Showcasing Blogs as a Tool for EAP

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Showcasing Blogs as a Tool for EAP

• www.englishforacademicpurposes.blogspot.com
• Scott Roy Douglas, M.Ed.

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What is a blog?

• A web page that is like a diary on the internet.
• It allows people to post their thoughts, ideas,
  feelings, and photos onto the internet.
• Anyone can read a blog and make comments.
• unedited, published voice of the people (Winer,
  2003)

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Scotts Blog

• www.englishforacademicpurposes.blogspot.com

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Why use blogs?

• Autonomy
• Motivation
• Communicative
• Authenticity
• Lived Experience

• Comprehensible Input
• Voices
• Bridge to CALP
• Connectivity
• Vygotski the ZPD

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Zoning in on the ZPD

• Learning is taking place in the Zone of Proximal
  Development which Vygotski defines as
• . . . the distance between the actual
  developmental level as determined by independent
  problem solving and the level of potential
  development as determined through problem solving
  under adult guidance or in collaboration with
  more capable peers.
• (Mind in Society, page 86 italics mine)

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From BICS to CALP
Roessingh, H. (2006). BICS-CALP An
introduction for some, a review for others. TESL
Canada Journal 23 (2) 91-96.  
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Paulo Freire

• I have always insisted that words used in
  organizing a literacy program come from the world
  universe of the people who are learning,
  expressing the actual language, their anxieties,
  fears, demands, dreams. Words should be laden
  with the meaning of the peoples existential
  experience, and not of the teachers experience.
• Freire, Paulo. (1983). The importance of the
  act of reading. Journal of Education 165 (1) 5
  11.

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Blogging at the U of C

• LEAP 4 Fall 2006 Participants
• 4a 13 Students
• 4b 15 Students
• 1 Lead Instructor
• 4 MT Student Teachers

• LEAP 4 Winter 2007 Participants
• 4a 13 Students
• 4b 15 Students
• 1 Lead Instructor
• 1 Co-Instructor

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Blogging at the U of C

• Minimum 1 Entry per week (12 entries)
• Minimum 200 words each
• Minimum 2 comments per week (24 comments)

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Blogging at the U of C

• Writing Fluency Activity
• Dont worry about grammar, spelling or vocabulary
• Open topics

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Blogging at the U of C

• Reflective Learning Activity
• Reflect on assignments and course work
• Experiences in the classroom
• Encounters with English and the surrounding
  culture

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Assessment

• Part of Level 4 Academic Writing Grammar
• Graded on completion of task
• 12 blogs x 200 words 100
• Part of the participation grade (10)

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Some Blogging Websites

• www.blogger.com
•  
• www.edublogs.com
• www.livejournal.com
• www.opendiary.com
• www.weblogs.ucalgary.ca

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Reactions to Blogging

• Blogging helps students (48 respondents)
• Improve writing skills 98
• Create a better relationship with the teacher 94
• Express thoughts and feelings 94
• Build a sense of community 94
• Improve reading skills 89
• Increase typing speed 85
• Learn new vocabulary 85
• Communicate with new people not in the class 76
• Learn new grammar 68
• Improve general computer skills 71

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Reactions to Blogging

• Do you recommend that LEAP 4 teachers continue
  blogging in future semesters?
• YES 89.6
• No 0
• No Opinion 10.4

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Reactions to Blogging

• Blogging is another way of communicating between
  students and teachers. Teaching and learning in
  classes is not enough for students to learn a
  language. Learning languages is a way of living,
  and blogging is a mirror of real life. I have no
  pressure when blogging, and I just say whatever I
  want, which is good.

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Reactions to Blogging

• yes, leap is a hard program, and to see teachers
  are working as hard as the students is kind of
  inspiring . Also, the teacher's writing and blogs
  can have educational side . students can learn so
  many words and etc ... from their teachers.

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Reactions to Blogging

• . . . blogging helps to come out ideas. That most
  students have a common problem is ideas are not
  frequently. Blogging helps to exercise our brain
  and forces to write quickly . . . anybody can
  comes to the blog (if it is not restricted) and
  post comments. These comments influence to
  acquire knowledge in different sides . . . Also,
  blogging helps to make new friends, particularly,
  those who are shy to speak a lot. They can have a
  lot of conversation through blogging. As
  blogging is increasing the thinking power, it can
  also helps to improve speaking. There are a lot
  of persons who cannot speak in front of the
  people by standing in front because of fear.
  Blogging can helps to become more fluent in
  speaking.

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References

• Auerbach, E.R. (1992). Making meaning, making
  change Participatory curriculum development for
  adult ESL literacy. Washington, DC Center for
  Applied Linguistics and Delta Systems.
• Cummins, J. (1982). Bilingualism and minority
  language children. Toronto, ON OISE Press.
• Cummins, J. (1994). The acquisition of English
  as a second language. In (Eds. Karen
  Spangenberg-Urbschat and Robert Pritchar) Kids
  come in all languages Reading instruction for
  ESL students. Newark, DE IRA.
• Ferdig, R. Trammel, K. (2004). Content
  delivery in the blogosphere. T.H.E. Journal
  Online. Retrieved September 15, 2006 from
  http//defiant.corban.edu/jjohnson/Pages/Teaching/
  BloggingBlogosphere.pdf
• Freire, Paulo. (1970). Pedagogy of the
  oppressed. New York Herder and Herder.
• Freire, Paulo. (1983). The importance of the
  act of reading. Journal of Education 165 (1) 5
  11.
• Krashen, Steven. (1981). Second language
  acquisition and second language learning.
  Retrieved September 30, 2005 http//www.sdkrashe
  n.com/
• Nunan, David. (1989). Designing tasks for the
  communicative classroom. Cambridge Cambridge
  University Press.
• Roessingh, H. (2003). BICS-CALP Development
  Cummins Model. Unpublished Paper.
• Roessingh, H. (2004, May). BICS-CALP An
  introduction for some, a review for others . . ..
  presented at the Saskatchewan Council for
  Educators of Non-English Speakers Annual
  Conference, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Spener, David. (1992). The Freirean approach to
  adult literacy education. ERIC Digest.
  Washington, DC. National Center for ESL Literacy
  Education. Retrieved March 1, 2003
  http//www.cal.org/ncle/DIGESTS/FreireQA.htm.
• Winer, D. (2003). What makes a weblog a
  weblog? Weblogs at Harvard Law. Retrieved
  September 5, 2006 from http//blogs.law.harvard.ed
  u/whatMakesAWeblogAWeblog
• Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society The
  Development of Higher Psychological Processes.
  Harvard University Press Cambridge,
  Massachusetts.

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Other Blogging Projects

• Global Issues Blogs at Kansai Gaidai University,
  Japan
• April 2004 February 2005 http//www.iesglobaliss
  ues.blogspot.com
• April 2005 July 2005 http//www.gaidaiglobalissu
  es.blogspot.com
• Advanced Writing Classes at Kansai Gaidai
  University, Japan
• April 2005 July 2005 http//www.kansaigaidaiengl
  ishtwo.blogspot.com
• LEAP II University of Calgary
• September 2005 December 2005 http//www.leapinto
  english.blogspot.com
• LEAP IV University of Calgary
• January 2006 August 2006 http//www.leapintoengl
  ish.blogspot.com

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What do you think?

• Blogs
• Questions Comments?

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Who is Scott Douglas?

• sdouglas_at_ucalgary.ca
• Teaching English is my passion, and I have had
  the privilege of working with learners of all
  ages and abilities throughout the world. I have
  a M.Ed. (TESL) degree from the University of
  Calgary, and my chief research interests include
  EAP assessment, language through content
  curriculum development and using weblogs as a
  tool for fostering BICS and CALP. Additional
  academic pursuits include teacher training, using
  global issues as a vehicle for language
  acquisition, and employing Freirean pedagogical
  techniques in the classroom.
• Im eight months into my Ph.D. (TESL), so wish me
  luck!