Integrating Technology in
Grammar Instruction to be
a GREAT Teacher
Education 548: Special Topics ESL
University of San Diego
Oct. 14, 2013
Kristi Reyes
Specifics
• http://mccesltech.wikispaces.com/
• USD – ESL Special Topics
Think – Pair - Share
• "What attributes make a great
teacher?"
• Especially when teaching ESL
grammar in particular and integrating
technology, further
A few ideas and how to
accomplish them:
• Make students feel empowered, confident, successful
• Activate prior knowledge & scaffold content, allow
for rehearsal, review/repetition
• Realize that there will be “backsliding” and errors
• Be explicit about purposes: relate all activities to
outcomes & student learning goals; have a routine:
start w/ agenda & recap at end yet also be dynamic
• Create a comfortable classroom environment:
students get to know each other = willing to take
risks (lower affective filter – Krashen); provide
feedback on accuracy discreetly/not to break
communication or to raise affective filter
More ways to make students feel
empowered, confident, successful
• Minimize lecture (flip the classroom), maximize practice
opportunities; use a variety of materials to appeal to many
preferred learning modalities (graphics, visuals, audio, video,
texts, movement, manipulatives)
• Provide clear instructions for tasks, model expectations
• Design activities for students’ development of language for
communicative purposes, including classroom language/
strategic communicative expressions; many different types of
cooperative learning activities (info. gaps, interviews, surveys,
etc. – see Web site for links to more)
• Know your students: learning/teaching preferences, needs and
goals (diagnostic testing and goal setting)
More attributes
• Promote study skills, being an active listener/learner
• Provide outlines for note-taking, have students make
flashcards (index cards or apps/online), study groups,
peer teaching; ask more questions + longer wait time
– promote higher thinking skills (why?) and deeper
learning
• Motivate and engage students
• Engage with content, teacher, and with each other:
include content that relates to students’ lives,
provoke emotional responses, incorporates humor,
allow students to share experiences & creations;
insert yourself
• Be flexible & provide timely feedback
• Use formative assessment techniques; be selective
and willing to give up some control
From Brain Research
• Lessons where students “actively do” give them a better
chance to learn.
• Lessons that get students to use language to talk about their
lives will maximize their language learning and development.
• Strong relationships and a safe classroom environment
enable students to switch on their learning brain.
• Lessons that students find interesting motivate them to think
more deeply.
• Lessons that have one clear learning focus at a time
maximize student attention, clarify the learning, and
maximize the possibility that learning will occur.
Source: TESOL Virtual Seminar “Implications and Applications of the Latest Brain
Research for English Language Learners and Teachers” presented by Ken Pransky,
Collaborative for Educational Services & Dr. Francis Bailey, Director of TESL MA Program,
University of Kentucky
Retention Rates:
Students remember….
What is the best way to teach
grammar, if rules are important?
• Inductive
• provide many examples, students induce the
rule
OR
• Deductive
• give the rule and students apply to examples
• Answer: It depends…
• Eclectic approach – know your students’
preferences, abilities, level and stretch
them
Good Lesson Planning
• Backwards design – first consider what you want
students to be able to do with the grammar structure
and then scaffold the lesson to get students to that point
• 5-step lesson plan
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Warm up/Review
Presentation
Practice (guided and communicative)
Evaluation
Application
Integrating Technology
• Technology is just a tool; integrate in a sound manner rather
than just for the sake of using technology.
• TPACK = Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge.
Content (CK), Pedagogy (PK), and Technology (TK)
Technology Tools
• What technology do / would you use
to teach grammar to ESL / ELL
students?
• What technology do you/ would you
have students use to learn, practice,
or demonstrate their acquisition /
learning?
Examples
• Technology tools for teaching grammar and
incorporating attributes of “good teaching”
• Visuals, slideshows, manipulatives (flashcards)
• Games (slideshow templates, online games)
• Video
• Web sites: avatars, comic strips, digital films,
images
• Polling (cell phones, Web, text, apps)
Present Continuous Tense
(Review, Practice, Note-taking)
Kristi Reyes
Present Continuous Verb Tense
• Use to talk about actions that are
happening right now
I am working. He is carrying the boxes.
They are talking. We are writing.
• Use to talk about something that is
happening these days, but not
necessarily right now
She is studying at USD.
Practice with a partner
• Look at the pictures the instructor shows
you and tell what is happening in each
picture
• Use the following form when you speak:
Subject + to be + verb+ing
Examples:
She is sleeping.
They are eating.
Example
Partner A
Partner B
Partner A
Partner B
Partner A
Partner B
Present Continuous Verb Tense
Ask and answer these questions with a
partner:
• What are you doing right now, at this very
moment?
• What is your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife,
friend doing?
• What are your classmates doing?
• What are your parents doing?
• What is the teacher doing?
• What is something new you are doing these
days?
Spelling Rules for –ing verbs
(present participles)
1. get
run
plan
2. come
replace
introduce
3. die
tie
Spelling Rules for –ing verbs
(present participles)
4. begin
admit
listen
offer
Last Spelling Tip
sew
fix
enjoy
Participial Adjectives
-ing v. –ed adjectives
(Presentation and Practice
with manipulatives)
By Kristi Reyes
MiraCosta College
Many verbs of emotion
have –ing and –ed adjective forms
• What are some verbs of emotion?
Sample verbs of emotion:
amuse
irritate
comfort
fascinate
puzzle
satisfy
annoy
surprise
depress
bewilder
excite
frustrate
bother
bore
tire
interest
aggravate
amaze
captivate
confuse
shock
intrigue
disappoint
exhaust
These verbs can be changed to
adjectives by changing the spelling
• Amaze (verb: You amaze me!)
Amazing (adjective: These students are
amazing!)
Amazed (adjective: I am amazed by the students
in this class!)
• Interest (verb: Computers interest her.)
Interesting (adjective: Computers are interesting
for her).
Interested (adjective: She is interested in
computers)
Practice …
surprise
Was the girl surprising or
surprised?
surprised
Was the party surprising or
surprised?
surprising
exhaust
Was the man exhausting or
exhausted?
Exhausted
Was the marathon exhausting or
exhausted?
exhausting
bore
Was the man boring or bored?
Boring
Was the audience boring or
bored?
bored
irritate
Is a back seat driver irritating or
irritated?
Irritating
Is the driver irritating or irritated?
irritated
satisfy
How does the girl feel? Satisfying or
satisfied?
Satisfied
How is the food? Satisfying or
satisfied?
satisfying
interest
The class is interesting or
interested?
Interesting
The student is interesting or
interested in the class?
interested
excite
Is this excited or exciting?
Exciting
Are they excited or exciting?
Excited
annoy
Is the woman annoying or
annoyed?
Annoyed
Is the man’s action annoying or
annoyed for the woman?
annoying
Past & Past Continuous Review/Practice
(videos as speaking / writing prompts)
• Tell your partner what happened –
Use past continuous and simple past
• He/She was _____ing when ….
• They were ______ ing when …
• Clumsy
• Animal lovers
Simple Present Tense
(video, speaking/pronunciation
practice)
Presentation by Kristi Reyes
Simple Present Tense:
Uses

Everyday activities: What do you do
every day?

Routines, habits

General truths
Rules
3rd person –s
 Pronunciation /s/, /z/, /Iz/
 Conversation prompts, class
interviews about daily and routine
activities

Reading & Speaking
Practice
What are some hard jobs?
 What are some easy jobs?
 How about actors, models, movie
stars – are their jobs easy or hard?
Why?
 What do you think a typical day of an
aspiring actor is Hollywood is like?

Handout Act. 1:
Daily routine of an aspiring
actor in Hollywood
Formative Assessment and
More
• Board games/races
• Interactive PPT templates (Jeopardy,
etc.)
• Audience response system (clickers)
• Web Sites
• Mobile / cell phone
• Social networking sites (FB)
Irregular Verbs
Team Competition
Teams:
Write the simple past tense the
verbs you see.
Ready, set, go!
take
know
find
choose
Jeopardy and other templates
• PowerPoint and many other game templates
• See mccesltech.wikispaces.com for links to
templates for download & online games to
customize
• Sample: Verb Tenses Review Sample *
Web Sites
ESL Games World
• Active / Passive Basketball Game
Road to Grammar
Quia (free 30-day trial)
• Adjectives and Adverbs Rags to Riches
Game
+ many more (see handout)
Web Sites
• Students write dialogs using an assigned grammar
structure (and, optionally, a scenario)
• Use Web sites to create…
• Avatars Voki.com
• Student sample
• Comic strips MakeBeliefsComix
• Digital films Dvolver
It’s nice to meet you,
Oh,
I see.
Well,
then,
I Brad.
don’t
know
why
I
Hi,
there.
My
Could
you
bother
waste
do
youto
mind
ifmy
I ask
please
tell
me
what
name
is
Kristi.
time
with
celebrities!
for your
autograph.
time
it is?
Again,
my Iapologies…
I’m sorry.
don’t even
myWell,
assistant
know
whathello.
dayin
it ischarge
today!
My
Iof
have
assistants who
take
autographs
has
the
name
is
Brad.
care of
these
things.
day
off…
Embedded
questions/noun
clauses
You try it … Handout Act. 2
• Your friend would like to become a teacher and is interested in
studying for a graduate degree in teaching. Your friend asks you if you
know of any good programs in the area. Advise your friend.
• Write a dialog – minimum of four lines – between two people giving
advice.
• Use modals of advice: should, ought to, had better.
A:
B:
A:
B:
• Then, after your teacher has given you feedback on your dialog, use
dvolver or MakesBeliefsComix to animate your dialog.
• Email your work to kreyes@miracosta.edu.
You try it… Handout Act. 3
• Piclits – image-based writing, any verb tense, parts of speech,
plurals
Polling with Audience
Response Systems
Cell Phones / mobile devices
• Mobile Phones in the Classroom Video on OTAN
• Students text answers to questions
• Students use apps (more for practice/reinforcement)
• PollEverywhere (can also be computer-based polling)
• Socrative App (polling like PollEverywhere)
Student Technology Projects –
Performance-based assessment for
evaluation / application
• Autobiography narrated PowerPoint (simple past and present)
• My Characteristics and Emotions narrated PowerPoint
(participial adjectives)
• Life Changes narrated PowerPoint (used to)
• My Job, My Classmate’s Daily Activities (simple present tense)
• A Wonder of the World, An Invention (present & past passives)
• Life Experiences poster (present perfect)
• If I Could Change the World, If I Could Have Three Wishes
(unreal conditionals)
• Digital Stories (multimedia narratives)
• “Bucket Lists”
• Newsletters, magazines, blogs, wikis, student-produced video
How do you feel now ….
•about teaching grammar by
integrating technology in order
to be a great teacher?
What’s now / What’s next?
•
•
•
•
Flipped classroom
Abundant Apps – make your own
Web conferencing / video conferencing
More ESL courses offered as hybrids & online
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/10/22/south.korea.robot.teachers/index.html
Questions? Comments?
• Thank you!