Week 8 -- Memory and Processing

For the next two weeks, we'll be looking at Cognitive Approaches to SLA. This view considers the importance of the brain and largely views errors as problems with processing, sort of like an overworked computer.

This is typically a favorite reading among students.

1. Please Sousa -- How the Brain Works. 

Check the ARC schedule and post your role.

Week 7 -- Input, Output, and the Lexical Approach

This week we are tackling two hugely influential ideas about how languages are acquired. We'll be asking "Is input alone sufficient for SLA success?"

1. Please read this short overview of Krashen's ideas -- 01 Krashen's Monitor Model
2. OPTIONAL: For a deeper look at it, you can read 02 Krashen The Comprehension Hypothesis Extended
3. For an opposing viewpoint,please read 03 Swain Output Hypothesis.
4. OPTIONAL: If you want more Swain and your French is decent, read 04 Swain More Output Hypothesis.
5. Finally, please read The Lexical Approach A Journey Without Maps. Quite frankly, the Lexical Approach is being jammed in here because there is no other place for it, but it is one of the most modern approaches to teaching a second language, so I think you'll find it interesting.

This week we are also going to start Academic Reading Circles. This idea is based on Literature Circles. Click here for Literature Circle role sheets that you can use with your own students. 

Each student will be assigned to a new group and each group member will have a role, which will change each week. For example, you might be the Summarizer this week and the Discussion Leader the next.

Academic Reading Circles (ARC) Schedule.

ARC Role Descriptions. (you may have to download this as viewing it in Google drive is a little wonky)

Week 6 -- Communicative Competence

Congratulations, you have finished the first part of the course, which has been mostly focused on language itself. I know the language components content is not for everyone, but consider it a necessary evil for your continuing studies in TESOL.

Now we will be shifting our focus to the most influential theories of acquisition. Before we do, we have to define what exactly language acquisition entails. We'll answer the question "What exactly are our students acquiring?"

1. Please read the excerpt on Communicative Competence from the TESOL Bible, Brown's Principles of Language Learning and Teaching.

There are two discussion leaders for the first group this week. Next week we'll be doing something different with the blog. This will be your last week with your current group T.T

Jeff, Amy, *Jasper, *Liz (two discussion leaders, not a typo)

 Kevan, Lawrence, *Dee Dee

John, Laura, *David

Finally, to help connect the course content to real-life teaching, please bring the textbooks you teach with to class each week. If you don't use a textbook, bring a book you have used in the past or could possibly use in the future (the resource center has a lot to choose from). You can bring more than one book each week and you can bring a different book each week. 

Week 5

No blog post for this week. Use the time to look over the material for our first quiz on language components and learner language.

A review sheet will be given to you on Saturday, March 22nd.

Feel free to use this space or the G+ community to compare notes or review ideas. If you want to get my attention quickly, please email me directly or write my name as +AdamBoothe on G+.

Good luck.

Week 4 --Syntax and Acquisition theories overview

Hello everyone, this week we'll be talking briefly about syntax, summarizing theories of acquisition, and prepping for the week 5 quiz.

Please complete your final learner language analysis homework about developmental sequences. 

Week 4 Reading: Lightbown & Spada. How Languages are Learned. Chapter2 (HLAL_Chapter 2.pdf)

Directions:
**This week you will read summaries of several L2 Acquisition theories. Choose one to support, summarize it and share learning and teaching experiences that support your choice.

Attention!! Group leaders: If your name has an * in front of it, you are the group leader for the week 4 journal. Please get your summary and comments posted by Wednesday.

Jeff, *Amy, Jasper, Liz

Kevan, *Lawrence, Dee Dee

John, *Laura, David

SLA Week 3 -- Morphology and Syntax

Week 3 Dialogue Journals (due before week 3's class)

Hello everyone, this week we'll be covering morphology.

You can find all of the relevant material here. There is extra stuff too, but that is just for your reference.

1. Record your interviewee doing the Question/Retell task. You can see an example of Rodrigo doing it it in the folder linked above. Complete the Morphology Analysis chart after your interview. We’ll answer the questions in small groups next week in class.

2. The West reading covers the basic concepts/terms related to morphology and the Carlisle reading focuses on morphological processing and word learning.

Attention!! Group leaders: If your name has an * in front of it, you are the group leader for the week 3 journal. Please get your summary and comments posted by Wednesday.

*Jeff, Amy, Jasper, Liz

 *Kevan, Lawrence, Dee

*John, Laura, David

Summary guidelines: KEEP IT SHORT! A good summary is a shorter version of the original that includes only the main points. Try to keep your summaries limited to 200 words or less.

Everyone else -- your role is to leave a comment on the Leader's summary.

Comment guidelines: Comments should demonstrate your ability to personalize the material. Whenever possible, share your own experiences as language teachers and learners that relate to the assigned reading. This should be longer than the summary.

Week 3 Reading: 

West, Morphology: The Inner World of Words

Carlisle, J. Fostering Morphological Processing, Vocabulary Development, and Reading Comprehension.

**Skim 'west_ morphology' to get an idea of the terms, then read Carlisle. Summarize and comment on the Carlisle article only. Questions related to the readings can be posted to the community.

Personalize! Share your experiences teaching/learning vocabulary.

Note: Group leaders should post summaries and comments as replies to this post.