|
Dòng
|
Nội dung
|
|
1
|
A case for bilingual learners’ dictionaries./ Robert Lew and Arleta Adamska-Sałaciak
// ELT journal. 2015, Vol. 69, No. 1. 2015p. 47-57. This article makes a case for bilingual learners’ dictionaries. These dictionaries are very different from traditional bilingual dictionaries, being attuned to the productive needs of learners who are speakers of a specific L1. Although they have been around for some time now, teachers of English remain largely unaware of their benefits (or, possibly, their existence), continuing to promote the one-size-fits-all monolingual English learners’ dictionaries (MELDs) as the best choice for their students. As practising lexicographers, we cannot fail to appreciate the excellence of the leading MELDs, but, as we try to show, there are important respects in which even the best monolingual dictionary cannot assist a foreign language learner. We also explain why bilingualized dictionaries (adaptations of MELDs) are not a viable alternative to custom-designed bilingual learners’ dictionaries when it comes to helping students speak or write in English. Our arguments are illustrated by sample entries taken from dictionaries for speakers of Japanese, Polish, and Portuguese learning English; some more examples of bilingual learners’ dictionaries for speakers of different languages are given in the Appendix.
|
|
2
|
Action research facilitated by university–school collaboration./ Rui Yuan, Icy Lee.
// ELT journal. 2015, Vol. 69, No. 1. 2015.tr. 1-10. While Action Research (AR) is promoted as a powerful route for teachers’ professional development, different contextual challenges may arise during the process; teachers may be helped to overcome these challenges with the guidance of external facilitators. Drawing on data from interviews and the teachers’ AR reports, this article explores how two EFL teachers conducted AR by participating in a university–school collaborative project. Findings of the study show that with the scaffolding provided by university researchers, the teachers changed their conceptions about research and coped with different contextual constraints in their AR, leading to professional learning and development. This study concludes with some implications about how AR can be used to promote teachers’ continuing professional development.
|
|
3
|
Getting EFL students to speak: an action research approach./ Gerald Talandis Jr, Michael Stout.
// ELT journal. 2015, Vol. 69, No. 1. 2015tr. 11-25. This article exemplifies an action research-based approach for addressing conversation skills in an EFL setting. In many EFL contexts, especially those where English is a required subject, getting students to speak can be a challenge. In 2011, at a private Japanese university, a year-long action research project was conducted to help 160 first-year students taking mandatory English classes speak more fluently. The intervention was a new syllabus featuring personalized topics, more L1 support, direct instruction of pragmatic strategies, and frequent assessment of spoken English. Questionnaires, class notes, and recorded data from three iterative cycles of research were collected and analysed to evaluate the intervention from student and teacher perspectives. Results indicate that by the end of the year, student conversations appeared more fluent and accurate. Implications applicable to teachers working in other contexts are discussed.
|
|
4
|
Reflecting on teacher–student relations in TESOL./ Thomas S. C. Farrell.
// ELT journal. 2015, Vol. 69, No. 1. 2015tr. 26-34. Research in general education suggests that relationship-building is at the core of quality learning experiences. Yet relationship-building has not received the attention, it deserves from researchers in the field of TESOL where teacher–student relationships of various types are a central component in successful teaching and learning. This article examines the perspectives of three experienced English as a Second Language teachers on teacher–student relationships and the nature and importance of personal and emotional investment in relationship-building, elicited during group discussions in a teacher reflection group in Canada. Results indicate that the entertainer–audience pedagogical relationship was important for all three teachers, but also raised questions for them which they had to address. In addition, setting boundaries for teacher–student relationships and the issue of student responsibility were reflected on by all three teachers.
|
|
5
|
Teacher-led collaborative modelling in academic L2 writing courses / Rosemary Wette
// ELT journal. 2015, Vol. 69, No. 1. 2015p. 71-80. Teacher-led collaborative modelling is a type of scaffolded instruction in which the teacher and learners compose and edit an academic text in a process that involves negotiation and shared responsibility. This study examined observed episodes of collaborative modelling of summaries, paraphrases, and other text types in pre-university and university academic writing courses. In interview statements, teachers pointed out a number of benefits of this instructional strategy. They included the opportunities it provided for them to support and respond immediately to learners’ contributions, and the feedback it gave them about learners’ current levels of ability and confidence. Despite the heavy cognitive demands it makes on teacher and learners, teacher-led collaborative modelling appears to be a useful instructional strategy that supports learning processes by focusing simultaneously on process and product components of academic writing.
|
|
|
|
|