12/4/08

Elizabeth Jimnez, CEO GEMAS Consulting and Advocacy

Introduction
Some English learners succeed in academic pursuits while others seem to languish This topic views contextual factors such as motivation, peer pressure, family values, and L-1 prociency from three perspectives the language, the learner, and the learning process Educators participate in a jigsaw cooperative activity using the article Contextual Factors in Second Language Acquisition, by Dr. Ada Walqui, to prompt a thorough discussion with examples of each of 14 contextual factors

Terminology to Know
Contextual Factor Cognitive Linguistic Affective Factors Language Distance Language Status

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Lus Rodrguez Always Running- La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.

I had fallen through the chasm between two languages. The Spanish had been beaten out of me in the early years of schooland I didnt learn English very well either. This was a predicament of many Chicanos. We could almost be called incommunicable Our expressive powers were strong and vibrant. If these could be nurtured, if language skills could be developed, we could break through any communication barrier. We needed to obtain victories in language built on an infra-structure of self-worth. But we were often defeated from the start. (p. 219)

Contextual Factors Impacting Second Language Acquisition

Rodrguez description includes a number of key factors that affected his language learning. Re-read his excerpt and list them below: 1. Spanish had been beaten out of me 2. I didnt learn English very well 3. 4. 5.

What do You Think?

DISCUSS How is it that some English learners acquire English more quickly than others? Which do you think is more important, motivation or peer pressure? Why are some English learners more likely to drop out? or become valedictorian?

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Contextual Factors Impacting Second Language Acquisition

ACTIVITY
What factors do you think affect the academic success and language acquisition of our English learners? List as many as
Factors that are characteristics of the learner

you can.

Factors that are characteristics of the language

Factors that are characteristics of the learning process

Contextual Factors Impacting Second Language Acquisition

ACTIVITY
Work in pairs or individually. Select a slip of paper that contains one of 14 contextual factors identied by Dr. Ada Walqui as impacting second language acquisition. Read over the description of this factor, discuss it with your partner, and come up with at least one example of this factor. Prepare to share with the whole group and teach the others about your item. You can access a copy of the entire article at: www.cal.org/resources/digest/0005contextual.html

Contextual Factors in Second Language Acquisition

Factors that are characteristics of the learner

Factors that are characteristics of the language

Factors that are characteristics of the learning process

Diverse needs Diverse goals Peer groups Role models Home support

Language distance Native language proficiency Knowledge of second language Dialect and register Language status Language attitudes

Learning styles Motivation Classroom interaction

Source: A. Walqui 2000

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Language Status
Students whose rst language has a low status vis a vis the second, may lose their rst language, perhaps feeling they have to give up their own linguistic and cultural background to join the more prestigious society associated with the target language.

Source: A. Walqui 2000

The Pull of Peer Pressure

In second language learning, peer pressure often undermines the goals set by parents and teachers. Peer pressure often reduces the students desire to work toward native pronunciation, because the sounds of the target language may be regarded as strange. For learners of English as a second language, speaking like a native speaker may unconsciously be regarded as a sign of no longer belonging to their native-language peer group. In working with secondary school students, it is important to keep these peer inuences in mind and to foster a positive image for prociency in a second language.
Source: A. Walqui 2000

Interview with Sal Flores

Advice for teachers about reaching disaffected students.

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Classroom Interaction
Language learning does not occur as a result of the transmission of facts about language or from a succession of rote memorization drills. It is the result of opportunities for meaningful interaction with others in the target language. Therefore, lecturing and recitation are not the most appropriate modes of language use in the second language classroom. Teachers need to move toward more richly interactive language use, such as that found in instructional conversations (Tharp & Gallimore, 1988) and collaborative classroom work (Adger, Kalyanpur, Peterson, & Bridger, 1995).
Source: A. Walqui 2000

Instructional Strategies to Address These Contextual Factors

Tapping prior knowledge Building background Setting content and language objectives L-1 as a learning asset Preparing opportunities for interaction Checking for understanding Designing higher order thinking projects

Tapping Prior Knowledge

Dont assume that students dont know anything about the topic Look for ways to tap into their experience or prior knowledge

EXAMPLE
In preparing to read a story on ice shing, students can begin by talking about what they know about shing, then build background from there. In preparing to read Charlottes Web, divide class into triads for a write around activity. As you elicit what they already know about the setting (a farm), each triad is assigned a different farm-related topic (animals, farm chores, tools, buildings, workers, smells, sounds, etc.)

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Building Background
In considering what to focus on for background building keep in mind that English learners may have had abundant experiences, but they may not match the authors assumptions. EXAMPLE In teaching the tale of the Shoemaker and the Elves we might assume that kids only know that shoes come from a store. Tap prior knowledge rst. E.g., Talk to your table partners. Where do shoes come from? When teaching 2nd grade, I was surprised to nd a student whose father had been a shoemaker in Mexico. Jos then became our resident expert and told us the materials, the tools, and the process for making shoes.

Raising the Status of L-1 Asset

Use L-1 with students and other adults Bilingual dictionaries for class and homework Preview-review Peer support L-1 resources tied to textbooks L-1 technology Seal of biliteracy

Structured Interaction
Traditional classrooms see the teacher doing most of the talking, and when students speak, it is one at a time. Cooperative learning structures give many students the opportunity to talk and practice language at the same time. Cooperative learning structures allow the teacher to observe, listen, check, and adjust instruction based on that input.

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Cooperative Learning
How does cooperative learning differ from traditional committee work? Every student has a dened role The group may be graded as a whole on the output and the process, rather than graded as individuals EXAMPLES
Write Around Numbered Heads Together Think, Pair, Share

Checking for Understanding-I taught it, but did they learn it?
Checkpoints in a lesson need to be planned to make sure students understand the material and the language being used. EXAMPLE In a law school lecture, the professor explained that a particular argument was a red herring. No one raised their hand to ask what he meant, but more than half the class was in the dark. In a second grade class the teacher read, the dinosaurs are gone for good. Some students misunderstood the expression gone for good, which means extinct. They thought it meant it was a good thing the dinosaurs were gone.

Checking for Understanding

Beginning
Thumbs up/thumbs down Nod your head yes/no Explain to your team in your language ______ Demonstrate, Show me Point to the Sort these objects Illustrate Create a model of ____ Draw an icon to symbolize or represent______

Early Intermediate
Either_____or_____ Is this a ___ or a _____? One word answer/short answer

Intermediate
Either_____or_____, Why?

Compare/contrast Sequence Describe

Make a list Steps in a sequence Complete a sentence frame or template Complete a graphic organizer

Who, what, where, when, why, how?

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Checking for Understanding

ACTIVITY Pause the tape and plan out, using the chart differentiated by prociency levels, how you could check for understanding during a lesson on the geography of China.

Checking for Understanding

ACTIVITY Suggested Answer
Pause the tape and plan out, using the chart differentiated by prociency levels, how you could check for understanding during a lesson on the geography of China.

Beginning People are moving away from the mountains to the cities. On the map, point to where people are moving away from. Early Intermediate Are people moving to the cities or to the mountains? Intermediate List 3 places on the map where people are leaving, moving away from.

Topic Review
Key contextual factors:
motivation, peer pressure, family support, language status, language distance

Strategies for mediating these factors:

Tapping prior knowledge Building background Setting content and language objectives Using L-1 as a learning asset Preparing opportunities to interact Checking for understanding Creating higher order thinking projects

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References
Rodriguez, L.J. (1993). Always running- La vida loca: Gang days in L.A. New York: Touchstone Walqui, A. 2000 Contextual Factors in Second Language Acquisition, ERIC@CAL.ORG