These are slides from my session in the iTDi Summer School MOOC, August, 2014 on WizIQ.

1. Fresh, Fresher, Freshest
Vocabulary Building Through Rhythm and Rhyme
-
Jason R. Levine

5. Respect, Tunisia - Fluency MC and MK Productions

9. Don’t throw the ________ out with the _______.

10. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

11. Audio-Lingual Method
• Sufficient input and repetition but often boring,
out of context, not meaningful
• Easy for students to lose motivation
Communicative Approach
• Often interesting and meaningful with language in
context but not enough repetitive exposure to input
• Easy for students to lose motivation

12. The Baby and the Bathwater
In its response to the Audio-Lingual Method,
Communicative Language Teaching ultimately threw
the baby out with the bathwater.
We need interesting and meaningful language in
context with enough repetitive exposure to input.

14. “Kids are like sponges.”

15. Can teens and adults be “sponges” when
they learn a second language?
Can they…
…get exposure to large amounts of repetitive input?
…be relaxed?
…be interested and engaged?
…be unconcerned with errors?
…turn off our “analytical brains”?

16. How important is repetition?
Is there “good” repetition? “Bad” repetition?
“Natural” repetition? “Unnatural” repetition?

17. When we are relaxed, we engage;
when we are engaged we relax.

18. Explain _____
_____ food
Totally _____
A bus _____
_____ smoking

19. Collocation =
A high-frequency
CHUNK of language

20. Collo =
Collocation

21. “listen music” or “listen to music”?
The brain only cares about
what sounds right and looks right.
To do so, the brain needs
sufficient, repetitive input.
And we must be relaxed
and engaged.

22. • An ELL who lacks the ability to
automatically recall collocations, lacks the
foundation on which to build accurate and
fluent communicative skills.
• Textbooks, worksheets, and flashcards do not
provide enough repeated exposure to
collocations.

23. Most students are neither
farmers nor sailors.

24. Always ______
Just ______
Kentucky _____

28. My 9th grade European history class:
I loved the teacher.
The content was interesting.
Her lessons were exciting.
I studied like crazy.
I got an A in the class.

29. Today I remember nothing.

31. ColloTunes

32. I got to know this kid when I got to junior high.
He used to get into trouble, get in fights, and get high.
But when he got a little older, he got more mature.
His mom got him in line so his vision wouldn’t blur.
She got on his case to get straight and get a job,
so they could get by without having to rob.
Every night when he got off, he’d get out his notebook
and get busy writing rhymes because he was no crook.
He got a look at universities and got some applications,
got approval from his teachers to get their recommendations.
He got grief from his friends; he got insulted and got hurt
when they got scared and insecure because they
knew he would desert them.
Get a Life

33. How do songs promote
vocabulary acquisition?

34. How do songs promote
vocabulary acquisition?
They increase motivation.
Students are relaxed.
Students like to listen to them.
They are not part of the curriculum.
It’s fun to sing along.
Students repeat the vocabulary words.
It’s easier to listen to songs repeatedly because of technology.
The singers are native speakers.
Students can select the songs themselves.
They can practice movements.
They learn subconsciously.

35. How can we use songs to
teach vocabulary?

36. How can we use songs to
teach vocabulary?
Make gap-fills (word, phrase, sentence level).
Make lyrics scrambles/jumbles (picture scrambles).
Students correct mistakes.
Elicit ideas before listening.
Pre-teach vocabulary.
Ask students questions about new vocabulary.
Students circle unknown words.
Students infer meaning from context.
Students write sentences with new vocabulary.
Discuss the song and the artist in class.
The teacher can play an instrument in class.
Students can create an activity for a song; they “get to be the teacher.”

37. Challenges we face using pop songs to teach
Need to consider dialect vs. standard; low-freq. vocab. vs. high
Messages may be difficult to understand and/or explain
Stress patterns may be unnatural
Some material may be inappropriate for certain ages or cultures
The vocabulary may not be what the students most need to learn
Things to keep in mind
Don’t take away the lyrics if it lowers interest or increases stress
Don’t pressure students to sing or perform
Consider and assign different roles to students
Don’t pressure yourself to sing or perform

38. “Delights” vs. “Complaining with Noise”
Students need to like the song.
You should have objectives and plan a lesson around the song.
You need to consider the students’ ages and levels.
The song should not be too fast.
The song should be related to things the students are interested in.
The students should have copies of the lyrics.
Teachers should take students’ individual differences into account.
You need to spend enough time with the song; repeat enough times.

39. What are ColloTunes™
?
ColloTunes are songs created and performed by Fluency MC to teach
English to children and adults. Students listen, speak, and rap while
following along with the lyric sheets. ColloTunes are rich in the high-
frequency vocabulary and grammar structures we need to speak fluent,
accurate English. In a ColloTunes activity, students are relaxed and
engaged. Conscious effort to memorize gives way to fluent, subconscious
learning.
The Collo in ColloTunes is short for collocation. A collocation is a
high-frequency chunk of spoken or written language. “Take a shower,”
“meet for coffee,” “a tough situation,” and “so much time” are collos.
When we meet collos again and again, they stick in our heads; we say and
write them automatically without hesitating, translating, or
worrying about grammar. ColloTunes contain the collos we use every
day in English. Repeated practice with collos helps learners improve
all four skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing.

40. ColloTunes™
• Build all four language skills
• Accelerate vocabulary acquisition and understanding of language functions
• Follow the natural stress patterns of English
• Make it easy (and fun!) to learn difficult grammar structures
• Provide practice for students in and out the classroom
• Are available for multiple levels, ages, and learning styles
• Include conversation activities, writing practice, quizzes, and lesson plans
• Supplement any syllabus or curriculum
• Are used by teachers in dozens of countries worldwide

41. This is the basic procedure for learning with ColloTunes
1 Listen to the Tune without reading the lyrics.
2 Read the lyrics without listening.
3 Discuss the meaning and purpose of the Tune.
4 Listen while silently reading the lyrics.
5 Discuss vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.
6 Speak/rap/sing while listening.
7 Listen, read, and write with the Gap-fill Exercises.
8 Do additional practice with the Activity Sheets.
9 Speak/rap/sing over the instrumental versions of the songs.
10 Write your own lyrics and perform your own Tunes in class.
Tips
• Pause Tunes and repeat, reorder, or omit steps when necessary.
• Create your own procedure to meet your students’ needs.
• Do Gap-fills and Activity Sheets in class or assign them for homework.
• Create your own activities to suit your students’ interests.

42. Fresh (fresher, freshest)

43. Fresh (fresher, freshest)
Whether you’re young (younger, youngest) or old
(older, oldest). If you’re shy (shyer, shyest) or bold
(bolder, boldest) follow Fluency MC. Stick with me
and you’ll see we keep it hot (hotter, hottest) never
cold (colder, coldest). Make it loud (louder, loudest).
I’m proud (prouder, proudest) of my family round the
world; I could never be without this. Across the globe
we’re spreading wide (wider, widest)-don’t you know-
we learn through having fun; you ought to try this!
Soon (sooner, soonest) you’ll learn quick (quicker,
quickest). If your books and lessons make you sick
(sicker, sickest) sing along to this song and you’ll be
strong (stronger, strongest). Relax and repeat. It won’t
take long (longer, longest).

44. ColloLearn is based on the principle that when we
are relaxed and actively engaged in communicative
activities, repeated exposure to collocations forms a
foundation of accurate and fluent language.
On top of this foundation, we can build critical and
creative thinking skills to achieve our
communicative goals.

45. “Let’s build a base to support
higher thought and hold on to
all of the things that we’re
taught.”
-Fluency MC, “More of America”

46. *
* Super-Powered Automatic Recall of Knowledge

48. it’s easy to
When you
your time