Rita Corcoran Davis

Introduction

Service animals have been used to assist people since the 1700’s. Even though visually impaired individuals have utilized dogs since the 18th century, the concept of service dogs really came about when veterans began using guide dogs after World War I.

Currently, dogs of various breeds are being trained to assist veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome as well as head and other physical injuries. Dogs are also being trained to assist those who have seizures and students with autism. Capuchin monkeys are being trained to assist paraplegics. To date, no research has been done in using birds, parrots to be specific, in assisting adults and children. I propose that parrots that can be taught to speak can assist English as Second Language (ESL) learners.

Background

For the 2012-2013 school year, I brought in my Quaker parrot, Houdini, to encourage one of my high functioning autistic students, Drew (not his real name), to speak in class. I placed the bird’s cage near Drew’s desk and put him in charge of the bird. He would come in each day, water, and feed Houdini, and place Houdini on the top of his cage. Often, Drew would have Houdini on his shoulder while he did his seatwork. My class is not for special needs students. It is a traditional classroom consisting of 35 third graders. That year, I had 2 students considered to be on the autism spectrum. The other autistic student was not interested in interacting with Houdini, so Drew became Houdini’s primary caregiver. Each day Drew would speak with Houdini; the other students began to call Drew the “Bird Whisper”. When any of Drew’s fellow students asked questions about Houdini, Drew had no problem speaking with them and answering their questions. By the end of the year, Drew was talking to some of his fellow classmates without Houdini running interference for him. Drew was even able to give an oral presentation on Snakes as his end of the year project.

As a result of the success of this “experiment” I acquired another bird for the 2013-2014 school year. She is a 15 year old female Lilac-crested Amazon Parrot by the name of Bocce. Bocce came with a small vocabulary and a sweet disposition. I did not have any students with special needs during the 2013-2014 school year, yet all the students enjoyed interacting with Bocce as the class pet. They took turns caring for her and trying to teach her new phrases and whistles. Currently, she is learning the Jeopardy theme song and to yell, “Liam! What?!” (Liam is my youngest son).

A study was done where an African Grey parrot named Alex was taught various words over a 31 year span. Alex knew his colors, shapes and had a vocabulary of approximately 100 words. It was determined that not only could he learn but Alex appeared to have the ability think when asked to choose an object among a group of objects.

Proposal

Based on my success of utilizing my Quaker parrot, Houdini, to engage my special needs student Drew, I propose using parrots to engage and assist ESL students. Birds are non-judgmental, and when cared for properly, a parrot can live to approximately 75 years old. In addition, very few students are allergic to parrots.

The type of parrot that learns words, phrases, and sounds the fastest is an African Grey parrot. Many Amazon parrots, such as Bocce, can also learn to speak, the only deficit being that it takes a little longer. I propose introducing African Grey or Amazon parrots into classrooms with ESL students for the purpose of assisting students in practicing English.

In discussing this proposal with Dr. Ana Lado of the LADO Institute, Arlington, Virginia, and professor at Marymount University in Alexandria, Virginia, she told me of a time when she brought mice into her ESL classroom. She introduced the mice to her students. Each day the mice would “leave the students notes”. Usually these were simple questions or statements such as, “My favorite color is blue. What is yours?” The students would have to respond in English using complete sentences and then, speaking in English, ask their fellow students what their favorite color was. After a while the notes became more complicated such as “Mickey the mouse is not telling the truth. His favorite color is really yellow. What do you think of that?” Dr. Lado also said that using puppets is another good method to get ESL students to interact due to puppets being non-threatening.

The concept of introducing animals or inanimate objects that can be personified into an ESL classroom is to encourage the student(s) to communicate to “someone” who they perceive as being non-judgmental. By introducing a bird that can be taught to speak, the student can talk to the bird and practice his/her English.

I have recently learned that for the 2014-2015 school year, I will have a student from China with limited English proficiency. Bocce is already anxious to meet her new friend.

Conclusion

In conclusion, not every ESL teacher can have a parrot in his or her classroom. For those who can, these birds could be another instrument in the ESL or traditional classroom teacher’s toolbox in assisting ESL students in lessening the “Silent Period” and becoming more confident.

References

Ganeri, A. (2012). My dog is a hero. New York, NY: Scholastic.
http://pawsitivesolutions.org/2013/01/history-of-service-dogs/
Lado, A. (personal communication, May 15, 2014)
Pepperberg, I. M. (2008). Alex & me. New York: MJF Books.