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Language in Social Practice
Definition
Language in social practice theory – Concerned with the practice of language use in daily situations
Language in Social Practice and TESOL
The Relationship
Learning is influenced by social relationships inside and outside the classroom
English teaching involves recognizing and working with social relationships and learners’ identities
Language in Social Practice and TESOL
The Relationship
Language must be relevant to learners’ lives.
Learners must be aware of the proper social conventions for language
Teachers should use authentic materials
Language in Social Practice and TESOL
The Relationship
Learners should be given time in the class to talk about the things that interest them
Teachers should be aware of learners’ backgrounds, experiences, and interests, and take these things into consideration
Language in Social Practice
The Iceberg
Make a list of social conventions of a job interview
Write them on the hidden part of the iceberg
Language in Social PracticeIceberg Example
Arrive 15 minutes before the interviewYou should wear sharp clothesMaintain eye contact with interviewers
Language in Social PracticeIceberg Example
Discuss the implications for teaching and learning and how
you might approach the topic of job interviews in the
classroom.Write down how you might teach students to interview.
Write down social practices that students need to know during interviews
Language in Social Practice ESOL learners need to develop the language skills needed at interview,
such as question formation and how to construct personal narratives.
Alongside this they need to know what kind of questions are asked and
the degree of politeness required.
ESOL learners will also need to know about non-linguistic conventions,
such as hand- shaking, what to wear.
Many ESOL learners already work and will have experience of
interviews that they can share.
ESOL learners will need to know that Interview conventions will vary
across cultures, and learners may not be aware of this or may not know
the conventions in the USA.
Language in Social PracticeExpressing Identities
The aim of this activity is to stimulate discussion about:
Who chooses topics in the classroom – the teacher or the learners
How topics are chosen – as part of a negotiated curriculum or
unplanned as a result of
discussions that emerge in the classroom
The use of controversial topics to stimulate discussion
Warm Up
• Women should NOT change their last name when they get marriedREASON
• Love is more important than moneyREASON
• It is better to be married than singleREASON
• Writing by hand is better than writing by a computerREASON
Write a reason that supports EACH of the following statements.
Why Social Practice?
• Engages students in a variety of cognitive and linguistic ways
• Provides meaningful listening, speaking, and writing practice
• Highly effective for developing argumentation skills for persuasive speech and writing
Social Practice Debate Structure
• Controversial issue or topic– High interest– Relevant to age and experience
• Pros and Cons– Students conduct research– Helps show both arguments of issue
• Proponent’s argument and reasoning• Opponent’s Rebuttal (Response to
Proponent)• Proponent’s Response
Types of Reasoning
• Personal Anecdote– “From my own personal experience, I cannot read
as fast on a computer screen as on printed paper.”• Statistic/Historical Fact– “The brain interprets printed and digital text in
different ways, and people generally read digital text 20-30% slower than print.”
• Appeal to Common Sense– One can better interact with text on paper
through a kinesthetic experience of holding, touching, highlighting, and underlining paper.
Strong Arguments vs. Weak Arguments
• A strong argument– Logically supports the opinion– Is specific and states the idea clearly– Is convincing to a majority of people
• Which is stronger?– “Smoking is bad.” or….– “Smoking is dangerous because its carcinogens
can cause cancer.”
Your Task
• Your group is assigned a position on a particular cultural issue
• Read background information• Write 3 logical arguments with good reasoning
(vary your reasoning strategies) (5 min)• Prepare for your debate with your group (5
min)• Mock debate (5 min)
Reflect and Debrief
• What did u learn by participating in a debate today?
• What did you learn about teaching culture through debate today?
• What are controversial topics your students would be interested in debating?
• Why is teaching debate an effective skill for English learners?
Topic Relatively Uncontroversial
Slightly Controversial
Very Controversial
Family life
Government
Unemployment
Textbook Usage
Role of women
Smoking
Religion
Teacher’s Unions
Drinking sodas
Obesity
Cell phones in class
What are the benefits and problems of using controversial topics
in class?
Are there any topics in the list that you would avoid?
How do you deal with controversial topics when they arise?
Language in Social Practice
Dealing with Controversy
A social practice approach recognizes the importance of social and
emotional aspects of teaching and learning and takes account of the
differences in peoples’ lives - their culture, language, class and status.
It uses these as the starting point for learning and connects what
people know and use outside the classroom to what they learn
inside.
This makes it possible to achieve a ‘closer fit’, making the learning
relevant and useful. (Appleby and Barton,2008:27)
Social practices differ across groups within society and across
cultures. ESOL learners may, therefore, need explicit teaching about
social conventions in the USA. This relates not just to literacy
practices, but also spoken communication.
Language in Social Practice
