EFS 689E - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Learning English on Your Own
EFS 689E - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Learning English on Your Own
Week 4
EFS 689E
Week 4
O. How much time did you spend deliberately learning/practicing English last week? What did you learn? How do you know?
I. Vocabulary and reading review
A. A technique for reading practice
1. Go to Google News and find an
interesting story.
2. Pick 3 or 4 different sources for that story
3. Read the shortest story first quickly. After you
finish it, do (B) below--read it again, looking up unknown words
4. Read the rest of the stories--some of the words you just looked up will
probably appear in a new context and be reinforced
5. Save useful words for review
B. A technique for getting instant definitions of vocabulary words
1. Go to www.voycabulary.com.
2. Copy and paste a URL into the box, for example
- a page from Google News
- The academic word list:
http://language.massey.ac.nz/staff/awl/headwords.shtml
3. Submit the URL, and a new window will open with
all the words linked directly to an online dictionary
C. Reviewing vocabulary: keeping a word list is only the first step--it is critical to review it regularly. One recommendation is to review new words you have learned after 1, 3, 10, 30, and 90 days. For review, it's best to have a way to randomize the presentation of words/definitions: if you have them in Excel, you can use the RAND function (http://www.brainbell.com/tutorials/ms-office/excel/Random_Sorting.htm) or you can make vocabulary cards
II. Pronunciation on your own: before we begin, how would you try to improve your pronunciation?
A. Listening and repeating: how to make it work best
1. Focus on meaning as you speak; talk about something familiar
2. Get rhythm & intonation, not just words
B. Pronunciation software on disk: BetterAccent in Green Library Call #ZMS 643
C. Pronunciation materials online:
1. Online pronunciation course materials at
http://www.accentschool.com/
2. Reduction, intonation & linkage:
www.americanaccent.com
3. U. of Iowa animated sounds: www.uiowa.edu/%7Eacadtech/phonetics/#
4. Reduced forms:
www.manythings.org/voa/wm/wm190.html
5. Try sound discrimination practice for pronunciation at
www.manythings.org/pp
6. Overview of English sounds at
http://www.fonetiks.org/
D. Developing an English persona
Value of role play: you can be yourself
(as an English speaker!) or make up a character.
1. Name
2. Where you live: describe your house
3. What you do: describe your job
4. Other biographical information: family, hobbies, secrets
Note: this works well for online forums and virtual worlds (e.g.,
www.secondlife.com)
E. Pronunciation and listening: noticing what you
write/say and noticing the difference between that and what the speaker said.
1. Written dictation, followed by
2. Oral dictation: record it for best results
III. Speaking
A. Methods
1. Observing interactions: eavesdropping, movies, other videos
2. Practicing monologues (see E below)
3. Engaging people in conversations: friends, neighbors; meeting new people
B. Software:
- see Fry's; www.wor.com
- TRACI
Talk: The Mystery in Green Library Call #ZMS 561 - see
http://www.ccu.edu.tw/fllcccu/2008EIA/English/3.I03.pdf )
C. dialogues at www.focusenglish.com; www.talkenglish.com
D. Online chatting at Dave's ESL Cafe or EnglishBaby
E. Recording yourself: Windows sound recorder,
Audacity,
etc. Review your recordings and re-record once or twice.
1.
Keep an audio journal or diary, describing thoughts and experiences
2. Practice telling stories, especially interesting or funny ones
3. Practice presenting opinions
4. Practice descriptions of your job, research, etc.
F. Online learning with a live tutor: www.avatarlanguages.com/home.php.
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Homework: last assignment
1) Write a report on the individual assignment you began last week (please do at least one hour). Email it to me by 10:00 PM Sunday July 27. The report should state
What you did; what material you used (if any)
How you did it--the process
How long you spent
At least two important things that you learned about learning from the experience
2) Briefly explore 2 or 3 of the sites above: come prepared to discuss your experiences at the meeting (you may also include this in your report if you wish)
3) Prepare the final presentation of your Personal Course Outline (see below): this can be done in PowerPoint. We will discuss this briefly in our last meeting so be sure you have prepared appropriately. Please bring a printed version (printout of notes or PowerPoint slides) to class for me. Remember our final class may last until 6:00 PM
Personal Course
Outline Assignment
Assignment
Prepare a 5 - 10 minute presentation including both parts below. In addition to any handouts you may give, be sure you have a written version of this to hand in as well. You should practice the presentation so that you can give it well.
Part I
Write a syllabus for a one-month independent English study program.
Objective(s): (for example, improve reading speed to 150 wpm, learn 500 new vocabulary items, be able to introduce myself to strangers and carry on an extended conversation…)
Time: Determine the time per week you will need to
devote to each objective. Be realistic! Include a proposed distribution of your
learning periods (e.g., 5 mornings/week for 30-45 minutes + 3 afternoons/week
for 30 minutes + 5 evenings/week for 90 minutes). Relate these to specific
objectives (e.g., mornings for
listening, afternoons for vocabulary, evenings for reading…).
Materials: Identify materials and sources you will
use in meeting specific objectives. Consider both computer and
non-computer-based, as well as any synchronous or asynchronous interaction you
might have with humans.
Procedures: Briefly describe 3 or more types of procedures you will use, e.g., dictation, oral summaries, etc.
Evaluation: Describe how you will evaluate your progress (journal, word
list, etc.).
Schedule: Summarize the time and materials portions in a table or calendar for your one month course.
One lesson
Part
II.
Over the next half year, what are your language learning objectives? Specifically, what do you want to be able to do that you can't do well now, and what do you want to learn that you don't know now? About how much time per week are you willing to devote to meeting these objectives? What materials do you plan to use? Summarize the answers to these questions. Note that this does not require the detail of Part I.
Objective(s): processing practice, listening comprehension practice, learn new vocabulary.
Materials: EnglishBaby Eavesdropping
Procedure:
1. Go to Eavesdropping. Read the first few lines, but don't scroll the rest of the dialog. Think about the meaning and try to guess what might come next.
2. Listen to the dialog and read along with it.
3. When you hit the first hidden line. Pause and try to dictate it. Listen a couple of times if necessary.
4. Scroll up and check your answer.
5. Try the same with the next line. Keep going this way for at least 4 lines.
6. Play the rest of the dialog, try to catch the main meaning.
7. Answer the comprehension questions
8. Look at the underlined vocabulary. Write down the ones you don't know. Try to guess their meaning.
9. Check your answers with the glossary.
10. Make a list of the new words/phrases that you think are worth remembering, along with their definitions, in whatever form you use for learning and reviewing.