Your Name and Title:
Susan Jacques Pierson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Education
School or Organization Name:
Cabrini College
Area of the World from Which You Will Present:
The United States
Language in Which You Will Present:
English
Target Audience(s):
Teachers, especially teachers of English Language Learners
Short Session Description (one line):
The Power of Story: Using Personal Narratives and Technology to Teach and Reach English Language Learners
Full Session Description (as long as you would like):
My experiences working with English language learners of all ages have convinced me that using student’s own stories as texts facilitates the development of strong and authentic literacy skills. Creating spaces in which student voices can be heard and valued also helps build vibrant classroom communities in which students express concern for each other’s welfare, work cooperatively and collaboratively and honor each other’s culture, language and values. Technology also plays a critical role in facilitating effective language teaching and learning. Using network- based technology increases student motivation and results in impressive student achievement.
I propose to share what I have learned about the power of story, personal narratives written by young adult English Language Learners, and published as podcasts online. I will discuss how my ESL students created poems and personal narratives that were later transformed into short, yet powerful podcasts. Because their work was published online, my students were able to share their work with family and friends around the globe.
Sharing stories via network -based technology allows student voices to be heard and appreciated in new and powerful ways. Combining interactive, collaborative, reading, writing, listening and speaking activities with innovative, computer- assisted pedagogies facilitates the development of self-confident, highly motivated and competent English language users.
ESL students who share personal narratives and work on technology projects together become part of strong communities, reaching out beyond classroom walls to help others. Using students’ personal narratives as texts and sharing them through the use of podcasting is a powerful tool for helping young adult English Language learners both discover their voice and use their new found literacy skills to work for social justice.
During my presentation, I will share my experiences using personal narratives and podcasts in teaching young adult English Language learners. I will also explain how we created our podcasts and sent them out into the world and answer questions posed by anyone interested in using this idea.
Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:
http://teachersusan.com/StudentStories/StudentStories/Stories/Stories.html
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