Number 4 February 2007
Transcription
Number 4 February 2007
VOLUME 38 NUMBER 4 FEBRUARY 2007 San Diego Hosts 38th Annual CATESOL State Conference By Mary Ellen Butler-Pascoe H ow fitting that “Transcending Borders,” the theme of the 2007Annual CATESOL Conference, is being hosted in beautiful San Diego, just minutes from our border with neighboring Mexico. The entire 2007 Conference Committee has been working diligently, as Conference Chair Virginia Guleff noted, “to provide an exceptional conference that invites, inspires, and empowers” all those who attend. To be held from Thursday, April 12, through Sunday, April 15, at the San Diego Town and Country Resort and Convention Center, the conference will feature a wide assortment of activities to enlighten our minds, renew our spirit, and enrich our professional lives. Join in on any of these activities: Newcomers’ Orientation Plenaries and other sessions featuring leading TESOL practitioners and scholars Intensive Pre-Conference Institute and Featured Sunday Workshops Hundreds of concurrent sessions addressing needs of teachers at all levels The Electronic Village Publishers’ Exhibits Friday President’s Lunch Special Presentation on the Lost Boys of Sudan Exhibition by the Outside the Lens youth media literacy program Job Fair Interest Group Meetings Materials Swap Poster Sessions Educational Level Rap Sessions and Workshops Graduate Student Forum CATESOL 2007 Fun Walk Escorted/Networking Dinners Baja Soft Taco Bar and Fresh Fruit Reception Conference Opens with an Inspiring Performance The conference will begin with an exhibition by students from the Outside the Lens program of photography and poetry that tells their poignant stories of children of migrant revamping instruction in a variety of ways. workers living in a bi-cultural I have always felt privileged to be in the situation I am in, but my gratitude has world. This will be followed by intensified since I finished teaching my the opening plenary, featuring first few “Basic Computer Skills for ESL Dr. Margarita Luna Delgado Students” courses this past year. I heard speaking on “Beyond Politics, comments from students like Loan Lam Beyond Racism, Beyond from Vietnam who was amazed that, at 50 Borders: Si Se Puede.” A years old, she was finally learning how to eprofessor at the Universidad mail her son, who is in college. She hugged me daily from the beginning of the semester Iberoamericana in Tijuana, and told me over and over how much this Mexico, Delgado has presented (continued on page 3) meant to her. (continued on page 7) Computer Skills Classes Open New World for ESL Students By Charmaine Phipps Community College Level Chair I am continually amazed by how we, as ESL teachers, affect people’s lives through our work. I’m also proud to be associated with dedicated individuals who never stop improving their skills. As we look toward our State Conference and examine the “Innovations in Curriculum” that will be presented in our community-college-level workshop, I am impressed by the examples of how teachers are examining and Things to Do in San Diego — p. 4 • Bay Area Chapter Forming — p. 11 ge ssa e M s ’ t den Presi I want to begin by reflecting on the regional and chapter conferences that I had the opportunity and privilege to attend this fall. I say “privilege” because it was an honor to meet and talk with many of the wonderful volunteers who took time out of the semester to organize events in San Diego, Orange County/Los Angeles, Livermore and Las Vegas, to name a few. In addition to the events I attended were many more in other areas for which I wish I had had time. I am certain the quality of workshops, keynote speakers and volunteers was equal to those at which I was able to present. I want to thank the conference chairs for your dedication and efforts for CATESOL, as well as the committees that worked to put together registration materials, arrange site set-up and perform the countless other tasks that hosting a conference requires. All the organizing was done by CATESOL volunteers, devoted to providing quality professional development and networking for those of us working with English learners throughout California and Nevada. It was exciting to see first-hand the depth and commitment of local advocacy throughout our two states. It was also encouraging to see such enthusiastic attendance at each of these events, ranging from 150 to well over 200 participants, I believe the themes of all our conferences were inspiring and well received. The elements that informed the Los Angeles/Orange County “E3” Conference (Engage, Educate, Empower) were reflected in all the events I attended and will, I am certain, underpin the upcoming State Conference in April. Indeed, those elements are fundamental to the goals of CATESOL. First, the value placed on ENGAGE is evident in the creation of conferences where teachers and professionals have the chance to 2 develop and nurture collaborative networks within and across programs, schools and communities. The goal of EDUCATE is obvious at the more than 800 annual sessions in chapter and regional conferences that focus on areas on professional growth, teaching pedagogy and policy. It was apparent at every conference in Nevada and California that participants found themselves educated in new ways, while finding value in what works best. Finally, EMPOWER is an important aspect of what we do not only as collaborative professionals among ourselves, but also in the classroom. I believe we cannot directly empower others, but we do have the ability through regional, chapter and state conferences to provide time and space to allow others to become empowered. By engaging in critical dialogue and discussion with colleagues, and educating ourselves in recent theory, practice and policy we become empowered individuals prepared to bring what we learn back to our schools and communities. I applaud all our members who work tirelessly for both their students and CATESOL in a variety of roles. I want to also encourage those of you involved on the local level to consider taking your passion and energies to the State Board level, for it is your excitement and spirit that drives our organization from the grassroots up. Our State Conference in San Diego, Transcending Boarders, is fast approaching. It begins April 12 with our Pre-Conference Institutes, following up on April 13-15 with exciting workshops, speakers, and events. I look forward to seeing you at the conference, and invite you to attend our CATESOL Town Meeting to learn more about the organization and to meet the board. In peace, Karen Cadiero-Kaplan Karen Cadiero-Kaplan President, 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 MAY ISSUE: April 1, 2007 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 State Conference Promoting Student Interaction ...catesol 2007 (continued from page 1) numerous papers and teacher-training sessions on enhancing the teaching and learning process through promotion of cultural sensitivity and understanding. Famed Experts Speak At the President’s Lunch and Plenary on Friday, Dr. Francis Njubi Nesbitt will examine the political identities of Somali, Sudanese, and Ethiopian refugees in California in his comparative study on “Africans in California: New Identities in the Diaspora.” Nesbitt is an associate professor of Africana studies at San Diego State University and has written extensively on international migration and transnational identities and is well equipped to address the diversity of African identities in the state and to explore the social, business, and cultural ties they maintain with their countries of origin. On Saturday, Dr. Jim Cummins, renowned expert on literacy instruction and language development from the University of Toronto, will present “I’m Not Just a Coloring Person: Cognitive Engagement and Identity Investment in Multilingual Classrooms.” He will discuss the role served by language learners’ cultural knowledge and first language skills as cognitive tools and learning resources in bilingual, ESL, and mainstream classrooms. Following his presentation, Cummins will join a panel on “Perspectives on Developing and Implementing Quality Curricula for Academic Literacy in California Public Schools” together with Carmen E. Quintana, Robin Scarcely, and Lily Wong Fillmore. • Supporting Adult Student Retention • Enhanced Grammar Learning with Focused Listening Activities • Teacher Development: Essential to Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers’ success • Success for ESL Students With Learning Disabilities • Designing and Adapting Grammar Tasks for Academic/ Professional English • Professional Development Through Classroom Research • Two-Way Immersion: Preparing All Students for the Future On Sunday morning after the conference (but covered by your regular conference fee), several selected workshops will be featured. Looking for new software, a textbook or job? Be sure to leave time in your schedule to peruse the latest books, videos and software that will be on display by hundreds of leading publishers in the Publishers’ Exhibit Hall. If you are hunting for employment or employees, a Job Fair will be available to assist in matching job seekers with the right job openings. Want to learn more about using technology? Learn about wikis, blogs, podcasting and Webcasting to promote language learning and student engagement in online instruction. The Electronic Village will provide two computer rooms: one for hands-on workshops in learning a new skill or (continued on page 5) THE #1 ELD SOFTWARE IN US SCHOOLS HAS STUDENTS… Interactive Workshops In addition to the plenaries and hundreds of engaging concurrent and poster sessions by TESOL professionals from diverse educational settings, a variety of specialists will present workshops in their areas of expertise. Even before the main events begin, Intensive PreConference Institute Workshops will offer an opportunity for hands-on learning experiences in interactive sessions on a wide range of pedagogical topics to hone your teaching skills. Check out the complete list of topics in the pre-conference program and sign up early to get your first choice. Sample topics include: • Communicative Activities for …Succeeding in English. When a student succeeds, everyone succeeds. For ELL students, the possibilities are endless when they learn to speak, read, write and understand English. Rosetta Stone® language-learning software helps make this possible every day in US schools. > Exclusive Dynamic Immersion™ method > Individual paced learning through customizable curricula. > Track success with our Student Management System. > Stunning imagery, native speakers, real-life contexts and hands-on interaction Stop by the Rosetta Stone® booth for a free 30-day trial Northern California 800-788-0822 ext. 3784 Southern California 800-788-0822 ext. 3710 www.RosettaStone.com/lm1 Classroom Edition. Solutions for individuals also available. 3 State Conference Places to Visit Between Workshops By Ken Kelch T he San Diego region’s diversity offers something for everyone, from beautiful beaches and parks, to museums and golfing, to theme parks and sightseeing. There are so many things to see and do, you’ll have a difficult time deciding. From the conference site in Mission Valley, it’s easy to take the trolley to Mission Making herb and corn flour griddle San Diego and cakes in Old Town San Diego State University. Or, heading west, you can visit Mission Valley and Fashion Valley shopping malls, Old Town, downtown San Diego, and the convention center (http://www.sdcommute.com/Rider_ Information/trolley/trolleymap.asp). If you want to avoid the high prices, and long lines and so-so food at restaurants in the Gaslamp Quarter and Old Town, head north on the I-5 to 5th and 6th streets on University Avenue, where there are numerous good, reasonably priced restaurants in the Hillcrest area. A visitor favorite is Sea World, located on beautiful Mission Bay. With its numerous attractions, exhibits and shows, Sea World offers the best in marine life and entertainment. Shamu, the famous orca, dolphins, sharks, and penguins headline the list marine animals that will both amaze and amuse you (http://www.seaworld.com/SWC). Want more animals? Then be sure to visit the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. The Giant Panda Discovery Center is a wonderful learning experience, and from the panda viewing area you can see Hua Mei, the first giant panda born in North America, or any of the other pandas living here. While at the zoo, you will also enjoy Gorilla Tropics, Rain Forest Aviary, Tiger River and Sun Bear Forest. At the Wild Animal Park, a short drive north of San Diego, you will find animals such as lions, elephants, cheetahs and giraffes living in a natural habitat setting. For best value, buy a 3-for-1 pass to see all of these great attractions (www.sandiegozoo. org). If your interest is museums, don’t miss Balboa Park. It offers something for everyone. You’ll find the Rueben H. Fleet Science Center, Museum of Art, Museum of Man, Natural History Museum, Air and Space Museum, Automotive Museum … and more. Centro Cultural de la Raza, Japanese Friendship Garden, and Mingei International Museum, as well as shops and restaurants, round out your tour of this San Diego landmark (www.balboapark.org). If you want to see some of San Diego’s world famous beaches, then be sure to take a trip to Coronado Island and the visit the legendary Hotel del Coronado (http://www. hoteldel.com/). Or try Pacific Beach if you prefer a more vibrant atmosphere. And no trip is complete without seeing the jewel of San Diego … La Jolla (http://www. lajollabythesea.com/home.php). Golf enthusiasts have more than 70 courses to choose from in San Diego County. But your best bet for a challenging, newly-renovated course conveniently located adjacent to the conference site in Mission Valley, is the Riverwalk Golf Club, where you can play a round, take a lesson, or simply use the driving range (http://www. riverwalkgc.com). Whatever your taste for fun and entertainment, you are sure to find it in San Diego! Ken Kelch is ESL Program Director at Alliant International University in San Diego. Be Active as a CATESOL Volunteer in San Diego By Holly Wilson Volunteering for CATESOL is a fun and rewarding experience. Every year, a variety of opportunities present themselves for you to donate your time and energy to the operation of regional, chapter and state conferences. In fact, most people who work for CATESOL in any capacity are volunteers. Right now we are getting ready for the 38th Annual State Conference 4 in San Diego from April 12-15. Mark Manasse is the conference’s Volunteer Coordinator. You may have seen the volunteer sign-up sheet that he e-mailed... He continues to collect names of those who can give some of their time to help the conference run smoothly. This month, he will be assigning volunteers to various committee chairs, who will assign them their specific jobs. Some things you might want to volunteer for are the conference bag assembly, which begins during the pre-conference session; registration, which includes on-site and pre-registration tables; audio-visual assistance, which involves helping out in the technology room; and the information booth, where members can inquire about events and services. Mark, a freeway flyer who teaches at Miramar Community College, the American Language (continued on page 6) ...catesol 2007 (continued from page 3) another where you can participate in the distance-learning and Internet fairs or take time to preview a wide collection of software. For those new to technology for use in the classroom, EV volunteers will be available all day Friday and Saturday to answer questions and assist you. Networking and Sharing Participate in one of the four CATESOL Interest Groups with other professionals with similar interests at the panel discussions and group business meetings. Join one of these groups that best addresses your area of interest: • Intercultural Communication • Non-Native Language Educators’ Issues • Teaching English in the Workplace • Technology-Enhanced Language Learning Participants will have a chance to share their most successful teaching techniques and benefit from those of their colleagues by sharing handouts at the Materials Swap located at the hospitality table. Be sure to bring 100 copies of your most effective lessons or ideas. If this is your first time attending the CATESOL conference, take advantage of the Newcomers’ Orientation offered early Friday and Saturday mornings. A seasoned CATESOL member and conference participant will give you an overview of all the services offered at the The Fun Walk will let early risers give their legs a 2kilometer stretch around the resort grounds. conference and help guide you through the program to help you maximize the benefits of your time at the conference. This is a perfect occasion to meet others new to the conference who share the same excitement and challenges as you. There will also be a Graduate Student Forum that showcases papers focusing on effective classroom practices or investigating research topics that affect ESL pedagogy and theory. Taking Breaks to Relax The Conference Committee has arranged special events to give you a chance to relax and meet with colleagues in a social setting. The opening plenary will be followed by a complimentary Baja Soft Taco Bar and Fresh Fruit Reception in the main foyer of the hotel from 8-10 on Thursday. On Friday evening there will be local escorts provided to accompany groups of up to 20 people to selected restaurants in scenic areas of the city. For the early risers and outdoors enthusiasts, the Fun Walk will give you a break from the meetings and provide fresh air and exercise. Join others at 7:30 Saturday morning to enjoy the 2-kilometer walk around the attractive resort grounds. Of course, San Diego is known for its beautiful beaches, museums, zoo, and parks where you can enjoy the sun, southern California ambience, and friends. (See related article on page 4 for places to visit in San Diego.) Mary Ellen Butler-Pascoe is Professor and Director of TESOL and Language Education at Alliant International University in San Diego. SIGN UP NOW! CATESOL 2007 Pre-Conference Institutes Thursday, April 12, 2007 Town and Country Resort Hotel and Spa, San Diego These exciting intensive workshops (3 hours long!) appeal to a wide range of interests and tastes, featuring seasoned presenters who are experts in their fields. Come get to know the 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 form in the preregistration booklet! David Nunan and Kathi Bailey on Classroom Research Kevin Keating on Communicative Activities Susan Kesner Bland on Grammar and Listening Eleanor Black Eskey on Reading Fluency Sue Miller on Pronunciation Carol Deemer on Learning Disabilities Lida Baker and Judy Tanka on Authentic Listening Jack Bailey on Adult Student Retention John Liang on NNEST Concerns Charlene Fried on Integrating the Four Skills Sharon Hilles and Noël Houck on Contextualized Grammar Nenette Adelson-Rodriguez and Linda Hardman on Two-Way Immersion Brought to you by Stefan Frazier (stefan.frazier@sjsu.edu) and Gena Burgess (gena@usc.edu), PCI Coordinators 5 TELL-IG Check Out Our Fabulous Electronic Village By Marian Thacher TELL-IG Coordinator ur Electronic Village is growing. At each CATESOL State Conference, the EV, as we lovingly call it, has been a stronger presence, and this April there will be three different rooms with 20 computers each. The browsing room will once again host the Internet Fair and Software Fair on Friday, and the Distance Learning Fair on Saturday. The fairs are fun because you get to hear six or eight different presenters showing the Web sites, software, or online teaching tools that they are most excited about. There are also many hands-on technology workshops this year. If you’re a technology novice, there will be several O Position Announcement The CATESOL Journal seeks a new Book Review Editor. Duties of the Book Review Editor include: 1. Soliciting eight to ten book reviews for The CATESOL Journal each year. (Some of these reviews could also focus on electronic materials, such as language learning software or webbased language resources.) 2. Working with the review authors to ensure that reviews are well-written and well-edited. 3. Compiling and managing a list of new books of interest to CATESOL members, to be published on the CATESOL web page. The reviews you solicit may be written by teachers, researchers, graduate students, or other professionals in the field of TESOL. The reviews should be current, interesting and appropriate for the CATESOL readership. The CATESOL Journal is published once a year. The manuscripts of reviews are due in November for publication in December. Applicants should have strong writing skills and some academic publishing experience. Benefits include a stipend (currently $225 per issue) and free books from publishers. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Mark Roberge, Co-editor of The CATESOL Journal, at roberge@sfsu.edu. 6 opportunities to get acquainted with some new skills such as PowerPoint slide presentations. For those more adventurous attendees, audio has become very popular. You can learn how to use audio recording for assessment, for teaching pronunciation, and for student or teacher podcasts. What’s a podcast, you ask? Come to the EV and find out! How about using online comic books to teach language, or having your students create digital stories with MovieMaker? These are just a sample of possibilities you can explore by visiting the Electronic Village in Terrace Salon Two and Three, and the Electronic Outpost in Pacific Salon Four. See you there. Marian Thacher is Coordinator of Technology Projects for the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN), a California adult education leadership project. ...volunteers for catesol (continued from page 4) Institute (ALI) at San Diego State University and the TESL Certificate program at UCSD, is a volunteer himself. A recent arrival to San Diego, he chose to become involved in the local TESOL community and get to know teachers at other sites. Kristine Chadsey, another recent arrival to San Diego who also teaches at ALI, has just made a career change and become an ESL instructor. She wants to get to know the organization and develop her professionalism. Kristine says she is interested in working at registration, and would consider performing other functions in the future. Toan Humphrey, with many years’ experience teaching in adult education for the San Diego Community College District, has volunteered several times for State Conferences and CATESOL’s San Diego Regional Conference. She volunteers out of a sense of duty to the profession and enjoys actively participating in the organization. Last year she helped at registration at the State Conference in San Francisco and acted as treasurer for the San Diego Regional Conference held last October. She says that every time she volunteers, she learns new things about how the organization operates and about why teachers choose to attend the conference. She likes the feeling of being a part of a team that she gets from volunteering, and encourages members to volunteer as a way to learn more about CATESOL and connect with other teachers from all over California and Nevada. As you can see, volunteering is a great way to help out the other people who donate so much of their time to maintain CATESOL as the professional organization that it is, and to network with your fellow TESOLers. If you are interested, you should contact Mark Manasse by mail, e-mail, or phone. He needs to know who you are and how to contact you. Information about what days and times you are available, and what job you prefer to perform would also be helpful. Contact Mark at MANASSE1@AOL.COM or 510-825-4789, 2905 Cowley Way, Unit F, San Diego, CA 92117. Holly Wilson is an Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Alliant International University in San Diego. ...computers (continued from page 1) I have found that a Basic Computer Skills class gives students a profound new motivation to practice their English. Not only that, but it also teaches cultural awareness, resource utilization, problem solving, and written communication, and is an important step at leveling the playing field and setting our students up for academic and career success. We know our job goes beyond teaching students English. We teach them how to be students in the broader sense as well, and the computer classes I taught brought that home for me. “Teacher! Look! I did it!” “I never used computer. Now I can!” “I never touched a computer.” Many of my student simply haven’t had the kind of exposure that most native speakers have had. It can be agreed that our main goal is to raise the Community College Level English skills of our students to a level that compares favorably with the skills of native English-speaking students so they can compete (or at least participate with confidence) academically. We recognize right away that many of our students lack study skills (note-taking, time management) as well as English skills. What we might not realize is that they often also lack computer skills. Even if we do realize it, many of us do not have courses set up to meet this need. Now I’m not suggesting that we switch our focus away from English. Language skills are the single most important bridge between where our students are in their jobs, careers and communications and where they want to be. However, computers can help make these skills easier to achieve. Having computer skills can inspire students to practice English more (Internet games, e-mailing friends) and also give them practical skills they will need in many classes (word processing, PowerPoint) and in the job world. The course I’m teaching at Chaffey College is unique. My college does offer a variety of computer classes, but they are aimed at non-ESL students with a basic knowledge of computers who are trying to develop a specific skill. For example, we offer Charmaine Phipps Keyboarding, MSWord Expert, MSExcel Expert, et cetera. However, we don’t offer a class that teaches how to turn on a computer, click, scroll, and access the Internet. In a nation where the majority of the population has a home computer – about 65% of Americans had on-line access at home in 2005, such basic” (continued on page 8) 7 Interest Groups Front and Center for IGs in San Diego By Robert Wachman Interest Group Facilitator C ATESOL’s interest groups will have major presence at the State Conference in San Diego next month. Each year, the four IGs – Intercultural Communication (IC), NonNative Language Educators’ Issues (NNLEI), Teaching English in the Workplace (TEW), and Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL) – conduct panel discussions, sponsor speakers, hold annual business meetings, and sponsor increasing numbers of interest grouprelated presentations and workshops. Robert Wachman The technology interest group organizes and operates two computer labs, known as the Electronic Village: one for trying software, browsing Web sites and hosting the popular “fairs” (Software Fair, Internet Fair, and Distance Learning Fair); and the second room for very popular hands-on computer application workshops. Each of the four interest groups also holds its annual business meeting at which group leaders review the year’s activities, issues are discussed, new leadership is elected, and plans are made for the coming year. To learn more about IGs, their members and activities, visit the interest group table in the Exhibit Hall. Last year the table was located at the rear of the hall and probably went unnoticed by many. This year, we’ve put the table in a hard-to-miss location near the front of the hall. It will be staffed by IG leaders and members and will offer takeaway handouts on each group, including lists of IG-related conference presentations. A new event will be tried this year: combining an Interest Group Rap Session with the Saturday morning Newcomers’ Orientation and Breakfast. This will be a chance to network, learn what others are doing, and share experience and challenges. Each IG will have a rap facilitator. CATESOL newcomers will be invited to join raps and participate in IG-related activities throughout the conference as well as afterward. Whether you are just curious about interest groups or already an active member, you will have ample opportunity in San Diego to expand your knowledge. Robert Wachman is a professor of ESL at Yuba College in Marysville, California. rwachman-tell@yccd.edu ...computer classes (continued from page 7) skills are assumed to already be a part of general knowledge when students arrive at a community college. Many of my students, however, did not have this knowledge, and I suspect that is true of a large percentage of ESL students. Many ESL teachers may get a chance to teach one or two computer skills as they teach English skills, but I would be interested in finding out how many colleges have a “computer skills” class that was developed specifically for ESL students. In our class, teachers emphasize e-mail, Internet research and resources, MSWord and PowerPoint. There are some challenges involved in implementing an ESL “computer-skills” class. The first is developing course objectives and 8 beginning the curriculum process. Depending on the college, this may be a significant obstacle. It may be necessary to prove that the class is best taught in the ESL department and not in the Computer Information Services or Business Office Technology departments. Once past that hurdle, it is necessary to determine what the dayto-day activities will best help students master the skill objectives that have been set for the course. After several months, I finally abandoned my search for a textbook. (If you have any suggestions, please send them my way.) I resigned myself to creating my own book of activities. I created and assembled some 40 lessons (110 pages) with screenshots and detailed instructions and sent them to the bookstore to reproduce and punch holes in. (The packet costs students $6.) Lessons include: Basic Classroom Procedures (turning the computer on and off, logging in, lab rules, etc.), Typing Overview, Email, MSWord, PowerPoint, Internet Activities and Internet Games. The specifics of this course are available to anyone who contacts me. I am happy to share the work I’ve done. ESL teachers know the impact they have on the lives of their students. We hear it from them every day. We also see it in their work and in their faces. What I see in my computer skills classes is a whole new level of student satisfaction. Students are entering a world they have heard about but haven’t yet been able to touch. The amazement and gratitude shines in their eyes and reminds me of just how privileged I am to be a part of it. Charmaine Phipps teaches ESL at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, Regional Conferences San Diego Regional Participants Get Online Access to Conference Handouts By Jim Brice A s San Diego prepares to host CATESOL’s State Conference next month, we look back at our fall regional and hope that the past is prologue. More than 400 participants and 35 exhibitors attended the October 21 conference at Mesa College. Not an extra swag bag could be found at the late registration booth, at least partly because of the rockstar appeal of the conference plenary speaker, Dr. Kate Kinsella, who stuck around after her main set to perform a two-hour encore. Both her keynote speech and follow-up presentation complemented the conference theme of “raising the bar” on student learning and teacher expectations. Kinsella addressed ways to structure lessons that increase students’ academic vocabulary so they can become more literate, participate more meaningfully in class, and continue their education beyond ESL. She showed video clips from ESL secondary classrooms, providing examples of how her method works and how she has trained other teachers to use it successfully. According to Kinsella, far too often ESL reading texts focus on unimportant vocabulary, and the only one using any academic language in the classroom is the teacher. Among the techniques she demonstrated to remedy those deficits were more pre-teaching, or “frontloading,” of prioritized word lists that teachers select from readings, as opposed to teaching words as they come up in context. Part of this pre-teaching involves giving students practical, teacher-made definitions, not esoteric (and often confusing) dictionary definitions. Kinsella also advocated direct teaching of parts of speech and practicing pronunciation with students before they read the new words in the text. Kinsella led participants through specific ways for presenting new vocabulary and checking student comprehension, while simultaneously teaching students to use “academic” language. Her reference in this regard was to the kind of class talk that enables them to become better students and co-workers. In her own classes, she pre-teaches the proper use of expressions like, “I’d like to add something here.” Or, “I am not sure I understood that. Could you give having a handout from that great presentation that your lunch partner saw, San Diego Community College District teachers had online access to handouts. More than 130 participants used a new online feature called Survey Monkey to evaluate presenters. One option for raising the bar and increasing professional development at all future CATESOL conferences would be to replicate the San Diego regional’s access to handouts and/or CATESOL could raise the bar by replicating the San Diego experience and providing online access to handouts and presentations at future conferences. another example?” Students practice these and other expressions based on sentence-starter activities. For example, the activity might require each student to begin a sentence with the expression, “Could you give me another example of what you mean by X,” X being a different word for each student called on. It is important, Kinsella stressed, not to cut corners, but rather to go through each stage of a lesson, giving students time to practice and rehearse their responses. Her examples clearly showed how to present and practice new vocabulary, as well as how to hold students accountable for learning fresh material. Attendees also profited from many other stellar presenters, which may help inform your own choices for the State Conference, where there may be some encores. Conference co-chairs Gretchen Bitterlin and Donna Price raised the bar on the quality of the conference in big and small ways. For instance, to remedy the problem of not presentations online. A few regional conferences have formed Yahoo User Groups, which allow members to download handouts. For example, thanks to Branka Marceta of the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN), some handouts from technically related presentations at the San Diego conference are available at http:// tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/tellig/ We are getting closer to being able to click from the comfort of our own homes to get material or see presentations made hundreds of miles away yesterday or months ago, albeit without the satisfaction that accompanies personal attendance at dynamic sessions like those we in San Diego enjoyed. Jim Brice teaches ESL for the San Diego Community College District at the West City Center, where he is the ESL computer lab teacher and ESL Department Chair. 9 MASTER’S PROGRAM IN THE TESOL PROFESSIONS Discover a groundbreaking graduate program developed by leading professionals and taught by a respected international faculty. Study online from anywhere in the world or in combination with an intensive summer session at our New York City campus. Our curriculum emphasizes practical training with a focus on the cultural implications of globalization, reflecting the realities of the English language teaching professions today. Choose your course in four specialized areas • Teaching An affirmative action/equal opportunity institution. • Publishing and Writing • Program Development and Management • Curriculum Development For more information: www.newschool.edu/TESOL 212.229.5630 nsadmissions@newschool.edu NEW YORK CITY Earn your degree online 10 Chapter News Bay Area CATESOL Chapter in the Works By Belinda Braunstein Chapter Council Chair A new chapter is forming to serve CATESOL members who live in the San Francisco Bay area but are not already a part of the Steinbeck, Capital Area or Yosemite chapters. (Take a look at the map on this page to see where the chapters are. Shaded areas have chapters.) Those who live in areas without their own chapter to brag about can attend the Northern, Los Angeles. and San Diego regional conferences in the fall, the yearly state conference in the spring, and, of course, events hosted by any chapter in California or Nevada. Why create another chapter? Chapters are more intimate and are a very easy way to get involved in the organization. It’s chapter members – not the organization – that decide what these local organizations do, whether co-sponsoring teaching workshops with CALPRO, raising money to help members attend the state conference, hosting publisher exhibits, or having terrific social events. (My own chapter seems partial to wine and cheese socials.) All are open to suggestions and invite member involvement in decision-making, whether you’ve been in CATESOL 20 years or two weeks. How can you get involved? Once the new chapter is created, you will automatically be a part of it if you live in the counties covered. As Chapter Council Chair, I have been approached by several members living in the Bay area who would like to have a chapter Bay Area Chapter Will Be closer than Monterey or CATESOL’s 9th Sacramento. What we don’t know yet is whether to limit the chapter area to Santa Clara County – where most of the requests came from – or to include Alameda and Contra Costa folks. If you live in any of these counties, please e-mail me at catesolbb@hotmail.com to let me know your opinion on this. Will the new chapter be South Bay, East Bay… or Greater Bay? We also need individuals who have a little time and enthusiasm to be founding board members of the chapter. If you’ve got the interest, we’ve got the support – as well as a little seed money – to get you started. I can’t wait to hear from you. Belinda Braunstein is lead teacher in the English Language Program at UC Santa Barbara Extension. Annual Cloudburst Fundraiser Spurs Benevolence By Casandra Issaka Capital Area Chapter Coordinator O n Friday, December 8, 2006, Capital Area held its annual Cloudburst wine-tasting fundraiser to assist non-benefited part-time teachers in need. Hosted at a beautifully decorated home in Sacramento, the event drew teachers and administrators from various schools and levels. The house was filled with colleagues and family mingling to a backdrop of live piano music while sampling delicious homemade appetizers, delectable desserts, and, of course, a generous array of fine wine. Several attendees were lucky enough not to leave empty-handed thanks to the many raffle prizes. Los Padres Plans Double Handful of Spring Events By Marit ter Mate-Martinsen Los Padres Chapter Coordinator The Los Padres CATESOL Chapter has a number of exciting events planned for the coming months: Santa Barbara - Wake Center Room 13, 300 N. Turnpike April 27: Organizing and Monitoring Instruction (4-7 p.m.) May 10: ESL Publishers Book Fair (3:30-5:30 p.m., Schott Center Auditorium, 310 W. Padre, Santa Barbara). Just before the event, an extremely deserving recipient had been identified, which made the fundraiser all the more meaningful. Thank you to everyone who generously donated time, talent, and personal funds to make this a success! Stay up-to-date with our chapter’s activities by visiting www. capitalcatesol.org. Ventura - Ventura Adult Continuing Education Room 201, 5200 Valentine May 4: Differentiating Instruction, Session 1 (4-7 p.m.) San Luis Obispo – Cuesta College, Hwy. 1 March 17: Enhancing Learner Persistence (9 a.m.- 1 p.m.) April 21: Differentiating Instruction, #1 (9 a.m. -1 p.m.) May 12: Differentiating Instruction, #2 (9 a.m.- 1 p.m.) Come one, come all! Take advantage of these wonderfully inspiring local opportunities and connect with ESL professionals. All events are free to CATESOL members. Please RSVP Jack Bailey at baileyj@sbcc.edu or Marit ter Mate-Martinsen at catesolmtm@yahoo.com. You may also wish to see chapter doings at http://www. lospadrescatesol.org 11 Join us April 12-15 for CATESOL’s 38th Annual State Conference in San Diego With three days of more than 300 concurrent sessions, participants are sure to find papers, demonstrations, workshops, rap sessions, interest group meetings and colloquia that match their interests at “Transcending Borders,” the 38th Annual State Conference of CATESOL. In addition to these – plus networking, meeting old friends and squeezing in a bit of sight-seeing in beautiful San Diego – attendees will be treated to the ideas of our three eminent plenary speakers, each of them hailing from outside the United States. “TRA for our DIEG and C the he confer California Public Featured and have fun, butSchools.” everything will be on this o panelists will be Carmen minutes away at Scarcella the Fashion Quintana, Robin andValley Lily shopping Wong Fillmore. beaches and bays, SeaWorld, the San Diego To get the most from CATESOL If you would like to volunt 2007, start off by attending one or conference, please contact more of the intensive Pre-Conference Mark manasse1 Institutes, learning andManasse working at with Please join us into 2007! experts in the field. Don’t forget visit the Electronic Village, where you On Friday, Dr. Margarita Luna Delgado will discuss can see the latest innovations and get multiculturalism and social justice on both sides of the expert advice. If you’re a conference U.S.-Mexican border. On Friday at the President’s Lunch, rookie, don’t miss one of the Dr. Francis Njubi Nesbitt will speak about the political and Newcomers’ Orientations on Friday cultural identities of northeast African refugees in Southern or Saturday morning at 7 a.m. California. And, on Saturday, Dr. Jim Cummins, renowned expert on the nature of language proficiency, will talk about how teachers can better use students’ first languages and cultural understanding to acquire second languages. Soaking up the energy created by the thousands of inspired teachers you are sure to encounter at the 2007 Statewide Conference. Please join us in San Diego. Cummins’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on “Perspectives on Developing and Implementing Quality Curricula for Academic Literacy in Looking for a good restaurant, a place to shop,o some memorable sights to see while you’re in tow You might like to check out our story “San Diego Places to Visit Between Workshops” on Page 4 On-Line Registration NOW Available On-Line at: http://www. 12 or wn? o State Conference CATESOL 2007 Plenary Sessions Margarita Luna Delgado - Thursday, April 12 “Beyond Politics, Beyond Racism, Beyond Borders: Si Se Puede” Margarita Luna Delgado Dr. Margarita Luna Delgado is a professor in the Departamento de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educacion at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Tijuana, where she coordinates Graduate Programs in Education. Student, teacher, psychologist and agent of change on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border, her work seeks to promote cultural sensitivity, understanding, social justice, and equity. Delgado was one of the founding members of the Border Pedagogy Initiative, whose primary mission is to promote cultural understanding that leads to enhanced instructional practices. Delgado believes that one cannot ignore the politics and the inherent racism that permeates “good intentions.” Francis Njubi Nesbitt - Friday, April 13, President’s Lunch “Africans in California: New Identities in the Diaspora” Francis Njubi Nesbitt Dr. Francis Njubi Nesbitt is a Kenyan-born associate professor of Africana Studies at San Diego State University. His 2004 book, Race for Sanctions: African Americans against Apartheid, 1946–1994, is the first comprehensive account of the successful effort by African Americans to take an anti-apartheid agenda from the margins of U.S. foreign policy in the 1940s to its very center by the mid-1980s. It examines the role of the African Diaspora in the first successful transnational movement in the era of globalization. His latest paper, and the topic of his CATESOL lecture, examines the political identities of Somali, Sudanese and Ethiopian refugees in California. The focus on diaspora and transnational identities highlights the social, cultural and business ties that continue to bind these refugees to their countries of origin. This perspective takes us beyond the traditional focus on pathology, post-traumatic stress and maladjustment in refugee studies. Jim Cummins - Saturday, April 14 “I’m Not Just a Coloring Person: Cognitive Engagement and Identity Investment in Multilingual Classrooms” Jim Cummins .catesol.org Dr. Jim Cummins is Canada Research Chair in Language and Literacy Development in Multilingual Contexts at the University of Toronto and a prolific author of books on second language learning and literacy development. His research has focused on the nature of language proficiency and second language acquisition with particular emphasis on the social and educational barriers that limit academic success for culturally diverse students. Recent books include Literacy, Technology, and Diversity: Teaching for Success in Changing Times (with K. Brown and D. Sayers), Language, Power and Pedagogy and Negotiating Identities: Education for Empowerment in a Diverse Society, “I’m Not Just a Coloring Person …” deals with ways in which students’ cultural knowledge and first language abilities can be used within “mainstream,” ESL, and bilingual classrooms as cognitive tools and as resources for learning. 13 Working towards international peace Chapter News and bridging communities... Anderson to Headline OC Spring Workshop By Carol Bander Publicity Co-chair, Orange County Chapter O BRING THE WORLD INTO YOUR HOME! Host a foreign exchange student www.cci-exchange.com ● Teach your children firsthand about diversity ● Learn about different cultures ● Create lasting friendship and travel networks throughout the world ● Educate student ambassadors from interesting countries about American life and culture Call toll free (877) 796-0009 Work opportunities available for California residents, part-time from home! range County CATESOL and the California State University Fullerton TESOL Club are exceedingly proud to feature Dr. Neil J Anderson, former TESOL president and expert in reading, at their spring workshop at CSUF’s Titan Student Union on Saturday, March 31, 2007. He will speak about “Building Reading Fluency.” A professor in the Department of Linguistics and English Language at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, Anderson previously taught in the TESL master’s degree program at Ohio University. He received his bachelor’s degree in Spanish from BYU in 1979 and his TESL master’s in 1981. He received his doctorate in TESL from the University of Texas at Austin in 1989. He was a Fulbright Research Teaching Fellow in Costa Rica. Among his many awards, he was granted the outstanding graduate faculty award at Ohio State. Anderson has traveled and lectured in Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, Indonesia, Morocco, Namibia, Panama, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, and the United States. Some may remember him as a featured keynote speaker at a recent CATESOL State Conference. Subsequent to his term as president of TESOL in 2001-2, he chaired the Board of Trustees TESOL International Research Foundation from 2002-2004. He has authored numerous scholarly books, chapters in books, articles and the popular reading skills classroom textbook series: Active Skills in Reading. Among his research Neil Anderson interests is applying metacognitive skills to reading and writing. He says one great difficulty in the second language reading classroom is that even when students are literate, much of their reading is not fluent and they read significantly more slowly in their second language than in their first. He will show how to strike a balance between assisting students in increasing their reading rate and not over-emphasizing accuracy at the expense of fluency. He argues that it is very important to focus more on developing fluency, not speed. Fluency is a vital key to success in reading. Fluent readers, he notes, recognize words automatically, read aloud effortlessly and with expression, do not have to concentrate on decoding, and can focus on comprehension. (continued on page 15) 14 Chapter News South Nevada Conference Draws Biggest Turnout Ever By Regina Marshall Southern Nevada Chapter Coordinator T he Southern Nevada Chapter is still reeling from the wonderful conference we held October 13-14. It was off the charts (a complete success), with some 200 participants, including publishers and presenters. The conference hosted our president, Karen Kaplan-Cadiero, who shared afew words about the importance of membership and her book, The Literacy Curriculum & Bilingual Education: A Critical Examination. The largest group of publishers that we have ever had joined us at West Charleston Campus of Community College of Southern Nevada. Attendees raved about the generosity of the publishers – including Harcourt, Scott Foresman, Rosetta Stone, Thomson, and Rigby – who provided them with goodie bags loaded with materials, including professional publications. The plenary speaker was Hector Ramirez, a native of Colombia. A consultant with Harcourt publishers, he spoke on “The ELL Experience Through the Eyes of an Educator.” Dr. Sam Sebesta, from the University of Washington, Seattle, gave the keynote, “You Must Remember This – Teaching the Oracy-Literacy.” He frequently drew laughter as he addressed the issue of vocabulary in language acquisition via Reader’s Theater. Sebesta hilariously clarified the importance of making concrete connections. Teachers hammed it up as he pulled props out of his costume truck ... the feather boa on one man had the audience wildly guffawing. Four cultural performances iced ...oc spring workshop (continued from page 14) Using skills such as scanning, skimming, predicting, and identifying main ideas gets students to approach reading in different ways. Readers should spend more time analyzing and synthesizing the content of the reading, and not on moving through the passage one word at a time or constantly using a dictionary. Anderson defines a fluent reader as one who reads at a rate of 200 words-per-minute with at least 70 percent comprehension. The workshop will demonstrate 11 pedagogical activities to improve reading fluency: Shape Recognition, Number Recognition, Letter Recognition, Word Recognition, Phrase Recognition, Shadow Reading, Rate Buildup Reading, Repeated Reading, ClassPaced Reading, Self-Paced Reading, and Computer as a Pacing Tool. The $35 registration fee for CATESOL members (according to one past evaluation “the biggest bargain in CATESOL”) includes a continental breakfast, a hearty luncheon, and a vast array of publishers’ exhibits. The fee for non-members is $50, $15 of which applies to CATESOL membership if the participant joins at the time of registration. The fee is $25 for student members of CATESOL, $35 for student non-members with a photo ID. The continental breakfast and publishers’ exhibits start at 8 a.m. The general session runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the cake as we ate a wonderful, al fresco catered dinner until the rain chased us indoors. Performers included Salsa Negra, a spicy Latin group, and a Thai Cultural Arts Association dance troupe wearing authentic Thai costumes, including the ornate gold headdresses and finger extensions of their heritage. Hawaii’s traditions of dance and costume were represented by Rancho High School Hula Troupe and the night’s entertainment was topped off with the Mountaintop Gospel singers who had us all clapping and tapping to their uplifting rhythms. After discussing the matter with Cadiero-Kaplan, we decided to present our proposal to the CATESOL board in January seeking to confirm Las Vegas as the host city for the 44th State Conference in 2013. We presented the board with a Convention and Visitors Authority video of the options Las Vegas has to offer in terms of hotel and convention space. The next step is seeking bids from various hotels and other venues. Ample opportunity will be provided to mingle and socialize with former and future friends and colleagues as well as visit the publishers’ exhibits during a 45-minute morning break. A number of lucky attendees will return home with prizes and free books, thanks to our publishers’ generosity. So mark your calendars now! Pre-registration is necessary for breakfast and lunch, so be sure to sign up ahead of time. For registration information, contact Catherine Whitsett at email: mizzwhit@juno.com. Registration forms and fees should be sent to OC CATESOL at 5230 Fox Hills Avenue, Buena Park, CA 90621. For further information, contact Coordinator Barbara Luther at bjlu5903@hotmail.com or Coordinator-elect Victoria Workman at vmw52@earthlink. net A former CATESOL president, Carol Bander is a professor of ESL and German at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California. CATESOL members are encouraged to submit articles (and ideas for articles) to the CATESOL News. Articles of about 600-700 words are preferred. Accompanying digital photos in jpeg format are appreciated. If you have an article or an idea for one, e-mail the editor, Timothy Lange, at tleelange@hotmail.com 15 Out and About Good Dialog, Good People, Good Food Highlight TESOL Italy By Karen Dennis Past President O ne of the fun tasks as past president is to be responsible for TESOL Affiliate matters. You have received messages from me during the year about the advantages of belonging to TESOL as well as CATESOL. Since I have a fondness for Italy, I thought it would be a delight to attend the “Inviting Views: Meaning and Meaningfulness in the Classroom” TESOL-Italy conference November 3-4 at the University of Naples in Naples, Italy, and see how another affiliate was run. Mary Ann Christison and Julian Edge were the keynote speakers. Mary Ann’s presentation “A Brain-based View of Language Teaching and Learning” was fascinating. She had an overview of the most relevant results of research using functional neuron-imaging related to learning another language, as well as information about the cerebral basis for bilingualism. Mary Beth Flynn, pictured with me below, is the president of TESOL-Italy. She graciously included me in many activities including a wonderful Italian dinner with the conference committee. I am unsure of the exact numbers of attendees, but I think it was 400. Next year the conference will be in Rome, and the organization expects more than 600 to attend. The successes and challenges of running a conference are just like ours. You find dedicated Mary Beth Flynn, president of people and try not to TESOL-Italy, and Karen Dennis work them to death. In the TESOL Calendar there are notices of all types of affiliate conferences. For example, there is TESOL-France, and JALT (Japan Association for Language Teaching) has a conference in Tokyo, November 22-25 in 2007. This year four new affiliates have joined TESOL: Hong Kong Association for Applied Linguistics (HAAL), TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, The Australian Council of TESOL Associations, (ACTA) Penang English Language Learning and Teaching Association (PELLTA) from Malaysia. Karen Dennis is past president of CATESOL. She served as president of the organization in 2005-2006. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts Add Spice to ESL Classroom By Branka Marceta Assistant Secretary B logging, podcasting, online collaboration, and social bookmarking are some new concepts and tools gaining more presence on the Internet. As I pointed out in my presentation of “Web 2.O for Adult Ed ESL” at the Los Angeles/Orange Country Regional Chapter Conference in October, educational technology leaders and educators are directing their attention to these new ways of creating and accessing content as potential new learning formats. Blogs, or Web Branka Marceta 16 logs, can offer an exciting new way for students to do writing assignments with interesting photo or video prompts. Major motivators for better writing are a sense of wider audience and the gratification of being published. See an example of using video as a prompt for assignments at Cristina Costa’s teaching English to sailors in Portugal – http:// www.fromstemtostern.blogspot.com/ “Wikis,” or editable Web pages, are great for collaborating over distance. The adult education Technology Mentor Network at the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network has a wiki to collect stories of ways our learners have benefited from learning technology skills along with language skills. The idea is that any teacher can go to the site and add her student’s story, or even have the student add it. It is at http://studenttechstories.pbwiki. com/ Podcasting, or publishing audio files on the Internet, has spurred a flurry of services by numerous Web sites offering many more opportunities for listening practice, to the great joy of ESL learners who have Internet access anywhere in the world. The Internet TESL Journal-sponsored Web site familiar to many ESL teachers and students, http://a4esl.org/podcast/, offers a great starting point for those new to podcasting. Some other technology-related workshops offered at LA/OC Regional were: Podcasting - by your ESL students: Elissa Ikeda - Ted Liu Online assessment for online and Web-enhanced classes: Marsha Chan Explore Free Listening and Speaking Software and Tools: Peggy Marcy Online language teaching: The (continued on page 17) Lesson Plans Building Vocabulary Requires More than Word List By Dan Fichtner President-Elect R ecently there has been much talk about vocabulary. It is becoming an extremely important part of all language development activities because students need to know the relevant words to explain ideas and concepts in their classes. All language skills should be involved in the learning of new vocabulary. Students need to: 1. listen to the word being used in meaningful discourse, 2. say the word with proper pronunciation and in a context that conveys its meaning, 3. read the word in various contexts with a variety of collocations, 4. write the word correctly in relevant situations in which it could occur, 5. study the word to see if any roots, prefixes or suffixes can help understand its meaning, and 6. visualize what feelings or ideas the word might evoke in speakers and listeners. These “steps” in building vocabulary imply that if we wish our students to truly learn new vocabulary terms there needs to be vocabulary study, not just a haphazard listing and perusal of words and phrases. Teachers must discuss the significance of multiple-meaning words and give students a chance to experiment with their various connotations and denotations. Students need time to “digest” the words and make them their own. Zimmermann and Kinsella have been particularly helpful in my musings on vocabulary development. I have created a chart that attempts to help organize the elements needed for vocabulary “study.” Discussion with a teacher and cooperative work using a good dictionary with basic sentences, a thesaurus and collocations will bring about new knowledge about target vocabulary that plain vocabulary study will not. “Abolish” will come out as a vocabulary item in history class and should be studied. My chart is filled out with terms that will help students get a “feel for” the word. “Abolitionist” offers the chance to highlight the suffix “ist” meaning “person.” Working with the Dan Fichtnerteacher and others will guarantee that many nuances of the word will be discussed and, we hope, internalized. It’s the participatory aspect of this study that will bring about the resulting vocabulary knowledge. Simply handing the worksheets to the students and requiring them to fill them out will not bring about the desired result – systematic vocabulary development. Teachers must be involved with students in this learning process. Let’s help our students learn vocabulary that is important to their social and academic success. We are important in the learning equation. Work with your students and enjoy the fruits of your labor – that’s the joy of teaching! Dan Fichtner, CATESOL president-elect, works in the UCLA Education Extension’s TESOL program. IEPers to Learn the How’s and Why’s of Listening Lessons have the opportunity to create and Baker of UCLA Extension, American present a listening lesson. Language Center, and authors of the popular Interactions series of listening The workshop immediately follows isten Up! CATESOL members who textbooks. the IEP Rap Session where, during The hands-on workshop will help work in Intensive English Programs lunch, IEP teachers and administrators IEP teachers understand essential can look forward to an informative can discuss the challenges they face components of a successful listening IEP Workshop at the upcoming while teaching listening and other lesson and the characteristics that make CATESOL State Conference in San topics of interest. See you there! listening difficult. Other discussion Diego, Saturday, April 14, 2007, at 1:30 Sarah MacGregor is Assistant Director topics include the role of the teacher -3:15 p.m. The IEP workshop, “The of the American Language Program at in the listening class and how to test How’s and Why’s of Listening,” will California State University, East Bay. listening. Workshop participants will be presented by Judith Tanka and Lida conferences: 1. go to www.catesol.org, (continued from page 16) 2. click on Interest Groups link, 3. click on the link to TELL-IG’s Web site, next hot trend? Rhonda Cisneros 4. click on the Conferences link. Creating Interactive PowerPoint Lessons for ESL Classrooms: Rocio Silva -Sarah Kim Branka Marceta is Technology Projects Coordinator, Adult By Sarah McGregor Assistant IEP Level Chair L ...blogs, wikis, podcasts For the more comprehensive lists of technology-related workshops offered at both Regional and State CATESOL Education, with the Outreach Technical Assistance Network (OTAN). 17 Read Naturally ® motivates struggling readers For over 15 years, Read Naturally has been the pioneer in fluency and comprehension development for elementary and secondary readers. Read Naturally continues to develop all the tools you need to implement an effective instructional program for low-performing students. Call for a FREE Info Pack! 1.800.788.4085 Specify Code IDAPersF06 An Info Pack ($50 Value) Includes: � � � � � � Placement Packet, which includes sample stories and helps you place your students Rationale & Research Packet, which explains WHY the program works Video showing students using the program Demo CD featuring the Software Edition Seminar schedule and information Copy of recent newsletter 800.788.4085 • www.readnaturally.com 18 Transcending the Borders of Language and Learning By Lynne Nicodemus Sociopolitical Coordinator L anguage acquisition from the neurobiological perspective was the subject of Dr. John H. Schumann’s keynote address at CATESOL’s Northern Regional Conference in November at Las Positas Community College in Livermore, California. A professor in the Department of Applied Linguistics and TESL at UCLA, Schumann has written several books on the neurobiology of language learning. In his view, all children are born with “integrative motivation,” which he calls the interactive instinct. Children are thus born hard-wired with a drive to bond, affiliate with and become like their caregivers. This intense motivational drive focuses children’s attention on their caregivers and fuels their acquisition of Dr. John H. Schumann speaks at language, among Los Positas Community College to other things. CATESOL Northern Regional crowd. Schumann elaborated on a number of interactive responses that he said underlie a child’s brain development through this interactive instinct and which give insight into language development in a person’s earliest years. Part of this drive pushes children to imitate the intentions their caregivers and try to achieve the same result. Children, he said, are hard-wired to pay attention not only to the result (the final meaning of the interaction), but also to how to get there (development of language structure). A nother developmental dimension involves the limbic drive, which is highly noticeable to anyone interacting with young children. Children vocalize (as in babbling or crying) and caregivers vocalize back (Oh, you must be hungry…) Therefore, children and caregivers understand each other’s communicative intentions at an intuitive level, which deepens bonding between them. Statistical tracking is another aspect. When a child notices something new, her brain becomes very active. The more familiar this new thing becomes, the less active her brain Regional Conferences becomes – the less it responds to the stimulus because the reaction has become automatic. Schumann said chemical produced naturally in the body are critical in the development of affiliation brought on through the interactive instinct. Oxitosin – also known as the pleasure hormone – is a neuro-modulator. It affects bonding, affiliation, love, and passionate relationships. Vasopressin enhances and builds bonding relationships. A chemical similar to cocaine, dopamine, plays a role in turning intentions into actions. Dopamine spurs you to go toward the target. So, as the child develops through interaction with caregivers, oxitosin and vasopressin are stimulated, then dopamine kicks in and gives pleasurable “hits” as the child associates feeling good with getting friendly smiles, a caring face, warm verbal sounds, et cetera. Ultimately, the release of opioids give feelings of satisfaction and quiescence over achieving a goal. These chemical reactions involved in affiliative relationships provide a context in bringing caregivers and babies into a strong relationship from which language learning develops, according to Schumann. O ver time, the density of brain receptors involved with neurochemical responses decreases. The brain’s capacity for forming new connections decreases over time. For instance, as we know, adult language learners find it very difficult to fully imitate the accent of native speakers. Schumann speculated that perhaps this difficulty may have been one of evolution’s means of helping humans maintain group identity – a neuro-linguistic way of ensuring that newcomers always remain at least partially outsiders. Individual adults also retain varying levels of chemical capacity and receptors in their brains. As adults, we need to affiliate to learn a new language; one looks for signals that seem friendly to determine with whom to associate. These interactions are all being played out chemically – and subconsciously – in a person’s head. Adults who retain capacity for getting larger affiliative stimuli may be more successful in building connections and, therefore, learn a new language more easily. Those who don’t may find it more difficult. Schumann suggested that understanding the part the brain plays in learning a language may help students to understand and be more patient with themselves in the learning process. It also seems that understanding this process demonstrates the importance of congenial classroom environments and the positive, sympathetic interactions of teachers with students. (You can listen to an archived podcast of the entire keynote address at http://www.radiolaspositas.com/Archive. htm.) Lynne Nicodemus is Vice Principal at Pittsburg Adult Education Center in Pittsburg, California, and chair of the Northern Regional Conference. 19 Secondary Level CELDT Alone Inadequate for Student Placement By Barbara Bilderback Secondary Chair W hile all schools use multiple criteria to exit students from an English Language Development program, placement into ELD is often not thoughtfully done, and often relies too heavily on the CELDT (California English Language Development test) score. While the CELDT paints, with a broad brush, an approximation of a student’s English level proficiency, it should not be the only factor used for new student placement. Indeed, the CELDT was designed more as a tool for the state and the federal bureaucracies to measure student language growth globally than as an individual measurement of language level. Let me share what has happened to me and some of my colleagues when CELDT is the sole criterion Barbara Bilderback for placing students. One of my new freshmen was very quiet. Thalia had missed the first day of class when we talk about ourselves, how long we’ve lived here, and so on. She had an overall CELDT of 2 and hadn’t turned in much homework. At Back to School Night, I asked her father how long Thalia had been in American schools. He seemed surprised, and I repeated the question, assuming it was my poor Spanish that was the problem. No, the problem was that she had been in American schools since kindergarten, and when transferring from one district to another, placement was made “by the numbers.” Dad was unaware that ELD was not a “regular” English class, and was Adult Level a bit put out with his daughter for not telling him what class she was in. With parental request and Thalia’s reluctant cooperation, she was moved to the appropriate level. I’ve had other students who have been enrolled in an ELD class based on year-old (or older) CELDT scores without consultation with a parent or the previous teacher to ask about proper placement. I have had students stuck in an early intermediate level for three years before they come to me. I’ll ask them, “What’s going on? Why are you still in such a low level?” I’ll get various answers, such as, my middle school ELD teacher was boring (or didn’t like me). Often students don’t realize that the CELDT test is determining their placement. I’ve had more than one student tell me that they are asked to come in during early August to take the test, and they do it as fast as they can, even just bubbling patterns, to get done with it and go home! Of course, there are also serious issues regarding standardized testing, both cultural and cognitive. Students with diagnosed (or undiagnosed) learning disabilities may well have a CELDT score that does not reflect their abilities. I wish we’d use as much care in student placement as we do in exit and reclassification. At my high school, we use student portfolios to measure academic growth. They provide a much better picture of a student’s academic abilities in English than a CELDT score does. I wish we had a generalized portfolio that would follow students up from middle school, or to a new school as they move. The better we can place students in the appropriate English or ELD class, the more growth we can expect them to achieve. Barbara Bilderback is an English Language Development teacher at Montclair High School in Montclair, California. Professional Growth - Let’s Make it a Mandate By Kit Bell Adult Level Chair S enate Bill 1209 was signed into law September 28, 2006, and became part of California’s Education Code. The negative ramifications of this piece of legislation on the quality of ESL instruction should concern us all. As an organization we should consider sponsoring legislation that voids the detrimental and myopic staff development provision of the law. Having taken effect on January 1, 2007, the law removes professional growth as a renewal requirement for any teacher holding a Professional 20 Clear credential. This means that once a teacher has completed the Level 1 and Level 2 requirements, and received her Professional Clear credential, she can opt never again to participate in another teacher-training workshop or conference. Simply paying the fee once every five years is all she needs to do to renew her credential for the rest of her teaching career, even if that should last another 40 years. Many ESL teachers with Professional Clear credentials may breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they no longer need to accrue 100 clock hours of professional growth every five years to renew their credentials. It’s certainly true that, in the past, some teachers cobbled together 100 hours of irrelevant “development,” often choosing workshops for their convenience timing rather than pertinence to their field. Moreover, some workships were mediocre, illthought-out and poorly presented, a waste of time for both teachers and the students who supposedly would ultimately benefit. However, as professional educators and CATESOL members, we ought to be in forefront protesting and working to counteract this unfortunate law. Every ESL student deserves the best (continued on page 21) ...mandate (continued from page 20) instruction possible. Lifelong professional growth should be a mandate for every ESL teacher. We should do everything we can to keep professional development front and center. At no time in the history of California has professional development for ESL teachers been more important. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, 30 percent of all non-English speakers in the United States live in California. Without quality English-language instruction, these Californians may face minimal educational attainment and a life of sub-standard wages. We all know that many dedicated instructors will participate in staff development opportunities regardless of the new law. They want to increase their knowledge of the field and improve their skills. They want to become instructional leaders and stay fresh and innovative. But, what about those who do not? When the state tied professional growth to credential renewal in July of 1996, it required all ESL instructors to attend teacher inservices and upgrade their skills. It can be argued that a reluctant participant does not learn. My experience in my own district, however, Professional development is more important now than at any time in history. has shown me that many teachers who were not initially eager to participate in training got hooked on staff development and now attend regularly. But with SB 1209 on the books, how do we ensure that teachers new to the field who have never gotten a chance to understand the benefits of staff development or veterans who are burned out or lazy don’t take the easy way out – avoiding workshops, sliding into mediocrity and ceasing to meet student needs? First, of course, we need to make sure that every training and conference we offer is top notch. We’ve all participated in some that didn’t meet this standard. But more than that, I believe we need to advocate for staff development to be part of the requirements that our own local districts mandate as a term of employment. The CATESOL committee now gathering information for a position paper on professional development should advocate for mandatory (and paid) staff training that operates under a set of state-recognized standards. This would set the stage for positive change. Kit Bell supervises the Adult ESL, CBET, Citizenship and Adult Basic Education programs for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Help Students Develop Important Language and Vocabulary Skills Hit the Ground Running: Exploring Idioms in English Levels A-H for Grades 1-8 Perfect for English Language Learners Introduce students to idiomatic expressions they hear everyday and build comprehension and language skills. NEW Speedy Spelling: Mastering Troublesome Words Levels A-H for Grades 1-8 Help students master spelling “troublemakers” and build vocabulary with this focused, research-based approach. Call or visit our Website for a FREE sample Toll-Free 800-782-7300 Fax 866-424-4056 www.optionspublishing.com 21 ...practicing English ... (continued from the back page) memorization is synonymous with “learning English.” Not surprisingly, these students often “ace” entrance tests and are placed in intermediate or advanced ESL classes, where they are enrolling because they need, in their view, to learn “more grammar and vocabulary”. They eagerly purchase whatever textbook the class is using in the belief that an American textbook will reveal the mysteries of communication. It is at this point that I meet them. A quick show of hands usually indicates that very few of them speak English outside of class. Part of this is explainable by the idea expressed by the student in my class: she is diligently “studying English,” brushing up on grammar rules in her textbook and memorizing vocabulary. However, I believe there is also a significant cultural impediment to learning English in America for More than one of these students these students. A couple of has described to me their shock anecdotes will when they quickly realized that, illustrate: upon arrival in the United States, I recently they could neither effectively unbegan an derstand nor really speak English. adult school Many laughingly told me that they Chinese discovered this before they ever language class. got out the airport. The “culture notes” section of the textbook describes as “somewhat unlikely” the idea that two people without either a business or institutional relationship would simply introduce themselves to each other. At least not without an intermediary. A teacher friend found the lack of eye contact while looking into the faces of thousands of Tokyoites so unnerving that she rushed up to some Americans she saw just to get her requirement of this basic of American “communication vitamin.” The “Americans” turned out to be Europeans, by the way, but they did make eye contact. An educational administrator enjoyed his visit to Japan, visiting schools and meeting teachers, students and other Coming this May in the CATESOL News: 22 administrators. He conversed with many people during these visits but, wanting to stretch his legs and wander around Tokyo after dinner one evening, he found it impossible to converse beyond being helped with directions. Why Stephen Thacker the difference? Aside from reticence that might be considered normal in such a situation, no one knew his affiliation, his rank or other important determinants of how to begin talking to a stranger. A “culture shock” book about Japan describes a person without a business card as a “ship without a sail.” He was alone in Tokyo without either a card or an intermediary. When I began the conversation class mentioned at the outset of this article, the first homework assignments consisted of simple interactions with Americans: Making eye contact and saying,”hi” to people passed on the street. Looking into someone’s shopping cart and making a positive comment. “Those strawberries look good” or “How do you cook that?” are typical American interactions, as is wandering up to a stranger’s child (with permission, of course) and measuring a sweater that would seem to fit a similarly sized son, daughter , nephew or niece. Asking a stranger,” Do you think this color looks good on me?” is not considered inappropriate in America. Another homework project was to buy and return something to a store. Most American stores feature a “no hassle” return policy. Not so in many countries. Students’ lack of interaction with native speakers outside of the friendly and supportive environment of the ESL class hinders learning and frustrates students. Discovering that it is not only appropriate but fun to speak English with just about anyone at anytime can be empowering for ESL students. Stephen Thacker teaches advanced ESL and conversation ESL at Torrance Adult School in Torrance, California. Katheryn Garlow – CATESOL’s historian College University Chair Gregory Anderson discusses why nontenure-track faculty should stop being treated as outcasts. Elementary Level Chair Magaly Lavadenz gives us the lowdown on the newly established Center for Equity and Excellence in English Learner Education and Research (CE4R) in the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University. Contact Us/Join Us CATESOL 2006-2007 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CATESOL Membership Application Date ______________ 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) ________________ Full Time Part Time President KAREN CADIERO-KAPLAN (619) 594-4994 Name ____________________________________________ kcadiero@mail.sdsu.edu Past President KAREN DENNIS Mailing Address ____________________________________ (714) 241-5742 karendennis@mac.com President–Elect City ________________________ State ______Zip _______ DAN FICHTNER (310) 316-6092 dfichtner@aol.com County _______________________Country _____________ Secretary KATHY HAMILTON (916) 686-7717 Phone (H) _____________(W) ___________(Cell)________ khamilto@egusd.net Treasurer Fax __________________________ E–mail _____________ MARY HERBERT (530) 752-4136 MVHerbert@aol.com Elementary Level Chair MAGALY LAVADENZ (310) 338-2924 mlavaden@lmu.edu Mark “1” next to your primary choice. If you have a second Please answer. Secondary Level Chair choice, No response implies consent. BARBARA BILDERBACK (909) 596-2990 mark it with a “2. E–mail addresses are never sent barbara_bilderback@hotmail.com to anyone. Adult Level Chair ________ Intercultural Communication Interest Group (ICIG) KIT BELL May CATESOL: (213) 241-3709 kit.bell@lausd.net Send you an occasional e-mail ________ Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL) Community College Level Chair CHARMAINE PHIPPS regarding CATESOL products or (909) 477-8636 services, such as announcing ________ Teaching English in the Workplace (TEW) Charmaine.smith@chaffey.edu College/University Level Chair conferences, award opportuniGREGORY ANDERSON ties, etc. ? ________ Nonnative Language Educators’ Issues (NNLEI) (408) 422-3073 gga@usc.edu Yes No Intensive English Programs Subscribe to Listserv for the above interest group(s)? Yes Include your name in any (IEP) Chair TARA NEUWIRTH printed or No (310) 794-3251 on–line membership directory tneuwirt@uclaextension.edu Nevada Representative accessible Check one: VICKI HOLMES to CATESOL members only ? $50/1 yr. $85/2 yrs. (702) 895-3925 vholmes@cox.net Yes No $35/student (1 yr.) $35/teacher’s aide (1 yr.) Chapter Council Chair $35/retired (1 yr.) $80/joint (two people Provide your name and mailing BELINDA BRAUNSTEIN (805) 893-5867 address to other educational living at the same address/ 1 yr.) catesolbb@hotmail.com organizations ? Capital Area Chapter Yes No Coordinator Overseas members add $30 per year for postage. CASANDRA ISSAKA Please make your check cissaka@netscape.com Payment by: Check VISA Master Card Discover Los Padres Chapter Coordinator payable to CATESOL. MARIT TER MATE-MARTINSEN Credit Card Number: ______________________________ (805) 965-0581 ext. 3040 catesolmtm@yahoo.com Mail this form with remittance Orange County Chapter Expiration Date: _________________________________ to: Coordinator CATESOL BARBARA LUTHER BJLU5903@aol.com 21C Orinda Way, #362 Signature: ______________________________________ Saroyan Chapter Coordinator Orinda, CA 94563 SYLVIE HUNEAULT-SCHULTZE ____ (559) 442-4600 ext. 8691 s_huneault@yahoo.com INTEREST GROUP COORDINATORS Southern Nevada Chapter Interest Group Facilitator Robert Wachman (530) 741-6895 rwachman-tell@yccd.edu Coordinator Intercultural Communication IG Ana Turetsky, Coordinator beactive13@hotmail.com REGINA MARSHALL (702) 254-5777 Nonnative Language Educators’ Issues IG Tünde Csepelyi, Coordinator tunde@unr.nevada.edu smithrm@interact.ccsd.net Teaching English in the Workplace IG Annette Charron, Coordinator amtcharron@yahoo.com and SYLVIA VILLALVA Technology Enhanced Language Learning IG Marian Thacher, Coordinator mthacher@otan.us sylvia_villalva@interact.ccsd.net Northern Nevada Chapter CATESOL NEWS Editor:TIMOTHY LANGE tleelange@hotmail.com (323) 224-0329 Coordinator For general editorial information, contact: SARAH NIELSEN sarahenielsen@yahoo.com (510) 885-3216 LIZ WARNER For information regarding advertising, contact: ANH LY Anhlycatesol@yahoo.com LWarner@washoe.k12.nv.us and DIANA WALKER DWalker@washoe.k12.nv.us CATESOL JOURNAL For information, contact MARK ROBERGE roberge@sfsu.edu Steinbeck Chapter Coordinator MARGI WALD mwald@uclink.berkeley.edu TIM BARRETT mycatesol@gmail.com CONFERENCES For information, regarding exhibiting at conferences contact ANH LY 3014 Townsend, Santa Ana, CA 92704 Yosemite Chapter Anhlycatesol@yahoo.com KEITH PETERSEN For general CATESOL conference information, contact: VIRGINIA GULEEF vguleef@sdeed.edu (209) 575-6500 ext 8255 kyjjpetersen@hotmail.com Student Representative MEMBERSHIP WAYNEFLETE 21C Orinda Way #362 Orinda, CA 94563 (925) 253–8683 (fax) (263) 669-8966 JOHANNA DRASNER wayneflete@patten.com owlcage@earthlink.net Members may chose up to two interest groups: 23 Students Need Lessons on Practicing English Out of Class By Stephen Thacker W hile tidying up at the conclusion of an adult education ESL conversation class recently, I overheard this rather curious exchange between a class volunteer and a student: “Do you have a chance to practice your English outside of class?” asked the volunteer. “Not really.” replied the student. “I’m very busy.” The volunteer continued, “Oh, what are you doing?” “Studying English.” This brief conversation brought home to me the different ways people interpret the idea of “learning a language.” In this particular situation, the student was a middle-aged (whatever that means these days) Japanese woman. The majority of students in the various ESL classes I teach are Asian (Japanese, Korean and Chinese), and many have had a minimum of five years of English instruction in their home countries. Some continued their study of English in college, and quite a few listed English as their favorite subject in school. More than one of these students has described to me their shock when they quickly realized that, upon arrival in the United States, they could neither effectively understand nor really speak English. Many laughingly told me that they discovered this before they ever got out the airport. Many of these people sooner or later find their way to an ESL class. How can a person spend half a decade or longer in language classes and not be able to communicate? For ESL teachers, this is not a mystery – students come from monoethnic, mono-cultural countries, so opportunities to speak and listen to English with native speakers are limited. Further, English is taught by non-native speakers in the language of the home country. Grammar rules and vocabulary (continued on page 22) UPCOMING EVENTS March 20-24: TESOL Conference in Seattle March 31: Orange County Chapter - The Spring Workshop features former TESOL President Dr. Neil J Anderson speaking about “Building Reading Fluency.” April 12-15: “Transcending Borders” - 38th Annual CATESOL Conference in San Diego. April 21: Los Padres Chapter -”Differentiating Instruction, Session 1” in San Luis Obispo. April 27: Los Padres Chapter - “Organizing and Monitoring Instruction” in Santa Barbara. May 4: Los Padres Chapter - “Differentiating Instruction, Session 1” in Ventura. May 10: Los Padres Chapter - ESL Book Publishers Fair in Santa Barbara. May 12: Los Padres Chapter - “Differentiating Instruction, Session 2” in San Luis Obispo. September 29: Saroyan Chapter Conference October 6: Orange County Chapter Conference and Capital Area Chapter Conference October 12-13: Southern Nevada Chapter Conference October 13: Los Padres Chapter Conference and Yosemite Chapter Conference October 20: San Diego Regional Conference October 27: Los Angeles Regional Conference November 3: 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 LOS ANGELES CA PERMIT NO. 31611