Chapter 11: Discourse in the Classrooms of English Learners
This chapter’s focus is on the educational patterns of discourse and the importance of cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). CALP can only be acquired after many years of “successful schooling” in academic language, instructor feedback and continued support in its use (Diaz-Rico, p 301). One way to promote CALP is through the Recitation Pattern (IRF). This “teacher talk” is used throughout the day to draw information and language in the target language. Students are Invited to participate in a conversation about any given topic. The students is given time to give a Response to the question. The teacher then Evaluates or to be more accurate, gives feedback to the student. This method has its benefits and drawbacks. This chapter does a good job in documenting both on Tables 11.1-11.4 (pp 305-306). I am prone to the Cooperative Learning pattern. This method of discourse allows students to work with others who may speak the same language or have similar abilities. Peers share information in a natural, organic manner then report back to the class. This requires teachers to share instructional responsibility with students, to trust that they are fully capable of being their own monitors. Instructions Conversation is a method used my many of the teachers I know. It allows students to use higher level thinking by allowing for more than one answer. The teacher asks open-ended questions and gives the student time to think about the question then respond. The teacher gives feedback in a non-threatening way so that the student does not feel discounted or rejected. Therefore, he/she is more likely to participate in other language activities.
This website gives some valid reasons why open-ended questions are important to use. www.pareonline.net/getvn
Shelly Rodriguez wrote that her students are given time to interact and discuss topics in small group settings. These settings are non-threating and provide students with much needed informal language to develop their target language skills. SHelly spoke of her involvement with her students. She sits with her students during lunch so that they have an opportunity to hear the target language during informal conversation.
ReplyDeleteHayward also discussed the importance of flexible groupings. She stated that she used direct instructions IRE during her day to solicit information from her students. She now sees how this might have inhibited her EL students from participating in group discussions. Cooperative learning is a good alternative or addition to IRE. She has now begun to implement some of the strategies she read about in this chapter.
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