Presentation 2014

1. Presentation 2014 • The rationale of the new syllabus is that students may reach different levels of competence in various skills. • The old syllabus has been replaced with “can do” statements. • Tasks will be dealt with at different levels. • The point of reference is the Common European Framework of Reference. • Buzzwords: skills,competence, complexity, differentiation

2. Kompetenzen und Kriterien werden im Einklang mit dem Fachlehrplan und den Bildungsstandards im Vorfeld des Unterrichts nach dem Prinzip „vom Ende her“ festgelegt.

4. Reading tasks (examples) 1.1 identifyingtext type 1.2 identifyingtexttopic 1.3 identifyingtextpurpose 2.1 findingspecificdetails 3.1 understandingexplicitlystatedmainidea(s) 3.2 locating, identifying, understandingandcomparingfacts, opinions, definitions

5. Quotationsfrom: ÖSZ Praxisreihe Heft 12 More! Student’s Book 2 p.103 The world’snewgold Reading comprehension GERS-Deskriptor Leseverstehen allgemein Kann kurze, einfache Texte lesen und verstehen, die einen sehr frequenten Wortschatz und einen gewissen Anteil international bekannter Wörter enthalten. (A2) Kann aus einfacheren schriftlichen Materialien wie Briefen, Broschüren oder Zeitungsartikeln, in denen Ereignisse beschrieben werden, spezifische Informationen herausfinden. (A2) Bildungsstandards-Deskriptor (E8) Kann unkomplizierte Sachtexte über Themen, die mit den eigenen Interessen und Fachgebieten aus den Themenbereichen des Lehrplans in Zusammenhang stehen, mit befriedigendem Verständnis lesen. (B1)

6. Sprachlernstrategien (Praxishandbuch S. 35): „Ist bereit, sich mit Hör- und Lesetexten weiter zu beschäftigen, auch wenn zunächst nur sehr wenig verstanden wird.“ Interkulturelle Kompetenz (Praxishandbuch S. 34): „Kann wichtige kulturelle Unterschiede zwischen dem eigenen Kulturkreis und jenem einiger anderer Länder erkennen und beschreiben.“

8. Listening tasks (examples) 1.1 Listening forgist 1.2 Listening formainidea(s) orimportantinformationanddistinguishingthatfromsupportingdetailorexamples 1.3 Listening forspecificinformation 2.1 Making inferencesanddeductionsbased on information in thetext. This canincludededucingmeaningofunfamiliarlexicalitemsfromcontext.

10. More! General CourseStudent’s Book 3 pp. 142/143 Holiday plans - An Gesprächen teilnehmen GERS-Deskriptor Kann sich in einfachen, routinemäßigen Situationen verständigen, in denen es um einen unkomplizierten und direkten Austausch von Informationen über vertraute Routineangelegenheiten in Zusammenhang mit Arbeit und Freizeit geht. Kannsehr kurze Kontaktgespräche führen, versteht aber kaum genug, um das Gespräch selbst in Gang halten zu können. (A2) Kann ein einfaches Gespräch über vertraute Themen (z. B. über Familie, Freundinnen und Freunde, Schule, Freizeit) beginnen, in Gang halten und beenden. (B1)

11. Kann mit anderen besprechen, was man tun oder wohin man gehen will; kann Verabredungen treffen. (A2) (GERS, 4.4.3.1) Ich kann an einfachen Gesprächen teilnehmen (z. B. über Familie, Freundinnen und Freunde, Schule, Freizeit). Ich kann dabei auch zeigen, dass ich mich für das interessiere, was mir jemand sagt. (A2) Bildungsstandards-Deskriptor (E8) Kann in einfachen Worten die eigenen Ansichten, Pläne und Absichten äußern und begründen. (B1) Die Bildungsstandards beschreiben das am Ende der 8. Schulstufe zu erreichende Zielniveau.

12. Wortschatzbeherrschung: „Beherrscht einen begrenzten Wortschatz in Zusammenhang mit konkreten Alltagsbedürfnissen.“ (A2) Im Bereich der grammatischen Kompetenz (GERS, Kapitel 5.2.1.2) wird bezüglich der grammatischen Korrektheit auf Niveau A2 Folgendes erwartet: „Kann einige einfache Strukturen korrekt verwenden, macht aber noch systematisch elementare Fehler, hat z. B. die Tendenz, Zeitformen zu vermischen oder zu vergessen, die Subjekt-Verb-Kongruenz zu markieren; trotzdem wird in der Regel klar, was er/sie ausdrücken möchte.“ (A2) Zur phonologischen Kompetenz (GERS, Kapitel 5.2.1.4) heißt es auf A2 bezüglich „Beherrschung der Aussprache und Intonation“: „Die Aussprache ist im Allgemeinen klar genug, um trotz eines merklichen Akzents verstanden zu werden; manchmal wird aber der Gesprächspartner um Wiederholung bitten müssen.“ (A2)

14. Reading tasks (examples) 1.1 identifyingtext type 1.2 identifyingtexttopic 1.3 identifyingtextpurpose 2.1 findingspecificdetails 3.1 understandingexplicitlystatedmainidea(s) 3.2 locating, identifying, understandingandcomparingfacts, opinions, definitions

15. Example: More! Student’s Book 2 p. 32 Saved by a pig What sort of advance organizing is meaningful or necessary? Levels of understanding – tasks with various degrees of complexity • What animal is the text about? • True/False sentences • Find the three incorrect sentences and correct them. • Summary of the text. Sentences are in jumbled order. • Write a summary. • What happens next? Continue the story./Judith Crowe tells her neighbour what happened. (Narrative text or dialogue)

17. Listening tasks (examples) 1.1 Listening forgist 1.2 Listening formainidea(s) orimportantinformationanddistinguishingthatfromsupportingdetailorexamples 1.3 Listening forspecificinformation 2.1 Making inferencesanddeductionsbased on information in thetext. This canincludededucingmeaningofunfamiliarlexicalitemsfromcontext.

18. Aus: KompetenzorientierterUnterricht in Theorie und Praxis, Bifie2011 S. 69f. “ WennallgemeinesHörverständnis auf A 2 definiertwirdals“verstehtgenug, um Bedürfnissekonkreter Art befriedigenzukönnen, soferndeutlich und langsamgesprochenwird”, und B1 bedeutet, dasseineSprecherin/einSprecher “dieHauptpunkteverstehen” kann, wenn“in deutlichartikulierterStandardspracheübervertraute Dinge gesprochenwird”, lässtsich dies leicht auf einenschulischenKontextübertragen.

20. Reading tasks (examples) 1.1 identifyingtext type 1.2 identifyingtexttopic 1.3 identifyingtextpurpose 2.1 findingspecificdetails 3.1 understandingexplicitlystatedmainidea(s) 3.2 locating, identifying, understandingandcomparingfacts, opinions, definitions

24. Summary and beyond Let’s look at the buzzwords again: Skills – More! is a skill based course Competence – students reach different levels of competence either by solving tasks of various complexity (receptive skills) or by producing language at different levels (productive skills). Sub-skills: we shouldn’t forget the continuous work with words.

25. Learning - Four key processes • wanting (needing) to learn - seeing what the point of it all is • learning by doing - practising, having a go, including making mistakes • positive feelings - usually based on other people's reactions to what we do • making sense - 'digesting' what we learn to gain understanding Phil Race: Who Learns Wins, Penguin Books/BBC Books 1995

26. Asking the right questions • How do we remember words? • What helped us understand the words in the text? • What do we need to know to do the task? • How can we find out? • What have we done today? Why? • How did we do it? • How well did we do? • What do we need to revise? Why? • What are we going to do next? Why? • What did you do if you didn’t understand? • How did we check our work? Gail Ellis, Developing metacognitive awareness – the missing dimension, British Council

27. Bonny Norton worked with five female immigrants and researched how language learning was influenced by the interaction with speakers in Canada. … Eva’s response to the question, “When do you feel most comfortable speaking English?” is significant: “It much depends on the speaker I talk to. If one doesn’t constantly show his or her superiority my English is more fluent and relaxed. I become tense and tend to forget even simple grammar rules if one does make comments about my accent.” Bonny Norton, Identity and language learning, Pearson Education 2000 p. 123

28. “Defensive” learning sees the foreign language as a vast set of sound and words and rules and patterns that are to be transferred from the teacher or the textbook into (or onto!) the mind of the student. In this view, the teacher – and, later on, the speakers of the language in the host country – are seen as hurling darts at the student. If a dart strikes an unprotected area (i.e., if the learner is unable to come up with the correct response in speaking or understanding), the experience is painful. Prabhu suggests that fellow students, among whom exist “likes and dislikes, loyalties and rivalries, ambitions and desires to dominate, injured pride and harboured grudge, fellow feeling and jealousy”, can be an ever “fiercer” source of threat. Similarly Clement, Dörnyei, and Noels tell us that classroom activities which expose students to negative evaluations by the teacher or by peers may promote anxiety, and that anxiety and self-perceptions may in turn affect achievement. What the learner tries to do, therefore, is to see to it that there are as few chinks as possible in her armour, or in Prabhu’s metaphor, she tries to build a shell around herself. Earl W. Stevick, Memory, Meaning and Method, 2nd edition Heinle & Heinle 1996, p. 196

29. Motivation Extrinsic motivation - gaining something outside the activity, eg. passing an exam, financial reward Intrinsic motivation – something generates interest and enjoyment, reason for performing the activity lies within the activity itself “If learning is to be successful, it is crucial that teachers establish in their classrooms a climate where confidence is built up, where mistakes can be made without fear, where learners can use the language without embarrassment, where all contributions are valued, and where activities lead to feelings of success, not failure.” Williams and Burden, Psychology for Language Teachers p. 73

30. “If teachers make their intentions clear and make sure that these are understood, if they invest tasks and activities with personal significance, and if they explain clearly how performing such activities will be helpful elsewhere, then powerful motivating conditions are likely to be set. If in addition they help the learners take control of their own learning and set their own learning goals, then there is a greater chance that the learners will be motivated to learn.” Williams and Burden, Psychology for Language Teachers, p. 134-5

31. Individualized and cooperative learning • Cooperative learning needs to be developed in small steps. • On the one hand cooperative learning calls for autonomy, on the other hand it needs careful structuring. • Clear instructions are decisive. • Groups are arranged by the teacher to prevent the forming of groups based on friendship. • The members of the group depend on one another since there are common goals. • Each member is responsible for their joint work and they support one another. • The group must be competent to make decisions and solve conflicts at a basic level.

32. The teacher’s considerations • What types of texts, activities arouse interest and curiosity? • How do I know what is challenging for students? • How can I make them see the value of an activity? • Which steps can I take to give students more control over what happens in the classroom? • Are there ways to strengthen the students’ beliefs that they are capable to carry out an action, an activity? • What sort of feedback fosters learning? Informational versus judgemental feedback

33. John Hattie, Visible Learning, 2009 p. 126 “…it is teachers using particular teaching methods, teachers with high expectations for all students, and teachers who have created positive student-teacher relationships that are more likely to have the above average effects on student achievement.” Visible learning: When teachers SEE learning through the eyes of the student and when students SEE themselves as their own teachers. Hattie, p. 238

34. Success comes inCANS not inCAN’TS