summer Institute in 2007 and have been the 2008 Eastern Chapter President.
Lotty Ortiz Díaz, PRTESOL Executive Secretary: I am undergraduate student at Sagrado Corazón University. I will graduate in May 2009 with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education in English as a Second Language. Last year, I received the Pórtico Medal of Sagrado Corazón University for demonstrating outstanding academic achievement. Iʼm currently a student teacher at Luis Muñoz Rivera Elementary School in Santurce teaching a fifth-grade class. With the support and mentorship of Dr. Naomi Vega Nieves, I was a co-presenter at the 35th Annual PRTESOL Convention that took place last
November at the Gran Meliá Resort in Río Grande. I presented a study I conducted for an undergraduate research seminar, which was titled "The Levels of Students' Engagement and Participation in an EFL Classroom that Promotes the Development of Critical Thinking Skills
Dr. Naomi Vega, PRTESOL TreasurerCatedrática, Departamento de Educación; B.A., Brandeis University;M.Ed., City College, N.Y.; Ed.D., Universidad de Puerto Rico
I have been the TESL faculty member of the Education Department at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón since 1987. My primary role there has been developing and directing professional development projects for English teachers of the public and private schools of Puerto Rico. I have given more than 250 presentations to educators and educators, at professional conferences, universities, public and privates schools in Puerto Rico, the United States, and Latin America. As a member of TESOL and PRTESOL for over 20 years, I have attended annual conventions almost every year and have been a frequent presenter at PRTESOL and chapter conferences. Furthermore, I have served on the PRTESOL Board for more than ten years and was PRTESOL president in 2002 and Metro Chapter president in 2008. In 1992, I also served as president of PRABE (Puerto Rican Association for Bilingual Education). I have also written several articles for the TESOLGRAM (PRTESOL publication) and was the 2008 recipient of the PRTESOL Marie Aloise Lifetime Achievement Award.
Celeste Morales PRTESOL President Southern Chapter I am currently teaching in the English Department at the University of Puerto Rico – Ponce Campus. Iʼve just recently retired from The Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (PUCPR) where I had been a tenured full professor. I taught at the College of Educations' Graduate Program as well as Coordinated the Division of the Office of Proposal Development for the College. Iʼve been an ESL specialist for over 30 years. My doctoral degree is in Education with a specialty in the Teaching of English as a Second Language from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico through a federally funded Bilingual Education Fellowship provided by the Department of Bilingual Education of the United States. My Master's Degree in Education, for which I received the Most Valuable Graduate Student in ESL Award in 1977, and my Bachelor's in Science in Secondary Education with a major in English Literature and ESL. Both degrees are from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. My latest endeavors have taken me to New York University where I participated in a Faculty Resource Network 2008 Summer Workshop on Visual Storytelling. Iʼve also been certified as a trainer by the Jensen Learning Group, founded by the well known educator, trainer and author of The Brain and Learning, Eric Jensen. Iʼve taken all the workshops necessary for certification and hope to complete all the requirements for graduation by next July 2009. My passion for teaching and motivating both students and teachers has only been surpassed by my faith in doing what the Lord wants and placing my life, family, and ideals in His hands.
Inocencia NievesPRTESOL Department of Education Representative I have a B.A. in English from the University of Puerto Rico, and a Master of Arts in Education/Curriculum and Instruction-English as a Second Language from the University of Phoenix. Also, I have credits towards a certification as a Reading Specialist in English. As an active PRTESOL member since my university years, I have been secretary, vice-president, and president of Metro Chapter for several years; and various positions on the PRTESOL Board including the 33rd President of PRTESOL in 2006. At present I hold the Department of Education Representative position. I have been working with the Dept. of Education for the past 36 years teaching English at all levels. At present I am the Advanced English teacher at Luz America Calderón High School in Carolina, and I have also taught at the university level in various universities in Puerto Rico.
Auda I. Pérez VázquezNominations Chair I am a professor at Secundaria Amalia Marín in Rio Piedra Heights and at UNE Carolina Campus. I hold a BA in Secondary Teaching with a major in English as a Second Language and an MA in Curriculum and Teaching in TESL from Pontifical Catholic University, Ponce Campus. I was President of PRTESOL 2007.
Carla Rodríguez PRTESOL President - Northern ChapterUndergraduate Student at Inter American University, Arecibo I was born in 1979 in Everett, Washington. I have traveled all over the states studying in different schools, making Derry, New Hampshire the place that most influenced my learning experience. I graduated from high school in Puerto Rico in 1997 and went to college to UPR Mayaguez, but took a break after two years to raise a family. I later on moved to Hatillo, where I currently reside. I am studying at the Interamericana University in Arecibo finishing my bachelors degree in Teaching English as a Second Language at the secondary level. I am doing my student practice this semester and graduating in May God willing. I have been involved with PRTESOL for the last two years and hope to make it for 20 more.
Nancy González MontalvoPRTESOL Private School Representative With six years experience teaching the English language in elementary school, Iʼm a true believer in professional development. I have been participating in multiple seminars and special trainings, continuously. I have a bachelor degree in Telecommunications and three yearsʼ studies completing the needed credits for Teacher Certification. Iʼm also a full time mother of two girls and a loving wife. Member of PRTESOL since 2003. I will motivate English teachers in PR to participate in the PRTESOL seminars and help introduce new and innovative teaching techniques in the classroom.
Prof. Enrique Chaparro, PRTESOL Western Chapter I worked as the 2008 PRTESOL Treasurer, and Iʼve worked in the ESL field for 12 years. Iʼve served as academic advisor for schools in the private sector, which have English-based instruction, and also collaborated in the implementation of an English Program in the Department of
Education of Puerto Rico within my district. I advocate for the implementation of English immersion schools within the Department of Education of Puerto Rico.
Elizabeth Jiménez Rodríguez, PRTESOL Elementary School Representative I have a B.A. in Secondary Education specializing in English teaching and a minor in Literature from the Inter American University, Aguadilla Campus. I also possess a Masters Degree in English Education from UPR, Mayaguez Campus. I have taken 10 courses with the Scholastic Red Program in order to qualify as an English Reading Specialist. I have been an active member of PRTESOL for the past 14 years as part of the directorʼs board for the Western TESOL Chapter. At present, I work at the Superintendentʼs office as the Districtʼs English Program Facilitator. I am convinced that through this position, I will be able to help all 80 English teachers in the 23 schools in my district succeed in English teaching. The teaching of English in Puerto Rico has always been my priority throughout the years, but my main and most important priority in life has been my family. I have been happily married for the past 20 years and I have three beautiful daughters, Karla Natalia, Katiria Nicole, and Kiara Liz. They are the ones that inspire and motivate me to continue working hard towards the goal of making this world a better one by providing the best education possible.
Evelyn Lugo Morales, PRTESOL President - Eastern Chapter Evelyn Lugo Morales has a doctoral degree in Education in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Puerto Rico. She has 30 years of teaching and administrative experience and has been an educational consultant for the past 10 years. As an educator, she has taught in both primary and secondary levels in public and private schools. At the present time, Dr. Lugo teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at the Universidad del Este in Carolina. Dr. Evelyn Lugo is currently working in various projects as President of Delta Kappa Gamma International for Women Educators which is an organization that support the effort of women educators in their quest for excellence in education.
Denise Ferrer, PRTESOL President - Caguas Chapter Greetings to all and a happy new year. My name is Prof. Denise M. Ferrer Lizardi and I have been teaching ESL for the past 21 years from elementary to secondary level. I have a Masters Degree In ESL and currently teach at Diego Vazquez Elementary School. I have been a TESOL member for 16 years since 1992, and been a direct part of TESOL Caguas Chapter occupying different positions (1992 secretary, 1993 president, 1994 president, 1998 treasurer, 2002 president, 2008 vice-president). This year I am honored once again to serve this organization as president of TESOL Caguas Chapter. God bless you.
David García, PRTESOL Publisher Liaison David García is publisher liaison with Puerto Rico TESOL. He began his service to PR TESOL in 2008. David is the ESL Specialist in Puerto Rico for Cambridge University Press, and also teaches conversational English
courses at Caribbean University and at MBTI Business Training Institute. He holds a BA in education and teacher certification, and has also taught 5th grade math and science in English, as well as music. David is also a published author, and sells and distributes his own publication 'Fairy Tales of Puerto Rico' (Taino Press, 2005) to bookstores throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. It's Spanish translation, 'Cuentos Favoritos de Puerto Rico', was recognized by Criticas Magazine in August 2007 as one of the 'Top Picks for Hispanic Heritage Month'. In his spare time, he plays music with the 'Conjunto PR TESOL'.
Dr. José R. Sellas Aponte, PRTESOL Immediate Past President I have been in the ESL teaching profession for over 25 years. I have a B.A. in TESL Secondary Education from Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germán Campus, May 1985. I have an M.A. in Applied Linguistics in TESL form Inter American University, San Germán Campus, May 1988. I have a Doctoral Degree in Curriculum Development in TESL, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, May 2000. I am certified as an ESL Teacher at both the Elementary and Secondary levels by the Department of Education, Puerto Rico. I also have a license as an English Zone Supervisor. I am a tenured Associate Professor at Inter American University of Puerto Rico, San Germán Campus. I have been a member of PRTESOL for over fifteen years. I have been part of the PRTESOL Board of Directors for four years. I have held the following positions on the PRTESOL Board of Directors; President 2008, Vice-President 2007, and Western Chapter President 2006. This year 2009, I am serving as Immediate Past President. I have been part of the Western PRTESOL Board for eight years. I have held the following positions at the Regional level; President 2006, Vice President 2005, and Member-At-Large 2004. I have been an active member of the Global TESOL Organization for six years. I have attended four Global TESOL Conventions in the United States. I am extremely proud of being an ESL Professional that is committed to Excellence in Language Teaching for our Island.
Manuel EchevarríaPRTESOL Student Representative I am a Jr. high school English teacher in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I have also worked at high school and elementary levels. Iʼm also implementing a reading intervention program of the Department of Education of Puerto Rico, with students of seventh and eighth grade. The teacher has 11 years of experience in a private and different public schools in his home town. I did my Bachelor degree at Universidad de Puerto Rico in Río Piedras. Also, Iʼve participated in many professional development activities regarding my field. Currently, Iʼm engaged soing a Masters degree at the Universidad del Este in Carolina.
Josué AlejandroPRTESOL Member at large I have been a member of PRTESOL for the past 28 years with 35 years experience teaching English at all levels in the Puerto Rico public school system and public and private universities. Currently, I am a full professor at the University of Puerto Rico -Rio Piedras Campus. I was a member of the PR TESOL Board for 6 years and held the
treasurerʼs position in 1992. I had the privilege of attending the first week long PRTESOL Summer Institute back in 1982. This year I am on the Metro Chapter Board. I have given several presentations at the PRTESOL and TESOL Conventions over the last 8 years and written several articles for the TESOLGRAM. In the 1980ʼs, I also gave a workshop as part of the first PRTESOL Dominican Republic outreach activity. As a PRTESOL Board member, I will give my best to support and give publicity to the organization in all forums and fulfill all the responsibilities of this position. I firmly believe in lifelong professional development and hold to the vision and mission of being the best teachers of English here and everywhere we go. We are blessed with the most noble and rewarding career: that of molding the minds and influencing the future citizens and leaders in our society.
Dr. John H. Steele, PRTESOL Higher Education Representative Dr. John Steele is 60 years old and has lived in Puerto Rico since 1971. He has been married for almost 40 years to a now retired elementary English teacher. He has three daughters and six grandchildren. He and his wife have been living in Moca since 1973. Dr. Steele graduated from IAU-Ramey with a BA in Secondary Education/TESOL in 1975 and obtained his MAE in TESL from IAU-San Germán in 1977. He has post MA studies at both IAU and UPR-Mayaguez. He graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Ph.D. in English (Rhetoric and Linguistics) in 2002. Dr. Steele has over 30 years experience in teaching ESL, most (30+) at the UPR-Aguadilla and 5 years at IAU-Ramey and IAU-Aguadilla. He currently teaches Introduction to Linguistic Theory, Teaching Writing, and courses in instructional technology for the Bachelor of Arts in Education with a Major in English with Multimedia Technology offered at UPR-Aguadilla. He has been a member of PR-TESOL for 25 years and president of the Western chapter on three different occasions.
Eric Otero, PRTESOL Webmaster Eric Otero possesses a PhD in Language, Literacy and Learning from Fordham University. Currently, Dr. Otero is a full time professor of English as a Second Language (ESL) at the Bayamon Campus of Inter American University. He has 30 years experience in both the public and private sectors of Puerto Rico. He has served as a teacher, teacher trainer, researcher, grant writer, and administrator, among other endeavors. His interests and commitment in the field of educational technology have led him to create many computerized instructional models to strengthen instruction. He has also designed and implemented a host of online courses at the university level. At PRTESOL, Dr. Eric Otero has designed and edited the PRTESOL website as the Webmaster for the past seven years.
For all the Convention information contact any of the following persons or visit our website www.puertoricotesol.orgMembership Yanitsie [email protected] Exhibitors Naomi [email protected] Registration Naomi [email protected] Information Lottie [email protected] Call for Presentations Submit by May 29, 2009 to Dr. Gladys Perez at [email protected] for Nominations Submit to Prof. Audy Perez at [email protected] Bird Registration Postmark by September 1, 2009Hotel Reservation Hilton Ponce Golf and Casino http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/PNCHIHH-PRTA09-20091119/index.jhtml tel. 787-259-7676 X 5201Download Convention forms at: www.puertoricotesol.orgAwards and Scholarships for PRTESOL Members http://www.puertoricotesol.org/membership/Awards2009.pdf
Deborah J. Short, Ph. D., will be our keynote speaker at this yearʼs PRTESOL convention.
Dr. Short directs Academic Language Research & Training, a professional consulting company, and works with schools, districts, and states, providing professional development on sheltered instruction and academic literacy to teachers around the U.S. and abroad. She is also a senior research associate at the Center for Applied Linguistics where she co-developed the SIOP Model and has directed research on English language learners for the
Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Education, among others. She is currently studying newcomer programs and the SIOP Model in middle school science classrooms. She chaired an expert panel on adolescent ELL literacy and co-authored the policy report, Double the Work. Publications include research articles in professional journals, such as TESOL Quarterly, Journal of Educational Research, Educational Leadership, Education and Urban Society and Journal of Research in Education; books on the SIOP Model; and four ESL series for K-12 students. Previously, she taught ESL and EFL in New York, California, Virginia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Structured Supports for English Learnersby Dr. Deborah J. Short
For educators of students who are English learners (ELs), the goal is twofold: to accelerate their development of academic English and to strengthen their content knowledge. Research has shown that ELs both improve their academic English skills and learn more of the content of school subjects through this integrated instructional approach (Echevarria, Short, & Powers, 2006; Lindholm-Leary & Borsato, 2006). When EL students participate in a program of systematic instruction and assessment that provides them with access to solid, research-based curricula and that also advances their academic language and literacy skills, they can succeed in school and beyond.
Understanding English Learners in Middle School
Most English learners in middle school are already on the path to academic literacy. They are not stalled; rather, they are making steady progress. Second-language acquisition, however, takes time—and requires understanding of what EL students bring to our classrooms. Some English learners arrive in the United States without literacy in their native language. Yet often they are placed in the classrooms of teachers who lack training in how to teach basic literacy skills to adolescents (Rueda & García, 2001). These newcomers need a developmental program of language and literacy with direct instruction in vocabulary, grammar and the fundamentals of reading and writing.
Other ELs have grown up in the U.S., but for reasons such as family mobility, sporadic school attendance, or limited access to ELD, ESL, or bilingual instruction, they have not developed the degree of academic literacy required for reading and understanding middle school texts or for interacting productively in instruction with teachers and classmates. Some of these students may need a targeted intervention. Still other ELs enter middle school with strong native-language literacy skills. These students have a strong foundation that can facilitate their academic English growth as their prior knowledge and aspects of their literacy abilities can transfer from the native language to the new one.What, then, do ELs from all these different backgrounds need as they move through the middle school years?
Explicit Instruction in English Vocabulary and Structures
We know that the connections between language, literacy, and academic achievement growstronger as students progress through the grades (Biancarosa & Snow, 2004; Kamil, 2003), and that the development of proficiency in academic English is a complex process for adolescent ELs. Middle school ELs must develop literacy skills for each content area in their second language as they simultaneously try to comprehend and apply content area concepts through that second language (García & Godina, 2004; Genesee, Lindholm-Leary, Saunders, & Christian, 2006). Therefore,
even while we focus on developing literacy and bolstering content area knowledge, we must provide explicit instruction in English semantics, syntax, phonology, pragmatics, and discourse levels of the language as they are applied in school. (Bailey, 2007; Dutro & Moran, 2003; Schleppegrell, 2004).
Personal Connections to Learning The complexity of second language acquisition is not the only variable in becoming literate in English. Identity, engagement, motivation, and life outside school are other important factors. (Moje,2006; Moje et al., 2004; Tatum, 2005, 2007).
“Second-language acquisition takes time—and requires understanding of what EL students bring to our classrooms.”
Structured Supports for English Learners
Adolescents tend to engage more with text that they have chosen themselves, and they will read material above their reading level if it is of interest. Engagement and motivation increase when students can see themselves in the characters, events, and settings of the materials that they read.Self-perceptions as a strong vs. weak reader and personal goals also influence motivation. Out-of-school experiences and literacies also play an important role. Stressors outside of school—hectic home lives, work, lack of study space, peer pressures—may diminish studentsʼ interest in and ability to develop English literacy. On the other hand, positive out-of-school interactions with English literacy(through text messaging, the Internet, music, work) may strengthen their engagement with literacy practices in the classroom. The opportunity to participate in collaborative literacy activities with their classmates often heightens motivation as well.
Promoting English Literacy Development: What Research Tells Us
A number of recent research reports have examined more than two decades of rigorous studies of English second language development (e.g., August & Shanahan, 2006; Genesee et al., 2006; Short & Fitzsimmons, 2007; Slavin & Cheung, 2003). These reports provide a great deal of valuable information about adolescent ELs and about the curricular content and instructional practices that work best to promote their academic language and literacy skills. The following are among the reportsʼ key findings:
1. Transfer of Skills Certain native-language skills transfer to English literacy, including phonemic awareness, comprehension and language-learning strategies, and native- and second-language oral knowledge. If students have opportunities to learn and maintain literacy in their native language, they may more quickly acquire English. Content that students learn through their native language is learned knowledge. They may require assistance to articulate this knowledge in English, but they do not have to relearn it. The process of transfer of knowledge from one language to another, however, is not automatic (Gersten, Brengelman, & Jiménez, 1994). It requires teachers to make explicit links to studentsʼ prior knowledge and to prompt students to make connections, using the cognitive resources they have.
2. Native Language Literacy Academic literacy in the native language facilitates the development of academic literacy in English. For example, once they have enough proficiency (e.g., vocabulary, sense of sentence structure, etc.) to engage with text, students who have learned reading comprehension strategies (e.g., finding the main idea, making inferences) in their native language have the cognitive background to use those strategies in their new language.
3. Academic English Teaching the five essential components of proficient reading—phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension (National Reading Panel, 2000)—to English learners is necessary but not sufficient for developing their academic literacy. ELs need to develop oral language proficiency and academic discourse patterns as well. These are the vocabulary and language structures that make up academic English—the language used in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Academic English allows students to participate in classroom talk, such as supporting a historical perspective or providing evidence for a scientific claim. As a corollary to this point, students benefit from the integration of all language domains—reading, writing, listening, and speaking. As they develop knowledge in one domain, they reinforce their learning in other domains.
4. Instructional Accommodations High-quality instruction for EL students is similar to high-quality instruction for native English-speaking students. However, beginning- and intermediate-level ELs need instructional accommodations and support. The National Literacy Panel (August & Shanahan, 2006) found that the impact of instructional interventions is weaker for English learners than it is for English speakers. This suggests that for ELs, interventions must include added supports or accommodations (Goldenberg, 2006).
5. Enhanced Explicit Vocabulary Development English learners need enhanced, direct vocabulary development.
Direct teaching of specific words can facilitate vocabulary growth and lead to increased reading comprehension for native English speakers (Beck, Perfetti, & McKeown, 1982) and for English language learners (Carlo et al., 2004). However, many middle school ELs need to learn many more vocabulary words than teachers have time to teach. As a result, specific-word instruction must be supplemented with explicit instruction in strategies for word learning, such as contextual and morphemic (word part) analysis. For some ELs, these strategies should include ways for them to identify and use native-language cognates to figure out English words. Helping ELs develop knowledge of words, word parts, and word relationships is crucial if they are to understand topics in the content areas well enough to increase both their academic knowledge and reading comprehension (Graves, 2006).
Designing Appropriate Curriculum for ELs
Comprehensive literacy instruction programs for English learners must incorporate the following elements:o lesson objectives that are based on state content and language standardso explicit attention to academic, cross-curricular vocabulary and subject-specific terminologyo strategic, developmental reading instruction tied to a wide range of expository and narrative textso explicit writing instructiono listening and speaking/discourse instructiono grammar instructiono teaching practices that both tap studentsʼ prior knowledge and build background for learning about new
topicso explicit instruction in learning strategieso instruction in common content area taskso comprehension checks and opportunities for review
In effective programs, we see teachers using specific techniques, such as those in the SIOP Model for sheltered instruction (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008), to make the presentation of new content comprehensible for English learners. For example:
o Teachers make the standards-based, lesson objectives explicit to the students, utilizing realia, pictures, and video clips to help students visualize the content.
o Before moving into a reading or a writing activity, teachers activate studentsʼ prior knowledge and link to past learning, tapping studentsʼ current abilities in their native language. They preteach vocabulary, and build background appropriate to the content and task at hand.
o Knowing that typical lecture practices are not effective with ELs, teachers organize the presentation of information into chunks suited to studentsʼ proficiency levels, offer demonstrations, promote student-student interaction, teach note-taking skills with specific organizers, and include time for reflection.
o To build competence and the ability to work independently, any new subject matter task or classroom routine is scaffolded for students by using sentence and paragraph frames graduated to studentsʼ proficiency levels.
o Thus, teachers lead students, even those at differing levels of proficiency, to higher levels of understanding and independent practice.
o Language skills are sequenced and taught explicitly as well as integrated into lessons on other skills so that students have every opportunity to grow their academic English. Language skills taught in one lesson are reinforced in later ones.
o To ensure that learning is taking place and students are making expected progress, teachers check ELsʼ comprehension frequently during instruction. They also use multiple measures to monitor progress on a more formal basis, using assessments that accommodate the studentsʼ developing language skills and lead to timely reteaching.
Applying the Research: Inside Language, Literacy, and Content
Inside Language, Literacy, and Content provides all of these elements of successful instruction for ELs. The program uses state standards for language, literacy, and content as the foundation for the lesson objectives. At Levels C–E , the standards also inform the guiding questions that address topical issues like What happens when cultures cross paths? and What makes the environment so valuable?These guiding questions engage and motivate students to read and find answers. Moreover, students share ideas about the questions over the course of three major selections in each unit, which offers them opportunities to build language in context over time and to respond more thoughtfully as they gain new perspectives, information, and, in some cases, data.
Lesson plans are built around techniques that are appropriate for English learners. For example, reading lessons begin with building background using pictures and videos from the National Geographic Digital Library.
To promote growth in vocabulary, the program teaches both key content-related words from the reading selections
and important academic words and concepts, such as debate, sequence, and organize, that students can apply across content areas. It also includes a wide range of vocabulary building activities for ELs, giving them multiple opportunities to practice new words in various contexts. In addition, instructional routines for daily vocabulary practice help students use independent word-learning strategies.
Academic Language Frames are used to further support ELsʼ development of language. These frames provide structure for using language to carry out academic tasks. Because the frames are graduated in language complexity, they help students of all proficiencies to participate fully in class discussions and activities.
Each level includes daily lessons in English grammar and sentence structure so that students receive systematic, comprehensive language instruction.
With each selection, the program targets a specific language function, such as Ask for and Give Information or Describe. Students hear multiple language models to help them see the language function in action and participate in songs, chants and other audio lessons to try out the language function in a risk-free way. In the selection lessons, students use this language function again and again.
Instructional strategies are specifically designed for English learners. For example, lessons promote interaction and the use of oral language, often in cooperative learning activities. The lessons offer Multi-Level Strategies to give students at different levels of language proficiency access to the text or to support their participation in the task at hand.
ConclusionEffective instruction for English learners requires both high expectations and specialized strategies to ensure success. The standards base of Inside Language, Literacy, and Content along with its structured supports, Multi-Level Strategies, and other instructional techniques designed especially for English learners allows students to accelerate their growth in language and literacy.
BibliographyAugust, D., & Shanahan, T. (Eds.) (2006). Developing literacy in second-language learners: A report of the National Literacy Panel on language-minority children and youth. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Bailey, A. (Ed.) (2007). The language demands of school: Putting academic English to the test. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Beck, I. L., Perfetti, C., & McKeown, M. G. (1982). Effects of long-term vocabulary instruction on lexical access and reading comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 506–521.Biancarosa, G., & Snow, C. (2004). Reading next: A vision for action and research in middle and high school literacy. Report to the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.Carlo, M. S., August, D., McLaughlin, B., Snow, C. E., Dressler, C., Lippman, D., Lively, T., & White, C. (2004). Closing the gap: Addressing the vocabulary needs of English language learners in bilingual and mainstream classrooms. Reading Research Quarterly, 39(2), 188–215.Dutro, S., & Moran, C. (2003). Rethinking English language instruction: An architectural approach. In G. G. García (Ed.), English learners (pp. 227–258). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.Echevarria, J., Short, D., & Powers, K. (2006). School reform and standards-based education: An instructional model for English language learners. Journal of Educational Research, 99(4), 195–211.Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. (2008). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP® model (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.García, G. E., & Godina, H. (2004). Addressing the literacy needs of adolescent English language learners. In T. Jetton & J. Dole (Eds.), Adolescent literacy: Research and practice (pp. 304–320). New York: The Guilford Press.Genesee, F., Lindholm-Leary, K., Saunders, W., & Christian, D. (2006). Educating English language learners: A synthesis of research evidence. New York: Cambridge University Press.Gersten, R., Brengelman, S., & Jiménez, R. (1994). Effective instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse students: A reconceptualization. Focus on Exceptional Children, 27, 1–16.Goldenberg, C. (2006). Improving achievement for English learners: What research tells us. Education Week, July 26, 2006.Graves, M. (2006). The vocabulary book: Learning & instruction. New York: Teachers College Press.Kamil, M. (2003). Adolescents and literacy: Reading for the 21st century. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.Lindholm-Leary, K., & Borsato, G. (2006). Academic achievement. In F. Genesee, K. Lindholm-Leary, W. Saunders, & D. Christian (Eds.), Educating English language learners: A synthesis of research evidence (pp. 176–222). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Moje, E. B. (2006). Motivating texts, motivating contexts, motivating adolescents: An examination of the role of motivation in adolescent literacy practices and development. Perspectives, 32(3), 10–14.Moje, E. B., McIntosh Ciechanowski, K., Kramer, K., Ellis, L., Carrillo, R., & Collazo, T. (2004). Working toward third space in content area literacy: An Examination of everyday funds of knowledge and discourse. Reading Research Quarterly, 39(1), 38–71.National Reading Panel (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction: Reports of the subgroups. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.Rueda, R., & García, G. (2001). How do I teach reading to ELLs? Teaching every child to read. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement.Schleppegrell, M. (2004). The language of schooling: A functional linguistic perspective. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Short, D., & Fitzsimmons, S. (2007). Double the work: Challenges and solutions to acquiring language and academic literacy for adolescent English language learners. Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.Slavin, R. E., & Cheung, A. (2003). Effective programs for English language learners: A best-evidence synthesis. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, CRESPAR.Tatum, A. W. (2007). Building the textual lineages of African American adolescent males. In K. Beers, R. Probst, & L. Reif (Eds.), Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Tatum, A. W. (2005). Teaching reading to black adolescent males: Closing the achievement gap. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
WebsitesHere are some websites for TESOL.
Bookmark them and check them frequently to stay up-to-date on all the PRTESOL events.
REACH OUT AND TOUCH NEW OR RENEWED MEMBERS FOR PRTESOL Get your free membership for another year!
Recruit ten (10) or more new or renewed members and you will receive your membership free for another year!
Win a free registration for one day at the convention! Recruit twenty (20) or more new or renewed members for the opportunity to participate in a drawing to win a free
registration for the 2009 Convention. The drawing will be held at the Metro conference at Inter, Bayamón on October 3, 2009.
Guidelines for recruitment: 1. Your membership must be up-to-date to be eligible.
2. Write the recruiterʼs name where it says: “referred by....” 3. Each new or renewed memberʼs form must be received with payment at the address provided below.
43rd Annual TESOL Convention in DenverUncharted Mountains Forging New Pathways
Dr. Naomi Vega Nieves and Dr. Josué Alejandro
The 43rd Annual TESOL Convention in Denver, indeed forged pathways for a most diversified and stimulating experience different from other conventions. Stricken by a blizzard, the full conference began on the 26th of March. The huge expanse of the snow-covered mountain range surrounding the city of Denver and the streets covered with white glistening snow, provided for a most relaxing feeling prior to the hustle and bustle of workshops, demonstrations , panel discussions, poster sessions, papers, and plenaries. Also the cultural performances by Native Americans and other ethnic groups, gave a different perspective and a more joyous atmosphere to this great event.
After a first dayʼs quick exploration of the city, we were running to and fro, from one session to another the rest of the week. The conference provided a mind-boggling array of activities for all TESOL audiences, six plenary sessions with exceptional speakers, and 45 concurrent sessions, that sometimes offered up to 21 sessions during one concurrent session. For three days we attended sessions from the early morning hours to the early evening. The demonstrations based on research gave us food for thought to further research and adapt new ideas. One of our plenary highlights was Dr. Janet Zadino, a cognitive neuroscientist whose outstanding presentation on Language, Learning and the Brain enlightened us about all the new breakthroughs in the brain process of bilingual learners and as well as all learners.
There were other interesting situations that brought spontaneity to our experience. In one case, a presenter did not show up for a business communication demonstration. The title was the 9 most common mistakes in business communication writing. The attendees started chatting to compensate for the frustration of not getting the information that intrigued us. Which could be those 9 common mistakes in business writing? That started the most engaging conversation among business English educators from different parts of the USA and other countries.
In the exhibit area, a very important part of every convention, there were about 125 exhibitors and although that was much less than in previous years it provided for a wide selections of ESL materials for one to explore in a more spacious and comfortable area. Miguel Camacho, PRTESOL president, along with others promoted our conference among all the exhibitors and distributed conference materials. The affiliate booth was in this area and all the affiliates had the opportunity to share their conference information and publications with the conference attendees.
PRTESOL had the booth on Thursday for one hour. Miguel Camacho, Edna Ortiz, Nancy Lamberty ( now living in Denver), Carmen DʼCruz and we were at the booth promoting our conference. Many participants wanted to know more about us, and to visit our Island. We also shared ideas with other affiliate representatives. We also spoke to many potential presenters for the PRTESOL Convention. There we met so many good friends that we hope to meet again here in Puerto Rico. All in all, it was a exceptional professional and personal growth experience!! We are looking forward to the next TESOL convention in Boston.
SPECIAL CONFERENCE ON THE BRAIN AND LEARNINGSOUTHERN CHAPTER OF PUERTO RICO TESOL
MARCH 14, 2009PONTIFICIAL CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO
PONCE, PUERTO RICO
The Southern Chapter of PR TESOL had the pleasure sponsoring a special conference on The Brain and Learning on March 14 at the Pontifical Catholic University in Ponce. Our guest speakers were Dr. José Pons, from the Ponce School of Medicine, Dr. Carmen C. Morales, from the English Department of the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce and Dr. Gilberto Toro-Ventura, from the Graduate Program of the Pontifical Catholic University in Ponce.
Dr. José Ponsʼ topic The Brain and Learning Part I, gave the participants an introductory insight on how to work with studentsʼ attention, memory and how students learn. Dr. Pons gave the participants an overview of how the brain functions and what occurs during the learning process. This information provided us with the opportunity to rethink on how we as educators present skills and information to our students. The most important point of his conference2 was to understand the connection between the brain and the learning process.
Dr. Ponsʼ conference was complemented by Dr. Carmen C. Moralesʼ topic The Brain and Learning II which focused on those strategies to use with diverse learners. Based on our knowledge of the how brain works and how to work with studentsʼ attention, memory and learning process Dr. Morales gave us a general overview of those strategies we can implement to work with diverse learners in our classrooms.
Dr. Gilbert Toro brought us an eclectic approach through Garfield™ the comic strip character. Dr. Toro showed us that by team teaching with Garfield we can develop brain-based activities. He took us from evaluating our goals, discovering values, character education and beyond to show us diverse activities that can be done in the classroom.. His examples of brain games showed us that we can take the English Language Learner (ELL) beyond their own expectations.
The Southern Chapter of PR TESOL hopes to continue offering our members and other educators the opportunity to enrich their teaching and learning skills through these conferences so that our students can benefit from our own knowledge as well as our guidance.
NORTHERN CHAPTER OF PUERTO RICO TESOLRegional Conference
"ESL: Beacon for Success" was held at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo Campus on Saturday, April 4, 2009, from 8 - 1 pm. The keynote speaker was Dr. Evelyn Veguillas, Director of the English Department from the Department of Education of Puerto Rico. We had two concurrent sessions and a plenary session. Thirty-five people attended the activity including representation from the other chapters on the island.
The PRTESOL membership secretary was present filling out membership certificates for those that renewed their membership and for those who became new members. The next conferences, the Western Conference and the Summer Institute, were promoted by Dr. Jose Sellas and Dr. Gladys Perez respectively.
“Bringing English into the Students” by Elizabeth Kohmetscher, Professor at MBTI
I once had a student that said, “I come to the English class, but the English class doesnʼt come into me.” This may be a simple statement, but it illustrates what is at the core of language teaching. There is a gap between what educators try to teach their students, and what the students actually learn. This leads to a vital question which has yet to be answered: How can we lessen the gap between what we teach in the classroom and what students need? If we can answer this question, we can magnify the studentsʼ learning.
Briefly looking over what methods have been tried in the past is indicative of what has failed and where we should look for the future. The 1840s to the 1940s were dominated by the Grammar-Translation Method, which was primarily used for analyzing and reading text. Once educators realized the need for speaking proficiency, this era was followed by some language teaching innovations, which led to The Reform Movement and the establishment of phonetics. Interest shifted to learning a language through naturalistic principles, as seen in first language acquisition, which led to the Natural method and ultimately, to the Direct Method (Richards and Rodgers 2001: 11). Once the limitations of the Direct Method were identified, this marked the beginning of the “Methods Era”. It was decided that there must be a strong methodology in place if language learning is to be improved. In the 1950s and the 1960s, the Oral Approach started in Britain and the Audiolingual Method started in the United States. The 1970s marked the introduction of Total Physical Response, The Silent Way, Community Language Learning, and Suggestopedia. All of these methods had limitations that prevented them from being the solution to the methodology of language teaching. However, the limitations of these methods provide valuable insight in what direction we should head in the future.
Most of the methods subscribed to the idea that the particular method in question should be used exclusively. How would that be effective, given the large variety of language learners? Naturally it is impossible to categorize all language learners into one homogeneous group who learn exactly the same way. It seems as though some educators are looking for an easy method or formula that can be used in all situations; however, that is impossible, given the variety of levels, cultural backgrounds, learning styles, and affective factors involved. It would be a gross error to try to use one particular teaching method with a group of university students in Korea and also to try to apply that same teaching method to businessman in Brazil. These groups come from different socio-economic backgrounds, with varying degrees of exposure to the language. These two groups also have different goals for studying a second or a foreign language, among numerous other differences. When taking all of these differences into account, I think that it is best to take specific parts from the varying methods and shape them to suit the particular learnersʼ cultural backgrounds, learning styles and other factors. It is clear from the number and variety of methods employed throughout history that educators cannot base their teaching on one particular method.
Educators have the responsibility to take on the challenge of anticipating the needs, learning styles and cultural backgrounds of their students in order to effectively teach their students. Each teacher should continually shape, re-shape, evaluate, analyze, and reform their teaching methods in order to be most conducive to each set of learners. With this premise as the foundation, I would like to propose a basic component that should form the framework of any method employed.
First and foremost, I think that it is essential to be immersed in the language. This does not simply mean for a student to move to another country and be “immersed” in the language. Moving to another country does not insure language learning will take place. A potential language learner may move to another country, but if he or she does not attempt to acculturate themselves to the target language group, then the learner will not acquire the language.
When I refer to immersion, rather, I am referring to other types of immersion, which occur on many different levels. To elaborate, issues from the real-world should be brought into the classroom, and to a certain extent, the classroom should be brought into the real world. The classroom should not be viewed as an isolated place for learning to take place, because then learning will be limited exclusively to that time. One example of how this could be implemented is that the teacher could take the students on field trips in the community, where the stress of learning in the classroom would be removed, and the students would be more likely to learn. Also, the students will see how language applies to the real world. If the language is only taught in the classroom and the student does not continue the learning process at home, or if the student never uses the information outside of the classroom, the language will not be stored for further use.
The student will not see the value in learning another language. Intrinsic motivation is just as important as extrinsic motivation, and the student must feel a motivation to study and improve in the second language.
It is ideal if the student can use the language they are learning inside and outside of the classroom, if this is possible. I witnessed one example of the positive aspect of this while I taught at a three month English Immersion camp in Korea. The students were required to follow an English-Only policy, in which they were instructed not to speak Korean at all, whether it was in the dormitory, classroom, cafeteria, or basketball court. If the students spoke Korean, they would first be issued a warning and the second time it occurred, they would be sent home for three days, which would be a huge embarrassment to the student and his or her family. The students could only go home every other weekend; otherwise, they were at the camp and they spoke exclusively in English. The interesting thing was that about 75% of my students disliked going home for two days, because they felt that they forgot a lot of English in that time. It took them longer to “adjust their monitor” back to English, and a majority of those students felt that they were doing themselves a disservice by going home those two weekends a month. With this example, I want to illustrate the fact that if students are exposed to the benefits of excluding their native language in language learning, they will make a conscious effort not to use their native language inside and outside of the classroom, whereby heightening the level of learning taking place.
Perhaps crucial to the success of any method is the teacherʼs ability to relate to and engage the students in the material. The teacher should condition the students to see the benefits of using the second language so that they are encouraged to use the second language in and outside of the classroom. The ability of the teacher to incorporate all of these components into the classroom will affect the learnersʼ language acquisition.
The future of language teaching as an art lies in our ability to adjust to changes in the world, such as the increased dependence on technology. We need to be able to use this technology in order to connect to the world as a whole. Through the Internet, learners have the ability to interact with people from all corners of the world. If learners become more interested in other countries and cultures, they will be more motivated to learn another language. While it is important that the students have motivation, it is also our responsibility as educators to remain innovative and constantly challenge our own ideas and methods. One way that we can do this is by giving learners opportunities to use their language outside of the classroom. We will grow in our vocation, while also stimulating and challenging our students. While students might come to English class, only then will English truly come into the students.
Bibliography
Richards, J.C., and T. Rodgers. 2001. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching.New York: Cambridge University Press.
Upcoming Chapter ConferencesCaguas
August 22, 2009Escuela Libre de Música, Caguas8am - [email protected]
City___________________________________________________Zip____________________________ Phone: Home _________________________ E-mail _______________________________________ Work _________________________ Fax _______________________________________ Type of institution in which you work (Check one): Public Private
Enhancing Writing Skills at the Elementary LevelProf. Jennifer Gomez,
NWP CoordinatorUniversity of Puerto Rico
8:00 am to 4 pm
Enhancing writing skills at the Secondary LevelDr. Carmen I. CabánUniversity of Puerto Rico 8:00 am to 4 pm
Enhancing Writing skills at the Higher Ed. LevelProf. Zenaida Sanjurjo,
NWP ConsultantUniversity of Puerto Rico
8:00 am to 4 pm
Send your registration and fee by check or money order toPRTESOL
P. O. BOX 366828SAN JUAN, PR 00936-6828
PUERTO RICO TESOL
SUMMER INSTITUTE
ENHANCING WRITING SKILLS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
UNIVERSIDAD DE PUERTO RICO, AGUADILLA CAMPUSJune 6, 2009
R e g i s t r a t i o n F e e - $ 1 0 . 0 0 S e n d b y M a y 3 0 t h , 2 0 0 9 . O n l y f o r m e m b e r s .
Spaces are limited.
ID #: ________________
P R T E S O L - G R A M
PRTESOL VOLUME 36, Issue 1, Spring 2009
PRTESOLP. O. Box 366828 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936 -6828
NonprofitOrganization US Postage
PAIDSan Juan, PRPermit 3329
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
Attend the Summer Institute! JUNE 6, 2009
UPR - AGUADILLAPRTESOL MEMBERS ONLY
One whole day learning new ways for“Enhancing Writing Skills
for the 21st Century”.
Choose from three training tracks:• Elementary level• Secondary level• Higher Ed level
These will be hands-on workshops from 8 am to 4 pm given by coordinators and consultants of the National Writing Project.Space available is limited, so register now (see page 23).
