SOCIOCULTURAL MODEL LESSON PLANS: A PATH TO THE CORE

Mark K. Warford, Ph.D.Buffalo State College1300 Elmwood Ave.,Buffalo, NY 14222warformk@buffalostate.edu716-878-4814

http://faculty.buffalostate.edu/warformk/smlp.html

 1. OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING Clarify and reconfigure concepts of

proficiency, literacy and culture in LOTE (Language Other Than English) in light of the Common Core

Introduce the Sociocultural Lesson Plan Model, which is centered on the integration of proficiency, literacy and culture-oriented learning outcomes.

Begin to create an original Sociocultural Lesson Plan

PROBLEMS WITH THE ISOLATION OF PROFICIENCY, LITERACY AND CULTURE

Proficiency: The focus on linguistic proficiency neglects the

discourse-level of communicating capably across cultures:

Grammar computation not translating to basic functionality in target culture (Pearson, 2006).

Literacy: Capital ‘L’ (literature) approaches ignore

technology, globalization (literacies), i.e. digital literacy

Proficiency and culture-oriented literacy centers on “…any organized and reasonably stable area of skill or knowledge and its associated discursive practice(s).”

PROBLEMS WITH THE ISOLATION OF PROFICIENCY, LITERACY AND CULTURE

Culture: “…a historically transmitted semiotic network

constructed by humans...which allows them to develop, communicate and perpetuate their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes about the world” (Geertz, 1973, p. 89).

“…a set—perhaps a system—or principles of interpretation, together with the products of that system” (Moerman, 1988, p. 4).

  PROBLEMS WITH THE ISOLATION OF PROFICIENCY, LITERACY AND CULTURE

Culture (as opposed to nature)… Vygotsky (1986): Animals can only relate directly to

nature; human beings transform nature by moving, naming, shaping, interpreting, negotiating and generalizing what’s happening around us. This mediational connection to our environment is orchestrated by two kinds of tools…

1) physical tools: pencils, hammers, chopsticks… and 2) symbolic (semiotic) tools: spoken language,

writing, grammar, road signs, post-its, e-mails, texts, spam…

Language and literacy are complex systems of symbolic tools that shape and are shaped by a given cultural core over centuries.

 III. THE COMPOSITE TEXTUAL COMPREHENSION MODEL (WHITE, 2008)

 III. THE COMPOSITE TEXTUAL COMPREHENSION MODEL (WHITE, 2008)

SECOND SYMBOLIC COMPETENCIES MODEL

There are reasonably measurable symbolic competencies that learners must attain, representing the broadest possible range of mediation within and across social systems. Expansion from first to second symbolic competencies produce a third set that connotes a higher level of symbolic capability.

FIRST SYMBOLIC COMPETENCIES

…PLUS SECOND SYMBOLIC COMPETENCIES

= GREATER SYMBOLIC CAPABILITY

Activity

ActivityActivity

Activity

A WALK THROUGH THE SECOND SYMBOLIC COMPETENCIES MODEL

Vygotsky’s (1986) water molecule metaphor for development: we cannot study water by breaking it down into its component elements (oxygen & hydrogen atoms); water is the dynamic interaction of these elements.

 ACTIVITIES FOR INTEGRATING CULTURE AND PROFICIENCY

Cultural Gouin Series (Knop, 2008): Take a C2 practice/event and stage it in 6-8 statements that…

…are formulaic … avoid changes in time, person. …are enhanced by linguistic (emotive

quality, chunking, ‘motherese’) and extralinguistic (props, clip art) cues

 ACTIVITIES FOR INTEGRATING CULTURE AND PROFICIENCY

Como hacer el chilate: Se pone a tostar el maíz en un comal. Una vez tostado se muele, pero para hacerlo se moja …y se cuela. Usualmente se hace con un colador fino. Después de hecho esto se pone a cocer

y mientras hierve se le agrega la pimienta gorda y el jengibre .

 ACTIVITIES FOR INTEGRATING CULTURE, PROFICIENCY AND LITERACY

Literacy event exploration (Kramsch, 2003): Have students collect authentic texts (i.e. blogs, vodcasts, newspapers, photos…). Foci for graphic organizers, Venn diagrams, Q&A include:

Events depicted Target audience Purpose Register (i.e. formal, informal); related to audience A stance or tone (serious, ironic, enthusiastic) Prior text (relationship to a particular discourse) Setting/perspective

 ACTIVITIES FOR INTEGRATING CULTURE AND PROFICIENCY

Discourse Completion Tasks (DCTs) with Forced-Choice Response Exercises

Students are provided a detailed account of a situation and asked to choose the most appropriate response from a list.

As a whole, the class can discuss the response and provide rationale for the choice that was made.

ACTIVITIES FOR INTEGRATING CULTURE AND PROFICIENCY

Context Possible Responses ExplanationVous êtes dans la bibliothèque à votre école. Vous essayez de lire un livre, mais un autre étudiant, que vous ne connaissez, parle à haute voix, avec sa copine. Alors, vous vous sentez obligé de lui dire de se taire.

Vous dites :

[ ] Rien

[ ] Taisez-vous s’il vous plait.

[ ] Un peu de silence, maintenant.

[ ] Fermez-la !

[ ] S’il vous plait. Je ne peux pas me concentrer. Alors, s’il vous plait, parlez moins fort.

Vous êtes chez votre patron. Il vous sert de la viande, mais vous êtes végétarien.

Vous dites:

[ ] Rien

[ ] Excusez-moi, mais je ne mange jamais de viande. C’est horrible !

[ ] C’est dégoutant de manger de pauvres animaux.

[ ] J’ai mal au ventre. Il faut que je rentre chez moi.

[ ] Cela a l’aire somptueux, mais je suis végétarien. Alors, je prends des légumes et un peu de salade.

SOCIOCULTURAL MODEL LESSON PLAN AND COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

Purpose of SMLP: Engages active, full, critical interaction with text, with a focus on symbolic capability across cultural contexts (NYS iteration of Core has added dozens of related indicators).

Bilingual Common Core Initiative: Follows path from receptive (listening & reading) to productive (speaking & writing) tasks.

Targets global competence, 21st Century Learning Skills.

Easily adapted to integrate a range of learning objectives across the strands.

CONTRIBUTE TO SMLP DATABASE ON DIGITAL COMMONS: HTTP://FACULTY.BUFFALOSTATE.EDU/WARFORMK/SMLP.HTML

Pick a text to develop:Source French example Spanish example

House tour

Mezidi, M. (2012, Nov. 29). Superbe maison de ville a Mercier – Montréal. Retrieved on 2/25/13 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d9bSIuRUA4

Villavicencio, F. (2013, Feb. 3). Recorrido virtual casa colonial. Retrieved on 2/25/13 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UYdADShmLE

Instructions

Overblog (nd). Manuel d’utilisation. Retrieved on 2/25/13 from: http://www.over-blog.com/manual/

Icetex . (2012, May 18). INSTRUCCIONES. Retrieved on 2/25/13 from: http://www.icetex.gov.co/dnnpro5/es-co/cr%C3%A9ditoeducativo/educaci%C3%B3ncontinuaenelexterior/perfeccionamientodeidiomas/instruccionesparalasolicituddecr%C3%A9dito.aspx

Shopping online

Le Bon Marché. (nd). Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche. Retrieved on 2/25/13 from: http://www.lebonmarche.com/

Corte inglés. (nd). NUEVO. Retrieved on 2/25/13 from: http://www.elcorteingles.es/

Subway navigation

Aimer la ville. (nd). M rer T. Retrieved on 2/25/13 from: http://www.ratp.fr/informer/pdf/orienter/f_plan.php

Subte. (nd). Mapa de subte. Retrieved on 2/25/13 from: http://www.subte.com.ar/mapas/subte.asp

THE SOCIOCULTURAL MODEL LESSON PLAN I. Activation of schemata: Lexically and morpho-syntactically simple top-down and

bottom-up leading questions about cultural conventions (in L2) that pertain to the text students are about to explore.

The teacher then collects students’ comments, translating them into L2 if offered by students in L1. These may serve as hypotheses to test later in the lesson.

Top-down activation:Leading questions about students’ (C1) experiences of the symbolic capacity in question, preview text (freeze frame, if video) generate and record for further discussion some hypotheses about content.

Bottom-up activation:Address unfamiliar lexical, idiomatic items that may undermine comprehension of the text vis-à-vis a glossary and or, students to scan for and present unfamiliar terms for clarification.

THE SOCIOCULTURAL MODEL LESSON PLAN

II. Text Interpretation: Combine bottom-up and top-down leading questions to process textTop-down strategies (in

L2): What is the purpose of ____?

Is it to ____? etc. What is the emotional state

of person A/B? What are the interactants

trying to accomplish? Do they accomplish the

task? What are the phases of this

discursive practice? (beginning, middle, end?)

Bottom-up strategies (in L2): What do you think _____

means? Is ______ a cognate or false

cognate? What do you think of when

you picture __? What does person A ask?

How does person B respond? What form of the verb does

person A/B use in addressing the interlocutor?

THE SOCIOCULTURAL MODEL LESSON PLAN III. Sociocultural interpretation (top-down):

Lead learners through an examination of the points raised in the activation stage. Sample leading questions include:

What similarities do you see between the way native speakers approach ‘X’ and our approach to ‘X’ (for examining L1 and C1 assumptions).

Which of our assumptions about this text were correct? …incorrect?

What are the rules for carrying out this speech event in the L2? (address relevant

grammatical, lexical, discourse & socio-pragmatic elements)

THE SOCIOCULTURAL MODEL LESSON PLAN

IV. Sociocultural presentation:

Students develop an adaptation/ recreation of the presented text.

THE SOCIOCULTURAL MODEL LESSON PLAN

V. Sociocultural debriefing: Teacher and students examine

appropriateness simulations against the elements identified at Stage III (…and, if applicable, assumptions generated at Stage I).

May be some lingering transference of L1 and C1 to the L2 and C2 features imbued in text.

THE SOCIOCULTURAL MODEL LESSON PLAN

Questions? Submissions to SMLP Database

highly encouraged (especially French!):

warformk@buffalostate.edu Thanks and enjoy the conference!