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SUMMER SESSION 1979
Tues.
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Fri. ?
Instructor: Debbie Dubrofsky
12:30 - 16:20 ?
111 CAE
MPX 8620
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291_4357
This course aims to provide a basic introduction to some ?
topics of relevance for the teacher of English as a second.language.
Pronunciation: We will look at the way in which the sounds of
the English language are produced by the human vocal apparatus,
and proceed to a description of the sound patterns of English
pronunciation. Particular attention will be paid to stress
patterns and vowel dipthongs, areas of difficulty for almost all
of ESL, as well as those consonants and consonant clusters which
are particularly difficult for students of oriental background.
Sociocultural factors in language learning: We will attempt to
describe the sociocultural factors operative in language learning,
within the context of the current situation in British Columbia,
and the implications these factors have for teacher strategies
within and outside of the ESL classroom. We will discuss the
function of, and the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of ESL
classes for immigrant children in an essentially English speaking
school system, as well as indicate some alternatives to formal
language instruction.
Second Language acquisition: We will examine some recent case
studies of the acquisition of ESL by children, adults and adolescents.
The aim here will be to indicate the kind of progress and language
development a teacher can expect from learners of different age
groups. Because these studies transcribe the students' language
at different stages of development rather than simply theorize
about it, they are particularly useful in indicating how the
teacher can help to hasten the students' progress.
Error Analysis: A survey of current theories which attempt to
describe and explain the errors produced in ESL speech, will be
provided. Error analysis is a particularly useful tool for aiding
the teacher in choosing and presenting pedagogical material.
A survey of current teaching and reference materials: I will provide
a bibliography of teaching and reference materials which I have
found useful as a teacher of ESL. We will examine some of these
books in as much detail as time allows, indicating their strong
and weak points and their usefulness in and outside the classroom.
Some of these texts are for classroom use, others are to broaden
the teacher's own understanding of aspects of English syntax so
that he or she will be better prepared to communicate these aspects
to ESL students.
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Field Work: Through the ESL consultant for the schools of the city
of Vancouver, I hope to have a number of current ESL students of
different ages, from different language backgrounds and at various
levels of acquisition, for us to work with. Students will be given
tape recorders and assigned a particular ESL student to work with,
at least one hour per week for the duration of the course. Students
will use information from the course to analyze their ESL student's
speech and experiment with procedures for improving it.
Grades for this course will be given as follows: 40% for two short
tests to be administered during course hours; 60% for a paper
of from 10 - 15 pages in length, which the students will, hand
in at the end of the course. The paper will be based on the students'
field work, but other topics will be considered upon consultation
with the instructor.
All of the topics listed above are of course very broad and each
itself could be the subject of a full university course. Their
treatment will be necessarily brief, but I will try to adapt the
course as much as possible to the stated needs and desires of
the students.
Reauired Texts:
Evelyn Hatch Second Language Acquisition, A Book of Readings,
Newbury House,
7
978 $17.10
John W. 011er and Jack C. Richards, Focus on the Learner:
Pragmatic Perspectives for the Language Teacher, Newbury House,
1973 $10.35
J. Donald Brown, Patterns of English Pronunciation, Newbury
House, 1975 $10.75
