Scaffolded Instruction for Peer Editing

I found this to be a great summary of strategies for getting students to peer review.  It’s hard to get them to give quality editing sometimes!  Check out the full link for more details.

Last week, I described several factors that make editing a particularly difficult task for ESL students. Today, I’m going to offer some ideas for scaffolding editing in an academic writing setting. They’re based on my own experiences (including some from this semester in my lead teacher’s classroom), advice that’s been given to me, and my […]

via Scaffolding Editing — Learning to Teach English

Sense and Nonsense

Ever had difficulty explaining the difference between similar words, like meet and encounter?  Here is an activity that can help students understand specialized meanings of words in context.

I wanted to share a vocabulary activity that I use a lot, especially for upper-level students.  It is an idea that I have adapted from vocabulary squares, and it involves students using their knowledge of a vocabulary term’s meaning to test the semantics, or correct meaning, of a sentence.

Basically, students will be given some sentences that contain recent vocabulary words or phrases, which they will have to read and analyze.

Here are two examples:

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Directions:  Read the sentence and circle whether it makes sense or is nonsense.  If it is nonsense, then change the sentence to make sense.

Sense or Nonsense

1.  John was surprised to encounter Frank in the store, since they hadn’t seen each other in years.

Sense or Nonsense

2.  Frank anticipated meeting John, so he was very surprised, too.

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This tests the student’s knowledge of the word meaning on several different levels:

• First, they have to know what the what the word means, both in a general sense and in specific ways.  For example, the word encounter (v.) is a general synonym for “to meet,” but it also contains the idea of a surprise or unexpected situation.
• Next, students need to be able to understand the context of the sentence, and how the vocabulary word is being used in relation to other words or ideas.  Then, they will need to see if the sentence context matches with the meaning of the vocabulary word.  For example, the word anticipate (v.) carries the meaning of pre-planning, and so it does not match with being surprised very well.
• Sometimes, students will start seeing reasons for a sentence to be nonsensical when it is supposed to make sense (or vice versa), which is a good opportunity to provide feedback and correction on misunderstandings.  This can be a good test to see if students have a general misunderstanding, or if their mistake is more localized.
• Finally, students will need to be able to make edits on sentences that are nonsensical.  This checks to see if students can pinpoint the exact reasons why a sentence does not carry meaning correctly.  For many students, it is easy to tell when a sentence seems “off” for some reason, but looking at it more specifically to be able to tell why helps shed some light on the nuances of meaning in more difficult vocabulary words.  For example, “Frank anticipated meeting John, so he was very surprised, too” should be changed to something more like “Frank anticipated meeting John, so he wasn’t suprised as much.”  This shows the relationship between anticipate and surprise.

This activity has many benefits for students, and even includes some amount of communicative practice with their vocabulary words.  The downside of it, though, is that there aren’t many resources that have “nonsense” sentences prepared for vocabulary words.  Therefore, you, as the teacher, will need to come up with these sentences yourself, which can be time consuming.  However, you should be able to adapt this activity to any set of vocabulary words.

Just for fun…

See if you can figure out the sentences below on your own:

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Directions:  Read the sentence and circle whether it makes sense or is nonsense.  If it is nonsense, then change the sentence to make sense.

Sense or Nonsense

1.  Becky’s job was very collaborative, and she worked in an office all by herself.

Sense or Nonsense

2.  When I asked my teacher if we would have a test, he gave an ambiguous answer:  “We’ll see…”

Sense or Nonsense

3.  Ian moved to a new city, and it took him a long time to adjust to all the new transitions.

Sense or Nonsense

4.  Gina doesn’t like to follow patterns. She does what everyone else does.

Sense or Nonsense

5.  Julie’s schedule is very fixed, so she never knows what days she is available for meetings.

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Answers:

Vocabulary Squares

I wanted to share a very simple, yet effective tool for helping students build vocabulary skills.  Vocabulary Squares are a way for students to record new vocabulary terms, explore their meaning, and begin using them in communication.

When a student is introduced to a new vocabulary word or phrase, they can record information about it in a page like the one below (feel free to click on the link below the picture to open up a downloadable version).

Click HERE to print out an example vocabulary square

Here’s how they work…

I generally have students record the following information in their vocabulary square:

1. A good definition:  This may or may not be the “dictionary definition.”  See my post on Keeping it Simple to see some helpful tips on giving good definitions to your students.
2. A “Sense” Sentence and a “Nonsense” Sentence:  Either give the word in a sentence for context, or have students come up with their own sentences (make sure to check what they have written for accuracy!).  The “Nonsense” Sentence can be a bit tricky, and I usually only do it with upper-level students (lower-leveled students would just have a “sense” sentence).  Here, students should write down a sentence where the word is used with an incorrect meaning.  For example, with the word impossible, students might have a nonsense sentence like:  “It is impossible for me to come to school because my car is working fine.”  Students can create their own sentences, or take an example given by the teacher.  These nonsense sentences help students understand a broader range of the word.
3. Synonyms and Antonyms:  Students can use themselves, a thesaurus, or other resources to look up related and opposite words to give them a more concrete idea of the vocabulary term’s meaning.
4. A picture:  As the old saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.”  In this case, pictures are excellent for helping students to understand new words and be able to review them quickly.  I usually have students draw a picture that helps represent the word; for example, for the word humongous, I might have a picture of an elephant next to a mouse, with an arrow pointing to the elephant.

Additional Ideas…

One of the best things about Vocabulary Squares is that you can quickly adapt them as needed.  As I said before, “nonsense” sentences are difficult for low-leveled learners, so they can either be dropped or switched out for negative sentences.  Students can either record their information as guided notes, or fill in their charts with their own answers–or even work in small groups.  Also, instead of just synonyms or antonyms, students can also work on related parts of speech (i.e. quick (adj.) and quickly (adv.)).  Lastly, it can be very useful for students to keep track of their vocabulary worksheets in a notebook or binder.  That way, they can be reviewed at intervals throughout the class.

It really only takes a short time to edit the vocabulary square worksheet.  What ideas can you think of for using it in your classroom?

Culture Shock

There’s a major psychological problem that many ESL students and teachers face:  Culture Shock.

John Macionis and Linda Gerber, in their book Sociology, describe culture shock as:

…an experience a person may have when he/she moves to a cultural environment which is different from his/her own; it is also the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, a move between social environments, or simply transition to another type of life.

Macionis, John, and Linda Gerber. “Chapter 3 – Culture.” Sociology

In layman’s terms, culture shock is what happens when people experience living in a new culture.  It is actually a process that can be charted out over time:

1. When someone lives in a new culture, they first enjoy the opportunity to try new things, and they feel excited to learn about their new way of life.  This lasts for a few months.  (The “Honeymoon Phase”)
2. Around 3 months or so, the novelty of living in a new culture wears off.  The person begins to miss their native culture.  Language barriers become more frustrating and challenging.  In this stage, people often go through forms of depression or even anger at their new host culture.  This can last for up to a year or more.  (The “Negotiation Phase”)
3. Eventually the person begins to adapt to their new culture, and even learns to accept it (at least in parts).  The person may even begin to prefer parts of the new culture over the original culture.  (The “Adjustment Phase”)
4. At last, the person feels truly bi-cultural, and can understand the new culture without difficulty.  It all seems natural.  (The “Mastery Phase”)

How to help our students…

Each time I begin teaching a new group of ESL students, I always start the term with a lesson about dealing with culture shock.  As a class, we spend time talking about how it feels to be in a new country.  Each student has had different experiences, whether good or bad, and has different insights on how to deal with culture shock.  Some students may be completely new to the host culture, while others are in later stages of the culture shock process.  Everyone has something to contribute to the discussion.

Through personal experiences and through hearing about my students’ stories, I have come up with a few practical ideas for overcoming culture shock in a new country or environment:

Find your favorite food in the new country:

MSG can be crucial to cultural acceptance

 Interestingly enough, a content belly can mean a content mind.  When the new country and culture seems overwhelming, it is nice to be able to sit down to something that you can enjoy.  When I lived in Korea, this “comfort food” was Shin Ramyeon (신라면).  It was not the healthiest of foods, but it sure could hit the spot.  It was also an opportunity to show part of my new culture to other foreigners.  Remember, “If you can love the food, you can love the country.”

Be patient:

Maybe this one seems obvious, but it does take some time to get to the acceptance and mastery phases of culture shock.  Take things one day at a time.  When a stressful situation happens because of cultural problems, getting a good night’s sleep about it will often make the stress go away.  It is useful to have a place to “escape” to.

Talk about your problems…while staying positive:

The great thing about ESL classes is that they are safe places where students can communicate with each other without feeling ashamed or worried about others’ opinions.  Students can talk about their difficulties, and will often find comfort, advice, and friendship, which are all important factors in adjusting to a new culture.  Plus, giving students the chance to talk about these issues can lead to some great conversation classes!

The flip side of this, though, is the danger of painting everything in a negative light.  Culture is just culture–it is usually not “good” or “bad,” just different.  So don’t complain about everything that is “wrong”…instead, talk about how things are different, and why they might be so.  You may even come up with some aspects of the new culture that you prefer over your original culture.

This is a huge shame in Korea

When I lived in Korea, where respect for age is extremely important to the culture, it sometimes seemed hard for me as an American to be on equal terms with my co-workers and neighbors.  Sometimes I found it difficult to let my elders make all of the important decisions for the workplace, social events, and long-term planning.  However, it was also a very good aspect of the society, since seniors were always shown respect and were well-cared for.  Korean people will almost always give up their seat on the train or bus in order to let an older person sit down.  Americans could probably learn a thing or two about how to take care of their elders with more care and respect.

Conclusions…

Our students are going through a lot.  They aren’t just learning a language, but learning a culture and reacting to it.  By giving them some advice on how to stay positive and adjust, it will help our students succeed in life, which is more important than just succeeding in the classroom.

For others who have dealt with culture shock, is there any more advice you can offer? Any other practical strategies for adjusting to a new culture? Feel free to leave any comments below.