teaching in one’s second language - mcgill university
TRANSCRIPT
Teaching in One’s Second Language
Guillaume Sirois Carolyn Samuel Learning to Teach November 10, 2012
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Overview • Who studies/teaches at McGill? • What challenges exist for those teaching in
their second language? • How does research help us to understand
issues related to teaching in one’s second language?
• What strategies can be used to develop confidence for teaching in one’s second language?
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Retrieved Oct. 10, 2012: www.mcgill.ca/about/quickfacts/students
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Retrieved Oct. 10, 2012: www.mcgill.ca/about/quickfacts/students
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Retrieved Oct. 10, 2012: www.mcgill.ca/es/registration‐statistics#INTERNATIONAL
International Students ‐ Top 20 Countries based on citizenship (Full‐time and Part‐time) ‐ Fall 2012
* denotes a tie in ranking Source: Fall 2012: Total Full‐Time and Part‐Time Visa Enrolments by Countries [.pdf]
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Retrieved Oct. 10, 2012: www.mcgill.ca/about/quickfacts/staff
Per 2006 data, 44% of university teachers reported mother tongues other than English. (Canadian Association of University Teachers, 2011)
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What challenges might this kind of teaching and learning environment present for those who teach in their second language?
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Challenges as described by participants • The education system in the home country is
different from that in Canada; lack of knowledge exists of the kinds of information students get in Canadian high school; lack of knowledge exists of the background Canadian students bring to the university classroom.
• Student behaviour in class is unknown or unfamiliar; different students have different classroom behaviours, such as negotiation between students and instructors (e.g., course outlines), depending on language/culture.
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Challenges as described by participants (cont’d) • Accent and pronunciation can be difficult to
understand; students may struggle to understand different instructor accents; instructors may struggle to understand different student accents.
• Being fluent when speaking takes time; it takes time to think in one’s first language and then translate into a second language; perhaps it’s better to think in one’s second language and speak more slowly.
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Challenges as described by participants (cont’d) • There is the fear of not understanding when
students ask questions because they’re speaking so quickly; one can only ask for repetition so many times!
• Recognizing preconceptions one comes to class with is important: knowing the boundaries for social interaction; knowing how to address a professor (e.g., by first name or last name); it was noted that English is not helpful for this challenge, for example, no tu/vous distinction.
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Challenges as described by participants (cont’d) • Remembering that expectations are different
depending on your listening audience can be a challenge.
• Cultural differences in conversation may be challenging, such as interaction beyond course content and into discussions where slang and everyday language are used (social context).
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Challenges as described by participants (cont’d) • Expressing complex ideas is difficult: challenging
to find the most appropriate vocabulary to concisely express complex ideas, especially ideas that need to be made accessible for students to understand.
• In your second language, you might lose your sense of humour or other personality characteristics; you’re not the same person in your second language.
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“While language proficiency matters in performing tasks in the academics, it seems to be more relevant to teaching than to research” (Marvasti, 2005, p. 154).
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In this section, excerpts from research on the topic of teaching in one’s second language were discussed. These excerpts have been removed from this document since their relevance needs to be addressed in the context of the group discussion, which is not captured here. Excerpt references appear at the end of this document.
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Teacher efficacy “… teachers’ belief or conviction that they can influence how well students learn, even those who may be difficult or unmotivated” (Guskey & Passaro, 1994, p. 628).
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Strategies What can you do with the information discussed today – either in your mind (things you can tell yourself) or concretely (action you will want to take)?
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Strategies as described by participants • There’s nothing one can do!!! Well, maybe not
exactly … Don’t focus too much on language. Focus more on content because listeners will get used to your language.
• Focus on aspects of communication other than language (e.g., establishing rapport with students).
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Strategies as described by participants (cont’d)
• Break the ice with your students, for example, by saying that you are aware you might make mistakes; make your differences an asset; break the ice with humour.
• Asks students to help you out with words you’re missing.
• Practice being in front of a class; capitalize on opportunities to speak your second language in public; give presentations.
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Strategies as described by participants (cont’d) • Record your voice for practice; video record
yourself in order to see your body language in addition to “seeing” how you speak.
• Keep taking English classes in order to improve your language.
• Use visual support to complement your oral language.
• Get feedback from your listeners.
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Some published advice “Other important contributing factors to the effectiveness of [foreign‐born non‐native‐speaker college instructors] are their understanding of the American culture and their willingness to share knowledge of their own cultures with students” (Wang, 2000, p. 42). “As Jenkins (1990) points out, faculty need to learn to communicate across lines of cultural difference in order to teach effectively at universities where a large percentage of the students may be from a background other than their own” (cited in Kuhn, 1996, p. 98). Join Toastmasters; know your discipline well; and establish rapport with students (Kuhn, 1996).
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References Bodycott, P., & Walker, A. (2000). Teaching abroad: Lessons
learned about inter‐cultural understanding for teachers in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 5(1), 79‐94. doi: 10.1080/135625100114975
Canadian Association of University Teachers. Almanac of
post‐secondary education 2011‐2012. Retrieved from http://www.caut.ca/uploads/2011_2_Staff.pdf
Guskey, T. R. & Passaro, P. D. (1994). Teacher efficacy: A study
of construct dimensions. American Educational Research Journal 31(3), 627‐643.
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Kuhn, E. (1996). Cross‐cultural stumbling blocks for international teachers. College Teaching, 44(3), 96‐99.
Marvasti, A. (2005). U.S. Academic institutions and perceived
effectiveness of foreign‐born faculty. Journal of Economic Issues, 39(1), 151‐176.
McGill Quick Facts, Students. Retrieved November 5, 2012
from http://www.mcgill.ca/about/quickfacts/students Neves, J., & Sanyal, R. (1991). Classroom communication and
teaching effectiveness: The foreign‐born instructor. Journal of Education for Business [serial online], 66(5).
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Rubin, D. L., & Smith, K. A. (1990). Effects of accent, ethnicity, and lecture topic on undergraduates' perceptions of nonnative English‐speaking teaching assistants. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 14(3), 337‐353. doi: 10.1016/0147‐1767(90)90019‐s
Wang, J. (2000). “Don’t lose your accent!”: American students
and their foreign‐born non‐native‐speaker college instructors. Intercultural Communication Studies, IX(1), 31‐46.
Wu, X. (2003). Challenges of accommodating non‐native English‐
speaking instructors’ teaching and native English‐speaking students’ learning in college, and the exploration of potential solutions. (Unpublished master’s thesis). The Graduate School University of Wisconsin‐Stout.