Assignment 1: Focus on the Learners

Part A: Class Profile

The class fluctuates between roughly 15 to 20 students of university

age or older;; on an average day, there are some 15 individuals

present. While they hail from many countries, Iranians make up

one-­quarter to one-­third of the students, another one-­fifth is from

Morocco, and another one-­quarter block is evenly made up of French,

Algerian, and Russian students. The rest of the class is made up of

individuals who have no fellow countrymen in their midst. Two-­thirds

of all students have some experience with English in a

secondary-­school setting, and one-­third has studied English in a

post-­secondary institution. Learning styles are difficult to discern

as the students do not hand in any material for evaluation.

All of the students have been classified as being

“intermediate,” however, this does not mean that they are “equally

intermediate” in all aspects. Oral comprehension is the weakness

which is the easiest to detect;; roughly one-­third of the students do

not fully understand everything that is said by the instructors. As

for motivations for learning the language, two-­thirds are present for

work related reasons, with the remaining one-­third here for academic

reasons.

The students’ classroom manner has changed in step with the

classroom manner of the instructors: before a rapport was

established, the class and the instructors were slightly awkward and

shy with each other. Now, after one week, most students and

instructors are interacting with confidence.

All exercises are carried out with varying degrees of

enthusiasm. Apart from those who struggle with oral comprehension,

most students follow the class material well-­-­as confirmed both

through ICQs/CCQs as well as during monitoring exercises. Crucially,

however, the instructors must be careful not to speak to the students

like children, and to make tasks challenging without being

complicated. The older students in particular furrow their brows when

they are told that what they accomplished was “very good!,” and on at

least one occasion, a student commented that x grammar explanation

was not very good. More diligence is therefore required from the

instructors in their deportment, as well as a keen eye turned towards

the material they prepare.

Part B: Error Analysis

Section One

Error Should be... Error

Type

Possible Reason

“Something

we can make

alone”

Something we can do

alone.

Vocabulary English structures replaced with

L1 structures-­-­unaware of

collocations. Attempt to use

French syntax by using the verb

“Faire,” to do/to make.

“A woman who

elps with

the birth”

A woman who helps with

the birth.

Pronun. L1 interference: phonology

Certain phonemes do not exist in

French-­-­regarding consonants in

particular, /h/ does not exist

and is often dropped.

“I assisted

at the

opera”

I attended the opera. Vocabulary L1 interference: false friends.

This is the problem of a word or

expression that has a similar

form to one in a person's native

language, but a different

meaning (for example English

magazine and French magasin‘shop’). In this case, assister,fr. v “to attend, to go to” is

used in English due to its

similarity.

“Get

divorcé”

Get divorced. Pronun. L1 interference: phonology

A difficult error to diagnose

correctly, as there are many

possible culprits-­-­from an

attempt to state an infinitive,

“divorcer,” to the common

problem of “creating verbs” by

adding an -­er (inf) or -­é (p.t.)

ending to a stem.

“I do my

masters

degree”

I am doing my master’s

degree.

Grammar English structures replaced with

L1 structures-­-­the construction

“Je fais x” directly translated

into English. Necessitates tense

review and structure in English.

“She has

practiced

volleyball”

She played volleyball Grammar/

Vocabulary

Attempt to form simple past

tense as in French, using

“avoir,” as well as a vocabulary

error.

Section Two

The patterns identified here are a combination of L1 or perhaps even

L2 interference, and are the historical result of many of the

students already having French as a second language, with English

being their third or fourth. Therefore, it is not as simple as

looking at a class roster and making note of where the student comes

from, as the language errors may not necessarily involve their mother

tongue, and may be a combination of L1 and L2 errors.

Admittedly, this list had been deliberately chosen to

demonstrate a genre of common grammatical or lexical errors which

would be suitable to provide the impetus for a particular language

lesson;; for an instructor must practice classroom triage, and deal

first with problems that are common to the whole, instead of

beginning with student-­specific errors. In this case, when dealing

with students whose L1 is French, the study of the present

progressive is a good starting point. This would correct the common

problem of “pr + do + occupation,” as seen in the above example, “I

do my masters.” While it is true that proper syntax may be acquired

through exposure, a revisiting of said grammar may be useful for

those the students in question.

Part C: Skills Needs Analysis

Oral and aural skills improvement is the primary motivator for most

students in the classroom, as it is these skills which impede their

advancement either academically or in their search for employment.

This has been demonstrated in two ways: x student does not raise

their hand for fear of speaking incorrectly, or does raise their hand

and makes an error;; x student does not raise their hand publically,

and then either asks privately to clarify/repeat y instruction, or is

noted to constantly be asking their colleagues to explain the task.

This may also indicate a need for more, or more careful, “ICQs” from

the instructor.

All the students hunger for detail and challenge, and show an

open dislike for what they perceive as trivial. Unlike most North

American students, these students care deeply about becoming

proficient and want to “get to it.” For this reason, “self

discovery,” while a sound pedagogical technique, sometime frustrates

them, i.e. endless “match the word” exercises. A variety of exercises

is therefore recommended, tailored to the needs of a specific class.

As fluent speaking is the ideal for most students, the following

hierarchy of skill development is suggested: listening exercises of a

familiar text to develop the aural capacity for comprehension as well

as to provide an example of desired pronunciation, combined with some

reading exercises. Finally, since most students are driven by a

practical desire to use the English they have learnt, the previous

exercises should always be capped with extensive and useful speaking

activities: activities that keep in mind and are focused on the

reasons the students wish to become proficient in English, i.e.

getting a job.

Part D: Recommendations for work inside and outside the class

Section One

As the main focus chosen for this project has been those students who

have L1 or L2 French interference-­-­not uncommon in a province that

forces French on all immigrants-­-­a crucial exercise to remedy the

situation can be found through work on false cognitives. This is the

most logical starting point for the intermediate ESL/EFL student with

the above characteristics, as it immediately goes to work making

their language more natural while at the same time giving them

patience for the grammar lessons to follow.

Section Two

Skills, while crucial, come with the pitfall of potentially boring

the student if presented without context or practical purpose.

Therefore, an activity focused on the aims of the students should be

chosen to both stimulate interest and help further the students’

goals.

Employment in Canada or abroad, in English, is one such aim. As

such, employment related skill lessons, such as those focused on

speaking, are an excellent choice;; in particular, speaking exercises

dealing with the interview environment. It is for this reason that I

have chosen a speaking exercise whose context is the job interview as

an ideal skill-­task that targets a desire uncovered in Part C. Roll

Plays for Today, by Jason Anderson, is a brilliant text that contains

many practical exercises, and is the source of the attached activity.

Speaking is always the most difficult aspect of language acquisition,

and there is no better type of exercise for the practically minded

student that is seeking a job.

Conclusion

As previously stated, as L1-­L2 French interference is the problem singled-­out by this assignment, and proficiency in speech is the aim of most students, rigorous self study at home will be required. Therefore, the following course of action is suggested, with the use of flashcards implied where relevant and possible:

1: The memorization of the IPA so that vocabulary can be reviewed at home. There is an Anki deck available for this purpose;;

2: The memorization of the 1000 most common English words, which should result in a theoretical fluency of close to 70%. An Anki deck is available for this purpose;;

3: The memorization of an example sentence in all the twelve possible verb tenses, using each person (1st person sing etc.), for roughly 60 grammar flashcards-­-­and then of any subsequent grammar points;;

4. The targeted practice of difficult vocabulary from these exercises in the classroom, in order to work on proper pronunciation and use;;

5. The use of a personally bought or licensed copy of Pimsleur: English for French Speakers (or other L1), which involves 15 hours of dialog/speaking practice.

The problem with the classroom is that practice is often hindered by learning. To clarify, while a beginner’s class must learn in the classroom, an intermediate student already has the tools for self study, and desires thorough error correction and practice in the classroom. The above prescription aims to remedy this problem.

Bibliography and Works Cited

01. “Faux-­Amis.”

http://www.eslprintables.com.es/previewprintables/2009/feb/11/

902111927250905001.jpg. Online. Accessed 19 Nov 2012.

02. The 500 Most Commonly Used Words in the English Language.

http://www.world-­english.org/english500.htm. Accessed 19 Nov

2012.

03. 1000 most common English words.http://www.rupert.id.au/resources/

1000-­words.php. Accessed 19 Nov 2012.

04. Anki -­ friendly, intelligent, flashcards. http://ankisrs.net/

anki2.html. Accessed 19 Nov 2012.

05. Anderson, Jason. Role Plays for Today. Delta Publishing, 2006.

06. Pimsleur. http://www.pimsleur.com/

Learn-­English-­for-­French-­Speakers. Accessed 24 Nov 2012.