Page 11 - ELG1803 Mar Issue 455

RESEARCH NEWS . NEWS

A LITTLE MORE
By Federica Tedeschi Teacher’s pet
The majority of adult EFL students
believe they will use English in Martin Cathrae
close conjunction with other CONVERSATION As the finalists for the prestigious
languages in their future lives and Global Teacher Prize were announced
careers, a study conducted in the
United Kingdom has found. By Federica Tedeschi more conversational turns scored highest. last month, the EL Gazette was keen
The exploratory study of Young children who have the most Researchers found that a child’s verbal to find an English teacher in the mix. And our
‘translingualism’ could have conversations with adults have the ability score ‘increased by 1 point for prayers were answered as the incredible Barbara
implications for the relevance of highest verbal ability in their first language every additional 11 conversational turns Anna Zielonka was listed among the final ten.
the native vs non-native speaker – rather than those who are exposed to experienced’ in an hour. A Polish woman teaching English at a high
debate, and highlights the value of the highest number of words - a recent These results for the effects of turn school in Nannestad, Norway, Barbara beat
multilingual teachers to students. American study suggests. taking were independent of families’ off competition from 30,000 teachers from
Translingualism is the flexible The number of times a child takes turns socioeconomic status (SES), the research
use of elements from more than at speaking has a stronger impact on their highlights. By contrast, a landmark 170 countries. In her vocational and academic
one language within a single verbal development than the number of study in 1995 which looked at language classes, she makes innovative use of technology
context – for example, Chinese words to which they are exposed, it finds. exposure found that by age three children to engage students, who come from a wide
workers for a US company ‘The important thing is not just to from higher-SES backgrounds had variety of cultural backgrounds. One of the most
communicating with colleagues talk to your child but to talk with your heard 30 million more words than their important projects she has created at her school
in Mandarin but writing reports in child,’ lead author Rachel Romeo told disadvantaged peers. is called ‘Genius Hour’. Students who took
English. Equally, people sending Psychological Science magazine. To investigate whether differences in part created their own research topic, collected
text messages that mix more Stirring it up: most English ‘It’s not just about dumping language the brain activity among the children
than one language are operating learners will mix their into your child’s brain, but to actually might be related to turn taking, the data online, contacted experts via Facebook or
translingually. language use carry on a conversation with them,’ added researchers used fMRI scans. Twitter and create online questionnaires, sharing
A total of 116 adult EFL Romeo, a researcher at the Massachusetts Once inside the scanner, the children their results with an international audience.
learners studying at a chain of Institute of Technology (MIT). were asked to listen to stories passively as She has already received a number of accolades
private language schools in the TEACHERS TAKE CARE: Romeo’s findings for L1 seem to part of a language comprehension test. for her work, but the $1 million prize will top
UK were asked how they expected call into question Stephen Krashen’s The results showed that higher hourly them all. Good luck Barbara. The winner is
and answers were received from TOMORROW IS TRANSLINGUAL ‘comprehensible input’ hypothesis for L2 turn takings related to more intense brain announced during the Global Education and
to use their English in the future,
which argues that talking to learners is
activity in the Broca area, which processes
seventy people. more important than interacting with language comprehension and production. Skills Forum in Dubai on March 18.
More than three quarters (76 Research showing the majority of EFL students plan to use them. They also found higher activity in this
per cent) of respondents believed The MIT research involved a group of part of the brain was correlated with the
they would be using English their English alongside other languages in the future could 36 four to six-year-olds with a history of children’s verbal ability scores. Naughty corner
translingually in the future, while have implications for teaching normal cognitive development. This study is the first to reveal a direct
less than 20 per cent believed To gather the linguistic data on relation between conversational turns and
they would be using English conversational turn taking, the children brain function during language processing. It may have been well-meaning, but
predominantly in a monolingual users. The predominant profile The research also highlights monolingual practices that are ‘at wore a recorder for two days except while It also provides evidence that activity
context. chosen by participants included increasingly dominant multilingual odds’ with how many people used asleep. Every word spoken or heard by in the Broca area is responsible for this it seems Emmanuel Macron’s recent
Participants in the sample, people working in their home practices, especially within online their multilingual resources in the each child was recorded through the phenomenon. project to boost French language
ranging from A2 to C1 levels, country for multinational and virtual communities. real world. Language Environment Analysis (LENA) Researchers stress, however that their speaking worldwide lacks a little je ne sais quoi.
came from 24 countries, with employers with English language Mr Anderson argues that ‘a While the study shows that system; the language was then analysed by findings provide initial information on the Or so says the acclaimed French language
Asian participants at the top of policies and practices. translingual perspective enables adult learners see there will be a computer and every conversational turn link between children’s linguistic exposure writer Alain Mabanckou, who has rejected the
the list (52 per cent), followed A minority of adult learners us to move beyond the native- need to use English translingually was noted. and their language development. perky young president’s plans to reinvigorate
by Europeans (38 per cent) and identified themselves as speaker vs non-native speaker in the future, it stresses that the The children’s verbal ability was also Further longitudinal studies may ‘la Francophonie’, the official club of countries
South Americans (10 per cent). likely to use English language dichotomy, and focus more on a data is based only on students’ scored using a standardised test for this determine if turn taking is equally
Learners were shown a chart of monolingually in the future. teacher’s translingual competence own perceptions of their future age group. Children who took part in important for different age groups. where French is an official or significant
examples of three ways they might These were made up of learners and the need for the teacher language use. language. Mabanckou, who has joint Congolese
use their English and their native who were planning to continue to understand the learner’s The study was also limited by and French citizenship, said the network’s
language in future. their education in a monolingual languaculture.’ a number of other factors, such international summits allowed French leaders
These included two examples UK context, before returning to Mr Anderson added that norms as whether participants fully to have meetings with African dictators and
each of monolingual, partly their home country to work in a for the assessment of students understood the different examples be ‘uselessly complicit’ with despots. Instead,
translingual and highly translingual largely monolingual environment. were ‘dictated’ by native-speaker of language use given. he has called for a complete overhaul of the
club of countries, which he says is out of date
and sustains French imperialism. It should be
New tool By Federica Tedeschi bilingual toddlers with language the child spends engaged in each replaced with a partnership between countries
processing difficulties and lead to
led by civil society, writers and artists
of their two languages. Researchers
Researchers have produced a
measures resource for assessing language better interventions to support interviewed almost 400 families promoting French and preserving
development in bilingual children
them. The kit, developed by
with two-year-old children learning
bilingual in the UK. Bilingual Toddler researchers at the University of English and another language. local African tongues, he said. As
backlash from other francophone
UK
Families using the 13 most
The
Plymouth, includes a list of familiar
toddlers’ Assessment Toolkit (UKBTAT), as English words that parents tick commonly-spoken second writers grows, it looks like the
French president might have
languages in the UK took part in
off when their child recognises or
it is called, is believed to be the first
language resource designed to estimate how can say them, and a similar list of the study. UKBTAT is designed to to go back to the drawing
bilingual children’s verbal skills are
be adopted by health practitioners,
board. His plans, it seems,
common terms in the child’s other
skills developing in both languages. language. A Language Exposure including language therapists, have left some
social workers and educational
It is hoped the assessment tools
Questionnaire (LEQ) is also used
French speakers
will enable professionals to identify to assess the proportion of time psychologists. unimpressed.
10 March 2018 editorial@elgazette.com 11