Invitation to SL: Class 4 - Motivation скачать в хорошем качестве

Invitation to SL: Class 4 - Motivation

Motivation inspired by successful, satisfying experiences Class 4: Motivation Motivation inspired by successful, satisfying experiences I once taught a class of "re-takers." The students were mostly discouraged students who had failed in English classes in their secondary school and college. They had to take this SAI-RISHU course for graduation. These Japanese students were not interested in English study, had little interest in the people who spoke the language, and little interest in the countries where English is spoken. They had almost given up the idea of achieving their goal in English, or probably even forgotten how hopeful they originally felt. In the first semester we used a textbook that the university assigned me to use. Every week about 30% of the students were absent. They attended class only often enough to meet the attendance requirement. When they were in class, about 1/3 were asleep. The average score on the weekly vocabulary test was about 30% correct. They only took the appearance of being there. They hardly did their homework. I am sure you have all experienced this as a teacher. I was teaching another class which was a regular class. There was a clear difference between the Sai-Rishu class and the regular class. The regular class used the same textbook but had an upbeat, cheerful, optimistic atmosphere. Their attendance was almost perfect, and scores on the weekly vocabulary test was almost perfect. They paid attention to what I was saying in class. The administrators agreed to change the method for the Sai-Rishu Class. When I explained to the students that I wanted to do, 30% of them said that they were willing to try the new method, 30% of them said that they were skeptical, but they would cooperate, and the last 30% was indifferent. I was given enough money to buy 100 graded readers for a class library. The students read books in class. First, I guided them to books that I thought that they could read. Then, gradually they began to self-select books that they thought that they were interested in reading. Students read in class, and I checked their progress and I observed. I was like a librarian and not a teacher teaching reading skills. I was only guiding them to the books that they could read and enjoy. When they had questions about the content of the books, I could answer, as I had read all the books that I brought to class. There were no more weekly vocabulary tests, no more worksheet, and no comprehension questions. I did not force them to learn something that they were not ready to understand, or they were not interested in. They read what they wanted to read, and they read more. The average number of books read was 30 and some read more than 40 books during the semester. All this took place before I began to tell stories in class, in 1988 and 1989. The outcome of the new approach was incredible. I gave a test of general proficiency to both classes; the Sai-Rishu class caught up with the regular class on a cloze test and their overall attitude toward English study was completely changed from pessimistic, unwilling, and indifferent to optimistic, engaging, and hopeful. They even expressed the desire to read more after the course was over. It is a good idea to help students experience success, satisfaction, and pleasure every time they come to class. When they experience success repeatedly, they cannot help but improve. When they notice progress, they are proud of their accomplishment, and become confident and proud of themselves. Then, they continue with the task on their own. I think that this is what happened. When they understood what they read, anxiety was reduced. When the book was interesting, they continued reading. When they were free from judgement, they felt safe. When they discovered something interesting, they got excited. When they were allowed to select what they read, they became responsible for their choice. When they noticed that they were improving, they became hopeful. When they realized how much they had accomplished, they became confident and proud of themselves. This is what Story-Listening (SL) and Guided Self-Selected Reading (GSSR) can do. The following is what Dr. Krashen says in his article, The End of Motivation. Let's take advantage of the natural process Most people don't care about language acquisition. For most people, it's the story and/or the ideas that count. Instead of trying to motivate our students by urging them to work hard and reminding them how important it is to know English, let's take advantage of the natural process, and make sure they have access to input that they find compelling, in class and outside of class. References: Krashen, S. (2015). The end of motivation. New Routes, 55, 34-35. www.disal.com.br/newr Mason, B., & Krashen, S. (1997). Can extensive reading help unmotivated students of EFL improve? ITL Review of Applied Linguistics, 117-118, 79-84.