Comic Books

As a middle school teacher in South Korea one is expected to conduct a winter and a summer camp for part of the school’s vacation.

This winter I decided to add a bit of extensive reading into the equation. Taking much advice and inspiration from an online class “Breaking Rules” with Mr. John Faneslow I gave my students a wide array of choices of book to read.

All of these books were slightly under their current reading level. I designated the first 30 minutes of every day to reading. I asked students to read a certain amount of pages each day. If they finished before the 30 minutes was up I asked them to reread what they have read.

Now, being middle school there was some push back, but most pleasingly everyone was settled and read for the majority of time each and every day.

In addition to reading time I had them retell their stories to classmates in a 3-2-1 format.

For those unfamiliar with that activity, it is basically a fluency exercise. Students speak for as long as they need to to say what they want to say. Their partners record notes throughout. Then that student is asked to repeat the story, only slightly faster. Partners are encouraged to aid in remembering what the speaker said on the first go round. After a second go the speaker goes again, this time faster than the last. After 3 rounds the speaker is done and speaking duties move on to the partner.

I have tried this activity a few times before and never had much success. However, with a smaller group (9) in camp than in normal classes (35) we fared much better. The students saw real gains from doing this exercise. It was quite taxing on them, but when finished they all displayed quite justified pride in what they had accomplished. It was a great thing for me to see.  For these students are constantly told what they’ve done wrong when speaking or writing. Most never realized they speak so well for so long.

The second activity I had my students do with their books is to create a comic book. These truly blew me away. They are fantastic and I hope you have time to examine them all.

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2012

A day late and a dollar short.

I missed out on writing up a 2012 review. Needless to say, it’s been a busy year.

And perhaps the greatest year I have yet to have in my short life.

I met some incredible people, made some fantastic strides personally and professionally, and generally found my niche in this world. It is an immense feeling. It is something that I have searched for for many many years.

For that I would like to thank you. My teaching community.

In particular, I would like to take the time to specially thank those of you who have had a profound effect on my efforts this year, be they inspiration  motivation or support.

@MichaelGriffin. It all started with you and Josette back in April. I can’t believe how fortunate I was to be in attendance that day. Every step forward this year can be traced back to that auspicious beginning.  For that, and so very much more, I thank you. ELT Rants, Reviews, and Reflections.

@JosetteLB (Joestte LeBlanc). Along with Mike you helped open my eyes to the world of RP. Your kindness, empathy, and support has been invaluable to me. Without you I would not have found the strength and determination to do half of what I accomplished this year. Again, I consider myself the luckiest of individuals to not only call you colleague, but friend. Throwing Back Tokens

@AnneHendler. You’re kindness, creativity and ceaseless inspiration constantly amaze me. You have provided me with incredible conversations and seemingly limitless patience in dealing with my…directness. You are a truly special teacher, woman, and friend. Living Learning

@AlexSWalsh. Mate, what else is there to say but a massive thank you. For the hours spent on the phone working on a website, an idea, a lesson plan, or the most in depth discussion about using L2 Output, thank you. Esllol.org would not exist if not for you. It is still in its infancy, but I know we will create a special and lasting resource. I cannot wait to begin our world presentation tours together this year and many years into the future Alien Teachers.

Darryl Bautista. Your guidance and wisdom have consisently led me in the right direction. Thank you for countless times enlightening my perspective and  being a flat out superb mentor. I cannot believe it’s only been half a year since our introduction. Yours is a voice I will always seek out.  The Itinerant Teacher

Tana Ebaugh. You too have become a dear mentor whose voice and opinion I consider in the highest regard. I feel so fortunate for having met you and, though we will soon be quite distant in real terms, I know that I can always count on you for honest, measured advice. Thank you dearly for everything you have done for me this year.

@breathyvowel (Alex Grevett). Mate you’ve been an endless source of ideas and creativity. I have utilized them on more than one occasion this year. Your tireless work to improve as a teacher is an inspiration. Your endless work with #KELTchat is beyond appreciated. You have helped to bring a very large community even closer together. The Breathy Vowel

@kevchanwow (Kevin Stein). My friend, I have yet to meet you and already consider you an invaluable friend. Your kindness, spirit, drive, and creativity constantly motivate me. Thank you for sharing countless insightful and meaningful blog posts, tweets, and ideas for the classroom. The Other Things Matter. 

And to all of you in my fantastic community that I most egregiously left out, thank you. There are so many incredible, kind, creative teachers out there who have helped me make the positive strides I have throughout 2012.

Here’s to a interesting, inspiring 2013.

my expert students

My students are currently working on a blog-magazine. Each class, of the third grade, has divided into groups and each group is preparing an article to post on the blog.

They are doing this in the knowledge that not only will their work be displayed on the internet, but that they are contributing to a magazine that will also see contributions from Ghana and Russia (hopefully Brazil and Sweden too! Check out this link if your students would like to join.).

With this information shared, I had my classes brainstorm all kinds of magazine topics they could write on. Each group then chose one. There were also opportunities to conduct long distance, delayed interviews with students from abroad. In each class in which these interviews were offered I had multiple groups facing off with rock, paper, scissors to determine who was awarded the chance to conduct an interview.

Any small worries prior to starting this project are now thoroughly forgotten. Each group, from all levels, has been enthusiastically working. Mind you, this is AFTER their final tests. They have no grades left to receive. They are leaving middle school for good in one month, and each and every one of them is thoroughly engaged in producing content they can be proud of.

Personally, I could not be happier. This project has given me a chance to really work with each student, and they me. I have students who previously couldn’t be bothered come hell or high water, when it comes to English class, bringing in work they have done from home. It’s been an immense teaching experience.

My hope is that the magazine will be done by the end of the year. That way all my students can have it as a reminder of what was important to them when they were in middle school.

I cannot wait bring this magazine to everyone and would like to thank Mr. Alex Grevett for presenting on “making students the expert” back at the KOTESOL national conference in May. To see middle school students this engaged in, not only creating, but communicating in, English is a dream come true. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

fighting the demons of emotion

A recent reflective practice (RP) meeting in Daegu has got me thinking. In addition, ITDi‘s “Learning to See” blog posts have further spurred my mind.

Throughout my life I have been an emotional person. To this day I vividly remember sitting in McDonald’s with my family and feeling the most immense sadness. I could not have been more than 7 at the time. I felt immense sadness because I saw a man, sitting alone, eating. Upon reflection, as I have grown, I have begun to understand that situation is, obviously, very normal. Of course people go to McDonald’s when they are short on time, traveling, etc. However, even as I write this the emotion I felt at that moment still wells up within me.

There is little hiding from this emotionalism. It defines who I am.

Throughout my life I have struggled to manage the emotional side of myself. It is never easy to admit this weakness.

However, I believe that because of this emotional challenge, I have become an adept reflector. In the beginning reflection was purely to help me understand myself and the emotions that swirled around inside me. Over the years it has also been a great aid in helping me understand my interactions with others. It is reflection that most helps me understand my classroom. However, is never easy to do “in the moment”.

After a recent class that did not go as planned (and that is the bad sense of the idea) I spent a solid hour long lunch furious with myself. I had allowed my irritation to override my critical thinking, which in turn led to a diminished ability to figure out why my students were not grasping what I was trying to impart to them.

After a lunch of reflection I headed back to it; the same lesson, a lower level class, and a new angle to pursue. I went into class with a positive mindset and an action plan and came out afterwards quite satisfied with my students, my lesson and myself..

However, I could not let the irritation of the first class go. I held onto it, dwelling on why everything happened the way it did. I dwelt throughout the week.

My main point of concern, as always seems to be the case, was the arresting of my thoughts when confronted with anger. I hate when that happens and no matter how good I get at reflecting, it still bothers me to no end that “in the moment” I falter so often.

At RP that weekend got a few suggestions.

        1)      Stop. Take a minute and give yourself the space in the moment.

        2)      Stop and write down what you are feeling

These two suggestions, while seemingly obvious, hit me like a ton of bricks. I am always stressed about wasting time (because I do not get much as it is). The thought of stopping never occurred to me. I’ve always expected myself to “reflect on the run”.

In reality, stopping for a minute is not one minute wasted, it’s any number of minutes saved from struggling down the wrong path. Magic! Nothing like a good RP to cap ones week.

RP also brought to mind an article I read sometime back from some news outlet or another (apologies for not being able to find a link). It was about a study on thinking, and the difference between a person analyzing a scenario in their L1 and L2. The study showed that, in identical scenarios, more rational decisions were made when people had to deal with the scenario in their L2. Why is this the case? It was postulated that thinking in our L1 is so quick and easy that it allows space for emotional reaction, while thinking in L2 requires all our effort to focus on the problem at hand. Something to think about. Perhaps just forcing ourselves to slow down could alleviate much.

The same week as RP, as if by providence, iTDi released a series of blog posts called “Learning to See”. I highly recommend all of them. Most pertinent to this post would be the great Kevin Stein’s reflection in action.

I know I’m not the only one who struggles with these issues. I have found these simple fixes immensely useful and would remind all of us, in school or out, that a little mental step away, is always beneficial if we truly want to see.

Funny Friday 2

Wow that week went fast. I almost forgot my week old pledge to post the humorous bits of life I encounter every week. I definitely did forget to log them down, which is unfortunate, because I remember a good bit of laughing this week.

Anywho, here goes

1) While utilizing one of Ken Wilson’s great ideas (which can be found for free download on his blog) the students and I had a hearty few laughs.

The idea is to ask 4 basic questions to a person, twice. The first time they answer as themselves, the second, as a fake person. Following the 4 original questions the class then asks the fake person about themselves. This forces improvisation and creates some very funny situations indeed.

3rd grade was supposed to practice “am planning to” this week, so the questions went …What is your name…Where do you live….How old are you…What are you planning to do for your next vacation?

One student responded, Julia, America, 8, eat cookies. We then proceeded to have a 5 minute Q & A on cookies. Apparently Julia likes chocolate, she doesn’t like cheese cookies. Her favorite food is a cookie. She eats 9 boxes a day, but is not fat. She broke up with her boyfriend, because he likes ice cream. She likes soft cookies. Her parents like hard cookies. Her dad is 57 and mom is 24. They own a cookie factory. They have a dog, named cookie monster.

2) I laughed at how unbelievably creepy the new bond villain  I also thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Quite possibly the best Bond movie ever. Definitely one to check out in the theaters. (Bond trailer)

3) Thanks to Anne Hendler for posting funny and enjoyable pictures all week. This one made me laugh out loud. Office Complaint Letter of the Week.

 

I will try my hardest to catalog the humor for next week.

Correction, your English is fine: Addendum

Upon reflection of my previous post, I believe that I may have missed the main point I was trying to make and so, if one would indulge me a bit further, I will take a second stab at it.

Speaking with a friend of mine today about class he told me a typical story that I’m sure anyone in ESL has seen and heard before. A question was asked of a student.

T – What is your favorite way to shop

S- My favorite is online shopping, because it’s bast.

T- Sorry, why?

S- it’s bast?

T- no, no, if you want to say “best” you need to say “it’s the best”

S- no, no, it’s bast

T- Yes, “the best”

S- NO teacher, bast!

T- Fast?

S- yes, yes, bast!

What would you do in this situation?

The T in question is from Britain. The S has a Korean-American accent. The T, to his credit, told the S that they could pronounce it any way they like, but that the students F sounded like a B.

I also give credit to the student, 99% of mine would shut up after the initial “sorry, why?” thinking they had said the wrong answer.

And that’s the problem. Even when they do carry on, it ends up being “their” fault, their pronunciation/grammar causing the mix up, and hence demotivates them from speaking out again.

What is to be done?

If the student had realized that, perhaps their accent/structure was impeding communication, they could have changed track. Teacher, my favorite way to shop is online, because it’s quick. Both parties immediately understand each other and communication can continue with both parties being on the same page.

THIS is why it is necessary not to correct our students. We should help them navigate the language they do know to try and communicate what they want to say. Change tact, come from a different angle. Thus reminding them of what they do know, and motivating them to find better avenues of expression for the future.

Considering the majority of our students will be using English with primarily non-native speakers, it’s a massive skill to have, and one that’s notable by its absence in being taught. Part of that, here in Korea, is the expectation of perfection.

One of my brightest students has turned in a book report near weekly for the entire year. I have helped her hone her revision skills and she has gotten much better. However, I still see her face drop every time she sees my notes all over the page. We sit down and talk about it, and I point out what should be rewritten, to be clearer. All the while pointing out all the things she has done right, AND most crucially, that most of the fixes are for academic writing, not communication issues. Still, I received my book report on schedule this week, this time with a hand written note at the end.

“I’m sorry teacher. I tried really hard, but I know there are still so many mistakes. I just want to be perfect.”

My heart dropped. I can’t wait to get her back in class, sit her down, and explain to her that no one, NO ONE ever writes perfectly. We all revise and fix and change. That can’t be her goal. I think I will spend some time helping her think through some reasonable, SMART, goals to works towards.

Anyway, that little anecdote sums it up. We shouldn’t me making little language replicas of ourselves, but that’s what happens. “No no student, we say it like this…” Who is we anyway?

I truly believe by helping our students use and navigate the language they know they will be wholly served better than by simply being given “the experts” advice.

Correction, your English is fine

Like my good friend Michael Griffin I am a man of many opinions.

One particularly strong opinion was nudged into being recently due to a number of separate discussions. First, with my co-teachers, about the abominable English exams they put upon their students. Second, between teaching friends of mine, discussing the correction of students. Third, discussions with my friend Alex Walsh about our upcoming presentation on the ESLLOL.

This opinion regards us, the “native” teachers, and how we “correct”. What is “correct” anyway.

Yesterday a co-teacher came up to me asking about a test question. It concerned a phrasal verb and she was wondering if there were any other contexts with which it could be used (other than the implied “correct” meaning). I, being my typical self, said sure, I could imagine all sorts of scenarios with which to use it. Are they normal scenarios, no. If I used it in conversation with a friend of mine would they understand, YES. And there in lies the problem.

Language is NOT a static element

It strikes me that many of my current teachers would correct students for using language that does not reflect “their” usage. But who’s usage should be permissible? British teachers teach their students maths, Americans math. Where does “y’all” come into the equation? Dizzle? dealio? English language learners are being inundated with popular culture that uses all sorts of “non-standard English”.

Obviously, we wouldn’t write these words in an academic paper, but how often are we communicating through academic papers?!?

How about this example, from a recent twitter discussion. “What does everyone think of this construction?…

A good teacher builds up their students knowledge.”

Everyone promptly responded by that it sounds OK, but not quite native. Responses?

A good teacher expands their students knowledge.

A good teacher increases their students knowledge.

A good teacher develops their students knowledge.

Everyone agreed, the first was OK, but a little off. Let’s call it a “non-native marker”. And everyone agreed that it was perfectly communicable and that there was no problem. AND everyone had their own spin on how they would say it.

However, the question was still asked. That question brought another question, “Have we been “in country” too long? Are we missing errors we should be correcting.” THAT is the crux of the matter.

When first arriving to a new country the local English has many interesting “non-native markers”. After awhile, we grow accustomed to them, and they merge into the milieu of language. That’s perfectly fine.

Not everyone wants to speak like a native

English is no longer “ours”. Collectively we recognize this, but I don’t believe it has sunk in yet. Until we get away from that paradigm we will never offer our students the insight we can as native teachers.

Our job is to be language informants. THAT is where we can shine and THAT is why foreign countries need us. We are the ones who know how the language is used now, we understand much of how it was used in the past, and we can interpret, fairly easily, all the new changes that occur through popular culture and the spread of our language at the present.

Now, please understand me in this, I understand that there are many occasions when a student will need to be taught academic English, business English, or the like and NEED to be informed as to semantic variations of words and the proper way to structure an argument.

My argument is that MOST of our communication does NOT lie in these domains, and it misleads our students to correct them when their language is communicable. What we need to be doing is informing them that certain language is appropriate for conversation with friends or family. If they go to a job interview there will be other demands. In addition, it is our job to show them how to improve the communicability of what they are saying.

Language is an art

No one would say Michelangelo is “more correct” than Picasso. Language is just as much an art, the only difference is that we MUST understand to have successful communication.

Every one of us has our own writing and speaking style. Those styles vary dependent on age, education, region, religion, history and culture.

I love English. I also love playing with English. I am constantly making up words to express myself. It is a way to be unique and playful. Language should be fun. When we take the tact that things are “right” or “wrong” we help to snuff the life out of creativity and fun.

English is a big tent

It spans the world and each and every country will have a different way of adopting it.

Our role as a “native” speaker is to aid our students to be understood in the arena they will be utilizing the language. For the majority of our students, that means communication with other non-natives. It does not mean communicating “as we would”.

Language is too fluid a medium and the world too big a venue for a one size fits all approach.

The brilliance of English is its adaptability  This is what has allowed it to become the medium of communication for the world. It is for this reason that it will continue in that role in the future.

The more people brought under the tent of English the more the language will adapt and morph.

Our job, as English informants, is to help our students acquire the skills to decode and interpret the language they will find in the world of the future.

This is the reason Alex Walsh and I have built the ESLLOL. It is the reason teachers around the world have begun to utilize the technology at our disposal to link classrooms and bring the English of the world to our students. It is only with this exposure, awareness, and experience that our students can be expected to succeed.

This is all a very long winded way of saying that language learning is a never ending process. I am still learning new terminology. I am still learning to decode and interpret non-natives from countries I have not been exposed to. Our students will never be “done” learning English.

I am not arguing for the end of education when a learner becomes communicable in English. I am arguing for the acknowledgement that they CAN communicate, and that they have a lifelong path ahead of them to continue to improve in doing so. I am arguing that we must inform them ABOUT English, not merely correct their “mistakes”.

Funny Friday

I am terrible at keeping a diary of any sort. However, seeing as how I love the idea of a laughing diary, I thought I could get myself to do a weekly post on things that have made me laugh through the week.

So, with out further ado…

While reading a post on the Economist (I LOVE the Economist) I laughed out loud at this…

1) …Mr Obama was greeted with a standing ovation, but the president urged New York’s glitterati to “take your seats, otherwise Clint Eastwood will yell at them.” see the article here

2) This photo shared by my PLN (peer learning network) friend (name omitted in case of embarrassment due to—>)***Warning, expletives***

3) My nickname at school is wifi-John. This has been a mystery, as to why the kids call me this, for nearly a year.

This week I learned why. In Korean the English zed sounds like J. Pizza sounds like piJSa. Wifi-Zone = Wifi-JSone, hence…Wifi-John!

4) A great many laughs were had with my awesome Korean PLN at KOTESOL 2012. Most especially in the run up to the KELTchat presentation and during the drinking of Makoli wine.

5) It matters not how much I look at this photo of my nephew. It always generates a healthy smile.

Teaching, Coaching, and ESL

a terrible thought

It began after one of those difficult days in the classroom. I was again brought to the realization that the kids had not been able to retain the fantastical knowledge i bestowed upon them a week prior. I began to wonder what I am actually doing here at this middle school. I thought, “hey John, you’re a dedicated, empathetic individual. You love this teaching thing, but maybe this is not teaching. Maybe I am not the teacher I thought I was.” That thought brought me down even further. I tried to banish it from my mind, but it kept popping up.

I kept thinking, how on Earth can I be expected to properly teach my kids with one 45 minute segment a week!?!

I struggled for a few days until serendipity struck and the great Alex Walsh (@alexswalsh) posted a tweet on twitter. It went something like, “Wondering if I am a teacher or a coach, hope I am a coach”.

“HEY!,” I thought, “DUH! that’s just it. I AM NOT A TEACHER! I am a coach!”

Immediately the weight personal expectation was lifted from my shoulders. I was able to view what i do from a different prism. It reinvigorated what I do, and how I do it.

The more I have thought about the distinction between teacher and coach the more applicable I find it to the ESL classroom.

Now, I’d like to say right here, that I by no means am trying to imply we ESL teachers do not teach. On the contrary! We do much more! A teacher gives information to a student. A coach helps the student use said information. A coach guides the student through the process of acquiring a new skill. A coach finds exciting, new, fun, interesting, intriguing methods to drill those skills.

A good coach finds ways to mask the drilled repetition of skills learners need to attain mastery. Anyone who has played under a bad coach knows just how quickly a sport you love can become a tedious, onerous task.

A good coach remembers that new skills need to be integrated with old ones.

A good coach knows their learners strengths and weakness and finds ways to challenge them in their weaker areas.

A good coach knows when to push and when to empathize.

A good coach realizes that the pathway to mastery is not straight, but winding.

With these realizations I no longer worry about HOW MUCH, of what I bestow, my students remember. I concentrate on what they CAN DO. I help them remember what they could do before, and find drills that will pique their interest. This, in turn, keeps them motivated through the practice necessary to cement the new skills being practiced. I concentrate on feedback. By raising awareness of where they are lacking and making sure to acknowledge their achievements, motivation remains.This process also creates the necessary bond and space for learners to feel confident to branch out into the skills they are not yet comfortable with.

My paycheck may say teacher, but I know I am a coach. What are you?

Why Create the ESL Learner Output Library

ESL and Me

From day one I have had one over arching belief about teaching language; communication is paramount. If a listener understands the idea/thought/point the speaker is attempting to convey, communication is successful. All other worries are secondary.

Reality is far from the ideal

Considering about 80% of English communication does not involve a native speaker it is vital we take into account the reality, not the ideal. That reality is that most L2 learners will never attain a fluent level of English, but they will still need English to communicate. Is poor pronunciation or structure fatal to communication? I do not believe it is, so long as those involved have strategies for understanding non-fluent output. It is a skill that must be acquired. It is a skill many native English speakers don’t possess. It is a skill completely overlooked within the ESL community. The ESL Learner Output Library is an attempt to remedy this oversight.

Primary Language Effects on Inter-language Production

A non-fluent Mandarin learner’s English response will be in their inter-language. Inter-language is the output produced by second language learners who are still learning the target language. Learner errors made during this phase are caused by several different processes. These include:

a. borrowing patterns from the mother tongue (L1)

b. extending patterns from the target language (L2)

c. Expressing meanings using the words and grammar from the L2 which are already known (Richards, 1992)*

In other words, a non-fluent Mandarin speaker generates language from a mixture of learned English and Mandarin structures. Because of this fact it is critical for educators and learners to:

1)      understand how the structure of primary language affects the inter-language of an ESL learner

2)      learn the skills necessary to decode inter-language.

One day I was speaking to a nearly fluent Korean friend of mine and she said something that perfectly demonstrates the need for L2 awareness and education. She said, “When I speak to Japanese people I can usually understand, they make similar mistakes. I have experience speaking with them, so I can understand them. When other foreign people speak to me, I don’t have any idea what they are [trying to say].”

As she clearly demonstrates, experience with learners from different L1 backgrounds is critical to increasing L2 speakers ability to communicate effectively.

Giving L2 learners a place to have that experience is vital and it is the inspiration for the creation of the ESL Learner Output Library.

The Effect of Culture on Production

Yet another deficiency in current ESL teaching models is the expectation learners conform to the cultural norms of English speaking countries. We must remember the wide spectrum of output within those countries.

If an American, Brit and Indian were all asked the same question, would they respond in the same way? Should a Mandarin speaker respond as an American or a Brit? These are the questions learners grapple with when learning English. Is that fair?

Cultural norms effect how speakers produce language. There should be no more an expectation on L2 learners to conform to our linguistic cultural norms as there is for an American to speak like a Brit. What L2 learners need is awareness of the idiosyncrasies of language output of people from different cultures.

The question thus becomes, how can we help our learners navigate the world’s Englishes so they can communicate effectively? The ESL Learner Output Library is one way to accomplish that task.

Helping Our Learners Through Moderation

By introducing foreign L2 output into our classrooms we place our students on the path to awareness and understanding. In doing so we become moderators, helping students navigate the cultural contexts that lie behind the generation of inter-language output. Not only does this help learners acquire the necessary skills to understand someone’s communication, it’s also humanizing.

There is no limit of uses for L2 output in the classroom. The forum here at the ESL Learner Output Library is meant to be a place to share those ideas. The library has been built with the intention to:

1)      help better prepare ESL learners for real communication

2)      build awareness of the differences in world Englishes

3)      start learners on the path to understanding; linguistic, cultural, and otherwise.

The ESL Learner Output Library is a center for conversation. Let your voice be heard. Give your learners the audience they deserve. Help build a community that will have a fantastically positive impact on the learning of ESL students worldwide. Join today at esllol.org!

 

 

*From Richards, Jack C et al. 1992. Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics. Second Edition. Essex: Longman Group UK Limited. p.186

From ESLLOL co-founder Alex Walsh

Using Students Output in Preparation for Lingua & Cultura Franca