EDUC2022 Study Notes PDF

EDUC2022 Study Notes Lecture 1 - Introduction to second language reading ¨ Reading is preparation for writing; Writing is production to be read. Therefore, they are NOT separate skills. ¨ Definition of Reading: Reading is a complex skill that requires both decoding and construction of meaning. T...

EDUC2022 Study Notes Lecture 1 - Introduction to second language reading ¨ Reading is preparation for writing; Writing is production to be read. Therefore, they are NOT separate skills. ¨ Definition of Reading: Reading is a complex skill that requires both decoding and construction of meaning. The reader constructs meaning by interacting with the text, drawing upon relevant background knowledge. ¨ Skills and Strategies o Skills – we develop and acquire during the process; automatic; linguistic processing abilities that are relatively automatic in their use – e.g. word recognition skill, syntactic processing skill. o Strategies ê a set of skills under conscious control by the reader. o A lot of strategy use is automatic – e.g. skipping difficult words; reading a second time to establish meaning o Overlaps between skills and strategies ê an emerging skill can become a strategy when used intentionally; a strategy can go ‘underground’ and become a skill ¨ The Reading Process: o Reading as a linguistic process (AttendingàProceduralizingàAutomatizing) o Reading as a meaning-making process o Reading is a purposeful process o Reading is an evaluative process o Reading as an acquisition process (InputàProcessàAcquisitionàOutput) Lecture 2 - Reading strategies instruction ¨ Reading Strategy: o Semantic mapping (A map that visually displays the connections between them) o Know, want to know; learned (KWL) (*Variations: KWPL; KWLQ) o A text-to-self connection o Story Structure / map (ExpositionàConflictàRising ActionàClimaxàFalling ActionàResolution) o Story frame o Graphic organizers o Skimming o Scanning ¨ Procedure of Strategy instruction: ModellingàJoint useàIndependent Use Lecture 3 - Intensive and extensive reading ¨ Intensive reading (IR) – reading in detail with specific learning aims and tasks o to comprehend the text o to determine what language features will get attention in the course ¨ Extensive reading (ER) ê reading for enjoyment and general reading skills o to provide the conditions for meaning-focused input and reading fluency o reading as a source of enjoyment ¨ Texts serve as different purposes: o TALO: text as a linguistic object o TAVI: text as a vehicle of information o TASE: text as a source of enjoyment ¨ 3-phase reading lesson: Pre-reading à While-reading à After(post)-reading ¨ Four dimensions of the classroom that support students’ reading development: o The social dimension o The personal dimension o The cognitive dimension o The knowledge-building dimension Lecture 4 – Assessing Second Language Reading ¨ Assessment of learning assists teachers in using evidence of student learning to assess achievement (also referred toas ‘summative assessment’). It usually occurs at the end of a unit, course or school year, and takes the form of an exam or test to rank or grade students. o to provide judgment of students’ reading performance; for reporting and administrative purposes ¨ Assessment for learning is a process by which assessment information is used by teachers/students to adjust their teaching/learning strategies (also referred to as ‘formative assessment’). It occurs throughout the learning process to inform the planning of future learning. o to promote learning and to improve teaching; to motivate learners; to involve them in the assessment process ¨ Types of comprehension questions: o Literal comprehension o Reorganization o Inference o Prediction o Evaluation o Personal response ¨ Formative assessment of reading: teachers target instruction to students’ learning gaps, i.e. incomplete understanding, misconceptions, partially developed skills, etc. Lecture 5 - Introducing Second Language Writing ¨ Transcribing = writing/typing out. It is the process of converting spoken language or recorded audio into written or digital text (technically writing something) ¨ Composing involves thinking and is a much more complex process than transcribing ¨ Definitions of Writing: o Process of using symbols (letters of the alphabet and punctuation) to communicate, express feelings and thoughts, and make meaning (linguistic and social process) o Involves composing ê generating ideas, planning, outlining, rafting, revising, editing and publishing (cognitive process) o Culminates in a product ê any form of writing (e.g. prose, poetry, a letter, a story) o Can be handwritten or typewritten o Can be traditional (pen-and-paper) or digital ¨ Writing as both process and product o Writing as a product – well established among L2 writing teachers, who tend to use writing as a vehicle for language reinforcement o Writing is also a cognitive process, through which students learn an array of skills, including composing skills ¨ 3 main stages of writing: PlanningàTranslatingàReviewing ¨ 4 stages of the writing process: ComposingàCommunicatingàCraftingàImproving ¨ In a writing classroom: Pre-writingàDraftingàRevisingàEditingàPublishing ¨ Levels of Writing Competence: o Word level o Sentence level o Text level ¨ Writing Competence consists of: o Linguistic competence o Ideational competence o Pragmatic competence o Discourse competence Lecture 6 - Planning for L2 writing instruction ¨ Curriculum: the overall set of courses, objectives, and educational experiences that make up a programme of study (offered by the school or college). ¨ Syllabus: a document that outlines the topics, objectives, and requirements of a particular subject, including the aims and contents of teaching. ¨ Scheme of work: a plan or schedule that outlines what will be covered, which is then separated into unit plans. Lesson plans are then created from unit plans. ¨ Functions of pedagogical materials o Materials for teaching writing – also materials for teaching reading (reading and writing closely connected) o Provide input/ideas for writing o Provide scaffolding with regard to language and text structure o Provide strong and weak examples and sensitize students to criteria for good writing ¨ Authentic Materials: Adaptation may be necessary to ensure the authentic materials are at an appropriate level (i+1) ¨ Commercially Materials: Not a lot of commercially available materials for teaching writing – textbooks do not normally teach students how to write ¨ Writing books mostly for college writing ê e.g. US contexts ¨ Teacher-written materials ê good idea but time-consuming ¨ Student-written materials – can be turned into teaching materials in writing classrooms ¨ Some possible focuses for organizing units of work (each of which comprises a series of lessons): o Themes / topics ê e.g. environmental protection, technology o Genres ê e.g. advertisements, letters of complaint/advice o Contexts / situations ê e.g. applying for a job, responding to an editorial Lecture 7 - Error treatment and writing accuracy ¨ Feedback: information provided by an agent (e.g., teacher, peer, parent, self) regarding aspects of one’s performance or understanding ¨ In writing classrooms, feedback can o provide useful information about students’ strengths and weaknesses in writing o play a pivotal role in promoting learning ¨ Feedback on student writing: o Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) = error correction, error feedback, grammar correction, form- focused feedback o Written Commentary ! written comments on content, organization and other issues o Oral Feedback ! feedback given face to face such as in writing conferences ¨ WCF strategies: o Direct WCF: Teachers provide the student with the correct form o Indirect WCF: Teachers only indicate that the student has made an error without actually correcting it. o Metalinguistic WCF: The student is provided with some form of explicit comment about the nature of the errors they have made. ¨ WCF scope: o Comprehensible WCF: teachers respond to all of the students’ errors o Focused WCF: teachers select specific error types for correction ¨ Electronic Feedback: The teacher indicates an error and provides a hyperlink to a concordance file that provides examples of correct usage. ¨ Reformulation: consists of a native speaker’s reworking of the students’ entire text to make the language seem as native-like as possible while keeping the content of the original text. Lecture 8 - Responding to written work ¨ Feedback on Writing: o Form-Focused: Language Use (WCF) o Meaning-Focused: Content and Organization ¨ Effective WCF: o Effective WCF is focused and selective, rather than detailed, comprehensive and unfocused. o Focused WCF can help developing L2 student writers address the gaps in their written accuracy in a gradual manner one at a time. o WCF strategies have to take account of individual student needs and be adopted to maximize student learning and uptake. o Teachers should broaden their WCF strategies to include those that require students to locate their own errors, where appropriate, instead of locating all errors for students. ¨ Effective Written Commentary: Effective written commentary is clear, text-specific, and action-oriented, with a view to helping students revise their drafts successfully and improve the quality. Teacher comments should be aligned with the learning goals and success criteria. ¨ Disengagement of grade and scores: o If teachers want students to take their feedback seriously, it is important to play down grades/scores so that students can pay exclusive attention to teacher feedback. o Psychologically, grades/scores can create discomfort, induce insecurity, and develop anxiety. ¨ Feedback in multiple-draft classrooms: o For feedback to take effects, it must occur in a writing classroom that values multiple-drafting. o This is commonsensical since feedback given to single/terminal drafts is not going to be taken seriously as students do not have to act upon teacher feedback and revise their writing. ¨ Teacher written feedback is best followed up by face to face conferencing, where students can ask questions and seek clarifications for feedback that they do not fully understand. ¨ Effective feedback: o Not dominated by the teachers; instead students are actively engaged in peer and self-feedback. o Encourages the use of learning resources available to students o Learner-centered and Personalized Lecture 9 - Assessment of L2 writing ¨ Standardized/large-scale assessment: a form of national /cross-national standardized testing that provide a snapshot of learning achievement (E.g. College entrance exam) ¨ Classroom writing assessment: the kind of assessment that can be used as a part of instruction to support and enhance learning”, rather than assessment “used to give grades or to satisfy the accountability demands of an external authority” (E.g. peer feedback and compiling portfolios) ¨ Purposes of assessment: o Assessment of learning: To measure learning outcomes and report judgments (assessment as measurement, teachers are the key assessors) o Assessment for learning: To provide diagnostic, formative assessment and ongoing feedback to improve learning and teaching (assessment in support of learning, both teachers and students are the assessors) o Assessment as learning: To foster students’ ability to become critical analysts of their own learning (assessment as learning to learn, students are the key assessors) ¨ Classroom Assessment: o Can be both formal and informal o Can be both timed and non-timed o Can take place in class and out of class o May involve a variety of writing tasks ¨ Assessment for/as learning strategies: o Provide students with a clear and understandable vision of the learning target o Use examples and models of strong and weak work o Offer regular descriptive feedback o Teach students to self-assess and set goals o Design lessons to focus on one learning target or aspect of quality at a time o Teach students focused revision o Engage students in self-reflection, and let them keep track of and share their learning ¨ Holistic or Analytic Feedback