Literacy and Reading in a different language

1. Literacy and Reading in a different language Dr. Christine Biebricher International Languages Exchanges and Pathways (ILEP)

2. Who and why? International Languages Exchanges and Pathways MoE Contracted by Support for language learning in all NZ schools Purpose: make schools and principals aware of available support

3. Available support ILEP International languages Exchanges and Pathways

4. National Advisors (for Chi, Fr, Ger, Jap, Spa) Intercultural Programmes (~12 programmes) International Languages Exchanges and Pathways Future Opportunities Stage Support for leadership development in LL community Sustainability Stage Immersion experiences & scholarships Consolidation Stage Support through National Advisors & Language Assistants Intensive Stage Teachers participate in PLD programmes Initiation Stage Needs analysis & establish PLD support for schools & teachers The PLD pathway for New Zealand language teachers Language Assistants (~21 for Fr, Ger, Spa) ILEP programmes TPDL Teacher Professional Development Languages (up to 20 Pasifika + up to 60 Chi, Fr, Ger, Jap, Spa) MoE LIAs Language Immersion Awards (15 students +26 teachers) Mandarin Language Assistants 12 funded through MoE + 10 funded through Confucious Institute in AKL Other Ministry-funded LL programmes

5. Literacy What is literacy?

6. Literacy Images: http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/peachcrest/images/children-reading.gif; http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/07/01/article-1030709-01CE206200000578-703_468x304.jpg http://www.funkidslive.com/wp-content/uploads/gruffalo1.jpg • Literacy is the ability to understand, respond to, and use those forms of language required by society and valued by individuals and communities (NZC, adapted from UNESCO definition)

7. ‘Language teachers do not only teach a language, they also teach about language as a concept, and about communication, context and culture… Second language learning is therefore a resource for enhancing literacy, not a problem for acquiring literacy.’ (Liddicoat 2001, 15)

8. Reading in a different language

9. Reading • Processes involved • Interactive Reading

10. Reading Comprehension • We need to perceive and decode letters in order to read words. • We need to understand all the words in order to understand the meaning of a text. • The more symbols (letters or words) there are in a text, the longer it will take to read it. • Our understanding of a text comes from understanding the words of which it is composed. • We gather meaning from what we read. (Ur 1996, p. 138) • Do you agree?

11. Reading Comprehension

12. Reading Comprehension

13. Reading Comprehension

14. Reading Comprehension Read the following text quickly and see if you can understand it. Reesacrh at a uinevrtisy in Egnlnad has sohwn taht the oerdr of the ltteers in a wrod is not ipmotrant. As lnog as the fsrit and lsat ltteers are in the crrocet palce, the rset can be mxied up and you can sitll udnertsand. The raeson is taht poelpe dno`t raed all the ltteers individaully but raed the wrod as a wohle.

15. Reading Comprehension You can read this text and the individual words but can you understand it? Example (1): The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange things into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient, depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities that is the next step, otherwise you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do few things at once than too many. In the short run this may not seem important, but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to see any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future, but then one can never tell. After the procedure is completed, one arranges the materials into different groups again. Then they can be used once more, and the whole cycle will then have to be repeated. However, that is part of life. (Adapted from Nunan, D. (1991): Language Teaching Methodology)

16. Reading Comprehension How we read and understand written texts: We can read and understand words (even if we can’t decode their letters) because of their meaningful context. We don’t need to understand all words to understand a text in order to make sense of the whole. It depends on the number of sense units in a text how long it takes us to read.

17. Bottom-up view

18. Top-down view

19. bottom-up and top-down processes The understanding of a text (= construction of meaning) is a combination of bottom-up-processes (decoding and understanding words, phrases, sentences) and top-down processes (our expectations and previous knowledge)

20. Interactive approaches • Most researchers accept some version of an interactive model of reading • Communication between bottom-up and top-down processes

21. Reading in a different language What is different/difficult? How can you support your learners to read in L2? What motivates you to read in a different language (or in L1)?

22. How can we support literacy development in L2? Begin to use new language to join activities and use classroom phrases Establish literacy routines Teach skills in context of purposeful, meaningful communication Social skills and interactions (respond with interest, listen, encourage working cooperatively with others)

23. Howcanwesupportliteracydevelopment? Show picture books, explain Give opportunities to talk about what is read Provide a print-rich environment Daily story time A rich oral language environment Pressure-free experimentation with writing/reading Create interest and motivation in reading

24. Support literacy and reading Successful reading experience Familiar vocabulary Interesting tasks Encourage scanning Provide a variety of texts and tasks

25. Resources

26. www.betterchinese.com

28. Interactive Reading

29. Reading Task in language groups

30. Post-reading Write in your diary as Jasmine or the girl from Japan You are a boy in the Japanese girl’s new class. Write in your diary. Draw how you feel after your first day in the new country Create a frozen/static image Imagine you see Jasmine and her exchange student. What would you think? You want to get to know Jasmine’s exchange student. In groups of 3 make a conversation.

31. While-post-readingactivities • frozen image • Mime a scene from the text • Creating dialogues between characters • Dialogues between characters using a mediator • Acting of scenes • Adapting the story to our time • Moving a character into a different context/time • Experimenting with different ways of reading a text • Reading out a text with background noises or music reflecting the atmosphere or the feelings of the characters Text-productive interpretation • Drawing/painting pictures of the whole texts or of chosen parts • Creating a collage about the text • Creating the story as graph including words, sentences or pictures • Imagination exercise • Developing a quiz about a text • Writing diary entries, letters, thoughts • Pretending to be part of the story (continuation) • Transforming the text into different genre • Changing the perspective, rewrite chapter/scene • Prequel/Sequel Dramatic interpretation Visual interpretation Audio interpretation

32. References Maynard, S. (2012). Teaching Foreign Languages in the Primary School. London: Routledge. Nunan, D. (2004). Task-based Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tomlinson, B. (2000). Beginning to Read Forever: a position paper. Reading in a Foreign Language, 13 (1), 523-538.