Tipping Points in Language
Learning
The Law of the Few
The Stickiness Factor
The Power of Context
• Introductions
• Key Factors/Three Rules of Epidemic
– The Law of the Few
– The Stickiness Factor
– The Power of Context
• Instructional Activities (Small Groups)
• Debriefing/Open Discussion
What is “Tipping Point?”
- that magic moment when an idea, trend or
social behavior crosses a threshold, tips and
spreads like wildfire
- possibility of sudden change is at the center of
this tipping point idea, i.e. big changes
occurring as a result of small events/little
things can make a difference
At what point does it become obvious that
something has reached a boiling point and is
about to tip?
How can we ensure that the unexpected
becomes the expected?
Tipping Points in Language
Learning
Tipping Points in Language
Learning
•
•
•
•
Learners learn how to learn
Learning is realized
Language progress is possible
Both teaching and learning process
demonstrates positive change
Key Factors in Reaching
the Tipping Point
• Caldwell suggested Three Rules of Epidemics
– The Law of the Few
– The Stickiness Factor
– The Power of Context
The Law of the Few
• The 80/20 Principle – states that in any
situation roughly 80% of the work will be done
by 20% of the participants
• Law of the Few Theory – where a tiny
percentage of people do the majority of work
The Few in the Group
How can a concept create an impact on the others in the
group? Can the teacher create the buzz by her/himself?
How can each of these few create a tipping point for the
many?
Suggested Activities
• Small Group activities
– Two or three 10-15 minute diverse interactive
activities
– Activity Log (individual learner)
– Grammar Log (group)
Non-Traditional
Assessment/Grammar Log
Lesson Highlights
Name:
1. Vocabulary and Idioms: Write here as many of the new
words as you can remember from the lesson.
___________________________
______________________________________
2. Structures: Note examples of new constructions learned
today. Include brief statements about the grammar points
they represent. __________________________
____________________________________________
3. Conversation Strategies: What new expressions did you learn?
What goals did these expressions accomplish?
___________________________________________
______________________________________
4. Matters that need more work: Note here in brief form any
points you are still having trouble understanding.
______________________________________
______________________________________
Name:
Daily Log:
Day
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
What task/activity
did you do?
Who are in your
group?
What did you
learn?
Benefits of Small Group Acts.
• Possibilities for more student-teacher
interaction
• Opportunities for students to become much
more involved
• Teacher/few students can provide guided
practice and help struggling students
Sample Small Group Activities
• Plan information Gap Type Activities
• Plan discussions based on motivating topics
that have already been covered in class
• Use songs for teaching and encouraging selfexpression
• Prepare for an oncoming tests. Review
activities. (students love this!)
• Create a mini-tutorial lesson in small group
• Mini Case Studies/Problem Based activities –
e.g. travelling overseas, cooking for the inlaws, explaining your traditions to foreign
friends, etc.
• Role Playing Using Strategic Interaction
Strategies/collaborative based activities – use
of real life scenarios
• Timed Team Challenges – solving difficult
issues in a crunch, record action plan and
explain it with the class – e.g. grammar lesson
and how to teach to a class of 7th graders, etc.
• Debates – stressing pros and cons; e.g. conflict
of interest scenarios, customer service
examples, etc.
• Simulations – e.g. simulating a market, a work
environment, family interactions, cooking, etc.
The Stickiness Factor
- A message makes an
impact and doesn’t go
in one ear and out the
other.
- What makes a song or a
movie line, TV
commercial, etc.
“sticky” and could not
get out of your mind for
a long period of time?
• What makes a message
memorable?
• What makes an event
or something
memorable because it
irritated us so
intensely?
• Can something become
sticky by information
overload? Indecisions?
Ideas Promoting Stickiness
• No Man is An Island –
Work in Pairs or Small
Groups! S
• Hear and Visualize it!
T/S
• Reflect and Assess! T/S
• Plan diverse Instructional Activities. Involve
students in planning and implementing. T/S
• Nobody is perfect. Teach tolerance and accept
limitations.
• Know your materials but do not be afraid to
give “promisorry note”. Have students write
difficult questions on paper. Post these on an
online blackboard or chat rooms.
The Power of Context
What is the power of context?
• - it infers that epidemics (+/-) are sensitive to
the conditions and circumstances of the times
and places in which they occur.
• Are certain individuals more sensitive to their
environment than others?
• To what extend does the environment dictate
ones’ behavior?
Inspire! (In the Target Language)
• Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some
other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the
change that we seek. (Barack Obama)
• Be the change that you want to see in the world. (Gandhi)
• We have it in our power to begin the world over again. (Thomas
Paine)
• What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness
only that gives everything its value. (Thomas Paine)
Ideas to Power the Context
• Energize the classroom environment!
• Promote Positive and Critical Thinking
• Appreciate Learning and the Learner
• Promote Good Citizenship
• Create a community of learners
Tipping Point indicates ……..
Tipping Point Activities
Problem Based ActivityScenario 1:
You are a young executive in a large firm. You
invited a client to dinner to an expensive
restaurant. If you can impress the client, you
might win a large account, get a promotion
and raise. As the dinner progresses, you
discovered that you left your wallet with
credit cards at home. What do you do?
Problem Based Solutions/Different
Modes
• Analytic: Outline what all the option are and
decide which will be the least stressful
• Idealistic: Attempt to gain the guest’s
sympathy. Perhaps he/she has been in similar
situation and will understand
• Pragmatic: Be resolved to accept the situation
as it is. These things do happen and perhaps
one can joke about the set of circumstances
• Realistic: The problem is not really so bad,
after all. Perhaps the client will lend the
money. Then he or she can be asked to stop
off at home for a nightcap. A check could be
written and given to the client at that time.
• Synthesist: The manager of this restaurant
probably has had customers in similar
situation before. If he can be assured of one’s
good intentions, the money could be sent first
thing in the morning.
Example 2: Collaborative Based
• Goal: To supply factual information in a
predetermined format
• A is hurrying to keep an important
appointment with her attorney. As she turns
left at a busy intersection, her car is struck on
its right side by another vehicle driven by B. B
is on his way to meet his boss, who is
impatiently waiting at the airport.
In the ensuing exchange between A and B, each
blames the other for the accident. A insists
that the traffic light was in her favor, indicating
permission to turn left. B claims that the
traffic light had already changed and allowed
him to continue through the intersection. As
the confrontation continues, a police officer
arrives to investigate.
Possible Small Group Acts.
• Strategic Interaction – roleplay with a plan and
much coaching
Roles:
A
B
Police Officer
Witness/es
Writing an accident report (A, B,
Police Officer, Witness)
• Illustrate the accident. Use rectangles to
represent the vehicles. Mark yours with an X.
• Draw an arrow in the upper left hand corner
to indicate north.
• Position vehicles at the point of impact.
Questions to Answer:
1. What time of the day did the accident occur?
2. What were the weather conditions?
3. How fast were you going?
In your own words, describe the events of the
accident as you remember them:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
______________________________________
Open Discussion in Small Group
Questions to Ponder:
• Is a positive “Tipping Point”
a possibility in your
language classroom?
• What are these tipping
points?
• What encourage these
tipping points? Lecture
Based? Problem Solving
Based? Collaborative
Based? Small Group?....
Salamat! Thank you!
Rhodalyne Crail
rgallocrail@niu.edu
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