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SEMINAR DISCUSSION FOR ESL STUDENTS

SEMINAR DISCUSSION FOR ESL STUDENTS. Peggy Armstrong English Language Program University of North Florida. WHY?. ELP students in UNF classes were unable to speak in class discussions. Why? Not enough confidence Slow reaction times Lack of vocabulary

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SEMINAR DISCUSSION FOR ESL STUDENTS

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  1. SEMINAR DISCUSSION FOR ESL STUDENTS Peggy Armstrong English Language Program University of North Florida

  2. WHY? • ELP students in UNF classes were unable to speak in class discussions. • Why? • Not enough confidence • Slow reaction times • Lack of vocabulary • Difficulty being understood • Different cultural expectations

  3. Level 5 – Concurrent Enrollment Seminar Discussion Class • Two hours weekly • Based on Socratic principles • Student-empowering • Student-led conversations • Student-generated questions • Students have input in topic choice • Students share personal thoughts and ideas

  4. How does it work? • The class reads an article, essay, or story OR the class watches a DVD or online video. • In teams or pairs, students compose discussion questions. • Each person has responsibility for leading the group in a discussion.

  5. What are the rules? • Guidelines for Participants in a Seminar adapted from http://www.studyguide.org/socratic_seminar.htm#Guidelines • Refer to the text when needed during the discussion • It's OK to "pass" when asked to contribute. • Do not stay confused; ask for clarification. • Stick to the point currently under discussion • Discuss ideas rather than each other's opinions. There should be no personal attacks. Avoid the use of “You said.” • Don't raise hands; take turns speaking. • Listen carefully. • Do not dominate the conversation. After you have spoken, encourage others to respond to your statement. • Speak up so that all can hear you. • Talk to each other, not just to the leader or teacher. • You are responsible for the seminar.

  6. What should we understand? Dialogue is collaborative. • In dialogue, we listen to understand.. • Dialogue enlarges and possibly changes our point of view. • Dialogue creates an open-minded attitude. • In dialogue, we expect that other people's thoughts will help improve our thinking rather than threaten it. • Dialogue sometimes calls for temporarily suspending our beliefs. • In dialogue, we search for strengths in all positions.. • Dialogue respects all the other participants and seeks not to alienate or offend.. • Dialogue assumes that many people have pieces of answers and that cooperation can lead to a greater understanding. • Dialogue remains open-ended.

  7. TYPES OF QUESTIONS Discussion Questions • CLOSE-ENDED QUESTION: Write a question that will help everyone in the class come to an agreement about events or characters in the reading or film. This question usually has a "correct" answer that we can find.Example:  Why did Thoreau go to live in the woods? • OPEN-ENDED QUESTION: Write a question about the text that will require logic to discover or explore the answer to the question.Example: Why did he choose Walden Pond for his experiment? • UNIVERSAL THEME/ CORE QUESTION: Write a question about a theme in the text or video that will encourage group discussion about the universality of the idea. (True in general – or for all people?)Example: Do modern people still look for “wildness” in civilization? • ANALYSIS QUESTION: Write a question dealing with HOW an author wrote or WHY the filmmaker chose a particular scene.  Example: How does Thoreau’s use of the first person (I caught a glimpse of a woodchuck) affect the story? If he had used the third person, (there was a woodchuck), how would the story be different? • WORLD CONNECTION QUESTION: Write a question connecting the text to the real world. (Connect the idea to yourself.)Example:  If you were asked to pack your most precious belongings in a back pack and to join Thoreau in the woods, what would you pack?

  8. Preparing students to speak • Student leaders - Comprehensible questions?. • Group interaction – Vocabulary tools? • Group comprehension of the materials – Preview vocabulary • Shy students? Can prepare answers to their own questions– can pass when needed but must make at least one contribution

  9. Examples of Materials • Textbooks:TheAmerican Ways (Longman); What I Believe (Longman); books of essays; excerpts from autobiographies • Websites:NPR This I Believe http://thisibelieve.org; PBS Frontline– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline; ABC Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution - http://abc.go.com/shows/jamie-olivers-food-revolution/video • DVD’s:The Power of Forgiveness; Food, Inc.; Sicko; Bowling for Columbine • Web searches: Examples – Civil Rights pioneers • Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott Thurgood Marshall Little Rock Nine Greensboro Sit-ins Freedom Riders Mildred and Richard Loving Jackie Robinson

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