Yes, Talking!: Organizing the Classroom to Promote Second Language Acquisition

436

371

Despite the widespread adoption of communicative language teaching (CLT) in ESL countries, research suggests that curricular innovations prompted by the adoption of CLT in EFL countries have generally been difficult. The literature on curriculum innovation suggests that teachers' understanding of an innovation is central to its success. A study of a group of South Korean secondary school English teachers' perceived difficulties in adopting CLT reveals that the difficulties have their source in the differences between the underlying educational theories of South Korea and those of Western countries. The results suggest that, to adopt CLT, EFL countries like South Korea will need to change their fundamental approach to education and that implementation should be gradual and grounded in the countries' own EFL situations. In the long run, EFL countries should establish their own contingent of language researchers in order to develop English teaching theories more suitable for their EFL contexts. Change agents must study teachers' perceptions of an innovation to ensure its success.

Section: Implications Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

"It's Always More Difficult Than You Plan and Imagine": Teachers' Perceived Difficulties in Introducing the Communicative Approach in South Korea

1998

436

371

“…ESL research has begun to demonstrate the effects which the social organization of the classroom has upon the second language development of LEP students and the critical role which the teacher plays in constructing social opportunities for learning (Enright & McCloskey, 1985;Johnson, 1983;Wong Fillmore, 1982). What has received less attention are those beliefs and assumptions held by regular teachers and students which interfere with the social and academic integration of LEP students into a regular classroom setting.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

ESL: The Regular Classroom Teacher's Perspective

Penfield¹

1987

A large number of limited English proficient (LEP) students in the United States spend only a small fraction of their school day with ESL teachers. Yet regular classroom teachers are unprepared in how to integrate the LEP student into the regular classroom. This article analyzes the results of a survey of regular classroom teachers' perceptions of LEP students and ESL teachers. An openended questionnaire was administered to 162 New Jersey teachers who had LEP students in their classrooms but who had had no training in ESL. A content analysis of the responses revealed five broad categories of concern: programmatic setting and instruction, training needs, LEP students and their parents, peer interaction, and the role of the ESL teacher. The responses indicate the difficulties which regular classroom teachers encounter in integrating LEP students socially and academically into the regular setting. Accordingly, it is recommended that ESL teachers and teacher training programs devote greater attention to preparing the regular classroom teacher for dealing more adequately with the educational needs of LEP students.

“…In working with teachers who rely totally on a combination of whole-class and silent-individual-seat-work participant structures (Carter & Canales, 1986;Miller, 1982) or who organize their classes in ways that do not allow for the active participation of second language learners (Enright & McCloskey, 1985;Johnson, 1983), ESL pull-aside and pullout arrangements can be useful. As a plan for second language development is gradually implemented, however, the ESL specialist can work closely with teachers to demonstrate new ways of organizing instruction.…”

Section: Organizational Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

The Organization of Instruction in Migrant Education: Assistance for Children and Youth at Risk

Johnson¹

1987

The Migrant Education Program is a major provider of instructional services to students whose schooling has been interrupted and who need to learn English as a second language. As part of a statewide evaluation of the program, a study focusing on the organization of instruction and interactions among participants was conducted in 11 school districts in California. A range of qualitative and quantitative data-collection and analysis methods was used. It was found that migrant supplementary instruction, focusing mainly on basic skills, was provided almost entirely by teacher aides. Migrant aides worked in the regular classroom in 68% of the instructional sessions observed and in a pullout setting in 32% of the sessions. Examination of the instructional context of migrant instruction revealed that when students were pulled out of the regular classroom for instruction, the regular teacher showed a very low level of awareness of the migrant students' activities or progress in the migrant program. Collaborative planning and strong administrative support for such planning were found to be critical features of high-quality supplemental programs. INSTRUCTION IN MIGRANT EDUCATION 441