Supplement task-based lessons with explicit noticing, corpus examples, and production practice of formulaic sequences¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 5 claims (5 for) · 2 studies (1 causal, 1 review), q2 · 1 of 2 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

A weekly three-session routine built on a task-based approach: students hear authentic native-speaker conversations, then in later sessions find formulaic sequences in transcripts, see supplementary FS with corpus examples from COCA, and spend the third session producing the FS in speaking activities. The article reports that "focus was placed on using the formulaic sequences as wholes, rather than examining the grammatical structure within."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Recorded authentic conversations on weekly topics with transcripts
• Instructor-provided supplementary FS with contextual corpus examples
• Speaking activities in which students are expected to produce the learned FS

Constraints¶

• Studied only with mid-intermediate to advanced ESL students studying abroad in an intensive program; the authors caution improvements may not apply where students get less L2 input

Target Learners¶

• mid-intermediate to advanced ESL learners in intensive university preparation programs

Target Learning Goals¶

• second language oral fluency
• use of formulaic sequences in spontaneous speech

Claims¶

• FS treatment group significantly increased its ratio of formulaic syllables to total syllables (d = 1.2); between-group difference not statistical (p = .07, d = 1.0) [+W]
• FS treatment group significantly increased mean length of run while the control group decreased (between-group d = 1.4) [+W]
• Explicitly taught FS treatment group significantly increased speech rate over 5 weeks while the control group did not (d = 1.3) [+W]
• Noticing formulaic sequences without production practice does not yield spontaneous use, per the reviewed literature [+W]
• A sizable repertoire of formulaic sequences benefits second-language learners, but learners are slow to close the gap with native speakers in formulaic language [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Use movies or TV series clips so learners notice how formulaic sequences are used among speakers
• Design explicit pragmatic instruction with practice opportunities, feedback addressing both form and meaning, and authentic input models

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Michael McGuire & Jenifer Larson-Hall. (2017). Teaching Formulaic Sequences in the Classroom: Effects on Spoken Fluency. TESL Canada Journal/Revue TESL du Canada, 34(3), 1–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v34i3.1271