It has been argued that humour is beneficial in the classroom because it increases social bonding between teachers and students, salience of information, and ultimately recall and retention. The current study attempts to test some assumptions about humour as a pedagogical tool. Results have indicated that using humour to teach material significantly increases students' overall performance. This study provides some valid evidence that humour may maximize the learning outcomes of the college...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Humor, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language...
This article aims at contributing to the ongoing discussion about how bilingualism is understood in the current National Bilingualism Plan (PNB for its initials in Spanish). Based on previous research and discussions held at academic events, it is evident that the promoters of the PNB use the term "bilingualism" in a rather indiscriminate way, without adopting a clear approach or definition. This ambiguity in conceptualization has serious consequences in the way the PNB is implemented...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Bilingualism, Folk Culture, National Programs, Spanish, English (Second Language),...
The main objective of this study was to identify 6th to 11th grade students' beliefs about their English class in a public institution in Armenia, Colombia. By means of interviews, drawings, and focus groups with 30 students, four beliefs were established. It was found that students' beliefs are attached to the experiences they have lived in their English class; the discipline, the monotony, the lack of interesting material, and the impact of foreign language learning are the main related...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Attitudes, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second...
This article presents the results of a study conducted to identify the perceptions of bilingual and ESL pre-service teachers regarding the integration of a collaborative service learning project in a key course of their teacher preparation program. Pre-, process, and final reflective essays were written by participants as they engaged in the development of an ESL unit to teach language through content to ELLs. The analysis of participants' reflections revealed that preservice teachers connect...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Language Teachers, Bilingual Teachers, Teacher Collaboration, Self Concept, Teacher...
This qualitative descriptive study aimed to ascertain the extent to which classroom management constituted a problem among pre-service foreign language teachers in a teacher education program at a public university in Colombia. The study also sought to identify classroom management challenges, the approaches to confronting them, and the alternatives for improving pre-service teachers' classroom management skills. The results revealed that classroom management is a serious problem with...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Classroom Techniques, Preservice Teacher Education, Preservice Teachers, Second...
The development of critical thinking (CT) skills has become a key goal for educators in first and second language contexts. There is evidence that the use of such activities has still not become widespread in a number of ELT situations. One reason for this may be lack of awareness about how levels of thinking can be conceptualized in ELT activities. This paper will report on a program designed by the authors at a university in Iran, which used taxonomy of CT skills drawn up by Facione (1990) to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Correlation, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language...
The purpose of this manual, which accompanies a video program, is to provide general background information for foreign language teachers who are, or soon will be, teaching in total, partial, or two-way immersion classrooms. Part of a series of video programs, this manual highlights special considerations for immersion teachers as they plan and teach social studies lessons. The program discusses the following: goals of social studies; instructional strategies that promote learning of social...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Education, FLES, Immersion Programs, Language Teachers, Second Language...
It cannot be said that education today in institutions is better than the previous century. Because in the past, students' minds were not as full of time-consuming things like spending enormous time in front of a computer or a television as today. Subsequently, teachers used to concentrate their job well and students used to focus on the study better because there was nothing serious except studying. On the other hand, it can be said that the youth today are not as eager to learn as yesterday....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Extracurricular Activities, Student Motivation, Student Attitudes, Role, Academic...
Case studies are often traditionally thought of as being used in medical, legal, and business training. Physicians have long been trained by the case method, as medical school students are presented with the particulars of a patient's medical problem and are tasked with providing a diagnosis and course of treatment. In the legal field, Stanford Law School, for instance, uses case studies that "place students in the roles of lawyers and policy makers and teach fundamental lawyering skills...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Case Studies, Language Teachers, Faculty Development, Critical Thinking, Thinking...
The multicultural world has made intercultural teaching necessary. It should focus on students' ability to comprehend quickly and accurately, and then act appropriately and effectively in a culturally complex environment in order to achieve the desired goal. Intercultural competence is important for successful communication across cultures, and so is critical thinking since the two, if they are not "parallel" (Bennett, 2013), at least overlap (Deardorff, 2009). This article tries to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Critical Thinking, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second...
This paper aims to present a small group of pre-service English teachers' perceptions towards the overseas field experience programme jointly organised by a university in Canada and the teacher trainer institute in Hong Kong. The study involved seven Canadian Year 3 and 4 B.Ed. TESL students who participated in the investigated eight-week overseas field experience programme to Hong Kong. A purely qualitative method was adopted in which a semi-structured interview was conducted and the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Interviews, Language Teachers, Teaching Experience, Teacher Educators, English...
Foreign language teachers should become familiar and comfortable with computers. Learning about computers and their applications to the foreign language instructional process will provide teachers with the information needed to examine issues related to the new technology and stimulate discussion of its implementation in the school. All educators should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Many computer literacy courses give teachers general...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Classroom Techniques, Computer Assisted Instruction, Computer Assisted Testing,...
This article presents data collected in a qualitative study of Nigerian English language teachers working in Nigeria. Many of these Nigerian teachers have not had a formal introduction to reflective practice. Most of them work in conditions of constraint and challenge, experiencing a lack of resources, support and often working with large classes. The study was focused on establishing whether they saw themselves as reflective and could articulate ways in which reflection was important for them...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Reflective...
When looking at virtual environments and language learning we can take our pick where to begin. Should it be technology or pedagogy? I will use the pedagogical concept of learner autonomy to approach virtual environments in different ways. First, there is a need to look at interaction and online interaction; second, reflection as an essential ingredient to learning processes; and third, experimentation as the freedom to play around with learning tools in a stress-reduced learning environment....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Second Language Learning, Educational Benefits, Second Language Instruction, Computer...
Web based learning is considered as a breakthrough in the teaching of writing skill to the pre-service teachers at University of PGRI Semarang, Indonesia. The students should write argumentative, persuasive, and descriptive essays. This research offers significant contribution in term of the impact of web based learning on writing skill of English as Foreign Language (EFL) learners. There were 156 students who joined ODF but only 63 students (40%) were eligible. The objectives were to find its...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Web Based Instruction, Syntax, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning,...
The present study sheds light on teaching English through two ways of questioning (Socratic & Traditional) methods in Kuwaiti elementary public schools. Data were collected through a qualitative observational method. The study engaged 15 female participants, seven of whom were newly graduate English language teachers with experience in how Socratic questioning works, while the other eight teachers had >10 years experience in teaching English as a foreign language. The study revealed...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Questioning Techniques, Teaching Methods, Second Language...
A discussion of multimedia teaching techniques for second language instruction looks at the current state of educational technology for college-level Chinese language teaching, then focuses on practices for teaching Chinese at Smith College (Massachusetts). Truly multimedia materials, which use computer software, compact discs, video, slides, and overhead projection in various combinations, are found only for pronunciation instruction and intermediate-to-advanced reading instruction. At Smith...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Chinese, Classroom Techniques, College Second Language Programs, Computer Software,...
This study examined the talk of 20 university level learners of Mandarin as a Second Language in three instructional modes: teacher-led (TL), unstructured group work (UGW), and structured group work using a cooperative learning technique (SGW), in this case, Jigsaw. Statistical analyses showed that more learner talk (in terms of turns and c-units) was generated in both types of group work than in the TL setting. Of the two group modes, SGW generated more learner talk than UGW. These learner...
Topics: ERIC Archive, College Students, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Mandarin...
This chapter first looks at Extensive Reading and Extensive Listening separately, highlighting the language learning benefits of the two approaches to language learning. It then discusses ways of implementing the two together in input-poor L2 contexts where the quantity and quality of the target language input tends to be severely limited. In these situations, the main source of input comes from the classroom teachers and the coursebooks, which, while useful, tends to have limited impact on L2...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Classroom Techniques, Second Language Learning, Reading Strategies, Linguistic Input,...
This article evaluates the efficacy of explicit genre-based instruction by sensitizing the ESL learners to the concept of genre. The main questions addressed are: How does sensitizing ESL learners to the rhetorical move structure of a genre, the communicative purposes of these moves, and linguistic features that realize these moves help them to become confident writers? What impact does this sensitization have on the learners? To answer these questions, an experiment was carried out by...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Job Application, Language Attitudes, Writing Instruction, English (Second Language),...
This paper reviews recent research on English spelling and the alphabet, and examines the alphabet in terms of symbols, letter-names, and sounds. English is considerably less phonetic than most Western languages, with many symbols having more than one sound. This factor makes spelling difficult for learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) or Foreign Language (EFL). The recognition that the alphabet has three distinct identities, as a group of symbols, letter-names, and sounds, not only...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Curriculum Development, Definitions, Elementary Secondary Education, English (Second...
This study focused on five particular Communication Strategies (CSs) namely: Paraphrase, approximation, hesitation, reduction, borrowed words and invented, or anglicised. The aim was to investigate the link between the use of approvable and positive CS-types and the impact of ESL students' beliefs about CSs in a game-activity. It aims to promote students fluency based on positive CSs. The study used a series of videoed and transcribed task-observations based on "Spot the Differences"...
Topics: ERIC Archive, English (Second Language), Educational Games, Language Fluency, Second Language...
The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to understand how four in-service Spanish teachers interpreted their participation in a summer study abroad program and how the experience contributed to their ongoing professional development and language proficiency. Using a multiple case design (Simons, 2009; Stake, 2005; Yin, 2009), the researchers conducted interviews, recorded field observations and collected participant journals. By analyzing these teachers' voices, it was found that the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Qualitative Research, Study Abroad, Faculty Development, Language Teachers, Spanish,...
This research investigates the beliefs and self-reported practices of teachers in an elementary school in the Southeastern United States, where the English Language Learner (ELL) population has grown significantly over the past ten years. The findings describe and clarify mainstream teachers' beliefs regarding the academic preparation of ELLs, as well as their interaction with the students' families and the institution's ELL teacher. Suggestions are offered as to how classroom teachers and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, English Language Learners, Elementary School Students, Teacher Attitudes, Beliefs,...
Despite the fact that foreign language speaking anxiety is a common phenomenon in the teaching of English as a foreign language in Greece, teachers do not always identify anxious students, and often attribute their unwillingness to participate in speaking tasks to factors such as lack of motivation, or low performance. This article aims to contribute to the literature on language anxiety and to provide teachers with strategies for reducing foreign language speaking anxiety stemming from...
Topics: ERIC Archive, English (Second Language), Anxiety, Second Language Instruction, Foreign Countries,...
The Central European countries are currently in transition in all sectors. In education, the greatest challenge is providing sufficient English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction to meet the expanding demand, particularly after many years in which English was not taught widely in Hungary, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. High pedagogical standards are being challenged by serious shortages of well-trained ESL teachers and materials. In some cases, teachers weak in English language skills or...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Change, Educational Needs, Elementary Secondary Education, English...
This publication reports on the work of four universities in "The Public Schools Rewards Project: A Higher Ed Tough One, which was begun in 1995 and was designed to enhance the value that university rewards systems placed on faculty work with K-12 schools and teachers, and ultimately to improve the quality of education delivered in K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. Following the Prologue by Dan Tompkins, an overview by Crystal J. Gips describes the participating campuses...
Topics: ERIC Archive, College Faculty, College School Cooperation, Educational Improvement, Educational...
Based on the concept that language learning uses not only cognitive competencies but also attitudes about the language to be learned, self-concept, and group identity, the book examines psychosocial issues in the teaching of German to native French speakers in Switzerland. The first part discusses the psychosocial approach to second language learning, drawing on recent research and theory. The second and third sections detail the study, conducted in a Swiss secondary school, which had the dual...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Class Activities, Classroom Techniques, Foreign Countries, German, Identification...
This journal issue presents works in progress by students and professors on topics ranging from speech act analysis and classroom discourse to language planning and second language acquisition. Papers are generally based on research carried out for courses offered in the Language in Education Division of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. This issue contains three articles: "From Interpersonal to Classroom Discourse: Developing Research Methods" (Elite...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Business Administration, Classroom Environment, Cross Cultural Training, Discourse...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 7 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Programs of Study: Junior High Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 7 curriculum. Following introductory material that includes information on Aboriginal education, supports for...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Education, Career Exploration, Educational Objectives, Fine Arts, Foreign...
Texts accompanied by photographs and drawings introduce students to four means of public transportation and to major tourist attractions in Munich, German Federal Republic. Vocabulary is glossed in the margin, and texts are followed by questions and exercises. Some suggestions for additional activities are given in English. An appendix includes maps of the suburban railway system and the Munich subway system. (MSE)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Bus Transportation, Class Activities, Foreign Countries, German, Instructional...
This report discusses the evaluation of the academic English language program at the International University of Japan (IUJ), focusing on some common evaluation problems and approaches taken at IUJ to solving them and drawing on recent theory. The first of these techniques is a systematic approach to program data collection using varied kinds of information: qualitative and quantitative, formal and informal, and information that is both directly and indirectly relevant. Sources of information...
Topics: ERIC Archive, College Second Language Programs, Data Collection, English for Academic Purposes,...
The guide presents ratings of computer software, audiotape recordings, videotape recordings, on-line systems, and miscellaneous technology-based materials for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). First, the forms used for evaluation are presented, and then the programs or materials are listed alphabetically by title. Each listing includes a rating on a scale of 1.0 to 4.0, the material type, title, publisher, and price. An annotated citation for each listing follows, with a notation of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Computer Software Evaluation, Educational Technology, English (Second Language),...
We begin the article with a brief discussion of why groups are recommended in language teaching. After that, we describe what Cooperative Learning (CL) is. Then, we suggest ways in which CL and Information Technology (IT) fit well together. This is followed by some examples of how to combine CL with IT. [This article was published in Teaching of English Language and Literature," v13 n2 p5-8 1997.]
Topics: ERIC Archive, Cooperative Learning, Computer Uses in Education, Group Activities, Second Language...
This article examines how the use of mobile technologies (iPods and tablets) in language classrooms contributes to redesigning task-based approaches for young language learners. The article is based on a collaborative action research (CAR) project in Early French Immersion classrooms in the province of Alberta, Canada. The data collection included digital ethnographic observation in the classrooms, students' artifacts, and interviews with teachers and students. The findings outlined how the use...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Handheld Devices, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Teaching...
This paper discusses findings from a study investigating feedback efficacy on the accurate use of prepositions by ESL learners in written work over a period of 12 weeks. The study involved two treatment groups and a control group comparing the differential effects of the focused indirect with the unfocused indirect corrective feedback on the uptake and retention measured from the pretest, immediate and delayed posttests. The study also analysed the language-related episodes (LREs) occurring in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Feedback (Response), Language...
This study explored on perception, usage and obstacles of using ICT in teaching English Language among secondary school English teachers. The advancement of technology has given a space for teachers to boost teaching and learning of English language in secondary schools. It is believed that integration of ICT could enhance quality of teaching and make learning very effective. This paper first examined on secondary school English teachers' perception about the integration of ICT in teaching...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Second...
Textbooks provide novice teachers with guidance in course and activity design; it assures a measure of structure, consistency, and logical progression in a class; It meets a learner's needs or expectations of having something concrete to work from and take home for further study; It may provide multiple resources: tapes, CDs, videos, self-study workbooks etc. While the quality of ESL reading textbooks has improved dramatically in recent years, the process of selecting an appropriate text has...
Topics: ERIC Archive, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction,...
Student performance in a Connectivist Massive Open Online Course (cMOOC), featuring daily synchronous web meetings was analyzed to explore the possibility of increased participant motivation and confidence. Participant survey data and course performance data were compiled, analyzed, and interpreted for 1256 individuals who completed a pre-course survey and 54 selected individuals who completed the post-course survey and met the sample criteria. This qualitative study adds to the overall...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Online Courses, Spanish, Synchronous Communication, Student Motivation, Self Esteem,...
In this paper, we will introduce an innovative software platform that can be especially useful in a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) context. This tool is called Vocabulary Notebook, and has been developed to solve all the problems that traditional (paper) vocabulary notebooks have. This tool keeps focus on the personalisation of the learning process as a key element, but it also provides the advantages of technology, solving paper-related problems and providing additional...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Vocabulary Development, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Course...
This article has at its core the unraveling of factors that have influenced the identity of those who have been caught in between two worlds (Mexico and The United States) and whom will be called pre- and in-service returnees from now on. A qualitative approach was chosen in order to delve deep into the participants' lived experiences through narrative inquiry which in turn aided in the discovery of the elements that have influenced their identity construction. The data suggest that those same...
Topics: ERIC Archive, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction,...
This study examined the effectiveness of teaching methods used with a second language reading and writing unit. This investigation addressed discrepancies between assessment scores in the four communicative language skill areas of students in beginning-level Spanish classes at a suburban middle school. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to explore how literacy-based practices that included teaching strategies used with reading, teaching use of the writing process with a writing...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Reading Strategies, Writing Processes, Second Language Learning, Academic...
Engage is a new form of mobile application that connects students studying English with teachers in real-time via their smartphones. Students receive target language through preparation dialogues, and then apply it to a role-play with a teacher. The conceptualization and development of Engage follows the user-centred design approach; and the product was built through multiple iterations: in the first iteration, students were invited to try out a paper mock-up; in the second iteration, students...
Topics: ERIC Archive, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction,...
The current study aims to explore the overall relationships between use of English language learning strategies and personality traits of the female university level learners of English language as a university major. Four instruments were used, which were Adapted Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) of Rebecca L. Oxfords, A Background Questionnaire, NEO-Five Factors Inventory (NEO-FFI), and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Two hundred and thirteen Iranian female...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Personality Traits, Learning Strategies, Personality, Foreign Countries, English...
International education, particularly through study abroad experiences, has the potential of preparing students for a globally interconnected world. While challenging, it is necessary to translate aspirations of global citizenship into educational programs and assessing their effectiveness. A necessary step in such process consists in taking a close and critical look at the challenges and possibilities for the development of global citizenship through education abroad. In this paper, I follow a...
Topics: ERIC Archive, International Education, Study Abroad, Ethnography, Citizenship, Global Approach,...
Is learning about culture important when learning a foreign language? One would think that after its long history in the field of foreign language teaching this question had been answered with a resounding "yes". However, I saw little evidence of this in the classroom when I returned to the university to learn a foreign language or when I began teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL). I decided to investigate, and found that while much has been published about the theory of the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Adult Learning, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language...
Approaches to foreign language (FL) instruction have changed a great deal in the past fifty years, the most fundamental change being the shift from a focus solely on language form to a focus on communicative competence (CC). Although most FL instructors now appear to focus on CC in the teaching of speaking, they do not necessarily apply CC to writing in the same way. The study reported here attempts to describe the role currently played by writing in the first and second-year FL curriculum by...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Teaching Methods, College...
This study attempted to identify the advantages of using personalized texts for teaching Turkish grammar rules to foreigners. The sample comprised two homogenous groups, one experimental and one control, who studied at TÖMER (Turkish Language Learning Research and Application Center) at Gazi University. The students in the experimental group were taught grammar classes using personalized texts based on information obtained from a student-completed personal information form (including their...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Control Groups, Turkish, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction,...
Project Porvenir was a federally-funded program serving 392 native Spanish-speaking, limited-English-proficient students in four Bronx (New York) elementary schools in 1992-93, its fifth and final year of operation. Participating students were general education students in grades 3-6 and special education students. Students received instruction in career education in their English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and native language arts (NLA) classes. Staff development, parent involvement in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Attendance Patterns, Bilingual Education Programs, Career Education, Curriculum...
It is proposed that Master's in Business Administration (MBA) degree programs integrate Japanese language instruction in order to train business people to be sensitive to cultural differences and capable of operating effectively and comfortably in Japanese environments. The discussion begins by presenting some issues concerning traditional MBA program design and traditional liberal arts Japanese language programs, then discusses the importance of integrating the two disciplines. In particular,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Business Administration Education, Business Communication, Change Strategies, College...
