Intercultural Communication in the Adult ESL
Transcription
Intercultural Communication in the Adult ESL
VOLUME 39 NUMBER 4 MARCH-APRIL 2008 Sacramento, Intercultural Communication Ahoy! in the Adult ESL Classroom Making a Case for Explicit Instruction By Ellen Lange College and University Level Chair By G. Vittoria Abbate-Maghsoudi n the very first article that I wrote for Adult Level Chair the CATESOL News in November xperiencing a new life from a new point of view with a new set of 2006 when I was Assistant College/ communication skills is what adult English language learners hope for when University Level Chair, I plugged they enroll in an ESL program. Teachers can best help these adult students succeed professional development for ESL by providing ample opportunities for practice of culturally relevant behavior while practitioners, saying in the opening simultaneously developing culturally appropriate language skills in an integrated paragraph: “An important mission of manner. CATESOL is to promote professional In the life skills-based adult ESL classroom, the content presented must be development, and we ESL practitioners supported not only by the language to be learned, but also by a modeling of have a wealth of opportunities here appropriate behaviors students will be expected to exhibit in real-life situations in California, such as pre- and postoutside the classroom. For example, when teaching students how to prepare for conference workshops, rap sessions a job interview, the culturally aware teacher’s lesson comprises both language and and electronic villages, where we share the social context of the language. Culturally aware teachers not only model the ideas, develop our skills, and network at appropriate language and provide opportunities for practice via classroom “job the chapter, regional, and state level. In interviews,” but also model and provide practice in appropriate behaviors associated fact, attending a conference is a form of with real interviews. Offering a firm handshake, giving a formal greeting, and professional development in itself.” maintaining a certain physical distance when speaking face-to-face are a few While that article focused on examples of the kinds of behavior that can be built into a job-interview language promoting professional development lesson. Nothing is taken for granted. in general, this time I would like to The focus of every lesson should be to help students learn to navigate in emphasize the professional growth and American English and culture. How well each student grasps the language and personal rewards to be gained from cultural lessons depends on individual factors too many to enumerate here. attending a CATESOL state conference, (continued on page 6) where the opportunities for professional growth are legion. Our 39th Annual State Conference in Sacramento is sure to be no exception. My late husband, a professor of entomology at UC Davis, was an enthusiastic conference attendee. I used to be shocked when he would boast after the Pan-Pacific Entomological Society’s annual meeting: “I didn’t attend any talks; I just socialized.” But now, as a veteran conference attendee myself, I know there is more to a conference I E (continued on page 8) An Advance Peek at CATESOL’s 39th Annual State Conference in Sacramento Begins on Page 9 age s s e M nt’s Teacher Certification Update California Standards for Bilingual Teaching Authorization Approved Preside ‘Getting Better All the Time’ Greetings CATESOLers, he Beatles had it right: We should be getting better all the time. One option for doing so is to attend the upcoming State Conference April 10-13 in Sacramento. Check the exceptional Web site that has been developed by the conference committee at www. catesol2008.org where you can download the pre-registration packet with all the information you need to register. You may also sign up online to volunteer at the conference. We are a volunteer organization, and we exist only because of the generosity of our members. So, please consider volunteering a few hours to help make the conference a success. T There will be a CATESOL Education Foundation Mixer from 4:30 p.m.- 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 10. This will offer a chance to wind down after the Pre-Conference Institutes and to meet fellow conference goers before the official opening of the conference at 6:30. CATESOL has invited one of California’s most respected legislators, State Senator Darrell Steinberg (DSacramento), as the opening plenary speaker that evening. He will discuss the legislature’s efforts to better address the needs of California’s most at-risk students and how we can work to ensure appropriate funding, instructional materials and professional development to meet these challenges. Don’t miss this informative speech. Also remember the President’s Luncheon on Friday April 11! We are fortunate 2 March-April 2008 to have José Montoya, and others know if they Sacramento’s 2002 Poet have met the standards Laureate, as our plenary addressed in the learning speaker, following an elegant experience. This is three-course luncheon in the summative. Assessment Hyatt ballroom. Montoya will for learning helps students undoubtedly have a message to meet the standards by for all of us who work in pointing out their strengths education, from pre-school and areas needing to college and beyond. We improvement in order need to consider the whole to be successful. Here Dan Fichtner student when planning is where differentiation lessons. Art is the heart of comes into play. This man, and as we work and learn with and is formative. Assessment as learning about our students, we need to be sure takes place when students see the to nurture their spirits as well as their learning experience as an organic part intellects. of assessment, that is, the activity itself proves mastery of the skill or knowledge he motto of the University of addressed. Students know they are Rochester is “Semper meliora” learning as they are learning. Teachers or “always improving.” There is and students work and learn side by side always room for improvement. And and realize throughout the process what one area of instruction that can knowledge and skills they are gaining. be improved is assessment. The The learning process “informs” them of December 2007/January 2008 issue this. This is the third type of assessment, of Educational Leadership is devoted informative. entirely to Informative Assessment. The issue bursts with articles on the o, if you have made a resolution need for, and benefits of, this most to be a better teacher, look at your important aspect of the education cycle. learning experiences and assessment For me, assessment is the heart of methods to see if they: a) show students education. Tomlinson in “Learning to they have truly mastered the essential Love Assessment” says, “Informative standards addressed, b) help students assessment is not an end in itself, but who don’t at first “get it” meet those the beginning of better instruction (p. standards, and c) are perceived as 13).” In this first article of the issue she organic and an integral part of the explains her journey of discovery seeking learning experience. The journey to truly useful assessment – assessment reach point c may be long, but it starts as learning. Her 10 “Understandings” with the first steps. Feedback along the provide the steps to take for arriving journey of learning goes a long way in at Informative Assessment. Tomlinson steering us in the right direction. quotes Lorna Earl who uses different T S prepositions to show the different relationships between the two nouns: assessment of learning, assessment for learning and assessment as learning. Assessment of learning lets students See you in Sacramento! Yours in Education, Dan Fichtner By Karen Cadiero-Kaplan Past President s a follow up to my article in the previous CATESOL News regarding the development of the bilingual standards for teaching, I am pleased to report that on January 31 the Standards for Bilingual Teacher Preparation have been unanimously approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). The new standards are designed for programs preparing teachers for bilingual instruction. These will be utilized to assess whether each bilingual teacher training program in the state is ensuring that candidates have the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to be bilingual teachers in the California public schools. The new standards were developed by the Commission’s Bilingual Design Team, a group of teachers, teacher educators, and other experts in English language development and bilingual education. I had the privilege of representing CATESOL on this panel along with Sarah Fields, who was CATESOL president in 1998-99. The Bilingual Program Standards address the changed nature of bilingual education in California, such as the need for candidates to be prepared to teach within the expanded variety of bilingual classroom settings, including immersion programs. In addition, the Bilingual Program Standards require an assessment of each candidate’s fluency in both English and the language of authorization. Anyone completing a program according to these standards can apply for a Bilingual Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development (BCLAD) authorization for their attendant teaching credential. These core bilingual program standards include: The Context for Bilingual Education and Bilingualism: The preparation program provides candidates A San Diego Conference Draws 400 By Andrew MacNeill outhwestern Community College’s beautiful campus was the perfect backdrop for the San Diego Regional Conference on October 20, 2007. The S with knowledge of the history, policies, programs, and research on the effectiveness of bilingual education and bilingualism in the United States. Bilingual Methodology: The preparation program prepares bilingual candidates to understand the interrelatedness among the four domains of language (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and to know language forms and functions. The program also prepares candidates to plan, develop, implement and assess standardsaligned content instruction in the primary and target language. Culture of Emphasis: The preparation program develops candidates’ knowledge of the traditions, roles, status, and communication patterns of the culture of emphasis as experienced in the country or countries of origin and in the United States. Included in that knowledge is the understanding of cross-cultural, intercultural and intracultural relationships and interactions, as well as contributions of the culture of emphasis in California and the United States. Assessment of Candidate Language Competence: The institution must verify, during the program or at its completion, that the candidate has attained – in listening, speaking, reading and writing – a language proficiency level that is equivalent to a passing score on the appropriate LOTE language examination (Languages Other Than English). For more detailed information on the standards and program requirements please visit the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Web site at: http://www.ctc.ca.gov Karen Cadiero-Kaplan is an associate professor in the Department of Policy Studies in Language and Cross Cultural Education at San Diego State University, where she teaches in the bilingual MS/SS credential and in the MA degree programs. 400-plus participants at the conference had a choice of four presentation sessions, four rap sessions, two poster sessions, and a lively exhibitors’ hall. The food was a Pacific Island buffet, and the entire event was finished off with dancing to the sounds of Andean music in the warm Southern California sunshine. Frank Noji, who teaches and coordinates the ESOL program at Kapiolani Community College in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, delivered the keynote speech around the conference theme: Learning IN English – Content Based Instruction. Noji has taught throughout Southeast Asia and is responsible for the design and development of the Sustained Content Program at Kapiolani. Since the inception of the program, he has conducted classroom-oriented research to make (continued on page 5) March-April 2008 3 In the Chapters Questioners’ Art Highlights OC Chapter’s Fall Conference By Susan Stern Publicity Co-Chair, Orange County Chapter here is no question that Jayme Adelson-Goldstein’s lively and informative workshop on asking questions in the ESL classroom lived up to its title: “More than WH—the Art of Asking Questions in the ESL Classroom.” In this engaging allday workshop, Adelson-Goldstein T STUDY ONLINE Earn a Master’s in the TESOL PROFESSIONS Discover a groundbreaking graduate program developed by leading professionals and taught by a respected international faculty. Our curriculum emphasizes practical, hands-on training with a focus on the cultural and political implications of teaching English in an era of intense globalization. · Study online from anywhere in the world · Specialized training in Teaching and Curriculum Development · Courses designed and taught by renowned professionals in the field, including Scott Thornbury, Erik Gundersen, and Jeremy Harmer · Now accepting applications for summer and fall 2008 Online and on-campus information sessions are held throughout the year. For information about these events and about the program, call admissions at 212.229.5630 or visit us online. www.newschool.edu/matesol did indeed demonstrate how there is an art to asking questions in the ESL classroom – an art accessible to all instructors who wish to take full advantage of the multitude of possibilities that asking questions presents for language learning. Question asking was explored in-depth, and no questions were left unasked in this presentation at the Orange County Chapter’s Fall Conference at CSU Fullerton on October 6. The 140 participants, representing all levels of ESL teaching, were drawn in from the very beginning and actively involved throughout the all-day professional development workshop. Adelson-Goldstein brought a wealth of experience to the workshop as an ESOL teacher trainer and materials writer – along with humor, wit, and flair. As she explained, questions have the power to engage our learners, focus them on the lesson content, heighten their language awareness, expand communication skills, and provide a prompt for reflection and higherlevel thinking. In the workshop, she took full advantage of all the potential that questions have to offer for the ESL classroom, leading participants in exploring a variety of instructional questioning strategies that take our learners from comprehension to production. By having the audience first examine and share how they use ESL-related questions in their own teaching, she elicited what our purpose is in asking questions, a prelude to a discussion of Bloom’s Taxonomy. The six levels of questioning of his revised taxonomy (2001) in relation to language learning: 1) Knowledge – Remember; 2) Comprehension – Understand; 3) Application – Apply; 4) Analysis – Analyze; (continued from page 5) 4 March-April 2008 In the Chapters ...oc conference (continued from page 4) 5) Synthesis – Create; 6) Evaluation – Evaluate. Adelson-Goldstein then pointed out the difference between “focusing” and “processing” types of questions, and led the group in practice contrasting them at the various stages of ESL to engage learners in higher-level thinking. Participants then worked on identifying strategies and activities that encourage students to ask questions. Finally, practice was given in developing questions and questionbased activities for different types of lessons (e.g., reading, conversation, and writing). This included schema-building questions, leveled questioning strategies for multi-level settings, and ways to ask low-level learners higher level thinking questions. These learner-centered activities focused on how instructors can best build learners’ question-asking skills. The entire workshop was “hands-on,” and handouts for each participant were filled with valuable explanations, references, and classroom activities. A continental breakfast and buffet lunch complemented the Jayme Adelson-Goldstein workshop portion of the conference, offering the opportunity to catch up with old colleagues and meet new ones at the beautifully decorated tables with an autumn theme. Participants also enjoyed perusing the large array of publishers’ exhibits and having the opportunity to meet with the publishers’ representatives to discuss their individual needs. A special highlight, which has become another Orange County Chapter tradition, was the drawing for the door prizes – a large number of textbooks and materials generously donated by the publishers. There is no question that there is an art to preparing conferences just as there is an art to asking questions, and the Orange County Chapter has ...san diego regional (continued from page 3) modifications in the curriculum. He spoke about his latest research into the Opportunities Model, which focuses on providing comprehensible input to create student-learning opportunities. He has recently introduced the concept of purposefulness into instruction at Kapiolani, and he shared his ideas for using it in content-based instruction during his presentation. A breakfast of bagels, fresh fruit and coffee was donated by Panera, Starbucks, and Jimmy J’s, the campus coffee stand. This helped to spark a lively beginning in the exhibits hall that included more than 30 exhibitors. Exhibitors also provided refreshments during a 30-minute break in presentations while the participants browsed through the materials. Conference bags were provided by Alliant International University and the Southwestern College Bookstore filled with handouts and goodies from publishers and exhibitors. Raffle prizes were also provided by publishers and exhibitors. Presentations were held in 13 classrooms and two computer labs in buildings inspired by classic Mayan truly developed its conferences into a cooperative art project. Many kudos and thanks go to Chapter Coordinator Victoria Workman and CoordinatorElect Thomas Donahoe for their excellent planning and coordination of this major event. Laurels also go to the rest of the Orange County Chapter Board members for their dedication and teamwork in fulfilling each of the tasks that resulted in such a smooth running and delightful conference. Many thanks and much appreciation also go to our co-sponsors: the Associated Students and TESOL Club of CSU Fullerton, and the California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project (CALPRO). And last but not least, we wish to thank our exhibitors who also play a major role in making these workshops possible. OC CATESOL invites you to join us at future conferences and hope that you will consider joining us as a member of the board. Contact occatesol@gmail.com for more information. Susan Stern is a professor of English as a second language at Irvine Valley College. architecture. The 55 presentations provided something for everyone as they included elementary, secondary, community college, university, and adult levels of education as well as presentations specific to intercultural communication, intensive English programs, non-native language educators issues, workplace English, technology-enhanced language learning, and commercial presentations. A lunch catered by Yokozunas in Chula Vista was served after the first two sessions, and the afternoon ended with music provided by Wayras and the raffle drawing. Everything, including the weather, seemed to click. Together with my conference co-chair, Mary Murphy-Clagget, a resource teacher for ESL and citizenship in the Sweetwater Division of Adult Education, I would like to thank all who participated, especially the hard-working conference committee workers who made our event so successful. This year’s conference is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, October 18, 2008. Location and times will be posted on the CATESOL Web site. Andrew MacNeill is ESL Department Chair at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California. March-April 2008 5 In the Chapters Los Padres Provides Free Professional Development Workshops for 2008 By Jack Bailey CATESOL Chapter Council Chair he Los Padres CATESOL Chapter is proud to announce a full calendar of free local professional development for area ESL teachers for the first half of the new year. Workshop subjects vary widely and include “Pronunciation Strategies and Activities,” “After We Test, Now What do We Do?,” “Effective Lesson Planning,” “Managing Multilevel ESL Classes,” “Advising the Adult Learner: The Teachers Role,” “Organizing and Monitoring Instruction to Improve Learning Gains,” “Dr. Seuss in the ESL Classroom,” “Teaching English with Mr. Bean,” and “Teaching Grammar Communicatively.” T ...explicit esl (continued from page 1) However, culturally aware teachers understand this and always operate with the knowledge that the student’s first language and culture influences how well she or he “hears” the new language and “sees” culturally appropriate new behaviors as they are modeled. The student’s cultural predisposition also affects adaptability to new language and cultural behaviors. To develop the necessary new repertoire for communication in American English and culture, teachers must facilitate the student’s internalizing of language and behaviors in every lesson. This is best done by creating a safe, nurturing classroom atmosphere where students are encouraged to suspend biases and preconceptions and encouraged to stretch and test their new linguistic and cultural communication skills as well. It is well always to keep in mind that culture is dynamic and fluid. “Culture is not a material phenomenon; it does not consist of things, people, behaviour, or emotions. It is rather an organization of these things. It 6 March-April 2008 About half our presentations are conducted by chapter members who are paid $75/hour by the chapter. The other workshops are collaborations with CALPRO (California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project). CALPRO (www.calpro-online.org), a project of the California Department of Education, offers free workshops throughout California. While not always exclusively designed for ESL teachers, many of their topics are readily pertinent to our field – Effective Lesson Planning and Teaching Grammar Communicatively and Managing Multilevel ESL Classes have been popular units that seem to come back year after year. Most workshops are two to three hours long and have 20-30 participants. To help ensure successful events and a gracious audience, we always serve snacks and beverages. Funding for this and presenter fees comes from our chapter fall conference. A current calendar events and descriptions can always be found at our Web site: www.lospadrescatesol.org Jack Bailey, the Professional Development Coordinator of Los Padres CATESOL, is Program Director of Continuing Education for ESL, Citizenship and Bilingual Basic Education at Santa Barbara Community College. is the form of things that people effective communication, not cultural have in mind, their models for integration. How well – and whether – perceiving, relating, and otherwise the student assimilates the new culture, interpreting them.” (Goodenough, is determined by the student alone. 1964). Furthermore, it can be said The process of becoming culturally that cultural competency determines proficient is developmental. Teachers effective intercultural should thus provide communication. classroom experiences that On the other mirror real-life experiences end of the spectrum, in which students can safely ethnocentrism – the learn to create and move in tendency of seeing other their new cultural dimension cultures by the standards molded by both verbal and of one’s own – creates non-verbal communication. miscommunication The creation of a new G. Vittoria Abbate-Maghsoudi resulting in conflict. To model or schemata for reduce instances of this seeing, experiencing, in the classroom, teachers should help reacting, thinking, and behaving, is students develop cultural competency an integral part of this open-ended and become effective intercultural developmental process. “To that end, communicators. To do so, they must we should remember that it is the ‘inter’ help students “see” and identify key – the cutting edge of translation and variables in their new culture, and negotiation, the in-between space – that model appropriate language and carries the burden of the meaning of behavior in everyday lessons, providing culture.” (Bhabba, 1994, p. 38). ample opportunities for practice in We may also conclude that “by managing these variables. Students exploring the Third Space, we may can thus learn how to shift away from elude the politics of polarity and egocentricity and ethnocentricity to emerge as the ‘others of our selves.’” reciprocity (cf. Byram, 1989). It should (Bhabba, 1994, p. 39). Teaching and (continued on page 7) be noted here that the goal must be Interest Groups One-to-One Intercultural Communication By Clarissa Ryan Intercultural Communications Coordinator Building “intercultural communication” is the philosophy behind the Speaking Partners project at the American Language Program, an intensive English program at CSU East Bay in Hayward, California. The project pairs CSUEB students and ALP students for weekly conversation sessions. As an MATESOL student while also taking Japanese classes, I participated in the Speaking Partners program. Recently, I discussed its features with Jessie Wu, who was in charge of the program at that time, and Cherry Cui, the current coordinator. (continued from page 6) In addition to language exchange, Cui notes, SP can also be thought of as a “culture exchange program.” Wu says, “The ultimate goals are for the international students to have the opportunity to broaden their social horizons and mingle with the local students.” ALP students, who either volunteer or are required to participate for a course, also get the chance to use English outside of class. Class time only requires so many hours a day, and SP lets students learn something in their remaining time – a particular benefit at CSUEB, where the campus is isolated from the surrounding city. To join the program, students fill learning how to shift in and out of cultural constructs, how to layer and interweave appropriate language conventions and behaviors, how to build on the dominant language and cultural knowledge base as well as how to perceive where the dominant culture intersects with the new culture are all part of the developmental process for both teachers and students. These are hallmark traits of a well-managed ESL classroom, where lessons of language and culture are truly integrated and the merits of intercultural education are realized. The ESL teacher works to ensure that the sociocultural content embedded in language texts is appropriate and relevant. Standard language texts are supplemented with representational texts such as literature, plays, and role-playing scripts. For adult English learners, the context in which culture is taught must be practical and based in real-life lessons. The culturally aware ESL teacher makes the classroom a laboratory where experimenting with appropriate language and cultural responses in controlled situations is the norm. The nuances of culture embedded in language and culturally appropriate behavior in various social settings carry inferred meanings. English learners have difficulty understanding these meanings until they gain enough background knowledge to see the boundaries of the constructs of the target culture. Therefore, students’ sensitivity to cultural values and attitudes must be raised to a conscious level. Students must be afforded repeated opportunities to sharpen their powers of observation, perception and mimicry. Every language/culture lesson should be debriefed. As out surveys that the SP administrator then uses to match pairs by preferred language, gender, and interests. Generally, error correction and homework help are de-emphasized, and pairs simply meet to chat informally – often over coffee in the Student Union to start out with, though many pairs wind up participating in offcampus activities together later. In the application process, students commit to meet at least once a week for an hour at a time, for the entire quarter. Generally speaking, Wu reports, most of the local CSUEB participants are advanced undergraduate and (continued on page 18) students learn to adjust patterns of behavior to meet specific social expectations in the target culture by practicing these in the classroom, they learn how to recognize, identify and use critical clues and patterns to inform their behavior in various social contexts. Transferring these skills from the “laboratory” to their life outside is the over-arching goal of ESL teachers, and students’ success is ultimately measured by the nature and scope of their engagement in their new community. Significantly enhancing students’ abilities to enter and fully participate in American life demonstrates the real value of intercultural training in the adult ESL classroom. The development of students’ socio-cultural awareness and competency ensures they will have broader access to people, places, and services. If we, as ESL teachers, accept this as a primary goal of our instruction, we will fulfill our higher duty of preparing students to become contributing members of American society. G. Vittoria Abbate-Maghsoudi is Coordinator of the ESLCitizenship Program at Mt. Diablo Adult Education in Concord, California. Bhabba, H.K. (1994), The Location of Culture. London: Routledge. Byram, M.S. (1989). Cultural Studies in Foreign Language Education. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Goodenough, W.H. (1964) Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics. In D. Hymes (Ed.) Language, Culture and Society: A Reader in Linguistics and Anthropology. (pp. 36-39). New York: Harper and Row. Hall, E.T. (1966.) The Hidden Dimension. New York: Doubleday. Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. March-April 2008 7 State Conference ...ahoy! (continued from page 1) bush, including the significance taken on by road signs as realia. In San Diego last year, I spent a delightful hour deepening my understanding of Korean culture, complete with “show and tell” items and typical snacks free for the taking. Another trick is to step out of one’s specialty briefly and attend a presentation from the practitioner of another discipline. I occasionally teach oral skills or EFL in addition to ESL composition and “keep my oar in” by checking out a presentation on pronunciation or one on teaching in an intensive English program. than its presentations. However, before we touch on the social end of things, we need to consider the many opportunities that presentations afford us to broaden ourselves professionally and ways to make the most of our conference experience. Front and center, picking out a limited number of presentations to attend can make a state conference less overwhelming. In that way, one gets more in-depth knowledge in selected areas rather than a smattering of information soon forgotten. Now esides the professional growth one that CATESOL is firmly ensconced in gets from attending presentations, the electronic world, it is possible to it is also possible to “get hooked” and log onto the program on-line and start start thinking about “giving back” making some advance decisions on by becoming a presenter oneself. what to attend by calmly I got my start in San reading the abstracts and Francisco. When I attended program details instead a Northern Regional of trying to hurriedly Conference there as a highlight possibilities graduate student, I not only amid the hurly-burly of a attended presentations, conference already going but also became intrigued full tilt. by the conference ribbon Another pointer to dangling from name tags keep in mind is to try that said “Presenter.” I said to attend a presentation to myself: “I want one of or two at a different those.” At many chapter, Ellen Lange level. Besides promoting regional, state, and national articulation, it is useful for a college/ conferences later I often did wear a university ESL practitioner to find out presenter’s ribbon, I started zeroing what is going on at the secondary level in on the “Committee Member” and so that we familiarize ourselves with “Board Member” ribbons and, well, you what our students are being taught can reach your own conclusions. before they arrive in college. And Beyond presentations and when we combine presentations from workshops are many other events to Northern and Southern California explore. In my early days at conferences, with those from Nevada, we are giving I was so anxious to prove myself as geographical support to our colleagues. a genuine ESL teacher that I focused In addition, try picking out one on presentations and little else. What intriguing topic just to “go see” I missed out on were the rewards of and put a star by it. At a TESOL hearing a plenary speaker or a special Conference, I went to hear an 8 a.m. invited guest, going to a level rap talk by an EFL teacher in Botswana. session or a special workshop or sitting He captivated the 10 of us early birds around a table with other CATESOLers with his stories of the difficulties of at a luncheon. Last year, I made it a providing real-time reading in the point to hear Jim Cummins, and this B 8 March-April 2008 year I have already been trolling the preconference registration book to check out the invited speakers. If you are a first-timer, learn the ropes by attending the Newcomers’ Orientation or for a change of pace as a veteran conferencegoer, become a volunteer and explore the “insides” of a conference. As I explained previously, in my early days at conferences, I did not see the importance of networking with colleagues and “kicking back” at social events like the Opening Reception or an escorted dinner, but they are an essential part of any conference, be it chapter, regional, or state. There we meet others in our profession, trade war stories, and see each other as social beings rather than just classroom teachers with many of us working in isolation in our own schools. And don’t forget the opportunities to leave the conference venue on an excursion, like the State Capitol, the California Railway Museum, or Old Sacramento. Yes, it does cost money to attend, but that is money well spent. One way to save might be to consider the new concept of making it a one-day affair. In my years of serving on AFT and CATESOL boards, I have become accustomed to flying down and flying back in one day for a meeting. In fact, with so much of the CATESOL program on-line, one can pick the “best day” to go. While this option could be tiring and being there for the whole conference and staying in a classy hotel at a good rate is the better choice, it beats not going at all. Because the state conference switches back and forth from south to north or even east (Reno or Las Vegas), it is possible to commit to every other year and be able to drive to the conference when it is closer to home. And, don’t forget the value of those regional and chapter meetings once you’ve gone to state! See you in Sacramento! Ellen Lange is a continuing lecturer in linguistics at the University of California, Davis. 2008 CATESOL Conference in Sacramento DISCOVER, RESTORE, SHARE, EAT. On behalf of this year’s Conference Committee, I extend our invitation to you to take part in “Growing Democracy” in Sacramento, California, in April. What awaits you at CATESOL 2008? We have a full lineup of speakers, from Thursday’s opening reception (invited guest: State Senator Darrell Steinberg), to the Friday President’s Luncheon with José Montoya, noted Chicano poet, to the Saturday Keynote with applied linguistics expert Claire Kramsch of UC Berkeley. In addition to hundreds of informative concurrent sessions presented by you and your colleagues, we will offer fourteen pre-conference institutes (PCIs) on Thursday and six Sunday workshops with wellknown presenters and experts in the field. Graduate students have their forums as well, and the Socio-Political Committee will bring updates from our legislative advocate and the work that CATESOL has done over the past year. New this year is an expanded poster session, giving more presenters a chance to share their ideas with you. We also hope to discover how generous members are when they volunteer their time at the conference to keep things running smoothly. The browsing and demonstration areas of the Electronic Village in the Hyatt and the 24,000 sq. ft. Exhibit Hall of the Sacramento Convention Center will give you two full days of browsing and books. For newcomers, we offer two orientation sessions (with continental breakfast) and special sessions presented by the Interest Groups and Levels to which members belong. Thursday will feature two special events – the in- troduction of the CATESOL Education Foundation at a mixer (open to all) following the PCIs, and our Opening Reception at the Sheraton, featuring live music and entertainment in addition to our invited speaker. Friday evening we’ve set up several escorted/networking dinners to exceptional Sacramento restaurants close to the conference site, and on Saturday, we offer another reception as part of your conference price – followed by an event unique to Sacramento: the “Second Saturday” art walk, an evening of food and wine, art and artists, across 35 galleries, all just blocks from the conference site. At night, you’ll enjoy the wonderful accommodations at the Hyatt Regency or the Sheraton Grand Sacramento and be ready for the next day’s events at the hotels and the Convention Center just across the street. Finally, we need to mention the food. Chef Ian Libberton at the Hyatt has prepared an amazing menu for this year’s President’s Luncheon, one that you won’t want to miss. Sacramento is a town of hidden treasures, so we hope you’ll take advantage of our restaurant guide and venture out to places like the Firehouse, Michaelangelo’s, Tapa the World, Biba’s, Lucca, homegrown chains like La Bou, and other exceptional places each day. Please join us in Sacramento, April 10-13, 2008 for discovery, restoration, sharing, and good food at CATESOL’s 39th annual State Conference. Many thanks to all of you – and don’t be shy about introducing yourself when you arrive! Brett Thomas Sacramento City College Conference Chair March-April 2008 9 CATESOL 2008 Pre-Conference Workshops Electronic Village CATESOL 2008 offers participants 14 choices of Pre-Conference Institutes (PCIs) selected to appeal C A T E S O L to various levels and academic interests. PCIs are scheduled for the morning and afternoon of the first day of the conference (Thursday, April 10). Interested participants should record their first and second PCI choices (by alphabetical letters) and the applicable fees online at www.catesol.org or on the Conference Registration Form. Space may be limited, so we encourage you to register early. Registration price includes mid-morning and/or afternoon refreshment breaks. Sign up for two workshops and save! Go to http://www.catesol2008.org. 2 0 0 8 Meet with ESL Political Advocates and Legislators and Tour the State Capitol Stellar: Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners for Academic Success Practical Considerations in Assessing Student Writing Using PowerPoint in the Classroom Friday, April 11 Saturday, April 12 Golden State A & B, Hyatt Yet another stimulating Electronic Village is being planned for CATESOL 2008. This is where you can explore the latest software and online tools for enhancing your classes with technology. Furthermore, you can learn about strategies to use those tools in meaningful and effective ways. Some of the topics this year include Internet-based video, podcasts, social networking sites for professional development, digital storytelling, tips in MS Word, and more. A browsing room and a hands-on lab already have a home at the Hyatt Regency hotel. Based on the growing number of technologyrelated presentation proposals in the recent years, we hope to provide a second, hands-on lab. The Browsing Room is where Internet, Software and Distance Learning Fairs will take place, and very likely presentations by various publishers who offer technology-enhanced materials. In the Hands-on Lab ESL teachers will share the new, exciting things they do with technology integration in their classes, or give us a ‘refresher’ on ‘tried-andtrue’ techniques, strategies and lesson plans that bring our learners closer to both being proficient in English language and becoming better equipped members of our modern society, which is demanding higher and higher levels of technology skills and familiarity. The EV will be open all day Friday and Saturday with volunteers available to answer questions, assist you, and learn with you. Join us and get some practical tips for your class. C A T E S O L 2 0 0 8 Building Our Learners’ Oral Fluency– Problem Solved! Using Corpora in the English for Academic Writing Class Why is “Doing” school in the U.S.A. a big To-Do for ELLs? Developing Academic Discourse Skills with Adolescent English Learners through Mediated Discussion and Writing Volunteer at CATESOL 2008 Nonnative English Speaking Teachers: Perceptions, Pedagogical Practices, and Possibilities Blogs for Student Publishing and Professional Development Removing Barriers to Intercultural Communication; Challenging Bias Nutrition Education for Adult ESL Working with Generation 1.5 Students Effective and Engaging Instruction in Three Critical Areas of the Reading Curriculum We invite you to join our team of volunteers! There are a variety of volunteer jobs available at or before the conference. If you have a special talent or are just a good worker, we’ll have a job for you. Volunteering is an excellent way to network with your fellow CATESOL members, promote the continued success of our profession and organization, build your resume, and have a little fun! As an extra incentive we’ll hold a special raffle for volunteers with many great prizes. Check out the CATESOL 2008 website at http://www.catesol2008.org and click on volunteers to download a form and send by e-mail. 10 March-April 2008 March-April 2008 11 Politics, Poetry, and Multilingualism in a Global Economy CATESOL ’08 Plenaries Offer Wide Variety of Topics, Perspectives By Janet Lane Plenary Speaker Coordinator for CATESOL 2008 C A T E S O L 2 0 0 8 CATESOL 2008 is very pleased to feature three plenary speakers and one special guest who will speak on a wide range of topics of interest to CATESOL members. As our opening plenary speaker on Thursday evening, we are very fortunate to have State Senator Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento). Senator Steinberg is one of California’s most respected legislators and has focused much of his attention on issues related to education. When he was on the Sacramento City Council, he founded Sacramento START (Students Today Achieving Results for Tomorrow), a free literacy-based after school program that has become a model for after school programs throughout the state. He served three terms in the State Assembly (9th District, representing most of the city of Sacramento) and was elected to the Senate in 2006. During his tenure in the legislature, Senator Steinberg has authored bills to implement California’s principal training program, to fund low-performing schools (the High Priority Schools Grant Program), and to fund after school programs for reducing student dropout rates. Additionally, he chairs the Senate Select Committee on High School Graduation. Senator Steinberg is also well known for his work on mental health issues and for authoring Proposition 63, the mental health initiative approved by voters in 2004, and is the current president of the Capital Unity State Senator Council, a local leadership organization aimed at promoting tolerance and understanding in response to acts of hate and bias in the Sacramento reDarrell Steinberg gion. Senator Steinberg plans to speak to us about the legislature’s efforts (D-Sacramento) to better address the needs of California’s most at-risk students, including how we can work to ensure that there is appropriate funding, instructional materials and professional development to meet these challenges. Senator Steinberg was born in San Francisco, received a BA in Economics from UCLA and a JD from UC Davis law school. For more information on Senator Steinberg, please visit the CATESOL Conference website at http://www.catesol2008.org/node/147. For Friday’s President’s Luncheon, we are excited to have José Montoya, one of the most influential Chicano bilingual poets in the U.S. and Sacramento’s first Poet Laureate. Montoya is one of the writers who pioneered the use of Caló (also known as Pachuco) and code switching in American poetry. He also co-founded the Rebel Chicano Art Front (also known as the Royal Chicano Air Force), a Sacramento-based group of artists and poets recognized for their synthesis of creative expression and community activism. Montoya is a poet, painter, writer, and musician whose work depicts everyday barrio life and urban types through visual art, poetry, and song lyrics. He has taught art at every level of the public school system, from preschool to graduate courses for prospective teachers. Born in New Mexico, he taught for over 25 years at CSU Sacramento, where he retired in 1996. He remains active professionally and his artwork continues to be displayed in galleries locally, nationally, and internationally. In his talk “Using Art to Nurture Creativity in the Classroom,” Mr. Montoya plans to speak to us on how the arts can be a motivator to students of all ages, from preschool through college. He will discuss his “Barrio Art Program,” share his strategies for teaching, and read from his poetry. Following his talk, he will be signing copies of his collection of poems In Formation: Twenty Years of Joda (Chusma House Publications, 1992). For more information on José Montoya and to read a sample of his poetry, please visit our conference website at http://www.catesol2008.org/node/143. 12 On Saturday morning, our keynote speaker will be UC Berkeley Professor Claire Kramsch. Kramsch teaches courses in Second Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics in the German Department and in the Graduate School of Education and is past president of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) and past editor of the journal Applied Linguistics. In her talk, “Language Learning and Language Use in Multilingual Settings,” she plans to talk to us about service encounters between immigrants in San Francisco from different ethnic and national backgrounds. As she states, “the ability to function in the multilingual environments of our globalized economy requires Clair Kramsch more than just communicative competence in English.” Kramsch proposes a new notion of “symbolic competence” and, in her talk, will discuss its importance in the teaching of English as a second language. Professor Kramsch was born, raised and educated in France and was recently named TESOL’s NNEST Caucus “member of the month.” For more information about Professor Kramsch and her work, please visit our conference website at http://www.catesol2008.org/node/188. C A T E S O L 2 0 0 8 Finally, we are very pleased to have as a special guest, John Segota from TESOL. Segota’s responsibilities for TESOL include government relations, media communications, and management of TESOL’s advocacy activities. Segota will be speaking on Saturday afternoon and will be a valuable asset to the conference as he will be able to hear and learn firsthand of the work we are doing here in California and will then be able to speak more directly for us when in the national arena. In addition to his work in advocacy, his ongoing duties include serving as TESOL’s liaison John Segota to organizations such as the National Coalition for Literacy, the Joint National Committee for Languages, the TESOL Standards Committee, and the Global Professional Issues Committee. Segota has a BA in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA) and a graduate certificate from the Keller Graduate School of Management. We look forward to seeing you at the CATESOL 2008 plenaries! March-April 2008 March-April 2008 www.catesol2008.org www.catesol2008.org 13 Fun Events President’s Luncheon C A T E S O L 2 0 0 8 Fun Walk Saturday, April 12, 7:00 AM Take a break from the workshops and get some fresh air and exercise at the CATESOL 2008 Fun Walk. Don your walking shoes and meet other conference attendees as you stroll on this two-mile walk around beautiful Capitol Park. Register for this event at the Hospitality table in the conference registration area of the Convention Center. Complimentary Massages Complimentary chair massages will be offered for conference attendees. Visit the Hospitality table in the conference registration area of the Convention Center for details on the time and location. April 11, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Treat yourself to an elegant three-course luncheon in the Hyatt ballroom immediately prior to the Friday Plenary Session. Reserve your Friday luncheon today, and have a preferred seat for the awards ceremonies and Plenary Speaker José Montoya, at the same time you register to attend the CATESOL conference. Space is limited, so register early. Sacramento Art Walk By Callie Hutchison You’re in luck! April 12th is Second Saturday. Sacramento boasts a diverse grouping of over 100 art galleries and other venues that are open the second Saturday of each month. The artwalk festivities happen all across the city with one of the main clusters in the midtown Sacramento area just a few blocks from the CATESOL 2008 conference sites. CATESOL 2008 is offering the "Second Saturday" Art Galleries Stroll for all participants in the CATESOL Conference. We’ll start the evening with a nohost bar and hors d’oeuvres around the Hyatt’s outdoor pool and patio at 6:00 p.m. Each person will receive a special map and directions on how to participate in our " Art Card Collection" game that will reward lucky winners with a prize they can share with their classroom. All activities are free. Newcomers’ Orientation: A Time to Meet, Greet, and Get Involved By Scott N. Forrest If you’re a conference rookie, don’t miss one of the Newcomers’ Orientations on Friday or Saturday morning at 7 a.m. An experienced CATESOL member will give you an overview of all the services offered at the conference and help guide you through the program to help you maximize the benefits of your time at the conference. There will be time for introductions, questions, conversation, coffee, and morning snacks. There will also be an opportunity to join the Interest Group Rap Sessions on Saturday morning. Both mornings are perfect occasions to meet others who share the same excitement and interests as you. Most galleries are open until 9:00 and some even later. Many restaurants stay open later to accommodate late evening diners. We recommend making a reservation for dinner at a restaurant as soon as you can in April, as they fill quickly. There are many fine choices in the midtown area. Refer to the Restaurant Guide on the website at www.catesol2008.org. You won’t believe the variety and talent of Sacramento’s artists! Everything from pen & ink drawings, watercolors, oils, handmade jewelry, sculptures in clay, paper mache and bronze all the way to kinetic sculptures in metal and glass! If you can imagine it, you might find it in one of Sacramento’s galleries. Certain galleries also feature well known and newly discovered artists from around the world as well as artist demonstrations. C A T E S O L 2 0 0 8 Also, many galleries will have resident artists in attendance, and you’ll be able to actually meet the artists who produce the works of art. Some galleries also feature artist lofts and workspaces open for your perusal. The galleries and venues go out of their way to make their sites as accessible as possible. If you have mobility issues, there will be someone available at the Hyatt kick-off event to advise you regarding transportation and other concerns. Arrangements for group activities will also be available. Don’t miss this stimulating and creative experience. We’ll see you there. 14 March-April 2008 March-April 2008 15 Gearing Up for the Annual State Conference at the Elementary Level By Margarita Berta-Avila, Elementary Level Chair CSU Sacramento Assistant Professor At this years CATESOL 2008 conference the Elementary Level committee is most excited about the essay contest. Each year our committee organizes an essay contest in relation to the conference theme that elementary students who are English learners can participate in. The winner of the contest is invited to the President’s luncheon and receives a $500.00 check. Since its inception this contest has had great success yet, as you all can imagine, choosing the winner is the most difficult aspect of the contest because only one student (from 1st- 6th) can be selected. In addition to only choosing one student, grade level and variation of English acquisition levels adds to the difficulty of the selection. However, for this years conference all that has changed. Chuck Obeso-Bradley from Pearson Digital Learning has graciously offered to sponsor two students. This allows the committee to choose one student representing 1st-3rd grade and another from 4th-6th grade. Moreover, it lets the committee address concerns as described in the latter paragraph and develop rubrics specific to grade and acquisition levels. Both recipients will have their work displayed and read at the president’s luncheon as well as receive a $500.00 check. We believe that the selection of two essay winners will bring forth a fair and equitable process. As a committee, we are looking forward to reading the essays, selecting the winners, and having the students share their wonderful work at the president’s luncheon. We also encourage all of you to attend the luncheon and support the students from the Sacramento region and surrounding communities. The following are the essay prompts for this year’s conference: PROMPT A: Freedom and Responsibility (for 4th-6th) Describe a freedom you have and a responsibility that comes with it. In 100-200 words, tell about a freedom you have (something that you are allowed to choose or do by yourself). What is the context? If it is a freedom you have at home, tell a little about your family. If it is at school, tell a little about your classroom. What is the freedom? How do you use that freedom? What responsibility comes with it? Give a specific example. If you use your freedom responsibly, what will the result be? PROMPT B: Respect for Diversity (for 1st - 3rd graders) What are some ways people are different, for example, the students in your class, the teachers in your school or the people in your neighborhood? How are they the same? For example, is everyone in your school and neighborhood the same color? Can people be any color at all, even purple, or do we share certain colors? Draw two pictures. In one show how the people in your class or neighborhood are different. In the other show how they are the same. Label everything in the pictures. Write sentences at the bottom (one sentence per picture for 1st graders, two for 2rd graders and three for 3rd graders). On a separate sheet of paper, write a 25 – 100 word paragraph comparing and contrasting the different types of students in your class, teachers in your school, or people in your neighborhood. What are some rights everyone should have no matter their differences? Poster Sessions C A T E S O L 2 0 0 8 C A T E S O L 2 0 0 8 Friday, April 11 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Saturday, April 12, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. The CATESOL 2008 Committee invites you to participate in their expanded and improved Poster Sessions! If you are new to presenting, or just wish to present your teaching strategy, research or practice in an informal setting, this venue is for you. It gives you the opportunity to share your invaluable resource with your colleagues and answer any questions they may have, and also provides a venue for those who submitted a proposal for a more formal presentation, but were not able to be accommodated. In response to declining participation in the traditional Materials Swap at CATESOL Conventions, the Poster Sessions will be the focus of sharing your good work with others. We hope that you will embrace this opportunity and help us make it the exciting event we envision! The Poster Sessions will take place on both Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Surfaces and tables will be provided for displays. If you are interested in participating, or if you have any questions, please email Patty Long, Program Chair at pattyannlong@hotmail.com. REGISTER NOW FOR CATESOL 2008 SIGN UP NOW! You can register for the conference online. Early bird registration closes February 28, 2008. You can register at www.catesol2008.org CATESOL 2008 Pre-Conference Institutes or www.catesol.org. Thursday, April 10, 2008 Hyatt Regency Sacramento CONFERENCE REGISTRATION INCLUDES: These exciting intensive workshops (3 hours long!) appeal to a wide range of interests and tastes, featuring seasoned who areand experts in their fields. Come get to know the Allpresenters Plenary Sessions Featured Colloquia presenters, learn their tricks of the teaching trade, and come away with great classroom ideas! Refreshments included. Register NOW at www.catesol.org or by filling out the Sunday Featured Workshops formThe in the preregistration booklet! Mark Roberge on Generation Students Sessions (Friday Jeff Frost and a Tour of the Capitol All1.5 Concurrent through Sunday) Jeffra Flaitz on Refugee ESL Learners Kate Kinsella on Adolescent ELLs Viviana Cortes on Corpus Analysis Eleanor Black Eskey on Effective Reading Deborah Crusan on Assessing StudentThursday Writing Jayme Adelson-Goldstein on Oral Skills Opening Reception Lia Kamhi-Stein on Non-Native ESL Instructors Jim Davis on Using PowerPoint Piper McNulty and Rick Kappra on Intercultural Communication Nancy Hampson and Laurie Cozzolino on Nutrition Education The Publishers’ Exhibits, the Job Fair, Marian Thacher and Branka Marceta on Blogs for Student Publishing / Professional Development Liz Warner and Julie High on Teaching for Academic Success Village Poster ELLs Sessions, and Electronic Brought to you by Stefan Frazier (stefan.frazier@sjsu.edu) and Gena Burgess (gena@usc.edu), PCI Coordinators Conference Tote Bag 16 March-April 2008 March-April 2008 17 Interest Groups ...one-to-one (continued from page 7) graduate students who speak or are learning a second or third language themselves. TESOL certificate students and MATESOL students, in particular, participate in greater numbers because “it’s beneficial to know their future student population from a more personal perspective.” This may provide a useful supplement to the typical course observations that TESOL grad students undertake, because they gain an entirely different point of view from chatting with a student about, for example, her concerns over whether she CATESOL Mission Statement CATESOL’s mission is to promote excellence in education for English language learners and a high quality professional environment for their teachers. CATESOL represents teachers of English language learners throughout California and Nevada, at all levels and in all learning environments. CATESOL strives to: • • • • improve teacher preparation and provide opportunities which further professional expertise promote sound, research-based educational policies and practices increase awareness of the strengths and needs of English language learners promote appreciation of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds (CATESOL’s Mission Statement was adopted January 1, 1998.) 18 March-April 2008 has time to go into town to eat some food from her home country and still finish her homework, or whether her classmate from a different culture is just being friendly or expressing a romantic interest. I found that my partners often asked me about topics they felt were too unimportant, embarrassing, or time-consuming to ask their teachers, such as troublesome idioms or baffling hand gestures. First-languagespecific questions, which students are sometimes discouraged from asking in mixed-nationality classrooms, also came up. When a partner asked me a host of questions about the differences between the meanings of Englishoriginated loan words in Japanese and the meanings of those words in English, it resulted in a multilayered conversation that opened my eyes to the complicated sociolinguistic aspects of loan word usage in Japan, improved her accuracy when using these words in English contexts, and allowed both of us to correct our misconceptions. These friendly peer-level conversations can develop into deep friendships. Cui reports that many participants have become close, even going to each others’ weddings. I asked Wu to tell me about what new administrators of SP programs should watch out for. The worst problem, she says, is having too many IEP students and not enough local students. A lot of her time was spent actively recruiting. Wu and Cui have worked to counter this scarcity by emailing CSUEB TESOL and foreignlanguage instructors for permission to directly promote SP in their classes, allowing students to sign up on the spot. They also posted flyers on campus and at ALP, as well as introducing the program to ALP students during orientation. Additionally, Cui recommends asking friends, colleagues, and former students to spread the word. However, after enough partners are arranged, retention remains a problem. “Many simply dropped out,” Wu laments, “saying they couldn’t continue meeting the ALP students when midterms are approaching” or when their schedules otherwise become tight. Many local students find it hard to start and maintain conversations. ALP’s SP handout contains some suggestions for topics, but Wu speculates that “training sessions or a more structured instruction manual might be helpful to get volunteers going in the very early stage.” Non-TESOL students, in particular, may need some assistance in patience and the use of conversationrepair strategies. SP is an added attraction for ALP. Wu says that the program “creates the opportunity [to experience the U.S./American culture and establish friendship at the same time] and thus attracts more students [who] choose to come to CSUEB.” Her basic advice to anyone considering such a program? “Go for it!” A non-native speaker herself, Wu says she wishes she could have participated in an SP program when she was a struggling student. Being SP administrator was “a valuable experience to become a bridge for the international and the local students. Though basically my responsibility was match-making, it’s fulfilling to see partners work out a great relationship along the way.” I think Wu can count me as one of her successes because my SP partner and I have been exchanging postcards and e-mails since she returned to Japan – and we plan to meet when she visits San Francisco again. A relationship like that is a lasting gift of intercultural communication. Clarissa Ryan is a one-to-one Englishlanguage consultant for international executives and their families for Cartus, a global workforce development and relocation company headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut. Community College Level Encouraging English Outside the Classroom By Laura Walsh Community College Level Chair teach in a large, urban, community college-credit ESL program, where we have many students with limited opportunities to interact in English outside the classroom. Although most of our students agree, in theory, that English practice inside the classroom isn’t enough, not all of them have the time or confidence to seek out these important opportunities. Our ESL department has attempted to provide many opportunities and a great deal of encouragement: In many listening/speaking courses, we give “contact assignments” that require students to interview or seek information from English speakers in the college or the community. One variation of this is a “scavenger hunt.” In our Learning Assistance Center, we offer several popular conversation/ oral fluency groups that focus on discussion of current events, videotaped conversations, or idioms. We advise students to take college courses outside of ESL that are appropriate to their levels of language proficiency, and we sometimes link advanced ESL courses to general education courses. For our advanced students, we have a lab filled with useful language-learning software, although we prefer that the students supplement this with face-to-face interaction. Many community colleges organize conversation clubs or partner programs. De Anza College has had great success with Cross Cultural Partners, started in 1999 and now serving about 1000 students each year. ESL and non-ESL students become partners for a quarter. The director of the program, Gloria De La Ysla Heistein, tells us that they speak English while meeting informally for conversation and friendship on or off campus, but always outside the I classroom. You can visit their Web site at www.deanza.edu/ccpartners Scott Jenison reports that Antelope Valley College has tried a number of interesting social events: the ESL Connection, a monthly conversation social centered on a topic/theme (for example, vacations, money, health); ESL Saturday Night Socials, potluckstyled music/karaoke/video gatherings for teachers and students; ESL field trips to points of local interest; and the World Culture Expo, an annual campuswide showcase of ESL students’ first cultures. Jenison reports more success with some of these events than others, but Antelope Valley should be commended for creating a sense of community along with opportunities for English practice. Carol Bander of Saddleback College advises ESL students to join existing campus clubs Laura Walsh to find social opportunities in an English-speaking environment. Many colleges encourage ESL students to seek volunteer positions on campus or in the community. Students can sometimes tutor in their native languages or in content areas in which they are particularly skilled. I’ve had several students who found rewarding positions tutoring math and chemistry in our Learning Assistance Center, and I’ve admired their courage in working with native speakers of English. Some colleges and instructors are beginning to add service-learning components to ESL courses. Jennifer Barber of Allen Hancock and Cuesta Colleges has arranged with 10 community organizations for her students to volunteer. Some students volunteered at their children’s schools or sports teams. They had a chance to practice their English and then gave an oral report on their service. Bobbie McClain from Imperial Valley College received a technology grant last year to purchase camcorders and tape recorders for her Oral English classes. Each student produces two or three videos during the semester to illustrate a grammar point the class has studied. These projects require students to use English outside the classroom to make their videos and further their listening abilities by allowing them to hear and rehear their classmates’ dialogues and presentations, make corrections of themselves and others, and offer suggestions for improvement. Palo Alto Adult School greets every new intermediate to advanced ESL student with a handout on practicing English outside the classroom put together by Ann Cartier. The students are advised to take classes, volunteer, study English on the Internet (Web site addresses provided), watch English-language television, and even get a library card. As ESL instructors, we all need to be aware of how important these activities are in the students’ language-learning process and support them in every way we can. Laura Walsh teaches ESL at City College of San Francisco and is the co-author of Essentials of Teaching Academic Reading (2006) Houghton Mifflin. March-April 2008 19 Secondary Level Interest Groups Technology IG Has New Web Site Ideas, Interactions and Passing the CAHSEE By Scott N. Forrest Assistant Secondary Level Chair ll secondary students, including English learners, are required to take the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) in March of their 10th grade year. As an Exit Exam Specialist for English Language Arts (ELA), I am often asked two questions: “What can I teach so students get the most bang for the buck?” and “How do I prepare the English learners for the exam?” In other words, where should we focus the instruction to best prepare students for the English Language Arts section of the CAHSEE? In the pursuit of a practical answer I consulted the California High School Exit Exam Blueprint. It lists the content standards and the number of questions on the exam for each standard. It may be accessed through the Department of Education Web site, www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ tg/hs/documents/bplangarts03.pdf. While perusing the blueprint, I noticed the word “ideas” shows up repeatedly in the ELA standards. Ideas, as represented in the CAHSEE, may include information, concepts, and opinions. According to the blueprint, 10 of the ELA multiple-choice items directly involve ideas, and the writing applications (essay) standards directly refer to ideas six times. In response to the opening questions, it seems students will get more “bang for the buck” if they learn to identify, analyze, and apply ideas. Next, I noticed the standards require students to act upon ideas. They include the following action words in relation to ideas: paraphrase, connect, extend, support, develop, demonstrate, convey, make distinctions, structure, and highlight. Thus, students must know how to perform A these verbs as well as know their meanings. Without this skill, students will continue to miss exam items simply because they will not understand the instructions. Actively using these verbs provides the building blocks required to pass the exam. The pyramid represents how ideas provide the foundation for the components of the exam. The students are expected to critically analyze ideas in informational literature and works of fiction. They must also develop, convey, and support ideas in an essay. The notion English learners can reach the levels of critically analyzing ideas in English may seem daunting. However, the teachers in my district found the use of text interactions increases students’ achievement on exams, especially in writing. Text interactions are scaffolding activities students do in conjunction with their readings. The students move from identifying and developing ideas to analyzing them in literature and applying them in essays. The goal is to encourage interactive reading with various texts. Idea Skills Paraphrase ideas Connect ideas Text Interactions Frayer Model Story/Event Mapping Idea web/Concept map Venn Diagram Compare/Contrast Chart Semantic Feature Table/Map Extend ideas Flow Chart Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions Cause/Effect Chart or Chain Support the ideas Reading Logs T-Chart Proposition/Support Outline Develop the ideas Directed Reading Activity Writing Frames Outline Any organizer may be extended into quick writes, essays, projects, and presentations. The table lists action words for ideas and suggests common text interactions that are especially useful for English learners. The teachers make sure to include action words on the text interactions and model the use of the terms in class activities, discussions, and lectures. Our students are counting on us to help them crack the code of testing. More importantly, they are looking to us for guidance as they strive for their academic and personal March-April 2008 H Ideas and Text Interactions Communicate ideas 20 By Branka Marceta CATESOL Secretary ave you checked out the Technology Enhanced Language Learning Interest Group Web site recently? We now have our own domain name, www.tellig.org. If you have the (continued on page 21) old address bookmarked, you will be redirected to the new online home for “all things TELL-IG.” The main page is in the form of a blog featuring videos, photos, news and other text posts related to the most recent activities. TELL-IG has had a significant presence at all three regional CATESOL conferences in the fall 2007. You can ...cahsee (continued from page 20) goals. Be sure join other secondary levels teachers at the state conference to discuss and share strategies for guiding English learners to high school graduation and preparing them for the academic rigors of college. Scott N. Forrest teaches English language development classes and is the Exit Exam Specialist in the Escondido High School District. view video and photo highlights as well as the listing of the presentations offered by the ESL teachers/technology enthusiasts at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CalState Long Beach and Las Positas College in Livermore. Some highlighted presentations include: Using PowerPoint for Speaking Practice Jim Brice & Beth Bogage, San Diego Community College District Integrating Internet-Based Video Angela Webster & Kristi Reyes, Mira Costa College Pronunciation in a Distance Learning Environment Marsha Chan, Mission College & Sunburst Media for Language Learners Power Up your Classroom with Digital Stories Suzannne Ludlum, Oakland Adult Education Using Computers To Learn English & Build Relationships Larry Ferlazzo, Luther Burbank High School, Sacramento US Citizenship Podcast Jennifer Gagliardi, Milpitas Adult Education Other pages on the Web site offer information about the interest group, the ways we communicate, what Write for the CATESOL News CATESOL members are encouraged to submit articles (and ideas for articles) to the CATESOL News. Articles of 600-800 words are preferred. Have something in mind? Contact the editor, Timothy Lange, at tleelange@ hotmail.com or 323-224-0329 activities we have engaged in during the last few years, listings of software used in ESL programs, and a page about the steering committee. The last on the navigation bar, but possibly the most important, is the page with links to online places created and maintained by TELL-IG members. If you would like to contribute to the Web site with your content, please let me, your friendly Webmaster, know at catesol_branka@ yahoo.com See you in Sacramento, April 10-13 and online at www.tellig.org Branka Marceta is Technology Projects Coordinator, Adult Education, with the Outreach Technical Assistance Network (OTAN) and TELL-IG Webmaster for CATESOL. CATESOL NEWS (USPS- 010-177 issn 1070-387X) is a publication of CATESOL, a professional association for those concerned with the teaching of English as a second language or dialect and with bilingual education. All rights revert to the author upon publication as long as CATESOL News is credited when the work is published in the future, in print, on-line, on CDs or DVDs, or other electronic means. CATESOL NEWS is available through membership only. CATESOL NEWS is published four times annually, in February, May, August, and November, for $6 a year by the California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, located at 21C Orinda Way, #362, Orinda, CA 94563. Periodicals Postage Paid at Orinda, Calif., and at addtional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: CATESOL NEWS, 21C Orinda Way #362, Orinda, CA 94563 DEADLINE FOR JUNE-JULY ISSUE: May 1, 2008 Send Copy and Photographs to Timothy Lange tleelange@hotmail.com 3818 Latrobe Street Los Angeles, CA 90031 INQUIRIES ABOUT MEMBERSHIP OR PROBLEMS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO LINDA PATTEN CATESOL Membership Services (925) 253-8683 wayneflete@patten.com March-April 2008 21 IEP Level Understanding Cultural Differences in Learning Styles of IEP Students By Sarah McGregor IEP Level Chair y the time international students enter an intensive English program in the United States, they have already spent a dozen years in schools in their home countries. How well they adapt to an American classroom setting depends in part on their individual learning style and the education systems of their home countries. The more IEP teachers know about those systems, the better they can help their students learn to function well in ESL classes and ultimately in American university culture. For example, in a class discussion, students from different home countries or cultures don’t all participate in the same way. Part of the reason may be that students from authoritative education systems, such as those in East Asia, are not used to learning in such an indirect way and are not practiced in giving their own opinions to classmates. If you are interested in learning more about these differences and how they affect learning behavior in the IEP classroom, I invite you to attend the IEP level presentation, “Understanding Cultural Differences in the Learning Styles of IEP Students,” at the CATESOL State Conference in B ...mark lieu (continued from page 24) unlike English, ESL has no common “1A.” The Board of Governors charged the task force with exploring what would be needed and coming up with a recommendation on moving forward. Educating the Board of Governors to understand ESL issues is a key part of the job. Finally, having worked at San Francisco Community College with a huge non-credit program, Mark continues to promote an ongoing awareness of non-credit issues in community colleges. What challenges has he recently faced or will he face in the future? Mark Lieu One of Mark’s major victories came from his work on the Title 5 revision, which states that ESL is no longer included in that category of classes ineligible to receive degree-applicable 22 March-April 2008 April. A panel of experts from several countries will explain the education systems of their homelands, discuss common learning styles, address the expectations that students bring when they arrive in an American classroom, and provide suggestions for teachers. Sarah MacGregor is Assistant Director at the American Language Program at CSU East Bay. CATESOL 2007-2008 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sarah MacGregor 200 Attend S. Nevada Confab C ATESOL Southern Nevada held its year-end meeting at Nora’s Restaurant where board members enjoyed Italian atmosphere and food and reviewed a wonderful 2007 conference. This year’s conference has allowed us to increase our ranks and to develop a larger audience with a group of educators excited about what we’re doing. One comment from a “newbie” went something like ... “I had no idea that soooo many teachers are teaching English language learners in our district.” We had over 200 at our conference, which was standing room only in the College of Southern Nevada classrooms. We’ve outgrown the venue but ... what to do? Stay tuned for exciting happenings with CATESOL Southern Nevada. – Regina Marshall credit if they are two or more levels below freshman composition. He has also been working on an assessment test that could be offered free to ESL programs statewide. Finally, he is addressing the articulation of career education programs from high school to community colleges, which might include a large number of ESL students facing language issues. Despite all his work on other committees and for the Academic Senate, he remains a dedicated CATESOL leader. It is for all he has contributed that the board voted to honor him with a five-year membership. As president of the Senate, Markd will be up for reelection to another one-year term this April. We hope he succeeds. CATESOL as an organization and the students we serve have greatly benefited from the work Mark has done. A former CATESOL president (1999-2000), Carol Bander is a professor of ESL and German at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California. If you would like to be featured in this column, please send any personal or professional tidbits, recent publications, honors, achievements, or accomplishments to Carol Bander at cbander@ saddleback.edu. You can also reach me at work (949) 582 4814 or home (949) 759 0232. President DAN FICHTNER (310) 316-6092 dfichtner@aol.com Past President KAREN CADIERO-KAPLAN (619) 594-4994 kcadiero@sdsu.edu President–Elect KATHLEEN FLYNN (818) 480-8222 kflynn@glendale.edu Secretary BRANKA MARCETA (408) 807-8997 CATESOL_branka@yahoo.com Treasurer MARY HERBERT (530) 752-4136 MVHerbert@aol.com Elementary Level Chair MARGARITA I. BERTA-AVILA (916) 278-4395 bamargie@csus.edu Secondary Level Chair TRICIA LIMA (209) 525-4906 plima@stancoe.org Adult Level Chair G. Vittoria Abbate-Maghsoudi (925) 685-7340 x 2765 abbategv@mdusd.k12.ca.us Community College Level Chair LAURA WALSH (415) 452-7139 lwalsh@ccsf.edu College/University Level Chair ELLEN LANGE (530) 754-6358 ejlange@ucdavis.edu Intensive English Programs (IEP) Chair SARAH McGREGOR (510) 885-7510 sarahmcgregor@yahoo.com Nevada Representative ELZA M. MAJOR (775) 682-7866 emajor@unr.edu Interest Group Facilitator ANNETTE CHARRON (661) 204-3032 amtcharron@hotmail.com Chapter Council Chair JACK BAILEY (805) 964-6853 x 330 Baileyj@sbcc.edu P U B L I C A T I O N S The CATESOL Journal Editors Mark Roberge roberge@sfsu.edu Margi Wald mwald@uclink.berkeley.edu CATESOL News Editor TIMOTHY LANGE (323) 224-0329 tleelange@hotmail.com General Editorial Information Sarah Nielsen (510) 885-3216 sarahenielsen@yahoo.com Advertising: ANH LY anhlycatesol@yahoo.com Contact Us/Join Us CATESOL Membership Application Name ____________________________________Date ______ Mailing Address ______________________________________ City ________________________ State ______Zip _______ County _______________________Country _____________ Phone (H) _____________(W) ___________(Cell)________ Fax __________________________ E–mail _____________ Members may chose up to two interest groups. Mark “1” next to your primary choice. If you have a second choice, mark it with a “2. ________ ________ ________ ________ Intercultural Communication Interest Group (ICIG) Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL) Teaching English in the Workplace (TEW) Nonnative Language Educators’ Issues (NNLEI) Subscribe to Listserv for the above interest group(s)? Yes Check one: $50/1 yr. $35/student (1 yr.) $35/retired (1 yr.) Full Time Part Time May CATESOL end you an occasional e-mail regarding CATESOL products or services, such as announcing conferences, award opportunities, etc.? Yes No No $85/2 yrs. $35/teacher’s aide (1 yr.) $80/joint (two people living at the same address/ 1 yr.) Include your name in printed or on–line membership directory accessible to CATESOL members only? Yes No Overseas members add $30 per year for postage. Payment by: Check VISA Master Card Discover Credit Card Number: _____________________________________ Expiration Date: __________Signature: ______________________ 2007-08 Chapter Council Bay Area Chapter Coordinator TABEA MASTELL (510) 620-0641 tmastel@scbglobal.net Capital Area Chapter Coordinator CASANDRA ISSAKA cissaka@gmail.com Los Padres Chapter Coordinator BELINDA BRAUNSTEIN (805) 341-0284 catesolbb@hotmail.com MEMBERSHIP Orange County Chapter Coordinator VICTORIA WORKMAN (909) 594-1333 vnw52@earthlink.net Saroyan Chapter Coordinator SYLVIE HUNEAULT-SCHULTZE (559) 442-4600 x 8691 s_huneault@yahoo.com Southern Nevada Chapter Coordinator REGINA MARSHALL and SYLVIA VILLALVA (702) 254-5777 smithrm@interact.ccsd.net WAYNEFLETE 21C Orinda Way#362 Orinda, CA 94563 INTEREST GROUPS Intercultural Communications Coordinator CLARISSA RYAN (510) 490-6984 wintersweet&sbcglobal.net Non-Native Language Educators’ Issues Coordinator Terry Doyle tdoyle4820@yahoo.com Teaching English in the Workplace Coordinator MARGARET LYMAN (415) 674-1041 mlyman@proactive-english.com Technology Enhanced Language Learning Coordinator Marian Thacher mthacher@otan.us Please check level(s) which you work: Elementary Secondary Adult Community College College/University Intensive English Program Subscribe to Listserv for the above level(s)? Yes No Please check your position(s): Teacher Student (min. 6 units) Aide Administrator/Supervisor Teacher/Trainer Other: (Specify) Provide your name and mailing address to other educational organizations? Yes No Mail check to: CATESOL 21C Orinda Way #362 Orinda, CA 94563 Northern Nevada Chapter Coordinator LIZ WARNER LWarner@washoe.k12.nv.us Steinbeck Chapter Coordinator MOLLY MAY mmay@mpc.edu Yosemite Chapter Coordinator BARBARA ISHIDA (209) 765-5608 ishida.b@monet.k12.ca.uys Student Representative Mark Sullivan mark.I.sullivan@gmail.com Membership Coordinator Carol Bander cbander@saddleback.edu. For information about CATESOL conferences: BRETT THOMAS thomasb@scc.losrios.edu For information about exhibiting at CATESOL conferences or advertising in official conference publications: ANH LY anhlycatesol@yahoo.com March-April 2008 C O N F E R E N C E S 23 CATESOLers on the GO Academic Senate President Mark Lieu By Carol Bander CATESOL Membership Coordinator ark rocks!” “He’s been a great leader in CATESOL!” “He pioneered us into the digital and electronic age.” These are comments that have been flying on the CATESOL listserv ever since he was awarded a five-year membership in appreciation for all he has done for CATESOL: serving as Webmaster, Community College Level chair, PCI coordinator, as well as contributing to California Pathways. But did you also know that Mark currently serves as president of the statewide Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, takes public transportation, has written the test bank for the ever-popular Azar series, sings in his church choir and does house-sitting in London during winter break so that he can satiate his love for the theater? (Is Sondheim being performed there?) This is the second time Mark has been featured in this column. The first came in 2000 when he was elected to serve on the Executive Board of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges as the Area B representative. M Now, he is president of the entire senate, the first ESL expert ever to assume that position. How did his service to CATESOL help him along in assuming more and more leadership roles? He explained that leadership doesn’t come naturally to a classroom teacher or faculty member. And he credited CATESOL with helping him become interested in leadership on a different level. Involvement on the CATESOL Board also enabled him to become thoroughly grounded in one discipline and become very aware of ESL concerns, something that has helped him deal with several statewide issues. Mark offered three examples. He worked on the Basic Skills Initiative, which has the potential of doing so much for our ESL learners. When “effective practices” are mentioned, we can take pride that ESL instructors are already using them. Mark also chaired the assessment task force for a common uniform mandatory assessment. He explained that assessment in ESL is more complex than in English because ESL programs up and down the state were developed at different times, and (continued on page 22) UPCOMING EVENTS April 2-5: 42nd 2008 TESOL Convention: “Worlds of TESOL: Building Communities of Practice” at the Hilton New York and Sheraton in New York City April 10-13: 39th Annual CATESOL Statewide Conference: “Growing Democracy: Classrooms, Communities, and the Capitol” at the Convention Center in Sacramento April 25: Steinbeck Chapter Presentation October 11: Los Padres Chapter Conference October 18: San Diego Regional Conference October 25: Los Angeles Regional Conference November 1: Orange County Chapter Workshop November 8: Northern Regional Conference CATESOL 21C ORINDA WAY #362 • ORINDA, CA 94563 FORWARDING POSTAGE GUARANTEED Moving? Please Print Your New Address Below: Address City Country Phone number change? Please print your new number below: CLIP THIS FORM AND ADDRESS LABEL, SEND TO: CATESOL 21C ORINDA WAY #362, ORINDA, CA 94563 PLEASE ALLOW SIX WEEKS ADVANCE NOTICE PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Glendale, CA PERMIT NO. 73
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