Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id h242IkP16896; Mon, 3 Mar 2003 21:18:46 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2003 21:18:46 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <002301c2e1ee$433f8ea0$6501a8c0@cableone.net> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Richard Russell" <richtiger@cableone.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:8726] Re: "comprehension"- "production" - pronunciation X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 2072 Lines: 52 > 1. A beginning ESL class usually consists of 15 to 45 > people who know no or very little English. > So - what does "work on comprehension" mean in > this context? In response to Paul Rogers' question above, "work on comprehension" means demonstrating by actions--or rather, by reactions--that the student understands Total Physical Response Commands. As students build their TPR English vocabulary, which is the basis of simple stories, they listen to these stories and can--with the help of pictures (transparencies?) as well as teacher translations if appropriate--understand the stories well enough to say "true" or "false" as the teacher gives them true-false statements in English about the story. They may also indicate comprehension by drawing pictures on a white board and writing simple one-word ( or even 2 or 3 word) English answers to questions after they have silently followed the teacher's reading and telling of the story. They may even write or speak single English words as answers to questions such as Who looked for the book? Alice Where did Alice go? school Who was Alice's friend? Mary If the teacher knows the FL, the students can answer more complicated English questions in the FL. When English-language videos are used, students indicate comprehension with true-false answers, checklists, or fill in the blank with the missing word--which, of course, indicates aural comprehension and usually indicates meaning comprehension as well. (It's hard to do cloze exercises with an English video if you don't "more or less" understand the meaning of the video.) Of course, even I begin working on pronunciation after 3 or 4 weeks. I'm just arguing that we shouldn't make it the focus of an ESL course right off the bat. By the way, I've never really had to teach 45 students at a time. In Colombia, South America, in various community college adult classes, and now in 3rd and 4th grade ESL elementary school classes, I've usually had 6 to 10 students at a time. Just good luck, I guess. Richard Russell richtiger@cableone.net
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