Involving English as a Second Language or
English as a Foreign Language (ESL or EFL) students in
student publications (Scholastic Journalism Curriculum)
provides a win/win situation developing staff diversity
and global content at the high school level while
meeting the needs of L2 learners and their families. The
curriculum meets the needs of L2 language learning and
the presence of numbers insures continuation of a
scholastic journalism program when budget cuts loom.
This paper will build a case to establish a syllabus
design for ESL students within current journalism
programs using current methodology definition and
practice within the individual educational plans related
to scholastic journalism publication lab English
credits.
Hypothesis: A syllabus could be designed to combine
these programs or a limited use provision within
journalism could be established in any district
curriculum to enhance educational achievement for ESL
learners.
Justification:
1.To provide such a program involves the commitment to
provide greater-than-usual educational and related
service enabling students with special needs to
experience success in school. The program meets
directional mandates in regard to the design and
implementation of special, compensatory and remedial
education programs. In recent years a new special needs
group has been identified. These are students who are
academically at risk because of social or cultural
barriers. Ironically many in the group are of average or
better intelligence and creative. ESL households compose
a segment of these students because families as a result
of language deficiencies fail to become involved in
school and community thus limit their children’s
opportunity for success. Often families also fight
poverty because wage earners lack communication skills.
While escape multi-generational poverty lies in
educational attainment, their parents status often means
that basic resources and supports needed for the
physical, emotional and social development of the
children are left unprovided. Society’s problem lies in
the need to provide an educational system that will keep
such students in school and learning.
2. To establish a place in the 21st century, all
students need to develop global understanding. Selective
schools require preparation in more than one language
and in real life situations within a mobile society a
second language is often needed. Any scholastic
journalist will gain from the experience of exposure to
second language situations Students need to see
relevance to everyday situations. Scholastic journalism
brings social/ and cultural emersion within publication
staffs. The curriculum encourages primary research. What
better way is there to establish cultural competence?
3. No curriculum changes need to be made. Scholastic
Journalism meets the definition of a radical
communicative language approach (CLT) a design and CLT
is used in most ESL- EFL classes. In regard to language,
economy, and academic risk:
James Asher explains dropout rates are a good measure of
difficulty, and the most difficult learning task for
both children and adults may be the attempt to acquire a
second language in school. A number of studies have
shown that few students - often less than 5 percent who
start in a second language - continue to proficiency.
When learning a second language is not a choice because
of environmental issues, this (lack of proficiency )
effects a number of social issues including the
economics within a community (welfare rolls, employment
opportunities, dropout rates and even crime/ safety). A
second issue is seclusion forced of those who cannot
communicate which in turn creates low self esteem as
well as the diminished ability of students who could be
considered academically gifted in a specific content
area to reach full potential and/ or placement which
results in disproportionate ethnicity rates involved in
special education or lack of individual educational plan
for those who are main-streamed. Students at-risk often
consider dropping out of school, committing suicide,
joining gangs, or taking other ruinous actions. Of all
the threats that put communities at risk, few are more
ominous than the permanent social underclass whose
growth is fueled by large numbers of children at high
risk of social and economical failure. To resolve these
issues, especially in districts experiencing deficit
budgets, it is necessary to establish an approach to
help those at- risk of academic failure to first become
successful communicators and then increase success in
other phases of academia in L2.
Scholastic Journalism and ESL Parallels = Solution
One proven method to success in school is Scholastic
Journalism. Because of the parallels to documented
Eclectic Communicative Approaches including integrating
skills necessary to obtain L2 proficiency (Listening,
Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Comprehension of
Cultures) and obtaining a concrete product using a task
based format, Scholastic Journalism Curriculum by
definition could be considered a strong version of CLT,
used in homogeneous ESL Classrooms. Celce-Mercia refers
to approach as a theory. Levis’ overview (Iowa State Eng
518) states, it is hard to find any approach to language
teaching that does not call itself communicative.
According to Richards and Rogers, CLT allows a great
deal of variety as to how learning theory is
implemented. Janet Eyring’s explains the Experimental
Language Learning Project Work technique which Legutke
and Thomas (1991) refers to as a strong version of CLT.
Further newsletter project described in Eyrings chapter
parallels my journalism exchange described in Dow Jones
Adviser Update, winter/spring 2001 and this
program/project. successfully meets standards and
benchmarks for achievement addressed in journalism/
language arts curriculum speaking/ writing.
According to Levis, CLT is based on the belief that the
fundamental purpose of language is communication and
that communication is far more than simply being able to
produce accurate sentences and good pronunciation
however sentences and pronunciation is like the bricks
involved in building a house. The house CLT is only as
strong as the initial parts (Editing and style book tied
to background materials). Scholastic journalism is
interactive. It involves the transmission of culture
through listening and speaking in interviews, writing
and reading in the edit and research process and
presenting a product that can be analyzed as part of
extensive cultural teaching. The curriculum brings real
life to the class and can present language in a complete
communicative process. Scholastic journalism teaches
grammar and communication. It involves narration, lst
person observation, discussion in interview, listening
and recalling information composition and problem
solving including how to get a story. All of these
approaches necessary in the communicative process (Crrokes
& Chauldron, 35).
Few teachers believe anymore that one syllabus fits, or
even should fit, all learners. Part of the beauty of
journalism curriculum is that it includes an individual
educational plan for every student involved in the
program. However all journalistic language syllabuses
consist of necessary grammar, vocabulary, and tasks
necessary to become a competent user of a language
focusing more on meaning and use issues while preparing
a communicative product for others. Every time an
article is produced for print a needs analysis takes
place. As in educational process the needs analysis
leads to other elements of planning especially the
setting of goals and objectives. In ESL Language
teaching objectives largely involve specifications of
what learners are supposed to do, how well they should
do it, and the circumstances. The same process takes
place in the journalism classroom but the activity is
family oriented (This also helps alleviate a problem of
comfort within learning: Psychologically, ESL learners
face the emotional difficulty associated with not being
able to understand. This may lead to a certain amount of
panic, if the message is crucial.) and involves students
helping students and greater feedback as a common goal
is accomplished. Using an editor pecking order, those
higher up the editor chain train those beneath them in
communicative skills, filling in the voids (and training
so less work will be needed by themselves) and
communicative purposes. As in Project Work, journalism
curriculum allows students to include information gap
activities. Creating a newspaper includes listening and
speaking during interview, background- reading and
researching, writing and editing as well as discussing
format and content. Fluency and accuracy occurs through
background that builds social competence contents and
context, as well as discourse competence through the act
of revision practice. The Larsen- Freeman’s model
explained in week three of Levis’ lectures makes use of
many of the same ingredients found in copy editing task
based approach using a journalistic focus on style and
grammar. Research also supports students do better who
use language for an authentic purpose ( Eyrings
333-334).
In simplistic terminology Scholastic Journalism is an
integrated language syllabus including elements of other
pure syllabuses listed by Nunan which independently have
problems seems to involve the best practices of all.
Students learn grammar but not in a sequence and
students because of the product need are assigned what
they can handle with editors above dealing with
deficiencies. This resolves the problem that Nunan
presents with most grammatical syllabus “Learners do not
acquire each item perfectly, one at a time but numerous
items imperfectly all at once”(57). The Notational
Functional Syllabus is part of interviewing (e.g.,
greet, compliment, apologize—get the information).
Students learn functional language in order to collect
data. Journalism is also a content based form of
communication. For instance, News involves social
studies, photo chemistry involves science, statistical
analysis is part of mathematics and most features evolve
around the study of culture. The production of a
newspaper follows a task based syllabus mirroring real
world tasks that would involve the use of the language.
Not only is Journalism process oriented and task based,
it parallels the task based approach Eyrings supports as
a way to improve communication which can be defined as
the study of journalistic technique. Brinton states that
media can form a viable point of departure for achieving
lesson objectives going on to say that language skills
are not isolated entities and that it builds and bridges
between skills and if effectively integrated can be used
to process information (461). Based on the supposition
that task completion has a relationship to language and
how it is comprehended and manipulated through
production and inter activity, using a task-based
approach provides learners exposure to the kinds of
language encountered outside the classroom while having
a non-language related outcome. Journalism is unique to
having a task that gives additional reinforcement to the
skills being addressed. Theoretically you have to have a
purpose to communicate. With a media related project,
task based learning allows for completion of an activity
that produces a product for self or for a reward (Long
1985,p89). Using Wilkins notational syllabuses,
communication process is improved with tasks because the
syllabus is based on what the learner wishes to express
(e.g. what is to be published) and additional practice
to pre-taught materials is established.
(Appendix A: Task Based Language Teaching in Journalism
Production)
The elements of task based language teaching include the
task itself (Newspaper production) and how the task is
presented to accomplish the language goal. Most language
teachers agree that the use of media can enhance
language training (Brinton459). Studies of Pienemann &
Johnson (1987) show learning proceeds at different
speeds through regular sequence It takes more than one
exposure and active realistic practice. Since studies
indicate that continual practice is needed to develop
communicative language, and when complexity of an
activity increases, accuracy drops, teacher planning in
the performance of tasks is then the key to improvements
in either accuracy, fluency, or complexity and makes a
case for task based instruction. This is exactly how a
journalism production class is operated and evaluated.
However in states such as Iowa where the curriculum is
student driven it is the editor who after consult with
the adviser delivers material / methodogy. His/her (the
editor’s) grade is based on successful outcome of the
project and student management, Because of the numerous
editions produced over a year’s time students involved
in journalism have more than one chance to be exposed
and master a skill without feeling like a failure
because of repeated information. Gaies (1982) states
when doing a task the shared goal helps acquaint the
participants and manage communicative difficulties.
Shared assumptions also helps to keep language from
breaking down and the common goal keeps the
communicative process moving. The same process of
technology is repeated in the task of journalism
production. Like all ESL syllabuses the activity of
newspaper production is introduced, described and
critiqued. The difference is it is the editor instead of
the teacher who plans, sequences and justifies content
based on the background of the student , objectives of
the lesson, skills to be taught, activity, materials,
time constraints, and connection to previous and future
l development on staff. This is because such a
curriculum is based on a business premise, everyone on
staff must be involved grow with each project and be
involved in production. To further elaborate the
parallel: 1. Planning in the performance of tasks is
based on the selection of linguistic features, grammar
pronunciation, vocabulary and themes (features) is what
happens when an editor assigns a story and in
pre-conference establishes set with a staff member. 2.
Sequencing of the tasks-- Crookes explains the task
itself as an informative structure, using shared
assumptions which disallows total communication to
breakdown, recycling – allowing past materials to be
repeated and convergence allowing a mutually accepted
solution (Here and now references, reasoning demands,
planning of a single task, and prior knowledge is like
the post conference with editors when the draft is
submitted. In this case the holes in copy are corrected-
style is changed and re-write takes place. 3
Justification of content- Participation, variables,
information structure, and information transfer (will it
be one way, two way or convergent) is like the
conferences involved in final versions or published
materials. The difference here is that the public is
part of the critique process. In theory scholastic
journalism is a learning lab where mistakes are allowed
to happen as part of the educational process.
Another issue in syllabus is the evaluatory process.
Nunan explains that is possible to use a syllabus where
learners are exposed to naturalistic samples which are
only roughly graded, providing richer context, but they
are only expected formally to master those items which
have been isolated. Again it should be remembered that
every student on a journalism staff is at an individual
degree of competency and therefore would be assigned
different mini tasks at varied levels, For example the
following are some of the skills within ESL could be
graded (parceled as to mini skill within a skill and re
taught as necessary).
Interviews (Extended listening, speaking- pronouncing to
be understood, interpreting, comprehending and writing
and evaluating): Journalism allows for experience beyond
the classroom. Field trips allow for primary
investigation and interviews needed for ESL students to
learn about culture Using a task-based approach provides
learners exposure to the kinds of language encountered
outside the classroom. ESL methodology makes use of
interviews to practice all L2 skills. Every assignment
in journalism uses interviews to complete a product.. In
the process scholastic journalists are trained to ask
focus questions, use polite speech and conventions and
consider appropriateness of actions. In most cases
scholastic journalists also conferences with editors and
advisers to receive feedback before the writing process
begins.
Editorial meetings (oral guided practice- Listening
Speaking): Lack of knowledge is good because it helps
create clarity in scholastic journalism whether the ESL
student is reading or writing his her presence is of use
because comprehension is based strongly upon what the
reader knows about a topic or situation.† This
knowledge, or schema, allows readers to understand the
text based on what is not written. If one person is
confused, you can bet there will be others who need more
information in the top down inverted pyramid style of
journalism.
Critiquing: In order to write in a form of standard
communication one must be able to read. Students
learning ESL can hardly reach† their goals without being
able to process written text (Levis) ESL reading is
highly controlled and often simplified. Since the time
of the Industrial Revolution “yellow journalism” and the
“penny press” newspapers (with the exception of the
editorial pages) have catered to a 5th grade reading
level with adult content. Features address knowledge
about culture. This information is needed by ESL
Students (Hinkel 454). Scholastic journalism teachers
teach writing by modeling, using good articles which
students read and analyze. Through this process students
need to look for causes of situations and write about
them clearly so other will understand and want to read
what is written.
Data Collection: Reading at the minimum involves the
ability to identify, to decode, to connect sound and
spelling (though this is not essential), to read for
specific information, to interpret in terms of problems,
and to relate information to other knowledge about the
world.† Each of these skills may be needed in teaching
reading. To some extent, this means that students simply
must read a lot and have a large receptive vocabulary in
English and must be able to work through texts
efficiently to understand both main ideas and details.†
They receive skimming and scanning practice.
Writing: Journalism is academic writing. This is a
format necessary for L2 students to learn. It needs to
be taught because it is representative of
conventionalized (and Prescribed) characteristics of
academic genres not found in written discourse in
languages other than English. Journalists learn to
establish a thesis, avoid digressions, repetition and
redundancy. They learn to back their points with facts,
statistics examples quotes and anecdotes as supporting
details and attribute them for legal reasons. While the
L2 learner may be more interested in the social nature
of primary research quotes and determining the social
value of what to print and what not to print via privacy
issues the practice of attribution helps prepare the L2
learner to avoid plagiarism. |
