Teaching Language through Technology Lesson Plan Integrating Technology Kongxia Chen Professor Jody Spring 2014
# Evaluate the Use of Technology in the Lesson I used four technological resources in my lesson plan including PowerPoint, Google Slides, Google Forums, and Google Documents. These technologies are essential in my lesson plan. For instance, I used PowerPoint to organize my lesson in preparation for class and to show questions from appendices on the screen during teaching. Thus, I do not need to come to class earlier to write down the questions on the whiteboard or read the questions aloud. This saves class time. Having students to create PowerPoints of their presentations by using Google Slides can help the audiences to better remember what the presenter said, especially for those students who learn better visually (Larsen-Freeman & Anderson, 2011). Also, I used Google Forums to create a survey, so students can see the results of top favorite activities among their classmates immediately. Likewise, Google Documents can be used as board on which students can post their writing and give comments even though giving peer feedback is not a popular class activity in Chinese education. However, peer editing is a great activity to develop students critical thinking and revision skills. If students struggle with producing some letters correctly, I will use the Talk English ($%%&'(()))*%+,-./0,12$*345(6 website to teach pronunciation. This site provides Pronunciation Lessons on letters. There are some minimal pair letters such B and P which are commonly mispronounced. This site also gives instructions about the shape and the movement of the mouth for producing the correct sound of a letter. Teachers can refer instruction for teaching, and students can use it when it comes to autonomous study. This site also offers some words and sentences that contain the letter with audio files. Students can click play to listen to the word or sentence if they need 7 to. Additionally, students can download the audio files, so they can listen to an audio file at any time and anywhere without an Internet connection.
Overview of the Context This is a 90-minute lesson for a group of Chinese students of English as a foreign language at Sias International University in China. The students English proficiency level is high intermediate according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language, 2012). There are 15 students in the class, and the class is mixed with freshmen and sophomores. The emphasis of this lesson is combination of reading, speaking, and writing.
Assumptions Every student has a computer and internet connection at school or at home Students are familiar with Google Slides, Google Forums, and Google Documents
Materials and Resources Needed PowerPoint 15 copies of an article Computer Projector and Screen Objectives Students will be able to comprehend reading in a True and False exercise and analyze the main ideas of the reading by underlining them 8 Students will be able to apply their critical thinking in their group presentations Students will be able to practice their speaking in group presentations and discussions Students will be able to make comments in peer writing feedback
Pre-reading Preparation (10 minutes) Ask students, Do you feel happy or unhappy today? Why? Have two or three volunteers share their answers Show some questions (Appendix A) in the PowerPoint, and then give students 8 minutes to write down their answers on a piece of paper or type on their own computer After 8 minutes, have some students share their answers
Reading the Article (8 minutes) Pass out the articles (Appendix B) Ask students to underline the topic sentence or main idea of each paragraph Give students 8 minutes to do this activity
True and False Exercise (5 minutes) After students finish reading, pass out the exercise worksheets (Appendix C) Give students 3 minutes to finish without looking at the article Go over the answers by calling students names
9 Presentation (20 minutes) Divide the class to 5 groups, and each group has 3 students Assign each group a question (Appendix D) that is shown on the PowerPoint Give students 15 minutes to discuss and organize their answers by using Google Slides to create a presentation Each group has 3-5 minutes to give a presentation
Survey (15 minutes) Each group has 3 minutes to make a list of activities that people enjoy (at least 5 activities) After 3 minutes, I will type their answers and then use Google Forums to create a survey by using the numbers 1 to 7 to indicate the level of enjoyment (1 is the least, and 7 is the most) Every student assesses his or her own Google Forums and then takes the survey (5 minutes). The number of questions will be between 10 and 15. Show the result of the survey on the screen to the whole class
Writing (25 minutes) Choose a favorite activity that you do not participate frequently in Follow the instruction (Appendix E) to write at least 10 sentences (15 minutes) Create a group Google Documents (3 students in one group) and post writing there Give feedback to each other about writing (10 minutes) : Students can go back to the document to add or edit their own writing after class
Ending (7 minutes) Remind students to finish the writing for homework if they have not finished yet Choose one group member to send the Google Document to the instructor Answer any questions from students
; References American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (2012). ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012. Retrieved from http://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/public/ACTFLProficiencyGuidelines20 12_FINAL.pdf Larsen-Freeman, D. (2003). Techniques and principles in language teaching, 2 nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Pronunciation. TALK ENGLISH.com. Retrieved from http://www.talkenglish.com/ExtraLessons/Pronunciation.aspx Smith, L. C., & Mare, N. N. (2004). Concepts for Today 4. Heinle, Tholson.
< Appendix A Pre-reading Preparation 1. What is your definition of happy? 2. Is there a relationship between happiness and unhappiness? 3. Do you think your environment can cause you to be happy or unhappy? Explain your answer.
= Appendix B
The Paradox of Happiness By Diane Swanbrow Psychology Today
Its plain common sense the more happiness you feel, the less unhappiness you experience. Its plain common sense, but its not true. Recent research reveals that happiness and unhappiness are not really flip sides of the same emotion. They are two distinct feelings that, coexisting, rise and fall independently. Youd think that the higher a persons level of unhappiness, the lower their level of happiness and vice versa, says Edward Diener, a University of Illinois professor of psychology who has done much of the new work on positive and negative emotions. But when Diener and other researchers measure peoples average levels of happiness and unhappiness, they often find little relationship between the two. The recognition that feelings of happiness and unhappiness can coexist much like love and hate in a close relationship may offer valuable clues on how to lead a happier life. It suggests, for example, that changing or avoiding things that make you miserable may well make you less miserable but probably wont make you any happier. That advice is backed up by an extraordinary series of studies which indicate that a genetic predisposition for unhappiness may run in certain families. On the other hand, researchers have found, happiness doesnt appear to be anyones heritage. The capacity for joy is a talent you develop largely for yourself. Psychologists have settled on a working definition of the feeling happiness is a sense of subjective well-being. Theyve also begun to find out whos happy, who isnt, and why. To date, the research hasnt found a simple recipe for a happy life, but it has discovered some of the actions and attitudes that seem to bring people closer to that most desired of feelings. In a number of studies of identical and fraternal twins, researchers have examined the role genetics plays in happiness and unhappiness. The work suggests that although no one is really born to be happy, sadness may run in families. In one University of Southern California study, psychologist Laura Baker and colleagues compared 899 individuals who had taken several commonly used tests for happiness and unhappiness. The men and women included 105 pairs of identical and fraternal twins as well as grandparents, parents and young adult offspring from more than 200 other families. Family members, Baker reports, resembled each other more in their levels of unhappiness than in their levels of happiness. Furthermore, identical "> twins were much closer than fraternal twins in unhappiness, a finding that implies a genetic component. In a study at the University of Minnesota, twins (some raised together and others who had grown up apart) were tested for a wide range of personality traits. In terms of happiness defined as the capacity to enjoy life identical twins who were separated soon after birth were considerably less alike than twins raised together. But when it came to unhappiness, the twins raised apart some without contact for as long as 64 years were as similar as those whod grown up together. Why is unhappiness less influenced by environment? When were happy we are more responsive to people and keep up connections better than when were feeling sad. This doesnt mean, however, that some people are born to be sad and thats that. Genes may predispose one to unhappiness, but disposition can be influenced by personal choice. You can increase your happiness through your own actions. In a series of experiments by psychologists John Reich and Alex Zautra at Arizona State University, they asked students to select their favourite activities from a list of everyday pleasures things like going to a movie, talking with friends and playing cards. Then the researchers instructed some of the subjects to increase the number of favourite activities they participated in for one month (the other participants in the study served as controls and did not vary their activity level). Results: Those who did more of the things they enjoyed were happier than those who didnt. The conclusion, then, is that the pleasure we get from life is largely ours to control.
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Appendix C
True & False Exercise
Read the passage once. Then read the following statements. Scan the article quickly to find out if each statement is true (T) or false (F). Circle the right answer. If the statement is false, change it so that it is true.
1. The feeling of unhappiness may be genetic. (T/F)
2. There is a strong relationship between levels of happiness and unhappiness in a person. (T/F)
3. Researchers have found that happiness is inherited. (T/F)
4. Unhappiness is less influenced by environment that it is by genetics. (T/F)
5. It is impossible to increase your happiness. (T/F)
6. We can control our own happiness. (T/F)
These questions are from Smith, L. C., & Mare, N. N. (2004). Concepts for Today 4. Heinle, Tholson. (p. 5).
"# Appendix D
Critical Thinking
Remember that there is no correct answer.
1. According to this article, feelings of happiness and unhappiness can coexist. Similarly, love and hate can coexist in a close relationship. How can you explain such conflicting feelings in a relationship? Do you think a person can be happy and sad at the same time? Explain your answer.
2. The author mentions several studies of identical and fraternal twins. These studies conclude that sadness may run in families. Why do you think researchers like to study twins rather than other brothers and sisters? Why do you think researchers compare identical twins who grew up together with identical twins who grew up apart?
3. According to the University of Southern California study, identical twins were much closer than fraternal twins in unhappiness, a finding that implies a genetic component. Why do you think identical twins were more alike than fraternal twins were?
4. The author describes two studies, one at the University of Southern California and one at the University of Minnesota. She also describes an experiment at Arizona State University. What do you think is the difference between doing a study and doing an experiment?
5. What do you think the author believes about happiness and unhappiness? Does she believe they are opposites? What do you think her opinion is?
These questions are Smith, L. C., & Mare, N. N. (2004). Concepts for Today 4. Heinle, Tholson. (p. 15-16).
"7 Appendix E 1. Which favorite activity do you participate in least? Why? 2. How are you going to increase your practice in that activity? Be specific.