ELICOS

Outcomes - Progress Map:

Outcome 1: Speaking

Students use spoken English to communicate and interact with others in a variety of contexts and for a range of purposes.

Outcome 2: Listening

Students comprehend and respond to spoken English uses for a range of purposes and in a range of contexts.

Outcome 3: Reading and Viewing

Students comprehend and respond to a variety of written and visual texts produced in English for a range of contexts and purposes.

 Outcome 4: Writing

Students write for a variety of purposes, audiences and contexts using the conventions of Standard Australian English

OBJECTIVES 

Upon the completion of each level, successful students should be able to: 

1. Use knowledge of the English oral language system and its application;

2. Use knowledge of the English language system and its applications to enhance comprehension of written, visual and electronic texts;

3. Use language to interact with their peers and outside the classroom in meaningful contexts;

4. Apply intercultural understandings of spoken English and the contexts in which it is used;

5. Apply intercultural understandings of English and the contexts in which it is used to enhance comprehension of written, visual and electronic texts;

6. Select from a range of language learning and communication strategies to enhance oral communication, aural comprehension and interaction; and

7. Select from a range of language learning and communication strategies to enhance written communication.

Content area: Knowledge & Skills

The following content are knowledge, skills and values are essential to the achievement of outcomes in the English as an Additional Language or Dialects course of study and they form the basis of the teaching and learning program:

1. The Language System and Applications:

      Structure, Forms, Features & Conventions of English Texts

1.1 Pragmatic Competence:

Understanding the function and structural features of genre and register variables; learn and use the verbal exchange pattern in order to negotiate and carry out communicative activities in a range of situation for specific purposes.

1.2 Orthographic Competence:

Knowledge of and skill in perceiving and producing the symbols of which written texts are composed including print and cursive forms in upper and lower case, spelling, punctuation, common logographic signs (&,@,*) and other print conventions such as varieties of font.

1.3 Lexical Competence:

Knowledge of and the ability to use the vocabulary of English including: lexical elements such as parts of the speech, grammatical elements (demonstratives, conjunctions, transitions, possessives, etc.) greetings, proverbs, phrasal idioms; collocations, and other formulaic or fixed expressions.

1.4 Grammatical Competence:

Knowledge of and the ability to express meaning by recognising and producing well-formed phrases and sentences according to set principles and grammatical organisation including: syntax (word order & relationship between words in a sentence), morphology (inflections, morphemes, affixes: suffixes & prefixes), derivation (word roots and stems), tenses, clauses, conditionals, etc.

1.5 Semantic Competence

Knowledge of the meaning of individual lexical items and how the syntactic structure guides the construction of meaning, including: the relation of words to general context such as reference, connotation (implied meaning), denotation (literal meaning), figurative language and metaphorical meanings, synonym, antonym hyponymy (a word whose meaning is included in the meaning of a more general term_ rose is a hyponym of flower), homophones (words with same pronunciation but is different in meaning and spelling) & homograph (words with the same spelling but is different in meaning)

2. Intercultural Understandings: 

2.1 Sociocultural Understandings:

Students develop an understanding of the differences in worldviews, belief systems and value hierarchies between one’s own culture and the culture in which one is currently operating.

2.2 Sociolinguistic Competence:

Sociolinguistic competence includes an awareness of and sensitivity to cultural norms and expectations regarding such things as:

     ways of addressing people and greetings;

     appropriateness of choice of conversation topic;

      thanking; complementing and apologising;

      showing attention and turn taking;

     requesting; offering; inviting; declining and accepting;

     questioning and negotiating;

     agreeing and disagreeing;

     complaining and expressing opinions;

     expressing emotions and feelings;

     ways of demonstrating politeness, respect, empathy and assertiveness;

     sensitivity to the culturally sensitive nature of body language, facial expressions, gestures, posture, proximity and body contact;

     sensitivity to cultural nuances, connotations, value association, the culturally embedded nature of humour when using literature and mass media text;

3. Language learning & Communication Strategies:

3.1 Language Learning Strategies:

One of the most important learning strategies is transfer, using knowledge of a first language or dialect as the basis for understanding a second. Other language learning skills include:

 

 3.1.1 Cognitive language strategies include: repetition accessing resource materials and/or assistance to assist in language or dialect learning; induction, inducing language or dialect conventions from observation; deduction and inference applying known language conventions to produce or understand English; grouping, sorting, ordering or classifying vocabulary to support internalisation of the new language or dialect and retention strategies such as note taking or using mnemonics or cues to assist in learning of new items.

 

3.1.2   Metacognitive language learning strategies include: developing and using a shared metalanguage and self evaluation and self management, understanding the conditions which help one learn and arranging for the presence of those conditions.

 

3.1.3       Social and affective strategies include: collaboration with others to solve problems or seek clarifications.

 

3.1.4       Anxiety reduction strategies include, seeking out opportunities to practise English, including peers in learning and games and music.

 

3.2 Communication Strategies:

ESL learners should be able to attend and adapt language to suit the context of situation within the context of culture, for example, code- switching or varying tone and register.

 

3.2.1       Cognitive communication strategies include: note taking and summarising; inferring, guessing meaning from key words, structures, visual cues and/or context; transferring: using previous language, relating new information to prior knowledge.

 

3.2.2       Metacognitive communication strategies include: self evaluation and correction, redrafting, editing, rewording and using repair to sustain strategies verbal communication.

 

3.2.3       Critical literacy strategies: attending to emotive uses of language, persuasive techniques, audience positioning, stereotyping, presentation and assumptions of values/beliefs; self monitoring, identifying problems and finding solutions

 

3.2.4       Social and affective strategies include: seeking clarification or feedback; self talk to reduce anxiety; being positive about one’s efforts and using a cur card to support presentation.

Assessment

Assessment is an integral part of the teaching, learning program and is demonstrably fair, reliable, valid and equitable.

1. Valid

Assessment should provide evidence for all of the course of study Outcomes and also useful information about the learning and teaching program to students, teachers and parents.

2. Educative

Assessment, both formative and summative, provides students with feedback that will assist them in future learning.

3. Explicit

Assessment criteria are based on explicit criteria so that the basis for judgement is clear and public.

4. Fair

Assessment should be demonstrably fair to all students and not discriminate on grounds, which are irrelevant to the achievement of the outcomes. Teachers need to be sensitive and responsive to differences amongst students, including gender, ethnicity, language, race, geographic location and socioeconomic circumstances.

5. Comprehensive

Judgements about student progress should be based on multiple sources of evidence. Effective assessment integrates a range of strategies over a period of time and in various situations.

Types of Assessment:

Investigation - written, oral or multi-media presentation:

Investigation of experiences, communities, lifestyles, cultural representation, language practises, rituals, issues, texts, audiences, situational contexts, cultural contexts, language practitioners. Framing of questions, planning, location of sources, identification of information, assessment for relevance, note taking, interaction with others, synthesis, evaluation, reflection and presentation of findings in written, oral or multimedia form, using appropriate conventions.

Response - written, oral or multi-media presentation:

Responses to discussions, conversations, announcements, speeches, interviews, multimedia presentations, videos, films, radio, television, books, articles, stories, poetry, drama, pamphlets, posters. Presentation of responses in written, oral or multimedia form, using conventions appropriate to context.

Production – written and/or visual production:

Production of reports, descriptions, procedures, instructions, articles, applications, submissions, letters, manuals, reviews, web pages, e-documents, workplace documents, informal essays, formal essays, narratives, scripts, poetry, multimedia presentations, videos.

Production – oral participation/ performance:

Participation in and/or production of: group discussions, panel discussions, interviews, role-play, debates, conversations, meetings, drama, seminars, tutorials, informal speeches, formal speeches.

 Alternative Assessment

Alternative assessments generally meet the following criteria:

• Focus is on documenting individual student growth over time, rather than comparing students with one another.

 

• Emphasis is on students' strengths (what they know), rather than weaknesses (what they don't know).

 

• Consideration is given to the learning styles, language proficiencies, cultural and educational backgrounds, and grade levels of students.

Alternative assessment includes a variety of measures that can be adapted for different situations:

1. Nonverbal Assessment Strategies

1.1 Physical Demonstration: To express academic concepts without speech, students can point or use other gestures. They can also be asked to perform hands-on tasks or to act out vocabulary, concepts, or events.

As a comprehension check in a unit on Native Americans, for example, teachers can ask students to respond with thumbs up, thumbs down, or other nonverbal signs to true or false statements or to indicate whether the teacher has grouped illustrations (of homes, food, environment, clothing, etc.) under the correct tribe name. The teacher can use a checklist to record student responses over time.

1.2 Pictorial Products: To elicit content knowledge without requiring students to speak or write, teachers can ask students to produce and manipulate drawings, dioramas, models, graphs, and charts. To culminate a unit on butterflies, teachers can ask beginning ESL students to illustrate, rather than explain, the life cycle of butterflies. Students can point to different parts of a butterfly on their own drawing or on a diagram as an assessment of vocabulary retention. Pictorial journals can be kept during the unit to record observations of the butterflies in the classroom or to illustrate comprehension of classroom material about types of butterflies, their habitats, and their characteristics.

2. K-W-L Charts

Many teachers have success using K-W-L charts (what I know/what I want to know/what I've learned) to begin and end a unit of study, particularly in social studies and science. Before the unit, this strategy enables teachers to gain an awareness of students' background knowledge and interests. Afterward, it helps teachers assess the content material learned. K-W-L charts can be developed as a class activity or on an individual basis. For students with limited English proficiency, the chart can be completed in the first language or with illustrations.

3. Oral Performances / Presentations

3.1 Performance-based assessments include interviews, oral reports, role plays, describing, explaining, summarizing, retelling, paraphrasing stories or text material, and so on. Oral assessments should be conducted on an ongoing basis to monitor comprehension and thinking skills. When conducting interviews in English with students in the early stages of language development to determine English proficiency and content knowledge, teachers are advised to use visual cues as much as possible and allow for a minimal amount of English in the responses. Pierce and O'Malley (1992) suggest having students choose one or two pictures they would like to talk about and leading the students by asking questions, especially ones that elicit the use of academic language (comparing, explaining, describing, analysing, hypothesizing, etc.) and vocabulary pertinent to the topic.

3.2 Role-plays can be used across the curriculum with all grade levels and with any number of people. For example, a teacher can take on the role of a character that knows less than the students about a particular subject area. Students are motivated to convey facts or information prompted by questions from the character. This is a fun-filled way for a teacher to conduct informal assessments of students' knowledge in any subject (Kelner, 1993).

Teachers can also ask students to use role-play to express mathematical concepts. For example, a group of students can become a numerator, a denominator, a fraction line, a proper fraction, an improper fraction, and an equivalent fraction. Speaking in the first person, students can introduce themselves and their functions in relationship to one another (Kelner, 1993). Role-plays can also be used in science to demonstrate concepts such as the life cycle. In addition, role-plays can serve as an alternative to traditional book reports. Students can transform themselves into a character or object from the book (Kelner, 1993). For example, a student might become Christopher Columbus, one of his sailors, or a mouse on the ship, and tell the story from that character's point of view. The other students can write interview questions to pose to the various characters.

4. Oral & Written Products

Some of the oral and written products useful for assessing ESL students' progress are content area thinking and learning logs, reading response logs, writing assignments (both structured and creative), dialogue journals, and audio or video cassettes.

4.1 Content area logs are designed to encourage the use of metacognitive strategies when students read expository text. Entries can be made on a form with these two headings: What I Understood/What I Didn't

Understand (ideas or vocabulary).

4.2 Reading response logs are used for students' written responses or reactions to a piece of literature.

Students may respond to questions--some generic, some specific to the literature--that encourage critical thinking, or they may copy a brief text on one side of the page and write their reflections on the text on the other side.

Beginning ESL students often experience success when an expository writing assignment is controlled or structured. The teacher can guide students through a pre-writing stage, which includes discussion, brainstorming, webbing, outlining, and so on. The results of pre-writing, as well as the independently written product, can be assessed.

Student writing is often motivated by content themes. Narrative stories from characters' perspectives.

4.3 Dialogue journals provide a means of interactive, ongoing correspondence between students and teachers.

Students determine the choice of topics and participate at their level of English language proficiency. Beginners can draw pictures that can be labelled by the teacher.

4.4 Audio and videocassettes can be made of student oral readings, presentations, dramatics, interviews, or conferences (with teacher or peers).

5. Portfolios

Portfolios are used to collect samples of student work over time to track student development. Tierney, Carter, and Desai (1991) suggest that, among other things, teachers do the following: maintain anecdotal records from their reviews of portfolios and from regularly scheduled conferences with students about the work in their portfolios; keep checklists that link portfolio work with criteria that they consider integral to the type of work being collected; and devise continua of descriptors to plot student achievement. Whatever methods teachers choose, they should reflect with students on their work, to develop students' ability to critique their own progress.