Elvis Wagner investigated the use of video texts in testing the listening of ESL students within the experiment exhibited in his article, “The effect of the use of video texts on ESL listening test-taker performance.” While the article itself was based heavily around the experiment conducted to test the effectiveness of video texts in testing listening, Wagner posed very interesting questions which he hoped his findings would portray. Wagner’s first question was the most interesting and asked,
“1. To what extent does the use of video texts on an ESL listening test affect test-taker performance on that test? Do those test-takers in the video condition score higher or lower than the test-takers in the audio-only condition?” (498);
this question addresses the usefulness of testing listening with video texts while comparing its effectiveness to the control of audio-only. Studying the effects of video texts in listening test taking situations could help English language learners to better comprehend their test and ultimately improve their English skills, depending on the final data analysis.
To better understand the constructs behind Wagner’s study, it becomes necessary to investigate the background in studies used to assess the use of video texts in listening testing. Wagner provides many conflicting studies and data in the background section to show that one way of presenting the testing has not been proven better over the other. By sharing that Kellerman’s (1992) observation that “The use of video texts allows listeners to view kinesic behavior of speakers” (494); Wagner not only provides one side of the listening in testing argument, but also aids his readers in establishing why his experiment was necessary. A view tha...
... middle of paper ...
...texts in testing listening for English language learners, but further study is required before test formats are changed. Wagner makes sure to include that there are different forms of listening that we are trying to teach English language learners and the ways we test them should branch from those goals. For example, if we are trying to teach students how to listen to a radio broadcast, providing a video to teach that skill would not be as beneficial as an audio-only test, the inverse is true for teaching face-to-face communication and listening. While Wagner’s study showed that “the use of video texts on a test of L2 listening ability led to increased group test performance” (509), this study only focused on group results instead of individual. There is so much more that can be done to investigate the use of video texts, Wagner is just scratching the surface.
During the first day of ESL academy, I realized the inadequacy of my knowledge concerning the needs of ELL students and how woefully lacking my instruction had been for former students whose first language was not English. Partici...
The purpose of the study is to compare divergent teaching methods in Canada and China, and to identify which teaching approaches are effective to Chinese ELL students. The research contains pre- and post-tests, and one open-ended survey for 20 Chinese ELL students at one university in Canada.
Migration has been a constant factor in England, especially since the late 20th Century, there are about 13.5% of primary school populations distinguished as learners of English as an additional language (National Statistics, 2007). Many researchers have studied the association between working memory capacity and reading, on English as a Second Language (ESL) learners through the measures designed by Daneman and Carpenter (1980, Cited in Alptekin and Ercetin, 2009). Lesaux and Siegel (2003) stated that there is an ongoing developmental processing with reading skills, especially in English, which is heavily relied upon phonological processing as it is assumed that this cognitive process play a significant role on a child’s reading skills.
Auditory learners are students that learn by being read to, so that they can get the information in their ears. They understand it better that way, they can’t understand it through their eyes. This is the importance of books being put on tape. One perspective that I learned from watching this video about students with learning disabilities is that it is very important to get to know your students, so that you can learn the best way to teach them what they need to know.
At the end of the E-Book, the teacher asked who the characters were, what the setting was, and what the plot in the story was. Peter raised his hand to participate and answer the questions. This demonstrated Peter’s comprehension skills and showed how he was paying attention to the story. On March 3rd for phonics, Peter sat on the rug quietly when asked by the teacher demonstrating he can listen and follow directions. All students, including Peter repeated their “I can” statements. “I can” statements are an adjusted version of the objective for students. The “I can” statement for phonics today was “I can tell different sounds in words.” Peter listened to the teacher state the “I can” statement once, then repeated it. Also at the end of reading groups this day, Peter was given a task to put the reading books in the white bin. Peter followed directions again demonstrating quality listening
Learning disabilities are very common among students in today’s society. Some students have specific needs that must be met in order for them to learn, while other students are not getting the help that they need to succeed in the classroom. Reading disabilities, related to the disability of dyslexia (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2014), can be met with certain assistive technology that can make learning to read easier for the students. A type of assistive technology that helps reading disabilities is an audio book that allows students to hear the book read to them with the option of following along (Raskind & Stanberry, 2010). Audio books allow the students to focus on the purpose of the book; rather than struggling to read the book and focus on what the book is trying to explain. Since this type of assistive technology reads out loud to the students, it can guide them to learn how to read certain words correctly and how to grasp the concepts of the book easier. A specific type of an audio book source is Audible (Raskind & Stanberry, 2010), which allows the user to download and auto book on to a “smartphone, tablet, or desktop” (Audible Inc., 2014, p. 1). This source benefits students because they can listen to book in a classroom setting or they can listen to the book at home, especially when writing a book report.
This video is about different direct instructional approaches when teaching children. Specifically, teaching children to read. For example, in one approach children read aloud with the class and individually with the teacher. When the children are reading with the teacher they read a set paragraph and time it, and see how many errors they have, and each time they read the paragraph they try and improve and do better than the last time. The children don’t seem to worry about other children’s errors, they focus on improving themselves.
As a teacher of the deaf who is trained in the listening and spoken language approach, my mind naturally gravitates first to accommodations that are centered on improving the listening environment. However, the film reinforced the notion that educational professionals have a responsibility to provide accommodations that will help support the child’s success. Therefore, I will consider all accommodations and modifications that will support children academically while actively working to diminishing the impact of my inherent bias.
Strong, M., & Prinz, P. (1997). A study of the relationship between asl literacy and English literacy. Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 2(1), 37-46. Retrieved from http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org.eproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/content/2/1.toc
This test was developed in correspondence with the increased need for competitive skills in English language. It is mostly taken by those who need to certify their level of English proficiency for reasons such as education, vocation and immigration. Quoting the IELTS Handbook (2006:4) Green (2007) claims that the test tests the language ability of candidates who may need to study or work in countries where English is the language of communication. The test generally measures a person’s ability to communicate in English across several skills including Listening on which this paper will focus on.
Many people interact verbally as well as nonverbally. However, two major roles are present when verbally communicating. In order to effectively communicate, one must know how to speak adequately as well as listen efficiently. Listening is the main focus since according to the textbook, the average person spends more time listening than anything else. Listening is described as the “process of selecting, attending to, creating meaning from, remembering, and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages.” Though listening is such an effective part of communicating, it a skill that can greatly be improved in my
The ability to test a student’s language skills is essential to have as a teacher. Over the years, classrooms have become much more diverse with a wide variety of impairments being presented on a daily basis. Often, these disabilities contain a language impairment that appears as a side effect of the main disability. Unfortunately, assessing language is not as easy as one may think because it is not clearly defined and understood. Kuder (2008) writes that “…language is not a unitary phenomenon- it is ‘multidimensional, complex, and dynamic; it involves many interrelated processes and abilities; and it changes from situation to situation” (pg. 274). Language also develops at different times for different individuals, thus making language assessment an even harder task for test administrators to grade and evaluate. In order to further understand the language impairment that students present, teachers need to be aware of appropriate language tests that could be administered. In order to assure that the best language test is being issued to a student, several various tests exist to choose from. To test a student’s overall language capability, a comprehensive language test, such as the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (CASL) or the Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS), could be administered. If a teacher wanted to test a specific language skill such as pragmatics, phonology, syntax, or semantics, the teacher would need to find the best test for the student’s unique situation.
Bostrom, Robert N., Enid S. Waldhart. “Memory Models and the Measurement of Listening.” Communication Education. 1998: 1-13.
Long, M, H. & Doughty, C, J. ( Eds.).(2009). The Handbook of Language Teaching. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Firstly, I want to take this opportunity to express a thousand of gratitude to my beloved lecturer, M N Y for all of her hard work in imparting skills and delivering useful knowledge to my friends and I. The learning experience with her throughout the semester is very pleasing and fun. Regarding the assignment for the subject Teaching Listening and Speaking Skills in the Primary ESL Classroom we are required to produce a lesson plan as well as to conduct a Microteaching focusing on listening and speaking skills. During the process of completing this assignment, there are so many beneficial experiences that I have gained. Based on the microteaching conducted, I have identified some strengths and weaknesses that I can use to improvise my skill in teaching for future purposes.