Inclusion of learners with specific learning differences ......Dyslexia, working memory and language...
Transcript of Inclusion of learners with specific learning differences ......Dyslexia, working memory and language...
Inclusion of learners with specific learning differences in teaching English as a foreign language
Bimali Indrarathne Lancaster University
Introduction
Teacher training project for Sri Lanka
Who? When?
Dyslexia and language learning
Working memory Facts
My research
Input processing Working memory
My research
• Attention is a necessary condition for learning (Leow, 2013; Robinson,
Mackey, Gass & Schmidt, 2012)
• Learners need to pay attention to target language input and identify the language features in the input (Schmidt’s noticing hypothesis,
1995)
• Do learners need extra support (e.g., from the teacher) to pay attention to input or can they pay attention to input on their own?
– Explicit?
– Implicit?
• Working memory and input processing
– Directing learners’ attention to relevant features in the input (Ellis,
1996)
– Processing input (Ellis & Sinclair, 1996)
My research
PRE TEST
POSTTEST
Explicit 1 With an explanation of the target structure
Explicit 2 No explanation, but participants were informed
that there was a target structure highlighted
Implicit 1 No information, target structure highlighted
Implicit 2 No information, no highlighting
WORK ING
MEMORY
TESTS
Control group
My research
Participants
– 100 undergraduates at a Sri Lankan university
– Age between 18-22
– B1/B2 level of proficiency
– 20 in a group
Pre/post-tests
– Sentence Reconstruction items
– Grammaticality Judgement items
– Free writing task
Working memory tests
Digit Span, Keep track, Plus minus, Stroop
Target structure
Causative passive
My research
Eye tracking to measure attention
– Tobii X2-60 portable eye tracker fixed to a laptop
My research
My research
My research
My research
Explicit 1 With an explanation of the target structure
Explicit 2 No explanation, but the participants were informed that
there was a target structure highlighted
Implicit 1 No information, target structure
highlighted
Implicit 2 No information, no highlighting
Significantly higher amount of
attention
Significant improvement in
the post-test
Significantly lesser amount of attention
Very little or no improvement in
the post-test
Higher WM: better
attention, better
performance
Indrarathne & Kormos (2016), Indrarathne & Kormos (2017)
Dyslexia, working memory and language learning
ELT Well
Dyslexia, working memory and language learning
“Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability” (International Dyslexia Association, 2012)
Dyslexia, working memory and language learning
“Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference” (International Dyslexia Association, 2012)
Some symptoms: • Slow reading speed
• Spelling issues
• Mixing up words
• Difficult to express themselves clearly
• Poor concentration
• Ineffective organizational skills
• Low self-esteem
• Short memory span (lower WM capacity)
(International Dyslexia Association, 2012)
Dyslexia, working memory and language learning
Explicit 1 With an explanation of the target structure
Explicit 2 No explanation, but were informed that there was a target structure highlighted
Implicit 1 No information, target structure
highlighted
Implicit 2 No information, no highlighting
Significantly higher amount of
attention
Significant improvement in
the post-test
Significantly lesser amount of attention
Very little or no improvement in
the post-test
Higher WM: better
attention, better
performance
Dyslexia, working memory and language learning
Dyslexia facts
• 10% of population (estimated)
• Occurs in people of all backgrounds and intellectual levels
• Runs in families
• Dyslexia is not due to either lack of intelligence or a desire to learn
• People who are very bright can be dyslexic
• Dyslexia is a life-long condition
• With proper help people with dyslexia can learn to read and/or write well
(International Dyslexia Association, 2012)
Teacher training project for Sri Lanka
Partners
Project website: http://www.dyslexiaprojectsl.com/
Teacher training project for Sri Lanka
• Will educate ca. 100 English language teacher trainers in the country
• How to identify learners with dyslexia and how to support them in the English language classroom
• Training materials
• Free resources and professional development opportunities available
• Raise awareness among school principals, policy planners and language testing body of the country
• May/June 2017
Teacher training project for Sri Lanka
Content
• Understanding dyslexia
• Effects of dyslexia on language learning
• Identifying learners with dyslexia
• Classroom management techniques
• Teaching vocabulary and grammar
• Teaching the four skills
• Assessing learners with dyslexia
• Challenges and solutions
References
Ellis, N.C. (1996). Sequencing in SLA: phonological memory, chunking, and points of order. SSLA, 18, 91-126. Ellis, N. C., & Sinclair, S. G. (1996). Working memory in the acquisition of vocabulary and syntax: putting language in
good order. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 49A(1), 234-250. ELT Well. (2017). http://eltwell.com/ Indrarathne, B. & Kormos, J. (2016). Attentional processing of input in explicit and implicit learning conditions: an eye-
tracking study. Studies in Second Language Acquisition. doi:10.1017/S027226311600019X. Indrarathne, B. & Kormos, J. (2017). The role of working memory in processing L2 input: insights from eye-tracking.
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. (in press) International Dyslexia Association .(2012).Dyslexia basics: fact sheet. Available at https://dyslexiaida.org/dyslexia-
basics/ Leow, R. (2013). Attention, Noticing, and Awareness in Second Language Acquisition. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.) The
Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics (pp. 1-7). Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Robinson, P., Mackey, A., Gass, S. M., & Schmidt, R. (2012). Attention and awareness in second language acquisition. In
S. M. Gass & A. Mackey (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition (pp.247-267). London, England: Routledge.
Schmidt, R. (1995). Consciousness and foreign language learning: A tutorial on the role of attention and awareness in
learning. In R. Schmidt (Ed.), Attention and awareness in foreign language learning (pp 1-63). Honalulu, HI: University of Hawaii, Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Centre.
Thank you