Interpersonal Communication: What’s in Your Tool Box?

1. Interpersonal Communication: What’s in Your Tool Box? Friday, January 18, 2013 Joshua Cabral Brookwood School, Manchester, MA Massachusetts Foreign Language Association

2. www.activecommunication.wordpress.com

3. Pike, R. W. 1989. Creative Training Techniques Handbook

4. Workshop Objectives • Define and classify communication • tasks and objectives: • Presentational • Interpretive • Interpersonal • Integrate interpersonal goals, tasks and activities into classroom communication objectives

5. Workshop Plan • Characteristics of 3 modes of communication • Tools for encouraging and scaffolding • interpersonal communication and • student confidence. • 3 Modes of Interpersonal Communication • Performance • Transaction • Interaction • Activities and tasks designed to scaffold • speaking objectives and goals

6. Teacher Tool Box

7. Presentational Communication Formal presentation of information and ideas in spoken and written form One-way speaking and writing. Over time students produce more authentic (novel) structures. Novice language learners tend to produce written and spoken language that contains learned patterns.

8. Interpretive Communication One-way listening and reading that does not require a response or reaction in real time. Familiar or unfamiliar context impacts comprehension. Content knowledge often affects successful and accurate comprehension. The ability to read often develops before the ability to comprehend rapid spoken language.

9. Interpersonal Communication Bi-directional oral or written communication between individuals who are in personal contact. Involves interpreting and producing language in real-time and negotiation of meaning. Beginner students often use functional chunks of language that help to initiate and maintain communication. Over time, students rely less on functional chunks and employ their own authentic (novel) language structures.

10. What is the mode of communication? 1. Prepare a poster about your favorite sport. 2. Watch a travel video and jot down places of interest. 3. Talk about what to do on the weekend. 4. Send a letter to an e-pal. 5. Create a graphic organizer for new vocabulary. 6. Create a skit where you buy something in the market. 7. Find out the favorite foods of 4 of your classmates. 8. Read the dialog in the textbook with a partner and modify the information so that it pertains specifically to you. 9. Choose a character from the story the class is reading and respond to the interview questions of a classmates with the persona of the character. 10. Listen to class presentations and write down 2 questions for the presenter.

11. What is the mode of communication? • Small group discussion • Share findings

12. Interpersonal Communication

13. Scaffolding communication Encouraging student confidence

14. Functional Chunks of Language • Students don’t get enough opportunities to use the target language. Teachers do most of the talking.   • Functional Chunks of Language phrases or words that students learn as a chunk without necessarily understanding the structure.  • Students learn where and when to say them (i.e. the function).  • Functional Chunks of Language empower students to use the language early and often. 

15. Functional Chunks of Language • How do you say…in….? • What does …mean in…? • How do you spell…? • I forget my… • Can I borrow a… • I need a … • Can I go to the bathroom. • I’m not feeling well? • What page? • Can you repeat that please? • Can you please say that more slowly? • What is the homework? • Can we start the homework now? • What is the date?

16. Functional Chunks of Language

17. Language Ladders • Words or phrases that are linked together because of a common function or meaning.  • Similar way to Functional Chunks, but with variety and choice.  • Various possibilities and students choose depending on how they feel about a topic or how formal or informal they should be with the language that they are using.  • Offer students an opportunity to personalize their language. 

18. Language Ladders • Language Ladder that students can access to say why they don’t have their homework: • I was very busy with other homework • I was very tired • I did not feel well/I was sick • I had to go out with my family • I did not understand the directions • I forgot my book in school • I wrote down the wrong assignment • I had a late sports practice • My dog ate it

19. Fluency and Accuracy • Fluency: • The natural use of language that occurs when a speaker takes part in meaningful interaction. • Maintains communication despite inaccuracy.  • Require negotiation of meaning and addresses misunderstandings. • Accuracy: • Focuses on creating correct of language use and structure.

20. Fluency and Accuracy • Fluency-Focused Activities: • Reflect natural use of language • Focus on achieving communication • Focus on meaningful use of language • Employ communication strategies • Do not use predictable language • Link language use to context • Accuracy-Focused Activities: • Focus on correct examples of language • Use language out of context • Focus on producing small amounts of language • Don’t focus on meaningful communication • Dictate language structures and vocabulary

21. Fluency and Accuracy • There is a place for both types of activities in the foreign language classroom. • Traditional teaching methods have focused more attention on accuracy of language at the expense of fluency. • In the communicative language classroom instruction should provide a balanced approach that gives students opportunities to build fluency, while at the same time tending to the accuracy of their language.

22. Target Language Use • Students often revert to their native language when doing group work.  Consider the following when creating activities. • Is the activity at the right level for the students? • Are all the students actively involved and is the activity stimulating and of interest to the group and individual students? • Is the timing of the activity hindering the execution? • Are students using the target language even when they know the teacher is not listening?

23. Assessment

24. Assessment + ✓ ✓ + John C. 18 + ✓ ✓ −

26. Modes of Interpersonal Communication Performance • Public, prepared Transaction • Give or receive provided information Interaction • Turn-taking, unprepared

27. Performance Activities Active Communication in the Global Classroom • Prepared • Free-writing • Mapping

29. Performance Activities: Presentations • Open House • Sales pitch

30. Transaction Activities-Large Group • Give or receive provided information Twins

31. Active Communication in the Global Classroom Twin Template

32. Active Communication in the Global Classroom

33. Active Communication in the Global Classroom Nous/Nosotros Je/Yo Tu/Tú Vous/ Usted Elles/Ellas Il/Él

34. Active Communication in the Global Classroom

35. Active Communication in the Global Classroom

37. X X X X X X X X X X X X

39. Transaction Activities-Pair

42. Transaction Activities Active Communication in the Global Classroom Guess What

43. Active Communication in the Global Classroom Transaction Activities X X X X X X X X X X X X

44. Active Communication in the Global Classroom Transaction Activities

45. Active Communication in the Global Classroom Transaction Activities

46. Active Communication in the Global Classroom Transaction Activities

47. Transaction Activities Active Communication in the Global Classroom Search and Find

48. Transaction Activities Search and Find

49. Transaction Activities

50. Transaction Activities