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From the Text to the B est : Adapting and Expanding Textbooks for Greater Cultural Relevance and Communicative Language Teaching. By: Amy E. Lingenfelter English Language Fellow 2013-14. “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t force him to drink” – Old English adage
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From the Text to the Best: Adapting and Expanding Textbooks for Greater Cultural Relevance and Communicative Language Teaching By: Amy E. Lingenfelter English Language Fellow 2013-14
“You can lead a horse • to water, but you can’t • force him to drink” • – Old English adage • How does this • adage apply to • teaching? • Why would a • horse die of • thirst? About Teaching:
The wind blows the dandelions throughout the field, and some seeds stick and grow into flowers. Other seeds do not. • Note: one seed that sticks and grows into a flower is better than none at all! About Teaching:
“My students! That’s the only reason that I am working. I am working for them because I want them to improve. I want them to learn.” • – Recent GO TEACHER participant • Could you add to and improve this statement? • There are people who teach • to live, and those who live to • teach. Which are you? Do you have • “heart?” About Teaching:
We don’t get pleasure from other people’s pleasure IF we’re suffering while helping others. You make others happy when you’re happy. • We must enjoy what we’re teaching and make it meaningful to both ourselves and to our students. • If you TEACH FOR YOURSELF, FOR THE MOMENT AND THE JOY OF IT, the rest will follow! • Remember: teaching is a 50/50 effort! About Teaching:
Teaching/Classroom Challenges: • Limited time • Limited resources • Lack of technology • Textbooks are “boring” • Curriculum is not relevant to Ecuadorian students’ real, everyday lives • Lack of respect from school • administration and • other forces “in charge”
Teaching/Classroom Challenges: • Lack of respect from society, parents, even students • Student behavior problems • Excessively large class sizes that make Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) difficult • It’s so easy to take the “easy way out!” • How do we save time and money, and still deliver the best lessons possible?
Cultural Bias: Which is the “best” answer to the following question?
Cultural Bias: Which is the “best” answer to the following question? Tall is to short as:a. Orange is to blue b. Black is to white c. Green is to white d. Neon yellow is to gray
Cultural Bias: Which is the “best” answer to the following question?
Culturally biased, too “gringo,” and topics are irrelevant to students’ real needs and lives in Ecuador • Layout is overwhelming, poorly organized, and/or boring to the eye • Not enough practice or independent activities • Not student-centered • Not enough focus on oral communication/conversation skills Challenges with Some Textbooks:
Too much emphasis on grammar, reading, and writing • Not enough supporting visuals to contextualize what it’s teaching Challenges with Some Textbooks:
How can I make this more practical, meaningful, and relevant to my students’ actual, everyday lives in Ecuador? Can they relate? • Who made these materials? Are they culturally biased? • Do students have prior background knowledge (content/skills) to understand and complete these tasks successfully? Things to Consider when Using Materials Somebody Else Made:
Does it allow for pair/group work? • Does it maximize student speaking time and “keep them talking?” • Does it involve and keep engaged the maximum amount of students possible? • Does it involve speaking and writing practice of grammar? • “A picture tells 1000 words:” are there are enough supporting visuals? Things to Consider when Using Materials Somebody Else Made:
Does it give students a choice and some learning independence? • IF there is cultural bias, can you also use that as an opportunity to teach about English-speaking CULTURES? • For example, for Unit 2, pg. 18 “Your Daily Routine:” compare/contrast the North American breakfast with the typical Ecuadorian breakfast Things to Consider when Using Materials Somebody Else Made:
Use pre-made, or draw on the board, graphic organizers whenever you can • For example: • http://peopleleap.com/resources/documents/ > “Writing Skills/Assignments > “Comparing-Contrasting T-Chart Template” • Gestures and body language also go a long way! Things to Consider when Using Materials Somebody Else Made:
COMPARING AND CONTRASTING TWO THINGS ITEM A: ITEM B: Example of Compare/Contrast Graphic Organizer:
Example Lesson: “Postcards”Book 1B 2nd Edition, Unit 6, pg. 54Grammar Focus: Teaching Simple Past • What’s missing from the blue “Grammar Focus” box? • What may confuse students about the “Practicing Grammar” section that wasn’t covered right before? • Is there cultural bias in the photos on this page? (Think of your students) • Are there enough visuals provided? • What should I write on the board or “copy” that’s already in the book?
Example Lesson: “Postcards”Book 1B 2nd Edition, Unit 6, pg. 54Grammar Focus: Teaching Simple Past • Are there enough opportunities for students to work collaboratively and practice their communication (speaking and listening) skills? • What do I need to pre-teach? What background knowledge do students need to understand this? • What do I need to do to alleviate and clarify these issues?
Adding pronoun and indirect object “it” to the box and giving several examples of what “it” represents (e.g. “days of the week) and provide example sentences • Pre-teach “there is/are/was/were” • Pre-teach or do a vocabulary lesson on professional roles/labels/titles • Pre-teach or do a vocabulary lesson on personality adjectives Possible Ways to Supplement and Expand on the Activity:
Expand on people in pictures and recreate the activity using famous people in the past known to Ecuadorian students • Make it more fun! Do a guessing game both with famous people and the students in the class • Make the connection between present simple and past simple of “be” (current famous people and past who are now dead). Possible Ways to Supplement and Expand on the Activity:
ANSWER: Usually not, unless there are no other alternatives and it would be extremely time-consuming to explain in English • It should be used as a last resort after attempting other ways to explain it! • Alternatives: • Think about how you learned your first language: contextualized!! • Contextualize a word or grammar point and give it MEANING Is it EVER OK to Translate?
For example: To teach the word “compassionate” do the following to contextualize the word: • Give synonyms in English (kind, tender, sympathetic, understanding) • Give antonyms (cruel, unkind, heartless) • Use in a sentence/s • Give examples of what a person does when they are being compassionate • Show pictures or photos!! Is it EVER OK to Translate?
Have students draw a picture • Teacher or students act out facial expressions • Yes, there are times when it saves time, but is the end result worth it? Will students retain the information? • Age, level, educational attainment, and learning preferences are a factor (they can justify native language use at times) Is it EVER OK to Translate?
BE AWARE OF FALSE COGNATES, for example: • “Realize” vs. “realizar” • “Estoy embarazada” vs. “I’m • embarrassed” • “Actualmente” vs. “Actually” • Use graphic organizers for vocabulary • Website Resources: http://peopleleap.com/resources/documents/ > Reading Skills/Vocabulary Example Mini-Lesson: “Personality Adjectives”
1. “I am(adjective)because I ________.” • Example: “I am cautious because I • think before I do things.” • OR . . . • 2. “(Person/name) is(adjective)because • he/she _________.” • Example: “My mother is friendly because she talks to everybody.” Example Mini-Lesson: “Descriptive Personality Adjectives”
3. “My ideal (best friend / significant • other) is(adjective) because • ________.” • Example: “My ideal husband is organized because I don’t like extra work in the house.” Example Mini-Lesson: “Descriptive Personality Adjectives”
1. “I want to be a (profession) when I grow upbecause I like ________.” • Example: “I want to be a doctorbecause I like to help people.” • OR . . . • 2. “(Person/name) wants to be a (profession) because he/she likes ________.” • Example: “My brother wants to be a singer because he likes to sing.” Example Mini-Lesson: “Professions”
Famous People: Guess Who? Reviewing Simple Present of “Be” PRESENT: This person is an talentedsinger. This person is a seriousbodybuilder. This person is an athleticsoccer/ football player. This person is a talkativenewscaster. This person is an intelligentpolitician. This person is a good-lookingmusician.
PRESENT: • Juan Fernando Velasco • Alexandra Escobar • Antonio Valencia • Tania Tinoco • Rafeal Vicente Correa Delgado • Gerardo Morán Example Mini-Lesson: “Professions”
Famous People: Guess Who? Reviewing Simple Past of “Be” PAST: This person was a bravegeneral. This person was a creativeartist. These people werehardworkingfootball/soccer players. This person was an independent female doctor. This person was a compassionatenun. This person was a funnyactor. These people weren’timaginativeartists.
PAST: • Simón Bolívar • Oswaldo Guayasamin • Chucho Benitez • Matilde Hidalgo de Prócel • Mother Theresa • Ernesto Alban Gomez “Don Evaristo” Example Mini-Lesson: Famous People
Past Simple “Be:” Singular & Plural PAST: Simon Bolivar ______ a general. Simon Bolivar and his lover, Manuel Saenz, ______ liberators for Latin America. Mother Theresa ______ an artist. Antonio Valencia and Chucho Benitez ______ women. Matilde Hidalgo de Prócel ______ the first female doctor in Ecuador.
