Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons^™

Using Film As A Multimodal Text In The Language Classroom, Kate Marie Steckmest

MA TESOL Collection

Film is a powerful medium for language acquisition; Not only does viewing films allow learners to experience language used in various real-life contexts, but the medium of film itself is a form of communication. Through the active viewing of films, students can explore how people with diverse backgrounds, accents, and cultures communicate using multiple modes such as gestures, images, and sounds. When learners are familiar with the techniques used by filmmakers to convey meaning, they can use the medium of film themselves to tell their stories and share their perspectives through filmmaking projects. Such projects can be collaborative and engaging …

Approaches To Narrative Instruction For Second Language Learners, Mathew Peters

MA TESOL Collection

Narratives have reemerged as a dominant form of rhetoric over the last fifty years. This dominant use of narrative discourse has only increased with the rise of social media. Walther Fisher (1987) proposed the narrative paradigm as a unifying theory of human communication. His major claim is that people are inherently storytellers and that people use a narrative rationality and a logic of good reasons to inform their beliefs, values, and actions. This paper utilizes his theories, along with recent findings in neuroscience, to establish an argument for greater inclusion of narratives into second language teaching. Narratives can have a …

A Virtual Ell Community: Manual For Creating An Ell District Website, Brooke Norvish

MA TESOL Collection

Abstract

Every public school district has the responsibility to provide their English language learners (ELLs) with reliable and accessible resources. Many communities do this through various avenues, including in-person and online materials. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, there is an even greater need to provide information online. Many schools are bouncing between hybrid and fully remote programs. Some families are opting to homeschool regardless if their district offers in-person classes or not. Supporting these families and keeping them up to date on how to navigate these challenging times is essential. This materials development project will seek to fill this need by …

Mediation In The Mediterranean: Italy As A Crucible For Immigration And Intercultural Mediation, Nicole Patteuw Abetti

MA TESOL Collection

Europe is again in an intense state of migration influx. While some European countries have historical precedence for these types of population shifts, Italy has largely remained outside the modern phenomenon, since it did not experience the economic boom of post WW2 and the subsequent demand for migrant workers, nor did it experience the pull effect of language migrants after the decolonization of Africa. Italy therefore also missed the second surge of migration during the 70’s and 80’s when families of these immigrants began arriving in Europe. What Italy did experience throughout the 20^th century, and continues to experience …

Drama For Social Justice: Embodying Identity And Emotion In Elt, Riah Werner

MA TESOL Collection

In this thesis, the author makes the case that drama is a powerful tool for language acquisition because it develops and engages embodiment, emotion and identity, important aspects of learning and communication that are often neglected in traditional language classrooms. The thesis establishes a theoretical foundation for the use of drama in the social justice-oriented language classroom, reviews research on drama for language learning and describes common drama techniques. The author connects the theories of embodied cognition and multiliteracies to an intersectional model of identity and argues that drama helps students re-examine the way society positions them based on their …

Reflections On Donor-Funded Reports And Education Programs In Pakistan: A Qualitative Analysis On Pakistan’S English Education, Amy M. Puett

MA TESOL Collection

The extensive rise in aid from aid organizations and donor agencies for education in Pakistan at the beginning of the 21st century has resulted in a rise of the number of studies and reports on Pakistan’s education system and newly developed education programs. This was partially due to the concern about the status of the religious schools known as madaris and the quality of education they provided. The majority of the existing reports on education offer quantitative analyses and pay little attention to English taught in schools although English is critically important for job opportunities and professional growth in Pakistan. …

Experiences Learning English: A Case Study Of Adult Immigrants In Portland, Maine, Usa, Pamela L. Kasabian

MA TESOL Collection

The paper examines the process of English language acquisition for adult immigrants living in Portland, Maine, USA. The focus is on the process of language acquisition and integration into a new linguistic culture through analysis of personally narrated experiences of adult immigrants living in Portland, Maine. It seeks to expose similarities within highly individualistic linguistic journeys that contribute to investment and engagement in learning. In reviewing the data generated by the interviews, I hope to find situations to more deeply explore that could influence a more reciprocal learning culture for the mutual benefit of the language learner and the community …

What Does It Mean For A Teacher To Bring The Whole Person To The Classroom? Reflections And Strategies To Access The Authentic Self And Connect With The Energy Of Joy In The Classroom Learning Experience, Arline M. H. Saturdayborn

MA TESOL Collection

Since I began teaching 10 years ago, I have been summoned by an energy, a vitality that is guiding me. Most days when I walk into the classroom, no matter what is going on in my life, I connect with an energy that makes my heart feel full, brings my whole body alive and fills me with joy. This thesis is an investigation of what I experience when I enter the classroom. I love the energy I have in the classroom. I don’t think it is special to me. I think this energy is available to anyone, if they are …

Black English And Culture Meet The Mainstream Classroom, Giselle Robitaille

MA TESOL Collection

Learning English can often be a critical factor in people’s lives, and the choice to disengage from learning out of sheer frustration can have devastating psychological and social effects for people who need to acquire English in order to be able to fulfill academic, personal and professional goals. While I was not able to find statistics on a global level, it is easy to believe that English language learners do disengage frequently. This is most obvious in the United States where the Standard English (SE) model of teaching black children has resulted in a high level of disengagement with learning …

Movement In Learning: Revitalizing The Classroom, Marcus Van

MA TESOL Collection

Movement is a vital part of our every day lives, and it is also important for a healthy brain. The following paper examines the shift from movement based learning to a more restrictive rote format, which often has adverse effects on learning. This work discusses the ways in which teachers are under pressure to “teach to the test” instead of creating student-centered classrooms. Some of the side effects of a test-centered approach are low self-esteem (from not meeting strict academic requirements) and behavioral problems in students.

Adding more movement to lessons can provide variation and relief from the rote-only system. …

Narrative Inquiry In The Language Classroom: An Incubator Of Identity And Growth Exploration, Olga Culver

MA TESOL Collection

The paper examines narrative inquiry within the precepts of socio-cultural and ecological theories. The work touches upon constructivist learning ideologies and examines social approaches to learning with an emphasis on biographical narratives. The author makes a case for self-discovery, holistic learning, and creating collaborative learning environments. The study also presents a methodology with practical applications for implementing a narrative praxis in a second language learning environment.

How Esol Teachers Become Aware Of Communicative Peace, Josette Leblanc

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines the implications that the relationship between teacher language awareness and communicative peace may have on educational programs for teachers of English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). The evaluation begins by analyzing proposals set out by the applied peace linguist Francisco Gomes de Matos, who suggests that ESOL teachers should teach communicative peace as an element of communicative competence, and also that education programs should provide training to support this approach. By juxtaposing current literature on structural and linguistic violence with Gomes de Matos’ classroom techniques, the hypothesis is made that teachers who would teach communicative peace …

Instructional Practices That Hinder And Support Esl Students In The Self-Contained Esl Classroom And The Mainstream Classroom, Ebru N. Bozburun

MA TESOL Collection

This paper describes the academic challenges that many English Second Language (ESL) students must deal with from the moment they start attending a bilingual program at elementary school until they finish the last step of their academic experience. These students continually struggle to keep up with their peers, often fail the state mandated tests, and eventually, drop out before receiving their high school diploma. For the past three years, both as a self-contained ESL teacher and an ESL certified co-teacher in the mainstream classroom, I taught ESL Language Arts to Spanish- speaking students at a public junior high school in …

How Esol Teachers Become Aware Of Communicative Peace, Josette Leblanc

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines the implications that the relationship between teacher language awareness and communicative peace may have on educational programs for teachers of English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). The evaluation begins by analyzing proposals set out by the applied peace linguist Francisco Gomes de Matos, who suggests that ESOL teachers should teach communicative peace as an element of communicative competence, and also that education programs should provide training to support this approach. By juxtaposing current literature on structural and linguistic violence with Gomes de Matos' classroom techniques, the hypothesis is made that teachers who would teach communicative peace …

Country Music: Access To American Culture In The Esl Classroom, Deborah Hadas

MA TESOL Collection

This paper discusses the use of country music lyrics in teaching American culture. Country music, as any aspect of popular culture, reflects the values of the society which produce and experiences it. The paper starts with a brief history of country music. Then the values of work, family, romantic love and individualism are analyzed and matched with appropriate songs. Within each value a dichotomy emerges: the contrast between a cultural ideal and a more ambiguous reality. The paper concludes with suggestions as to how the songs may be used in the ESL/EFL classroom. Included are nine transcriptions and lesson plans, …

Planning Task-Oriented Field Trips For Beginning Esl Students, Nikki Sarita Ellman

MA TESOL Collection

Field trips into the surrounding community can be valuable learning tools for ESL students living in the target country. These trips expose students to different facets of American culture and give them the opportunity to communicate with native speakers. Preliminary activities, tasks to be done during the trips, and follow-up activities all help students get the most out of these excursions. Beginners in particular need these activities to orient them to what they are going to see, to focus their attention, and allow them to process their feelings about the experiences. This paper addresses the many factors that must be …

Second Language Acquisition In The Field: A Personal Experience, Mary Chase Dindorf

MA TESOL Collection

This report is an examination of the results of my own beginning second language acquisition in the field. For one year I observed myself in the process of acquiring Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia in the respective countries. I was able to document my experiences in a language acquisition diary. It is the data from which this report was written.

I found that my second language acquisition in the field is a complex process determined by need as well as preferred personal strategies, and limited by a saturation monitor.

The success of this acquisition depends primarily upon my needs as …

A Self-Awareness Centered Approach To Curriculum Development, Elaine Lucas Hayes

MA TESOL Collection

This is a collection of classroom activities developed by the author which reflect the hypothesis that culture is more of an inward than an outward. process, and that by developing the inner person, students about to enter another culture (as well a the general population) are best able to cope with the differences and complexities of the world in which they will be living. By investigating just who they are and what is important to them in life, people are able to make choices in life based on that awareness and not upon the pressures of the world around them, …

Teaching/Training Social Language In Galang Refugee Camp: A Learning Process, Jon Phillips

MA TESOL Collection

From 1984 through 1986, I worked as an ESL Supervisor in the Intensive English as a Second Language component at Galang Refugee Processing Center in Indonesia. My job was to train locally hired teachers, and to provide them direction and support through classroom observation and individual teacher evaluation. In 1985, I and the other ESL supervisors perceived a great concern among refugees about their ability to interact with Americans in the United States. To meet that need, we wrote the Social Language unit, which was added to the ESL curriculum. The following paper will describe the rationale for writing such …

Ten Basic Grammar Hurdles For Mandarin Chinese Speakers: A Contrastive Guide For The Beginning Teacher Of Adult Mandarin Chinese Efl Students, Mark Anthony Steele

MA TESOL Collection

This handbook is written specifically for EFL teachers of Mandarin Chinese speaking students at the high elementary and intermediate levels of study. It is intended, through contrastive analysis, to provide the teacher with:

a) an understanding of why these students have particular difficulty with certain structures and sentence patterns in English;

b) a tool in predicting what ten of these patterns are; and c) strategies and activities for use in the classroom that will help the student overcome these ten hurdles in learning English.

The plan of this handbook rests on the belief that the more we as teachers understand …

Meetings Without Measure: A Process Of Understanding, Lassie (M.F.) Dudley

MA TESOL Collection

The ability to understand others is not a fortunate talent or an inherited trait. There is a recognizable process of understanding which can be taught, learned, or practiced at any moment of the day. A person's ability to understand others is directly related to his ability to see others truthfully. In turn, his ability to see others truthfully is in direct relation to his freedom from his own desires and perceived needs. Self-acceptance, which is self-love, is crucial in attaining freedom from our own perceived needs, and therefore central to the process of understanding.

During the summer of 1984, I …

Readings In American History And Culture For Japanese College Students A Materials Development Program, Teresa Bruner Cox

MA TESOL Collection

This paper describes a materials development project carried out at a junior college in Osaka, Japan. The purpose of the project was to develop a set of English language readings about American history and culture suitable for use in a content area course for Japanese students majoring in English at the college. Theory and related research on readability applicable to EFL/ESL content-focused materials are surveyed and discussed in an attempt to identify key factors and to develop an approach to writing the readings and supporting exercises. This is followed by a description of how six American history and culture readings …

Presenting Cultural Awareness, Andrew Willimetz

MA TESOL Collection

This project is a collection of activities and materials for teaching U.S culture in ESL classes. The overall purpose of the activities and materials IS to provide structured opportunities for students to interact with the target culture, either directly through the cultural environment of the U.S or indirectly through viewing the values and beliefs of the students' "original culture.

Syllabus Guideline For The Congress Bundestag Language Training Program With Sample Lesson Plans For Structural, Sociolinguistic, And Cultural Specifics Plus Comments On The Academic Preparation Component Of The Program, Ursula Verena Holzer

MA TESOL Collection

This project is based on the Congress Bundestag Program of 1986, in particular the language training aspect. It first introduces the program with its goals and objectives and the syllabus that was worked with in August 1986. Based on this experience, a revised syllabus guideline is designed here which contains

A. Phonetics

B. Theme/Range of Vocabulary

Grammatical Features and

Cultural/Sociolinguistic Aspects

C. Feedback and Assessment

D. Competencies

E. Academic Skills Development.

Additionally, some structural, sociolinguistic and cultural specifics from the syllabus are examplified through lesson and activity plans. Finally, the paper gives a description of what was done in Academic …

Beyond The Classroom: Teaching Esl To Adult Indochinese Refugees Via Experiential Activities, Andres Ray F. Reyes

MA TESOL Collection

This paper deals with the use of beyond-the-classroom experiential activities to teach ESL and aspects of U.S. culture to adult Indochinese refugees in the U.S. The paper begins with a discussion of the needs of refugees as they come face to face with their new setting, the U.S. The following section discusses the importance of experiential activities as a tool to address the needs of refugees. The next section contains an experiential activities guide based on six major topics: supermarket, post office, transportation, telephone, hospital and employment. The guide presents activities that can be used with adult Indochinese refugees to …

Beginning Esl Reader – A Teacher’S Guide, Ann Catherine Smith

MA TESOL Collection

This project is a collection of ten lessons, each lesson based on a reading. The readings are for beginning adult students, whose reading ability is limited to identifying initial consonants and high-frequency sight words. The readings average three short paragraphs and include basic vocabulary and structures. They discuss themes which are relevant issues to refugees and/or immigrants adapting to United States culture -discrimination, moving to another city, losing a job, family relationships. The themes are not necessarily relevant only to refugees and immigrants but because these populations are newer to the society, issues such as losing a job can be …

Beginning An Esl Program: Underlying Issues And Site-Specific Recommendations, Jonathan D. Reasoner

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines the issues involved in starting up an English as Second Language program. The range of issues discussed is limited to three major areas: assessment of language needs in a community; curriculum considerations for the target student group; and teacher training. There are two separate parts within the paper: Part I, a consideration of underlying issues involved in beginning an ESL program in general; and Part II, potential plans for program start-up at an actual site--the First Baptist Church of Flushing, New York.

Planning for a new program at the specific site serves to focus the general discussion …

Symbols Of America Standard-Bearer Of A New World Order An Autobiographical Interpretation Of U.S. Culture And Civilization In The Twentieth Century, Andrew J. Dimauro

MA TESOL Collection

Throughout my internship in Latin America I was faced with the dilemma of representing U.S. culture and civilization. This paper represents the synthesis of an introspective process of self-realization as a cultural being. The format is partially autobiographical and partially historical. The process involved the separating out of certain cultural tendencies derived from a largely materialistic background of training and replacing these with a more spiritual view of American identity which I perceived to be consistent with the original intentions of the Founders of the U.S.A. The process thus led to a more enlightened vision of U.S. culture and its …

Teaching Reading With Worlds In Color In A Home Schooling Environment, Grace Indoccio Matty

MA TESOL Collection

This paper purports that a home learning environment is a workable alternative to a formal school education. It examines the reading acquisition process of one child through the approach, Words in Color, in a home schooling environment. It's intent is to heighten awareness of the traditional system of education and to describe materials and techniques that can be used in helping a child to learn to read the English language.

Dialects In Discourse: Regional Speech Of United States English, Laura Wilson Bergan

MA TESOL Collection

This project provides materials that are to be used to improve the listening comprehension and communicating skills of intermediate and advanced students of ESL by exposing them to the sounds and rhythms of different dialects of United States English. The project consists of samples of genuine speech that are unrehearsed and unedited, as is the 'real English' that ESL students encounter in the United States. By listening to the tapes, students can grow accustomed to the natural flow of casual spoken English.