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BIL ED 482
TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Fall 1999
Dolores Gonzales
Tuesday -- 4-6:30

Instructor
Holbrook Mahn
Hokona 212
277-5887
hmahn@unm.edu
http://www.unm.edu/~hmahn/
Office hours:
T & Th 1-3:00 & TBA

Course Goals/Objectives --

1. To help students gain a knowledge base in the methods of teaching a second language and to develop a teaching philosophy integrating prior knowledge and experience with class readings and discussions.

2. To share teaching ideas and gain experience by class demonstrations, tutoring, and lesson planning.

3. To discuss the implications of major approaches and supportive theories for teaching methods and activities.

4 To examine the implications of second language literacy acquisition theories for pedagogical approaches as they are applied to students learning English as a Second Language.

5. To provide guidelines for planning effective lessons using both thematic units and content-based subject matter.

6. To develop a unit plan (a combination of lessons) to be used in an ESL classroom.

Course Requirements:

1. Attendance & Participation: Because of the interactive nature of the class, attendance is mandatory.

2. Tutoring: Each student will be assigned or will select an appropriate second language learner to tutor once a week for 10 weeks from 9/21 through 11/23. A 2-3 page reflection paper on the experience will be due 11/23. Students are encouraged to keep a weekly journal as part of the process of producing the reflection paper. (20%)

3. Journal or Group Discussion: All students will either 1) Keep a journal in which they reflect on the readings, tutoring and/or classroom experiences, and class discussions; Students will also respond to another student's journal (approximately one typed page or two handwritten pages per week; or 2) Participate in an online discussion with other classmates, making at least 2 contributions a week. To access the discussion group:
Click Here. (20%)

4. Prepare and present a lesson for the ESL class at Dolores Gonzales. Hand in Evaluation of lesson on handout. (15%)

5. Evaluation of computer application (software or online) to be used with ESL students in the classroom. Describe how you would use it in your classroom and what adaptations you would need to make. (10%)

6 Unit Plan: All students will prepare a unit plan/paper which will: 1) have a short (3-5 page) introduction which describes the theoretical/philosophical foundation for the unit; 2) provide an overview of the unit describing the context (the course, the students -- age, proficiency levels, backgrounds etc.) and the major concepts and skills to be taught; 3) briefly justify the methods and types of activities to be included, tying them to the introduction; 4) develop a unit that will last approximately one to two weeks (it can vary depending on the age level and the content); 5) include an activity (15-20 minutes) which will be presented to our class; 6) include as part of the unit a lesson which incorporates the internet; 7) have a bibliography or reference list. (35%)


Grading:
Tutoring 20%
Journal or Group Discussion 20%
Demonstration of a Lesson and Evaluation 15%
Evaluation of a Computer Application 10%
Unit Plan 35%


Additional Requirement for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be required to complete a project for this class, in addition to the requirements for undergraduates. This project will be a review of two online articles other than those on the syllabus.

Required Texts -- Richard-Amato, P. (1996). Making it Happen: Interaction in the Second Language Classroom (Second Edition). New York: Longman.

Selected articles online and handed out throughout the semester.

Course Schedule:

Week One: August 24
Introduction of students, course, and instructor.

Week Two: August 31
Theme: First Language Acquisition?
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Intro., Ch. 1, , 2 & 3

Week Three: September 7
Theme: Theories of Second Language Learning
Reading Assignment: Edelsky Article

Week Four: September 14
Theme: Affect in the Second Language Classroom
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Ch.5

Week Five: September 21
Theme: Interactional Approaches and TPR
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Ch. 7; Related Reading 3


Week Six: September 28
Theme: The Natural Approach
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Ch. 8
Read
"What is the Natural Approach" and explore the web site
Exchange Journals

Week Seven: October 5
Theme:Music and Drama in the ESL Classroom
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Chs. 9 & 10

Week Eight: October 12
Theme: Making it Fun
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Ch. 11 & 13

Week Nine: October 19
Theme: Second Language Literacy Acquisition
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Chs. 4 & 12
Lessons with ESL Students Begin

Week Ten: October 26
Theme: Assessment and Special Learners
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Ch. 6
A Guide to Learning Disabilities for the ESL Classroom Practitioner
Exchange Journals

Week Eleven: November 2
Theme: Classroom Management
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Ch. 14
Draft of Unit/Final Paper Plan Due

Week Twelve: November 9
Theme: Teaching through and the Content Areas
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Ch.16

Week Thirteen: November 16
Theme: Resources Development
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Ch.15
Evaluation of Computer Application due

Week Fourteen: November 23
Theme: Different Kinds of ESL Programs
Reading Assignment: Making it Happen -- Ch. 17
Exchange Journals
Tutoring Reflection Due

Week Fifteen: November 30
Theme: Unit Plan Presentations
Journals Due

Week Sixteen: December 7
Theme: Unit Plan Presentations
Unit Plan/Final Paper Due

Finals Week: December 14
Theme: Unit Plan Presentations
Evaluation
Papers & Journals returned