From the April 1998 issue of Technology & Learning magazine
BEST BETS FOR THE ESL CLASSROOM
By Ana Bishop
The rapidly growing K-12 population of non- and
limited-English-speaking
students--including some without literacy in their home language--means
that high-quality ESL software is more in demand than ever. Here,
we present four titles that use multimedia to provide students
with speaking and writing opportunities, games, "real life"
contexts, and the individual feedback so important to language
acquisition.
It used to be that only large school systems, such as New York
City or Los Angeles, faced the challenge of meeting the English
language-learning needs of vast numbers of students whose home,
or native, language was not English. Now even little towns and
rural areas face these same challenges, and often with very limited
staffs--usually one or two itinerant English as a Second Language
(ESL) or bilingual teachers.
As the student population continues to grow and shift geographically,
the challenge of bridging the communication gap between ESL and
regular classroom teachers (often with little or no training in
teaching non- or limited-English speakers) also becomes more widespread.
In some schools, 40 or 50 language groups might be represented,
and even those mainstream classrooms fortunate enough to be staffed
with bilingual aides face a major struggle in attempting to reach
and teach all the students. We are also seeing larger numbers
of ESL students, such as the children of migrant workers, entering
middle and high schools at irregular intervals during the year.
This not only adds to the diversity of levels of English competency
in any given class, but brings with it a population of kids who
may have had little or no formal schooling in their own countries,
and may not be literate even in their home language. This combination
of factors is making it more of a challenge than ever to provide
students with the much needed personal assistance and oral feedback
crucial to language acquisition. And educators are increasingly
looking to the right kinds of software to help them out.
Though ESL software has been on the market since the early days
of classroom computers, the last decade have seen a huge growth
in its development in the United States and other countries. With
the '90s came the technical capability to provide electronic books
and other content-level titles in multiple languages, usually
English and Spanish. The latest ESL software programs, however,
not only offer animation, video, and colorful graphics, but can
handle voice recording with ease and are even experimenting with
voice recognition as a teaching element (see "The Voice Recognition
Controversy,"). What seems to be more prevalent and
really useful is the trend toward adding native-language assistance,
as you will see in some of the four products we review here. Following,
by grade level, we look at some of the best recent offerings on
the market. To assist you see the glossary.
Comparing ESL Programs
| Program |
Let's Go | Q Steps 1 and 2
| Ellis Intro
| English Express Deluxe
|
| Publisher | DynEd International
989 E. Hillsdale Blvd.,
Ste. 130
Foster City, CA 94404
(800) 765-4375
e-mail: sales@dyned.com
| Gessler Publishing Co. Inc.
10 E. Church Ave.
Roanoke, VA 24011
(800) 456-5825
www.gessler.com
| CALI, Inc.
734 E. Utah Valley Dr.,
Ste. 200
American Fork, UT 84003
(888) 756-1570
www.cali.com
| Davidson & Associates, Inc.
19840 Pioneer Ave.
Torrance, CA 90503
(800) 545-7677
www.education.com
|
| Platforms
| Macintosh CD
Windows CD | Macintosh CD
Windows CD
| Macintosh CD
Windows CD | Macintosh CD
Windows CD
|
Target
Group | Beginning to intermediate English language
learners in grades pre-K to 3
| Beginning to intermediate English language learners in
grades 1 to 4
| Beginning to intermediate English learners in grades 7
on up
| Beginning to intermediate English learners in grades 7
on up
|
| Package | 1 installation CD and 1
content CD-ROM plus teacher handbook for levels 1 and 2
2 CDs per level above that
| 1 CD-ROM plus teacher guides per level (2
levels per program)
up to 6 sets of CD levels with 4 lessons per CD (home/school
versions of CD)
| 1 diskette and 1 CD-ROM plus teacher guides,
student worksheets printable off CD or downloadable from Web
35 lessons, 400 hours of available instruction
| 1 CD-ROM and 1 videodisc plus accompanying
teacher guides and lesson plans per level
21 lesson plans
|
| Price | $129 per level or $239 for 2
levels.
All six levels: $599.
| School price: $329, including activity kit with 3 CDs,
teacher's guide and printed books. Lab packs, site licenses, and
networkable versions available.
| School price: $995. Lab packs and networkable versions
available.
| $6,500 to $12,000 depending on configuration. CDs
available per level separately (laserdiscs optional). Lab packs, site
licenses, and networkable versions available.
|
Program
Scope | Early childhood approach to ESL, with repetition
focusing on basic skills.
| Early childhood focus on conversation and basic
skills.
| Beginning to intermediate levels of ESL in natural
situations with video introductions.
| Expands original English Express to include
intermediate levels of ESL, using comic strips.
|
| Components | Musical introduction
leading to conversation
Multiple topics that are common to early childhood learning
(family, colors, numbers, shapes)
Record and playback
Vocabulary drills, phonics and basic grammar focused on sentence
structure practice
Games that vary by content of each lesson
| Animated graphics guide student through topics
(family, colors, clothing, numbers, parts of the body, numbers)
Record and playback
Language assistance in several other languages
Additional programs for older children or more advanced English
learners (Q Surf) that focus on reading and other skills
| Video introduction sets the scene
Theme-oriented focus covers topics ranging from shopping for food
to using public transportation, social situations and health concerns
Vocabulary and definitions given in context of theme
Games are playable when lessons are completed, and a final test
and reports lets teacher guide student work
Information on US cultural elements in USA.
| Click and explore opening "scene"
Vocabulary focus on visual and aural cues (pictures and sound)
Topic words used in context of short narrative comic strip
(health, workplace, community and school)
Read-along feature
Story-board sequencing based on spoken cues
Record, write and playback feature for student version of
narration
|
|
Weaknesses | Vocabulary exercises tend to look the same
from level to level
Toolbar intro is strong but repetitive
| Purpose of icons for activities is initially vague
Instructions for exercises unclear at first
| Main menu looks intimidating to a new learner (it's really intended for teacher use)
| Not enough visual cues in the "scene" setting
No native language assistance
| Strengths |
Native language assistance in 6 languages.
Use of music and song to involve students
| Animation and interaction
Native language assistance in 6 languages
Picture Dictionary with sound
Take-home version of CD available
| Top-quality video with real-life situations
Native-language assistance in up to 22 languages (your choice)
Pronunciation practice includes video and animated X-ray view of mouth motion
| Students are able to write and record their own narrative
Picture Dictionary with sound
|
|
The Voice Recognition Controversy
We have not included voice recognition titles in this roundup because of
the controversial nature of its use for ESL. In both the English as a
Foreign Language (EFL) and the ESL world, generic voice recognition can
be very frustrating to a student who is simply trying to learn the
language, not become a broadcast journalist. The more fine-tuned,
high-end voice-recognition software, which is sophisticated and
expensive, can be ıeducatedı to recognize speech patterns and accents of
specific individuals and its tolerance levels for variations from the
"norm" can be regulated to allow a great deal of flexibility in
accepting answers that may be correct but just not pronounced that
perfectly. Some ESL/EFL programs manage to have hit a fairly happy
medium, but many of the lower-end natural-speech voice recognition
engines used in ESL software will not allow for much deviation from the
"broadcast English" norm. Thus, even a native speaker of English (in
some programs) may not pass the oral component of a placement test or
even get very far along in an oral practice without receiving negative
responses. Encouragement, positive responses and lots of opportunity to
practice are some of the key elements in learning a language, and a
voice recognition component can sometimes work against a learner.
Glossary of ESL Terms
ESL and EFL--English as a Second Language and English as a Foreign
Language. There is not too much difference, except that ESL assumes that
the learner will be using English as the main mode of communication for
probably the rest of his or her life. EFL assumes that the learner will
speak the language only when needed (travel, business), but will return
to the country of origin and continue to function mostly in the native
language of that country.
ELL--English Language Learners.
LEP--Limited English Proficientıthis used to be the official
categorization of students in the U.S. whose main language of
communication was not English. Much of the official federal
documentation, and that of many states, still uses this term, but the
trend is now toward some of the other conventions you see in this
glossary.
Native language--the language usually spoken in the home (sometimes
called the "home language").
SOL--Speakers of Other Languagesıpopular in states like Texas, because
the word "sol" in Spanish means "sun."
Ana Bishop is a multilingual education technology consultant
specializing in ESL and bilingual software integrated into the
curriculum for K-12 schools. She is the chairperson for instructional
technology for the National Association for Bilingual Education. A
former Title VII Fellow, she worked in the migrant education and Title I
programs and taught English as a second language at Michigan State
University, where she holds an M.A. and post-graduate studies in
English.
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