EFS 689E: Week 1

EFS 689E - STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Learning English on Your Own

Week 1

Home | Syllabus | Week 1 | Week 2| Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5

EFS 689E

Week 1

I. Introductions

A. The course

B. Me: See my website at www.stanford.edu/~efs/phil.

C. You - handout "Common European Framework - Common Reference Levels" from www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf

II. Your language learning profile:

A. Fill out the language learning profile (see below)

B. Discuss your responses briefly in groups

III. What is language proficiency? Here are some general areas that represent elements in English language proficiency and issues in achieving it

A. Linguistic competence: grammar, vocabulary, and phonology knowledge

B. Linguistic skill: ability to use knowledge accurately in real time

C. Communicative competence: ability to use language to communicate (produce and comprehend) intended meanings

D. Socio-cultural competence: ability to use language appropriately, depending on the participants and the situation

E. Relationship of fluency and accuracy

1. Many learn mostly grammar and vocabulary, often through translation

2. Relative importance: vocabularyàpronunciationàgrammar

F. The competition: your brain cannot focus on too many things simultaneously: this is referred to as cognitive resource limitations

1. Extracting and interpreting meaning effectively

2. Increasing speed of processing for comprehension and production

3. Learning new forms, reviewing old ones

4. Preparing to speak in a conversational/discussion setting

G. Some findings from second language learning research

1. Importance of learning by understanding (comprehensible input)

2. The limits of that: fossilization

3. Necessity of attention and awareness

4. Value of production: you need to speak and write (even if just to yourself)

5. Cognitive resource limitations: work toward building automaticity; familiar content is usually best for learning language

IV. Using the web: free materials. Example: English, baby!: www.englishbaby.com

V. Some key elements of effective motivation (revised version of concepts from Oxford and Shearin, 1994)

Your attitude: toward the English language and its speakers and toward the importance of learning

Beliefs about yourself: confidence in success, ability to see your actions as leading to your objectives, and your level of anxiety about the process

Your goals: the ability to see your goals as concrete, relevant and achievable

Your involvement in the learning process: the intensity with which you engage in the language learning process and find it rewarding

Support: from teachers, friends, family, colleagues and others

Your personal attributes: language learning aptitude, age, first language, previous language learning experiences

You may be used to having teachers take responsibility for your motivation--now it's your turn

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Homework

1) Bring your learning profile notes--and questions--to the first individual meeting. Be prepared to discuss what specific elements of English you would like to concentrate on.

2) Spend at least 60 minutes this week reviewing www.elllo.org. Try to do more if you are not taking our intensive English course. See the specific assignment below.

Remember, for the next few weeks at least, treat English learning as an important task, not just a recreational activity. Schedule it first, not last.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EFS 689E - English Learning Profile

1. Please rate yourself in the following areas. Be honest, not humble. Consider 10 to be a typical educated native speaker

Listening: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10