EFL

A Cure For Formal Language Errors In Papua New Guinea (& Elsewhere) - This Is Your Problem, Friend, Not Mine

by Thorold (Thor) May

The material in this article is as relevant now as it ever was. Some things don't change.  It was first published in Guidelines - A Periodical For Classroom Language Teachers, Vol.8, No.1,  June 1986, SEAMEO Regional Language Centre, Singapore. This is an extended version of a paper given  at the TESLA Conference in Goroka, PNG, in July 1985.

This paper proposes that teacher correction often has very little transfer effect on a student's later language... more This paper proposes that teacher correction often has very little transfer effect on a student's later language behaviour. It examines reasons for this, and the motivational paradigm within which students operate. The paper argues that student self-correction is more likely to have a measurable long term effect. A mechanism to motivate directed self-correction is therefore proposed. This mechanism involves subtracting marks from assessed essays, and indicating line locations where there is a problem, without however explaining the problem. The procedure gives students the option to recover the lost marks through re-editing and re-submission within a time frame. The system has been tested empirically and found to yield promising results. The method of error evaluation also results in a lower burden of pointless correction for teachers.

Attributions for performance: A comparative study of Japanese and Thai university students

by Peter Gobel

The impact of culture on student attributions for performance: A comparative study of three groups of EFL/ESL learners

by Peter Gobel

Stress, Rhythm and Intonation for Teachers and Students

by Thorold (Thor) May

also available on the blog, Thor's Language & Teaching Notes at http://thorslanguageandteachingnotes.byeways.net/?p=38

This document is directed at teachers and students of English as a second or foreign language.

These are notes on English stress, rhythm and intonation.

Part A is for students and Part B is for... more These are notes on English stress, rhythm and intonation.

Part A is for students and Part B is for teachers.

The treatment here is “technical”, as by a linguist, but in very plain language. Even with poor formal English, L2 speakers who “sound right” will gain social acceptance, and this in turn will greatly accelerate their learning.

Firstly the concept of “the music of a language” is introduced. It is noted that languages are on a scale of “syllable timed” to “stress timed” (though this is not a simple matter). English is a stress-timed language. Both word stress and sentence stress are essential in English. However, proper word liaison and elision marks native speakers from non-native speakers. Some advice is given on how to practice privately and in a classroom. The importance of teacher talk as a model is noted.

Grammar For Language Teachers

by Thorold (Thor) May

A seminar for language teachers.
Also on the blog, Thor's Language & Teaching Notes at http://thorslanguageandteachingnotes.byeways.net/

Abstract : 1. What are we doing when we do grammar ? / 2. So what is grammar?/ 3. Where do the rules in book grammars... more Abstract : 1. What are we doing when we do grammar ? / 2. So what is grammar?/ 3. Where do the rules in book grammars come from ? / 4. So is grammar just about the links between words ? / 5.Language grammar always happens at the same time as lots of other things in your brain / 6. What should grammar teachers teach ? / 7. Do students learn useful language control from studying grammar books? / 8. Can teachers teach grammar? / 9. How can language teachers be most useful? / 10. Do grammar mistakes matter? / 11. Is accuracy more important than fluency?

This is the outline of a seminar on grammar teaching given as a teacher inservice for Chinese English teachers in Zhengzhou, Henan, China, on 13 May 2008. Thor May has been teaching language and linguistics since 1976.

Literature circles for critical thinking in global issues classes

by Howard Brown

Brown, H. (2009). Literature circles for critical thinking in global issues classes. In A. M. Stoke (Ed.), JALT2008 Conference Proceedings. Tokyo: JALT.

In EFL classes around the world, critical thinking is becoming more of a central theme and it is a goal of many... more In EFL classes around the world, critical thinking is becoming more of a central theme and it is a goal of many language programs. This is especially true in the popular field of global issues. A quick survey of any major publisher’s catalogue will show a number of titles dedicated to developing English skills while learning about global issues. These books promote the idea of becoming a critical thinker, which is seen as both a goal and a necessary element of global issues courses. This paper examines the use of literature circles to help students develop
critical thinking abilities by bringing literature into the global issues curriculum. Using literature in content based instruction classes can personalize remote issues and help make students more aware of their own attitudes. The process of analysis used in literature circles helps develop the analytical skills and self-evaluative stance needed to develop critical thinking.

Cognitive grammar and EFL methodology: the case for "tenses"

by Alexander Kravchenko

Uncorrected proof. To appear in:
Акутальные проблемы филологии и педагогической лингвистики. Вып. 14. Владикавказ, 2012

A cognitive approach to instructed acquisition of English tenses by speakers of Russian is described in the framework... more A cognitive approach to instructed acquisition of English tenses by speakers of Russian is described in the framework of a cognitive theory of tense and aspect (CTTA). It is argued that the meaning and function of the so-called tenses may be understood in relation to the underlying cognitive structures rooted in perceptual experience, which are similar in both languages. The usual stumbling blocks in the acquisition of "tenses" are summed up, and a simple three-step procedure is offered for choosing a correct tense in discourse. The suggested approach allows to dramatically improve the process of grammar acquisition.

Keywords: cognitive grammar, observer, perceptual groundedness, aspect.

Why I still love Japan. The best of both worlds, via the eyes of one ex-pat who left.

by Ben Humphreys

This is a topic that I often have trouble articulating to truly encapsulate my feelings. But I think I finally know... more This is a topic that I often have trouble articulating to truly encapsulate my feelings. But I think I finally know why now, after living in Osaka for 6 ½ years, and now back home for almost two. Japan really is the best of both worlds. You can have your ramen and slurp it too.

What Motivates Higher Achievers in Japanese Senior High School?

by Thomas Lockley

Published in "The School House".
http://www.juniorseniorhighsig.org/wordpress/?page_id=8

In 2003 the Japanese ministry of Education (MEXT) published "The National Action Plan to Cultivate 'Japanese with... more In 2003 the Japanese ministry of Education (MEXT) published "The National Action Plan to Cultivate 'Japanese with English Abilities'". It stated as one of its main aims the fostering of “a positive attitude toward communication through foreign languages” (MEXT, 2003). This paper, by means of a content analysis of 51 student essays entitled “My High School English Lessons”, investigates what Japanese students report as fostering a positive attitude towards language learning. It discusses issues raised by the content analysis with reference to some relevant literature.

2003年に、文部科学省は、「英語が使える日本人」の育成のための行動計画と題した戦略構想を発表した。この構想の主な目的は、「外国語を通してコミュニケーション能力」を育成することにある。私は、この研究において、日本の英語教育における最近の課題に着目している。そして私の51人の学生の「私の学校の英語の授業」という題のエッセイを内容分析して、何が学生の言語学習に対する意欲を高めているのかということについて考えてみた。また、学生が英語嫌いになる原因についても調べ、さらに内容分析によって挙げられたいくつかの課題を議論し、課題を解決しうる方法も述べようと思う。特に注目している課題は、日本の高等学校において、日本国籍の英語教諭と英語を母国語としている英語教諭への学生の認識の違いである。同様に、オーラルコミュニケーションの授業、試験、英語の授業態度の様子などについても述べようと思う。

Pedagogical Application of Weblogging in EFL Education: Practices and Challenges

by IOLC Conference

Arnel E. Genzola
English Department, Jilin University-Lambton College, People’s Republic of China
agenzola@yahoo.com

Organizing Vygotskian-based Mediating Classrooms to Enhance EFL Learners Communication Abilities

by IOLC Conference

Sorayya Behroozizad
Islamic Azad University, Maragheh Branch, Iran

Demotivating Factors in the EFL Environment

by IOLC Conference

Dr. Nilüfer BEKLEYEN
Turkey
n.bekleyen@gmail.com

Enhancing English Vocabulary Learning Using SMS in Rural Areas

by IOLC Conference

Ebrahim Ezati
A faculty member of Payam-e Noor University of Guilan
E_ezati@pnu.ac.ir

Kiomars Kimyayi
Payam-e Noor University of Guilan
k.kimyayi@gmail.com

Language Policing the purist and mono linguist beliefs in The English as a second langauge classroom" at IIEMCA 2011, Fribourg, Switzerland.

by Alia Amir

The place of pronunciation in current ELT manuals: a review

by Vasiliki Kanellou

Kanellou, V. 2009. Speak Out! 41, pages: 4-7

What is the place of pronunciation in English Language Teaching (ELT) today? And, what is its role in the development... more What is the place of pronunciation in English Language Teaching (ELT) today? And, what is its role in the development of learners' listening and spaking skills? In an attempt to provide answers to these questions I will examine the treatment of pronunciation in 26 ELT manuals and handbooks and 11 book chapters that have been published within the last decade.

More heat than light:controversies in second language writing

by Michael Stout

Published in the Bulletin of Toyo Gakuen University

This paper examines four areas of controversy in second language writing: contrastive rhetoric, ideology and politics,... more This paper examines four areas of controversy in second language writing: contrastive rhetoric, ideology and politics, personal versus academic writing, and assessment. It questions the value of the resulting debate for second language writing instructors and in the end concludes that these controversies are of little practical value.

Issues in Lexis and TEFL

by Yousuf B. AlBader

This research will overview the principles of teaching lexis in English to speakers of other languages. To cast the... more This research will overview the principles of teaching lexis in English to speakers of other languages. To cast the net as wide as possible we can say that learning any language’s lexis is as important as learning how to drive a car. Just as car driving needs extreme attention, so does language lexis. Though there are some restricted rules about learning vocabulary of a specific language, but this will be discussed later on in this essay. First, what is lexis? Generally speaking, it is a linguistic term used for the vocabulary of a language. But how is it related to the study of Applied Linguistics? As we know, Applied Linguistics is concerned with the study and teaching of a foreign or second language. In that case, learning a language’s vocabulary has a significant effect upon the EFL learner. Vocabulary means words; nobody can think without words. So the more words we know, the better we can think. The better we can think, the more we can influence people. Thus, a word misused in any situation can not only make the reader lose concentration but also gives a very negative image of carelessness. Kuwaiti students will be the model for foreign learners of English in this essay.

Learners to teacher: Portfolios, please! Perceptions of portfolio assessment in EFL classrooms

by Matthew Apple

This paper presents the results of a study concerning learner perceptions of the benefits of portfolio assessment... more This paper presents the results of a study concerning learner perceptions of the benefits of portfolio assessment compared to traditional testing. Responding to both closed Likert 5-point scale questions and open-response written questions, learners at two Japanese universities strongly believed portfolio construction helped them improve compositional and expressive writing ability. Though it was enjoyable for most students, learners found portfolio construction much more difficult than exams and showed improved meta-cognitive awareness of the learning process. Although examinations assess only a moment of the learning process and can be demotivating, portfolios encourage learner autonomy and increase linguistic competence while assessing the learning process over an extended period of time.

How to Use Skype in the ESL/EFL Classroom

by Sarah Elaine Eaton

Is Teaching Culture-Bound? A Cross-Cultural Study on the Beliefs of ELT Teachers

by Cem Can

Can, C., Bedir, H., Kilian´ska-Przybyło, G. (2011). Is Teaching Culture-Bound?  A Cross-Cultural Study on the Beliefs of ELT Teachers. In J. Arabski and A. Wojtaszek (eds.), Aspects of Culture in Second Language Acquisition
and Foreign Language Learning, Second Language Learning and Teaching, (pp.105-118). London:Springer.

ELT teacher education has traditionally been based on the development of a repertoire of teaching skills, acquired... more ELT teacher education has traditionally been based on the development of a repertoire of teaching skills, acquired through methodology courses at ELT Departments, observing experienced teachers and practice-teaching in a controlled
setting as in micro-teaching or peer-teaching. However, the programs focusing on such kind of teacher training seem to be overlooking the nature of teacher learning process which should be viewed as a form of socialization into the professional
thinking. According to Richards (Beyond training. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1998) the teaching process is a thinking process shaping decision making reflected into the teaching itself. By the same token, novice teachers and
student teachers should be equipped with not only the knowledge about the subject matter, instruction, and context, but also the repertoire of ‘mental scripts andbehavioural routines’ (Berliner Exploring teachers’ thinking. Cassell, London,
pp. 60–83, 1987, p. 72) moulding the teacher beliefs about language teaching,learner, and teacher. Borg (Teacher cognition and language education. Continuum Research and Practice, London, 2006, p. 275) draws our attention to the impact of
contextual (and cultural) factors on the novice teachers’ cognitions. Neglecting them results in partial and flawed characterization of teachers and teaching. In this particular study, we aimed at comparing Polish and Turkish novice and
student teacher beliefs on language teaching, learner, and teacher considering the variables such as culture, year of experience and educational system. Additionally, we intended to examine images generated by novice teachers in different educational and cultural settings (a closer look would be given to similar studies) in order to determine the extent to which the beliefs reflect teachers’ awareness of professional practice (or lack of it) or the impact of cultural variables.