Inclusion of learners with specific learning differences in teaching English as a foreign language

Bimali Indrarathne Lancaster University

Introduction

Teacher training project for Sri Lanka

Who? When?

Dyslexia and language learning

Working memory Facts

My research

Input processing Working memory

My research

• Attention is a necessary condition for learning (Leow, 2013; Robinson,

Mackey, Gass & Schmidt, 2012)

• Learners need to pay attention to target language input and identify the language features in the input (Schmidt’s noticing hypothesis,

1995)

• Do learners need extra support (e.g., from the teacher) to pay attention to input or can they pay attention to input on their own?

– Explicit?

– Implicit?

• Working memory and input processing

– Directing learners’ attention to relevant features in the input (Ellis,

1996)

– Processing input (Ellis & Sinclair, 1996)

My research

PRE TEST

POSTTEST

Explicit 1 With an explanation of the target structure

Explicit 2 No explanation, but participants were informed

that there was a target structure highlighted

Implicit 1 No information, target structure highlighted

Implicit 2 No information, no highlighting

WORK ING

MEMORY

TESTS

Control group

My research

Participants

– 100 undergraduates at a Sri Lankan university

– Age between 18-22

– B1/B2 level of proficiency

– 20 in a group

Pre/post-tests

– Sentence Reconstruction items

– Grammaticality Judgement items

– Free writing task

Working memory tests

Digit Span, Keep track, Plus minus, Stroop

Target structure

Causative passive

My research

Eye tracking to measure attention

– Tobii X2-60 portable eye tracker fixed to a laptop

My research

My research

My research

My research

Explicit 1 With an explanation of the target structure

Explicit 2 No explanation, but the participants were informed that

there was a target structure highlighted

Implicit 1 No information, target structure

highlighted

Implicit 2 No information, no highlighting

Significantly higher amount of

attention

Significant improvement in

the post-test

Significantly lesser amount of attention

Very little or no improvement in

the post-test

Higher WM: better

attention, better

performance

Indrarathne & Kormos (2016), Indrarathne & Kormos (2017)

Dyslexia, working memory and language learning

ELT Well

Dyslexia, working memory and language learning

“Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability” (International Dyslexia Association, 2012)

Dyslexia, working memory and language learning

“Dyslexia is a language-based learning difference” (International Dyslexia Association, 2012)

Some symptoms: • Slow reading speed

• Spelling issues

• Mixing up words

• Difficult to express themselves clearly

• Poor concentration

• Ineffective organizational skills

• Low self-esteem

• Short memory span (lower WM capacity)

(International Dyslexia Association, 2012)

Dyslexia, working memory and language learning

Explicit 1 With an explanation of the target structure

Explicit 2 No explanation, but were informed that there was a target structure highlighted

Implicit 1 No information, target structure

highlighted

Implicit 2 No information, no highlighting

Significantly higher amount of

attention

Significant improvement in

the post-test

Significantly lesser amount of attention

Very little or no improvement in

the post-test

Higher WM: better

attention, better

performance

Dyslexia, working memory and language learning

Dyslexia facts

• 10% of population (estimated)

• Occurs in people of all backgrounds and intellectual levels

• Runs in families

• Dyslexia is not due to either lack of intelligence or a desire to learn

• People who are very bright can be dyslexic

• Dyslexia is a life-long condition

• With proper help people with dyslexia can learn to read and/or write well

(International Dyslexia Association, 2012)

Teacher training project for Sri Lanka

Partners

Project website: http://www.dyslexiaprojectsl.com/

Teacher training project for Sri Lanka

• Will educate ca. 100 English language teacher trainers in the country

• How to identify learners with dyslexia and how to support them in the English language classroom

• Training materials

• Free resources and professional development opportunities available

• Raise awareness among school principals, policy planners and language testing body of the country

• May/June 2017

Teacher training project for Sri Lanka

Content

• Understanding dyslexia

• Effects of dyslexia on language learning

• Identifying learners with dyslexia

• Classroom management techniques

• Teaching vocabulary and grammar

• Teaching the four skills

• Assessing learners with dyslexia

• Challenges and solutions

References

Ellis, N.C. (1996). Sequencing in SLA: phonological memory, chunking, and points of order. SSLA, 18, 91-126. Ellis, N. C., & Sinclair, S. G. (1996). Working memory in the acquisition of vocabulary and syntax: putting language in

good order. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 49A(1), 234-250. ELT Well. (2017). http://eltwell.com/ Indrarathne, B. & Kormos, J. (2016). Attentional processing of input in explicit and implicit learning conditions: an eye-

tracking study. Studies in Second Language Acquisition. doi:10.1017/S027226311600019X. Indrarathne, B. & Kormos, J. (2017). The role of working memory in processing L2 input: insights from eye-tracking.

Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. (in press) International Dyslexia Association .(2012).Dyslexia basics: fact sheet. Available at https://dyslexiaida.org/dyslexia-

basics/ Leow, R. (2013). Attention, Noticing, and Awareness in Second Language Acquisition. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.) The

Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics (pp. 1-7). Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Robinson, P., Mackey, A., Gass, S. M., & Schmidt, R. (2012). Attention and awareness in second language acquisition. In

S. M. Gass & A. Mackey (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition (pp.247-267). London, England: Routledge.

Schmidt, R. (1995). Consciousness and foreign language learning: A tutorial on the role of attention and awareness in

learning. In R. Schmidt (Ed.), Attention and awareness in foreign language learning (pp 1-63). Honalulu, HI: University of Hawaii, Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Centre.

Thank you