2012+Outline

In English, idioms are used freely and frequently. Therefore, it is important that L2 learners acquire, understand, and use idiomatic expressions as they grow towards proficiency. However, it is widely known that the multi-word units that make up idioms are difficult to teach and learn because their meanings are not literal. Only recently has research focused on analyzing techniques, such as mnemonic devices, to facilitate the teaching and learning of idioms instead of relying on rote memorization. According to Paivio (1986), associating mental images with verbal input creates an additional pathway to target information, making it easier to recall. Additional research suggests that students must understand the individual words of an idiom within context because they are salient to the structure and literal meaning. Current research will be presented to back up the rationale behind the technique being presented. During the session, a three-part technique for use when introducing new idioms and how it is used in the classroom will be demonstrated interactively. The three parts of this technique include: ensuring that the students are familiar with each word in the idioms, teaching the literal meaning of the idioms, and providing associations through one or more graphic images. This bridges the connection between the literal and figurative meanings of idioms. The result of teachers using these initial steps will provide students better recall and understanding of the idioms, which will enhance the process of learning idioms for adult ESL students. (240)

I tweaked it just a smidge...

In English, idioms are used freely and frequently. Therefore, it is important that L2 learners acquire, understand, and use idiomatic expressions as they grow towards proficiency. However, it is widely known that the multi-word units that make up idioms are difficult to teach and learn because their meanings are not literal. Only recently has research focused on analyzing techniques, such as mnemonic devices, to facilitate the teaching and learning of idioms instead of relying on rote memorization. According to Paivio (1986), associating mental images with verbal input creates an additional pathway to target information, making it easier to recall. Additional research suggests that students must understand the individual words of an idiom within context because they are salient to the structure and literal meaning. These bodies of research, and others, will be presented to back up the rationale behind a three part technique that is useful when introducing new idioms. An interactive demonstration of how it is used in the classroom will be presented as well. In order to bridge the connection between the literal and figurative meanings of idioms, the three parts of this technique include: ensuring that the students are familiar with each word in the idioms, teaching the literal meaning of the idioms, and providing associations through one or more graphic images. The result of teachers using these initial steps will provide students better recall and understanding of the idioms, which will enhance adult ESL students’ ability to process them communicatively. (244)

OK one more pass: In English, idioms are used freely and frequently. Therefore, it is important that L2 learners acquire, understand, and use idiomatic expressions as they grow towards proficiency. However, it is widely known that the multi-word units that make up idioms are difficult to teach and learn because their meanings are not literal. Only recently has research focused on analyzing techniques, such as mnemonic devices, to facilitate the teaching and learning of idioms instead of relying on rote memorization. According to Paivio (1986), associating mental images with verbal input creates an additional pathway to target information, making it easier to recall. Additional research suggests that students must understand the individual words of an idiom within context because they are salient to the structure and literal meaning. These studies, and other current research, will be presented to back up the rationale behind a three-part technique to be used when introducing new idioms. An interactive demonstration of how this technique is used in the classroom will also be presented. In order to bridge the connection between the literal and figurative meanings of idioms, the three parts of this technique include: ensuring that the students are familiar with each word in the idioms, teaching the literal meaning of the idioms, and providing associations through one or more graphic images. The result of teachers using these initial steps will provide students better recall and understanding of idioms, which will then enhance adult ESL students’ ability to process them communicatively.(243)