Arming Students for a World of Incomprehensible Input

Circumlocution presentation at CSCTFL '16

1. arming students for a world of incomprehensible input Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell MUSICUENTOS.COM ©2015 MUSICUENTOS educational purposes only

2. What do you call this stuff?

3. CIRCUMLOCUTION: it’s that thing that you do when you can’t think of or don’t know the word or phrase

4. two needs, same solution novice: stuff I don’t know (it’s a lot) intermediate: words that change when I go somewhere different (it’s a lot)

5. But… proficiency? not spelled out below intermediate mid possible below intermediate mid? CC-BY Geraint Rowland https://www.flickr.com/photos/geezaweezer/

6. if it’s about the input… Can novices be taught it? Should novices be taught it? Should we require it?

7. scientists say… Ellis: When students actively negotiate meaning, they comprehend more. Gass: students use negotiation strategies to make incomprehensible input comprehended CC-BY-NC-SA Bryan Jones https://www.flickr.com/photos/bwjones/

8. how it empowers The majority of communication problems happen because of vocabulary , not because of grammar . CC-BY Vinamwa Agrawal https://www.flickr.com/photos/bwjones/

9. how do you choose? by specific region (for whatever reason) by widespread use by what I learned textbook picks for me CC-BY-NC-SA Lauren Macdonald https://www.flickr.com/photos/42386632@N00/

10. teach neutral words whenever possible. CC-BY Davi Sommerfield https://www.flickr.com/photos/davisommerfeld/

11. novice: description person, place, thing; food, animal, plant and is, has Thomas Berg https://www.flickr.com/photos/decafinata/

12. intermediate: complexity that more verbs: uses, makes, does opposite of, same as

13. CC-BY-NC-SA Bethan https://www.flickr.com/photos/beth19/ agraffe

14. in a lesson plan: early novice Story: Game Show! Processing task: categorize pictures Flyswatter: person, place, thing? Production task: circulate & circumlocute! Stations: “Guess what?” Performance assessment: person, place, or thing? Follow-up: Listening to video Prior knowledge: descriptors, “is” Target: I can identify something as a person, place, or thing.

15. in a lesson plan: later novice recycle the basics more descriptors & verbs task: identify verbs game: “Speak”tionary interpersonal: what’s the regional variation? (grid) MUSICUENTOS.COM/BLOG Target: I can describe something or someone to find out the word for it when I don’t know.

16. Deborah Arteaga University of Las Vegas [email protected] Lucía Llorente Berry College [email protected] Research credit: ON THE IMPORTANCE OF CIRCUMLOCUTION IN THE SPANISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOM