ESED 5233(G): Applied Linguistics: ESOL

College of Education, Georgia Southern University

May 15 to June 15, 2007, Mondays & Tuesdays

5:00 pm – 9:30pm (note change from WINGS), College of Education Classroom Building Room # 3151

 

Instructor: Scott A. Beck, Ph.D.

Office:                   Room #4113, College of Education.

Contact:                (912) 681-0354, sab44@cornell.edu

 

Course Catalog Description:

An in-depth study of the major theories of first and additional language acquisition / development / learning and their implications for instruction.

 

Course Objectives:

The students will:

1.      define language, standard language, and culture.

[K12 ESOL Standards G3S1; PSC Standards I, VII;

TESOL Domains 1, 2; NBPTS ENL Standard: II, III]

2.      demonstrate understanding of English syntax, morphology, and phonology.

[K12 ESOL Standards G1S1, G1S2, G2S1, G2S2, G3S1; PSC Standard I;

TESOL Domain 1; NBPTS ENL Standard: II]

3.      demonstrate how language varies and the implications for teaching ESOL.

[K12 ESOL Standards G1S1, G1S2, G1S3, G2S2, G3S1; PSC Standard I, III, IV, VI, VII, VIII; TESOL Domains 1-3, 5; NBPTS ENL Standards: I, II, VI]

4.      demonstrate competence in using standard English in listening, speaking, reading and writing, and modeling these skills for their students.

[K12 ESOL Standards G1S1, G1S2, G1S3, G2S1, G2S2, G2S3, G3S1, G3S2, G3S3;

PSC Standard I, II; TESOL Domain 1; NBPTS ENL Standards: II, IV]

5.      summarize and explain the predominant theories of second language acquisition

[PSC Standard III, IV; TESOL Domains 1, 2, 5; NBPTS ENL Standard: II]

6.      utilize and design instruments designed to measure language proficiency.

[PSC Standard V, VI, VIII, IX; ISTE NETS IV; TESOL Domain 4; NBPTS ENL Standard: IX]

 

Texts:

Freeman, D. & Freeman, Y. (2004).  Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann.

Lightbown, P. & Spada, N. (2006). How languages are learned. (3rd Edition)  Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

 

Graduate Students:

Power, B.M. & Hubbard, R.S.  (2002). Language development: A reader for teachers.  Columbus, OH: Merrill.

 


Course Requirements:

Note: This course is a taught as a combined graduate (G) / undergraduate section.  The primary distinction between the two levels of the course is a research paper required for graduate students.

[NOTE: There are 2 PSC/NCATE Key Assessments in this course:

- Reflective Essay & Presentation re: Personal Attitudes & Professional Dispositions

- Comprehensive Final Exam]

 

Daily Attendance, Participation & Quizzes

(Undergraduate: 25% of total grade; Graduate: 20%)

MISSING ONE CLASS SESSION IN THIS COURSE IS EQUIVALENT TO ALMOST TWO WEEKS OF CLASSES IN A REGULAR COURSE!  You should attend class and arrive on time, bring assigned readings to class, complete all assignments on time, and display an understanding of the material read through class discussions.  Your participation is not only welcome; it is absolutely necessary if this course is to be successful.  Most classes will begin with a quick quiz based upon the assigned readings for that day.  These quizzes will be a second chance for you to demonstrate that you have completed the assigned readings. 

 

Personal Commentaries / Responses re: Readings

(Undergraduate: 15% of total grade; Graduate: 10%)

Another means by which you will demonstrate that you have considered the readings will be through the writing of five (approximately one per week) personal commentaries on or responses to the readings. As you are reading, take care to note when a particular fact, quote, or example strikes you as interesting, surprising, or challenging.  After you finish reading, choose one section that piqued your interest or emotions and think about how it might connect to your personal experiences with language, education, and/or language learning.  If you think you have something to write about, develop an approximately 400 word commentary / response that clearly:

Ø      Briefly summarizes the author’s fact, quote, or example that caught your attention (use a formal APA citation, please).

Ø      States your response to this fact, quote, or example, i.e.: do you agree or disagree with the idea from the reading? 

Ø      Explains how you have responded by describing relevant personal experiences and evidence (anecdotal or research-based) that either affirms, relates to, or casts doubt upon the reading.

These commentaries / responses should be carefully drafted, edited, and proofread.  You will post these commentaries on WebCT for all members of the class to see in the appropriate location. 

Your classmates will be encouraged to read your commentaries and responses and they will have the opportunity to add their own comments (like a blog).

 

Reflective Essay & Presentation re: Beliefs & Dispositions

(Undergraduate: 25% of total grade; Graduate: 20%)

[ESOL Endorsement PSC/NCATE Key Assessment]

During our first class meeting each of you will complete a survey of your personal beliefs regarding language acquisition and teaching.  Subsequently, you are likely to find many of your beliefs and dispositions challenged and shifting due to the various readings, discussions, videos, activities, and presentations in this course.  Thus, at the end of this course, you will write a personally reflective summative essay that discusses a few of the ways in which your beliefs and dispositions about language acquisition / development / learning have been challenged and/or changed during this course.  As explanations for your reflections, specific course readings, discussions, videos, activities, and presentations must be cited in your essay.  (Note that your five Personal Commentaries / Responses may help you develop this essay and presentation) Your essay should be approximately 1500 words in length.  Your essay should be carefully drafted, rewritten, edited, and proofread and presented using APA style citations and bibliography.  It must be posted to WebCT.  You will briefly discuss your essay during an informal presentation during our last class meeting.

 

Comprehensive Final Exam

(Undergraduate: 35% of total grade; Graduate: 30%)

[ESOL Endorsement PSC/NCATE Key Assessment]

The exam will cover material presented in readings, discussions, videos, activities and presentations.  It will serve to highlight some of the most important points of the course.  You may be provided an opportunity to help write questions for the exam.  NO MAKEUP EXAMS will be given without advance notice and an official written explanation from a medical or legal professional.

 

Daily Graduate Presentations based upon Power & Hubbard Readings 

(Graduate only: 20% of total grade)

In addition to the readings assigned to all the students in the class, the graduate students in this course will be expected to read from the Power & Hubbard text for each class.  They will then present a short (10-15 minute) and interesting synopsis of the reading to the rest of the class.  They will be expected to connect the reading to other content from the course and explain the significance of the reading for ESOL teachers.  Visuals, handouts, skits, demonstrations, or any other imaginative methods of presenting the material are strongly encouraged.  Please make sure to clearly note the sources of information for your presentations, as your classmates may want to refer to them in their reflective essays

 

Grade Chart:

Assessment

Your Grade

x % of Total Grade

= Subtotal

Undergrad

Grad

Daily Attendance, Participation & Quizzes

 

25%

20%

 

Personal Commentaries & Responses re: Readings

 

15%

10%

 

Reflective Essay & Presentation

 

 

25%

20%

 

Final Exam

 

 

35%

30%

 

Daily Graduate Presentations

 

 

 

20%

 

 

Total Grade:

 

Tentative Course Schedule:

Date

Readings & Assignments

Class Topics & Assessments

Graduate Student Presentations from P&Hubbard

Tuesday

May 15

ERIC “What Is Linguistics?” Jigsaw (in class)

INTRODUCTION

Attitude & Disposition Assessment

Writing Opportunity

 

Monday

May 21

F&Freeman Chapter 1

L&Spada Chapter 1

Post Comment/Response?

ACQUISITION OF 1st LANGUAGES

Daily Quiz on Readings

Gardner pp. 43-48

Rice pp. 19-27

G&Hirsch-Pasek pp. 220-224

Tuesday

May 22

F&Freeman Chapter 2

L&Spada Chapters 2 & 6

Post Comment/Response?

ACQUISITION OF ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES

Daily Quiz on Readings

S&McKeon pp.62-68

Stiel pp.185-188

Valdés pp. 193-194

Monday

May 28

NO CLASS

MEMORIAL DAY

 

 

Tuesday

May 29

F&Freeman Chapter 3, pp. 83-96 & Chapter 5

Post Comment/Response?

PHONOLOGY & ORTHOGRAPHY
Daily Quiz on Readings

S&Scollon pp.189-192

Tannen pp. 206-208

 

Monday

June 4

F&Freeman Chapter 7, pp. 204-214 & Chapter 9

Post Comment/Response?

MORPHOLOGY & SYNTAX

Daily Quiz on Readings

Wolfram pp.225-230

R&Rickford pp 69-73

 

Tuesday

June 5

WebCT – Harklau “Good to Worst”

L&Spada Chapter 3

Post Comment/Response?

SEMANTICS & PRAGMATICS

Daily Quiz on Readings

Heath pp.74-80

Pinnell pp. 110-118

Monday

June 11

L&Spada Chapters 4&5

Post Comment/Response?

ESOL TEACHERS & ELL STUDENTS

Daily Quiz on Readings

Fine pp.195-205

Madden pp. 91-94

Tuesday

June 12

L&Spada Chapter 7

WebCT – Piper “11 Principles”

Reflective Essay

Reflective Essay Presentations

Comprehensive Final Exam

Delpit pp. 124-128

Christensen pp. 173-177

 


END OF COURSE-SPECIFIC MATERIAL

 

BEGINNING OF GENERAL SYLLABUS MATERIAL

 

Assessment:

I adhere to Georgia Southern University’s definitions for grading:

A    Exceptional capabilities and exceptional performance  90-100

B    Significantly more effective command of the material than expected  80-89

C   Mastery of the material  70-79

D    Grasp of the material is minimal  60-69

F    Failure to master the essentials  below 60

I will return graded assignments in as a timely fashion as possible.  I will gladly explain evaluation / assessment procedures and results.

Midterm Progress: Any student who wishes to discuss his or her cumulative class grade at mid-term (before the last day to withdraw without academic penalty) is encouraged to make an appointment with me. 

 

Attendance:

Punctual attendance is mandatory.  Your success in this course is dependent upon your presence.  Failure to attend all classes and scheduled field-based responsibilities will have a severe impact on your final course grade.  Any missed quizzes, in-class reflective writings, idea lists for team discussions, or homework, etc. – whether due to absence, illness, tardiness, or early departure will be recorded as zeros and cannot be made up.  Any missed time during a field practicum must be made up as soon as possible.  You are responsible for any notes, materials, or assignments missed during your absence.

 

participation in WebCT and Other Electronic instruction:

Nearly all my courses have an on-line element.  You will be expected to participate in the on-line aspects of this course as specified in this syllabus, as required for specific assignments, and as explained in class or on-line. Your participation in the on-line aspects of this course will impact your grade.  For example, WebCT provides me with a wide array of statistical tools for precisely tracking and measuring your participation in the course: the number of postings you make to bulletin boards and chats, the number of postings you read, the amount of time you spend reading postings, etc.  Your on-line participation is not only welcome; it is absolutely necessary if this course is to be successful. 

 

Guidelines for Preparing Assignments: 

·        Assignments and projects used to fulfill the requirements of this course are not to have been used for the fulfillment of requirements for other courses, except as explicitly described in the syllabus or assignments. 

·        All assignments are due on time as indicated in the course calendar. 

·        Late papers/assignments will be accepted for up to 1 week with a…

      … 10 point (1 letter grade) reduction in grade when less than 24 hours late.

      … 20 point (2 letter grades) reduction in grade when less than 1 week late.

      Unless the necessity to teach or use the assignment within a short period of time prohibits the consideration of late work.

·        All assignments are to be typed and stapled or bound together or submitted electronically as specified by the instructor. 

·        Each assignment must have your name, course section and the date clearly indicated

·        Demonstrate thoughtful reading, research, analysis and presentation in your work.

·        Your work must be yours – write in first person when appropriate.  Share your thoughts; don’t just copy the ideas of others.

·        Avoid strings of quotes or paraphrased material with little of substance linking and explaining these materials.  Instead, explain why you think certain quotes are significant and/or related to each other. 

·        Avoid use of the ‘generic he.’

·        Your grade will suffer if errors (grammar, spelling, punctuation) and poor composition and style make an assignment difficult to read.

·        Write, then edit, re-write, then proofread, re-write again, and ask friends to edit and proofread, and re-write yet again.

·        Make use of GSU’s Writing Center (call 871-1413).  It’s free!  They can help improve anyone’s writing.

·        Document your writing with bibliographies and citations using standard APA style. For clarifications regarding APA style see:            http://www2.gasou.edu/library/broch_ref/apastyle.pdf 

                                                            http://webster.commnet.edu/apa/apa_index.htm 

                                                            http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html

·        Be sure to have at least two current, electronic copies of each assignment as you work on it.  Have a backup!  Computer snafus and last-minute printing problems do not excuse late work. 

 

Student Conduct, Academic Honesty, Professional Standards & Program Retention:

·        All students are expected to demonstrate professionalism and accept constructive criticism from instructors, supervisors, and peers.  Students are expected to critically and honestly reflect upon their own work.  Students must expect and tolerate diversity in their teaching and practicum experiences.  Students must demonstrate appropriate language and communication skills.

·        The GSU Student Conduct Code and Regulations regarding Academic Honesty will be enforced.  (See: http://www.stp.gasou.edu/scc/index.html).  Misconduct will be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs and can result in severe penalties. 

·        Academic honesty is not just a nice idea, it is the rule at GSU.  Plagiarism will not be tolerated.  Plagiarism can lead to your immediate failure of this course.  Plagiarism includes: using someone else’s ideas or words without proper quotation marks and citations and/or failing to properly cite paraphrased material.

If you think that you can plagiarize and get away with it, see: http://www.asee.org/prism/december/html/student_plagiarism_in_an_onlin.htm

·        Cheating or any other infraction against the Student Conduct Code can lead to your immediate failure of this course.

·        The Professional Standards of Conduct outlined by this department will be enforced.

·        Candidates are expected to meet all requirements for retention in their program of study and the Teacher Education Program (TEP).  Unsuccessful progress toward meeting program objectives (including course assessments), unsatisfactory grades/GPA, and actions found in violation of the GSU Student Conduct Code or the Georgia PSC’s Code of Ethics can result in non-retention in these programs.

 

Students with Disabilities:

If you have a physical, psychological, and/or learning disability that might affect your performance in this course, please contact the Student Disability Resource Center in Hampton Hall as soon as possible. The SDRC will determine appropriate accommodations based on testing and medical documentation.

 

Syllabus is subject to revision if necessary:

While the provisions of this syllabus are as accurate and complete as possible, the instructor reserves the right to change any provision herein without actual notice if circumstances so warrant.  Every effort will be made to keep candidates advised of such changes and information about such changes will be available at all times from the instructor.  It is the responsibility of each candidate to know what changes, if any, have been made to the provisions of this syllabus and to successfully complete the requirements of this course.  This syllabus may be part of a larger packet of material covering important aspects of this course and/or a block of courses.