September 13, 2007

Tutoring The ESL Student: Issues In Language And Culture

There are various resources available to the intercultural trainer. Differences in writing styles, for example, have been examined for a wide range of cultures, and various manuals of training techniques have been published (see bibliography). What I would like to do here, however, is provide an example of one possible approach by describing a training workshop which I conducted a few years ago for a group of tutors, international (and immigrant) students, and study-abroad participants (some belonged to more than one of these categories). Although this workshop was conducted in a college setting, it could easily be adapted, perhaps choosing other videos (or substituting appropriate dialogues) and other case studies, to other ESL tutoring situations. The workshop lasted approximately three hours, and breakfast and breaks were provided. First of all, the participants interviewed each other in pairs and introduced their partners to the group. Then I introduced the workshop, explaining the reasons for its importance and the methods of exploration that would be employed. The participants were introduced to the video series, When Cultures Meet Face to Face (Penfleld, Hansen, and Mildner 1986), and watched two "encounters" from this series. The first encounter was between an international student and a college instructor; the second was between an international and a local student. Both led to misunderstandings. Each encounter was shown twice on the video, first with just the conversation between the two, then with the thoughts of each one added. In each case, students were encouraged, through the commentary, to identif~’ the cultural assumptions and expectations (stereotypes) that lay behind the misunderstandings, and to suggest how the problems might be resolved. Students in the group who had experienced or were experiencing education outside their home country were asked to discuss their own experiences.

Discussion groups were then formed. Participants were asked to choose two out of three case studies from Levind and Adelman ‘S Beyond Language (2" ed., 1993, l60-63).~ These dealt with an American student abroad and a female classmate from his host country; an American student abroad and an older professor from the host country; and an immigrant couple newly arrived in the U.S. and people they met at a party. All these situations led to intercultural problems. Each group reported on its findings, and general discussion followed.

The main activity of this workshop consisted of the intercultural game BARNGA, which, to quote its manual, places people in a situation where they actually experience the shock of realizing that in spite of many similarities, people from another culture have differences in the way they do things. Players learn that they must understand and reconcile these differences if they want to fUnction effectually in a cross cultural group (Thiagarajan
1990,4).

To play BARNGA, you need about 10 or more players, a reliable co-facilitator, and some packs of cards. Instructions for the facilitator and for participants (the latter in English, Spanish, and French) are provided. The game should be played for about half an hour, then adequate time given for debriefing. I will say no more about it, except that it is an extremely effective simulation, leading to many insights among the players. I found that all the players participated in the debriefing, and international and immigrant students began to speak up more confidently than they had done before.

After this game, which had truly involved the players, sometimes painfully, I wound down the workshop with "Levadel," another exercise from Beyond Language (59). "Levadel" is an invented country whose inhabitants believe they are superior to others and make decidedly ethnocentric statements. I chose this exercise because it enabled the students to look, in a more relaxed fashion, at a culture to which none of them belonged, rather than looking again at themselves. The groups reformed, and tried to revise the wording of the Levadelians’ statements to remove the ethnocentricity from their language. Reports and discussion followed, then final evaluation papers were distributed. The participants’ comments revealed that they had gained in their understanding of members of cultures other than their own, and also in their understanding of themselves and their own attitudes and values. All these are valuable insights for ESL tutors and enable them to better serve their population of students.

REFERENCES
Language Resource Materials

Ascher, Allen. 1993. Think about Editing: A Grammar Editing Guide for ESL Writers. Boston: Heinle and Heinle.

Azar, Betty Schrampfer. Azar Grammar Series. 2" editions. Prentice Hall Regents.

Blanton, L.L. Composition Practice Books. 6 levels. Boston: Heinle and Heinle.

Burke, D. 1992. Street Talk-I; Street Talk-2. Los Angeles: Optima Books.

Dave’s ESL Café: http://www.pacificnet.netJ~_sperljn~Ieslcafehtml

Hands-on English. P 0 Box 256, Crete, NE 68333 (6 issues a year: multi-user rate available).

Jackson, Andy and Audrey. 1995. Basic Grammar Worksheets:    Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall Regents.

Kress, Jacquieline E. 1993. The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists. West Nyack, N.Y.: Center for Applied Research in Education.

The Oxford Picture Dictionary Program. Oxford University Press.

Pauk, Walter. 1989. How to Study in College. 4th ed. Boston: Floughton Mifilin.

Trager, E. C., and S. C. Henderson. 1983. PD’s: Pronunciation Drills for Learners of English. 2"’~ ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice I-JaIl Regents.

Creole Languages

Arends, Jacques, Pieter Muysken, and Norval Smith, eds. 1995. Pidgins and Creoles: An introduction. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: J. Benjarnins.

Craig, Dennis R.. 1982. "Toward a Description of Caribbean English." in The Other Tongue: English across Cultures, ed. Braj B. Kachru. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

Winer, Lise. 1993. "Teaching Speakers of Caribbean Engling Creoles in North American Classrooms." In Language Variation in North American English: Research and Teaching, ed. A. Wayne Glowka and Donald M. Lance. New York: Modem Language Association of America.

Intercultural Training Resources

Fowler, Sandra M., and Monica G. Mumford, eds. 1995. Intercultural Sourcebook: Cross-Cultural Training Methods. Vol. 1. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press.

Gaston, Jan. 1984. CulturalAwareness Teaching Techniques. Brattleboro, VT.: Pro Lingua Associates.

Kohis, L. Robert, and John M. Knight. 1994. Developing intercultural Awareness: A Cross-Cultural Training Handbook. 2"” ed. Yarmouth, Main: Intercultural Press.

Levine, Deena R., and Mara Adelman. 1993. Beyond Language. 2" ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall Regents.

NAFSA. nd. Building Bridges to Friendship (video). Washington, D.C.: NAFSA.

Penfield, Joyce, M. Eileen Hansen, and Christine Mildner. 1986. When Cultures Meet Face to Face: The Intercultural Experience: A Manual and Resource Guide. Includes videocassette. Highland Park: Penfield Associates.

Samovar, Larry A., and Richard E. Porter, eds. 1994. Intercultural Communication: A Reader. 7" ed. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Publishing.

Storti, Craig. 1994. Cross-Cultural Dialogues. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press.

Thiagarajan, Sivasailam. BARNGA: A Simulation Game on Cultural Clashes: A SIETAR International Publication. Game design, Sivasailan Thiagarajan; manual, Barbara Steinwachs. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press.

Culturally Different Writing Styles

Chang, Suk-Jin. 1983. "Linguistics and Written Discourse in Particular Languages: Contrastive Studies: English and Korean." in Annual Review ofApplied Linguistics, ed. Kaplan et al.

Choi, Yeon Hee. 1988. "Test Structure of Korean Speakers’ Argumentative Essays in English." World Englishes 7, no. 2: 129-42.

Clyne, Michael G. 1983. "Linguistics and Written Discourse in Particular Languages: Contrastive Studies: English and German." In Annual Review ofApplied Linguistics, ed. Kaplan et al.

Fox, H. 1994. Listening to the World: Cultural Issues in Academic Writing. Urbana Ill.: NCTE.

Hinds, John. "Linguistics and Written Discourse in English and Japanese: A Contrastive Study (1978- 1982)." In Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, ed. Kaplan et al.

Kachru, Yamina. 1983. "Linguistics and Written Discourse in Particular Languages: Contrastive Studies: English and Hindi." in Annual Review ofApplied Linguistics, ed. Kaplan et al.

Kaplan, Robert B., et al. 1983. Annual review of Applied Linguistics [1982]. Rowley, Mass.: Newbery House.

Leap, William L. 1983. "Linguistics and Written Discourse in Particular Languages: Contrastive Studies: English and American Indian Languages." in Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, ed. Kaplan et al.

Leki, Ilona. 1991. "Twenty-five Years of Contrastive Rhetoric: Text Analysis and Writing Pedagogies." TESOL Quarterly 25, no. 1:123-43.

Thompson-Panos, K., and M. Thomas-Ruzic. l~83. "The Least You Should Know About Arabic: Implications for the ESL Writing Instructor." TESOL Quarterly 17: 609-623.

Tsao, Feng-Fu. 1983. "Linguistics and Written Discourse in Particular Languages: Contrastive Studies: English and Chinese (Mandarin)." In Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, Ed. Kaplan Et al.

Other References Cited (Language/Culture)

Baker, Teresa. 1997. Letter in "Ask the TJ." TESOL Journal 6, no. 4 (summer).

Best, Linda. 1998. "Planning and Implementing the Multimedia Networked ESL Laboratory Classroom." Research and Teaching in Developmental Education 14, no. 2 (spring).

Brown, John. 1999. "Breaking the Natives’ Code." Guardian Wee/dy/BBC World Service, 24 January.

Coleman, Al. 1999. Letter to the editor. TESOL Matters 9, no. 1 (February/March).

Haworth, Karla. 1998. "Teachers of English as a ‘Second Language Strive for More Recognition in Academic." Chronicle of Higher Education, 31 July.

Hyman-Fite, Wendy. 1998. "Examining Our Interactions with Korea Students." IC-IS Intercultural Communication Interest Section (TESOL), February/March.

Jenkins, Janice. 1997. "Faculty T.I.P.S." NAFSA Newsletter, March.

Johnson, Ruth. 1997. "A Case for the Intercultural Communication Course in the MA TESOL Program." TESOL Matters 9, no. 1 (August/September).

Kim, Anna Charr. 1997. "How College Faculty Evaluate Second Language Writing." Research and Teaching in Developmental Education 14, no. 1 (fall).

Leaf; Joseph E. 1992. "Preview-View-Review: A Process Approach to Tutoring ESOL Students." TESOL Journal 1, no.3 (spring).

Maynord, Richard L. 1997. Letter in "Ask the TJ." TESOL Journal 6, no. 4 (summer).

Pen-in, Patrick, and Lisbeth Philip. 1996. "Predictable Problems: Understanding French Student Reactions to ESL Programs." TESOL Intensive English Programs Newsletter 13, no. 2 (spring).

Rickford, John R. 1997. "The Evolution of the Ebonics Issue." Pidgins and Creoles in Education (PACE) Newsletter no. 8 (September) [discusses Hanni Taylor’s 1989 book, Standard English, Black English, and Bidialectalism}.

[Ritchey, Linda.] "Tutoring ESL Students," a report on a presentation by Linda Ritchey, "The ESL Student: Characteristics and Instructional Approaches," at 1994 New York College Learning Skills Association conference. In Learning Line I, no. 2 (fall).

Schwarz, Robin, and Miriam Burt. 1995. "ESL Instruction for Adults with Learning Disabilities." In Postsecondary LD Network Nred. No date. Reprinted from R. Schwarz and M. Burt, "ERIC digest, Washington, DC: National Clearing House for ESL Literacy Education, January 1995.

TESOL News Release. 1997, 16 June.

Thrush, Emily. 1996. "What the World Needs now: ESL Teachers and Technical Communication." TESOL intensive English Programs Newsletter 13, no. 2 (spring).

Upton, Leslie. 1999. "Vocabulary is the Vital Ingredient." Guardian Weekly/BBC World Service, 24 January.

Ward, Marc. 1997. "Myths about College English as a Second Language." Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 September.

Yum, June-Ock. 1987. "Korean Philisophy and Communication." in Communication Theory: Eastern and Western Perspectives, ed. D. Lawrence Kincaid. San Diego: Academic Press.

Publishers and Distributors

ALTA ESL Book Center, 14 Adrian Court, Brulingame, CA 94010.

Audio-Forum, 96 Broad Street, Guilford, CT 06437 (audio and video cassettes, and CD-ROMs).

Cambridge University Press, 40 West 20" Street, New York, NY 10011.

Heinle and Heinle, 1 -877-NEED-ESL.

Houghton Muffin Company, 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116-3764.

Intercultural Press, Inc., P 0 Box 700, Yarmouth, Maine 04096.

National Textbook Company, 4255 West Touhy Avenue, Lincoinwood, IL 60646-1975.

Oxford University Press, 1-800-542-2442.

Prentice Hall Regents, l-800-ESL-2ESL.

Organizations

NAFSA, Association of International Educators, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20009-5728.

TESOL (Teachers of English as a Second Language), 1600 Cameron Street, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314-2751.

 Resource Reference: Official Proceedings of the National Tutoring Association 1999 Annual Conference.  Reprinted with permission from the NTA.

Filed under: Pedagogy,Small Private Practices,Training/Education,Tutoring Practices

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