LANGUAGE EDUCATION: CROSSING CULTURES

MARK SULLIVAN

BRAINSTORM: SECOND LANGUAGE (L2) LEARNING

In small groups, discuss the following questions: 1) What is it like learning a Second or Foreign Language in Morocco? 2) How were your experiences learning these languages?

L2 LEARNING IN U.S. SECONDARY EDUCATION

Most students start in the 8th grade (Middle School) Choose from a variety of languages:
Traditional: Spanish, French, Italian, German More Recent: Chinese, Arabic, Korean, Japanese

Most students take 4 or 5 years of a foreign language in high school

Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Spanish 3, Spanish 4, Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish

Take an AP Test Language Test Senior Year to opt out of language courses in college/university

THE CLASSROOMS: MY EXPERIENCE

Lack of access to native speakers (NS) Most interaction with non-native speakers (NNS) Teacher-centered: Teacher at the front of class talking Grammar-Translation and/or Audio-lingual Method Not many real-world experiences Many students cant speak after 4 years of learning The best students had traveled and/or lived in a foreign country Focused more on culture in Spain, and not in Latin America

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
In small groups, discuss the following questions:

1) How were your experiences learning a L2 in a Higher Education institution and/or a private language school? 2) Were they any different than learning languages in secondary school (e.g. primary, middle, high school)?

L2 LEARNING IN U.S. HIGHER EDUCATION

Much better experience than secondary education Teachers focused on communicating in the language and talking about culture Content-Based Courses (e.g. latin american literature, cinema, poetry, etc.) Opportunities to speak with native speakers Study Abroad Language Houses
Live in a house/dorm where you speak the language Language and quasi-cultural immersion Motivation and Travel

LANGUAGE AWARENESS BREAK

Got Milk?

COMMON ACRONYMS
TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

TESL Teaching English as a Second Language United States Australia

TEFL Teaching English as a Foreign Language Morocco All other countries in which English is not the first language (non-English speaking countries)

United Kingdom Canada Ireland

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

What are the similarities and differences between teaching in a TESL vs. a TEFL context? What types of learners would you encounter in either or both contexts? What learning challenges or obstacles would learners encounter in either context?

OTHER IMPORTANT ACRONYMS

L1: First Language L2: Second Language OR TL: Target Language NS: Native Speakers / NNS: Non-native Speakers ELLs: English Language Learners (often used in the United States) ESOL: English for Speakers of Other Languages ELT: English Language Teaching ESP: English for Specific Purposes EAP: English for Academic Purposes EAPP: English for Academic and Professional Purposes SLA: Second Language Acquisition

LANGUAGE LEARNER HISTORY

In pairs, complete the following:
Find out any information about your classmates language learning (L1 or L2) history, such as the following...
1 What languages did he/she learn. 2 Did they learn these L2s in a classroom or outside? 3 What were his/her experiences learning the languages IN the classroom? 4 Were these experiences generally negative or positive? Why or why not? 5 What helped him/her learn the language? 6 What did not help him/her learn the language?