Thinking Big for the S mall: Creating an EFL Curriculum for Low-Income Preschoolers

Norbella Miranda Jos Tovar

Bogot, septiembre 13 de 2012

Thinking Big for the Small:

Creating an EFL Curriculum for Low-Income Preschoolers
The problem Theoretical background Research design Some preliminary results Further developments Your questions and contributions

The site and its surroundings

Decir la palabra, referida al mundo que se ha de transformar, implica un encuentro de los hombres para esta transformacin
(Paulo Freire)

The problem
Positive correlation between socioeconomic status (SES) and quality of education
This situation worsens with regards to ELT: Intensive EFL programs in preschool & bilingual education in high SES schools Vs. inexistent programs in poor areas Bilingualism improves different cognitive capacities of children Countries have the commitment to achieve high quality education for children, especially for the less favored ones (UNESCO, 2007)

English levels in Cali

Source: Alonso, Casasbuenas, Gallo & Torres, 2012

Objectives:
To design a curricular proposal that gives students the opportunity to learn the foreign language.
To characterize the CDC Silo school community.

To identify the needs and interests of the school community in relation to foreign language learning. To explore the attitudes that the school community has towards the English language and its learning.
To design objectives, contents, and methodology that respond to the needs and context.

Critical pedagogy
Banking education Students as containers that need to be filled with pre-established contents that perpetuate sociocultural current realities Problem posing education Banking education can only be only contested and stopped through dialogue that recognizes two voices

Critical pedagogy
Children: from heteronomy to autonomy The work of the humanist teachers as well as parents is to educate the children to initiate a process that will allow them to become autonomous

Post-method pedagogy

Parameters of post-method pedagogy

(Kumaravadivelu, 2003, p. 37)

The pedagogic wheel

(Kumaravadivelu, 2003, 2009)

Macrostrategies for language teaching Maximize learning opportunities

Contextualize linguistic input

Ensure social relevance Raise cultural awareness

Promote learner autonomy *

(Kumaravadivelu, 2003, 2009)

Research design
Participatory action research (McTaggart, 1989)
Planning

Acting

Observing

Research design
Par ticipants
CDC Silo Children (92), preschool teachers (4), school principal, school librarian, school secretary, parents ( 57/12)

Data collection ins truments

Interview, observation, survey, journal

Analys is of information
Categorization & descriptive statistics (SPSS)

Students profile
4-6 years old Active Spontaneous Eager to learn Interested in topics about natural science, environmental issues, technology, TV characters Preferred school activities: story telling, singing, outdoor activities, videos, cooking

Students profile
Students' SES
19,23%

1,8% 1,8%

Stratum 1
77,2%

Stratum 2 Stratum 3 N.A.

AT HOME: Time spent mostly with mothers (65%) and grandmothers. Activities: play video games & cell phone, watch TV They have: cable TV (96%), DVD (75%), stereo (62%), computer (27%), internet (20%), books in English (20%)

Parents profile
.
60 40
56,1%

Age

20

21,1% 7%

12,3%
3,5%

0
15-20
1,8 1,8 1,8

21-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

3,5

BASICA SECUNDARIA

21,1

36,8

MEDIA BASICA PRIMARIA TECNICA PROFESIONAL TECNOLOGICA PROFESIONAL

Highest educational level

33,3

NO RESPONDE

Parents profile

First child: 15-20 (58%); 21-25 (28%)

Total number of children: 2 (40%); 1 (37%)

Work: No (56%); No (44%) Free time activities: house chores (81%) Income: Informal sector (26%); employed (24%) Wages: 1 MW (53%), no MW (32%); 2 MW (2%) Knowledge of English: 1,8%


Sex: Age: SES:

Teachers profile
Socio-demographic information Women 40-49 (2 Ts); 3 (2 Ts); 2 (3 Ts); 4 Ts 11-16 (2 Ts); after 16 (1 T); no contact (1 T) 30-39 (1 T); 1 (1 T) 50-59 (1 T) 2 (1 T); 5 (1 T)

No. of jobs: BA in Preschool education First contact with English

Academic information

Independent user competence in a None foreign lge Professional information Teaching experience Interest in learning & teaching English: 11-20 years (3 Ts) ; 6-10 years (1 T) Yes (3 Ts); No (1 T)

Attitudes towards English teaching and learning

Parents:
96,5%

Teachers
its job requirement it helps you find a job it opens doors an opportunity to drag them from violence

Children
(from Ts point of view) They'd feel happy They d laugh to death

Some preliminary thoughts:

Theres a positive attitude towards the project
Instrumentalist view of lge learning Topics and activities preferred by children provide initial hints for content selection The characteristics of the current environment does not

provide support for EFL teaching or learning

Mothers involvement is needed Need to think of ways to take advantage of resources at home and activities at home

Further developments & challenges

PRACTICAL PROBLEMS:
Who will be responsible for the actual teaching of English

KNOWLEDGE PROBLEMS:
Instrument to identify / measure childrens attitudes towards the foreign lge How can childrens autonomy be fostered through the learning of the foreign lge

Your questions & comments

REFERENTS
Alonso, J. C., Casasbuenas, P., Gallo , B. & Torres, G. (2012). Bilingismo en Santiago de Cali: Anlisis de los resultados de las Pruebas SABER 11 y SABER PRO. Cali: Universidad Icesi Revista Dinero (noviembre 11 de 2011). Los mejores colegios 2011. Cadavid, I. C. (2003). Teaching English in Primary School through a Spiral Thematic Curriculum. Ikala, Vol. 8, No. 14, pp. 81-97 Cadavid, I. C., McNulty, M. & Quincha, D. I. (2004). Elementary English Language Instruction: Colombian Teachers Classroom Practices. PROFILE. No. 5, pp. 37-55 Cadavid, I. C., Quincha, D. I. & Daz, C. P. (2009). Una propuesta holstica de desarrollo profesional para maestros de ingls de la bsica primaria. . Ikala, Vol. 14, No. 21, pp. 135-158 Cadavid, C. Daz & Quincha, (2011). When Theory Meets Practice: Applying Cambournes Conditions for Learning to Professional Development for Elementary School EFL Teachers. PROFILE Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 175-187 Freire, P. (2005). Pedagoga del oprimido. Mxico: Siglo XXI Editores. Freire, P. (2009). Pedagoga de la autonoma. Mxico: Siglo XXI editores. Gmez, I., Mario, J., Pike, N. & Moss, H. (2010). Colombia national bilingual project. Research Notes. No. 40, pp. 1722 Halbach, A. (2008). Una metodologa para la enseanza bilinge en la etapa de Primaria. Revista de Educacin, No. 346, pp. 455-466 Hatch, A. (2002). Doing Qualitative Research in Education Settings. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Kumaravadivelu, (2003). The Postmethod Condition. Macrostrategies for Language Teaching. USA: Yale University Kumaravadivelu, B. (2009). Understanding language teaching: from method to postmethod. NY: Routledge. McTaggartt, R. (1989). 16 Tenets of Participatory Action Research. In: Caledonia Center for Social Development. Last retrieved: Sep. 2012, from: http://www.caledonia.org.uk/par.htm#1. Martnez, M. (2002). Anlisis de contenidos y categorizacin. En: La investigacin cualitativa etnogrfica en educacin. Manual terico prctico, pp. 69-81. Mxico: Trillas. McNulty M. & Quincha, D. I. (2007). Designing a Holistic Professional Development Program for Elementary School English Teachers in Colombia. PROFILE No. 8, pp. 131-143

Thanks!!!
Norbella Miranda: Jos Tovar: norbellamiranda@yahoo.com josetovarb@gmail.com