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Author: Vicky Isliefson
Problem: Scenario 3
“You are teaching ESL at a local
community-based program. Your learners are middle-aged and have been assessed
at the beginner level. While working on a unit about "Family," you notice
that some of the learners are having difficulty with subject-verb agreement
rules with the verb "to be." You have already distributed the
rules and reviewed the form many times, but when it comes to writing short
sentences to describe family members, students are making too many
mistakes. Some are even hesitate to write - worried that they will make
a mistake. What would you do?” (Caryk, 2017)
Analysis: The original deductive approach is not
effective. Students have not made the connection with the rules, even though
they are writing about their families. They need a way to make a connection and
overcome their fear of mistakes.
Approach: I propose to use an inductive approach by using
common Canadian foods that rhyme with the three present forms of the verb ‘to
be’: ham, (chocolate) bar, and fizz (in a drink). I will bring the food items
and ask the students to each bring their favourite carbonated beverage. I will
also have simple photos to project. I will tell them we are going to have a
little snack break, but first we are going to do some rhyming with the food
items. The rhymes we will use are:
- I am a ham
- You are a chocolate bar
- He is a drink with fizz.
She is a drink with fizz.
Rationale: I
believe that the rhyme, the silliness and the different tastes and textures
will all aid the students in remembering the different verb forms. The
technique that I am using is a form of mnemonics, which is defined as “a way of
remembering using association” (Psychologist World) or “something intended to
assist the memory, as a verse or formula,” (Dictionary.com). Idoine (2007)
draws attention to the fact that mnemonics have been used in to aid students in
L1 acquisition in both Japan and other countries for many years. Although some
uses have fallen out of favour, his study showed that when used in conjunction
with other improvements, the technique can also be beneficial in L2 learning. Samuel
(2010) also describes a method of using pegs,
which can be words or gestures, to aid in identifying L2 pronunciation mistakes
and subsequent correction. Ozanska (2016) has coined mnemotechnics as a group of mnemonic tools and techniques that use
the senses, including smell, taste and touch, along with exaggerated imagery
and positive associations with personal references to aid L2 learners in remembering
and retrieving vocabulary. She found that the use of key words was the most successful technique. This usually involves
association a new L2 word with a similar sounding L1 word, but since this
activity likely includes students with a variety of L1’s, it uses simple and
common rhyming L2 words with plenty of additional sensory input.
Activity
(15 minutes):
- Write the three subject/verb
pairs on the board (they have already seen the rule, but now we are going
to make new associations). [I am...,
You are…, He/She is…]
- The foods will be introduced
one at a time. The ham should be cut up and placed in a covered container.
The chocolate bars can be snack size, also in a covered container. Tell
students not to open their drinks until instructed to do so.
- Project the picture of the ham. Ask if anyone
knows what it is called, giving hints if necessary (made from a pig, cured
with salt, eaten at special times) NOTE: If some of your students
have religious restrictions on eating pork, adapt the activity with jam or
yam.) Once you have the name, ask which verb form it rhymes with.
Ask if they can make a silly rhyming sentence with “I am” and “ham”.
Complete the sentence on the board. It may also be useful to talk about
the alternative use of calling a person a “ham” and to have a picture of a
well known comedian.
- Pass the food around, having
each student repeat the silly rhyme before eating a piece.
- Introduce “dessert”, and repeat
the sequence with the chocolate bars. This time the students must pair up
and give the food to each other while repeating the silly rhyme. (You are
a chocolate bar!)
- For the drink, students should
be in groups of 3 or 4, so that one can introduce another to a third with
“He/she is a drink with fizz” as they each open their drinks in turn.
Follow up:
Assign a new writing assignment about family that requires the student to
describe themselves and a family member to a new friend (use I am and He is/She is) and end with a sentence telling the friend what
characteristic is similar or different from the friend and the family member
(use You are). Remind them that they
will use the three verb forms, but that the silly rhyme will be in their minds
but not their written work.
Summary: My inspiration for this activity came from the deluge of
information on cooking and eating that is in the media during the season of
eat-shop-eat-some-more (November and December) and the idea of the language
teacher as a cultural ambassador that I came across in an earlier assignment. I
wanted something that would be fun and rewarding for adult beginners in order
to help them remember the correct verb forms without adding to their stress
over mistakes. My own personal experience and the research noted above have
found that if something is silly, it is easier to remember. If it also produces
a positive experience (salty food, chocolate and the unmistakable sound of a
pop-top opening), along with some giggles with one’s peers, the learning and
retention are further enhanced. To keep things positive, I note that it is
necessary to determine at some time prior to the day of this activity if anyone
in the class has restrictions on food, especially pork, and to adapt
accordingly, without necessarily drawing attention to it. (“I am in a jam” has
potential!)
I enquired through my PLN (so
far this is Twitter, #CdnELT, #LINCChat, #TeachingEnglish, #grammar) and got several
different perspectives on the use of mnemonics. One instructor didn’t like to
use it with her Korean EFL students because it is already used for rote memorization,
likely in a similar manner to Japan (Idoine, 2007). However, she was
enthusiastic about her personal use of the technique for her own L2 learning. Another
instructor has used mnemonics with children, but not with adults, and a third
supplied an example of using the technique to remember the order of the planets
before a trip to the planetarium (and before the demotion of Pluto!)
One other suggestion was the
idea of memory palaces or mind palaces, which will require further study on my part.
My only experience with this concept is from the television series called Sherlock. However, Zielinski (2014) gives an intriguing summary of its history
and current usage.
Readers are warned that this is
based on a hypothetical situation. The activity described has not been tested
with an actual group of students. However, the author welcomes any feedback
should you decide to use or adapt the idea in your classroom.
Resources:
Boar’s Head,
(2017), Smokemaster Beechwood Smoked Blackforest Ham, website, retrieved from https://boarshead.com/products/detail/11005-black-forest-beechwood-smoked-ham
Caryk,Terena,
(2017),TESL 0110 Teaching in Practice:
Grammar, online course, Continuing and Professional Studies, University of
Manitoba
Chicago Now, (2013), Two-Ingredient Recipe: Soda Can Cupcakes, Grammas
Get It! web log, a Chicago Tribune website, retrieved from http://www.chicagonow.com/grammas-get-it/2013/10/two-ingredient-recipe-soda-can-cupcakes/
Frady, John, (n.d.), Best and Worst “Fun Size” Candy
Bars, 175BY43, web log post, retrieved
from https://johnfrady175by43.wordpress.com/2011/10/30/best-and-worst-fun-size-candy-bars/
Idoine-Shirai, Daniel, (February
2007), Using Mnemonics in Vocabulary Tests, The
Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XIII, No. 2, retrieved from: http://iteslj.org/Articles/Idoine-Mnemonics.html
mnemonics (n.d.)
in Dictionary.com, retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/mnemonics?s=t
Ożańska-Ponikwia,
K, (2016), The Role of Mnemonics in the
Process of L1 and L2 Language Learning, PDF document, retrieved from www.sbc.org.pl/Content/228773/Ozanska_Ponikwia_K.pdf
Psychologist World, Memory Tab, (n.d.), Using Mnemonics to
Improve Your Memory, retrieved from https://www.psychologistworld.com/memory/mnemonics
Samuel,
Carolyn, (spring 2010), In the classroom: Pronunciation Pegs, PDF document, TESL Canada Journal/Revue TESL Du Canada,
Vol. 27, no 2, pp 103 – 113, retrieved from www.teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl/article/download/1051/870
Zielinski, Sarah, (2014), The
Secrets of Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Smithsonian.com, retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/secrets-sherlocks-mind-palace-180949567/
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