Using Social Practices
in Language
David Murphy
English Language Fellow
Toluca, Mexico
ELFPachuca@Gmail.com
www.comexus.org.mx
Language in Social Practice
Definition
Language in social practice theory –
Concerned with the practice of
language use in daily situations
Language in Social Practice
and TESOL
The Relationship
Learning is influenced by social relationships
inside and outside the classroom
English teaching involves recognizing and
working with social relationships and
learners’ identities
Language in Social Practice
and TESOL
The Relationship
Language must be relevant to learners’ lives.
Learners must be aware of the proper
social conventions for language
Teachers should use authentic materials
Language in Social Practice
and TESOL
The Relationship
Learners should be given time in the class to
talk about the things that interest them
Teachers should be aware of
learners’ backgrounds, experiences,
and interests, and take these things
into consideration
Language in Social Practice
The Iceberg
Make a list of social conventions of a job
interview
Write them on the hidden part of the iceberg
Language in Social Practice
Iceberg Example
Arrive 15 minutes before the interview
You should wear sharp clothes
Maintain eye contact with interviewers
Language in Social Practice
Iceberg Example
Discuss the implications for teaching and learning
and how you might approach the topic of job
interviews in the classroom.
Write down how you might teach
students to interview.
Write down social practices that
students need to know during
interviews
Language in Social Practice
ESOL learners need to develop the language skills needed at
interview, such as question formation and how to construct
personal narratives. Alongside this they need to know what
kind of questions are asked and the degree of politeness
required.
ESOL learners will also need to know about non-linguistic
conventions, such as hand- shaking, what to wear.
Many ESOL learners already work and will have experience of
interviews that they can share.
ESOL learners will need to know that Interview conventions
will vary across cultures, and learners may not be aware of this
or may not know the conventions in the USA.
Language in Social Practice
Expressing Identities
The aim of this activity is to stimulate discussion about:
Who chooses topics in the classroom – the teacher or the
learners
How topics are chosen – as part of a negotiated curriculum
or unplanned as a result of
discussions that emerge in the classroom
The use of controversial topics to stimulate discussion
Warm Up
Write a reason that supports EACH of the following statements.
• Women should NOT change their last name when
they get married
REASON
• Love is more important than money
REASON
• It is better to be married than single
REASON
• Writing by hand is better than writing by a
computer
REASON
Why Social Practice?
• Engages students in a variety of cognitive and
linguistic ways
• Provides meaningful listening, speaking, and
writing practice
• Highly effective for developing argumentation
skills for persuasive speech and writing
Social Practice Debate Structure
• Controversial issue or topic
– High interest
– Relevant to age and experience
• Pros and Cons
– Students conduct research
– Helps show both arguments of issue
• Proponent’s argument and reasoning
• Opponent’s Rebuttal (Response to
Proponent)
• Proponent’s Response
Types of Reasoning
• Personal Anecdote
– “From my own personal experience, I cannot
read as fast on a computer screen as on printed
paper.”
• Statistic/Historical Fact
– “The brain interprets printed and digital text in
different ways, and people generally read
digital text 20-30% slower than print.”
• Appeal to Common Sense
– One can better interact with text on paper
through a kinesthetic experience of holding,
touching, highlighting, and underlining paper.
Strong Arguments vs. Weak Arguments
• A strong argument
– Logically supports the opinion
– Is specific and states the idea clearly
– Is convincing to a majority of people
• Which is stronger?
– “Smoking is bad.” or….
– “Smoking is dangerous because its carcinogens
can cause cancer.”
Your Task
• Your group is assigned a position on a
particular cultural issue
• Read background information
• Write 3 logical arguments with good reasoning
(vary your reasoning strategies) (5 min)
• Prepare for your debate with your group (5
min)
• Mock debate (5 min)
Reflect and Debrief
• What did u learn by participating in a debate
today?
• What did you learn about teaching culture
through debate today?
• What are controversial topics your students
would be interested in debating?
• Why is teaching debate an effective skill for
English learners?
Topic
Family life
Government
Unemployment
Textbook Usage
Role of women
Smoking
Religion
Teacher’s Unions
Drinking sodas
Obesity
Cell phones in
class
Relatively
Uncontroversial
Slightly
Controversial
Very Controversial
Language in Social Practice
Dealing with Controversy
What are the benefits and problems of using controversial
topics in class?
Are there any topics in the list that you would avoid?
How do you deal with controversial topics when they
arise?
Language in Social Practice
A social practice approach recognizes the importance of
social and emotional aspects of teaching and learning and
takes account of the differences in peoples’ lives - their
culture, language, class and status. It uses these as the
starting point for learning and connects what people know
and use outside the classroom to what they learn inside.
This makes it possible to achieve a ‘closer fit’, making the
learning relevant and useful. (Appleby and Barton,2008:27)
Social practices differ across groups within society and
across cultures. ESOL learners may, therefore, need explicit
teaching about social conventions in the USA. This relates
not just to literacy practices, but also spoken
communication.