Portfolio for Practicum course

in TESOL MA

Noh DahyeonSookmyung Women’s university

Graduate School of TESOL1341305

Noh DahyeonⅠ. Introduction

1

Ⅱ. Foundation - Teaching philosophy- Resume- Certificates

Ⅲ. First Part: MA program- MA courses taken- Outcomes

Ⅳ. Second Part: Practicum- Lesson plans- Materials- Reflections- Mid-term exam- Needs analysis

Ⅴ. Third Part: Research- Action research

Ⅵ. Future planⅠ. Introduction

This portfolio is to show what I have achieved and improved in Sookmyung

Women’s University MA TESOL program studies. Through this program, I learned a 2

various theoretical and practical teaching background under Professors of Stephen

van Vlack, Diane Rozells, Levi McNeil and Namjoon Kang.

I enrolled in this MA program to learn more about how the language should

be taught ad learned so as to be more effective language teacher in second

language classroom.

I realized that many theories and practical teaching skills have been

organized in this program, and I have improved my teaching skills as well as

broadened my teaching background especially I practicum course.

Thank you to all the professors and classmates for making my professional

experiences at Sookmyung Women’s University meaningful and enjoyable.

Ⅱ. Foundation- Teaching philosophy

This part shows what I believe in teaching and learning as a teacher as well

as a learner, at the same time.3

The philosophy of teaching

If there’s one thing I deeply believe about teaching, is that teaching can be

most effective when the teacher gives proper helps and advice to students who

really want to learn about something from their teachers. Based on my learning

experience, I have learned a lot from the teachers whom I liked compared to the

other teachers to whom I didn’t have any emotional reaction. As a teacher, I have felt

like that I’m also more passionate to teach students who respond to the class

actively and continuously. Since teaching and learning take place at the same time

through continuous interaction between teachers and learners, teachers always take

care of their students’ diverse aspects of purposes, goal and learning strategies

which can affect their learning a lot.

First, I believe that the most important step in making my class effective is

understanding my students. As I am a TOEIC teacher who helps students to prepare

the test as well as study English, especially grammar and vocabulary, I already know

most of them are not really interested in learning English as a language for

interacting with others in the real world. However, on the other hand, that means I

already comprehend their top priority in studying English. Although I want to teach

English in many aspects like grammar, vocabulary, collocations and idioms, I also

take care of teaching them the tips for preparing the test and getting higher scores.

Usually, I try to mix two aspects in my class. While letting them acknowledge some

useful test-taking tips, it is another goal for me to deliver language knowledge as

planned prior to the class.

Another important aspect of teaching is to make fun class. To make the class

more fun and enjoyable for students, I usually use my personal experience a lot. By

sharing similar experiences and difficulties in language learning, I want them to gain

confidence in their ability to learn English. Popular movies, songs and in fashion are

also helpful to make them concentrate on the language item we are dealing with.

4

Some specific and fun examples are easy to remember and recall when taking the

exam, so I make my own repertoire relevant to the language items.

Lastly, as a teacher, I try to make my students interested in learning English, not only

for the TOEIC exam. Considering my own experience, even though I started learning

English to take the TOEIC exam in order to graduate from university, my interest in

English extended to speaking, and even language teaching. Once learners get a

certain amount of language knowledge and confidence in some aspects, it can be

possible for them to feel more motivated to learn English in speaking or writing. I

believe that the more I let them know the importance and pleasure of studying

English as a language by stimulating them, the more they are getting interested in

language learning in the future.

Although it is not easy to make students interested in learning English or enjoy

themselves during the class, I think there are ways of achieving this. Through

making my interesting and memorable for, students can be motivated in language

learning as well as test preparation. If I show students my passion and interests in

teaching them throughout the class, they can get not only language knowledge and

tips for the test, but also confidence and interest in language learning.

Ⅱ. Foundation- Resume

This part shows my career and information as a teacher. It includes my

personal contact information, career path including specific duties, educational

background.

5

Noh, Da HyeonShin boo dong, Cheon an, Korea

010-4470-1217(cell)dahyeonnoh@gmail.com

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

TOEIC Instructor

Test4u Language Institute, Cheon-an, Korea

September, 2013 – Present

Teach students who are elementary learners of English Offer consultation which helps students decide how to study and

take the TOEIC exam Administer the official TOEIC exam monthly Teach the supplementary classes (Practice TOEIC, Basic grammar

class, Listening class)

Student AdviserTest4u Language Institute, Cheon-an, Korea April, 2009 – February, 2013

Counselled students who want to know what lectures they could attend given their level, and explained lectures’ features and contents of lectures

Conducted simple tests for selecting the appropriate lectures Advised students about effective ways to study English for the

TOEIC test Scheduled lectures with other teachers

EDUCATION

MA TESOL graduate schoolSookmyung Women’s University, Seoul, South KoreaMarch, 2013 – Expected completion: Aug, 2015

Bachelor of Human Management in Industrial ManagementKorea University of Technology and EducationFebruary, 2012

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES

TESOL Certificate6

Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul, South KoreaAugust, 2012 – December, 2012

Industrial Engineer Office Automation licenseHuman Resources Development Service of KoreaMay, 2011

LANGUAGE ABILITY

TOEIC: 990January, 2015Ⅱ. Foundation

- Certificate

This part shows my certification in educational field. It includes Sookmyung

TESOL certificate program and Sookmyung university graduate school.

7

Ⅲ. First Part: MA program- MA courses taken

In this part, I described the course, Second Language Learning Theories,

which I was most interested in during the MA course. As I was initially interested in

second language learning theories before studying in MA course, the class was

really helpful for me to get a good idea about the language learning in itself. The

class covered the overall big issues in SLA filed, such as memory system, language

transfer, or language processing and so on. Taking that class was useful for me as a

language teacher as well as a language learner. The syllabus for the course

suggests the mainly covered issues which I had studied.

Stephen van Vlack Sookmyung

Women’s University Graduate School of TESOL

Second Language Learning Theories Syllabus - Fall 2013

Week 1; September 6 - Introductions

Introductions to the course, to the materials, assignments, and everything else. In

this the first week of the class we introduce the theme of second language learning.

We will discuss the brief history of SLA as a separate field of study and the

approaches taken in SLA. As a means of showing how SLA often works, we will go

over `Milestones in Motor and Language Development` From Language Files 8, pp.

278-280 and see how we can interpret the data presented there. Talk about initial

reactions to the summer reading book (Griffiths, 2008).

8

Homework: Read Finish the Summer Reading Project.

Week 2; September 13 – L1 versus L2 learning

Transfer Summer reading project due We start our exploration of issues in second

language learning by exploring the controversies surrounding the differences and

similarities between first and second, what I like to term subsequent, language

learning. This week we look specifically at the idea of transfer. We will examine the

early studies focusing on negative transfer, but will focus out attention on the more

recent studies of positive transfer. The basic idea is that subsequent language

learning is fundamentally different from first language learning in that there is a

wealth of knowledge already in place that can and should be transferred. This

means, in theory, that learning and additional language should be easier than the

first one. It also means that we cannot and should not teach a second language

without consideration of the other language(s) a learner has.

Readings: Wardhaugh, R. (1970). The contrastive analysis hypothesis. TESOL

Quartlerly 4(2): 123-130. Gomez, C. and R. Reason. (2002). Cross-linguistic transfer

of phonological skills: A Malaysian perspective. Dyslexia 8: 2-33. Odlin, T. (2002).

Language transfer and cross-linguistic studies: Relativism, universalism, and the

native language. In R. Kaplan. (ed.). The Oxford handbook of applied linguistics.

Oxford: OUP, pp. 253-261. Paradis, J and M. Crago. (2003). What can SLI tell us

about transfer in SLA? Proceedings of the 6th Generative Approaches to Second

Language Acquisition Conference (GASLA 2002). Retrieved on July 5, 2013 from:

http://www.lingref.com/cpp/gasla/6/paper1047.pdf. Pavlenko, A. and S. Jarvis.

(2002). Bidirectional transfer. Applied Linguistics 23(2): 190-214. Crompton, P.

(2011). Article errors in the English writing of advanced L1 Arabic learners: The role

of transfer. Asian EFL Journal. Professional Teaching Articles 50: 4-34.

Week 3; September 20 – L1 versus L2 learning: Innateness (Holiday – class to be

rescheduled)

This week we explore the idea of innateness as being one of the chief differences

between L1 and L2 learning. The idea of innateness is closely tied into the concept

of Universal Grammar (UG). In our discussion we will, therefore, look first at the 9

different proposals regarding possible access to UG in subsequent language

learning. We will also look briefly at modern proposals regarding UG and its possible

role in L2 learning. This centers around a discussion of Chomsky’s proposed

differences between i-language and e-language. Finally, we question the idea of

innateness for language in general.

Readings: Chomsky, N. (1986). Knowledge of language. Westport, CN.: Praeger, pp.

19-24. Cook, V. and M. Newson. (1996). Chomsky’s universal grammar (2nd

Edition). Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 291-297. Kanno, K. (1998). Consistency and

variation in second language acquisition. Second Language Research 14(4): 376-

388. Hawkins, R. (2001). The theoretical significance of Universal Grammar in

second language acquisition. Second language Research 17(4): 345-367. Gopnik,A.

(2003). The theory theory as and alternative to the innateness hypothesis. In L.

Antony and N. Hornstein (eds.). Chomsky and his critics. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 238-

254. Bybee, J. (2010). Language, usage and cognition. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press, pp. 1- 13. Additional readings (optional): Evers, A. and J. van

Kampen. (n.d.). E-language, I-language and the order of parameter setting.

Retrieved July 5, 2013 from:

http://www.hum.uu.nl/medewerkers/j.vankampen/downloadables/Syntax.pdf.

Hawkins, R. and C. Chan. (1997). The partial availability of Universal Grammar in

second language acquisition: The ‘failed feature hypothesis’. Second Language

Research 13(3): 187- 226.

Week 4; September 27 – L1 versus L2 learning: Age effects

This week we go over the issue of age related issues in second language learning.

Age issues are often thought to be limited to the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH),

but, as recent research has shown, the CPH is largely disproven in its strong from.

Age effects are an undeniable variable, but they are both positive and negative and

like almost everything else we find in our exploration of the phenomenon of language

learning highly variable. The variable of age is being included in this course not just

because it is an important issue worldwide but because there is a large amount of

misunderstanding about age effects in large part because people have taken the

CPH at face value and not read more up to date treatments of the issue. 10

Readings: Krashen. S. (1975). The critical period for language acquisition and its

possible bases. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 263: 211-224.

Singleton, D. (1995). Introduction: A critical look at the critical period hypothesis in

second language acquisition research. In D. Singleton and Z. Lengyel (eds.) The age

factor in second language acquisition. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, pp. 1-29.

Bialystok, E. (1997). The structure of age: In search of barriers to second language

acquisition. Second Language Research 13(2): 116-137. Tomiyama, M. (2000) Child

second language attrition: A longitudinal case study. Applied Linguistics 21/3: 304-

332. Piske, T. I. MacKay and J. Flege. (2001). Factors affecting degree of foreign

accent in an L2: A review. Journal of Phonetics 29: 191-215. Hyltenstam, K. and N.

Abrahamsson. (2003). Maturational constraints in SLA. In A. Davies and C. Elder.

(eds.). The handbook of applied linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 539-588.

Cheswick, B. and P. Miller. (2008). A test for the critical period hypothesis for

language learning. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 29(19): 16-

29.

Week 5; October 4 – Systems integration

This week we approach the very important issue of how different aspects of linguistic

systems are integrated or separated as the case may be. Essentially, we are looking

at the major issue of whether language is a strictly modular system or an integrated

one. Discussing this issue means that we need to consider the relationship between

different aspects of language (syntax and pragmatics, for example), language and

other cognitive functions, and also between different languages in people with more

than one. This is a central and highly contentious issue that underscores major

differences in how languages are thought of, studied, and taught/learned. It is,

therefore, very important to us as teachers and possible researchers in language.

Readings: Foster-Cohen, S. (1996). Modularity and principles and parameters:

Avoiding the ‘cognitive’ugly’. First Language 16(1): 1-19. Ellis, N. (1998)

Emergentism, connectionism and language learning. Language Learning 48(4): 631-

664. Lardiere, Donna. (2000). Mapping features to forms in second language

acquisition. In J. Archibald. (Ed.) Second language acquisition and linguistic theory.

Oxford: Blackwell. pp. 102-129. Selinker, L., D. Kim, and S. Bandi-Rao. (2004) 11

Linguistic structure with processing in second language research: Is a `unified

theory` possible? Second Language Research 20(1): 77-94. Zareva, A. (2010).

Multicompetence and L2 users’ associative links: Being unlike nativelike.

International Journal of Applied Linguistics 20(1): 2-22.

Week 6; October 11 – Memory systems (processes)

This week we begin our first of two weeks looking at the issue of memory in second

language learning. We week we focus on the processes of memory and how they

are involved in the second language learning process. Encoding memories is not just

something that happens in the way the teacher would like. There are many different

stages and aspects related to the encoding of memories and each of them plays an

important role in the entire process. It is therefore important for language teachers to

develop ideas about these processes. After all, for something to be learned it needs

to be stored in memory in one way or another.

Readings: Hulstijn, J and R. Schmidt. (eds). (1994). Consciousness in second

language learning. AILA Review 11. Retrieved on July 2, 2013 from

http://www.aila.info/download/publications/review/AILA11.pdf#page=27. Terry, W.

(2000). Learning and memory (3rd Edition). Boston: Pearson, pp. 193-219. Hulstijn,

J. (2002). Towards a unified account of the representation, processing and

acquisition of second language knowledge. Second Language Research 18, 3: 193-

223. Schneider, V., A. Healey, and L. Bourne. (2002). What is learned under difficult

conditions is hard to forget: Contextual interference effects in foreign language

vocabulary acquisition, retention and transfer. Journal of Memory and Language 46:

419-440. Robinson, P. (2003). Attention and memory during SLA. In A. Davies and

C. Elder. (eds.). The handbook of applied linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 631-678.

Egi, T. (2004). Verbal reports, noticing, and SLA research. Language Awareness

13(4): 243-264.

Week 7; October 18 – Memory systems (types)

This week we go over the different types of memory system and their effects on the

second language learning process. The basic idea is that the different types of

memory function differently, even though they affect each other as seen in the 12

previous week. Each one has its own functions (purposes) and ways of working. It,

therefore, behooves language teachers to develop a basic understanding of these

different systems and how they work so we can help our students learn better.

Readings: Masoura, E. and S. Gathercole. (1998). Phonological short-term memory

and foreign language learning. International Journal of Phonology 34(5/6): 383-388.

Hulstijn, J. and B. Laufer. (2001). Some empirical evidence for the involvement load

hypothesis in vocabulary acquisition. Language Learning 51(3): 539-558. Kail, R.

and L. Hall. (2001). Distinguishing short-term from working memory. Memory and

Congition 29(1): 1-9. Baddeley, A. (2003). Working memory and language: An

overview. Journal of Communication Disorders 36: 189-208. Blumenfield, R. and C.

Ranganath. (2007). Prefrontal cortex and long-term memory encoding: An integrative

review of findings from neuropsychology and neuroimaging. The Neuroscientist

13(3): 280-291. Kormos, J. and A. Sáfár. (2008). Phonological short-term memory,

working memory and foreign language performance in intensive language learning.

Bilingualism: Language and Cognition 11(2): 261-271.

Week 8; October 25 Reading Week

This is your chance to catch up on missed work and to prepare for the mid-term

project. Use this time well.

Week 9; November 1 – Personality Midterm project due

This week we look at the issue of personality in language learning. Personality is a

complex construct composed of many different aspects and with many different

variables. In second language learning personality factors have been linked to

success or failure. Such aspects as anxiety, degree of introversion and learning

styles can have a large effect on how our students perform in the class.

Readings: MacIntyre, P and C. Charos. (1996). Personality, attitudes, and affect as

predictors of second language communication. Journal of Language and Social

Psychology 15(3): 3-26. Dewaele, J. and A. Furnham. (2000). Personality and

speech production: A pilot study of second language learners. Personality and

Individual Differences 28: 355-365. Robinson, P. (2001). Individual differences,

cognitive abilities, aptitude complexes and learning conditions in second language 13

acquisition. Second Language Research 17(4): 368-392. Norton, B. and K. Toohey.

(2002). Identity and language learning. In R. Kaplan. (ed.). The Oxford handbook of

applied linguistics. Oxford: OUP, pp. 115-123. Dörnyei, Z. and P. Skehan. (2003).

Individual differences in second language learning. In C. Doughty and M. Long.

(eds.). The handbook of second language acquisition. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 589-

630. Ehrman, M., B. Leaver, and R. Oxford. (2003). A brief overview of individual

differences in second language learning. System 31: 313-330. Woodrow, L. (2006).

Anxiety and speaking English as a second language. RELC Journal 37(3): 308-328.

Week 10; November 8 - Motivation

Continuing our discussion from the previous week, we review some of the basic

theories and practices related to motivation. Many people consider motivation the

key factor in getting learners to succeed in the language, but research has shown

that motivation is a rather difficult concept to pin down.

Readings: Dörnyei, Z. (2003). Attitudes, orientations and motivations in language

learning: Advances in theory, research, and applications. Language Learning

53(Issue S1): 3-32. Masgoret, A. and R. Gardner. (2003). Attitudes, motivation and

second language learning: A metaanalysis of studies conducted by Gardner and

associates. Language learning 53(1): 123-163. Csizér, K and Z. Dörnyei. (2005). The

internal structure of language learning motivation and its relationship with language

choice and learning effect. The Modern Language Journal 89: 19-36. Farver, S.

(2011). Motivation in second language learning. The Journal of Multiculturalism in

Education 7: 1-8.

Week 11; November 15 - Metacognition

This week we take a look at the idea of Metacognition in second language learning.

We use the term metacognition here as a blanket term to encompass a wide rage of

reported phenomenon from awareness to strategies use. Many theorists believe that

there is a strong link between awareness and success in SLA and particularly in

more formal foreign language learning situations. We discuss awareness as both

from the receptive and productive sides.

Readings: Oxford, R. (1989). Use of language learning strategies: A synthesis of 14

studies with implications for strategy training. System 17(2): 235-247. Goh, C.

(1997). Metacognitive awareness and second language listeners. ELT Journal 51(4):

361- 369. Bardovi-Harlig, K. and Z. Dörnyei. (1998). Do language learners recognize

pragmatic violations? Pragmatic versus grammatical awareness in instructed L2

learning. TESOL Quarterly 32(2): 233-259. Jessner, U. (1999). Metalinguistic

awareness in multilinguals: Cognitive aspects of third language acquisition.

Language Awareness 8(3/4): 201-209. Rosa, E. and R. Leow. (2004). Awareness,

different learning conditions, and second language development. Applied

Psycholinguistics 25(2): 269-292. Goh, C. (2008). Metacognitive instruction for

second language listening development: Theory, practice and research implications.

RELC Journal 39(2): 188-213.

Week 12; November 22 - Input

This week we go over the idea of input and question whether comprehensible input

is enough. Certainly input is a necessary aspect of learning anything and especially

language, but the question is whether input (even good input) is enough. This leads

to the further question of what type and how much input is necessary.

Readings: Neuman, S. and P. Koskinen. (1992). Captioned television as

comprehensible input: Effects of incidental word learning from context for language

minority students. Reading Research Quarterly 27(1): 94-106. Krashen, S. (1998).

Comprehensible output? System 26: 175-182. Oh, S. (2001). Two types of input

modification and EFL reading comprehension: Simplification versus elaboration.

TESOL Quarterly 35(1): 69-96. Matsumura, S. (2003). Modeling the relationships

among interlanguage pragmatic development, L2 proficiency, and exposure to L2.

Applied Linguistics 24(4): 465-491. Rodrigo, V., So. Krashen, and B. Gribbons.

(2004). The effectiveness of two comprehensible-input approaches to foreign

language instruction at the intermediate level. System 32: 53-60.

Week 13; November 29 – Language processing

This week we take a look at the issue of information processing. In many ways this

ties in to the discussion of memory in that in SLA theory the main focus on

information processing is for noticing and encoding forms into long-term memory. 15

Readings: Myles, F. (1995). Interaction between linguistic theory and language

processing in SLA. Second Language Research 11(3): 235-266. Hahne, A. (2001).

What’s different in second language processing? Evidence from event-related brain

potentials. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research 30(3): 251-266. Pienemann, M.

(2002) Issues in second language acquisition and language processing. Second

Language Research 18,3: 189-192. DeKeyser, R. (2003). Implicit and explicit

learning. In A. Davies and C. Elder. (eds.). The handbook of applied linguistics.

Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 313-348. Segalowitz, N. (2003). Automaticity and second

languages. In A. Davies and C. Elder. (eds.). The handbook of applied linguistics.

Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 382-408.

Week 14; December 6 – Output/Interaction

This week we take a rather quick look at the issue of output in general and

interaction. Within the field of SLA this has been one of the biggest issues of the last

few years and is having a large impact on teaching approaches to second and

especially foreign languages.

Readings: Seidenberg, M. (1997) Language accusation and use: Learning and

applying probabilistic constraints. Science Vol. 275, pp. 1599-1603. Bygate, M.

(1988) Units of oral expression and language learning in small group interaction.

Applied Linguistics 9/1: 59-82. Chandler, J. (2003). The efficacy of various kinds of

error feedback for improvement in the accuracy and fluency of L2 student writing.

Journal of Second Language Writing 12: 267-296. Cheng, W. amd M. Warren.

(2003). Indirectness, inexplicitness and vagueness made clearer. Pragmatics 13(3):

381-400. Izumi, S. (2003) Comprehension and production processes in second

language learning: in search of the psycholinguistic rationale of the output

hypothesis. Applied Linguistics 24/2: 168-196. Watson-Gegeo, K and S. Nielsen.

(2003). Language socialization in SLA. In C. Doughty and M. Long. (eds.). The

handbook of second language acquisition. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 155-177.

Barkhuizen, G. (2004). Social influences on language learning. In A. Davies and C.

Elder. (eds.). The handbook of applied linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 552-575.

Giles, H. and A. Billings. (2004). Assessing language attitudes: Speaker evaluation

studies. In A. Davies and C. Elder. (eds.). The handbook of applied linguistics. 16

Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 187- 209. Homework:

Week 15; December 13 - Variability

This week we return to the issue of differences between L1 and L2 learning and

address the issue of variability. In this case we are looking in variability in the forms

that people produce rather than the processes of learning. This is an important issue

in SLA because it ties in with the issue of ultimate achievement/development in SLA.

The idea is that all speakers of a language (even native speakers) vary their

language but the issue for non-native speakers in the SLA tradition is whether this

variation is planned or not. Further, the issue of systematicity in variation is of

concern in SLA.

Readings: Adamson, H.D. and O. Elliot Jr. (1997). Sources of variation in

interlanguage. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching

35(2): 87-98. Ellis, R. (1999). Item versus system learning: Explaining free variation.

Applied Linguistics 20(4): 460-480. Davies, A. (2004). The native speaker in applied

linguistics. In A. Davies and C. Elder. (eds.). The handbook of applied linguistics.

Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 431-450. Verspoor, M., W. Lowie and M. van Dijk. (2008).

Variability in second language development from a dynamic systems perspective.

The Modern Language Journal 92: 214-231.

✓ Final Project: The final project will be a continuation of the midterm project. Please

do not forget to do it and hand it in at the symposium on December 14.

Also, this is my final paper as a final-term exam in Second Language

Learning Theories course. Although it was not very perfect in terms of the

organization or contents, it was the starting point of my academic growth. I wrote

about the Input-based teaching to teaching grammar, reflecting my own teaching

situation which especially focuses on grammar teaching in preparation for

standardized proficiency test.

Sookmyung Women's University

Graduate School of TESOL

17

Second Language Learning Theories

DaHyeon, Noh (1341305)

Final paper

Input-based teaching to teaching grammar

Introduction

Grammar teaching not only takes an important part in second language acquisition,

but also has conflicting views of many researchers. As a TOEIC teacher in Korea, I

always spend a lot of time in teaching grammar to students. I can see that students

want to learn an English grammar as a rule which helps them to solve the questions

in test. On the other hand, they want to improve their English as a language which

they really use for communication in real life. My teaching approach is similar to input

based teaching, and I talk about input processing and input based teaching for

grammar. Also, I want to compare the processing instruction as a representative of

input based approach to other approaches to teach grammar. The question is that

what is the processing instruction and whether it is effective or not. If processing

instruction is effective to grammar teaching, what is the difference from other

approaches.

Studies on Input and Input processing

Since the introduction of the Input Hypothesis (Krashen, 1989), SLA theorists agree

that the quantity and quality of L2 language input is a critical factor in the

development of a learner's interlanguage. However, researchers also generally

agree that 'comprehensible input is necessary but not sufficient for intake to

occur.'(Izumi, 2002)

By extension, there are four types of input processing from different four

researchers. First, according to the discussion of Chaudron's (1985) model, there are

three stages of intake. They are the preliminary intake, the subsequent intake and 18

final intake. the preliminary intake means that the perception of input, the

subsequent intake is recoding and encoding of the semantic linguistic knowledge in

long-term memory, and final intake is that learners fully understand and integrate the

linguistic information in the input into their interlanguage system. During input

processing, processing operates with continuous interaction and exchange of

information in working memory. After comprehending input to intake, learners may

go to the third stage where their interlanguage system is restructured and developed

by noting gap. Once this procedure is completed, learners are ready to use it and

make outputs. Also, they can receive feedback to test, confirm or revise the system.

Chaudron's (1985) model provides an overview of input-processing. However, the

notion of gap noticing is ambiguous and not clear when and where this operation

takes place.

Second, Sharwood Smith (1986) focused and elaborated on the acquisitional asepct

of input processing that is similar to Chaudron's (1985) concept of final intake. He

consented the view of Chaudron, his five stages of input processing starts out with

making comparisons between their semantic representations and the total meaning

representations. After that, learners adjust their semantic representations by

comparing the representations and understand a structure with their current

grammar. And they compare the original structure and the new on to restructure their

current language system. In his model, he emphasized the use of rich and complex

input instead of simplified input. To restructure language system, learners can use

extra linguistic cues, linguistic environment when they don't understand the input with

their current system. However, his model has a not answered that how learners

understand and adjust their current grammar, competence and language system

even they don't understand input by comparing representations.

Gas's (1997) model is similar to Chaudron's (1985) and Sharwood Smith's (1986), he

emphasized the importance of negotiated interaction during input processing and

acquisition. When learners fail to communicate with others, they want to negotiate for

meaning. In this process, learners can receive additional input, and their attention

can be focused on the problematic features in the input. In conclusion, additional 19

interaction and negotiation give learners chance to make mental comparisons

between their current and interlanguage system. Of course, during this negotiated

interaction, the input can be enhanced. At this point, there must be incomprehensible

input as well as comprehensible input. If there is no incomprehensible input, learners

don't need to restructure their system and compare two representations to adjust it.

In other words, 'because of the incomprehensibility of the input, learners' attention is

drawn to the specific structure' (Yayun, 2008, p.6).

The last model is Carroll's (1999, 2000) Autonomous induction theory. In this model,

linguistic faculty consists of a chain of representations, 'with the lowest level

interacting with physical stimuli, and the highest with conceptual representations'

(Carroll, 1999). The two processes are working together to process input. First is that

the integrative processor combines smaller representations into larger units, and the

second is that the correspondence processor is responsible for transferring the

representations from one level to the next. 'The representations are categorized and

combined according to UG-based or long-term memory-based rules. This procedure

outlines how input is processed for parsing' (Yayun, 2008, p.6).

As an example of interplay between comprehensible and incomprehensible input

which is said above, is the Processing Instruction approach developed by VanPatten

and his collaborators (Slobin, 1985; VanPatten, 1996, 2002, VanPatten & Cadierno,

1993a, 1993b). In this approach, they try to 'induce failure and generate the need for

learners to divert from their default processing strategies to attend to the specific

form that requires acquisition (Yayun, 2008, p.6). It needs comprehensible and

incomprehensible input together for development of interlanguage grammar.

Studies on Processing Instruction to teaching grammar

In the 1990's VanPatten introduced a model of input processing to describe how

second language learners derive intake from input. (VanPatten, 2002). The main

idea of it is that learner process input for meaning before form and that the capacity

of working memory is limited. According to this model, learners will process content 20

words first as a meaning, and forms may not be noticed if lexical items encode the

same meaning. Also, learners tend to ascribe agency to the first noun encountered

in a sentence (Lee & VanPatten, 2003, p.139).

On this theoretical basis, Van Patten(2002) developed Processing Instruction, as a

methodological approach to second language teaching which attempts to manipulate

input to push learners away from their natural but "non-optimal processing

strategies" and make better "form-meaning connections"(VanPatten, 2002, p.764).

Before introducing Processing Instruction, Traditional Instruction for grammar

teaching has a procedure. First, teachers give students input with their focused

grammar point. Students understand it, and make a system to process their intake in

their heads. Teachers and students can practice it together repeatedly by using

drills. If students succeed in making a language system and take intake into the

system, they can produce it and teachers can check the output to see the

understanding of students.

However, VanPatten raised a question, why some students succeed in taking intake

and producing output, and other students fail to do that? He insisted that in grammar

teaching, practice and output are not important and the problem of some students

who failed to produce output is that they failed to make intake from input. The most

important thing in grammar teaching is that how well students understand input and

make intake, it means that something must happen between input and intake.

Therefore, he focused on input instead of output and practice. In other words,

teachers have to help students to make intake more effectively by suggesting input

processing instruction.

If VanPatten just introduced this model, it was not a big issue in second language

acquisition field. He insisted that learners must attend to form and structure in order

to obtain meaning. In this procedure, learners focus on the meaning, not only form

and he called this input 'structured input'. For getting grammar form, learners think

about the meaning of input, and can depend on the form. VanPatten focused on the

process that learners receive intake from input by using input processing strategy 21

given by teachers. Compared to traditional instruction, processing instruction

emphasizes on comprehension of learners. Lee and VanPatten stated that

"structured input activities are the most important aspect of this instructional

approach to grammar" (Lee & VanPatten, 2003, p.142).

Recent Research on Processing Instruction

Benati(2005) compared the effects of processing instruction and traditional

instruction and meaningful output instruction on the acquisition of the English simple

past tense in second language learning. In his study, the processing instruction

resulted in the best scored on the interpretation test. Of course, all three instructions

showed improvement on the production test. This study can be interpreted that

'processing instruction is superior to both traditional and more meaningful output-

based activities in restructuring the learners' system' (Robison, 년도, p.5). Also, he

said that the benefits of processing instruction can be generalized to other

languages.

In 2006, Buck's research also concluded the similar results which confirm VanPatten

and Cadierno's research (1993). She compared three groups, on group received

processing instruction, one received traditional instruction and control group received

no form-relevant instruction on acquiring on the English progressive aspect. Both

processing and traditional instruction groups showed improvements on the

interpretation test, but the processing group was significantly better. On the

production test, processing instruction groups was superior in the test.

Last, Cheng (2002) studied the effects of processing instruction to compare to

traditional instruction on acquisition of the Spanish copular verbs. He used

interpretation task, a sentence production task, and a guided composition task to

measure students' improvements. In the results, the processing instruction group

outperformed to traditional instruction group on the interpretation task. Despite the

fact that processing instruction not gives the learners to produce language, the

22

learners can reconstruct their language system to represent the target forms and

produce it.

However, there are researches having different view about processing instruction

compared to other hypothesis. In Farley (2000), processing instruction and meaning-

based output instruction produced positive effects on interpretation and production

tests for English native students learning Spanish subjective. After initial instruction

about the formation, use of the form and location, the processing instruction group

had oral and written input activities. For meaning-based output instruction group,

students were required to produce forms based on trigger input also express their

own opinion or belief. In his discussion, there was no significant difference on the

interpretation tests between two groups. Although he argues that 'processing

instruction affects the learner's developing system via intake, which can then be

accessed for production, and the processing instruction can be used with more

complex grammar structures' (Robison, 년도, p.7). But, he couldn't conclude which is

superior, input or output, for language acquisition.

Kim (2001) studied on the relative effects of structured input versus meaningful

production practice on the acquisition of English relative clauses. The results showed

that both groups demonstrated improved performance on all tests in spite of little

difference for two groups. However, Kim found that processing instruction group was

superior on comprehension test, therefore concluded that 'comprehention-based

activities cause learners to process more deeply and increases retention, thus

processing instruction may have produced better results in previous studies because

of its focus on meaning' (Robison, 년도, p.8). He argues that both instruction types

can contribute to the development of the learner's interlnaguage if it meaning is kept

in focus.

Compared to another input based teaching, White (2008) made a research to

determine whether the effectiveness of structured-input activities in processing

instruction. His research consisted of four different input treatments: input flood, input

23

flood with text enhancement, structured-input, and focused input on the interpretation

and production of Spanish third person clitics. But, no significant differences were

found between any of the groups on the sentence-level and discourse-level

production tests. All of them showed some improvement in both production and

interpretation and none of the groups showed significant production improvement.

ConclusionUntil so far, I talked about input processing model and processing instruction to

teaching grammar. There are diverse views and researches for supporting

contradicting models. However, I can confirm that processing instruction can leads to

acquisition or the learning or linguistic knowledge. Also, as a teacher, I have to

consider the importance of meaning based teaching. In many studies, meaning-

based teaching can be more effective than traditional instruction with diverse input. If

teachers use input in appropriate ways, grammar teaching can be more effective and

meaningful for students' second language learning.

REFERENCES

Emma Marsden. (2005). Input-based grammar pedagogy: a comparison of two

possibilities. The Language Learning Journal. No 31, 9-20.

ILKAY CELIC-YAZICI. (2007). A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF PROCESSING

INSTRUCTION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH WH-QUESTIONS USED

BY TURKISH EFL LEARNERS. Interlinguistica, ISSN 1134-8941, pp.250-260.

Hossein Hashemnezhad and Sanaz Khalili Zangalani. (2012). The Effects of

Processing Instruction and Traditional Instruction on Iranian EFL Learners' Writing

Ability. English Language Teaching; Vol. 5, No. 11, p.125-135.

Madhu Neupane. (2009). Processing Instruction: An Input Based Approach for

Teaching Grammar. Journal of NELTA, Vol. 14, No. 1-2, p.111-118.

24

MASAHIRO TAKIMOTO. (2007). The Effects of Input-Based Tasks on the

Development of Learners' Pragmatic Proficiency. Applied Linguistics 30/1: p.1-25.

Michael H. Long. (1981). INPUT, INTERACTION, AND SECOND-LANGUAGE

ACQUISITION. Annuals New York Academy of Sciences, p.260-278.

Natsuko Shintani. (2012). Input-based tasks and the acquisition of vocabulary and

grammar: A process-product study. Language Teaching Research 16(2): 253.

Robert DeKeyser et al. (2002). What Gets Processed in Processing Instruction? A

Commentary on Bill VanPatten's "Processing Instruction: An Update". Language

Learning 52:4, pp.805-823.

Rod Ellis. (1999). INPUT-BASED APPROACHES TO TEACHING GRAMMAR: A

REVIEW OF CLASSROOM-ORIENTED RESEARCH. Annual Review of Applied

Linguistics 19, p.64-80.

RONALD P. LEOW. (1998). The Effects of Amount and Type of Exposure on Adult

Learners' L2 Development in SLA. The Modern Language Journal 82, p.49-68.

Setiono Sugiharto. (2005). INTERPRETATION-BASED APPROACHE TO

GRAMMAR TEACHING: NEW DIRECTIONS IN THEORY AND PRACTICE. TEFLIN

Journal, Vol. 16, p.169-180.

SHARON UNSWORTH. (2012). The role of age of onset and input in early child

bilingualism in Greek and Dutch. Applied Psycholinguistics, p.1-41.

Yayun Anny Sun. (2008). Input Processing in Second Language Acquisition: A

discussion of Four Input Processing Models. Teachers College, Columbia University,

Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, Vol. 8, No. 1.

25

Ⅳ. Practicum

- Lesson plans

In this part, the lesson plan I and my teaching partner made for English in

Action speaking class in Sookmyung University is introduced. We had language

function ‘giving advice’ and theme ‘health’, so all the activities focused on them.

Lesson Plan for Week 3 (March 17th) - finalTeaching Group: Group 3 (Sujung, Kim/ Dahyeon, Noh)

Theme: Health

Function: Giving advice

Objectives: Students will be able to:

ask questions to receive advice.

give advice to solve a problem.

provide appropriate suggestions for the problem.

Target Languages:

Vocabularies:

Health: initiate exercise, floss, fluoride, pick at, get regular ~ exams (checkups)

Giving advice: You / we could (always)..., You / we should..., You'd /we'd better..., Why don't you / we…, You / we ought to, Do... (imperative), Have you thought of... , If you'll take my advice, you'll…, I'd..., Don't...(negative imperative), Whatever you do, don't..., How about..., If I were you I would..., I wouldn't .... (if I were you), You need to…

Time Activity Procedures Big sister’s role Materials

10 min.

10 min.

Introduction

Warm up

Introduce students some pictures which

expressing health problem and talk about the

theme(health)

Talk with

their little

sisters

Pictures

26

20 min.

5min.

7 min.

3 min.

5 min.

20 min.

20 min.

Give students time to think and talk about

their own experience having problem in

health

Activity 1: Inference quiz

Give students the envelops including image

cards

Explain students what they are going to do

with the cards (discuss and correct the

answers that which food is good for which

part of body)

Students have time to discuss and decide their

answers

One of the students in each group present

their answers to the class

Correct the answers with students and check

their number of correct answers

Give groups which have correct answers

prizes

Explain the effect of food very briefly

Activity 2: Role-play

Each student is given one role-play card

describing a problematical situation in health

While one student plays a role who has a

health problem, the other students give advice

to handle the situation in detail (by using the

reading contents and food information which

is used in last task)

The other students make instructions which

the student follow

Every group member plays their own roles

Activity 3: Guessing a problem

Explain students will meet exchange students

Share own

experiences

together

Help

distribute

envelopes

to students

Help

students to

infer

answers and

talk actively

Help

distribute

the cards

Help

students to

participate

in role-play

Envelopes

Image

cards

Role-play

cards

27

3 min.

1 min.

15 min.

in Sookmyung Women’s University and they

have a health problem adjusting to a new life

in Korea. Therefore they want to give advice

on health to the exchange students.

Big sisters give students cards. Each student

picks up one and they cannot see the picture

they chose. All the students who pick a card

should turn over the card in front of them. If a

big sister is one of the students in the group,

she also cannot see the picture she chose.

Explain students who will answer the problem

on the card will be an exchange student and

they have been having trouble on their health

but do not know what the health problem is.

Therefore they have decided to receive advice

from others to figure out what their health

problem is (students in Sookmyung Women’s

University).

Each student who will answer the problem on

the card as an exchange student should raise

and show her card to their group members

and listen to the advice from other group

members. Then, she has to guess the problem

in the picture she has without seeing the

picture.

In this situation, all the students who give

advice to an exchange student who is holding

a picture should give at least one advice for

one problem card. When the exchange student

who will guess the problem on her own card

receives advice from all the members in her

group and guesses the health problem on the

Distribute

cards to

students and

let them do

not see the

picture and

tell them

turn over

the card

Encourage

all the

students

give at least

one advice

for one

problem

card

Pictures of

exchange

students

28

1 min.

20 min.

2 min.

1 min.

3 min.

2 min.

10 min.

card correctly, students can go on to the next

exchange student and do the same round.

A group who guess all the problems of all the

members in the group first will be a winner.

Activity 4: Interview

Explain students will interview an exchange

student about their health problems adjusting

to a new life in Korea.

Distribute an interview sheet to students.

On the interview sheet, students brainstorm in

groups and write their 2 or 3 potential health

problems as an exchange student.

After that, T explains one student will be an

exchange student who has health problems

and another student will be a Korean student

in Sookmyung Women’s university who will

give advice.

Students interview other group members

through going around the classroom to get

advice on the health problems on their sheet.

When they do the interview, they start the

interview through asking a question such as ‘I

have a problem on … What should I do? Or

could you give me some advice about …?’

The interviewee will be a Korean student in

Sookmyung Women’s University who will

give advice on health problems. The

interviewer will be an exchange student who

will receive advice on health problems from

the interviewee.

The interviewer writes advice on their

interview sheet after receiving the advice for

Help

teachers

distribute

the sheets

Supervise

whether

students are

appropriatel

y

interviewin

g their

partner

Encourage

students to

ask for

advice and

Interview

sheet

29

2 min.

15 min.

10 min.

their problem from the interviewee.

A student (interviewer) who receives the most

advice will be a winner.

Share the winner’s advice in a class.

Extra activity: quick reply

Big sister will have a card with a problem and

show the card to the Ss in a group.

Ss have to provide advice for the problem.

A student who answers last will be a loser.

The loser will pick one of the slips that the

big sister has and follow the direction in the

slip.

Ss will do this 5 rounds.

Closing

give advice

Show a

problem

card/ Let

the loser

pick a slip

Problem

cards/

Slips for

penalty

Lesson Plan for Week 3 (March 19th) – finalTeaching Group: Group 3 (Sujung, Kim/ Dahyeon, Noh)

Theme: Health

Function: Giving advice

Objectives: Students will be able to:

ask questions to receive advice.

give advice to solve a problem.

provide appropriate suggestions for the problem.

Target Languages:

Vocabularies:

Health: initiate exercise, floss, fluoride, pick at, get regular ~ exams (checkups)

Giving advice: You / we could (always)..., You / we should..., You'd /we'd better..., 30

Why don't you / we…, You / we ought to, Do... (imperative), Have you thought of... , If you'll take my advice, you'll…, I'd..., Don't...(negative imperative), Whatever you do, don't..., How about..., If I were you I would..., I wouldn't .... (if I were you), You need to…

Time Activity Procedures Big sister’s role Materials

10 min.

15 min.

5 min.

15 min.

15 min.

Introduction

Warm up: Making daily routine worksheet

& Giving advice

Students are given the daily routine worksheet

Students have time to complete their sheet

Students have time to compare their

worksheet one another and find out the

problems

Students make the best daily routine for

health by discussing together

Health tips for exchange students

Show students the picture of the health care

center of Sookmyung Women’s University

Set the context in which students are working

as a consultant to give advice on health for

exchange students

Give students time to think and share their

ideas about what kinds of problems the

exchange students have concerning health

Complete the worksheet (simply write down

the problem they discussed)

After completing the worksheet, pass the

worksheet to the right group. Thus, all the

groups will have other group’s worksheet.

Prepare advice for the health problem on the

worksheet.

Create a poster to give advice for the problem

Help

distribute

the

worksheet

Encourage

and students

to share

ideas about

potential

health

problems

Help

Daily

routine

worksheet

Picture

Workshee

t

31

15 min.

20 min.

2 min.

17 min.

1 min.

5 min.

10 min.

to the exchange student based on the

information in the worksheet.

Put the poster on the wall.

Poster presentation

Each group presents their advice for the

exchange students on health problems.

2 of the students in a group will be presenters

as consultants in the health care center of

Sookmyung Women’s University and other 2

students will be exchange students. After 6

min., students exchange their role.

Share ideas about advice on the health

problems for the exchange students.

Put stickers on the best poster.

Give a prize to a winner.

Share the advice of the best group.

Closing

students

create a

poster

Vote for the

best poster

A1

papers,

marker

pens,

color

pens

Ⅳ. Practicum

- Materials

In English in Action Speaking class, we tried to use diverse materials as input

for students. Since most of the students were in relatively high level in speaking, we

had to use a variety of materials to get attention from them as well as to motivate

them to engage in the class more effectively. It would be helpful to think about my

own teaching class situation which usually deals with only reading materials.

Materials

Warm up: What is your learning experience?

32

Language Learning Past Experiences SurveyWhat language(s) have you studied before?

Why did you study this language?

How did you study? (school, classes, books, tutor, software, audio tapes/cd's etc)

How was your experience? Do you feel it was successful?

What did you find most difficult?

What did you find easy?

What would you do differently now?

Any special experience?

Activity 2: Learning styles and recommend learning ways

What is your learning style?

1. You are about to give directions to a person. She is staying in a hotel in town and wants to visit your house. She has a rental car. Would you:

V. draw a map on paper?R. write down the directions (without a map?A. tell her the directions?K. collect her from the hotel in your car?

2. You are staying in a hotel and have a rental car. You would like to visit a friend whose address/location you do not know. Would you like them to:

33

V. draw you a map?R. write down the directions (without a map)?A. tell you directions?K. collect you from the hotel in their car?

3. You have just received a copy of your intinerary for a world trip. This is of interest to your friend. Would you:

A. call her immediately and tell her about it?R. Send her a copy of the printed intinerary?V. show her a map of the world?

4. You are going to cook a dessert as a special treat for your family. Do you:

K. cook something familiar without the need for instructions?V. thumb through a cookbook looking for ideas from the pictures?R. refer to a specific cookbook where there is a good recipe?A. ask for advice from others?

5. A group of tourists has been assigned to you to find out about national parks. Would you:

K.drive them to a national park?V. show them slides and photographs?R. give them a book on national parks?A. give them a talk on national parks?

6. You are about to purchase a new stereo. Other than the price, what would most influence your decision?

A. a friend talking about it?K. listening to it?R. reading the details about it?V. its distinctive, upscale appearance?

7. Recall a time in your life when you learned how to do something like playing a new board game. Try to avoid choosing a very physical skill, i.e. riding a bike. How did you learn best? By:

V. visual clues-pictures, diagrams, charts?R. written instructions?A. listening to somebody explain it?K. doing it?

34

8. Which of these games do you prefer?

A. Pictionary?R. Scrabble?K. Charades?

9. You are about to learn how to use a new program on a computer. Would you:

K. ask a friend to show you?R. read the manual which comes with the program?A. telephone a friend and ask questions about it?

10.You are not sure whether a word should be spelled "dependent" or "dependant". Do you:

R. look it up in a dictionary?V. see the word in your mind and choose the best way it looks?A. sound it out?K. write both versions down?

11. Apart from price, what would most influence your decision to buy a particular textbook?

K. using a friends copy?R. skimming parts of it?A. a friend talking about it?V. it looks OK?

12. A new movie has arrived in town. What would most influence your decision to go or not go?

A. friends talking about it?R. you read a review about it?V. You saw a preview of it?

13. Do you prefer a lecturer/teacher who likes to use:

R. handouts and/or a textbook?V. flow diagrams, charts, slides?K. field trips. labs, practical sessions?A. discussion, guest speakers?

35

Test results

① As a Visual Learner,In Class You Should:Underlineuse different colorsuse symbols, charts, arrangements on a page

When Studying You Should:use the "In Class" methodreconstruct images in different waysredraw pages from memoryreplace words with symbols and initials

During Exams You Should:recall the pictures of the pagesdraw, use diagrams where appropriatepractice turning visuals back into words

② As an Aural Learner, In Class You Should:attend lectures and tutorialsdiscuss topics with studentsexplain new ideas to other peopleuse a tape recorderdescribe overheads, pictures, and visuals to somebody that was not there.leave space in notes for later recall

When Studying You Should:understand you may take poor notes because you prefer to listenexpand your notesput summarized notes on tape and listenread summarized notes out loadexplain notes to another Aural person

During Exams You Should:listen to your voices and write them downspeak your answerspractice writing answers to old exam questions.

③ As a Reading/Writing Learner, In Class You Should:use list, headinguse dictionary and definitionsuse handouts and textbooksreaduse lecture notes

When Studying You Should:write out the words again and againreread notes silentlyrewrite ideas into other wordsorganize diagrams into statements

During Exams You Should:practice with multiple choice questionswrite out listswrite paragraphs, beginnings, endings

④ As a Kinesthetic Learner,In Class You Should:use all of your sensesgo to lab, take field tripsuse trial and error methodslisten to real life examplesuse hands-on approach

When Studying You Should:understand you may take notes poorly due to topics not seeming relevantput examples in note summariesuse pictures and photos to illustratetalk about notes with another Kinesthetic person

During Exams You Should:write practice answersrole-play the exam situation in your room

36

Activity 3: Language learning tips!

Activity 4: Choosing a way for learning languages and tell the reason!

Watching a movie Watching a drama Studying at institute

Having a friend Using a smartphone app. Reading a book

Studying with friends Reading a newspaper Writing a diary

Listening to songs Studying grammar Studying vocabulary

Activity 5: What should we do as a teacher?

37

Time managementIn this class, it is difficult to conclude the class on time. Since there are some delays or faster ending of each activity, it is not easy to match the ending time as scheduled. For students as well as teachers, starting and ending time is very important because all have different time schedules before and after the class. As a teacher, how can we handle this problem?

FeedbackIn this speaking class, everyone has different expectations about the feedback from the teacher. Some students want to get corrected feedback exactly by teachers, while others expect more indirect types of feedback. Since every student has different learning styles and personalities, how can we deal with this feedback problem as a teacher?MotivationMost of university students are not very motivated and interested in language learning while some are enthusiastic in it. They are attending this class as this course is essential to graduate from school. Without students’ motivation and certain amount of enthusiasm, it is really difficult to make a good class. As a language teacher, how can address this motivation problem?

Mixed-levelThere are different level-students in this speaking class. When trying some challenging items during the class, some students who are in relatively lower level can feel get lost and frustrated while others in higher level enjoy the class. On the other hand, higher level students can be bored when doing something easier than their level. How can you resolve this problem?

38

MaterialsAs other classes do, this speaking class has goals to improve students’ speaking ability. However, there are various materials to be used in the classroom like worksheet, book, article and so on. Also, all students have different preferences in materials. To make all students concentrate on the class and feel interested in the materials, how can you set up the materials?

Activity 6: Think about …

① How technology changes language education

A group of fifth graders fiddle with their smartphones in the classroom. Instead of telling them to put them away, the teacher approaches with her own smartphone and shares some Internet resources.

In another elementary school in Gyeonggi Province, a group of mentally challenged children curiously approach a robot named Engkey, programmed to teach English. As the top part of the robot flips open, a woman’s face appears on the screen and the children are instantly curious about what the “robot teacher” has to say.

These are some examples of so-called “smart education,” the integration of education and electronic devices and information technology, that is taking place in Korea.

For years, the Korean government has been seeking to channel Koreans’ tech-savvy nature into education by implementing a smart education system for all elementary, middle and high schools.

Sejong City Office of Education said Monday that it had finished a citywide inspection to ensure that all its schools’ smart education systems were up and running. Education offices in Daegu and Seoul followed suit, with the former expanding the number of model schools for smart education this year from four to six, and the latter commencing on a similar project.

Although the Education Ministry recently announced that it was reassessing the smart education plan due to concerns about a lack of digital educational content, educators across the country are pursing measures to use technology to change the face of education.

One of the biggest advantages of smart education is the instant accessibility of a vast range of information, which can be particularly significant in language education.

“It’s still difficult to get a lot of English language materials. But (on the Internet) we have access to English newspapers from all over the world at our fingertips,” said Shelly Luke-

39

Wille, the elementary school principal at Chadwick International.

She said access to the Internet also means communication channels to native speakers, which opens up “a rich language opportunity” to approach these speakers and broaden relationships.

Hector Ramirez, a senior education advisor at the educational publishing firm Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, said exposure is key when learning a new language.

“As smartphones and tablet computers become more and more prevalent, there are more opportunities than ever to learn and to practice skills. Making the most out of every opportunity to speak and communicate is very important,” he said.

Exposure to native speakers and accessibility to the Internet have both been part of enhancing the quality of education. But some have even tapped into children’s interest in robots to enhance English education.

In 2010, the Daegu city government kicked off a pilot project to use 29 Engkey robots to teach English to youngsters at 21 schools across the city. The 1-meter-tall robot has an LED panel that displays an avatar face of a teacher and is remotely controlled by instructors.

“On average, students gave between 4.2 and 4.5 points (out of 5) for their interest toward the robot teacher, indicating a very high interest,” a Korea Institute of Science and Technology report on the project said. It also showed that students understood most of the content, generally scoring between 3 and 5.

Overall, smart education has been proven to boost students’ interest in subjects by allowing them to partake in lessons through research, debate and other methods that are made easier by smart devices.

But there have been concerns that access to a nearly unlimited supply of information may be a double-edged sword.

“An excessive reliance on cutting-edge technology may deteriorate students’ ability to proactively take part in the learning process,” said Han Kyu-jung, a professor of computer education at Gongju National University of Education,

By tapping on a keyboard, students are able to instantly find answers to their questions. This is demonstrated by the slang word “googling,” meaning the use of the search engine Google to find information on a certain topic.

The information, however, often lacks depth and knowledge of the related field, raising the risk that students will absorb superficial data instead of developing critical thinking skills.

“The easily gained information in the digital age is not really yours; it just stays inside you for a little while and passes on. Smart education must require students to think for themselves,” Han said. “Rather than using smart devices to lecture, a good teacher would lead his or her students to analyze what they’ve learned, debate, digest the information and

40

share it with others.”

Despite the potential dangers, which also include risk of addiction to the Internet and smartphones, experts agree that smart education has huge potential.

When implementing the smart education system, teachers should be careful not to just replace books and notes with digital devices and think that is enough, Chadwick’s Luke-Wille said.

“What we say to teachers is, ‘Don’t use the technology unless it really enhances the (learning) experience,’” she said. “Technology allows the learning to be much more student-centered. I think that’s a huge part of the way the technology is able to change the dynamic in the classroom.”

② Families separate for overseas education

In November, a man in his 50s committed suicide in his house in Incheon. He was a “goose father,” one of about 200,000 Korean dads who send their families abroad for their kids’ education, while remaining in Korea to work.

The electrical engineer had sent his kids and wife to the U.S. in 2009. But shortly after they left, the man lost his job. He lived off unemployment benefits and savings, sending most of it to his family in the U.S. His wife worked at a restaurant there to support the children. Throughout the four years, he never got to see his family, as he could not afford to travel there.

“Goose fathers” emerged here back in the 1990s, when sending one’s children to study abroad at a young age became popular. Today, Korean parents spend some 20 trillion won ($18 billion) on private education each year, much of it on English education. Young Korean children continue to say good-bye to their dads to study abroad and speak English more fluently, while this often leaves their fathers vulnerable to loneliness, financial difficulties, and even health problems.

‘Money supplying machine’

For former goose father Park, who didn’t want to reveal his first name, the experience of living alone in Korea was a “nightmare.” He lived in a tiny studio in Seoul for nearly six years, while his wife was with their two daughters studying in Canada. He would very often volunteer for night shifts at work, and drink heavily, because he wanted to avoid going home where “no one was there to greet” him. He wired 90 percent of his salary to Canada, for his daughters’ education, until his wife returned to Seoul to live with him last year.

“It wasn’t the life of a human being,” he said. “I don’t even want to think about it. I was practically a money supplying machine.”

In literature and pop culture

41

Goose fathers and their ― mostly miserable ― lives have been often featured in literature and pop culture throughout the past decade. Author Jung Mi-kyung’s 2006 short story “I Was Given Balkan Roses,” is about a lonely goose father whose wife wants a divorce. His children, living with his wife in San Francisco, also send him emails saying that they don’t want to go back to Korea, although they miss him. He spends much of his free time searching the Internet, while occasionally having sex with his neighbor named Jae-yi, who works at a hospital as a nurse. Jae-yi is not willing to get serious with him, while he develops a terminal illness.

So why send the kids in spite of the ordeal?

‘More than just English’

Kim Jun-hyung, a businessman whose job requires a high level of English, sent his two children to the U.S. with his wife about three years ago. Although he never studied overseas, Kim speaks and writes fluently, having won a number of awards for his language abilities in college. But Kim said one of the reasons why he sent his kids is because he wanted them to learn English in an “easier way.”

“I can speak and write English fluently, but (learning the language in Korea) required a lot of time and energy from me,” he told The Korea Herald.

“The process can be very tiring at times. And I often feel limits as a non-native speaker. Reading and writing can be relatively easier, but listening comprehension is still challenging for me sometimes. I just wanted my kids to learn the language in a more efficient, less time-consuming and less stressful way.”

But English wasn’t the only reason why Kim sent his children abroad. He wanted them to grow up in a less competitive environment.

“It may sound random, but I find food cheaper in the U.S. than in Korea,” he said.

“So the kids can enjoy more meat and vegetables at a cheaper price. And they can also enjoy sports and other outdoor activities even during high school, which are practically banned in Korean high schools ― since you have to dedicate all your time studying for university entrance exams. I just wanted the kids to enjoy health and leisure during their teenage years, rather than being overly stressed in a competition-driven environment.”

Konkuk University professor Yeom Ji-sook said the main reason why so many dads send their children overseas is Korean society itself, which puts a lot of emphasis on one’s educational background.

She has a point. Suicide remained the single largest cause of death among young people here for three straight years from 2008 to 2010. Of the young people polled, 8.8 percent said they had thought about committing suicide, with 53.4 percent citing excessive education-related competition as the main cause for it.

42

“I don’t think the ‘goose fathers’ and their problems will ever be solved unless the systemic problem of the society ― the competition, constant discrimination against one’s academic background ― are fixed first,” Yeom told The Korea Herald.

Tips for the fathers

Dr. An Hui-jean, a scholar and professional therapist, has been dealing with a number of geese fathers in the past. One of the fathers she used to know died abruptly of cancer ― very similar to what happened to the protagonist of author Jung’s “I Was Given Balkan Roses.”

“It’s easy for geese fathers to fall into alcohol or extra marital affairs, as they often struggle with isolation and loneliness,” An told The Korea Herald. “But this man I knew became a workaholic instead. He overworked himself to fight loneliness. And that eventually destroyed his health. When he found out he had cancer, it was too late; it was at terminal stage.”

An said it’s important for geese fathers to accustom themselves to a regular life, eat healthy and properly, and get involved in a social circle or a community that will accommodate their emotional needs. She also suggested making use of Internet services as much as possible, such as Skype, to get in touch with the family regularly.

However, An said she personally would not recommend being a goose father to begin with.

“It is not good for the children, either, because they don’t get to witness the positive example of a married couple while growing up,” she told The Korea Herald. “Many of them may end up thinking of their fathers as a person who brings them money, while their mothers are their drivers and ‘academic managers.’ Drivers and money suppliers aren’t exactly mothers and fathers.

“By being a goose father, you are sacrificing your present for the future,” An continued. “But that future may never come to you the way you want it to be.”

A child’s point of view

A young professional works at a big local corporation where her job requires dealing with English-speakers on a daily basis. The woman, who is in her 20s, spent almost 10 years in Canada with her mother and her sibling, while her father stayed in Korea to support her education and living cost.

Fluent in both Korean and English, she thinks her bilingual ability ― which she acquired while living in Canada ― gave her an edge in the competitive local job market.

When asked whether she thinks she would have been able to speak English the way she does now if she never got to study overseas, her answer was short and simple:

“No, of course not,” she said. “I just know that that wouldn’t have been the case. There are things you can learn by being ― not ‘studying’ ― when you are living in an English-speaking country.”

43

And what does she think she feels regrettable the most?

“It’s the time we lost,” she said. “The fact that my father wasn’t able to be physically with me while I was growing up. The fact he and I missed out on all of it ― being a dad to a teenage girl, and being a teenage daughter to dad.”

③ More Korean universities offer English-only lectures

It would be an understatement to say Korean students are heavily committed to studying English.

They spend much more time studying the language than their peers in other OECD nations, and students learn English throughout the 12 years they spend in elementary, middle and high school, not to mention kindergarten.

And as English continues to be a priority even after they enter college ― with English considered a prerequisite for landing decent jobs after graduation ― most university students here take a general English course for one or two years alongside other major subjects.

Many undergraduates are now required to complete certain credits in English and to acquire high scores on English proficiency tests, such as TOEIC or TOEFL, in order to receive a degree from their respective universities.

The trend has spurred more and more public and private universities to offer courses conducted entirely in English.

“One key driver of this trend is that Korean universities are increasingly concerned about their roles in an increasingly globalized world,” Sohn Dong-young, an associate professor in the department of media and communication at Hanyang University, told The Korea Herald.

“I also teach my course in English with the aim of helping students better prepare for a globalized job market,” he added.

To foster the global competitiveness of their students, now several universities, including Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, have started to offer all courses exclusively in English.

Kim Keon-woo, a 23-year-old computer engineering major, said he would be happy to attend more English-only lectures.

“For students like me, who want to go abroad to study or work, having the experience (of taking English-only classes) is highly useful,” he said.

Currently, English-only lectures account for about one-third of the total lectures in most universities. Yet more schools are now trying to increase that proportion not only to encourage students to go abroad, but also to attract overseas students, according an official

44

from Hanyang University.

To introduce more English-only lectures, universities here have been recruiting professors who are English proficient and providing them with financial incentives. Students, on the other hand, get more scholarship opportunities by attending English-only lectures.

Nevertheless, some educators remain critical as to whether universities should teach more courses in English.

Linguists, in particular, argue that teaching in English is very different from teaching English. They insist that students’ learning efficiency may decline if they attend English-only classes, arguing that certain subjects, such as Korean history and literature, would be better taught in Korean.

A recent survey taken by 2,400 university students also raises questions about the effectiveness of English-only classes.

According to the survey, about 40 percent of students understand less than 60 percent of the content in such classes, while only 27 percent of the respondents said they were able to understand 80 percent or more of the class.

Nearly half of the respondents said they questioned the efficiency of such English-only courses, while 24 percent found them to be helpful.

“Lectures conducted in English are not properly operated due to the low level of students’ comprehension,” said Lee Kwang-hyun, a professor of education at Busan National University, who carried out the student survey. Sohn of Hanyang University also disagrees with the idea of teaching all subjects in English.

“We should be careful because the most important thing universities can do for their students is to provide the best possible learning experience,” he said. “It is up to these schools to try and make the learning experience more useful and enjoyable.”

④ Early English education thrives amid concerns

Song Joo-hee (not her real name) regularly takes her 3-year-old son to a private English school in Seoul as public kindergartens here do not offer English language classes.

Despite spending more than $1,400 a month for the program, she sends her child to there in order to help him think in English and be immersed in an English-speaking environment.

“For one thing, I don’t want my son to be frightened of learning English. I believe the younger (he is when) he starts learning, the better,” she told The Korea Herald.

English-language kindergartens, more commonly known as “English kindergartens,” have become popular among Korean parents, especially those who can afford their typically high tuition fees.

45

These schools, which provide all their programs in English, are not classified as kindergartens but as private institutions since the Ministry of Education does not allow English to be taught in public education to students under the age of 8.

There is no official data available, but reports suggest that there are more than 200 “English kindergartens” in Seoul alone and hundreds more across the country.

Private English preschools here typically run a full-day kindergarten program, targeting children between the ages of 30 months and 6 years.

School hours and curriculum vary between schools, but typically 10-15 children in a class learn everything in English through native instructors.

Some private institutes have also started offering music, art and physical education, including ballet and even taekwondo, in English to meet demand from the growing number of Korean parents looking for ways give their children a “unique” English learning environment.

English kindergartens usually cost more than public and private ones. A recent survey by the education ministry shows that the schools charge an average monthly fee of 1.1 million won ($1,040), more than $12,500 a year ― higher than the tuition for most public colleges in Korea.

Despite the high fees, preschool English education is an emerging market in Korea and more and more Korea parents are looking for ways to give their kids a head start in English learning.

Yet, the optimal age for children to begin foreign-language learning is still a hotly debated topic here.

Some parents, especially those who aspire for their children to study overseas or work for multinational corporations, believe starting early will give them a head start and help them outstrip their peers.

Some educators argue, though, that very young children may not readily acquire a command of a second language, and may weary of learning English in their later years.

“Children also might easily miss out on the basics if they start to learn everything in English before having a good command of their mother tongue,” said Yeom ji-sook, a professor at the department of early child education at Konkuk University.

“I believe children should start to learn English after achieving a full command of their native language,” she added.

More important than the question of when to begin learning, however, may be that of the method used, according to Lee Yeon-sook, a director of English kindergarten in Seoul.

46

“I think language is not something that can learned through books. If language learning is to be effective it has to be fun, not a source of stress,” she said.

⑤ Korea shifts English focus to communicative skill teaching

From grammar analyses and pattern drills to a communication-centric approach, English teaching methods have evolved over the past decades with researchers striving to find more effective ways to learn the language.

These methods have been formulated as the pedagogical focus has shifted from offering as much English input as possible to learners, to encouraging them to speak and write the language, and interact with one another.

Currently, English education in Korea focuses on fostering students’ communication skills. Applying the “communicative language teaching” method, teachers have tried to engage students in the pragmatic, authentic and spontaneous use of the language.

In a departure from the rote memorization of grammar rules and words, Korea altered its classroom curriculum to center on communicative aspects in the 1990s when the government was pushing for the country’s globalization.

“Rather than passively memorizing words and sentence structures, students are now encouraged to actively engage in language games in groups with teachers ‘teaching English in English’ and promoting interaction among all participants,” said Kim Tae-young, professor of English education at Chung-Ang University.

“But in actuality, there are, of course, limits in implementing a communication-centered approach as students are oriented toward preparing for the state college entrance exam, and because of physical classroom constraints.”

To overcome various constraints including teachers’ lack of proficiency in English, teachers have capitalized on the Internet, computer software and other audio-visual aids. Those high-tech tools have helped create an environment for a more authentic use of the target language, experts said.

With the development of various teaching methods and theories, teachers have also sought to offer “tailored” English lessons in consideration of various factors including students’ levels of proficiency, and their cognitive and affective features.

But the gap has been widening between their educational ideals and classroom realities.

“Yes, we all pursue ideal educational methods. But oftentimes, those ideals turn out to be far-fetched dreams as we apply the same evaluation methods to all students to grade and rank their performances,” said Won Kyu-wang, a teacher at Goyang Global High School in Gyeonggi Province.

Korea’s English education methods have been influenced by major shifts in the world’s

47

language teaching trends.

In the 1970s and ’80s, linguist Stephen Krashen’s “input hypothesis” figured prominently in the field of second language acquisition.

Krashen emphasized the importance of the “comprehensible input” that learners are exposed to. With little attention to the effect of the output on learners’ competence, the scholar argued that understanding spoken and written language input is a critical part of the language acquisition.

In particular, Krashen argued that learners should be exposed to input that is “a bit beyond” their current proficiency level. That way, learners can be challenged to make progress, while not being overwhelmed by the difficulty of language learning.

His hypothesis waned after French immersion education in Canada, in which the input was a key learning factor, turned out to not be so successful.

Challenging Krashen’s hypothesis, linguist Merrill Swain came forward with her “output hypothesis,” which argues the comprehensible output is as significant as the input in the process of acquiring a foreign language.

She argued that when learners produce or speak a foreign language, they notice their errors, which would enable them to recognize their linguistic shortcomings and try to modify them. But Krashen countered Swain’s hypothesis, claiming that output was rare, and the comprehensible output was even rarer.

Another crucial hypothesis focuses on “interaction.” This hypothesis, led by Michael Long, argues that the acquisition of the language is considerably facilitated by face-to-face interaction and communication.

Under the hypothesis, learners can enhance their foreign language by exchanging feedback in the process of negotiating with their counterparts for meaning. The current mainstream communicative language teaching is based on this hypothesis.

Materials

Warm up: 4 ways to give an opinion

48

Activity 4: English Education Fair49

Language course descriptions

The Best Language InstituteOur methodsEngaging, interactive and communicative teaching methods play an essential part in all our classes. We know from experience that this is the only way to prepare our students to communicate effectively in English in the world today.Our teachersWe only employ the most highly qualified and experienced teachers. The experience and qualifications of our teachers ensure that they provide each student with a bespoke learning solution. Our teachers are committed to professional development. Many have taken further courses to allow them to specialize in particular types of teaching.

Title of Course: Complete EnglishGoal: Improve every aspect of your communication skillsCourse outlineOur Complete English courses are designed to improve every aspect of communication. Each lesson has clear objectives that contribute to your overall progress and move you closer to achieving your language goals. In every class, your teacher will provide you with the activities and monitor your progress. With guidance, correction and feedback from your teacher, you will become better, more fluent and more confident when communicating in English.On this course you will:

• Learn to speak more fluently• Gain confidence in all aspects of English• Progress towards your personal language goals

Days and timesStudents attend classes four times a week between Monday and Friday. Classes are available mornings and evenings. Each class is 90 minutes.LevelsStarter to AdvancedThe number of students in one classClasses are limited to 16 students

Title of Course: Current AffairsGoal: Get engaged by discussing topics straight from the headlinesCourse outlineMany students become bored with learning language when the topics are not relevant or timely. On the Current Affairs course students discuss thought-provoking topics straight from the headlines. If you already have a firm foundation in English, this course will help you build your ability to fluently discuss nearly any mainstream topic in English with precision and confidence.On this course you will:

• discuss interesting topics from news headlines• fine-tune your speaking skills

50

• improve your cultural understanding of the different countriesDays and timesStudents attend two 90-minute classes during the week and one three-hour class at the weekend.LevelsUpper Intermediate and AdvancedThe number of students in one classClasses are limited to 16 students

Title of Course: myClassGoal: Learn authentic everyday English with real-life topics and practical tasksCourse outlinemyClass will focus on authentic everyday English with real-life topics and practical language tasks.Build your confidence in speaking English

Develop your spoken ability in a real-life situation Receive personal feedback on your performance

Activate your English in class  Use English during class time: practice, practice, practice!  Learn the essential words and phrases to say what you want  Work on pronunciation in class to help you speak naturally

Extend your learning out of class Consolidate your grammar, vocabulary, listening and reading by completing fun and

interactive online language exercises related to your studies and receive instant feedback

On this course you will:• learn to speak more confidently• practice listening more attentively• learn phrases that help with your fluency

Days and timesStudents book a lesson that suit their interests and schedule first, then attend classes which they book. Lessons are available mornings and evenings. One lesson is 90 minutes.LevelsElementary/Pre-Intermediate / Intermediate / Upper IntermediateThe number of students in one classClasses are limited to 16 students

Title of Course: Short StoriesGoal: Boost your English by discussing classic English short storiesCourse outlineLovers of literature will thrive on this course, which is based around a collection of fascinating English short stories. While books form its central theme, this course helps develop speaking as well as reading skills through in-class discussions. These discussions will build your speaking confidence and ability to fluently express opinions on a range of topics. The course exposes you to a variety of sentence structures and vocabulary preferred

51

by different authors. It also puts your critical thinking skills to the test.On this course you will:

build speaking fluency by discussing fascinating English short stories gain exposure to a variety of sentence structure and vocabulary learn critical thinking 

Days and timesStudents participate in Short Stories classes once a week. Each class is 90 minutes. Classes are available in the evenings, from Monday to Friday, throughout the year.LevelsClasses are designed for Upper-intermediate to Advanced levels and limited to eight students so teachers can provide individualized attention.The number of students in one classClasses are limited to 8 students

WorksheetName of the Academy:Our methods

Our teachers

Title of Course: Goal:

Course outline

On this course you will:

Days and times

Levels

52

The number of students in one class

Registration form

Name of the Academy:

Title of Course:

# Student Name

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Ⅳ. Practicum53

- ReflectionsIn this part, the individualized and deep reflection on teaching class in

Sookmyung Women’s University. All classmates communicated and interacted well

by writing reflections every week and commenting suggestions and compliments.

Reflection for week 06

<What happened?>

We did some activities related to the theme ‘dating’ by describing daily routine. From

describing students’ own daily routines to others’ specific daily routines, students

learned about the practical tips for describing daily routine. There were diverse

materials such as video, worksheet, picture and role card. On Tuesday, my little

sisters were eager to participate in the first activity which was completing the

paragraph with their chosen words. The completed paragraph were different from

one another and a little bit strange and wired, they really liked that and laughed a lot.

Also, it gave students time to practice speaking and warm up. After that, they

answered the question they picked by themselves randomly. There were some

penalties, students enjoyed doing that. While watching the video describing girl’s and

boy’s different routines before dating, students took some notes and shared their

description with group members. Making their own morning routines for special day

and best dating plan were followed. The last activity was suggesting better date for

the couple given out. On Thursday, after several small activities of describing daily

routine, students made a poster including their own creative suggestions.

<What went well?>

As I said above, my sisters really enjoyed the very first one, completing the story by

using their words. Since they wrote down some information they came up with

without any information, the completed story became really unexpected and

interesting. During sharing the different routines before dating according to the

gender, little sisters shared their own morning routines naturally. It went quite well I

think. Also, picking up the question from the cup was interesting because it made the

54

activity more fun and interesting. Even though the activity was simple one to answer

the question, students seemed having fun to pick up the question straws. It was

really good idea to motivate students. Trying to manage time by using timer and

giving students exact activity time before starting was good. Some of the students

looked at the timer in the screen during the activity. Also, this week’s teaching group

dealt with the language items, I mean the real practical tips for language function at

the middle of the class. I think it is definitely good for students to think about their

speaking and accuracy for achieving language function.

<What didn’t work well?>

Giving direction was a common problem all we have I think. Using microphone was

not familiar with big sisters, so direction was not clearly delivered to students.

Overall, describing routine was not easy theme to deal with I think. My little sisters

got a little bit bored and distractive because most of the activities were overlapped.

Actually, since we all have our own theme for two classes, it is not easy to make

creative and something new related to it. Students asked my why they had to

describe other’s routine so much. I think it would be better to use students’ own

routine or dating plan for the activity. If most of materials are not real and authentic,

students probably think like that it isn’t meaningful and don’t know why they have to

do it. Although making poster is good and big enough to wrap up the whole class, I

heard that some students said about the poster. They said making poster is too

much used in this class. Actually, I don’t have any creative idea to replace making

poster, many we need to think about another wrap up activity except making poster.

We did make poster almost every week.

<What can I do next?>

While participating in activities with my little sisters, I talked about my experience a

little bit more and students seemed interested in it. When they don’t have anything to

talk about anymore, it could be good for them to listen to my speaking and keep the

conversation going. Also, I tried to let students take turns for doing activity. They

followed the turns well and relatively same opportunities to speak were given out I

think. I will talk about taking turns next time and let them know I want them to follow 55

the rules with designated time. Giving their own roles will be working well I think. For

example, student 1 will draw some images on the poster and student 2 will be a

presenter and student 3 write down the idea organizationally. I will do my role more

actively as a facilitator from next class. I think controlling them a little bit more could

be helpful to lead and follow the class more effectively.

Ⅳ. Practicum

- Mid-term examIn English in Action Speaking class, my partner Sujung and I made the Mid-

term exam materials by consulting the reading assignments given by each teaching

group, including our own teaching group as well. We had an opportunity to connect

the teaching and assessment by ourselves. We considered validity, reliability and

practicality in making a good assessment.

Stephen van VlackSookmyung Women’s University

School of EnglishEnglish in Action Speaking

Midterm Exam - Spring 2015

Name: Student Number:

1. Match the following descriptions with the correct name (1 point each)

BautaThe costume consisted of an ankle length black overcoat and/or gown made from heavy fabric and usually waxed, protective gloves and a bird-like mask with a long beak.

Medico della peste (The Plague Doctor)

It is often highly decorated with gold, silver, crystals and feathers. It is held up to the face by a baton or is tied with ribbon as with most other Venetian masks.

56

Columbina

The costume consists of a tricorn black hat, a veil and a tabarro, a mantle, which doubles over the shoulders, originally white, deep-blue or red in color, and decorated with frills and fringes.

Gnaga

It is the iconic modern Venetian mask: it is often stark white though also frequently gilded and decorated, and is commonly worn with a tricorn and cloak. It is secured in the back with a ribbon.

Volto (Larva)

The traditional ( ) outfit includes female clothing and a mask portraying a female cat.

2. Fill in the blanks using the words on the list given below (2 points each)

clammy coarse erratic impulsive prosaic shaggy squashy stocky

(1)

He dreaded having to shake hands with her parents as he knew his hands were _______________.

(2)

He asked his friend to come with him to buy a suit because he knows he's _______________ when he shops.

(3)

All four suspects are _______________ with short haircuts, and three wore checked shirts with collars and short sleeves in the courtroom.

(4)

Compared with his earlier, delightfully inventive work, his second novel was disappointingly _______________.

(5)

A bed is covered in big _______________ pillows.

(6)

Their long _______________ hair protects them from the cold winters and rainy weather.

(7)

The fabric was surprisingly _______________ considering its price.

57

(8)

His _______________ attendance does not instill confidence.

3. Read the passage and answer the questions.

Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are (1) decorated/decorating eggs that are often (2) given/giving to celebrate Easter or springtime. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tradition is to use (3) dyed and painted/dying and painting chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs (4) filled/filling with confectionery such as jelly beans. Eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility, and rebirth. In Christianity, for the celebration of Eastertide, Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus: though an egg appears to be like the stone of a tomb, a bird hatches from it with life; similarly, the Easter egg, for Christians, is a reminder that Jesus (5) rose/rising from the grave, and that those who believe will also experience eternal life.

A. Circle the correct verb form among the underlined words [from (1) to (5)] (1 point each)

B. True or False questions. Circle the correct answer. (2 points each)

Eggs for Easter generally symbolized fruitfulness and resurrection. ( T / F )

Chocolate eggs or plastic eggs which are modernized Easter eggs can be stuffed with sweets. ( T / F )

The Easter eggs represents that spring was over. ( T / F )

4. Arrange the sentences given below in a correct order. The first step will be ‘1’ and the last step will be ‘7’. Write the number of the order in the parentheses considering an appropriate process. (4 points)

You can prepare by buying a few simple and versatile ingredients that you can use to create a great meal at a moment’s notice. ( )

Planning to take your date to a nice restaurant on Valentine’s Day can backfire. ( )

If you are concerned one of these situations will occur you can have a plan B by being prepared to go home and cook your date a fabulous meal if the restaurant is too hectic on Valentine’s Day. ( )

For example the restaurant may lose your reservations, be too busy to honor your reservation or the restaurant may be too crowded to have a relaxing experience. ( )

58

This way you will be prepared if anything goes wrong plus the ingredients won’t got to waste because you can always use them later in the week. ( )

In these cases you might want to consider not having dinner in the restaurant because it will be too complicated and not at all relaxing. ( )

Even if you make reservations well in advance there can still be complications. ( )

5. Read the passage and answer the questions. (2 points each)

( C ) weekdays, I wake up ( A ) twenty past seven, but I get up ( A ) half past. I have a shower, and then I have breakfast. I usually have a white coffee and toast for breakfast, but some days I have biscuits or cookies! People ( B ) the USA say "cookies" and people ( B ) the UK say "biscuits". After breakfast I get dressed and I go to work ( A ) quarter past eight. I walk to the train station. That's about ten minutes. I get the train ( A ) 8.30 and I get to Atocha train station ( A ) ten to nine, and then I walk to my office. I start work ( A ) nine. I work from nine to two, and from three to six ( B ) the afternoon. I have lunch ( B ) my office. I often have a sandwich and a piece of fruit. Sometimes I have a chocolate bar, too! After work, I go shopping for food and things for the house. I get home before half past seven. I rest a bit, and then I do some housework. ( A ) about nine I cook dinner for my family and me. We usually have dinner ( A ) half past nine. After that, we watch TV or I read a book. I usually go to sleep ( B ) front of the TV set or the book! I'm very tired! I go to bed ( A ) midnight. ( A ) the weekend, my day is much better! I sleep more and I relax. Sometimes I go out for a drink with friends or my family and I go out for a meal. Once a month we go ( C ) a day trip to the countryside or the mountain. We need to breathe fresh air! Sometimes I stay home, and I listen to music, or watch films or movies with my family. I also like drawing and dancing! Sometimes I go dancing with my friends. It's fun! ( C ) Sunday evening I usually read a bit, novels!

A. Write the correct preposition that commonly goes into the blanks ‘A’.

Answer:

B. Write the correct preposition that commonly goes into the blanks ‘B’.

Answer:

C. Write the correct preposition that commonly goes into the blanks ‘C’.

Answer:

6. Fill out the table appropriately according to the categories provided. (1 point each)

59

Occasionally, Early, Often, Usually, Already, Immediately, Hardly ever, Finally

Adverbs of timeThese can answer the question ‘when?’

Adverbs of frequencyThese can answer the question ‘how many

times?’① ② ③ ④

① ② ③ ④

7. Choose the appropriate sentence for the blanks. (3 point each)

Humans need food and water to live. Kids especially need to eat healthy food — and enough of it — to grow and develop. But for some kids, they might hear someone say that food makes them " fat" or they might start to worry about their bodies and how they look — and some kids stop eating right, eat too little, or try to make themselves throw up after they eat.

Dangerous HabitsNot eating right can make kids sick. ( ① ) If this goes on for a long time, kids can get very sick and need to go to hospital to be fed through a tube in their nose.

In some extreme cases, people can't stop dieting and get so thin and so sick that it can even lead to death. Why, then, would anyone do it? Well, there isn't just one answer — there are many.

( ② ) We see these people's bodies on TV, the Internet, or in a magazine and might feel that we want to look like that, too, because they seem rich and happy all the time.

A lot of us wish we looked more like celebrities or thinner friends — there's nothing wrong with wanting to be slimmer, healthier, or happier. Most kids just enjoy looking at pictures of famous people and seeing them on TV, but it doesn't make them change their own lives.

But sometimes this wish to be thin, or assuming that all thin people are happy, can lead to some dangerous thinking and behavior when it comes to food. Some people go on a diet, which means they start eating less food — and sometimes dieting can get out of control. ( ③ ) Some brag about not being hungry or not needing to eat. But this can be the start of unhealthy eating problems.

Anyone can have an eating disorder: boys and girls, kids, teens, and adults. Let's find out more about eating disorders.

60

What Causes Eating Disorders?There really is no single cause for an eating disorder. Most kids who develop anorexia do so between the ages of 11 and 14 (although it can start as early as age 7), and there are many reasons why. ( ④ ) They might be depressed or stressed about things and feel as though they have no control over their lives. They see what they eat (or don't eat) as something that they can control.

( ⑤ ) Girls get involved in competitive gymnastics, cheerleading, or beauty or modeling pageants also might be more likely to develop an eating disorder. All of these girls know their bodies are being watched closely, and they may develop problems if they try to make their bodies more "perfect."

When boys develop eating disorders, it's usually because they're in a sport that emphasizes weight, such as wrestling. Wrestlers compete based on weight classes. For instance, there's one class for 75-pound boys and another for 80-pound boys. Wrestlers feel pressure to stay in their weight class, which is called "making weight."

ⓐ Some kids at school might start competing about how little they have eaten that day.

ⓑ Not eating enough food or eating food and then throwing up can cause problems with growing and developing in a healthy way.

ⓒ Sometimes kids involved in certain sports might feel they need to change their body or be thin to compete.

ⓓ Some kids just don't feel good about themselves on the inside and this makes them try to change the outside.

ⓔ Some say it's because there are lots of very thin models and movie or TV stars.

8. Choose the inappropriate sentence for the paragraph. (There are 4 inappropriate sentences in the article, 3 point for each,)

Recent evidence suggests that good nutrition is essential for our mental health and that a number of mental health conditions may be influenced by dietary factors.One of the most obvious, yet under-recognized factors in the development of major trends in mental health is the role of nutrition. The body of evidence linking diet and mental health is growing at a rapid pace. ①Some studies have suggested a link between what you eat and depression, but there isn’t enough conclusive evidence to say whether or not it can definitely make a difference. As well as its impact on short and long-term mental health, the evidence indicates that food plays an important contributing role in the development, management and prevention of specific mental health problems such as depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Alzheimer’s disease.Nearly two thirds of those who do not report daily mental health problems eat fresh fruit or fruit juice every day, compared with less than half of those who do report daily mental health problems. This pattern is similar for fresh vegetables and salad. Those who report some level

61

of mental health problem also eat fewer healthy foods (fresh fruit and vegetables, organic foods and meals made from scratch) and more unhealthy foods (chips and crisps, chocolate, ready meals and takeaways).A balanced mood and feelings of wellbeing can be protected by ensuring that our diet provides adequate amounts of complex carbohydrates, essential fats, amino acids, vitamins and minerals and water. ② While a healthy diet can help recovery, it should sit alongside other treatments recommended by your doctor.

Healthy eating on a budgetA healthy diet can be more expensive. Fish, fruit and vegetables can be particularly pricey. However, by cutting down on sugary drinks and snacks, takeaways and alcohol, you can save money so you can buy healthier foods.Take care to buy only as much as you know you can use within the next few days, to reduce waste. ③You can also cut your costs by taking advantage of special promotions and by shopping at market stalls, which are often cheaper than supermarkets. If you live alone you could save money by splitting purchases with friends (buying bulk is usually cheaper) or by cooking several portions of a dish and freezing some of them. This also saves energy and saves you the effort of preparing meals every day. Frozen fruit and vegetables are often cheaper than fresh produce and are usually just as good nutritionally (with no wastage). ④Fresh fruit and vegetables are usually cheapest when they are in season. Beans, lentils and soy mince are also cheaper than meat and just as nutritious.

Regular mealsEat regular meals throughout the day to maintain blood sugar levels. ⑤What we are eating now is very different from that of our recent ancestors. Make sure you eat at least three meals each day. Missing meals, especially breakfast, leads to low blood sugar and this causes low mood, irritability and fatigue. If you feel hungry between meals you may need to include a healthy snack egg, fruits, nuts and cereals.

Protein in your dietInclude protein at every meal to ensure a continuous supply of the amino acid tryptophan to the brain. We all need to eat enough protein to maintain our skin, organ, muscle and immune function but recent research suggests that one particular component of protein, the amino acid tryptophan, can influence mood. ⑥Where possible, maintain a good balance of fruit, vegetables, carbohydrates, protein and omega 3 sources throughout the year in order to be in good physical condition.Supplements of tryptophan were tested in studies and in some were shown to improve the mood of people with depression. The supplements were not considered safe and were removed from the market. However, you can ensure your brain gets a regular supply of tryptophan by including at least one good sized portion of protein at each meal ie. meat, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, nuts, beans, lentils (dhal), or a meat substitute such as textured vegetable protein or mycoprotein.

Variety of foodEat a wide variety of foods to keep your diet interesting and to ensure you obtain all the micronutrients you need. ⑦The more varied your diet, the more likely you are to obtain all the nutrients you need. If you have bread at one meal, try cereal or potatoes, rice or sweet

62

potatoes at the others. Make sure you include at least 2 portions of different fruits and/or vegetables and a protein food at each meal.Include some red meat and fish, as they are good sources of vitamin B12, another nutrient that seems to be associated with mood. ⑧It is also important to eat your 5 a day which can benefit your mental as well as physical health. If you are vegetarian or have a limited budget, include fortified soy mince and yeast extract to increase your intake of this vitamin.

Fish in your dietInclude fish, especially oily fish, in your diet.⑨A few studies suggest that omega 3 oil supplements may reduce symptoms in people with depression on antidepressant medications. These studies are small but we know that a proper balance of omega 3 and omega 6 oils in the diet is important. If you don’t like fish you could try an omega 3 supplement (choose one that is purified, contains no vitamin A and has a high eicosapenanoic acid (EPA) content – take no more than 1g EPA per day). ⑩There is some evidence that foods that are rich in some essential fatty acids found in oily fish, like mackerel, salmon, herring, sardines, kippers and fresh tuna can help to relieve stress.

9. Make the right order for the whole article. (5 point for each)

A. Successful stories of young graduates Greg James, 'Determined people succeed’

You have to have a plan in place, even if it's a sketchy one. Have short-term and long-term① aims. In my final year at university, my short-term aims were to gain experience at BBC local radio, work on the local community station, try and get some real FM presenting experience and get a meeting/pilot at Radio 1. My long-term aim has always been to get a show on Radio 1.

I genuinely think that the majority of people will decide that their dream job is too hard to ②achieve, too competitive and "oh well it's all about luck". All of these are true actually, but why should that stop you? The really determined people will always succeed and, in many ways, need people to give up and find it too much like hard work to make way for them.

My chosen career has always been competitive but I never thought about other people ③going for the same jobs. It's human nature to compare your progress to your peers but I suppose my advice would be to try not to. Be focused on what you want and how you are going to get it.

The best jobs aren't supposed to be easy, that's what makes them challenging. If you like a ④challenge, don't listen to the nay-sayers, just keep your head down and go for it. And look, one day, you might even get to write your own sanctimonious Guardian article.

Of course it is a very tough time economically to find employment straight after ⑤university, but it is by no means impossible. It might take several months longer to find a job after graduating than maybe it did five years ago, but there is work out there.

I hate saying this to people but really, this piece of ⑥ cliche advice is key. You must never get down-trodden by the knockbacks because there will be loads. You can achieve your dream job whatever it is but … here comes the cliche … you simply must not give up on it. Be prepared to work hard and for long hours and at the start probably for little or no money but it will be worth it in the end.

It sounds easy for me to say it now, but I always thought that with really bloody hard ⑦63

work, dedication, a willingness to put myself out for them and a load of luck, I could get to Radio 1. You also have to be a complete nerd about the business you want to get in to. Know as much as you can about it, then you can feel part of it and understand how it works.

The right order:

B. Keep clear goals Pamela Nash

① This was lucky; but also a result of me trying everything I could do to get on. Eventually I landed a part-time job in House of Fraser, Glasgow which allowed me to earn money three days a week and gain relevant experience the rest of the time. After a year I was promoted to a full-time position as a parliamentary assistant.② Get as involved as possible with organisations in your field of work; for example as well as being active in my local Labour party, I also joined associated campaigns and think tanks and stood for election to the Scottish youth parliament.③ Pressures on graduates this year are higher than ever before with the number of opportunities being squeezed. At a time like this it is important that you keep clear career goals and do everything in your power to get there; taking on voluntary work or learning additional skills is vital. ④ I knew it was important to balance earning with improving skills and employability but I found it hard to get a part-time job. While job hunting I wrote to my MP to have a moan about the situation for graduates generally, but also to ask if there were any opportunities in his office. He asked me to meet him and offered me an internship. ⑤ Most importantly, do not lose heart. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity, so be ready.⑥ I do not envy anyone graduating in 2012; it was difficult enough when I graduated in 2006; even then there were not many jobs for new social science graduates. I was living alone and found it difficult to stay afloat, and was surprised and embarrassed about the situation I found myself in.⑦ Do not worry when you have to take on a job you'd rather not to make ends meet. Sort out your finances as soon as possible and make sure you are getting the benefits you are entitled to if you are still looking for work, and live within your means.

The right order:10. Read the paragraph and answer the questions.

1. Don't study grammar too much. This rule might sound strange to many ESL students, but it is one of the most important rules. If you want to pass examinations, then study grammar. However, if you want to become fluent in English, then you should try to learn English without studying the grammar. Studying grammar might slow you down and confuse you. You will think about the rules when creating sentences instead of naturally saying a sentence like a native. Remember that only a small fraction of English speakers know more than 20% of all the grammar rules. Many ESL students know more grammar than native speakers. I can confidently say this with experience. I am a native English speaker, majored in English Literature, and have been teaching English for more than 10 years. However, many of my students know more details about English grammar than I do. I can easily look up the definition and apply it, but I don't

64

know it off the top of my head. I often ask my native English friends some grammar questions, and only a few of them know the correct answer. However, they are fluent in English and can read, speak, listen, and communicate effectively. Do you want to be able to recite the definition of a causative verb, or do you want to be able to speak English fluently?

2. Practice speaking, what you hear!In order to speak English fluently, you need to practice speaking. Don't stop at the listening portion, and when you study, don't just listen. Speak out loud the material you are listening to and practice what you hear. Practice speaking out loud until your mouth and brain can do it without any effort. By doing so, you will be able to speak English fluently.

3. Learn and study phrasesMany students learn vocabulary and try to put many words together to create a proper sentence. It amazes me how many words some of my students know, but they cannot create a proper sentence. The reason is because they didn't study phrases. When children learn a language, they learn both words and phrases together. Likewise, you need to study and learn phrases. If you know 1000 words, you might not be able to say one correct sentence. But if you know 1 phrase, you can make hundreds of correct sentences. If you know 100 phrases, you will be surprised at how many correct sentences you will be able to say. Finally, when you know only a 1000 phrases, you will be almost a fluent English speaker.

4. Don't translate When you want to create an English sentence, do not translate the words from your Mother tongue. The order of words is probably completely different and you will be both slow and incorrect by doing this. Instead, learn phrases and sentences so you don't have to think about the words you are saying. It should be automatic. Another problem with translating is that you will be trying to incorporate grammar rules that you have learned. Translating and thinking about the grammar to create English sentences is incorrect and should be avoided.

5. Submerge yourselfBeing able to speak a language is not related to how smart you are. Anyone can learn how to speak any language. This is a proven fact by everyone in the world. Everyone can speak at least one language. Whether you are intelligent, or lacking some brain power, you are able to speak one language. This was achieved by being around that language at all times. In your country, you hear and speak your language constantly. You will notice that many people who are good English speakers are the ones who studied in an English speaking school. They can speak English not because they went to an English speaking school, but because they had an environment where they can be around English speaking people constantly. There are also some people who study abroad and learn very little. That is because they went to an English speaking school, but found friends from their own country and didn't practice English. You don't have to go anywhere to become a fluent English speaker. You only need to surround yourself with English. You can do this by making rules with your existing friends that you will only speak English. You can also carry around an iPod and constantly listen to

65

English sentences. As you can see, you can achieve results by changing what your surroundings are. Submerge yourself in English and you will learn several times faster.

A. What is the most suitable topic for the reading? (3 point)ⓐ Several tips for studying Englishⓑ How to develop your target language speaking skillsⓒ Find the best ways to speak Englishⓓ The steps for learning target language skills

B. According to the paragraph, how can students improve speaking ability? (3 point)ⓐ Leaners try to translate the target language into their mother tongue.ⓑ Learners have to study correct grammar rules to make a right sentence.ⓒ Learners change their surroundings to include the target language.ⓓ Learners listen to the target language as much as possible.

C. Based on the above reading, what is not a good way to practice English speaking? (3 point)ⓐ Learn useful phrases rather than individual wordⓑ Set the rules with their acquaintances to use only Englishⓒ Speak out loudly while listening to English constantlyⓓ Make a sentence by putting together correct grammar rules

D. Write your own tip related to the above reading topic. (1 point)

Ⅳ. Practicum

- Needs analysisThe needs analysis for students in English in Action speaking class is

showed here. As a teaching assistants, all of us in Practicum course participated in

making the survey for getting ideas about what and how to teach students. Based on

this needs analysis, all classes were designed to meet the students’ needs in light of

interest, learning goal, preferred materials and so forth.

STUDENT SURVEY Major (전공): Year (학년): Age (나이): ____In order to provide you with more effective and satisfying English in Action Speaking class this

66

semester, we would like to ask you few questions through this survey. Please answer the following questions. The results of this survey will only be used for the preparation of this class.안녕하세요 밴블랙 교수님의 English in Action Speaking 학생 여러분! 저희는 보다 효과적이고 만족스러운 수업을 준비하기 위하여, 여러분들의 요구조사를 실시하고자 합니다. 다음의 질문에 솔직하고 성실한 답변을 부탁드립니다. 조사결과는 수업활동과 자료를 구성하는 데에만 참고할 것입니다.

1. Which word below best describes your personality in general? 당신의 성격은 어느쪽에 가깝습니까? 가깝다고 생각하는 번호에 체크해주십시오.

Introverted -----1----------------2----------------3----------------4----------------5------- Extroverted (내성적) 매우내성적 내성적인편 중간 외향적인편 매우외향적 (외향적)

2. Briefly describe your English learning experience. 자신의 영어학습 경험을 적어주십시오.

In school (학교교육) How many years? (기간/년)

Private tutoring (과외) How many months? (기간/월)

In a language institute (영어학원경험)

How many months? (기간/월)

Living abroad (해외체류경험) Where? How many months?(장소, 기간/월) /

Having foreign friends(외국인친구와의교제)

How many months? (기간/월)

3. What do you do with English? How many hours do you use it per week? 영어를 어떤 용도로 얼마나 사용합니까? (해당 칸에 표시하십시오)

Purpose (용도) Studying (학업) Working (업무) Socializing (사교)Hours / per week (주당 시간)

4. Have you ever taken any standardized exams? Indicate which one(s) and the approximate score received. 정규시험을 보신 적이 있다면, 점수를 적어주십시오.

Name of the test (OPIc, MATE, TOEIC, TOEFL, etc.)

Score

5. What are your plans for the future? What job would you like to have? 졸업후의 계획은 무엇입니까? 어떤 직업을 갖고 싶습니까?

6. What parts of English skills do you have the most confidence in? Rank the

67

following in order (1=most confidence, 8=least confidence) 어떤 영어 영역에 가장 자신이 있습니까? 자신 있는 순서대로 번호를 적으십시오. (1=가장 자신있음, 8=가장 자신없음).

Vocabulary Reading Speaking WritingGrammar Pronunciation Listening Test preparation

7. How would you rate your English proficiency? Circle the appropriate rate.당신의 영어 능력이 정도라고 생각하십니까? (적절한 문항에 동그라미 치십시오.)

Reading Intermediate 중 Advanced 상 Superior 최상Speaking Intermediate 중 Advanced 상 Superior 최상Writing Intermediate 중 Advanced 상 Superior 최상Listening Intermediate 중 Advanced 상 Superior 최상

8. How confident do you feel speaking English? Check the scale below.당신은 영어 말하기에 얼마나 자신감이 있으십니까? 아래 해당하는 곳에 체크해주세요.

Very low ---------- Low------------------- Average-------------------High--------------------- Very high

9. How comfortable do you feel listening to English? Check the scales below.당신에게 영어 듣기는 쉬운 편입니까? 아래 해당하는 곳에 표시해 주세요.

Very low ---------- Low------------------- Average-------------------High--------------------- Very high

10. How friendly are you with English. Choose one below당신에게 영어는 얼마나 친숙한가요? 아래 해당하는 곳에 표시해 주세요.

English is my friend.English is my enemy.

11. What types of English learning tasks would you like to do in this class? Rank the following in order (1=most preferred, 10=least preferred)English in Action Speaking 수업에서 특별히 했으면 하는 영어 학습 형태는 무엇입니까? 선호도에 따라 1 부터 10 까지 번호를 매겨주십시오. (1=가장 선호, 10=덜 선호)

Storytelling PronunciationDescribing Role playDiscussions VocabularyIndividual presentation Giving opinionsGroup presentation Listening

12. What types of materials would you like to use in this class? Rank the following in order (1: Most preferred, 9: Least preferred)English in Action Speaking 수업에서 다루었으면 하는 수업재료는 무엇입니까? 1 부터 9 까지 좋아하는 순서대로 번호를 매기십시오. (1:가장 선호, 9:덜 선호)

Worksheet Movie clips Pictures CartoonsVideo Sound bytes Graphs Short articlesRealia

68

13. What kinds of topics are you interested in? Rank the top 5. 가장 관심 있는 주제를 1 부터 5 까지 좋아하는 순서대로 번호를 매기십시오. (1:가장 선호, 5: 덜 선호)

Culture difference Study abroad Jobs & CareerSuperstition Travel CelebritiesShopping Leisure activities Food (cooking)Fashion Friends Dating/relationshipsFamily Sports HolidaysSocial issues Movies TechnologyArt/ Music Health Language Learning

14. What do you think is the best way to learn English?영어를 가장 잘 배울 수 있는 방법에 무엇이라고 생각합니까?16. Do you have any concerns about this class?이 수업 담당 선생님께 하고 싶은 말, 수업에 대한 어떤 고민거리가 있으면 적어주십시오.

SURVEY RESULTSQuestions Details Aver Remark

Personality 3 (1:Introverted, 5:Extroberted)

LearningExperience

In school 11 YearPrivate tutoring 17

MonthInstitute 24

Living abroad 12Foreign friend 35

Private tutoring19%

Institute27%

Living abroad14%

Foreign friend40%

learning experience

69

3 PurposeStudying 8

Hours per weekWorking 2 Socializing 1

Study-ing73%

Working16%

Socializing12%

learning purpose

4Standardize

d Exams

OPIc AL

　

Mate 　

TOEIC 902 TOEFL 106 ILETS 8

6 Confidence

Vocab 4 (1:Least

confident, 8:Most confident)

Low Average: less confident

High Average: More confident

Grammar 3 Reading 6

Pronunciation 5 Speaking 5 Listening 6 Writing 3

Test Prep 4

70

Vocab10%

Grammar9%

Reading16%

Pronunciation13%Speaking

14%

Listening16%

Writing9%

Test Prep11%

confidence

7 English Proficiency

Reading 2 1: Intermediate 2: Advanced 3: Superior

Speaking 2 Writing 1

Listening 2

Reading26%

Speaking25%Writing

21%

Listening28%

English proficiency

8 Speaking Confidence 　 3

1: Very low 2: Low 3: Average 4: High 5: Very high

9Listening

comfortableness

　 3

10 Friendliness Friend 23 23 Ss think

71

with

English

Englishis their friends.

4 Ss think English is

their enemy.

Enemy 4

Friend87%

Enemy13%

Friendliness with English

11 Preferred Tasks

Storytelling 6.3462

(1:Least preferred,

10:Most preferred)

Low Average: Less preferred

High Average: More preferred

Describing 5.9 Discussions 7.0 Individual

presentation 4.0

Grouppresentation 3.5

Pronunciation 6.5 Role play 5.9

Vocabulary 5.1 Giving opinions 6.6

Listening 5.2

72

Storytelling11%

Describing11%

Discussions12%

Individual presentation

7%Grouppresentation

6%Pronunciation

12%

Role play11%

Vocabulary9%

Giving opinions12%

Listening9%

Preferred tasks

12 Preferred Materials

Worksheet 3.2

(1: Least preferred,

9: Most preferred)

Low Average: Less preferred

High Average: More preferred

Video 6.5 Realia 4.6

Movie clips 7.9 Sound bytes 4.8

Pictures 5.4 Graphs 2.8

Cartoons 5.1 Short articles 4.7

73

Worksheet7%

Video14%

Realia10%

Movie clips18%

Sound bytes11%

Pictures12%

Graphs6%

Cartoons11%

Short articles10%

Preferred materials

13 Interesting topics

Culture difference 12

(The number of Ss who checked

the topic)

High Numbers: The numbers of Ss preferring the

topic

Low Numbers: The numbers of

Ss less preferring the topic

Superstition 4 Shopping 5 Fashion 1 Family 1

Social issues 10 Art / Music 8

Study abroad 10 Travel 15

Leisure activities 5 Friends 4 Sports 4 Movies 13

74

Health 2 Jobs & Career 6

Celebrities 2 Food (cooking) 6

Dating &Relationships 6

Holidays 4 Technology 4 Language learning 9

Culture difference9%

Supersti-tion3%

Shopping4%Fashion

1%Family1%Social issues

8%Art / Music

6%Study abroad

8%

Travel11%

Leisure activities4%

Friends3%

Sports3%

Movies10%

Health2%

Jobs & Ca-reer5%

Celebrities2%

Food (cook-ing)5%

Dating &Rela-

tionships5%

Holidays3%

Technology3%

Language learning

7%

Interesting topics

Ⅴ. Third Part: Research

- Action research75

In this part, the action research which my classmates and I made is

introduced. In action research, after finding out the problematic areas from the

English in Action Speaking class and implemented five intervention plans to improve

problematic areas. We collected diverse data such as student’s survey, teacher’s

survey, reflection, and observation through video recording and analyzed them to

make a conclusion. This is in an effort to make better class by interacting students

and by carrying out the specific plans.

Practicum

Action Research Proposal

Dahyun Noh (1341305), Minyoung Park (1342345), TaeEun Kim (1342768)

June 8, 2015

Sookmyung Women’s University Graduate School of TESOL

1. Introduction

This research focuses on the influence of various types of materials on students’ engagement.

For five intervention weeks, we set various types of materials; picture, video, sound bites,

short article, and movie clips, for each week. This report finds out how students’ engagement

can be improved by enhancing the variety of materials.

2. The Study

2.1 Profile of Students

The students who are participating in English in Action Speaking class are university students

in Sookmyung. Most of them have English related major, like English literature and TESL,

although there are few who have majors in different field. Nearly half of the students (13 of

24) have advanced speaking level, and the other half (11 of 24) have intermediate level

according to the interview result by ACTFL guideline (Table 1). They are in different grades,

but most of them are seniors.

2.2 Classroom Context

The class ‘English in Action Speaking’ proceeds in English. The purpose of the class is

giving chances to improve students’ speaking level for preparing speaking proficiency test

like OPIC. There are 24 students in the class and two classes per week, Tuesday and 76

Thursday. For two hours in each class, students participate in the class which is made by

graduate school students. During the class, all students have their own big sisters, as a

facilitator or helper, to attend the class together.

3. Problem Area

3.1 Needs survey & Speaking assessment

First, according to needs survey showed in table 2 (survey question) & table 3 (survey result),

our target students preferred movie clips, videos, pictures, sound-bites and short article.

However, those materials have not been used in the class so that this action research would

handle with them. Second, speaking assessment showed that target students’ speaking was

around intermediate or advanced level but according to observation (Table 4), their overall

engagement during the lessons needs to be developed. For example, they did not join some

activities actively and felt bored. Even though, they have quite high level speaking skills,

they seemed that they do not use the ability during the lessons well. We found that the reason

or problem was because of the lack of variety of the given materials and this action research

aims to address this issue.

Table1. ACTFL speaking assessment criteria (Retrieved from

http://www.languagetesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/OPI.FamiliarizationManual.pd

f)

Table 2.Survey question related to preferred classroom materials

12. What types of materials would you like to use in this class? Rank the following in order (1: 77

Most preferred, 9: Least preferred)English in Action Speaking 수업에서 다루었으면 하는 수업재료는 무엇입니까? 1 부터 9 까지 좋아하는 순서대로 번호를 매기십시오. (1:가장 선호, 9:덜 선호)

Worksheet Movie clips Pictures CartoonsVideo Sound bytes Graphs Short articlesRealia

Table 3.Survey result related to preferred classroom materials

3.2 Issue of research

This action research would focus on specific types of classroom materials which are not only

authentic but also interesting for the target students (Table 3). For example, there are several

types of classroom materials, such as textbook, workbook, cassette, CD-Rom, or handout

worksheet (Tomlinson, 2012). However, a language classroom needs to emphasize more

authentic as well as interesting classroom resources, such as movie clips or newspapers,

which are not made for language teaching purposes. According to Tomlinson (2012), those

kinds of authentic materials can provide exposure to real language as well as motivate

learners effectively. Besides, in particular, among a lot of teaching materials, pictures, videos,

movie clips, sound-bites, and short articles were selected as preferred class resources in the

survey for our target students (Table 3). Kilickaya (2004) asserted that preferred task or type

of materials needs to be considered carefully during the lesson since it can be more

interesting for the target learners as well as stimulate their learning process.

3.3 Reflection

The most common concern observed from teachers’ reflection was to find out how we can

elicit the students’ active engagement effectively. For example, students did something else

instead focusing on the activities (table 4). Furthermore, it seemed that at times, they were not

that interested in the classroom materials. Besides they did not produce their speaking

effectively by using various sources (table 5).

Table 4.Students’engagement problem

Big sisters’ reflection retrieved from http://practicumreflect.forumkorean.com/

78

“As most big sisters are aware of this matter, a few students didn't participate in the activities

diligently while sending text message and chatting in cacao talk privately.”

“All my little sisters participated all the activities on Tuesday but they seemed to be losing their

interests little bit on Thursday.”

Table 5.Variety of class materials problem

Big sisters’ reflection retrieved from http://practicumreflect.forumkorean.com/

“Students seemed to be tired to pay their attention actively on that day and the topics as well as

materials were already familiar to them.”

“More details for movements, roles, materials, orders and turns might be considered when we make

lesson plan.”

“There was too much redundancy.”

4. Research Question

This action research would deal with one research question; “How can we improve students’

engagement by enhancing the variety of classroom materials?” In terms of the problem areas

mentioned above, this research question was created to solve them. Besides, there are several

theoretical backgrounds for setting this question as well.

4.1 Theoretical Backgrounds of the research question

4.1.1 Sociocultural theory

Sociocultural theory (SCT) argued that when people internalize or construct the new

information, they use mediation of artifacts including language (Lantolf, 2000). It can

illustrate that sociocultural theory emphasized importance of mediation tool’s role in learning

process. Besides, it emphasized the importance of students’ engagement as well. For

example, Janzen (2009) argued that when teachers encourage students to develop their

engagement, students would get or understand new information well enough.

4.1.1.1 Various types of materials and engagement

Our action research focuses on the important role of materials as the mediation tool for

students’ language learning as well as their engagement. To be specific, in order to enhance

the meditational tool, classroom materials, we would expand their variety. According to

Randi (2007), in class, ‘varied activities as well as materials can be used to promote student

engagement with and understanding of the target words, including word association tasks,

analysis of word roots, and cloze’. Besides, two types of engagement would be emphasized.

79

To be specific, according to sociocultural theory, there are two different kinds, language-

related engagement and task-related, engagement according. For instance, Platt and Brooks

(2002) argued that language-related engagement shows individual learners’ speech activity, in

which they use language items in order to interact with other people while task engagement

focuses on successful as well as completion of the task more than linguistic forms. In

‘English in Action speaking’ class, we teach students both English speaking and Contents at

the same time. For example, in order to teach and let students practice language function

‘giving advice’, we use the theme ‘health’. Students get knowledge about health by practicing

language function during the class with certain language forms, vocabularies, expressions and

so on. Therefore, in our action research, we are focusing on the relationship between teaching

materials and students’ engagement.

4.1.2 Input hypothesis and requirements for effective materials

“The input hypothesis states that we acquire language by understanding messages, that

‘comprehensible input (CI)’ is the essential environmental ingredient in language

acquisition.” (Atlas, 1992, p.409). Besides, according to Richards (2005), the objectives of

learning language is to survive in real communication situation, so real life issues cannot be

separated in classroom materials. Authentic sources for language teaching motivate learners

to learn language for real world communication. As cited in Richards (2005), Clarke and

Silberstein (1997, 51) argue that since language is a tool of communication, authentic sources

can provide cultural information of the target language, and also they make learners expose to

real language that relates to learners’ needs.

4.1.2.1 Authentic materials

Authentic materials refer to the classroom materials which are not made with specific

learning purpose, such as learning linguistic features, but for communicative reasons. For

instance, multimedia can be one of authentic materials. The use of multimedia has been

importance in language learning in terms of increasing learners’ engagement and motivation.

Learners can experience a real world indirectly in a classroom with a target language. As a

facilitator, teachers can combine multimedia with their teaching methodologies which make

possible to arouse students’ engagement in language learning (Gilakjani, 2012). In other

words, using different multimedia in language learning class cab be to raise interest level of

students who appreciate and often expect a variety of media and to enhance understanding

about rich media materials which can boost students’ comprehension of complex topics, 80

especially dynamic process that unfold over time. For the reasons, our action research would

handle with authentic as well as various materials.

5. Intervention

5.1 Intervention Plan

Intervention week Target classroom material Theme Function

Week1 (4/7, 4/9) Pictures Dating Description & Personal

Routines

Week2 (4/14, 4/16) Videos Job & Career Informal Narration

Midterm Week (Apr 21 / Apr 23)

Week3 (4/28, 4/30) Sound Bites Art & Music Formal Narration

Week4 (5/5, 5/7) Short article or reading Superstition Abstract Descriptions

Week5 (5/12, 5/14) Movie Clips Movies Informal opinions

The order of the materials was chosen in terms of the balance between the materials and

given themes as well as functions. To be specific, week 1 focused on using pictures related to

dating and description of personal routines (Table6). For example, making a dating course or

daily routine activities encouraged students to use the pictures. Week 2 used videos with the

target theme and function, Job & career and informal narration (Table7). For example, in

particular, they learned how to narrate their stories for the job interview effectively and there

were fun commercials as well as real good or bad interview videos to learn the characteristics

of good narration (Table7).

Table6. Pictures for week 1 (Retrieved from Google.com & adapted by group 1)

81

Table7. Pepsi & LG TV Commercials related job interview and a real interview video used

for week 2 (Retrieved from Youtube & adapted by group 2)

Week 3 utilized sound bites related to art & music as well as formal narration. To be

specific, students created a story with sound bites provided from the professor in terms of the

topic, music. It made them produce formal narration by themselves with some creative ideas.

There were 5 sound bites having different genre or mood, such as rock, jazz, or classical

music (Table8). Week 4 included a short article about one of superstition, horoscope, which

can encourage students to produce abstract description (Table9). To be specific, in this week,

students read some reading passage or description of blood types or zodiac related to their

real blood types as well as zodiac. Week 5 showed the target learners movie clips which

would make them give their own opinions informally (Table8). Since this week’s theme is

movie, it is natural to use movie clips in the class. Movie clips would be used to elicit

students’ giving their opinions, such as hero scenes to make them choose the best hero and

support the idea or ‘I am Sam’ movie clip to make them think of any social issues related to

82

the story.

Table8. Sound bites provided by the professor, used for week 3 & one of movie clips used for week 5 (Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnSq7zBbI3E)

Table9. Sample of Reading passages used for week (Provided by group 5)

1) Survey & reading passageFor each horoscope, read the profile and circle how much it sounds like you. Then, pick the one that is most like you.Horoscope A Not like me at all 1 2 3 4 5 Extremely like meBefore an A plunges into anything, from a problem to a vacation idea, they need to analyze all the facts and know all the details. This makes them seem indecisive and slow. A's perception is their reality. What they believe is what will be, if they have a negative outlook on life, things will present themselves to be negative and they will be very moody and isolated/detached. If they are positive, the same events that occur will be held in a positive light and they will be a pleasant, well-adjusted person. A needs to get in touch with their feelings, this is why they usually seem cold or detached.

83

They will say they feel okay or everything is alright even when it's not. The one thing that A does not like to analyze is their feelings so pretending everything is okay is a good defense mechanism for not having to take a closer look at their feelings.2) Description of horoscope

CAPRICORN / Sea-goat / December 22 – January 19Positive Characteristics: strong, disciplined, serious, dependable, confident.Negative Characteristics: shrewd, suspicious, ruthless,

Good Friendship Matches: Taurus, Cancer, Virgo

5.2 Data Collection& Analysis

First, data for this action research would be gathered by some note-taking, short surveys for

students as well as teachers, and observation. To be specific, students’ overall reaction to the

classroom materials as well as their engagement would be observed and note-taken by

instructors. Besides, at the end of every class, students would do a survey to check the degree

of interest as well as meaningfulness of class materials as well as their engagement (Table10).

Furthermore, teachers would check their observation of their little sisters as well as

effectiveness of the various classroom materials by using a checklist (Table11). In addition,

weekly refection would be also included in data for our action research as well.

Table 10.Survey for students

1. Please check the degree of interest and meaningfulness of each material used for today.

(1: the lowest degree of interest and meaningfulness / 5: the highest degree of interest and

meaningfulness.)

Week 1: Picture ( ) Video ( ) Worksheet ( )

Week 2: Picture ( ) Video ( ) Worksheet ( )

Week 3: Picture ( ) Sound Bites ( ) Worksheet ( )

Week 4: Graph ( ) Video ( ) Reading passage ( )

Week 5: Picture ( ) Video ( ) Worksheet ( )

2. Check your attention level during class.

(Lowest) 1 2 3 4 5 (Highest)

3. Check your mental effort level (using your prior knowledge) to understand new concepts for today.

(Lowest) 1 2 3 4 5 (Highest)

4. Check your comprehension level for today’s class

(Lowest) 1 2 3 4 5 (Highest)

Table11. Survey for teachers (Retrieved from Tomlinson (2003).Developing Materials for

84

Language Teaching. New York: Continuum)

1. Was the material considered in respect of learner factors? (learners’ proficiency, age, sex, aims and

purposes, interest, background knowledge, culture, and learners’ affective factors)

(Lowest) 1 2 3 4 5 (Highest)

Why? _________________________________________________________________________

2. Did the material have input factors? (authenticity and comprehensibility)

(Lowest) 1 2 3 4 5 (Highest)

Why? _________________________________________________________________________

3. Did the materials include the target theme as well as function well?

(Lowest) 1 2 3 4 5 (Highest)

Why? _________________________________________________________________________

4. Did the material make students communicate in a meaningful way?

(Lowest) 1 2 3 4 5 (Highest)

Why? _________________________________________________________________________

Richard, D. (2009). Student Engagement Teacher Handbook. International Center for

Leadership in Education. Retrieved from

http://fneii.ca/Student_20Engage_20handbook_20excerpt.pdf

Second, after gathering the whole data mentioned above, short surveys for students

85

as well as teachers would be analyzed to find out how the materials were used and developed

as well as which material was most useful during the intervention week. Furthermore, little

sisters’ informal feedback on materials would be analyzed as well. Besides, development of

students’ engagement would be handled with by using the teachers’ observation as well as

reflection. Finally, those data gathered would be analyzed to find out how was students’

engagement improved by enhancing variety of class materials and which material was the

most interesting as well as meaningful enough to encourage students’ engagement.

6. Data Collection Results

The data for five intervention weeks was collected by student survey (Table10), teacher

survey (Table11), and our group members’ observation. Following sections would analyze the

results of them.

6.1 Analysis on student survey result from week 1 to week 5

The student survey for week 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (Table10) is analyzed with a bar chart as below.

As we can see, movie clips are ranked at the top as the materials in our classroom. It is hard

to say that movie clips itself could be a good material we should always try when we are

teaching speaking, because lessons could be dependent on other variables, like goals, topics,

functions etc. Like we analyzed, movie clips were fit for the teaching theme and functions

exactly, so students could be engaged more into the teaching contexts. Therefore, the key

thing what we should point out on the bar charts is that teachers should keep in mind what

their learners’ interest are and how can the focused material fit for the teaching theme and

function.

In terms of attention, mental, and comprehension level, extra linguistic input, like

pictures, sounds and videos, were much more effective than linguistic input such as

worksheets or reading materials. Because it is a speaking class, so making students use

language could be positive with various materials based on real life contexts. Just giving

them texts without any context is not enough to make them speak out. Therefore, the result

shows that students in a speaking class need various real life based teaching materials with

different types of input.

Table12. Comparison degree of meaningfulness & interest of focused material for week 1, 2

3, 4, and 5

86

Week 1 (picture) Week 2 (video) Week 3 (Sound bites)

Week 4 (Short reading)

Week (Movie clip)0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Degree of meaningfulness & interest

Table13. Comparison engagement for week 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

Week1 (picture)

Week2 (video)

Week3 (sound bites)

Week4 (short

reading)

Week5 (movie clips)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Attention levelMental effort levelComprehension level

6.2 Analysis on teacher survey result & observation from week 1 to week 5

The teacher survey for week 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (Table11) is analyzed with a bar chart as below.

According to the teacher survey about materials used for each week, learner factors (learners’

proficiency & background knowledge) was the highest while picture got the highest score on

input factors (comprehensibility & authenticity) and sound bites & short reading got the

highest connection with target theme and function and communicative & meaningful use got

the highest score on using movie clips.

Besides, when it comes to students’ engagement and observation result, it showed

that there can be various result of using materials with close connection with tasks. For

87

example, when sound bites used on week 3 and short article used on week 4, their connection

with target theme & function was the same however in terms of student engagement, such as

individual attention & fun and excitement, week 4 (short article) was much higher than week

3 (sound bites). The reasons can be that students can do personalization with the reading

material (Table 9) rather than imagining something which might not relevant to their real

lives.

Table14. Comparison of teacher survey results about materials for week 1, 2 3, 4, and 5

Week1 (picture)

Week2 (video)

Week3 (sound bites)

Week4 (short

reading)

Week5 (movie clips)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Learner factorsInput factorsTarget Theme & Func-tionCommunicative & mean-ingful use

Table15. Comparison of teacher survey results about students’ engagement for week 1, 2 3, 4,

and 5

88

Week1 (picture)

Week2 (video)

Week3 (sound bites)

Week4 (short

reading)

Week5 (movie clips)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Positive body languageConsistent focusVerbal participationStudent confidenceFun and excitementIndividual attentionOverall level of student's engagement

Table16. Summarization of our group’s observation about students’ overall performance from

week 1 to week 5

<Week 1>

One thing that was different from the previous pictures usage was giving students real

information like transportations, locations, atmosphere of the place, and so on, through the

pictures (Table6). It elicited the students activate their prior experience or knowledge as well

as be interested in them since those are relevant to their daily lives. For example, Little sisters

were interested a lot in the pictures of real places which were given to make a dating plan

(Table6). They talked a lot about the places in the pictures whether they had experience or

not.

<Week 2>

While watching fun commercials about job interview, students were laughing and enjoyed

them. Besides, when they watched the real interview videos (Table7), students wrote down

some key words from the video to figure out characteristics of good narration quite

enthusiastically. Also, students concentrated on the video including the real situation in the

office because it presented a little bit excessive reaction. They seemed surprised and reacted

very well. Although language form or knowledge is important element for choosing the video

89

material used in the class, the theme is probably most important factor we thought. Besides,

when it comes to fun commercials related to job interview video, it worked well for

brainstorming before starting the main step of the activity. However, students seemed not

very interested in watching the Oprah Winfrey’s interview video, because the sound was not

good and the content of it, establishing a school in Africa as her volunteer work, was not that

interesting for students. Besides, they used the video as a model of their activity to make a

story that they would share at a dinner party for retired people so that there was not that much

creative ideas or narration with high quality (Table17). It would better to use videos for

personalization as well as with various purposes, such as giving context, giving language

items and giving content knowledge.

<Week 3>

Students were a little bit interested in the activity using sound bites because it was totally

new format of activity. They had to listen to the whole melody and then they created a new

storyline based on the music. However, if teachers tried to push students to create their

contents with having high quality and to put more details for the stories, the students’ works

were more likely to be made meaningfully. Besides, it was the last activity so that most of the

students were tired to do this so it also affected the result of the task with the material.

<Week 4>

Students gave us positive feedback about used reading materials because it made them

interested about getting relevant new information, such as their horoscope (Table9).

According to the survey and our observation, the theme and classroom materials were well

matched for students to learn new information. The short articles activated students’

background knowledge and schema so that the overall activities went quite smoothly despite

the extended class hours. In addition, generally students seemed to hate reading during

speaking activities but it looked that their concentration as well as interest decreased their

stress about reading since their overall participation was quite good.

<Week 5>

For the activity to talk about superheroes, teachers showed students a short movie comparing

three movie heroes (Table18) as well as a story line with which students would talk about

social issues (Table19). After seeing the movie clips, students could easily brainstorm the

specifications of three heroes or social issues and express their own opinions about that. On

the contrary, unfortunately, there was little meaningful speaking in the movie clips so that it 90

would be better to use movie clips for more meaningful or communicative ideas However,

generally, students showed positive reactions about the movie clips easily and got involved to

choose one hero based on their own thought. Movie clips include animated visuals, sounds

and interesting contents at the same time and it is easy to get attention from students we

thought. Also, based on the survey conducted at the beginning of the English in action

speaking class, students answered that they preferred movie clips as a class material to deal

with.

Table17. A part of lesson plan for week 2

After watching Oprah Winfrey’s interview video, set

the context that there is a dinner party for retired

people. And It is the first time for them to go there. Let

them prepare for their storytelling about their whole

lives including goals or success that they already

accomplished or obstacles which they overcame and

episodes that they had in the past as an individual work.

Outline of your story

-

-

Table18. A part from lesson plan for week 5

- Ask students to watch the movie for 3 min.- Tell students to look at the worksheet and think three characters to choose the real superhero- Ask students to tell why you choose him as a real superhero in a group by using details on the worksheet with 3 reasons

Table19. A part from lesson plan for week 5- Show students short movie clips about three movies (I,Robot/ I am Sam/ Hedwig) and give time to read the short description of the movies on worksheets - Teachers models what kinds of social issues we can come up with from the movie ‘the Avengers’-Asks students to come up with social issues from the movie individually with supporting ideas

91

7. Finding after 5 weeks

After 5weeks, we found out that students in this class have more interest in seeing videos

related to the teaching context. As we can see in the literature review above, videos make

possible for learners to have dual information, sounds and visuals, which can give improve

not only speaking level itself, but also enhance listening comprehension for better speaking.

Naturally, it could make students engage more in the class compared to the class having only

written materials like worksheets or readings. In addition, as students’ interest went up, their

engagement also increased as we expected. According to our observation of recorded videos,

students gave more reactions or positive feedbacks when teaching groups used movie clips

during the activities. Generally, using videos can catch learners’ eyes, so it might also work in

our classroom.

8. Reflection on the effectiveness of your intervention

Overall, there was a slight change of students’ engagement. Even though the result was not

the same with our expectation since we thought that video would encourage the students’

engagement much higher than pictures. In this point that the not only the types of materials

but also way of dealing with the materials is important can be found. However, increase of

their engagement was observed through the two intervention week.

REFERENCE

Atlas, J.E. (1992). Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics.

Georgetown University Press.

Gilakjani, A. P. (2012). The significant role of multimedia in motivating EFL learners' interest

in English language learning. International Journal of Modern Education and

Computer Science (IJMECS), 4(4), 57.

Hilferty, A. (2000). The Relationship between Reading and Speaking Skills. Retrieved from

http://www.ncsall.net/index.html@id=328.html

Janzen, J (2009). Teaching English Language Learners in the Content Areas. Review of

Educational Research, Vol. 78, No. 4, pp. 1010–1038

Kilickaya, F. (2004). Authentic Materials and Cultural Content in EFL Classrooms.The 92

Internet TESL Journal,10(7).

King, J. (2002). Using DVD feature films in the EFL classroom. Computer Assisted

Language Learning, 15(5), 509-523.

Platt, E., & Brooks, F. (2002). Task Engagement: A Turning Point in Foreign Language

Development. Language Learning, 52(2), 365-400.

Plass, J., Chun, D., & Mayer, R. (1998). Supporting Visual and Verbal Learning Preferences

in a Second-Language Multimedia Learning Environment. Journal of Educational

Psychology,90(1), 25-36.

Randi Sue Berlinger. (2007). Negotiating Identities through Language, Learning, and

Conversation. The University of Arizona.

Richards, J. C. (2005). Communicative language teaching today. SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.

Sinatra, R. (1981). Using Visuals to Help the Second Language Learner.The Reading

Teacher,

34(5), 539-546.

Shumin, K. (n.d.). Factors to Consider: Developing Adult EFL Students' Speaking Abilities.

Retrieved from

http://www.flipbooksoft.com/upload/books/11-

2012/041ba5ba1409007403c34e2c775a99ea/97-35-3-c.pdf

Tomlinson, B. (2012). Glossary of basic terms of materials development in langauge

teaching. Retrieved from

http://materialsevaluationspring2012.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/57048796/Glossary

of basic terms for materials development.pdf

93

Tomlinson, B. (2003). Developing Materials for Language Teaching. New York: Continuum

Wilson, C. (2000). Practical Aspects of Using Video in the Foreign Language Classroom.The

Internet TESL Journal,6(11).

Ⅵ. Future planIn my case, my teaching position has been already set, TOEIC teacher, so I

thought that I didn’t have to make the portfolio showing my best work. I just wanted

to show my colleagues and myself the improvement and my own efforts by making

showcase type portfolio.

Since I am really satisfied with my job and teaching, I think I don’t have to

change many things. However, by reflecting the knowledge on teaching and

language learning, I think it is possible to make it to become a better teacher. I

realized that there is no perfect teacher as well as the best language teaching class.

That means, I can make changes and improvements in my teaching class with the

same position to make better class. What I want to do in the future after graduating

TESOL MA is to make my students get interested in language learning in itself,

rather than getting a score in the test.

As I started to learn English as a language which I can use to interact with

others from preparing the proficiency test, TOEIC, I think it is possible to make my

students to do so. Although it won’t easy, I really want to help my students to use

English as a medium to communicate with people in the real world sometime in the 94

future. In order to do so, the experience and knowledge from the MA course could be

definitely helpful, I believe.

95