Week 5

After a lecture yesterday, it started me thinking about all the students I had in Japan. I cannot say that all of them could use of written and spoken language well, but I can say that they knew the language to sue them for their purposes.Hayland, K (2003 p.32) when explaining about' writing' of L2 learners says that " students have a wide range of knowledge to successfully write in English". It has been my experience that most of the learners in my classes when writing as undergraduates did not write well. I was not allowed to instruct them in writing myself (by that I mean make my own teaching materials) and had to use a prescribed textbook. I saw the layout of the textbook was quite good however most of the writing exercises in it worse simple exercises explaining about ; family' or ' the weather' or other mundane subjects like this. As undergraduates who were all enrolled in medicine and would become doctors, I'd think that the students should have been learning about research writing.Benesch (The 2003 p. ) also as withHayland explains about students and academic writing that the students are " socially connected" and that ' identity is not " a matter of finding one's own' true self'." Certainly in my classes, with the text that the students were allowed using, I felt that it didn't really offer them opportunities that they should have had.
Interesting reading and these two books, as hard as it was for me.

W4: Systemic functional linguistics and language teaching

Language learning is a complex process. It is not only about learning vocabulary and grammar but also involves how to use appropriate words and grammatical choices to interpret and make meaning with the language according to different functions and situations.

According to Butt, Fahey, Feez, Sprinks and Yallop (2000), a text is "language that is functional"(p.3), it can be both spoken and written, it is "a harmonious collection of meanings appropriate to its context." (p.3) Context of culture and context of situation are two contexts occur in a text. Context of situation which is the innor context of the text includes three aspects: field, tenor and mode of discourse. There would be a substantially different text even if only one of these three parameters is changed.

A functional view of language considers language envolving three major functions: ideational(experiential and logical), interpersonal and textual metafunctions, and three parameters of context of situation reflect such three functions.

Under the systemic functional approach, each sentence encodes both three meanings and the related three functions of language. As a teacher, we need to think about language as a text, and every text has to be in a specific context. We need to give learners language of whole authentic texts , and let them to explore the meanings, words and structures possible in the contexts.

The extraligustic levels of context of culture and context of situation are realised in three content levels of language: semantics, lexicogrammar and expression level. In terms of stylistics, any texts can be compared in the aspects of register and genre. Texts belonging to the same register share common meanings and patterns of lexicogrammar. Therefore, it is important for teacher to evoke student's awarness of such patterns to help them create texts easily. As for genre, texts share same structural elements beling to the same genre or text type. Thus, if students know the structures of different genres, it is likely they can produce an appropriate text without difficulty. Thus, it is significant for teachers to introduce examples of text types, purposed for using language and structural elements of texts to the class consciously.

Under the concept of functional grammar, grammar can be functionally changed to convey different meanings. Language teachers, then, can show their learners how processes are related to sturcture, and the learners can respond to the texts critically. Likewise, by changing the theme of a sentence, the emphasis can be changed. Be aware of the thematic structure of a text seems enable us to understand the coherent of the text easier. Therefore, as a language teacher, it is noteworthy to focus on the textual themes to help students managing spoken interaction and understanding written texts and eventually all of these will benefit their written skills. In addition, the interpersonal metafunction seems related to interpersonal communication in that meanings can be encoded in different ways in English, therefore, language learners need to know how to respond to, manage and exchange in different situations. (Butt, Fahey, Feez, Spinks and Yallop, 2000)

In short, as a language teacher, we need to take a functional view of language, always think about language in a specific context and support our learners to participate in the process of making meaning with language.

Reference:

Butt, D., Fahey, R., Feez, S., Spinks. S., & Yallop., C. (2000). Using functional grammar. An explorer's guide (2nd ed.). Sydney: NCECTR.

Genre-based approach

According to Paltridge (2001), " language occurs in particular cultural and social contexts and can only be understood in relation to these contexts" (p. 40). Language users use particular genres to interact in these social and cultural contexts.

Genre-based teaching is a method that I have used with my students, especially for writing lessons. I have found it to be a helpful to my students because it allows them to be aware of the requirements of particular genres. For instance in formal letter writing, there are various kinds of letters. By providing models of each situation, learners are aware of the expectations of the different genres. This helps them to study and identify the different structures.

In addition, it also provided my learners with a starting point and gave them confidence in writing.
The workshop participants in the article by Kay and Dudley-Evans (1998), also reflected this view - "a genre-based approach is empowering and enabling, allowing students to make sense of the world around them and participare in it" (p. 310).

One of the drawbacks that I experienced using this approach was that some students became too dependent on being provided with models and made limited use of their own creativity.
I guess it is important for the teacher using the genre-based approach to maintain a balance and ensure that it is not overly done. It could also become boring for advanced learners in the class.

Genre-based approach in langauge teaching offers learners "an explicit understanding of how texts in target genres are structured and why they are written in the ways they are" (Hyland, 2003, p. 26). This understanding is important for the learners so that they are able to use socially and culturally correct language in different contexts.

References:

Hyland, K. (2003). Genre-based pedagogoes: A social response to process. Journal of second language writing, 12. 17-29

Kay, H., & Dudley-Evans, T. (1998). Genre: What teachers think. ELT Journal, 52 (4), 308-313.

Paltridge, B. (2001). Genre and the language learning classroom. Ann Arbor: Michigan University Press.

expanding the learner lexicon

Lewis tells us that if we want to " increase the learners communicative power" there must be an expansion of their lexicon by adding a variety of items to it. Lewis, M. (2002) p. 177 " implementing the lexical approach-putting theory into practice". This is all very good so long as the learner is " motivated" to do so. We cannot expect to ' infuse them' with a Lexus of words and expect them to ' acquire' them naturally. This is an experience I have had. Many Japanese learners expect exactly that. They expect to acquire any new Lexus from the ' ether'. To increase the learners, unification power we should be trying to do something that Maggie told myself and some other classmates what she did. Without going over any ' target' questions or ' vocabulary' she thrust her class into the frying pan, so to speak, and proceeded to take all of her learners outside giving them tasks that they had to complete.
Tasks like asking a stranger what they're name is etc.
Using a task-based approach like this is great when you are living in a country that uses English as its native language. A little harder per se if you are living in Mozambique, China, Poland, Japan.

Maybe he explained that she had a lot of success with it. Well done.

The genre-based approach

The shift of the more top-down pedagogy through popularizing the lexical approach furthered the progress of the genre-based approach (Thornbury, 1998).

Particular genres are used to fulfill certain social functions and to achieve certain goals within particular social and cultural context (Paltridge, 2001). Learners might have a range of choices of genres to achieve their particular goals as in using an E-mail message or a phone call for finding particular information (Paltridge, 2001). Therefore, it seems that the genre-based approach can be used in the teaching of speaking, listening and reading, as well as writing.

The genre-based approach aims to make the learners’ awareness of the significant features of the different genres and to empower learners’ strategies to replicate these features on their production (Kay & Dudley-Evans, 1998). It is important that language of model texts is functional and the texts provide the appropriate points of focus (Paltridge, 2001). The emphasis is on the social purpose, the schematic structure, and the linguistic features (Kay & Dudley-Evans, 1998). This approach stresses the role of context and the way of language change by the context in which it occurs, and discusses this in relation to the aspects of discourse, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation of the language (Paltridge, 2001). These sound very difficult to practice, although I can study at least a little about functional languages this week...

As might be expected from the fact that systemic genre-based approach initially focused on writing on primary and secondary schools (Paltridge, 2001), there is one point of view that the genre-based approach is particularly suitable for learners at beginner or intermediate levels in a second language (Kay and Dudley-Evans, 1998). The approach gives them confidence by giving them security and offering the models, and enables them to produce texts that serve the intended purpose. On the other hand, however, there is a concern that the approach is restrictive and this is likely to lead to lack of creativity and demotivation in the learners (Kay & Dudley-Evans, 1998). Therefore, it seems to be very important especially for learners of higher levels that the model texts have to be treated as prototypes for learners’ individual variations. Uh-uh..., how...?


List of references

Kay, H., & Dudley-Evans, T. (1998). Genre: What teachers think. ELT Journal, 52(4), 308-313.

Paltridge, B. (2001). Genre and the language learning classroom. Ann Arbor, MI: Michigan University Press.

Thornbury, S. (1998, April 7). The lexical approach: A journey without maps?
Modern English Teacher, 1-7.

The lexical approach

Sorry for my late posting for the above topic.

I was not familiar with the lexical approach, and this has been pretty much the first study for the approach for me. Of course, my experience in studying English has been the grammatical approach. The lexical approach is not utilized in Japanese teaching because there is no regular Japanese corpus, although I’m studying language teaching as a Japanese teacher.

When I read Lewis’s ‘Teaching collocation: Further developments in the lexical approach’ (2000), I felt a sense of uncertainty. Then, when I read Thornbury’s ‘The lexical approach: A journey without maps?’ (1998), I felt that he acts like a spokesman for my opinions, as in “what is this ‘suitable input’ and how is it organized?” (Thornbury, 1998, p.5) and how is the lexical approach operationalized? (Thornbury, 1998)

At the same time, however, Thornbury (1998) introduces his friend’s Maori teacher’s method as one of the variations of the lexical approach which not only uses an exemplar-based system but also a rule-based analytic system for grammaticizing the lexis for avoiding danger of fossilization. As I also cannot agree with Lewis’s claim (2000) which seems to be unfair in terms of learners’ output, I’m very impressed by the adjustment made by the Maori teacher.

It seems to be important to devise a balance between the two systems if teachers introduce this approach. However, as Harwood (2002) points out, learners’ needs and wants are varied, so it seems to also be important to keep the learners’ option for the two systems.


List of references

Harwood, N. (2002). Taking a lexical approach to teaching: Principles and problems.
International Journal of applied Language, 12(2), 139-155.

Lewis, M. (2000). Teaching collocation: Further developments in the lexical approach. Hove: Language Teaching.

Thornbury, S. (1998, April 7). The lexical approach: A journey without maps?
Modern English Teacher, 1-7.

Genre and language teaching

This week we've learnt "Genre" and Genre-based approaches in language learning classroom.

As Kay and Dudley- Evans (1997) point out that Swales and Martin gave two different definitions of genre. According to Martin, a genre is "a staged, goal-oriented, purposeful activity in which speakers engage as members of our culture"; while for Swales, "a genre comprises a class of communicative purposes". (p.308) For both Swales and Martin, different communicative purposes decide the structures and the contents of different genres.

In terms of Genre-based teaching approach, it aims to evoke learner's awareness of the structure and purpose, as well as the significant linguistic features of the texts of different genres. The learners, therefore, could replicate such features in their own production.

Teacher's role in such genre-based program is to facilitate and guide students' learning process, as well as organise the instructional materials, according to Paltridge (2001). It is worth to notice that the model text presented need to be as natural and authentic as possible, and the following tasks should be considered related to the language example presented.

As Paltridge (2001) states, genre includes both written and spoken language. That means a genre-based approach could be used in both written and spoken language learning classroom. However, I think such genre-based approach is likely more effective in a higher level written language learning classroom as the learners in a low level may not have the abilities of self-analysing the structure and linguistic features of the model text. On the other hand, such genre-based approach seems workable in all levels of spoken language learning classrooms though it may "lead to lack of creativity and demotivation in the learners", as Kay and Dudley-Evans (1998, p.311) argued.

Reference:

Kay, H. & Dudley-Evans, T. (1984). What teachers think. ELT Journal October, 1998. V.52/4
(p.308-314) Oxford University Press.

Paltridge, B.(2001). Genre and the language learning classroom . Ann Arbor: Michigan
University Press.

language acquisition by the student in a classroom setting

There are many researchers, who will say that a language cannot be learned, cannot be acquired, cannot be taken in, cannot be learned to a level of fluency that would display to native speakers of the language that the learner was of a high proficiency in the language.
I would like to retract previous statements I have made about the acquisition of language in a classroom situation. I feel now that I disagree with Lewis (2007) when he says that the target language could not be learnt to a level that would charge the learner to be' fluent'.
What is meant by and a however, in this situation, would need to be quantified to make any good judgement about the learner.

including myself, as I have said, every one who was in that class was highly motivated to succeed. And that's what we did.

N.b. please excuse any grammar mistakes you have found in this post. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for me to read and to make posts.
Thank you.

Blair.

The Lexical Approach

My own second language learning has been the traditional grammar based. As a language teacher I have been greatly influenced by how I was taught. I am quite dependent on the text books for teaching the second language. Reading about the lexical approach has made me think about second language teaching. The question that comes to mind is how much of the sentences taught in the language textbooks do we actually use in real life? As Lewis (2000) says that "fleunt speech consists largely of rapidly produced short phrases, rather than formally correct 'sentences'" (p.174).

Hardwood (2002) is true in saying “If a lexical approach is implemented appropriately, learners will acquire lexis suitable for their needs” (p. 7). Learners will be able to use the ‘real’ language rather than the textbook language. However, implementing this approach is going to take a while. The attitude of learners, teachers, educational institutions and publishers all need to change if the lexical approach is to be appropriately implemented in the language classroom.

The lexical approach

According to Lewis(2000), there are two kinds knowledge: declarative knowledge which involves stating facts or rules and procedural knowledge which is knowledge how to, that is, the ability to do something actually. These two kinds of knowledge are separated in the ways which we acquire them rather than separated totally. Declarative knowledge is additive while procedural knowledge is integrative. Lewis believes that all language acquisition is intrinsically procedural. He also points out that language learned discretely and additively cannot contribute to the learner's mental lexion. This means, it is not available for learner's use.

Language learning is conscious while language acquisition is unconscious. The latter is regarded as important, but Lewis suggests that the "concious noticing of features of the language that learners meet doees facilitate acquisition."(p.158) Acquisition involves taking in new language into learner's intergrammar and mental lexicon which they already have. If learners wish to turn the language they meet which is input into language they acquire and ready to use which is intake, they certainly need to notice the linguistic features of such language. In contrast, if learners do not notice the language features and the correct natural version they used, they can not turn their input into intake. Teachers, therfore, "need to be proactive in guiding learners toward the input language"(p.163) to assist learners to acquire language effectively.

Differ from Present-Practise-Produce(P-P-P) paradigm, Lewis' lexical approach suggests the Observe-Hypothesise-Experiment paradigm. Lewis points out that firstly language must be met and noticed, then sort the input on the basis of "apparently significant similarities and differences"(p.178) and experiment involves "using the language on the basis of the learners' current intergrammar.

Lewies believes that grammar and vocabulary are not separable, in fact, many language patterns are bound up with specific vocabulary. Noticing language as chunks and the features of such chunks could facilitate acquisition. Thus, it is essential for language teacher setting a context to help learners transfer language chunks to their mental lexicon. In addition, as language learning is not a linear process, even the learning curve for a single item is not linear. The progress and backwords always happen in such curve. Therefore, giving continued input to let learner self-organize their interlanguage systems is essential.(Diane, 1997)

From my learning experience, I found Lewies's lexical approach is quite helpful. We learn language by chunks rather than single word and grammar is likely to help us to assimilate it into our own mental lexis and alert us to notice such language and then turn it into our intake. However, I disagree Lewies's view about using language is not necessarily help the learner retain it. In contrast, I think using language is essential to help the learner to retain it effectively.

my god. boy did I have trouble getting on

I have lots to ask but as I'm not on my computer, it is very difficult to type.

my first question is concerning english for testing. In many countries, especially Japan, it is a multi million dollar business. Using the lexical approach would mean attempting to 'rail' against the machine. I know myself, I really enjoyed publishing the books I did but this leaves me with a question. What was I thinking? obviously 'money' and not the betterment of the student.

Focus Group 2

This is where you'll begin blogging about the contemporary and alternative language teaching issues that are introduced in the Focus lectures.