EALL 702: Materials Preparation for East Asian Languages

Call number 02385-1 / 5 credits

Galal Walker

Winter 2006

Time: Tuesday and Thursday1:30-3:18

Place: Hagerty Hall 045

Course Objectives

  • Develop a clear notion of the principles of materials development for instruction of East Asian Languages.
  • Create materials that are usable in the learning of East Asian languages.
  • Evaluate various language materials.
  • Work in teams to achieve your goals

Prerequisites: Discussions and consultations will assume basic knowledge of East Asian language pedagogy. EALL 705 is a desirable prerequisite to this course; but since many of you have not had this course, we will spend some time orienting ourselves in the basic assumptions about language and language learning that will underlie this course. Material preparation will require knowledge of the target language.

Preparation of materials.

  • In this course, we will concentrate on the preparation of the content of a course and a description of the delivery, but not the actual delivery.
  • Develop a project and a project team: 1) your own choice, or 2) one of the following projects:
  1. Presenting the solar system, i.e., practicing large numbers
  2. Performing a “theme” of the target culture
  3. Performing in a “saga” in the target culture
  4. Developing a specific memory (vocabulary, performance)
  • Requirements for your project: .

-Show how your materials will be readily usable by specified types of learners of an East Asian language.

-The description of your project should include the following:

(1) outline of the projected product as a whole, with rationale,

needs analysis, production principles, and intended use of the product:

(2) complete content of a segment, ready for implementation in a language

program or in a self-study environment and

(3) production schedule and a budget for the completion of the entire project.

  • One group or individual classroom presentation using presentation software.

Critique of existing materials.

You will (1) lead discussions and (2) write review papers.

Instructional materials in EA languages should be concerned with the effective means of presentation of the target culture and language for your learners.

Things to consider:

  1. Target student population -- Is it stated? If so, who, what level, where and for what purpose?
  2. Target instructor population -- Is instructor assumed, or is it for self study? If so, what kind of instructor?
  3. Mode of learning -- self study, individualized instruction, regular class, or intensive?
  4. Stated objective -- Are there any? Does it provide means to achieve the stated objective? If so, how is it done?
  5. Principles observed -- Are there any? What are the assumed theories or beliefs that underlie the specific content and organization? Are they sound?
  6. Material content-- What language component/skill is being taught? Is it useful? Is it authentic? What does the whole consist of? Are the parts useful? Are they adequate?
  7. Organization -- Is there any? Are the reasons for certain organization evident?
  8. Format-- Does it make it easy to use the material? Is it effective?
  9. Medium -- In what medium are materials presented? What activities are presumed for learning? Is the medium chosen effective for the intended objectives?
  10. Usability -- Is it useable? If so, in what way, for whom and where?
  11. Clarity -- Are the intentions, objectives, arguments, etc. clear?

5. Grading

Your course grade will be determined on the basis of the following:

1) The quality (and to some extent, the quantity) of the materials you produce (due on the third day of exam week) [50% of the final grade]. Group projects will be graded as a group. If your group has problems, you MUST let the instructor know and ask for a meeting to work out the issues;

2) Participation in the discussions, as leaders or otherwise [25%], and

3) Presentations of your project to the class. [25%]

** IMPORTANT NOTE: All work you submit must be professionally written. That is: (1) If you are not a native user English, you MUST have your writing checked by an English native who is a capable proofreader. (2) If you are not a native user of the language you are working on, you MUST have your target language checked by a native of that language who is capable of proofreading. Papers which contain unprofessional English, or present obviously incorrect or inappropriate examples in the target language will not be returned without graded.

Schedule

Tuesday January 3: Walker

Introduction to the course. Review of syllabus and discussion of participation roles of instructors and students. Discussion of the elements involved in the preparation of instructional materials and the basic procedures. Examples of materials under preparation in DEALL and the FLC.

January 5: Walker

Overview of language and East Asian language pedagogy

January 10: Walker (discussion leader “The Proper Study of Mankind”) .

Continue overview of East Asian language pedagogy.

Turn in: 1-2 page description of your project, including the list of your team members (if any).

January 12 (Walker)

Read article, focusing on elements that have relevance to language learning and teaching: being human, biology and race, evolution and language, culture and intelligence, culture and language.

Preview of materials to be critiqued.

Develop list of presenters.

January 17

1. Materials presentation (Japanese: The Spoken Language or Chinese: Communication in the Culture)

2. Chinese project presentation and discussion

3. Japanese project presentation and discussion

Preview Timelines

January 19

  1. Timelines for projects: Japanese and Chinese
  2. Storyboarding

January 24 Class cancelled by instructor

January 26

  1. Materials presentation (JSL, C3, Tell It Like It s)
  2. Themes in Afghanistan report
  3. Storyboard
  4. Chinese
  5. Japanese

Note: Turn in timelines.

January 31

Presentation of project overviews

Material review: Japanese (S. Luft: Nakama)

Chinese (B. Bare: New Practical Chinese Reader)

February 2

Discuss proposal for projects

Material review: Japanese (Abby Shelton)

Chinese (Yang Jia)

Note: Turn in storyboard sketch of overall project.

February 7

Check Timelines: Are you on schedule? Do you have data to show?

Material review: Chinese (N. Meng)

February 9

Proposal outline

Present Japanese Storyboard

Present Chinese script and group activity

Material review: Japanese (L. Clute)

Japanese (J, Inada)

February 14

Principles derived from material reviews

Projects and proposal

Review assignments

February 16

No Class

February 21

Timeline evaluations

Chinese: Present overall view of the project by lessons : scripts, lesson storyboard, vocabulary list, activities.

Japanese: Present overall description of project: Storyboard, sample videos, survey results, script, grammatical explanations, cultural explanations

February 23

Continue timeline presentations

Chinese materials review:

February 28

Project discussions

March 2

Material review: Chinese by Nan Meng

Japanese review: Japanese by Jeff Inada

Other ???

March 7

No class (consulting on projects)

March 9 Materials reviews (all others)

March 15 Email joint proposal to

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