Session Title: 

 

Mother Tongue Use in the EFL Classroom

 

 

Logo: 

 

 

Abstract:  

 

This session promotes judicious use of the mother tongue in EFL classrooms as a way to strengthen the link between theory and practice. Participants reflect on their own teaching and implement optimal mother tongue strategies in an attempt to create a learning environment that values all languages and cultures and which builds upon existing language knowledge. 

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Target audience:

 

EFL teachers in linguistically homogeneous classrooms of any age groups

Teacher trainers in EFL teacher training programs 

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Session objectives: 

 

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

 

1. Explore their own mother tongue use and understand how it can affect their pedagogical choices
2. Understand the concept of judicious mother tongue use and the role the use of the mother tongue can play in the EFL classroom
3. Understand the importance of covering the topic of mother tongue usage in teacher education courses
4. Reflect on their teaching practice and the classroom purposes for which they resort to the mother tongue and reassess mother tongue strategies and methods adopted in their courses and programs
5. Implement a variety of applications of the students' mother tongue in the classroom to foster fluency development, metacognitive awareness, and multiliteracy
6. Write a mission statement that reflects their views on mother tongue use and that guides their classroom practices. 

 

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Syllabus: 

 

 

Week 1:

 

14-20 Jan. 2018

 

Course overview, participant and moderator introductions, and practice with session tools

 

Introduction to the topic: a) clarifying key terms: students' mother tongue VS target language, b) the role of the students' mother tongue in the EFL Classroom

 

Self-exploration and reflection:  Do I employ the mother tongue in my EFL classroom and how does it affect the way I teach?

 

Readings:

 

Butzkamm, W. (2003). We only learn language once. The role of the mother tongue in FL classrooms: death of a dogma. Language learning journal, 28(1), 29-39.

 

Cook, V. (2001). Using the first language in the classroom. Canadian modern language review, 57(3), 402-423.

 

Hall, G., & Cook, G. (2012). Own-language use in language teaching and learning. Language teaching, 45(3), 271-308

 

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Week 2:

21-27 Jan. 2018

 

TOPIC: Student attitudes to mother tongue use in the EFL classroom: For what classroom purposes do EFL students use the mother tongue in the classroom? What is the student consensus on the use of the mother tongue?

 

Discussion: What languages do my students speak? What attitudes do my students have to their home languages?  

Post three key ideas about your beliefs about the use of the mother tongue and respond to each other

 

Individual work: Participants start working on their mother tongue mission statement.

 

Readings:

 

Neokleous, G. (2017). Closing the Gap: Student Attitudes Toward First Language Use in Monolingual EFL Classrooms. TESOL Journal, 8(2), 314-341.

 

Carless, D. (2007). Student use of the mother tongue in the task-based classroom. ELT journal, 62(4), 331-338.

 

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Week 3:

28 Jan.-3 Feb. 2018

 

TOPIC: Teacher attitudes to mother tongue use in the EFL classroom

 

Discussion: In what situations and for what classroom purposes do I employ the mother tongue in my classroom? Do I use the mother tongue for the same classroom purposes every time? 

Sharing and feedback among participants

 

Individual work: Using peer feedback they received last week, the participants work on their mother tongue mission statement.

 

Readings:

 

Krulatz, A., Neokleous, G., & Henningsen, F. V. (2016). Towards an understanding of target language use in the EFL classroom: A report from Norway. International Journal for 21st Century Education, 3(Special), 137-152.

 

Copland, F., & Neokleous, G. (2010). L1 to teach L2: complexities and contradictions. ELT journal, 65(3), 270-280.

 

 

Week 4:

4-10 Feb. 2018

 

TOPIC: Current approaches to mother tongue use in the EFL classroom: Translanguaging and the bilingual approach to teaching: Mother tongues in the multilingual classroom

 

Discussion: How can I integrate judicious use of my students' mother tongue(s) in my classroom

 

Individual work: Participants work on their mother tongue mission statement

 

Readings:

 

García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging and Education. In Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education (pp. 63-77). Palgrave Macmillan UK.

 

Lin, A.M.Y. & Wu, Y. (2015). ’May I speak Cantonese?’Co-constructing a scientific proof in an EFL junior secondary science classroom. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 18(3), 289-305

 

Macaro, E. (2005). Codeswitching in the L2 classroom: A communication and learning strategy. In E. Llurda (Ed.), Non-native language teachers: Perceptions, challenges and contributions to the profession (pp. 63-84). New York: Springer.

 

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Week 5: 

11-17 Feb. 2018

 

Sharing ideas: Using the mother tongue in my EFL classroom 

 

End of session individual work: Participants share their final mission statements

 

Wrap-up and session evaluations

 

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Media: 

 

• Interactive space Schoology/Facebook
• Content space Schoology

 

Other technology tools:

  AboutMe for introductions

 

Join this session

 

Registration starts on Jan 8, 2018. 

 

To join this group:   From January 8 :   Go to: https://app.schoology.com/course/1359597585/materials            (requires simple Schoology sign-up and access code FJ5B8-3XNQV)

 

 

 

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Suggested sponsor(s): 

 

Teacher Education Interest Section

Norwegian National Academic Council for English Studies

 

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Moderators:

 

Name (last, first)	Email address	Location (country of residence)	Biodata (not more than 50 words)	Photo
Neokleous, Georgios	georgios.neokleous@ntnu.no	Trondheim, Norway	Georgios Neokleous is Associate Professor of English at the Faculty of Teacher Education at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway, where he works with pre- and in-service EFL teachers. His research focuses on the use of the mother tongue in the EFL classrooms, English for Academic Purposes (EAP), and classroom anxiety.
Krulatz, Anna	anna.m.krulatz@ntnu.no	Trondheim, Norway	Anna Krulatz is Associate Professor of English at the Faculty of Teacher Education at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway, where she works with pre- and in-service EFL teachers. Her research focuses on multilingualism with English, pragmatic development in adult language learners, content based instruction, and language teacher education.

 

Primary Contact: 

 

Georgios Neokleous