Teaching Pragmatics Online

Term

Spring 2020

Capstone

Capstone Project

Degree Name

MAESL

Facilitator(s)

Trish Harvey

Content Expert

Betsy Parrish

Abstract

Research shows that sociopragmatic competence is essential to success in the workplace: it can foster solidarity and integration, and allow participants to understand and manage task-oriented interactions. While it is clear that adult English Language Learners (ELLs) can benefit from strong communication skills in the workplace, instructors are often unsure how to address these needs in an online setting. The research question that this capstone addresses is, what are the best practices of teaching pragmatic competence to adult ELLs taking online classes? The intended participants of the curriculum are adult English language learners taking workplace English classes. The curriculum is composed of six modules to be delivered in a small group setting. The topics include netiquette, giving and receiving feedback, small talk, and making requests. The curriculum components are a mix of authentic materials, coursebook materials, culturally responsive teaching methods, and performance evaluations. The foundation of the curriculum stems from backward design, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and a 3-step approach for acquisition of pragmatic skills. The hope is that this curriculum can be used to assist students acquire pragmatic skills in a fully online setting.

Keywords

Curriculum, ESL/ ELLs, Technology

dc_type

text

dc_publisher

DigitalCommons@Hamline

dc_format

application/pdf

dc_source

School of Education Student Capstone Projects

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