Teaching ESL/EFL with the Internet: Catching the Wave - Softcover

Carine M. Feyten holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Germanic philology from the University of Louvain, Belgium, her home country. She is fluent in five languages and received her Ph.D. in interdisciplinary education. She is chair of the Department of Secondary Education at the University of South Florida, directs the Foreign Language Teacher Preparation Program, and codirects a Ph.D. program in second-language acquisition and instructional technology. She directs the Suncoast Alliance of Florida in Foreign Language and Literatures, was president of the Florida Foreign Language Association, and is currently second vice president of the National Network on Early Language Learning. She has won several teaching awards and one research award, has presented nationally and internationally, and has published in such journals as the Modern Language Journal, The Middle School Journal and Language Quarterly.

Michelle D. Macy holds bachelor's and master's degrees in French language and literature. She is currently a visiting faculty member in the Department of Secondary Education at the University of South Florida, where she conducts courses associated with the Florida ESOL infusion program for preservice teachers, as well as internship supervision. She is presently completing a Ph.D. in second-language acquisition and instructional technology. She has taught both on-campus and overseas courses in French language and culture/civilization, and ESL/EFL. Her interests lie in SLA/instructional technology, ESOL, and teacher preparation.

Jeannie Ducher completed her D.E.U.G. and Maitrise degrees in France in English language and civilization, and English literary translation, respectively. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in second-language acquisition and instructional technology at the University of South Florida. She has taught French language courses for the Division of Languages and Linguistics and currently teaches education courses for secondary education. She has also supervised preservice teachers during their field experiences. Her interests are in teacher education, SLA and technology and assessment using computer adaptive testing.

Makoto Yoshii recently received his Ph.D. in second-language acquisition and instructional technology at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. He holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from Kagoshima University in Japan, masters degrees in religious education and in divinity from Cincinnati Bible Seminary in Ohio, and a master's degree in applied linguistics from Indiana University. He is currently teaching EFL at Baiko Jo Gakuin College in Shimonoseki, Japan. He has taught both Japanese and ESL in the United States. His interests lie in CALL (computer-assisted language learning), particularly in the use of glosses in multimedia reading programs.

Eunwook Park is pursuing a Ph.D. in second-language acquisition and instructional technology at the University of South Florida. He holds a bachelor's in French language and literature, with a minor in education, and a master's in French linguistics. He is a certified teacher of French in Korea, and has worked for various government organizations, as well as in the field of international business as a translator /interpreter. He has been working as a teaching assistant for the Florida ESOL infusion program for preservice teachers, using various recent technologies, such as video conferencing and Internet courseware. He is interested in wide range of CALL subjects, especially in teaching languages using the Internet for classroom or distance learning.

Brendan Calandra is a Ph.D. student in instructional technology with a cognate in second-language acquisition at the University of South Florida. He has a masters degree from the University of Florida in German literature. Brendan currently works as a consultant for the Florida Center for Instructional Technology and teaches German for the Division of Languages and Linguistics at USF. He has been teaching modern languages at home and abroad since 1992.

John Meros is a foreign language curriculum writer for the Melrose Center for Communications and Mass Media and a doctoral student at the University of South Florida in second-language acquisition and instructional technology. He has taught foreign language and ESOL for more than 17 years at various levels, cocreated the Pinellas district's acclaimed FLES (Elementary Foreign Language) program, and is now helping create the Melrose curriculum as he enters the Ph.D. candidate phase of his studies.

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THIS TEXT

This book is intended as a tool for ESL/EFL instructors who would like to integrate Internet technology into their teaching. A handful of books are currently available that address either how to use computers for. language teaching and learning or the principles of language learning with respect to technology. Instructors, however, may feel overwhelmed by the practical aspects of implementing technology in their classes, or by books that present heavy quantities of theory. For these reasons, Teaching ESL/EEFL with the Internet: Catching the Wave is designed to reconcile both of these important aspects by being teacher friendly and pedagogically sound with clear and practical features. This book equips instructors with the necessary pedagogical principles for using technology in language classes, while providing them with field-tested sample activities that can be implemented immediately or used as practical guides and frameworks with which to create their own lessons.

Teaching ESL/EEFL with the Internet integrates the listening, speaking, reading, writing, and cultural skills necessary to achieve communicative competence in the language classroom. Each chapter is organized around a primary skill, and additional skills are woven into each activity. The varied activities capitalize on the authentic and constantly updated nature of the Internet, which enables students to learn in meaningful, relevant, and practical situational contexts. The objectives of each lesson are clearly stated and spotlight higher-order thinking skills. All activities include the appropriate schema-building techniques needed to effectively prepare students to work individually or collaboratively with authentic materials. In addition, each lesson includes suggestions for modifying the activities to other learning levels, as well as ideas for expanding the instruction.

As additional support for the instructor, an entire chapter is devoted to model assessment rubrics, which may be modified and used at the teacher's discretion. A list of instructional tips relevant to the teaching of each key skill is offered in every chapter. Each chapter also contains a simplified list of language-learning strategies designed to focus students' attention on certain aspects of acquisition. Tips on computer use, Internet searches, and identification of potential problems are provided in the Appendix.

This text is not designed for use as a standalone text. Rather, it should help instructors to be more creative and effective in using computers in their classrooms, which in turn will enhance language learning for ESL/EFL students at all levels of proficiency through high school and beyond.

USING THIS TEXT

Organization of the Chapters
For ease of use, each chapter of this text has an explicit focus. Although every section emphasizes particular features of language learning, such competencies cannot be taught in isolation from one another. On the contrary, the skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture are interdependent and should be taught through an integrative approach. As a result, multiple features have been woven into all of the lessons in this book.

Chapter Guides
The necessity and means of integrating a given language skill into the curriculum explained at the beginning of each chapter in the form of a rationale and guide written by field experts. Each chapter's target skill is woven into the lessons with the goal of promoting highly effective communication in the second/foreign language. Each guide presents, an overall view of the skill, followed by specific teacher tips on its integration, and concludes with a reproducible list of ways for students to incorporate the skill.

Lesson Use and Adaptability
The lessons in Teaching ESL/EEFL with the Internet have been carefully designed and field tested. In addition to considering content, site stability, student and instructor interest and enjoyment, implementation time, and difficulty levels, lessons were also composed with multiculturalism and multiple intelligences in mind to appeal to and be effective with a variety of learners. The lessons are ready for immediate implementation and are copy ready. Instructors, however, are encouraged to adapt and modify the lessons according to the characteristics and interests of their student populations, as well as to their own needs and constraints.

Lesson Time
The timing required for completion of a lesson is indicated on both the title and guide pages of each lesson. Although lessons are based on multiple sessions of 50 minutes, the time necessary to complete each lesson depends on many factors, and instructors may find that adjustments are necessary.

Activity Assessment
Because the activities in this book are aimed at developing students' proficiencies and widening the scope of the traditional language classroom, they can be considered as meaningful practice for students and do not necessarily demand formal assessment. If, a more formal evaluation of student performance is desirable, however, instructors can choose to use and adapt the rubrics provided in Chapter 6, evaluate the lesson worksheets, or assess the final products of the lessons.

Technology and Classroom Instruction
Working with computer and Internet technologies requires a certain amount of tolerance for technical problems. While the activities in this book involve a minimum of hardware and software requirements, problems with site stability, connection speed, and so on are to be expected. We highly recommend that instructors check the availability of websites and review the technical aspects of the lesson (i.e., downloads, time requirements, hardware and software requirements, etc.) before students access the Internet. Conducting a dry run of the Internet portion of the activity will prevent most of the problems commonly encountered and will result in increased comfort with and ease of use of the technology for students and instructors alike. Be sure to check the Appendix for further information and tips on working with computers and the Internet.

PHILOSOPHY OF THIS TEXT

Instruction of English as a Second/Foreign Language
A second/foreign language can be made more accessible and be better retained when acquisition takes place in a communicative and natural environment enhanced by meaningful and authentic materials that aid in the development of proficiency in all areas of communication and culture. Every effort has been made to employ these features throughout this text.

Lesson Design and Cognition
All lessons have been carefully designed to provide practitioners with activity models that engage students cognitively, while respecting their levels of proficiency in the target language. The performance objectives provided for each lesson are based on Bloom's Taxonomy (see page viii) and give the instructor useful indications of the type and variety of thinking skills required for successful completion of the tasks. Higher-Order Thinking Skills have been identified with a HOTS symbol.

Lesson Design and Meaning
It is widely believed that a second language is best learned when it is used for meaningful communication rather than rote for drills or memorization. Meaningful task are an important part of each lesson in this book. Accordingly, lessons feature high-interest topics with an emphasis on integrating multiple skills.

Lesson Design and Authenticity
The use of authentic material has been shown to have a positive effect on students' use and understanding of a second language. Such materials may also be more appealing to learners whose levels of cognitive maturity demand complex and relevant input. The Internet is an ideal source for up-to-date and meaningful authentic information and has therefore been heavily integrated into each lesson.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are very grateful to all who helped and supported us as we designed and wrote this book. Many thanks to Dr. Jeffra Flaitz, Dr. Wei Zhu, and Irene Canton for their guidance and contributions, as well as to the faculty and staff of the English Language Institute of the University of South Florida who endorsed our efforts and helped us to pilot our lesson plans. We would also like to express our thanks to our families and friends who encouraged us during the writing of this book.