Page 26 - ELG2111 Nov Issue 478

FEATURE .

evidence
Exploring the evidence

Two teachers offer their views on common
teaching practices

elow, two of the authors of An knowledge: their L1 knowledge, as well
Introduction to Evidence-Based as knowledge of any additional languages
Teaching in the English Language (including English), and this, too, will affect
BClassroom (Pavilion ELT at Pavilion success in future English language learning.
Publishing) explore the evidence, and Pellicer-Sanchez et al (2020) found that
sometimes lack of evidence, supporting pre-teaching vocabulary before introducing
common teaching strategies and procedures. a reading text helped with both reading
and vocabulary learning. By tracking eye
The importance of prior knowledge movements, they found that learners who had
By Carol Lethaby been pre-taught vocabulary spent less time on
Educational research shows us how essential the pre-taught words when re-reading them
prior knowledge is to learning new things. in a text, while learners who had not been
The average correlation between background pre-taught continued to spend longer on the
knowledge and achievement is .66, according new words when they re-read them. Apart
to Marzano (2004:2), meaning that students from reading faster, readers who had received
who have a lot of background knowledge on pre-teaching also learned the new words
a topic will learn new information on that better. Ibraham et al point out that studies
topic better and more easily than students show that “higher vocabulary knowledge leads
who do not have good previous knowledge to higher text comprehension” (2016:116).
of the topic. So, what does this mean for teacher
The use of functional magnetic resonance education and classroom practice? It suggests
imaging (fMRI) in neuroscience allows us to that we need to focus more on pre-reading Marzano, R J (2004). Building Background
notice activation in a particular part of the and pre-listening tasks than perhaps we have Knowledge for Academic Achievement: Research
brain when learners are connecting old and traditionally done, and to think carefully on what works in schools. Alexandria: ASCD.
new information, leading researchers to believe about how we can use them to best help
that there is actually an area of the brain (the learners. Field (2008) has suggested that, for Pellicer-Sanchez, A, Conklin, K & Vilkaite ˙-
medial prefrontal cortex) where background lower-level learners, more time should be Lozdiene ˙, L (2020). ‘The effect of pre-
knowledge and new learning connect. This spent activating and building up language reading instruction on vocabulary learning:
represents enormous potential for education. knowledge in the pre-listening stages, while at An investigation of L1 and L2 readers’ eye
As one of the researchers who has looked more advanced levels more time can be spent movements’. Language Learning.
at this says: “…once we understand more on background content knowledge. Research
about how our brain uses prior knowledge in the areas of task design and cognitive load Sweller, J, van Merrienboer, J J & Paas,
(the stuff we already know) to learn new can also give valuable information about F (2019). ‘Cognitive architecture and
information, we could tap into our prior how to design more effective pre-reading and instructional design: 20 years later’.
knowledge better and more selectively before pre-listening tasks. Teachers in training can Educational Psychology Review 31 261–292.
we learn new information” (Van Kesteren, focus on how to use visuals to really support
2012). There is also evidence from cognitive comprehension of text, as well as how to Van Kesteren, M (2014). ‘Building on
load theory that shows the importance of cut out extra visuals and tasks that distract prior knowledge: How does the student
background knowledge in reducing cognitive from learning, and which don’t actually help brain learn?’ http://www.neuwritewest.org/
load when students are learning new things learners process the text. We know the power blog/2014/5/12/building-on-prior-knowledge-
and consequently it can make tasks more of prior knowledge: let’s learn how to use it. how-does-the-student-brain-learn
achievable (Sweller et al, 2019).
Much of the evidence for the importance REFERENCES:
of previous knowledge in learning new Chen, H C & Graves, M F (1995). ‘Effects Carol Lethaby has
things is not particularly focused on of previewing and providing background been involved in English
language learning, but a study by Chen knowledge on Taiwanese college students’ language teaching since
and Graves (1995) did look specifically at comprehension of American short stories’. 1986, working with
English language learners. Two hundred TESOL Quarterly 29(4) 663–686. teachers since 1994. She
and forty college students in Taiwan were has lived and worked in
presented with a text either with or without Field, J (2009). ‘Input and context’. Listening the UK, Austria, France,
pre-reading tasks. When their reading in the Language Classroom, Cambridge Greece and, for 14 years, Mexico. She is now
comprehension was tested, it was found Language Teaching Library, 125–139. based in San Francisco, California, and is
that those who had received pre-reading Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. a part-time assistant professor on the New
background information outperformed those School online MA in TESOL, as well as
who had no pre-reading help. Ibrahim, E H E, Sarudin, I, & Muhamad, being an honoured instructor at UC Berkeley
The above study considers background A J (2016). ‘The Relationship between Extension. She has worked on several
knowledge of the world, but when we’re Vocabulary Size and Reading Comprehension textbook series for English learners. More
looking at L2 learners, they also bring with of ESL Learners’. English Language Teaching information can be found at clethaby.com.
them lots of relevant previous language 9(2) 116–123.
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