Introductions

Syllabus Attendance and Homework Group Work Quizzes and Finals

Syllabus

Rationale Objectives List of Expectations Course Requirements Small Group

Attendance and Homework

50 minutes of classroom experience and an opportunity to listen to the language being spoken

This is an intensive 5 credit course therefore, work outside of classroom is crucial

Individual learning outside of class is needed, language structures and dialog and vocabulary should be reviewed independently before every class period.

Group Work

Group Work – cooperative learning is crucial in the success of language learning and in other aspects of academic life and eventually corporate work life.

Quizzes and Finals

A form of a teacher evaluation that is necessary in determining individual student needs.

They are also a form feedback for self-diagnosis and not simply for comparing one’s performance against a norm.

Students cheating in any form will be reprimanded and will be submitted for disciplinary action. (This class etiquette that will be strictly reinforced this semester)

Language Principles

Motivation •the extent to which you make

choices about goals to pursue and the effort you will devote to that pursuit

Language Learning Strategies•ability to use effective strategies

Meaningful Activities

Vocabulary Acquisition Strategies(excerpted from Weaver & Cohen (1997)

Strategies-Based Instruction: a Teacher-Training

Manual)

Strategies for acquiring new vocabulary can include:

1. categorization (e.g., according to meaning, part of speech, formal vs. informal language forms, alphabetical order, or types of clothing or food);

2. keyword mnemonics (that is, finding a native-language word or phrase with similar sounds, and creating a visual image that ties the word or phrase to the target-language word;

learning pato in Spanish by selecting the similar-sounding English word "pot" and by creating a mental image of a duck with a pot on its head);

3. visualization (e.g., through mental images, photographs, charts, graphs, or the drawing of pictures);

4. rhyme/rhythm (e.g., making up songs or short ditties);

5. language transfer (e.g., using prior knowledge of native, target, or other language structures);

6. repetition (e.g., repeating words over and over to improve pronunciation or spelling, trying to practice the words using all four skills: writing new sentences, making up stories using as many new words as possible, reading texts that contain those new words, purposely using the words in conversation and listening for them as they are used by native speakers).

You can also:

1. mentally visualize or draw pictures of a reading, lecture, or conversation to help remember it;

2. use charts to check if your writing is balanced ("I only have two advantages in this essay, but six disadvantages. Should I change my topic or should I add more advantages?");

3. create flashcards or a list of key words/phrases to help you when giving an oral presentation in class or to organize your writing;

4. learn grammar or spelling rules by making up rhymes or songs("i before e )

Other useful activities for learning new vocabulary:

1. Make vocabulary flashcards or keep a vocabulary notebook that contains not just lists of words and their meanings or translations, but also some of the following: pictures, sentences comparing different meanings of the same word, charts,

words sorted by category, various grammatical forms of the same word, the mnemonics used to remember the words, where the word was found or who said it and in what context, contrasting of formal and informal words.

 

2. Have your teacher or tutor make audiotapes (vs. written lists) of the vocabulary in order to practice the pronunciation of the words --- or to help "auditory" learners learn more efficiently;

3. Select new words according to: interest, frequency, ease of learning, relative usefulness (professional, personal, or academic), language topic, "it's on the exam," etc.

•Ten Commandments for Good Language Learning

Fear Not! Dive In! Believe in Yourself! Seize the Day Love thy Neighbor

Get the BIG PICTURE Cope with the Chaos Go with your hunches Make mistakes work FOR YOU Set your own goals