The Instructor Text

I provided some basic information about the American Language Course (ALC) instructor text in an earlier post. I had some time to take a couple pictures that illustrate some of what I was writing about.
Some of the pictures are a bit poor, but I hope they are clear enough to give an idea of their contents. I used the instructor text for book eight.  Each book is very similar and with regard to some of the content, is exactly the same.  This instructor-based material is contained in the preface of each book.
At the bottom of this post I will include a picture of an actual lesson page to show the differences.

This is the basic information page for each book.  It provides the basic topics that are covered within each ALC unit (each book in the ALC provides for a complete unit of instruction).  All units in the first 30 books of the ALC are based around this five lesson outline; obviously the material covered varies from book to book.  One can see the intent and scope of each unit.  As an instructor, this page provides enough information to begin preparation for the class.  Each unit is complete "as is", but this information allows one to prepare supplemental material and prompts for discussion.

There is a multitude of instructor information provided by the text.  Above is a sample of this material.  These pages talk about managing the classroom to include how best to arrange the seating for specific exercises. 

The pages in the student text are mirrored in the instructor text to include matching page numbers.  The two photos above show the student text as well providing some explanation of the marginal text which is used to guide the instruction.  These two pages are still part of the preface of the instruct text 

This is typical lesson page shows the marginal material but without the explanatory notes.  Once one becomes familiar with the use of the marginal material it becomes very useful.

I hope this provides a good overview of what I am working with.  I will try to include more pictures in a later post.

The American Language Course

        Before I take off on some long rant about the American Language Course (ALC), I have to honestly say that I have never used this course material before.  I have used many products from the Defense Language Institute (DLI), just not this specific one.  Over the next couple weeks, as I prepare to teach, I will get a chance to go through all the materials and will write a bit more as I become more familiar. 

        I am including a link to a web site/pdf that will explain the ALC in greater detail than I will here.  I hope to sort of talk through some of the specific items that I like or dislike about the material versus writing some exhaustive monologue on the ALC in general. 

http://www.dlielc.edu/prod/Catalog.pdf - The ALC is mainly described in pages 1 -23.  The other part of the site discusses other materials and courses provided by DLI.  Also, one will find a decided emphasis on military vocabulary and familiarization in some of the additional, specific-purpose modules as this course is designed to teach military personnel.  They are primarily supplemental materials, and overall the basic ALC is more generic in its presentation.

        The general structure of the course consists of six levels.  Levels One through Five each have six course books; level Six has four.  The books are designed to correspond to an assessment range which is derived from a student’s placement score.  Fittingly, the assessment tool is the American Language Course Placement Test (ALCPT).  The test scores students in listening and reading skills using a raw score of X correct out of 100 questions.  I will discuss the ALCPT a bit more in another post.  Basically the score is compared to a simple chart which indicates a range for placement into each of the six levels.  For example, a score between 50 and 60 would indicate a student should be placed into Level Three.  The levels are also given titles reflecting their relative degree of skill; Level Three being “Intermediate”.  Obviously there are debates about what the titles mean, but DLI tries to follow the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) definitions and level descriptors.  Below is a link to their web site.

http://govtilr.org/

        Again, this is a government entity and one may or may not agree with their products

Regardless, each level of the ALC is backed up with materials in abundance.  The books in Levels One to Five introduce four new lessons each and have numerous activities, a review lesson and even pre-made flash cards in Levels One and Two.  The instructor materials include ideas for class management, recommendations for teaching practices, and tips and strategies to aid in your instruction.  Level Six becomes more thematic and the books in this level have eight new lessons instead of the four.  There are also two review lessons in each text at this level.  The instructor text becomes more comprehensive as well and includes areas discussing assessment specific to the lessons.  All the levels are supported by audio materials which serve to amplify and reinforce the classroom instruction.  Of course, there are homework activities and several quizzes throughout to aid in ongoing formal or informal assessment as students progress through the course. 

        I encourage everyone to take a look at the DLI catalog web site/pdf for more information.  In the meantime, I will delve a bit more into the specific texts and report back.

White and Black Time

        I introduced these terms to my EDU students this past week and they were a little perplexed. Obviously, some had not completed their reading assignment.  I just wanted to make a few remarks regarding these terms and their application in education.

        The terms come from the study of "chronemics" which was first introduced in the late 1970s by Thomas Bruneau of Radford University.  Essentially it is the study of human tempo, or in very simple terms how we schedule "time" in our lives.  From a more educational point of view the concept as researched by Edward Hall applies to culture and issues teaching ELL and CLD students.  Most traditional US schools fall into the white time (monochronic) category.  This speaks to the linear and scheduled nature of our school systems.  US schools are run on a clock with distinct periods of time allotted for each phase of study.  There is even more at play than simple scheduling though.  We arrange our curriculum in a very linear manner and many school buildings and classrooms are designed and arranged in monochonic patterns.  One "expert", the teacher is there to present knowledge in a preordained manner; their is little group participation.

        When dealing with ELL and CLD students, teachers, myself included, are forced to understand that their lives, culture, learning style, etc., may be more in tune with black time (polychronic).  This puts them in opposition to all your hard work and lesson planning in the realm of monochronic time. My issues with the apparent laxness of my new students, mentioned in my last blog, is an example of this. These students do value education and are desirous of learning, but they just don't always place the structural emphasis on their schooling as one would want coming from a monochronic background.  Try going to your department chair and telling them you are essentially going to just "wing it" with regard to a syllabus and that maybe your class will end after 20 minutes or it might carry past your allotted 50 minutes.  Who cares if you cause the class following yours to not have a room to meet in as you are still using the room.  One can begin to see the issues that might ensue. And, this is only touching the issues with a schedule.  How does one turn in grades by a due date if the students are not finished with their assignments.

        I like to think that perhaps there is a middle ground ... maybe call it "grey time".  Obviously some compromises have to be made, but the structure has to remain in place due to the bureaucracy of the college campus.  However, maybe a teacher can work a little of the dark into the syllabus and class management style they employ.

Up and Running ... Grammar Class

I got asked to teach a grammar class this semester. I will be the first to admit that grammar is not my strongest skill.  I do well when I look at text written by others, but not so much with my own.  And, if asked to come up with the official term for some grammar points I will probably have to think a bit before giving the answer.  I may know the concept but not the term.  Of course, I am teaching from a syllabus with an associated text and all of the official bits are in the lessons.  Overall I think I will be fine.  I have taught grammar before and I am confident the students will be enriched.

I always learn new things when I meet my ELL students for the first time in a class.  They all have such unique stories. I am sure they think my life is fascinating as well ... err, I hope they do at least. I think the newness or strangeness is what provides the stimulation and interest.  I have seven students from six different countries.  I am looking forward to the semester and learning from them as much as I hope they learn from me.

I do have a few issues with my ELL students that always seem to appear with the new semester as well.  The main issue seems to be the notion of time as fluid.  I always have to take time to really hammer home the point that due dates for assignments are not fluid.  And, it always takes a couple classes before they realize that there is a definite beginning and ending time to the class.  I get the feeling that many ELL students, new to the US, have had to "hustle", so to speak, to get by and that this concept carries over naturally in all aspect of their lives, including school.  Also, it always takes a few class period to work out the tech piece of any class.  Many immigrant/refugee/migrant students may not have had the access to tech that their peers in a college class have had, so it takes some practice before they are comfortable with online school software.

I think as a new instructor, one really has to sort of plan to cover all bases and hope for the best.  I know that even after many years teaching there is always some new issue to overcome, regardless of the students' backgrounds.  Any colleague that I speak with always gets my warning to be prepared to be shocked and amazed by their wonderful ELL students.

Sorry again for the tech issues with my blog and our web page.  Everything seems to be working now.  I hope that you, my few loyal readers, will still visit and read what I write so poorly at times.

Curriculum Part 3

        I had a few ideas for changing the class description.  It is always a great idea to review and revise anything you are working on for a class.  I definitely need to add some kind of sentence or two covering the types of class materials; texts, readings, Youtube, etc.  I haven't quite worked out what yet, but expect a change in the statement next time I write.

        Okay, we are at one of the more difficult parts of building a curriculum; determining objectives and deciding on how to assess them.  I won't talk too much on formatting your objectives.  SWBAT works just fine or some other statement of the same format.  Objectives need to be clear.  Have some people read what you come up with and try to tell you what the objectives mean in their own words. If you get a match, you probably have a good objective.  Also, I never want for vocabulary to be an objective on its own, otherwise you get an objective that is not so productive.  For example,, it might sound something like this; "students will be able to memorize fifteen vocabulary words ...." Instead, it is more productive to include vocabulary within in your objective.  Personally, I like to include some vocabulary in every lesson.  I believe it is a natural part of learning another language and your students will always have questions about words they do not readily understand.  Objectives need to be able to be assessed easily.  You may not always be the one presenting your lesson and other instructors will need to understand them in order to assess results.  Finally, objectives need to be attainable.  it is frustrating to not be able to achieve an objective; especially for ELL students.  It is important to also understand that you as an instructor will certainly have some parts of your objective that are implied within your lessons.

        Let's take a look at a simple objective on our topic of employment.  "Students will be able to identify key parts of a standard job application."  So, some questions; "what are the key parts of a standard job application?" And, "what is a standard job application?"  These are the parts of your objective that will be implied from your lesson plans.  So, the answer to the two questions are essentially up to you the instructor, but most adult Americans will have a good idea of what both mean.  You have to convey this generality to ELL students who may have never seen or filled in a job application.

        To ensure the students can achieve this objective, you as the instructor would build a lesson plan that explained what a standard job application looks like and what the key parts are that it contains.  I don't want to get to far down into the minutia of it, but looking over a few sample applications will help you to define these concepts.  As mentioned, vocabulary would included in the lesson and would be assessed as part of the overall objective.  I would try to limit the new vocabulary presented to 5-7 words or terms.  Students will definitely add a handful of additional words/terms as you present your lesson and as they ask questions on what is presented.  The end goal is to have introduced no more that around 15 new words.terms; anymore will be difficult to retain.  In my opinion less is more here. Thoroughly learning 10 words is better than sort of learning 20.

        I think from there you could include a second lesson covering applications, ensuring that you build in some time for review.  Thus, by the end of your block of lessons, you will have introduced somewhere around 20 new words/terms over your two lessons and will have reviewed the other important points of your objective.  All that is left is to then include this objective in some form of assessment.  We will get to that in a few posts.

Curriculum Part 2

        At this point we have had a chance to mull over our gathered information.  I would, at this stage, start to think about any "special" issues I may have in mind for my curriculum to be.  By this I mean things like searching out and inviting guest speakers, any media issues, text and reading selections, and whatever else may come to mind.

Guest speakers could be any employment related speakers.  For example, it might be great to invite someone who does job interviews or who writes employment/job descriptions.  This would be a chance to have the students ask questions. This fits into both listening and speaking skills.  Media can be almost anything, but specifically would include videos you might want to show.  The internet is loaded with practice interviews and presentations about jobs and employment issues in general. These types of things are always works in process, so visit the web frequently. A good rule of thumb is to always pre-check your links at the beginning of any semester and always before each class. Technology is changing and links often disappear and change with little or no warning.  Texts are a hard issue.  I have not been fortunate to find many texts relating to specific ELL topics like employment and especially when the students are primarily adults.  I doubt a search for an ELL-focused text solely on employment will 100% fruitful.  However, there may be parts of texts that do address this topic and certainly there are some articles out there somewhere.  Again, this takes a ton of prep time, but the payoff is certainly worth it in the end.  The students will appreciate your hard work.  As an aside, I have found that Adult ELL students are generally some of the most appreciative students I have ever found.  Other items that may come to mind are things like gathering some real-world job applications (these are fun and informative to practice filling out), collect some links to a few job advertisement web sites (Monster.com being an obvious one), and perhaps collect a few resume templates.

The next step is perhaps one of the most difficult ones in this process; develop a class overview statement.  In this statement you needs to address the end state of your course.  Again, this can be a work in progress.  However, this statement is what people will base their interest in your course upon. It is also a statement of what tools a typical student should leave your class with.  Another word of caution; avoid using numbers in your statement.  Numbers imply specific expectations, and if those exist, then it is imperative that you deliver exactly the numbers you promote.  A better course of action is to try to make a specific, but all encompassing statement of purpose.  An example for this course here might be something like my example below.  As always, this is a fluid statement that will be revised as we go through the process.

        Employment for ELLs can be a matter of the utmost importance.  ELL105 will provide students         with an overview of employment in the United States.  Vocabulary will be focused on                           employment/job-related terms.  Students will be exposed to many aspects of employment such           as; resumes, job interviews, job descriptions, the application process, employment reviews, and           job/salary negotiations.  The course will include practical exercises to aid in the job search and           the application process.  Students completing the course will be better able to successfully seek           out employment as well as understand the process as a whole.

So, now we have a course ready for its next step.  Let's think a bit on what that step is and I will be back in a few days to give you my thoughts.

Curriculum Part 1

        I wanted to write something a little more substantial than my last few posts.  Summer has made me lazy.

        So, I wanted to talk about curriculum.  I had the opportunity to help rewrite a course while I served in the military.  Basically it was an older course designed with language acquisition in mind. The decision was made that the material and goals of the course were outdated and my office of three and then two was asked to rewrite and update the course for presentation at the next language manager's conference.  I want to take the time over my next few post and write a bit about how we got there and, perhaps, what we might have done differently.

        We decided to start with a questioning period.  We sent out requests to all our consumers, so to speak, and as we waited we, as a small group, began to deconstruct the course as it existed.  In sending out requests we essentially were searching for feedback from those actually using the knowledge from the course.  We asked them to tell us what worked and what didn't.  We made it clear that no issue was sacred and we were willing to change any and everything.  As I stated, this was to be a complete rewrite if necessary.  Of course, being able to use some of the existing material would have made the job easier, but we didn't want to arbitrarily limit ourselves.  

        As an instructor, I would not want to try and rewrite a course.  However, perhaps you are wanting to pitch the idea of a new course to your school or to some organization.  This type of approach would be an excellent starting point.  Get out there and ask questions.  Find out where the need is and try to build around that.  From a practical standpoint I would look at several sources for my initial information.  In most cases my first step would be to go to a mentor or someone whose experience I trusted and get their ideas.  Remember to take notes as it is easy to forget details.  If you work in a larger place you can talk to other instructors, even those teaching different subjects.  There could be some gem of creativity out there being used by a Biology teacher which you could adapt to language study.  It never hurts to ask for information.  I would also check back at my course feedback.  Sometimes students write something that makes sense ... joke intended!  Furthermore, I would perhaps just ask some former students or even current students.  Find out what they expected and if you met their expectations.  Lastly, I would search the internet and just take a peek at what others are doing around the world.  There are just too many resources on the internet to not take its content into account.

        Once the information is gathered, the next step is to put into some form of usable content.  From there we can start working with it as we build a new curriculum.  Personally, I like sticky notes all over a wall mounted board, but go with whatever works.  With sticky notes you can easily group and color-code information that you have gathered.  Be sure to take into account the amount of time you have available for the course overall and that it is broken into blocks that include not just periods for instruction, but also for review and assessment.

        As an example I want to use a pretty common topic that my adult ELLs always ask about; employment.  So, let us say we are working with a class that meets three hours a week for 15 weeks which is a typical college semester.  For example's sake the course will be ELL105 Employment in the U.S.  Let that work in your mind a bit and I will follow up with part two of this blog.

Chickens!!

My wife and I decided to try and raise some chickens.  We have both decided to try and become a little more Earth friendly and this is one of the ideas we came up with.  How does this pertain to teaching ELL students?  I am glad the question is in your mind as you read this post.

One of the biggest challenges an instructor faces in a multicultural classroom is making the initial connection to one's students.  It can be a huge impediment to learning.  I would suggest that many Americans, in general, have little knowledge of life in the rest of the world.  Sure, there is Europe and some parts of Asia that most Americans could be comfortable residing in for a period.  But, how do you relate to a student from a third-world country; chickens!

Chickens are ubiquitous in most poorer countries.  I can't even remember the number of places I have visited where chickens were underfoot and everywhere.  Now that I am raising chickens myself, I have a perfect place from which to open up a discussion.  I would be shocked if in a class of ELL students I wouldn't find someone who had chickens around at some point in their lives.  There is a wealth of material in just this one simple connection.

There is all manner of vocabulary just about food; eating chicken for a meal or eggs.  What are some good recipes for chicken?  What do chickens themselves eat?  From there one could talk about raising chickens or raising animals in general.  Did anyone have a pet or have to do work related to chickens or other animals.  The list of potential topic is as endless as one's imagination.

The point is that making that initial connection is key to getting a class moving in the right direction and stimulating participation and conversation ... so, don't discount chickens when it comes to ELL learners.

Teaching Philosophy

I had an interesting discussion today, brief but interesting, about teaching philosophy.  I wanted to share my thoughts before I got involved in another task and 12 days had passed before I remember again.  We've all had a week like that, right?  I keep meaning to write a bit more frequently, but life seems to get in the way.

My teaching philosophy has evolved over the years and continues to evolve as I become more knowledgeable.  I actually don't remember what I first developed as my initial teaching philosophy but I am sure I have it saved somewhere on a thumb drive.  I was actually meeting with the professor who first forced me to write it down and we discussed that many students,  hoping to teach, have never developed a teaching philosophy.  Yet, they want to teach just as I did when I realized that I did not have any thoughts on a teaching philosophy of my own.

To me, the basic tenet of my teaching philosophy is that I want to try and deliver the best material to my students that I can.  I feel that as a professional I owe them nothing less than my best.  This is what motivates me to continue to learn and to even start writing this blog.  It is a little hard to put oneself out there and become open for criticism.  However, without being challenged, we tend to stagnate.  In all my years of work, not just teaching but any kind of work, the most hated two phrases I hear are, "Because that's how we've always done it." or any phrase with "can't."  I am not sure why people repeat those types of phrases but they seem to be the go to excuse for not making change. Usually they have been espoused by the mysterious "they."  I once asked someone to, "Give me they's phone number."  It made me smile when they became so flustered that they did not realize my mistake in pronoun usage.  I am always seeking to change things.  I figure at my age the worst that can happen is I get a little embarrassed by my failure.  Who cares!  So, give the students your best, even if it ends up being a bit of a bomb.  They will appreciate the effort.

My next basic tenet is to use real material.  If you understand that language evolves then you have to understand that the materials we use to teach; the language, the texts, the exercises, etc. all have to evolve as well.  I will find some old exercises floating around and realize they are no longer valid but still in use for some reason.  Why not change them out for newer material?  Plus you have to become technically adept and try some different techniques for delivering your material.  There is nothing wrong with using some technology if it is applicable.  Believe me, the students definitely use tech.

Finally, be flexible.  As I stated in an earlier blog, I was forced to do some radical rethinking when faced with a class that I just didn't seem to be reaching with my stated syllabus.  I had to try a few different and new things, and I was able to incorporate a little class observation into my thinking.  There is nothing wrong with taking part of a class period and just chatting with your students.  Find out what they are looking for and what interests them.  And, as I stated above, try some new techniques.

I want to close with just a bit of generic advice that was offered to me.  Don't always feel you have to teach to the now.  Sometimes you are teaching to the future.  What I mean to say is that if you give your all and it seems things are not working out, just continue to provide your best and I assure you that a few weeks down the road the class will click and all that information will come flooding back to the students that you thought they were missing.

Snow, Snow, More Snow, and TOEFL.iBT Study Guides

          I want to apologize for being a little slow in my postings the past couple weeks.  I wanted to try and post once a week, but life sometimes gets in the way.  Obviously anyone in and around Maine knows we got hit with another foot or so of snow this week.  As a result, my days have been spent shoveling and not writing or working with students.

          I got asked, about a week ago, what study guide I would recommend to a student studying for the TOEFL.iBT.  I always cringe a bit when I get asked these types of questions.  I really dislike these sort of formulaic study guides overall, but I do see the purpose behind them and I understand why they sell.  Let me just be really honest here and tell you that every bit of the content in these study guides can be found online for free.  Yes, there may be a bit more work involved in tracking down the information and yes maybe that extra time is not easy to find in a busy schedule, but I promise the extra work will pay off.  So, my answer to the question of which study guide to go with is to go with none of them, and instead try a little google time on the computer.

          I know I can't leave the questions completely unanswered.  I know many people still want a book.  I do think the study guides are fine and if forced to give an answer I would steer a student towards the Cambridge Preparation for the TOEFL Test by Jolene and Robert Gear.  I think I have the second edition, but they are all fine.  In reality you really only want them for the practice tests and I have found that this particular guide has the most 'user-friendly' software.  I know that many people buy these guides with the good intention of actually using them and reading all the information, yet many never even open them.  Buy whatever guide you feel comfortable with, open it up and work through the practice tests.  If you get a chance skim through the parts that interest you.  However, the internet offers way more for your time and by way of a bit of a plug for people like me; take a class from someone who has experienced the test and who can help you work through your specific needs.

My First Book Review

          I wanted to find a way to recommend some of the books that I have read and used, of course, in my work.  I thought for a long time about which one I would choose to recommend first.  After all of my exposure to literacy materials, I came back to the work that first caused me to sort of say "Wow!" For me that work is a small book by an British linguist; David Crystal.  I would suspect that many of you who might read this blog probably don't know David Crystal.  I had never heard of him myself. His book caught my eye while I was browsing around the Harvard bookstore a couple years ago.  I snapped it up and have enjoyed it ever since that time.  I constantly go back to it and just refresh my thoughts.

          Hmm ..., I guess you are probably wondering the name of the book?

Crystal, D. (2002). The English language. London: Penguin.

          I don't want to spend too much time laboring over the minutia of the book, but I want to highlight a few of the parts that I have found exciting and just give an overall picture of the book to those who might be interested in picking it up for themselves.

          First, it is a short book; just over 300 pages, cover to cover.  I think once you start to read it you will find yourself continually rereading parts as you absorb the particular sections.  The book is structured with a short introduction and three main sections, each of about five chapters or roughly 100 pages. I find that the short sections and chapters make for a really relaxing read.

          The introduction covers current English, or at least current for 2002.  It is interesting because it covers pidgins and creoles.  From there the three sections cover the structure, use and history of English.

          The section on structure covers exactly what one would expect; grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and spelling.  I really like the pronunciation chapter as it completely wrecks the idea of phonics.  Crystal also speaks to the quirkiness of our spelling.  It makes me laugh as spelling is always confuses my ELL students.  They just don't get the silent letters and multiple spellings of words that sound exactly the same (homonyms).

          The second section covers fun language like "truckers slang" and other subsets of professional language.  It is also noteworthy in that it includes a chapter on the effects of technology on English. Obviously this is even more relevant now in 2017.

          The third section goes through the history and evolution of English,  This will certainly enlighten those who wonder where some of our words and spelling rules come from.  It ends with a brief look into Crystal's thoughts on the future of our language.  Again, in this section he talks a bit about how technology has affected our language.  He speaks to a trend towards simplicity as technology limits our language.  He is writing before the explosion of some current social media platforms, but his thoughts bring to mind twitter's character limit.

          Overall, I want to encourage all literacy professional to take a look at this little gem of a book.  I think you will find it sort of  tour guide to English.

Owning Vocabulary

"John, what it the best way to study for the TOEFL?"

          I actually get asked this question often, or I get asked some variation of it when studying English language in general.  My answer is always the same.  You have to increase your vocabulary. To truly learn a language or in the case of studying for the TOEFL to achieve a great score, you have to own the necessary vocabulary.  I tell all of my TOEFL students within a few minutes of beginning any preparation class that they must increase their vocabulary by a few thousand words to truly achieve success on the exam.  I think this is true for any endeavor which requires skill to achieve success.  A surgeon must own the ability to effectively use surgical tools and techniques or it might be a sad day for their patient.  I am sure a competent surgeon could pick up a new tool and perhaps puzzle out its use, but I don't want them doing that while they are operating on me!  Language is no different.  One needs to understand the words they are using and when to use them appropriately. When specifically speaking about the TOEFL, every section involves knowing the meaning of specific words.  In fact, I would say about one-quarter or more of the questions are specifically vocabulary questions.  Either the question ask for the specific meaning to a highlighted word or a question might ask for the meaning of a passage which requires knowing what the words making up that passage means.  So, despite the sad faces that often follow my giving the answer, that learning more vocabulary is key; I stick by my thoughts.  I am sorry, I don't have any cute, innovative, or even interesting answer other than the one I give.

          I admit, here and now, that even I am horrible when it comes to the English language.  After all my time studying, I often time still don't understand syntax, basic grammar, or even spelling when English is involved.  I used to not believe when a teacher would answer my question with, "John, that's just how is ... ".

          To all my TOEFL students out there; study your vocabulary!  I will hopefully have a chance to give you some methods to make that easier when I next post.

         Lotus Learning Center

Reading Manga and Comics to Improve Literacy

Reading Manga and Comics to Improve Literacy

          I am an unashamed "fanboy" when it comes to both Manga and Comics, or as we "fanboys" say; we read Sequential Art.  I won't delve too deeply into the differences between the two, but there are some very obvious aspects that do differ. Any casual reader will spot them right off.  On another occasion, perhaps I will write a short piece specifically comparing Manga and Comics.  However, at this point, I would just rather discuss how they generally may or may not be effective in literacy improvement.

          First, I do believe that a competent literacy professional should make use of any and all tools that are available for their craft.  To this extent, by all means, use Comics and Manga.  Heck, use the back of food boxes!  Use whatever you can to get a student to read. 

          Those that know me, even slightly, know that I am a huge crusader for increasing the literacy of boys and male readers in general.  I am often perplexed by the fact that boys don't seem to read anymore.  I am just a bit saddened when I try to talk with a boy or young male and they have no literary background in common with me.  I should also add that as a "fanboy" I read many current titles, so I don't think the issues is that we have nothing in common due to age.  I can speak Pokemon and Ninjago with the best of them!  

          Second, as I do advocate the use of Sequential Art for improving literacy, I do think both Manga and Comics and Sequential Art in general can be used to help improve a person's reading ability and overall literacy.  However, there are a few things to keep in mind if one does decide to use these tools, and so we get to the point of my blog.

          I want to look a bit more closely at Manga.  For a novice "fanboy" or reader, Manga can be difficult.  The first thing one might notice is that it is backwards.  Manga books are written from right to left and generally from top to bottom.  Manga is traditionally from Japan and reading in what we consider a backwards direction is quite normal in Japanese culture.  This style will throw many readers off simply from a comfort standpoint.  Manga is also much more visually and theatrically oriented.  Again, Japanese culture is arguably more visual than ours.  Their alphabet makes use of visual characters to represent letters and words.  I am keeping this a bit basic and not trying to generically analyze Japanese culture in any way, so please bear that in mind.  A typical Manga book might contain several pages of just images with little or no words.  This is akin to a visual scene in a movie where the director is setting up a following shot or sequence in which there will be interaction between characters and thus dialogue; or words in the case of Manga.  Additionally, most Manga is done only in black and white or with only a few color pages at best. This will also detract from their appeal to many American students.  Lastly, I must say that some Manga are very daunting when seen sitting on a shelf.  They can be several hundred pages in length and resemble a more traditional paperback book.  However, once one starts to read a Manga book, one will find they are very easy to process and flow quickly.

          On the whole Manga use very current phrasing, or at least current to the Japanese authors who are writing them.  One will find a few actual Japanese words thrown into them as well.  Of course, we are speaking about reading translations so occasionally there are just some words that stay in Japanese. There is a good connection between the art and what is being said.  The real key is to look at the character's eyes.  This can often give a novice reader a good indication of the meaning of what a character is saying and help with understanding word meanings.  I think Manga's strength as a reading tool is that they are really easy to follow and can give a novice reader a good sense of completion when they finish such a large book. 

          The ease of flow with which Manga can be read, as it were, is also the biggest detractor from Manga being a truly effective tool for literacy improvement.  There are just cases where there are not many words in the books.  Obviously reading engages much more than just reading words on a page, but for someone trying to learn or trying to improve their reading skills, they would kind of need words to read.  For this reason I feel Manga is more suited for a beginning reader and probably more specifically for a beginning teen or adult reader.  There are Manga books for all ages and Manga genres for all readers, but most tend to be for a bit more mature audience.  I will add that Manga can be a great jumping off point for someone wanting to write though.  Using some of the art as a form of brainstorming for ways to begin or steer a potential work of prose is a great technique.

          Also, off on a bit of an interesting tangent; the biggest readers of Manga seem to be females.  I have spoken to many book store owners and employees anecdotally and they all seem to corroborate this fact.  From young teens to college age, women seem to be buying Manga more than their male counterparts.  In my opinion this is due somewhat to traditional Comics in America being the cultural domain of males.  Yes, I realize I am being a bit sexist and very general here, but the casual evidence seems to support this notion.  I might go with a Comic over a Manga book for a male student.

          So, what about Comics.  I won't get into the debate about what is and what is not a Comic. When I use the term, I am solely meaning the traditional Comic book of American culture.  The average American would have no problem picking one out at their local BAM or Barnes and Noble. For the record my personal favorite has always been Luke Cage a.k.a Hero for Hire.  

          I wholeheartedly support using Comics to aid in literacy development.  My friends and colleagues all know that I credit Classics Illustrated with my own entry into a lifetime of reading.  In third grade, I purchased, with my own money, and voraciously read the Classics Illustrated version of Jules Verne's Michael Strogoff: A Courier of the Czar.  I swear to people that I read that Comic a thousand times.  It was just such a great way for a novice reader to read a true classic.  I think it was integral in me making the leap to more challenging literature and to me enjoying reading to this day.

  

         Most readers will find comics visually stimulating and if they choose some of the more engaging Graphic Novel style Comics they will find them a good read overall.  No one who reads a Frank Miller comic can say they are just picture books.  I have a personal friend who actually teaches a class, at a major university, on superheroes and he uses, almost exclusively, Graphic Novels as his texts.  Traditional Comics are just a bit easier to sell to a novice reader.  The text is usually current and well-written.  It takes no small amount of skill for a Comic writer to flesh out a complete story in such a limited format, thus the text of a good comic is well written for the author's purpose. They must choose good words that really convey their message.  

          As with Manga, there are a few detractors from using Comics for building reading skills.  Some people will just not like them or think them a bit juvenile at first glance.  Unlike Manga, traditional Comics are quite short and may not be enough of a challenge for some more advanced students.  I tell my stepson that a good novel is like a good dinner and a Comic is like a good dessert. I am paraphrasing that from a Sean Connery line from the movie Finding Forrester, but it is a true statement.  Finally, the opposite is true with Comic readers than with Manga readers.  Most Comics are done by males for male readers, so female readers might not find them as interesting.  

          Please do use Comics and/or Manga to help improve literacy for anyone.  Obviously some people will just not like them or may just not be able to process the visual aspect of their stories but for many they will enjoy the break from more traditional reading exercises.  I do feel that many learners are visually oriented as well, and Sequential Art can help get a person reading where another sort of text might not. 

          I want to close my rambling by making mention of a couple academic texts which might help a literacy instructor gain some background about these, often bizarre and esoteric, tests. I have listed them below.

Schodt, F. L., & Tezuka, O. (1988). Manga! Manga!: the world of Japanese comics ; 

          includes 96 pages from Osamu Tezuka's "Phoenix", Reiji Matsumoto's "Ghost 

          warrior", Riyoko Ikeda's "The rose of Versailles", Keiji Nakazawa's "Barefoot 

          gen". Tokyo: Kodansha Internat.

Coogan, P., & OʼNeil, D. (2006). Superhero: the secret origin of a genre. Austin: 

          Monkey Brain Books.

          

          

Humble Beginnings

       Humble Beginnings

        About seven years ago, I was nearing the end of my Army career.  It struck me one day that I had not done much planning for my future.  I like to think I am young at heart.  At that moment perhaps I was thinking too much about being young and not enough about growing older.

        I have really only enjoyed a few activities in my life; the Army, reading, games of all kinds, and exploring new cultures.  I was sure there was a potential future career there somewhere.  But, still in that "I'm young with plenty of time" mindset, I decided to sort of table my thoughts for awhile; sort of the "non" plan plan.  I decided to become a Senior ROTC instructor.  Being from Texas, I had hoped to find a position near my home of Lubbock.  Saving the main story for another time, suffice it to say, I was sort of gently coerced into moving to Maine to teach at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.  It became a wonderful choice as I fell in love with the city, the school, and all of my students.  I also made the decision to go back to school and complete another graduate degree.  As I mentioned, I have enjoyed reading since very early in life.  I was currently enjoying teaching, so I decided to major in Literacy with an emphasis in teaching English Language Learner (ELL) students.  That way I could also fold in my enjoyment of other cultures.  My brilliant "non" plan was coming together.

       As a quick sidebar, I would like to mention that I met one of the finest mentors I have ever had in life while working through my course of study, Doctor Andrea Stairs-Davenport. I first met her online and quickly concluded from her emails that she was a matronly professor long experience.  Well, to my complete shock, when we met in person a few months later, I instead met a young, enthusiastic, passionate, and caring professional.  I actually think I am older than her by several years, but being a gentleman I never asked for confirmation of that thought.

       Fast forward a few years and here I am trying to start a second career as an English language instructor.  My wife and I, oh I met here in Maine as well, have embarked on a new venture we have chosen to call, Lotus Learning Center.  Basically we have a desire to become a full-service language instruction and cultural exchange center here in Augusta, Maine.  We would love if you stop by and take a look.  I have stuck a link below.

       I hope to continue to write posts about all things ELL, TOEFL, and whatever else I might find interesting.  I hope you return for frequent visits and to share your comments.


Lotus Learning Center