4. ESL learners come to school with
existing language skills, cultural knowledge,
social knowledge and cognitive abilities. This
linguistic and cultural diversity is valued in
itself. As well, this indicates that a studentâs
level of language competence in his or her first
language influences the rate of second
language learning. Developing first language
competence is important not only for reasons
of identity and community but also for
developing the cognitive, linguistic and
cultural understandings learners need to be
able to learn another language.
5. ESL and Special Needs
ESL students who have special
needs require services to address both
their language proficiency and their special
need. Having English as a second
language or dialect does not in itself make
a student special needs. Students with
special needs that have disabilities of an
intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional,
or behavioural nature, or have a learning
disability or have exceptional gifts or
talents.
6. STRANDS OF ESL
The four strands identified in ESL are interdependent and
interrelated and describe the ways in which learners
communicate in Universal Language.
LISTENING
refers to ESL learnersâ development in understanding
spoken Universal Language. It focuses on the ability to
actively listen for a purpose and involves learners being
able to select and apply strategies to make meaning in a
wide range of contexts.
SPEAKING
refers to ESL learnersâ development in using spoken
Universal Language for communication for social and
school-based learning. It involves developing learnersâ
control over Universal Language phonology, word and
sentence stress, rhythm and intonation and the
information conveyed by these systems.
7. READING
refers to ESL learnersâ development in reading,
understanding and responding to a wide range
of spoken, written and visual English texts. It
involves learnersâ developing understandings of
how texts are organised and how language
varies according to situation, social and cultural
contexts, purpose and audience.
WRITING
refers to ESL learnersâ development in writing a
range of texts for interpersonal, informational
and aesthetic purposes. It involves developing
writing skills including spelling, punctuation and
grammatical structures.
8. The ESL Outcomes and Strands are organised
into four ELEMENTS:
1. Communication
2. Socio-cultural understandings
3. Language structures and features
4. Learning how-to-learn
The language and concepts that students learn
about at school may not necessarily match those
of their first language and culture. These elements
help teachers to program and make explicit the
language and cultural understandings needed to
effectively communicate in Universal Language.
9. 1. COMMUNICATION
refers to how learners interact with the English-
speaking environment and communicate in
Standard Australian English . It also focuses on
the development of learnersâ ability to produce
and respond to spoken and written text.
2. SOCIO-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDINGS
refers to the development of learnersâ
understanding of and ability to use Standard
Australian English appropriately in various
contexts. It focuses on the need for ESL learners
to be aware of the relationships between text,
context, purpose and audience.
10. 3. LANGUAGE STRUCTURES AND FEATURES
focuses on the Standard Australian English
language forms typically used in spoken and
written communication. It explores Standard
Australian English language in terms of
patterns of text structure and organization
(genres), textual and grammatical aspects of
language, print elements, pronunciation and
non-verbal elements of communication.
4. LEARNING HOW-TO-LEARN
refers to the explicit teaching of learning
strategies that enable learners to develop and
use Standard Australian English in a range of
contexts.
11. THE ESL LEVEL
The word âLEVELâ is used in the ESL to give
emphasis on the difference between learning
English as a second language and a learnerâs
stage of schooling, age or cognitive ability.
Students can demonstrate, the outcomes are
similar in the Early Childhood/Primary and
Secondary ESL Pathways, the indicators
provide teachers with more age specific
information to meet the needs of the ESL
learners within their class.
12. Students who have concepts about literacy
in their first language begin their ESL
progression at this Level in reading and
writing. Concepts of literacy include:
⢠understanding that print and writing carry a
message
⢠understanding that illustrations and
pictures can convey information and add
meaning to the text
⢠ability to identify parts of the book and
handle books appropriately
⢠knowledge of print conventions, e.g., left to
right, word spacing, knowledge of sound
symbol relationship.
13. PROGRESSION THROUGH THE LEVELS
ESL learners of average learning ability, social
and physical health and with uninterrupted
schooling will develop the same level of
academic English language proficiency as their
English language speaking peers. This results
suggest that ESL learners will take between five
to 10 years to acquire the same level of
academic English language proficiency as their
English language peers.
14. Generally, ESL learners, after initial progression through
the Beginning Levels, progress through each level of the
ESL outcomes within about 18 months. This progression
depends on a range of inter-related factors including
⢠language background
⢠cultural knowledge
⢠age
⢠cognitive ability
⢠social, emotional and physical health
⢠school attendance
⢠previous schooling experience
⢠experience with English
⢠experience with the culture of school
⢠language of peers in classroom and school
⢠level of English use in the community
⢠socio-economic status of family and community
⢠support from family and community
⢠expertise of teachers, schools and communities to
meet the needs of ESL learners.
15. Goals of the ESL
The over-all focus of English as a Second Language
is to provide opportunities for ESLs to reach full
parity(equally) with their native English-speaking
peers. The three broad goals set forth in the
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other
Languages, 1997 (TESOL) ESL Standards for Pre-
K- 12 Students provide the foundation for the design
of English as a Second Language. Through English
language instruction, the ESL works toward
attainment of these ESL proficiency standards and
goals, achievement and realization of long term
personal, social, and economic success in an
English speaking society. The goals are to:
16. 1. Use English to communicate effectively in a social setting.
a. Use English to participate in social interaction;
b. Interact in, through, and with spoken and written English for
personal expression and enjoyment; and
c. Use learning strategies to extend communicative
competence.
2. Use English to achieve academic standards in all content
areas.
a. Use English to interact in the classroom;
b. Use English to obtain, process, construct, and provide
subject matter information in spoken
and written form; and
c. Use appropriate learning strategies to construct and apply
academic knowledge.
3. Use English socially and in culturally appropriate ways.
a. Choose appropriate language variety, register, and genre
according to audience, purpose and setting;
b. Vary non-verbal communication according to audience,
purpose and setting; and
c. Use appropriate learning strategies to extend their social-
linguistic and social-cultural competence.
19. FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Education department eyes adding Bahasa to
curriculum (Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malayu).
Luistro said that adding another language to the basic
teaching curriculum would truly make Filipinos
multilingual.
The implementation of K-12 Education
programme which was adapted to other foreign
countries. The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2012
aims Foreign Language education in the United States
at the beginning of the twenty-first century is
energized by some of the most dramatic
developments in its modern history.
20. PROFICIENCY
The American Council on the Teaching of
Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency
Guidelines, shifted the emphasis in language
instructional goals from what learners know
about language and to what they can DO with
the language they have learned.
The Proficiency Guidelines describe
student performance in listening, speaking,
reading and in writing at the novice,
intermediate, advance, and superior levels.
21. 5 MAJOR GOALS OF FOREIGN
LANGUAGE
COMMUNICATION. Communicate in
languages other than English.
CULTURES. Gain knowledge and
understanding of other cultures.
22. COMPARISONS. Develop insight into the
nature of language and culture.
CONNECTIONS. Connect with other
disciplines and acquire information.
COMMUNITIES. Participate in multilingual
communities at home and around the
world.
23. Three major categories of Foreign
Language Programs in Elementary
Schools
1. IMMERSION
a. Total Immersion Programs
b. Partial Immersion Programs
2. FLES (foreign language in
elementary schools), and
3. FLEX (foreign language exploration
or experience)
24. Considerations When Learning a Foreign Language
REPETITION
Although repetition in learning a foreign language can be
boring, it is key to your success. Many studies on language
acquisition show that very high numbers of repetition are
necessary for a word to become truly owned and in your long
term memory. This is why so many language classrooms require
choral repetitions. Repetitions can be verbal, aural, read or
written. So, when you study, hit the word or verb conjugation as
many times as possible.
HIT ALL OUR SENSES (except smell)
You will retain new vocabulary better if the repetition includes as
many of your senses as possible. Thus, ideally, you should be
studying in a place where you can speak the work out loud as
you write it down or read it. Writing large characters can also
help with retention.
25. MIRRORS AND ACTING
Watch yourself in the mirror from time to time as you speak
your foreign language. Practice various postures, act angry in
your language, act happy or sad. Use the language to truly
communicate your feelings so that it has meaning and
context.
FEAR
Some students are very nervous in foreign language classes.
You donât want to say something stupid and make a fool of
yourself. Unfortunately, learning a language almost
guarantees that you will say something stupid. That really is
okay, you just have to convince yourself that it is okay. Even
the best language learners experience this. My first nigh with
my French family on my study abroad, I mistakenly told them
I was pregnant in an attempt to say that I was full. They
thought this quite amusing. I do too, now. You learn from
your mistakes. This is part of the process.
26. EAR TRAINING
In your native language, you donât have to listen very well. You
only actually hear some of the words being said and your brain fills
in the rest. You canât do this when you are first learning a
language. You may have to train yourself to listen. If you are
musical, you probably already have. This is why your language
class almost certainly asks you to listen to cdâs or watch videos. Do
this in small amounts at a time not for an hour straight. Build up
your listening time just like you do for training for a sporting
event.
TRANSLATION
For any modern language, translation is considered a no-no,
although you will not be able to avoid it at times. Consider the
following expression in English â âto be in a pickle.â If you were to
translate this word for word into another language it would be
non-sensical. This may be an extreme example but the point is to
understand that other languages say things in other ways and do
NOT mirror English vocabulary or structures.
27. STUDY TIME
Study often and in small time periods. Four half-hour study
periods are usually more effective than a two hour block. Your
attention span in another language is not as long as in your native
language. Study every day, even if it is only for a short period of
time.
OFFICE HOURS/TUTORS
Use your instructorâs office hours for grammar help or additional
listening practice. Go and just speak the language for a few
minutes. If you do decide to get a tutor, prepare for your tutoring
session. Know what you want to work on and why. Study ahead of
time. Donât think a tutor will pass the class for you.
CONTINUITY
Donât take a semester off if at all possible!! You will forget your
language at an alarming rate. If you are planning a break in your
language sequence for any reason, see an advisor to come up with
a plan.
28. SPRING/SUMMER?
If you have trouble learning languages, continuing over the
summer may be to your advantage. Continuing over
spring/summer means no break and thus less time to forget what
you just learned. These classes may be smaller than those during
the academic year. This means more chances to speak in class and
more individual help. Spring/summer is also more intensive so
you are more immersed in the language. If it is the only course
you are taking you can really focus on it. On a cautionary note,
some students feel overwhelmed by the intensity and canât keep
up with the pace of language acquisition so you should speak with
an advisor to help you make a decision about whether a spring or
summer class is right for you.
REPETITION
Did I already say this? Well, it bears repeating. Repeat, repeat,
repeat!
30. ENGLISH AND THE MOTHER TONGUE
What and why?
Knowing when to use the mother tongue and
when to use English in a classroom is one of the
hardest decisions to make. In the past, many writers
have recommended that teachers should only use
English â that the mother tongue, in other words,
should not be allowed. This is not a view we take,
especially for young learners. Firstly, it is impossible to
learn anything unless you relate it to what you already
know. This means that children will always translate
even if we tell them not to. It is important, then, that we
make sure they have the correct translation. The old
argument about âencouraging them to think in Englishâ
is only really feasible when they have enough language
in which to think. For primary school children, this is
unlikely to be the case with a foreign language for a
very long time.
31. Secondly, it is important that the children
have a sense of security in the classroom,
that they feel they can ask for help, explain
problems, say how they feel, and so on. They
will only do this in the mother tongue.
Thirdly, using the mother tongue means that
it is possible to do more interesting work and
more complex types of activities.
There is, of course, a danger in this â
that the children will hear very little English.
Every situation is unique, but a general
principle might be to try to use English as
much as possible â without producing
confused, worried or bored learners.
33. Give instructions in English, but repeat
them in the mother tongue. After a while,
you could give an English instruction
and get the children to say it in the
mother tongue, so that you know they
have understood.
Give instructions in English, but try to
use as much gesture as possible to
make the meaning clear. In the craft
activities, for example, the children can
hear an instruction in English and see
what it means.
34. Give instructions in English, but allow time for
the children to âprocessâ the language before
you give another instruction. Comprehension
is improved by giving the children time
between statements, not by speaking more
slowly.
Only use the mother tongue at certain times.
For example, when you are previewing or
when you are helping the children to
understand something new.
Try to use the same language again and
again. The âClassroom languageâ section in
the teaching notes for each unit gives
examples.
35. Teach the children the meaning of
classroom language that you will use a
lot. For example: Work in pairs. Open
your book. Listen and follow. You could
put a poster on the wall with common
phrases that you use, and their
meanings. When you give an instruction,
you can then point to the poster at the
same time.
Teach the children some phrases that
they can use. For example: I donât
understand. Please say it again. I canât
hear. Whatâs the English forâŚ?