inclusion of learners with specific learning differences ......dyslexia, working memory and language...
TRANSCRIPT
Inclusion of learners with specific learning differences in teaching English as a foreign language
Bimali Indrarathne Lancaster University
Introduction
Teacher training project for Sri Lanka
Who? When?
Dyslexia and language learning
Working memory Facts
My research
Input processing Working memory
My research
• Attention is a necessary condition for learning (Leow, 2013; Robinson,
Mackey, Gass & Schmidt, 2012)
• Learners need to pay attention to target language input and identify the language features in the input (Schmidt’s noticing hypothesis,
1995)
• Do learners need extra support (e.g., from the teacher) to pay attention to input or can they pay attention to input on their own?
– Explicit?
– Implicit?
• Working memory and input processing
– Directing learners’ attention to relevant features in the input (Ellis,
1996)
– Processing input (Ellis & Sinclair, 1996)
My research
PRE TEST
POSTTEST
Explicit 1 With an explanation of the target structure
Explicit 2 No explanation, but participants were informed
that there was a target structure highlighted
Implicit 1 No information, target structure highlighted
Implicit 2 No information, no highlighting
WORK ING
MEMORY
TESTS
Control group
My research
Participants
– 100 undergraduates at a Sri Lankan university
– Age between 18-22
– B1/B2 level of proficiency
– 20 in a group
Pre/post-tests
– Sentence Reconstruction items
– Grammaticality Judgement items
– Free writing task
Working memory tests
Digit Span, Keep track, Plus minus, Stroop
Target structure
Causative passive
My research
Eye tracking to measure attention
– Tobii X2-60 portable eye tracker fixed to a laptop
My research
My research
My research
My research
Explicit 1 With an explanation of the target structure
Explicit 2 No explanation, but the participants were informed that
there was a target structure highlighted
Implicit 1 No information, target structure
highlighted
Implicit 2 No information, no highlighting
Significantly higher amount of
attention
Significant improvement in
the post-test
Significantly lesser amount of attention
Very little or no improvement in
the post-test
Higher WM: better
attention, better
performance
Indrarathne & Kormos (2016), Indrarathne & Kormos (2017)
Dyslexia, working memory and language learning
ELT Well
Dyslexia, working memory and language learning
“Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability” (International Dyslexia Association, 2012)
Dyslexia, working memory and language learning
“Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference” (International Dyslexia Association, 2012)
Some symptoms: • Slow reading speed
• Spelling issues
• Mixing up words
• Difficult to express themselves clearly
• Poor concentration
• Ineffective organizational skills
• Low self-esteem
• Short memory span (lower WM capacity)
(International Dyslexia Association, 2012)
Dyslexia, working memory and language learning
Explicit 1 With an explanation of the target structure
Explicit 2 No explanation, but were informed that there was a target structure highlighted
Implicit 1 No information, target structure
highlighted
Implicit 2 No information, no highlighting
Significantly higher amount of
attention
Significant improvement in
the post-test
Significantly lesser amount of attention
Very little or no improvement in
the post-test
Higher WM: better
attention, better
performance
Dyslexia, working memory and language learning
Dyslexia facts
• 10% of population (estimated)
• Occurs in people of all backgrounds and intellectual levels
• Runs in families
• Dyslexia is not due to either lack of intelligence or a desire to learn
• People who are very bright can be dyslexic
• Dyslexia is a life-long condition
• With proper help people with dyslexia can learn to read and/or write well
(International Dyslexia Association, 2012)
Teacher training project for Sri Lanka
Partners
Project website: http://www.dyslexiaprojectsl.com/
Teacher training project for Sri Lanka
• Will educate ca. 100 English language teacher trainers in the country
• How to identify learners with dyslexia and how to support them in the English language classroom
• Training materials
• Free resources and professional development opportunities available
• Raise awareness among school principals, policy planners and language testing body of the country
• May/June 2017
Teacher training project for Sri Lanka
Content
• Understanding dyslexia
• Effects of dyslexia on language learning
• Identifying learners with dyslexia
• Classroom management techniques
• Teaching vocabulary and grammar
• Teaching the four skills
• Assessing learners with dyslexia
• Challenges and solutions
References
Ellis, N.C. (1996). Sequencing in SLA: phonological memory, chunking, and points of order. SSLA, 18, 91-126. Ellis, N. C., & Sinclair, S. G. (1996). Working memory in the acquisition of vocabulary and syntax: putting language in
good order. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 49A(1), 234-250. ELT Well. (2017). http://eltwell.com/ Indrarathne, B. & Kormos, J. (2016). Attentional processing of input in explicit and implicit learning conditions: an eye-
tracking study. Studies in Second Language Acquisition. doi:10.1017/S027226311600019X. Indrarathne, B. & Kormos, J. (2017). The role of working memory in processing L2 input: insights from eye-tracking.
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. (in press) International Dyslexia Association .(2012).Dyslexia basics: fact sheet. Available at https://dyslexiaida.org/dyslexia-
basics/ Leow, R. (2013). Attention, Noticing, and Awareness in Second Language Acquisition. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.) The
Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics (pp. 1-7). Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Robinson, P., Mackey, A., Gass, S. M., & Schmidt, R. (2012). Attention and awareness in second language acquisition. In
S. M. Gass & A. Mackey (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition (pp.247-267). London, England: Routledge.
Schmidt, R. (1995). Consciousness and foreign language learning: A tutorial on the role of attention and awareness in
learning. In R. Schmidt (Ed.), Attention and awareness in foreign language learning (pp 1-63). Honalulu, HI: University of Hawaii, Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Centre.
Thank you