DOCUMENT RESUME ED 468 306 FL 027 385 Evans, Daniel W. AUTHOR CHAT in EFL: Communicative Humanistic Acculturation TITLE Techniques. 2000-00-00 PUB DATE 10p.; In: Proceedings for the Texas Foreign Language NOTE [Education] Conference (Austin, Texas, March 31-April 1, 2000); see FL 027 384. Journal Articles (080) Reports Descriptive (141) PUB TYPE Speeches /Meeting Papers (150) Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education; v5 n1 p1-8 spec JOURNAL CIT iss Fall 2000 EDRS Price MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Acculturation; Adjustment (to Environment); Creative DESCRIPTORS Teaching; *English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Higher Education; *Humanistic Education; Student Participation; Teacher Student Relationship; Teaching Methods *Communicative Approach; South Korea IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This paper introduces the concept of communicative humanistic acculturation teaching techniques and presents examples of activities used in university English-as-a-Second-Language classes in South Korea. The activities elicited the aid of students in the roles of advisor, facilitator, and counselor to the teacher in his ongoing struggle to cope with adjustment to living in Korea. Some of the activities included a gift ranking activity (helping the teacher determine what kinds of gifts to buy for his Korean-born fiancee's family), a meeting future in-laws role play, reaction to a video of the teacher's trip to his fiancee's home and neighborhood in Japan, and an essay writing activity in which students created short essays comparing and contrasting themselves to a sibling or close friend. These activities enhanced learners' acquisition of English by: (1) providing realistic, purposeful communicative encounters that motivated students to express (2) establishing a personal relationship between students and the themselves; foreign teacher; and, by extension (3) fostering positive attitudes toward the language, culture, and people of the United States. An appendix includes the teacher's autobiographical dictation used in one class activity. (Author/SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. CHAT in EFL Communicative Humanistic Acculturation Techniques* DANIEL W. EVANS, School of International Studies, Saint Michael's College DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Of ce of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND ED CATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) BEEN GRANTED BY This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. inarK G. Oa Ipe Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES document do not necessarily represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. 1 BEST COPY AVAILABLE CHAT in EFL Communicative Humanistic Acculturation Techniques* DANIEL W. EVANS, School of International Studies, Saint Michael's College This paper introduces the concept of communicative humanistic acculturation teaching techniques and presents examples of activities used in university EFL classes in South Korea. The activities elicited the aid of the students in the roles of adviser, facilitator, and counselor in the teacher's on-going struggle to cope with adjustment to living in Korea. They enhanced learners' acquisition of English by (1) providing realistic, purposeful communicative encounters that motivated stu- dents to express themselves; (2) establishing a personal relationship between stu- dents and the foreign teacher; and, by extension, (3) fostering positive attitudes toward the language, culture, and people of the United States. INTRODUCTION Preliminary versions of the title of this paper contained the words "expos- ing myself in the classroom." Although I decided to select the more technically descriptive title, I still think that "exposing myself" rather accurately captures the gist of the paper: the idea of getting personal in the language class in ways that will enhance the learning experience. A while back, I had the occasion to visit an old friend, Rob, with whom I had served in the Peace Corps in Korea many years ago. Rob was still involved in the business of teaching English as a second language but no longer to bright- eyed, eager, and innocent Korean university students. Instead, he had found a teaching job in a maximum-security prison. Certainly there must be a great deal of satisfaction involved in that kind of teaching, but one thing he told me about his job made a very memorable impression on me. He was not allowed to give out any sort of personal information about himself, his friends, or his family not even real names. As a long-time English language teacher I was stunned at the thought of the limitations of such a teaching situation. I found the notion to- tally stifling! When you develop relationships with people, you have to share in- not to do so creates a cold, imper- formation, opinions, attitudes, and values sonal, environment. It may be businesslike and efficient, but it is certainly not "humanistic." As we know, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) purports to be based on a humanistic philosophy of education as one of its cornerstones (Dubin, & Olshtain, 1986; McNeil, 1977), and I guess what humanism really means is that we should develop real human relationships with students. By doing so, we ac- complish more than just being nice people. A warm relationship of mutual hu- man respect leads students to like their teacher, and then, by extension, to like their class, the learning, the target language, the target culture, and the people that this liking, that this are who members culture. is, of All * Presented at the Texas Foreign Language Education Conference 2000 (TexFLEC 2000), University of Texas at Austin, March 31-April 1, 2000. 2 Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education set of positive attitudes, serves to en- sentences, they are instructed to write hance and maximize the learning down only the ones they believe to be process. The facilitating effect of posi- untrue. It is a matter of guessing since tive attitudes is a well-established and they have no real way of knowing the well-accepted principle of second lan- information. As the students listen guage acquisition, supported by nu- and write, teacher can walk the merous empirical studies, and per- around observing how well they are haps more importantly, it is an intui- able to comprehend and reproduce tively appealing and obvious notion. the sentences. This process provides an informal diagnosis of both listening A CHAT ACTIVITY FOR DAY ONE comprehension and writing. So I had my humanistic princi- Below is an example set of ples in mind a couple of years ago statements about my graduate school when I was scheduled to meet my days at the University of Texas that I new English classes for the first day of made up and shared with the Tex- teaching at jeonju University in South FLEC audience in Austin. In the pres- Korea. I had been offered the oppor- entation, it provided a link between tunity to return to the country where I many audience members and me and had spent my Peace Corps days, this helped the rest of the presentation to time for one semester as an exchange go smoothly. "Listen carefully and professor. On that first day, I had the write down the sentence that you above-mentioned set of humanistic think is not true," I instructed. affective goals in mind, but I also had in mind a set of cogni- A. I lived in housing made from con- tive/ academic/diagnostic goals as verted WWII Army barracks. well. I had no clear idea of the stu- dents' proficiencies in any of the skills took three courses from Dr. I B. of English, especially listening com- Bordie. prehension and speaking. So I was looking for a first-day, get-acquainted C. I taught at the Texas IEP where I type activity that would satisfy both had an office in a closet. sets of objectives. I came up with the Teacher's Autobiographical Dictation D. I didn't care much for Austin, but I (adapted from Davis & Rinvolucri, liked the University. 1988). In this activity, the teacher pre- pares sentences about various aspects (Of course choice D is untrue. Who of his (the masculine pronoun is used couldn't love Austin?) because the teacher is male in this The appendix contains a com- case) life: childhood, school days, pro- plete list of the statements I used in fessional life, hobbies, etc. He presents Korea for this activity. The statements them to the class in groups of four are designed to provide leads to vari- sentences of which three are true and ous aspects of U.S. culture and life one is untrue. As students listen to the that can be exploited in further class- 4 3 Chat in EFL of the Teacher's Autobio- room communication. They also led to success It cap- graphical Dictation activity: the sharing of several bits of rather tured the interest of the students; it about information personal the immediately put them at ease with the teacher such as being an overweight daunting new foreigner in their midst child, not having a steady girlfriend in and planted the seeds for a warm per- high school, going through a divorce, sonal relationship and positive array and the death of a beloved pet dog. I of attitudes; it motivated them to use realize that some teachers may not their English for real communication; feel comfortable discussing such per- and it provided me with the academic sonal issues in class with their stu- diagnostic information I needed for dents. In any humanistic activity, par- curriculum planning. ticipants should always have a clearly understood option not to participate if they prefer, (Moskowitz, 1978). Like- THE POWER OF ACCULTURATION IN wise, in this activity the teacher con- ESL LEARNING/TEACHING So next I began considering trols the content of the dictation and what else I could do to maximize the has the option not to include whatever development of communicative skills he chooses not to reveal. I myself was in this EFL environment. I had previ- totally comfortable sharing these de- ously had plenty of teaching experi- tails, and I felt closer to the students ence both in EFL and ESL contexts. It for having done do. was painfully obvious that the most Step two of this activity in- rapid and efficient development of volved placing students into groups of English communication skills was in four or five. Each group was to dis- ESL contexts such as those of Saint cuss the sentences and arrive at a Michael's English Language Programs group consensus as to what the un- where I currently teach. What exactly true statements were. Of course, this is it that promotes language learning was a communicative activity that re- and communication skills so well in quired much discussion and negotia- the ESL context? Of course the obvi- tion of meaning. It also provided an ous answer is the unlimited amount of opportunity for the teacher to observe exposure to English the total immer- and diagnose students' speaking pro- sion environment provides; there is no ficiency levels. Each group reported substitute for quantity of exposure. their consensus to the class as a whole But, to go beyond the obvious, let us and the teacher finally revealed the try to examine some specific outcomes false statement and elaborated on the of the ESL immersion model that con- discussion of each statement. tribute to learners' success. As a follow-up activity, stu- have observed that some dents were asked to prepare for I learners progress much better than homework similar sets of true/untrue others in the ESL context. These are statements about themselves to share the ones, I believe, who more actively with others in small groups in the next engage themselves in a dynamic ac- I was very pleased with the class. 5 4 Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education culturation process a process that unit. The learner becomes the repre- creates a multitude of interactions in sentative of his or her culture and which real communicative needs have feels an obligation to describe and ex- to be satisfied for the learner's very plain its ways as he or she finds out survival. There are several aspects to about the ways of others. It is a won- this survival. (1) There is survival in and beautiful derful acculturation terms of basic human needs. They have process that is one of the best parts of to interact in English to accomplish ESL study. the numerous transactions involved in life: obtaining food and shelter, pay- APPLYING ACCULTURATION ing bills, buying things, etc. Lots of TECHNIQUES IN EFL CONTEXTS language learning takes place when Of course diversity of this na- ture and its resulting acculturation our basic human physical needs are at processes do not exist in the EFL stake. (2) Then there is survival in the situation in locations such as South academic sense. ESL students have to acculturate themselves to new expec- Korean universities. Comparing the EFL context to that of ESL point by tations, processes, and norms of aca- demic life in the United States. This point, first, there is very limited expo- sure to the target language and the aspect of acculturation also requires a lot of communication and language target language fulfills little if any real is not development as English becomes the communicative purposes. It sole vehicle for academic activity. (3) used to provide basic human needs, it is not the vehicle for academic sur- Thirdly, there is social survival. ESL learners in the United States must de- vival, nor is it used for social interac- velop social relationships with others tions. Rather than a diverse group of through English both outside the fellow learners using English to forge classroom and inside as well. Outside, new bonds and exchange cultural in- the more successful learners seek out formation, the Korean students' fel- lows are already well known to relationships with Americans and fel- one another and share virtually identical low ESL learners from other cultures. They make friends, and in the cultural backgrounds. In short, there process develop their sociolinguistic are no acculturation processes to pro- compe- tence. Inside the classroom too, there pel the language learning. There is no is a powerful social dynamic taking compelling need to communicate in place. Students find themselves thrust English. into a random group of fellow learn- But soon I came to realize ers who represent, ideally, a wide perhaps as I struggled to open a bank range of ethnic and cultural back- account, buy a bus ticket, or greet a grounds. Their colleague in my elementary Korean experiences differ greatly, as do their beliefs and values. that there certainly was a dynamic ac- They need to seek out common culturation process taking place. It ground and create bonds in order to was I, the helpless foreigner, who was engaged in the acculturation strug- work and learn together as a cohesive 6 5 Chat in EFL to retrieve my cash! And the students not my students. I should try to gle had used their English for a truly use- take advantage of this acculturation ful real-life communicative purpose. process to create communicative pur- We were all happy, and, on the affec- poses that might enhance the commu- tive side, we bonded a bit. nicative skills of my students. Follow- Countless language activities I would ing humanistic principles, using any or all language skills can be open up my life to them and let them developed that allow EFL students to vicariously experience my attempts to provide useful information that the acculturate myself to my new envi- foreign teacher truly needs to survive ronment. I would rely on their inher- in and to better understand the host ent Korean sense of generous hospital- culture. Some examples include: ity to motivate them to try to help me in my struggle to survive. I would How to take a train/bus to also call upon their strong pride in . their own fascinating culture to moti- What/how to order in a restau- vate them to educate this "ignorant rant. Westerner" in their customs and value system. What kind of holiday is THE "HELPLESS FOREIGNER" USING CHAT ACTIVITIES IN KOREA SCENARIO The following are brief descrip- The idea itself is nothing new. I am quite certain that a lot of foreign tions of several other ways in which I made use of the Communicative Hu- teachers make use of the "helpless for- eigner" scenario from time to time. I Acculturation Technique manistic during my semester in Korea. recall a very effective writing assign- ment I gave to a class at a Japanese university years ago when I had just Gift Ranking Activity I told the class about my en- begun a teaching position there. I had a brand new bank account with a gagement to Sinyoung, a Korean born and raised in Japan, along with infor- shinny new ATM card. The only prob- mation about her family. I explained lem was that the instructions on the machine were written entirely that I would travel to Japan over the in Ch'usok holidays (a kind of Korean Japanese kanji and kana characters. Thanksgiving) to meet the family for Reading the instructions and using the machine were beyond me. I shared the first time. I was having trouble de- ciding what to take as a gift for the my dilemma with my class and gave family. In small groups, students dis- them the assignment of going to my cussed the question and mutually specific bank and writing a clear set of agreed on the five best gift ideas in instructions in English, complete with order of preference. Each group then diagrams, for performing the various reported their results to the whole functions I needed to perform on the class. Much explanation of traditional ATM. It was great! I was finally able 7 6 Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education Korean gift items was required might have. Many of their papers as well as information on cost of items and were quite touching. where they could be bought in the lo- cal area, how to get to the store or Two-Brothers Midterm Exam market, etc. The personal humanistic as- pects of CHAT can be applied even on Meeting Future In-Laws Role Play something as formal and impersonal As a follow-up activity to the as a test. As part of a mid-term exam, I previous gift-ranking activity, I admit- used true personal data about my ted to the class that I was quite nerv- brother and myself. The students had ous about meeting my future in-laws. studied basic sentence combining How should I act? What should I say? techniques through a textbook exer- What will they say, ask, and do? I cise on the Kennedy brothers (e.g., then had groups prepare role plays while John, Robert, and Edward Ken- enacting the scene and playing the nedy each shared the same environ- of Sinyoung her father, her roles mental influences growing up, they mother, and me. Scripts were be quite gener- turned out to different ated, skits were rehearsed, and finally adults). Following that example, I cre- they were presented in class and re- ated a similar exercise that compared corded on videotape. After viewing me to my brother. After combining the videos, the class could discuss and the sentences into a guided para- evaluate each group's efforts, perhaps graph, students created short essays even casting votes on best skit, best comparing and contrasting them- actor, actress, etc. selves to a sibling or close friend. Reacting to Video of japan Trip CONCLUSION I showed the class a video that I While the EFL environment of- took on my trip to Japan that included ten presents more challenges and scenes of my fiancee's home, a typical fewer opportunities for language ac- residential neighborhood, a super- quisition than does the ESL context, market, a meal in a Japanese restau- CHAT the employment of rant, and various points of interest in communicative, humanistic, accul- Kyoto and Osaka. I asked students to turation techniques can help capture react in writing to what they saw, dis- some aspects of the ESL context that cussing their impressions of Japan. make it such an effective acquisition Because of historical realities, Koreans environment. The communicative as- have deep seated, often negative, pect provides realistic and purposeful emotional reactions to Japan. Many exchange of information and moti- students wrote that viewing the coun- vates learners to express themselves. try through this vicarious personal The humanistic aspect establishes per- connection caused them to see Japan sonal relationships among students very differently, in a much more posi- and teacher and fosters positive atti- manner than they otherwise tive tudes toward all aspects of the lan- 7 Chat in EFL Dubin, F., & Olshtain, E. (1986). Course guage, culture, and learning experi- design: Developing programs and ence. The acculturation aspect exploits materials for language learning. a process of adapting to and surviving Cambridge: Cambridge Uni- in a new environment to propel the versity Press. learning experience. In the EFL teach- McNeil, J.D. (1977). Curriculum: A ing context, the acculturation process comprehensive introduction. Bos- of the foreign teacher substitutes for ton: Little, Brown and Com- that of the students in ESL contexts. pany. Moskowitz, G. (1978). Caring and shar- REFERENCES ing in the foreign language class: Davis, P., & Rinvolucri, M. (1988). Dic- A sourcebook on humanistic tech- tation: New methods, new possi- niques. Boston: Heinle & bilities. Cambridge: Cambridge Heinle. University Press. 9 8 Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education APPENDIX TEACHER'S AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL DICTATION You will hear groups of four sentences about your teacher. Only three of the sen- tences are true. Write down only the one statement that you think is not true. Childhood I was born in the state of Missouri. I never went to kindergarten. I was always a skinny kid. (false) I was a pretty good student. High School Days I played on my high school football team. I had a steady girlfriend. (false) I got my driver's license when I was 16. My favorite sport was tennis. University Days English was my major. (false) I lived in an apartment off -campus. I rode a motorcycle to school. I tried skiing for the first time. Peace Corps Days I taught English at Dongguk University. I got married in Korea to a Korean woman. I got a black belt in Taekwondo. I traveled to Thailand on my winter vacation. (false) After Peace Corps I worked in the world's tallest building. My wife and I had one son, no daughters. I went back to the University of Missouri for graduate school. (false) We came back to Korea for another two years. In Japan I worked for Waseda University in Tokyo. (false) I had a van and a motorcycle. My son could speak Japanese better than I. My wife and I got a divorce. In Vermont I drive a red sports car. I have a large dog. (falsemy dog recently died) I live alone in a big house. I play an electric guitar.