Planning Meaningful Staff Development for Bilingual / ESL Teachers - Case Study Example

 Abstract This paper has two parts: one part deals on the introduction, literature review and discussion on the necessity of formulating a plan for a meaningful staff development for bilingual / ESL teachers, and the other part is the development plan itself. There is a need for this development plant to guide principals and teachers in their desire to help ‘English as Second Language’ students acquire optimum learning experience and maximum English education. A careful analysis and discussion have to be initiated to give way to theories and evidences from experts and the empirical studies conducted on children exposed to bilingualism. Drills and exercises in phonological awareness and development for ESL students, and exercises on basic subjects on grammar, parts of speech, verb tenses are also provided. The phrase ‘ESL students’ may refer to young and adult students with ‘English as their Second Language’. Introduction ESL students encounter too many difficulties aside from learning the usual formal lessons in school. They have to learn and practice oral and written composition, and add more time to the regular student’s time in learning all the other lessons in class, such as Math, Social Studies, etc. The job of the teacher in teaching ESL students is multi-faceted. S/he has to help the student in learning the English language, and guide him/her all the way to catch up with the rest of the non-ESL students. The school principal’s role is also multi-faceted in a school with a significant population of ESL students. S/he has to prepare a meaningful staff development not only for the teachers handling ESL students but for the entire school, including native English-speaking students, so that ESL students will have a meaningful stay and a challenging and exciting learning experience in school. Moreover, learning new words, phrases and sentences can be traumatic for young children who are products of immigrants who’ve settled in a foreign country for various reasons. Immigration has been the cause of bilingualism in children, and even in adults, what is called late bilingualism (Kornakov, 1997). People learn a new language, sometimes automatically as they are exposed to it. But leaving children at risk of bilingualism without education can be traumatic and may result to their phonological awareness undeveloped. The school has to answer this need of educating children and adults who have no other choice but to learn English since they have settled and lived permanently in this native-English speaking environment. If there’s an influx of ESL students in a school / university, what should the principal do? Or, even if there are just a few of these students but the coming in of such students has been in a regular basis, something must be done, a regular process has to be followed by the principal, teachers and ‘old’ students in the school/university concerned. The principal should face these challenges squarely, and device a plan to answer questions, like: 1. What should the teachers teach? What kind of learning lessons should they master and impart to the ESL students? 2. What are the challenges the ESL students face? 3. How should teachers treat ESL students, especially the newcomers who have very little knowledge or don’t even know simple words and sentences in English? 4. Are the ESL students to be set apart from the other regular students? 5. What are the tools, activities, language drills and exercises needed for teaching ESL students? Literature Review Research into bilingualism and bilinguality is interdisciplinary in character, involving social sciences, such as sociology, psychology and linguistics (Kornakov, 1997). In other words, bilingualism is not just to be able to talk in more than one language but some factors or discipline have to be considered including the culture that is being ‘carried’ by the particular language from the country of origin, and the culture in the host country. The state of Texas has a history of Hispanic migration, thus the culture of the people is a mixture of two cultures and language. Goetry et al. (2006) state that, “As a consequence of immigration or parental choices in bilingual educational systems, an increasing proportion of children learn to read and spell in a language other than the one they speak at home”. In the past, bilinguals referred to people who had equal mastery of two languages; however, as suggested by Diebold (1961:111), the concept is now extended to include people who have “any contact with possible models in a second language” (qtd. in Macky; cited in Pi-Yu Chiang, 2003). Phonological awareness has to be developed in children, more especially ESL students. Phonological awareness is “the ability to represent and manipulate the phonological structures of speech, as well as the building of well-defined, redundant, phonological representations of words” (e.g. Booth, Perfetti & McWhinney, 1999; Elbro, 1996, 1998; cited in Goetry et al., 2006). Phonological awareness is important because it affects a child’s full development. All children have it, even adults. But how can we say that one’s PA is so sensitive and effective that the mastery of a language, especially one’s native language, is attained? A child has this innate knowledge to recognize words, especially his native tongue. Schwarz (2008) says that “a learner of a new language must sort out the unfamiliar sounds into pieces that make sense: phrases or sentences, words, syllables and even phonemes (the smallest sound segments)”. Schwarz (2008), who is co-author of ESL Instruction for Learning Disabled Adults from the National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center in Washington D.C., taught English phonology “in a much more explicit way than is usually the case in ESL”. He used more practical adaptations for LD (learning disability) students who were having difficulty learning foreign languages, and found out from his experience that the sounds should be taught one at a time in a clear sequence. He started “by teaching the short vowels in alphabetical order to match some other ESL materials, and selected appropriate drills or activities.” The process requires lots of repetition, and more review and practice for students with difficulty in the language area. Schwarz (2008) state, “Because the foreign language learners who were having difficulties had poor phonemic awareness as well as poor phonological skills, my first priority was clear, direct teaching of the sound system of English.” Something that can be interchanged with phonological awareness is phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness requires readers to notice how letters represent sounds; it primes readers for print; it gives readers a way to approach sounding out and reading new words; and it helps readers understand the alphabetic principle (that letters in words are systematically represented by sounds) (Institute for the Development of Educational Achievement, 2004). If learning to read depends critically on access to phonemically structured representations of speech (Hulme, 2002, cited in Durand et al., 2005), we might expect phonemic awareness (which requires explicit access to such representations) to be a better predictor of reading ability than are measures of immediate memory (that arguably do not depend on access to a phonemically structured representation of speech) (Durand et al., 2005, p. 115). Typical PA tasks, however, involve intrasyllabic manipulation at the level of onset and rime; these manipulations may be less robust indices of processes that are required to assign correct stress across multiple syllables, with the accompanying reduction of weak vowels (in English) (Wade-Woolley & Wood, 2006). There are strong theoretical reasons to anticipate that rhythm is potentially related both to bottom-up (decoding) and top-down (comprehension) processes in reading development (Wade-Woolley & Wood, 2006). Goetry et al. show that stress-processing ability is related to reading development in native speakers of a syllable-timed language (French) who are schooled in a stress-timed language (Dutch); Wood observed that youngsters who came from bilingual homes were more successful than children from monolingual at recovering mispronunciations, suggesting a linguistic flexibility as a consequence of exposure to more than one language (Wade-Woolley & Wood, 2006, p. 255). There is evidence that “rhythm affects reading at the level of decoding (Goetry et al.; Thomson et al.; Whalley & Hansen) and spelling (Wood) and in processing of connected text, both at the sentence level (Ashby) and in reading longer connected text (Whalley & Hansen; Weber, for review; cited in Wade-Woolley & Wood 2006). A certain amount of phonetic interference in a child’s bilingual speech may appear when the L2 is acquired slightly after the L1 has been established. An adult’s phonetic interference is stronger, but it can also be overcome with special training if the adult learner has the necessary motivation to do so (Kornakov, 1997). “Before children can make any sense of the alphabetic principle, they must understand that those sounds that are paired with the letters are one and the same as the sounds of speech” (Adams et al., 1998). Children have phonological awareness in developing and mastering of their native language as they grow and learn to speak and recognize words, or learn other languages. However, as Adams et al., (1998) says, this does not come easily on the child. A child’s phonological awareness knowledge has been described as the best single predictor of reading performance (Liberman, Shankweiler, & Liberman, 1989; Lundberg, Olofsson, & Wall, 1980, cited in Gillon, 2004, p. 1). The challenge is to find ways to get children to notice the phonemes, to discover their existence and separatability (Adams et al., (1998). DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR TEACHING MEANINGFUL LEARNING FOR BILINGUAL / ESL STUDENTS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS A. First Day in School What do we expect during our first day in school? A lot of things are in our mind. For ESL students, there certainly are mixed feelings, anxiety, even fear of going to school, which to them is a new environment that might be indifferent to their needs. Some of the troubling questions in the mind of a new ESL student maybe: How will the teachers and other students regard me? How am I going to communicate? How will I say a word, a phrase, or a sentence? Am I welcome in an atmosphere where students don’t speak my own language? Will I not be ridiculed or fooled around because of my being an outsider? An ESL student who is a newcomer may have this traumatic experience if the school administration and the teacher don’t apply measures that would make an ESL student feel relaxed and welcomed in his/her new environment. A “welcome” tape should be made with a bilingual volunteer, who might be a student, parent, or school employee, in the first language of the newcomer/s. The tape may include: “a welcome message, name and address of the school, reassurance that the teacher and other students will help them learn English, a brief list of supplies students should bring to school every day, how to get lunch, catch the bus, find the school office and the nurse, what to do in case students experience any trouble, and learn even a few English words, such as “bathroom” and ‘help’” (Einhorn 2001, p. 7). For the state of Texas, the tape must contain a Spanish translation. B. Introductions The students are asked about hobbies and pastimes with other people, of friends and family, marital status, boyfriends / girlfriends, travel, visits to countries and other UK towns, future plans on their studies (Power [a] 2008). C. First Week of School Einhorn (2001) suggests the following steps the teacher should adapt for the first days of the ESL students: 1. Gather materials and set up a language learning center. 2. Find out as much as you can about the native cultures of your new students, their language proficiency, and their first-language literacy development. Through your school office, you may be able to get transcripts from their previous schools. 3. Prepare the rest of the group to welcome the newcomers. You might ask the rest of your class how they would feel if they suddenly moved to another country. (There may be students in the class who have moved to the United States who can help build empathy for your newcomers’ situations.) 4. Have children brainstorm ways they might help new students. 5. Consider seating options. The new students should be surrounded by other students and, if possible, sit next to a child who speaks their language. Some children might feel uncomfortable in the front row center. 6. Give them a school tour, to places such as the bathroom, nurse, school office, and cafeteria. Make sure they know how to say “bathroom” and “nurse.” An English-speaking peer can be a great help with this. 7. Give students a photo of your whole class labeled with students’ names. New students will begin to connect faces to names and build a foundation for socializing. (Einhorn 2007, p. 7) On the other hand, there are instances that ESL students have to be given special classes for their exercises and drills in English. Some of the ways to make new students feel welcome, as stated in Einhorn’s book, include: making sure the newcomers’ names are pronounced correctly, helping them how to make an identification card, giving them paper, pencils, crayon, markers, etc., and letting them relax as they go on with the learning process. a. Things to have: A bilingual and picture dictionary Weekly schedule Alphabet chart Personal Dictionary Have students write a new word, use it in a sentence, and either illustrate it or give the translation on the line provided. b. ESL students should have personal dictionary to be used for: The weekly vocabulary test, homework, personalized spelling tests, Creating theme dictionaries, Alphabetizing dictionaries and exercises, Crossword puzzles and story starters. (p. 8) Their listening comprehension can be tested by asking questions and giving commands. Record students’ responses. Einhorn states that a word or a nod from a student is necessary. Some questions can be asked like: Can you speak English? Can you read and write in English? What is your name? Where are you from? How old are you? Who are the people in your family? Other commands also have to be given: Stand up; Jump; Sit down; Close your eyes; Open your eyes; Touch your nose; Raise your hand; (show a book) Open the book. Close it. Next, sit with a box of crayons or markers. Give simple, color-related commands such as “Show me the red crayon.” Repeat with each color. (Einhorn 2001, p. 8) c.) Reading, reading comprehension and writing The student maybe asked to read aloud, ask the students simple comprehension questions using who, what, when, and where. The students are given pencil, paper, and an eraser, and asked to write their names, or write about their families, friends, favorite sports, or their former schools. (p. 9) d.) Learn about your Teacher The students should also be given a chance to learn more about their teacher. The students should be able to know the teacher’s first name and surname, its origin and meaning if any; where s/he was born and where he/she went to school and university, and many other details about the teacher that might be of interest to the ESL students. (Power (b) 2008) e.) Learn from ‘Old Students’ Another important activity is for ESL students to learn from other students. New students may ask how long ‘old students’ have been in this institution/university; who they talk to at coffee break and in what language; how many students they speak to from countries other than their own; where they eat at lunch break and who they go with, etc. (Power (c) 2008) D. At the end of the First Week ESL students should be able to give information about themselves, fill up a form about their profile, and such data as age, national background, town / city, interests, occupation (if the student is an adult), etc. E. Comprehensive Program Teaching ESL students should have a comprehensive program in every school/university. Aside from the teaching process itself, a lot of factors have to be considered including age of bilinguals, and whether each of these students has to have individual learning process. But teaching them as a group or part of a group should always be included. F. Drills and other Activities This will develop phonological awareness skills and lots of repetition for the ESL students to master English. Teaching phonology in a lab might be necessary. The drills will involve exercises where they will be able to perceive individual words from sentences, consonants, vowels, plurals, contractions, possessives, syllabication, etc. 1.) BAS Word Reading subtest BAS is acronym for British Ability Scales (Elliot, Smith, & McCulloch, 1997, cited in Durand et al., 2005) used by PA experimenters to determine reading abilities of children. The children are to read as many words as they can from a reading card. English words are used for assessing reading abilities of the children. This exercise can be done first with native-English speaking students in the presence of ESL students, after which the ESL students may follow through, first imitate, with the guidance of the teacher, until the learning process flows. 2.) Rhyme Detection This is used to determine phonemic awareness in children. The children are asked to detect which of the words given rhyme. More rhyming exercises can be given as the year progresses. This can be done to children and adult bilinguals or ESL students. Daily repetitions of these exercises allow ESL students to master phonemic skills. 3.) English Verb Tenses and their Uses Power (2008) devised an examination for ESL students to check on their mastery of verb tenses and their uses. The student is to choose the correct sentence and tell why it is correct. Two examples are taken from Power’s. 1a Rie is speaking English and Japanese. 1b Rie speaks English and Japanese. (1b is the correct answer)  2a Today Yu-mi is learning Arabic from Omar. 2b Today Yu-mi learns Arabic from Omar. (Examples taken from Power [d] 2008) 4.) Composition Writing A student is asked to interview a friend about their town. He is to write this in a composition. Some of the example questions and answers from Power (d 2008) are: Type of town or city and population Geographical location Climate Main attractions, sports facilities and night life Shopping facilities, transport and communication Main areas of work / Job opportunities Your own thoughts and feelings 4.) Irregular Verbs Other exercises are about irregular verbs, with their different tenses: present, past and past participle. The students are to supply the missing tenses below: go went gone become _______ become begin began begun break _______ broken fly flew ______ grow _______ grown lead led ______ hide _______ ______ mean meant ______ ride rode ______ ring _______ ______ run _______ ______ (Some examples taken from Kelly,1997) 5.) Present and Past Tense of Verbs Choose the correct tense of the verb: 1. Bert and Jane ________ married last month. a) am b) is c) are d) was e) were 2. I met Rob when we ____ attending a seminar. a) am b) is c) are d) was e) were 3. When Mel ____ finished with school, he wants to be a dentist. a) am b) is c) are d) was e) were 4. George ____ an architect now. a) am b) is c) are d) was e) were 5. Bob ____ also a in the class now. a) am b) is c) are d) was e) were 6.) Adverbs of Manner and Frequency (Power [f] 2008) Some questions to ask like: 1. What sort of music do you like? Blues, disco, etc. 2. How well can you play? – Very well, quite well, satisfactorily 3. How often do you listen to such music? All the time, Most of the time, Occasionally The student is able to think about adverbs of manner and frequency through his likes and dislikes. 7.) Adverbs of degree and reason – likes & habits 1. What type of books or films do you like? a. Works of fiction or non-fiction b. True events, biographies, stories or documentaries/ c. Cowboy, police, crime, thrillers? d. American, British, French? 8.) Possessive Adjectives 1. Brad is wearing a pair of eyeglasses. ____ pair of eyeglasses is expensive. a. Her b. His c. Our d. Its 2. Jack wasn’t at the hall today. ____ father took him to the dentist. a. Her b. His c. Our d. Its 3. Mifune is Japanese. ______family is from Tokyo. a. Our b. Their c. Her d. Its 4. Carlos has a rocket ball. _____ rocket ball is colored silver. a. His b. Her c. Its d. Their 5. George has a new car. _____ car is a Ford. a. His b. Our c. Its d. Their Drills, exercises and activities may vary depending on the progress of the students. All in all, this is for a pleasant and meaningful learning process of ESL students. References Books: Adams, M. J., Foorman, B., Ingvar, L., & Beeler, T., 1998. Phonemic Awareness in Young Children: A Classroom Curriculum. Baltimore, Maryland: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Einhorn, K. (2001). Easy & Engaging ESL Activities and Mini-Books for Every Classroom: Terrific Teaching Tips, Games, Mini-Books & More to Help New Students from Every Nation Build Basic English Vocabulary and Feel Welcome (L. Orlando, Ed.). U.S.A.: Scholastic, Inc. Gillon, G. (2004). Phonological Awareness: From Research to Practice (Challenges in Language and Literacy). New York: The Guilford Press Zgonc, Y. (2000). Sounds in Action: Phonological Awareness Activities & Assessment, United States of America: Crystal Springs Books Journals/Articles from the Internet: Chiang, P. (2003). “Bilingual Children’s Phonological Awareness: The Effect of Articulation Training”. Edited by Anne Dahl, Peter Svenonius, and Marit Richardsen Westergaard. National Taiwan University. Available from: www.ub.uit.no/baser/nordlyd/include/getdoc.php?id=126&article=46&mode=pdf [cited 17 August 2008] Durand, M., Hulme, C., Larkin, R., & Snowling, M., 2005. The cognitive foundations of reading and arithmetic skills in 7- to 10-year-olds, J. Experimental Child Psychology 91 (2005) 113–136 [online]. Available from: www.sciencedirect.com. [cited 30 July 2008]. Fulmer, D. (2001 – 2004). Possessive Adjectives. Available from: http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz18mdf.htm [cited 20 August 2008] Goetry, V., Wade-Woolley, L., Kolinsky, R., & Mousty, P. (2006). The Role of Stress Processing Abilities in the Development of Bilingual Reading. Journal of Research in Reading, ISSN 0141-0423 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9817.2006.00313.x, Volume 29, Issue 3, 2006, pp 349–362. 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Available from: http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/in04.html. [cited 20 August 2008] Power, T. (c) (2008). For 'new students' to learn from 'old students'. Available from: http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/in03.html. [cited 20 August 2008] Power, T. (d) (2008). “Do you know the basic English verb tenses and their uses?” Available from: http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/in24.html [cited 20 August 2008] Power, T. (e) (2008). Speaking and writing about home towns. Available from: http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/in09.html [cited 20 August 2008] Power, T. (f) (2008). _Adverbs of manner and frequency - likes and dislikes. Available from: http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/in13.html [cited 20 August 2008] Schwarz, R. (2008). “Using Phonemic Awareness with ESL Students.” Available from:http://www.readinghorizons.com/research/esl-phonemic-awareness.aspx [cited 30 July 2008 Wade-Woolley, L. & Wood, C. (2006). Editorial: Prosodic Sensitivity and Reading Development. Journal of Research in Reading, ISSN 0141-0423, 29 (3), pp 253-257. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9817.2006.00306.x. [cited 18 August 2008] Read More