2010년 11월 19일 금요일

Module #5 Annotated Bibliography



This annotated bibliography is worked in collaboration with Young Sook,Jeon and Eun Joo Lee

Citation 1
Burygoyne, K.(2009). The comprehension skills of children learning English as an additional language. British journal of education of psychology, 79, 735-747.

Summary
This study aimed to the relative underachievement of children who are learning EAL demands that the literacy needs of this group are identified. To this end, this study aimed to explore the reading- and comprehension-related skills of a group of EAL learners. The background is the Data from national test results suggests that children who are learning English as an additional language (EAL) experience relatively lower levels of educational attainment in comparison to their monolingual, English-speaking peers. The sample for this study is the Data that are reported from 92 Year 3 pupils, of whom 46 children are learning EAL. The method for this study is that Children completed standardized measures of reading accuracy and, listening comprehension, and receptive and expressive vocabulary.

Results indicate that many EAL learners experience difficulties in understanding written and spoken text. These comprehension difficulties are not related to decoding problems but are related to significantly lower levels of vocabulary knowledge experienced by this group.
When it comes to conclusions, many EAL learners experience significantly lower levels of English vocabulary knowledge which has a significant impact on their ability to understand written and spoken text. Greater emphasis on language development is therefore needed in the school curriculum to attempt to address the limited language skills of children learning EAL.

Review
Many EAL learners experience difficulties in understanding and spoken text. It is not related to decoding problems but related to significantly lower levels of vocabulary knowledge. They need to develop their language skill in the school curriculum to extend their vocabularies.


Citation 2
Rechard, A. T.(2001). Developing listening skills to improve reading, Florida technological university, Orlando, Florida. 91, 261.

Summary
Most children learn to listen before they learn to read vocally. In order to speak, a child
has to listen to others speak, and in order to listen, a child must have someone speak to him or some sound made for him.
Reading is the process by which an author talks silently to a reader (listener) and reading is a kind of mental listening.
There are some stages of listening. At first, there is little conscious listening except as the child directly and personally concerned with what is being presented. Next, the child listens passively with apparent absorption but little or no reaction. Finally, listening becomes the act of forming associations, responding with items from own his experiences and reacting to what is presented. He begins to express his reactions through questioning commenting on what is said. listening is actually a more difficult process than reading to the extent that critical thinking and reasoning are demanded of the listener.

One of the justifications for teaching the listening skill is that listening comprehension is somewhat related to intelligence and reading ability even though they are not synonymous. Studies show high correlation between listening comprehension and  reading comprehension in the early school years. By the time of junior high school, children get more complete and accurate meaning and information from reading than listening. Then as the young person enters the adult world, critical thinking and evaluation become a determining factor often in his reaction to circumstance that confront him. These problems are not always written out in words but they are spoken. The young adult has to listen and then think through t the decision that must be made.

It has been reasonably assumed that when efforts are concentrated in teaching children to listen accurately that are only will the listening skill itself improve, but this skill will influence the total reading program.

Review
According to this article most children learn to listen before they learn to read. There are some stages of listening and reading is a kind of mental listening. Listening comprehe-
nsion is somewhat related to intelligence and reading ability. The young adult has to listen and then think through t the decision that must be made. When efforts are concentrated in teaching children to listen accurately that are only will the listening skill itself improve, but this skill will influence the total reading program.


Citation 3
Seung-Yoeun, Y.(2006). Mother brand English as an effective approach to teach English for young children as a foreign language in Korea, Reading improvement, 43, 185-193.

Summary
The rate of going abroad to study English has been increasing in Korea. The main purpose of studying abroad is to be fluent in English. There are two types of language learning as a second language. The first one is called simultaneous acquisition, which occurs when parents speak more than two languages. The other approach for second language learning is described as "sequential or successive acquisition" which occurs when children start to learn another language after the mother language is somewhat obtained

 Some parents want their children to learn English from early infancy in a second language, they need to provide exposure to English surroundings for their children to experience from early infancy. This English approach in South Korea is called 'Mother Brand English", which means this approach has been implemented and developed by many mothers This Mother Brand English has used meaningful ways that allow children to practice and develop the skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening in an integrated way, Amazing benefits in this approach are that it has been developed by many parents who are not only advocates and but also researchers to implement new ways for their own children with their real love and interests. In order to implement mother brand English, parents have a critical role in planning an environment that encourages. children's learning English through many materials such as books and multimedia in daily life. Parents must be the first teachers and best English teachers for children in their whole life. Also, home should be the first language classroom for both Korean and English. These parents also implement English approach called Mother- brand or Home -brand English. They also meet together to study and teach their children once a week .as home school teachers. They develop new programs and share their experiences and empower each other. Some of them become professional English teachers and build English home schools in their home to teach other neighbor children.

 Many researchers have focused on studying about English language learning as a second language in English countries. Most of them have focused on the children in immigrant families to participate and adjust and learn the new culture and English.
But now in Korea some brave and challenging mothers innovating new English approaches as their home with their young kid. They have goals that their children come to possess the ability to use the English language as a vehicle to think and solve problems an "Mother Brand English" is a movement to influence children to experience linguistic and cultural diversity at home. It is
imperative that children understand a wide world with a variety of cultures and the English language as English learners. 

Review
The article focuses on the English approach called Mother-Brand English which is considered as an effective strategy in teaching English to young children in Korea. This approach has used significant ways that allow children to practice and develop the skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening in an integrated way. Furthermore, it has been emphasized that such approach has been developed by parents who want their children to be proficient in the English language.


Citation 4
Nunan, D. (2001). Teaching English as a second or foreign language. Syllabus design. In Celce-Murcia, M. 55-65.
Summary
According to the author, syllabus is based on the broader concept of curriculum and syllabus design means the selection of the content of the curriculum. At first, content selection in curriculum includes linguistic features, and it is reflected in a grammatical syllabus. In 1970s, however, notional syllabus appeared opposing the previous syllabus. Then more recently, with the need of the adoption of a process approach, there has emerged task-based syllabus and content-based syllabus. Most recently, an integrated approach has been prevalent.

The author investigates each syllabus one by one chronologically. First, grammatical syllabuses, which are underlain that language comprises a finite set of rules combined in various ways to make meaning, are yet popular today. During the1970s, it was put in attacks on two aspects; one was the linear of sequence of grammar, which was not represent the complexity of language, and the other was revealed by the development of the field of second language acquisition: the questioning about the necessity of the sequential enumerating of grammatical fragments. Notional-functional syllabuses express various criteria on content of the syllabus: situational, contextual, and extra linguistic factors. The next flow of the designing syllabuses is the content-based syllabus, in which learners acquire the target language in the course of doing others, not direct teaching of language itself. It emphasizes that learners can acquire language in active engagement in communicating. Task-based syllabuses consist of two tasks. One is target tasks, which the learner might do outside of the classroom, and the other is pedagogical tasks, which is for pushing the learner into practicing with each other in the target language to prepare the learner for the real world. In the last part of this article, the author argues for integrated syllabus, which incorporates all of the key experiential and linguistic elements from grammatical syllabuses to notional-functional, to task-based, and to content-based syllabuses.

Review
This paper talks about the variety of the syllabus types chronologically. And the author details one by one to make readers understand the flow of the trend in syllabus design in the second language education. In curricula, syllabuses are so important and essential part that this article is helpful for second language teachers. However, it could be more beneficial if this article would present each example syllabus at each explanation of syllabus because some conception of syllabus is abstract without the detailed description and showing the examples


Citation 5
Eleni, G., & Rena. S.(2009). Implementation and Evaluation of an Early Foreign Language Learning Project in Kindergarten. Springer Science Business Media. 79-87 
Summary
This article explores the purpose was twofold. Firstly, it aimed at outlining the rationale for and the process of introducing an English language learning intervention to kindergarten children in a playful and supportive environment. This intention focused on developing childrens oral skills through participating in creative activities an interacting, on the other hand, it aimed at investigating the degree to which rule play could contribute to oral skills acquisition and vocabulary development. For this purpose, an effectiveness study was conducted which revealed the positive effects of the intervention on early foreign language learning (86) Furthermore,. Children showing their eagerness and enthusiasm to learn a foreign language participated spontaneously in interactive and movement activities and communicated in simple English phrases. It was revealed that group work played an important part in the interaction between the teacher and the children. It was indicated that there was an increase in childrens involvement in interactive and movement activities resulting into developing their oral skills.(87) In this context, the author suggested implementing the intervention and examining its effectiveness simultaneously across several kindergarten classrooms. By doing so, a broader and more complete picture about the effectiveness and the continuity of the specific early foreign language learning project could be portrayed. Furthermore, there is a need to extend the project with the same children in the first and second grades of primary school in order to achieve continuity and to record its effect on the same sample at certain developmental stages

Review
This paper shows that developing childs oral skills through participating in creative activities an interacting. In my thought, the most important aspect is teachers role and interaction between the teacher and the children. Teachers Behavior is really influenced their activity participation in the learning. Concerning teachers encouragement, the children were offered with the opportunity to interact and communicate with the others. It is crucial matter to move on to next stage. In order to examine the impact of the intervention on childrens oral skills development, a tripartite study was designed and conducted by a teacher.


2010년 11월 15일 월요일

Module # 4: Reading Reflection (Graves Chapter 4, 8, 9)

 
      Chapter 4 Response: Conceptualizing Concept
In this chapter, the author is explained about conceptualizing content. It was involved what conceptualizing content is and how to effectively apply the content. The product of conceptualizing is a kind of syllabus in that delineates what you will teach (p.38) this paper suggest the several sort of conceptualizing content which are mind map, grid, list, flow-chart. After reading this chapter, I thought it is not easy how to choose and organize specific content. Conceptualizing content is to “choices to what is feasible” (p.39) as much as we may want to teach many things, the resources and constraints of our situation will help us to narrow our choices to what is feasible. Three forms are the best effective way e to release and organize the content.


Chapter 8 Response: Developing Materials
Materials development means creating, choosing or adapting, and organizing materials and activities so that students can achieve the objectives that will help them reach the goals of the course (p.150) It seems that Materials are supposed to perform as supporting roles for learning and teaching. I agree with this point, “The materials you develop are influenced by your beliefs and understanding about teaching learning languages as they apply to your particular course in its particular context” however teachers should not too much depend on materials. Quite interest thing is flexibility is important so that teachers provide materials that engaging and appropriate. Teachers should consider about flexibility of context what students’ need.


Chapter 9 Response: Adapting a Textbook
Many teachers are required to use textbooks, a majority of teachers don’t have the time or resources to prepare their own materials and so textbooks are a necessity (p.173) after reading, this chapter makes me remind Korea's educational environment. Teachers here in Korea normally choose textbook as a teaching tool and main material in course. This chapter talks about advantages and disadvantages in order to use textbook as a tool in course design. Some teacher simply skipped it other one considers about it. Textbooks can be totally fitted to the teachers’ and students’ objectives and the context of course. Graves says “To understand how a textbook is an instrument or a tool, we can compare it to a musical instrument, a piano, for example. The piano provides you with the means for producing music, but it cannot produce music on its own. The music is produced only when you play it. Playing well requires practice and familiarity with the piece. The more skilled you are, the more beautiful the music.”(p.175) I totally agree this opinion, just as a piano does not play music, a textbook does not teach language. The textbook is a stimulus or instrument for teaching and learning it should be considerate of textbooks like materials are not supposed to play a main role.

2010년 11월 5일 금요일

Module #3 Teacher's Curriculum Interview

     My Interview Questions

1.      Could you please introduce yourself briefly?

2.      What do you think is the most important and concerned the points in the design curriculum?

3.      Who designed the lesson plan (program)? What do you think your program based on?

4.      How would you provide differentiate a curriculum the level and aptitude of each student?

5.      How would you manage to surmount the difference of Instruction Methods between diversity levels? Could you share your experience?

6.      What do you think role and qualification of what a teacher ought to be?

7.      What do you think of making up for the weak points when you evaluate present curriculum and Korea's educational environment?

8.      What would you like to be as a teacher to student?
   

It was great meaningful experience to interview for me, before interviewing, I just thought important things were how effectively the teacher was able to instruct to their students. Through this interview, I realized how significant being a teacher and teacher’s role is. Even through; there are lots of teaching materials and good educational environments, it is crucial to have a firm belief and philosophy as an instructor. It is not merely to teach students, but to interact with human. I don’t have any teaching experience yet, but these things have provided a blueprint for the future.