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Accelerating Your ESL Students’ Learning Through Brain Compatible Strategies

Discover brain-compatible strategies to accelerate ESL students’ learning and enhance memory. Learn effective instructional modifications for successful language acquisition.

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Accelerating Your ESL Students’ Learning Through Brain Compatible Strategies

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  1. Accelerating Your ESL Students’ Learning Through Brain Compatible Strategies Facilitator: Donna Hernandez Mathis Adult Literacy Program Sponsored by: San Patricio County Adult Literacy Council Coastal Bend Community Foundation

  2. Language Acquisition • Children “catch” a language easily • Speaking slowly and loudly to students increases their understanding • The more time students spend in a second language context, the quicker they learn the language. • Students who are fluent in “playground” English are fluent in the classroom.

  3. Workshop Goals Deepen our understanding of how • the brain creates meaning and memory • to craft instruction to insure the creation of meaning and memory • to develop valid & useful brain compatible strategies for English language learners

  4. WHY? Neural Network Engineers • Meaning • Patterns • Connections

  5. SPARSE WEAK CONNECTIONS DENSE STRONG CONNECTIONS (M. Diamond; W. Greenough)

  6. Your mind seeks to make meaning out of its perceptions!

  7. The point is . . . Brain, KIDS Discovery

  8. Create the Experience

  9. Your mind seeks to find patterns!

  10. Black Blue Green Red Orange Blue

  11. Your mind chooses what it pays attention to!

  12. No way! Maybe, let’s see. Bring it on!

  13. Motivation Attention Connections Create the Experience Hook to previous learning Engagement

  14. Language Acquisition or Language Learning? Krashen’s 5 Hypotheses • Acquisition vs. Learning • Monitor (errors) • Natural Order • Input +1 • Affective Filter

  15. Total Physical Response • Based on Commands. • S listens and acts. • S not required to produce English until he/she is ready. • Natural language acquisition.

  16. Best Methods: • Supply comprehensible input in low anxiety situations. • Use messages students really want to hear. • Do not force early production; allow students to produce when ready • Improvement comes from supplying communicative and comprehensible input, and not from forcing and correcting production.

  17. What if students don’t “learn”? Where do you look? • Student ability? • Language Skills • Cognitive Ability • Student academic experience? • State Academic standards? • Student motivation? • Assessment instrument? • Instructional strategies?

  18. How do we work this to our advantage?

  19. Effective Teaching Brain Compatible Modifications

  20. Instructional Strategies • Use graphic organizers • Use graphic organizers • Use graphic organizers • Use graphic organizers

  21. Instructional Strategies Teach academic content concretely • Realia • Models • Role Playing • Simulation

  22. Instructional Strategies • Use cooperative learning groups • Check for understanding frequently • Pre-teach academic vocabulary • Intentionally teach learning/study strategies

  23. Instructional StrategiesWhy should we use Group Work? • Increases language practice opportunities • Improves the quality of student talk • Helps individualize instruction • Promotes a positive social climate • Motivates learners

  24. Helpful Websites • www.eslkidstuff.com – Children’s resources w/links to websites for ESL kids’ teachers as well as songs, games, flashcards, etc. • www.sitesforteachers.com & http://alri.org/litlist/esolwebsites.html - both contain lists of sites for teacher resources from worksheets to songs to clipart pictures. • www.manythings.org/tesl- Tips, useful techniques and tools for ESL teachers • Google: websites for ESL

  25. Additional Resources • www.spcalc.org - San Patricio Co. Adult Literacy Council • Mathis GED Classes – Wed. @ 6:45 p.m.; Sun. @ 5:45 p.m. at Calvary Mennonite Church • Adult Computer Literacy Classes – Wednesdays: 12:15 to 1:45p.m., Mathis Intermediate School; 6:45 to 8:15 p.m., Calvary Mennonite Church • www.PIBMathis.com for up-to-date information or contact Daniel G. Garcia, 210-519-7083 • donna.i.hernandez@gmail.com • www.eslstrategies.yolasite.com

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