Language

 

Language Policy at MU

The following language policy was adapted in 1986 by the MU Board of Curators and applies to all international graduate students who are interested in holding a teaching assistantship.

All graduate students who did not receive both primary and secondary education in a nation or territory in which English is the primary language must:

1. Be tested at no cost to themselves on their ability to communicate orally in English in a classroom setting prior to receiving a teaching appointment,
2. Be given an orientation to prepare them for their teaching appointment, and
3. 3. Not teach during their first semester of enrollment at the University, except with a waiver from the Chancellor.

English Language Proficiency Examinations

All students will be required to take the SPEAK exam as their initial language proficiency evaluation. If successive examinations are needed, students who receive a level 2 or higher can be re-screened using the OPT test.

• SPEAK Test: The first language assessment instrument is the SPEAK test. The SPEAK is an audiotaped 30-minute language test, designed by the Educational Testing Service to assess spontaneous oral English language production.
  
  The Program for Excellence in Teaching offers a training session for the SPEAK test just prior to the beginning of a set of SPEAK tests. Dates of the next SPEAK training session are available in the PET calendar.

• Oral Presentation Test: For this test, the candidate makes a 5-minute presentation on an introductory topic in his/her potential teaching field. The presentation is attended and evaluated by a Program for Excellence in Teaching staff member, an English as a Second Language expert, a faculty member from the department, and two undergraduate students. The students ask questions at the end of the presentation. The presentation and question answering are videotaped and all of the evaluations and the videotape are evaluated by PET to determine a language assessment level.

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Language Issues Influencing Classroom Communication

To effectively communicate with students from a variety of backgrounds, disciplines and origins across the curriculum it is important to avoid exclusive language or a manner of delivery that alienates or excludes any student.

Common mistakes when having trouble communicating with someone:

• Increasing Volume
• S-l-o-w-i-n-g down and/or simplifying your speech

By increasing volume or slowing down your speech you are likely to insult your students. It is important to remember that loud and/or slow doesn’t mean clear. Sometimes students just don’t understand the way a question was phrased (not the content of the question) so it’s always a good idea to try and restate/rephrase content before you assume that someone doesn’t understand.

 

Effective verbal communication includes:

• Appropriate speed
• Enunciation
• Appropriate Tone
• Appropriate Volume
• Avoid fillers (ums, like, etc.)

In order to make sure that students understand what you are saying, it is important to speak at a reasonable pace and not drop any syllables or words. Students often complain that their instructors mumble their words or talk to themselves. This can be remedied easily by using appropriate volume and projecting out to the whole class.

Fillers, such as “ahs” and “ums” can be distracting to students. It is better to take a moment to collect your thoughts and say nothing than to load your speech with fillers.

Tone is an essential part of communication; incorporated with level of directness it can make students think you are friendly and approachable or cold and uninterested. Tone of voice shows what you are feeling by the pitch and forcefulness of your delivery. Think of the many ways “What did you do last night” can be interpreted depending on the tone of voice you use.

Non-verbal communication, or what you are not saying, says a lot about you and your classroom.

Non-verbal communication includes:

• Eye contact. It is important that you make eye contact with all of your students; it lets them know that you are interested in their learning. However, remember the 3-second rule – too long can be scary!
• Facial Expressions. In order to develop a rapport with your students it is always good to remember to smile.
• Body language. People who appear friendly and open don’t normally sit with their arms crossed or with their personal space boxed in. Sitting forward in your chair when a person speaks conveys interest, while sitting backwards conveys disinterest.
• Gestures. Sometimes we do not know the distracting mannerism that we use when we lecture. It is always a good idea to see yourself on video or ask a friend to inform you of any repetitive gestures you may use. You should also ‘know the code” and remember that hand gestures mean different things in different cultures.
• Movement. In a large classroom it is important to walk in and out and between rows so that you have an opportunity to make eye contact and/or address all the students.

Differences in culture can impede effective classroom communication. You should be aware of the following four cultural issues that may arise in your class:

• Age and gender differentiation. In some cultures it is a necessity that younger people defer to older people and therefore pair-work might not work very well.
• Ethnocentric mindset. Try to avoid the notion that your views and culture are superior to those of other cultures.
• Know cultural norms (lateness, modesty, questions, eye contact etc.). By acknowledging differences in culture but letting your classroom expectations be known, you can avoid difficulties. For example, some people might think being five minutes or more late is perfectly acceptable, but if this doesn’t work in your class you need to make your expectations known from the beginning.
• Avoid stereotyping. It is always important to remember that no one is the spokesperson for a whole country/race.

Asking and answering questions is one of the most important activities you will do as a Teaching Assistant and essential to effective communication. The following 4-step process will help make sure that you use the most successful technique possible.

4-step process

• Make some sort of verbal or non-verbal response within 3 seconds. That means answering the questions or saying, “Let me think about it”.
• Repeat or rephrase the question. This is important for two reasons, 1) to make sure that you heard the question correctly and 2) to make sure that the whole class heard the question that is being asked.
• Give a clear and concise answer. If a question requires a lot of time to answer and only one person is having a problem you might ask that student to come see you after class.
• Check for comprehension.

 

Things you shouldn’t do in your classroom:

• Don't use directives (level of directness, modals etc.). Don’t say, “Do this”; instead use modal language and politeness cues such as “Could you please do this for me?”
• Don't call on only the women or people belonging to a certain cultural, socio-economic or ethnic group. Everyone has something to offer.

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For More Information:

For more information on the SPEAK and OPT exam visit
http://pet.missouri.edu/taita_dev/ita/assesments/lang_assesment.htm

For more information on MU’s language policy visit http://pet.missouri.edu/taita_dev/ita/missouri_law.htm

For more information on body language cues visit: http://members.aol.com/nonverbal2/entries.htm#Entries

For more information on culture issues for international TAs visit:
http://www.international.colostate.edu/iae/orientation/culturalissues.pdf

Contributed by Chris Fox (Instructional Development Specialist, Program for Excellence in Teaching)

 

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