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CELTA Assignment 1: Learner Profile Analysis

The document outlines a learner profile for a CELTA assignment, detailing a group of nine upper-intermediate learners primarily from Turkish backgrounds, with varying motivations for learning English. It identifies common language challenges such as third-person singular subject-verb agreement and incorrect stress placement in multisyllabic words, along with proposed activities to address these issues. The learners demonstrate strong communication skills and prefer interactive learning, though they struggle with grammar application and writing tasks.

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100% found this document useful (1 vote)
57 views7 pages

CELTA Assignment 1: Learner Profile Analysis

The document outlines a learner profile for a CELTA assignment, detailing a group of nine upper-intermediate learners primarily from Turkish backgrounds, with varying motivations for learning English. It identifies common language challenges such as third-person singular subject-verb agreement and incorrect stress placement in multisyllabic words, along with proposed activities to address these issues. The learners demonstrate strong communication skills and prefer interactive learning, though they struggle with grammar application and writing tasks.

Uploaded by

alikeydak
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Assignment 1: Focus on the Learner

CELTA Candidate’s Name:

Part A: Learner Profile

​ Level, nationality and mother tongue


​ Background and language learning experience
​ Motivation for learning English
​ Learning preferences
​ Strengths and weaknesses (with examples of recurring errors)

The class consists of nine learners: six females and three males. The average age of the group
is above 30 years, with Merve, in her twenties, being the youngest. The overall level of the
group is upper-intermediate.
Most of the learners’ L1 is Turkish, but Shakhin’s L1 is Farsi and Civan’s is Azerbaijani. Both
Shakhin and Civan are also fluent in Turkish, which helps them connect with their classmates.
The group shares a common linguistic background, their L1 is from Turkic family, but there are
some L1 transfer issues that may arise, particularly in pronunciation, stressing the wrong
syllables. Here are some examples:

Student Error Expected language

Shakhin Comfortable: stresses the stress is put on the first


second syllable ‘for’ syllable ‘com’

Civan University: stresses the last stress is put on syllable


syllable ‘sity” ‘ver”

Merve Interesting: stresses the the first ‘-in’ syllable is


syllable ‘-res’ stressed

According to Thompson (2001), “the rhythmic pattern of English, with its stretched out stressed
syllables and hurried unstressed syllables with their reduced vowels, is alien to and difficult for
Turkish speakers” (p.216).
The learners’ learning purposes are diverse. Yeshim, Derya, Merve, and Civan are focused on
professional development, aiming to enhance their English for work-related reasons. In
contrast, Yavuz, Shakhin, Nina, Ender, and Ayshen are primarily motivated by cultural interest
and the desire to communicate more effectively with people from different backgrounds.
Throughout the lessons, the students consistently use English as the main language of
communication, although they occasionally use Turkish to clarify meanings and explain some
vocabulary. They demonstrate strong communication skills, which allow for meaningful
discussions and exchanges of ideas during speaking activities. The learners are highly
interactive, enjoying pair and group work. The group dynamics are healthy, with some friendly
competition between the students, which boosts engagement and motivation.
In terms of learning preferences, the group is composed of visual, auditory, and social learners.
Merve, Civan, Derya and Yavuz benefit from seeing information in pictures and listening
exercises. Ayshen, Ender, Shakhin, Yeshim and Nina thrive in group activities and discussions.
However, when it comes to writing tasks, engagement tends to decrease, and students prefer
working in pairs rather than independently. Despite their strong communication skills, the
learners face a common challenge in grammar. They understand grammatical rules but struggle
with applying these rules in spoken English, which affects their fluency and accuracy during
conversations. Learners mostly make mistakes in third-person singular subject-verb agreement :

Student Error Expected language

Shakhin He say He says


He say I like travelling. He says I like travelling.

Yeshim She speak She speaks


She speak 3 languages. She speaks 3 languages.

Ayshen He like He likes


He like reading books. He likes reading books.

Learners also confuse similar phrasal verbs. They put prepositions which give an incorrect
meaning in a context the learners are talking about. According to Wyss (2003), it is common
between learners to misunderstand and use phrasal verbs in incorrect context. Here are some
examples:

Student Error Expected language


Ender Uses “look for” “Look at”
Meaning he wants to I am looking at the
express: To direct blackboard.
eyes towards
something I am
looking for the
blackboard.

Nina Uses “turn on” Meaning “Turn up”


she wants to express:To Turn up the volume, please.
increase volume of the
music or sound
Turn on the volume, please.

Yavuz Uses “give out” Meaning “Give away”


she wants to express: To I decided to give away
give something for free things I don’t use.
as a gift
I decided to give out things I
don’t use.

Part B: Identifying language problems and providing suitable


activities to address these

Language problem 1:
Issue 1 – Grammar
Student’s name: Shakhin, Yeshim, Ayshem
Issue: third-person singular subject-verb agreement
Example #1: He say I like travelling.
Example #2: She speak 3 languages.
Example #3: He like reading books.

Activity & rationale:


I will place short texts describing various individuals around the classroom. Students will walk
around, spending 30 seconds to 1 minute at each text, taking notes on key details like the
person’s job, interests, and daily activities. After 3 minutes, they’ll pair up to share their notes.
Finally, we’ll have a whole-group feedback session
Rationale for activity 1. (Appendix 1)
At upper-intermediate level, students are already familiar with the third person subject
agreement. However, they often face difficulties when applying this grammatical structure in
more natural, communicative contexts. I have adapted the activities in Appendix 1 into one
activity. Ss will practice third person subject agreement by sharing information they [Link] the
original version, Ss discuss answering the questions and then the teacher describes each person
in exercise as a live-listening task.
This activity is focused on practicing third-person subject-verb agreement in a communicative
context. By this activity students will engage with the target language in a real-world setting,
where they can apply their understanding of subject-verb agreement in relation to others. The
activity encourages learners to form sentences using third-person subjects (he, she, they) and
verbs in context, which reinforces both their grammatical knowledge and their ability to
produce accurate and natural speech.

Language problem 2:
Student’s name: Shakhin, Civan, Merve
Issue: Incorrect stress placement in multisyllabic words
Example #1: Comfortable: stresses the second syllable ‘for’
Example #2: University: stresses the last syllable ‘sity” Example #3: Interesting: stresses the
syllable ‘-res’
Activity to address issue 2 .
I will give Ss a list of words ( Appendix 2) that consists of multisyllabic words. Ss’ task is to
underline the stressed syllables by saying the words out loud to their partners. First, I will model
one or two examples by saying the words aloud and underlining the stressed syllables on the
board. For example, say comfortable (COM-fort-a-ble) and underline “COM.”They work in pairs
and then in a choral drilling. I will change the pace to make it more engaging during the choral
drilling stage.

Rationale for activity 2


To address the students’ challenges with word stress, particularly in multisyllabic words, I have
selected an activity that is level-appropriate for upper-intermediate learners. It focuses on
words that are commonly mispronounced by Turkish speakers, who tend to stress the final
syllable, unlike in English where stress can fall on various syllables. The task requires students to
identify and underline the stressed syllables while saying the words out loud to a partner. This
exercise also involves choral drilling to reinforce correct stress patterns. It encourages active
engagement and peer feedback, helping students internalize the stress rules. Since students are
already familiar with stress patterns, this task serves as a useful review to solidify their
understanding and improve pronunciation accuracy.

Sources Cited:
Bibliography
Swan, M., & Smith, B. (2001). Learner English: A teacher’s guide to interference and other
problems. Cambridge University Press.
Wyss, R. (2003). Putting Phrasal Verbs into Perspective. TESOL Journal, 12(1), 37-38.
Oxenden, C., & Latham-Koenig, C. (2006). New English File: Intermediate level (UK ed.).
Oxford University Press.
Clare, A., & Wilson, J. J.(2016). Speak Out: Upper Intermediate Student’s Book (2nd ed.).
Pearson Education.
Appendices
Appendix 1
Appendix 2

Common questions

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Phrasal verb errors among learners primarily stem from misunderstanding meanings and incorrect context usage, as phrasal verbs often do not translate directly from learners' native languages . This can cause confusion, such as using 'look for' instead of 'look at' . To mitigate these issues, targeted teaching strategies could include contextualized learning exercises, such as story-based tasks where learners must use phrasal verbs correctly in a narrative context, and practice with collocations through focused vocabulary exercises. Additionally, visual aids demonstrating phrasal verb meanings could help solidify their understanding .

Turkish speakers often face challenges with English pronunciation due to the rhythmic pattern differences between the two languages. English has a rhythmic pattern with stretched stressed syllables and hurried unstressed syllables with reduced vowels, which is difficult for Turkish speakers . This leads to common pronunciation errors such as incorrect stress placement in multisyllabic words, where Turkish speakers might stress final syllables instead of the appropriate English syllable . These pronunciation challenges can affect their communication skills by reducing comprehension and possibly causing misunderstandings in conversation, impacting their fluency and naturalness in speech.

Effective group dynamics strategies that support language acquisition among learners with different L1 backgrounds include fostering a collaborative learning environment where peer support is encouraged. Pair and group work can be particularly effective, allowing learners to engage in interactive exercises that prompt language use in varied social contexts . Incorporating friendly competition and diverse activity formats, such as role-plays and task-based learning, can increase motivation and participation . Additionally, ensuring that tasks allow for meaning negotiation will help learners overcome L1 influence by focusing on practical communication skills rather than only linguistic accuracy.

The learners in the class have diverse motivations. Yeshim, Derya, Merve, and Civan are motivated by professional development goals, seeking to enhance their English for work-related reasons. In contrast, learners like Yavuz, Shakhin, Nina, Ender, and Ayshen are primarily driven by cultural interest and a desire to communicate better with people from different backgrounds . Motivation geared toward a specific goal, such as professional advancement, can lead to more focused and structured learning, potentially resulting in quicker progress in specific areas of language proficiency. Alternatively, cultural motivations may lead to a more holistic and sustained engagement with the language, enhancing overall proficiency through increased cultural and communicative interactions.

Even at an upper-intermediate level, learners might face difficulties with third-person singular subject-verb agreement due to the less intuitive application of rules in communicative contexts. While they understand the grammatical structure theoretically, applying it spontaneously during conversations can be challenging . To overcome these difficulties, practice in real-world settings is essential. Activities like information sharing based on short texts require students to use third-person forms in context, reinforcing grammatical application through practical use . Regular practice and feedback can help internalize these structures, improving fluency and accuracy.

To address stress placement issues in multisyllabic English words for Turkish speakers, educators can use activities that involve identifying and practicing stress patterns. One effective strategy is to present students with a list of commonly mispronounced words, asking them to underline the correct stressed syllables . This can be supplemented with modeling and choral drilling, where the teacher demonstrates correct pronunciation, and students repeat, providing peer feedback. This method not only helps students recognize and practice the correct stress patterns but also reinforces learning through repetition and active engagement.

Turkish learners' language backgrounds contribute to common L1 transfer issues in English through the different rhythmic and stress patterns between the two languages. Turkish, belonging to the Turkic language family, typically places stress on the final syllable, which contrasts with the varying syllable stress placement required in English . This can lead to errors in pronunciation, as learners may incorrectly transfer Turkish stress patterns to English, resulting in mispronunciations like stressing the wrong syllable in multisyllabic words . Such L1 transfer issues can impede learners' ability to pronounce words accurately and affect their overall communication effectiveness.

Cultural motivations can lead learners to adopt language learning strategies that emphasize communication, cultural exchange, and interaction, often focusing on speaking and listening skills to engage with diverse speakers effectively . Such learners might prefer group activities and discussions over individual tasks, promoting a social and communicative approach . In contrast, those with career-oriented goals might prioritize accuracy and technical skills like grammar and vocabulary acquisition for professional communication, possibly engaging in exercises that simulate work-related scenarios. These differing motivations shape the choice of practice activities and can influence overall learning outcomes by focusing on specific competencies relevant to their goals.

Mixed learning preferences among the group, including visual, auditory, and social learners, can affect classroom activities and outcomes by necessitating a diverse range of teaching strategies to accommodate different needs . For instance, visual learners benefit from diagrams and written instructions, auditory learners prefer listening activities, while social learners thrive in group discussions . These differences require a balanced approach in lesson planning, incorporating various activities that cater to each preference, thereby enhancing engagement and retention of information. However, catering to diverse preferences simultaneously can be challenging, potentially resulting in uneven participation if not managed effectively.

Using English as the main communication language in the classroom enhances learners' confidence and proficiency by providing constant exposure to and practice with the language. It encourages active engagement and helps learners to internalize language structures and vocabulary in a practical setting . This consistent use fosters a natural learning environment that mirrors real-world scenarios, thereby improving fluency. However, occasional use of L1 for clarifying complex concepts can ensure comprehension, supporting overall proficiency improvement without overwhelming learners .

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