the blind leading the blind

[iggyb]

Oxford UP has a lot of readers for different levels that fits Korean middle schoolers.  I used the lowest level of one of their series with 5th and 6th graders well enough.  It was too difficult for 4th graders at my school.

Oxford UP has a branch in Korea and seemingly a deal with the English+ bookstore chain. 

You can also buy these readers at Kyobo Bookstore near the US Embassy.

http://www.oxford.co.kr/eng/ca/list.html?Qcatacode=11

I used the upper level of one of the series with Korean teachers well enough.

One good thing about these readers is that they are short but contain a full story - and they fit the student's level.  I didn't go page by page with them since I only get 20 minutes 3 times a week with them, but it worked fine jumping ahead.  You can cover 1 or 2 of the books in a semester.  With middle schoolers, you could cover more depending on what level you give the students.

Having the different levels designed into the books gives you some flexibility in picking a reading method you want to use.

[skull]

I think fossilization probably only becomes a serious problem when the person reaches a level of satisfaction with their ability and give up on the input side or pushing themselves in output.   

I think fossilization happens mostly when a person stops trying to learn the language and starts resting on what they can already do.

That is my point, fossilisation occurs when the errors are not corrected in the first place, because it doesn't interfere with communication. You are also assuming that they are aware of their mistakes, which is not always the case.
This is how we all learnt our language, we got corrective feedback from our parents and teachers when we were kids.

The fear of making a mistake is much tied down to the subculture of public education system, fear of losing face or being made fun of by their classmate when corrected.
And let's not forget that much of language acquisition boils down to motivation.

[Loudine]

This is the most interesting and informative post I have read on Waygook since I arrived here in August.  Thank you to all of you for your valuable input.

I am teaching at a Middle School and have been wondering about multi-level teaching in my grade 3 group.  The levels here are so mixed.  I want to stimulate the advanced students, but as my father taught me, they don't really need you.  The ones who need your help are the ones who are least likely to ask for it, and who don't know how to anyway.

I am trying to come up with ways to use the students' varied and multiple intelligences to their advantage.  For instance, there is one student who is by no means stupid, but language just doesn't seem to be his thing - he is very artistic, though.  I have been battling with the question of how to engage him in class to stimulate at least a basic interest in and desire to improve his English.  I have thought of asking him to illustrate texts, but am not sure that this is enough, as he may not pick up too much actual language use from this.

Any great ideas on multi-level teaching in Middle School?

[iggyb]

fossilisation occurs when the errors are not corrected in the first place

Fossilization occurs when the learner stops learning – when they are no longer exposed to correct forms and/or stop trying to improve. 

If they have several years of formal language education left, the chance not correcting their mistakes now is going to lead to fossilization is minute. 

If they have a significant amount of correct input and a focus on output – putting their own thoughts into English – they will avoid fossilization. 

Spending much class time on error correction drastically reduces the amount of input and output they process.  It drastically slows down their progress.  If you have a healthy amount of input and output, they will make fewer and fewer mistakes without needing to spend class time focusing on correcting mistakes. 

Loudine,

Pair and small group work works well in mixed level classes if you can avoid the higher level students doing all the work.  One way to try it is to assign individual roles – like group leader, note-taker, illustrator, editor

If you make the highest level student the group leader and make sure they don’t do the writing or other work, it can help make the project more useful.

Also, don’t expect good results the first or first couple of times you do it.  Students have to get used to something new before they invest in it.

Another way to use pair and group work in mixed level classes is to put similar levels together and give them an activity that fits their need or vary your expectations for how much or what kind of output you expect from the lower and upper levels.

[iggyb]

Loudine,

I just noticed the Oxford Press comment.  They can be good for pair and small group work based on levels:  You can buy books for different levels and give the appropriate book to the appropriate groups.

[iggyb]

If you look around for articles on error correction, you can find research that supports both sides of this debate.  I favor limited error correction due to experience as a teacher and student.

But, the type and amount of error correction you see used in many language classrooms is not supported much by even the pro-correction articles.