Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

A Manual For Teachers Of Tutorial Courses, Eduardo Reyes Torres

MA TESOL Collection

This project is written for instructors who are teaching tutorial courses. It discusses items such as methodology, techniques, use of outside resources, curriculum, lesson plans, homework and activities in the class.

The project was written based on personal experience while teaching a series of tutorial courses for the School for International Training.

Beyond Minimal Pairs, Erica Tesdell

MA TESOL Collection

In this paper, the author describes her experience teaching Standard American English pronunciation to speakers of other languages. She goes on to explore new ways of teaching pronunciation and explains why she thinks they can be more effective.

Art Activities For The Esl Classroom, Sally Elizabeth Stocking

MA TESOL Collection

Teachers often use visual aids in language teaching. In the art activities presented in this paper, students involve themselves in creating their own visual aids, e.g., pictures, collages, and puppets, and use them as a basis for expressing themselves in various language activities. The seventeen art activities in this paper can be used to review specific grammar points, to provide practice in conversation, and to improve writing skills. Designed for intermediate English conversation students, these art activities are intended to involve no more than half of a sixty-minute class period.

Original Readings For Esl Learners, Robert G. Schnelle Jr.

MA TESOL Collection

Readings for ESL students are too often simplified and controlled. Literature that has been thus tampered with cannot bring satisfaction to learners who have achieved the intermediate levels of proficiency. They need pieces which are authentic in usage. Furthermore, if they are to be actively engaged in what they read, students must have access to material which touches their experience and invites them to reflect upon their values. This collection of original fiction attempts to address both concerns: a)the passages are written with the intent that they be affectively stimulating; and b) they replace simplicity of structure with brevity, making …

Using Student Generated Material In A Student Centered Classroom, Katherine Rawson

MA TESOL Collection

This paper deals with a description and analysis of activities I developed for producing and using student generated material in a student centered classroom. The activities were developed during two months of student teaching in Mexico. The paper begins with a discussion of student centered learning, the role of the teacher and the role of the student in a student centered class, and how student generated material fits into this. The following section is divided according to each of .three· classes I taught in Mexico, and these include both children and adult classes, at beginning and intermediate levels. This section …

The Drama Approach In E.S.L. Teaching An Exploration Of The Richard Via Approach, George Edward Matthews

MA TESOL Collection

This project is an attempt to explore the English Through Drama Approach developed by Mr. Richard Via of the University of Hawaii. Special attention is given to the approach's techniques, thoughts on the use of a play in the classroom, practical objectives for the use of drama, and the kind of teacher this approach requires.

There are three short case studies illustrating this writer's work with the Via approach.

Teaching Communicative Competence To Adult Learners: An Intensive Foreign Language Program In China, Wang Lingjun

MA TESOL Collection

The main purpose of this paper is to explore some feasible ways in which communicative competence can be taught at the Beijing Second Foreign Language Institute in Beijing, China. In the first part of the paper, a portrait of the institute's intensive language program, including its philosophy, a brief history and a description of the students, is provided so that the readers will have some idea why the paper is focused on communicative competence. Language is then described as a communication process involving linguistic, interactional and variational competence. The main part of this paper focuses on some innovative techniques by …

First Language (L1) Interference In Second Language (L2) Learning (Suggested Techniques And Procedures To Aid Spanish Esl Students Overcome First Language Interference), Burnis Lewis

MA TESOL Collection

"First Language (L1) Interference in Second Language (L2) Learning: Suggested Techniques and Procedures to Aid Spanish Speaking ESL Students Overcome First Language Interference;" explores the evolution of the issues in the area of language interference and particularly the first language interference problems of Spanish speaking ESL students. A contrastive analysis is performed examining similarities and differences of Spanish and English. Theoretical predictions are checked out with actual Spanish speakers learning English. Finally, techniques and procedures are suggested to overcome first language interference.

American Humor As A Vehicle For Teaching Esl And Understanding American Culture, Marguerite Kruse

MA TESOL Collection

"American Humor as a Vehicle for Teaching ESL and Understanding American Culture" focuses on the use of different kinds of humor as entry points into an understanding of American culture and as examples of real language for ESL activities. It is a collection of self-contained activities designed for the advanced ESL student which develops both oral/aural and reading/writing skills, The topics of the activities are Norman Rockwell illustrations, psychiatrist and mother-in-law jokes, comedy routines of Bill Cosby and Lily Tomlin, and newspaper articles by Erma Bombeck and Mike Royko, Included are a rationale, analysis, and discussion.

An Esl Program For A Bilingual Elementary School, Mary Kelly

MA TESOL Collection

This project is an English as a Second Language Program designed for a small elementary school class in a bilingual French-American school.

The first part of the project includes a description of the school environment and an examination of my personal as­ sumptions about learning and teaching. This examination takes the form of objectives which I set for myself and my students in order to clarify my priorities and determine what I wanted to accomplish as a teacher.

The second part of the project includes my ESL syllabus, as well as weekly and daily lesson plans. The weekly and daily …

Shifting Responsibility For Learning From The Teacher To The Student, John W. Harmsen

MA TESOL Collection

This paper discusses a personal approach to teaching ESL which encourages greater student responsibility in the learning process. The project is designed to assist teachers who are interested in developing a teaching style which increases student initiative with the goal of helping students become increasingly independent, self-directed learners.

The project is organized into two main sections. The first is a discussion of the rationale and implications for teachers and students in this approach to teaching. Included also is a discussion regarding the necessity of meeting the affective needs of the learner. The second section presents a variety of different activities …

An Introductory Course On Computers For Esl Students, Anne Christenson Rice

MA TESOL Collection

This paper details the process of creation and an evaluation of a computer course for non-native English speakers.

A Primer In Computer Literacy For Students Of English In A Second Language, David Allen Reynolds

MA TESOL Collection

This series of seven readings for ESL students covers various topics in computer literacy. Their main aims are cognitive formation of basic concepts in computer literacy and acquisition of vocabulary pertaining to those concept areas. The intended readers are sixth grade students with an intermediate ESL ability. Grammatical structures are limited to those covered in an intensive beginners' course. Non-technical vocabulary ±s limited to a 1000-word frequency list. The readings are written at a fourth grade reading level according to Fry's Readability Scale.

Grammar Charts For Advanced Esl Levels: A Teacher’S Reference, Francis Mausley

MA TESOL Collection

This project consists of twelve grammar charts presented in a concise box form. Each chart illustrates several generalizations about the usage of a part of speech. The charts contain such items as: types, categories, sequence tendencies, structure patterns, word and phrase examples, specific functions, transformation processes etc. etc.

The work is intended as an ESL teacher's reference and the format has been designed to present the content in an efficient manner. Each of the twelve charts deal with different subjects and are therefore divided into twelve separate units. All units contain the following four sections:

A. Definition and Assumed Learning …

Ways; Socio-Cultural Aspects Of Tesl In Japan, Linda Hiroko Enga

MA TESOL Collection

The objective of this paper is to present aspects of the Japanese society and culture which may directly or indirectly affect the ESL class, specifically in a Japanese college or university. An analysis of these facts and their relevance in the ESL class and teaching techniques which have been used to meet the specific needs of the Japanese ESL students are also given.

Meeting The Challenges Of A Multi-Level Class, Valerie Berger

MA TESOL Collection

This paper draws from my experiences teaching an intensive, multi-level, English as a Second Language class which students attended on an irregular basis. The first section considers the sociological factors which created this kind of learning situation. The second states my basic assumptions about teaching in an environment lacking both homogeneity and consistency. The third section relates strategies I developed to meet the unique demands of this circumstance.

Although this paper was a requirement for my Master of Arts in Teaching degree, I have written it to be of value to volunteers or other individuals having little formal training in …

Increasing Cultural Awareness Through Effective Classroom Dynamics, Maria Cristina Enriquez Y Arcaraz

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

American Cultural Values : A Look At One's Own Cultural Identity, Judith Day, Jane Farrell

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is presented in two sections. Part A sets out a 16-lesson course for American ESL teachers in which people will look at personal and cultural values, with the goal of achieving an objective insight into the values of their culture and developing ways of incorporating this awareness in the ESL classroom. Should this course be used by non-American teachers there is another course outline (see Alternative Course Outline for Non-native Speakers of English) that has been developed. Part B is an articulation of some major values pertinent to American society. Areas covered are success, time, work, individualism, equality, …

A Personal Approach To Teaching As Applied In Three Situations, Carol Lee Converse

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

English Language Program Proposal For The Instituto Mexicano De Commercio Exterior, Sharon L. Voss

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Language And Culture In Two Worlds: Teaching English To Hmong Refugees, Sherry Lieberman Preiss, Cammille Smith

MA TESOL Collection

This project is a presentation of two curricula, one for teaching Hmong children and the other for teaching Hmong adults. The curricula provide the necessary guidelines to implement bicultural ESL instruction in a monolingual setting. Included are theoretical discussions that explain the rationale behind the format and content of each of the curricula. The curricula themselves are divided into situational units containing various linguistic and cultural components. The project stemmed from a student teaching internship in Rutland, Vermont, where the authors instructed several families (adults and children) of Hmong refugees. Although the project was primarily aimed towards teaching Hmong refugees, …

Implementing My Philosophy Of Education As A School Administrator, Joseph T. Sefcheck

MA TESOL Collection

As a school administrator, I have been responsible for the implementation of my philosophy of education, i.e., that people work, live or learn best by working as a community. By community, I mean a group of people working together toward common goals, and whose interactions are characterized by the elements of understanding, trust, openness and respect for each other's professional and personal lives. I have designed the administrative procedures: interviewing, training and development, and decision and policy making to incorporate these elements and encourage the spirit of community. To evaluate the implementation of my philosophy, I have provided examples of …

Working With Mexican Esl Teachers: Description Of A Teacher Training Experience, Hilary Russell

MA TESOL Collection

The following paper is a description and analysis of a four-day teacher training workshop which took place in February and March of 1081 in Zacatecas, Mexico. It was designed to provide English teachers with the opportunity to experience various techniques that are currently used in teaching ESL. The design and implementation of the workshop are presented in detail. Several major issues which were brought out during the workshop process and became a significant part of the discussions will also be explored. These include the applicability of certain ESL techniques to the Mexican classroom, cross-cultural communication and its role in teacher …

A Practical Handbook For Untrained English Teachers Of Lao Refugees In Vermont, Robert Ruud-Prestebak, Michael Mcalister Kennedy

MA TESOL Collection

This handbook is intended for use by untrained teachers or tutors in teaching beginning and intermediate English as a Second Language to adult refugees. Although most portions of this book are applicable to the teaching of refugees in general, this work is meant to address specifically the needs of those engaged in teaching members of the Lao ethnic group of Laos. The opening chapter provides information on the background of the Lao refugees. The novice teacher is then guided step by step through the process of designing a course syllabus, setting short-term objectives, and planning and executing individual classes. Other …

Esl/Efl Homework: Philosophical Considerations And Their Application In Esl/Efl Homework Design, David Anderson Plumb

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines ESL/EFL homework and homework design first through the exploration of two distinct approaches to homework and homework design and second through the presentation an explanation of the conclusions I reached regarding homework and homework design.

This paper is divided into five sections. The first section provides a working definition of homework and examines the different function of class time and homework time. In the second and third sections two approaches to ESL/EFL homework, traditional and non-traditional, are examined through the presentation and discussion of their constituent parts. The fourth section contains an elucidation of the conclusions I …

Units Of Study On Eight American Patriotic Holidays, Nina Pearson

MA TESOL Collection

This materials development project consists of information and lesson plans related to eight patriotic holidays in the United States. It is intended to be used by English as a Second Language teachers in intermediate classes. Each unit consists of background information on a specific holiday, a lesson plan which included culture and grammar points, and follow-up activities. Each lesson includes three objectives: a sociolinguistic/cultural objective, a linguistic objective, and an interpersonal objective, which deals with the atmosphere in which the learning takes place. Similar interpersonal objectives are stated in each lesson and emphasize the importance of a supportive, no-threatening learning …

Facilitating The Learning Of How To Learn: The Development Of Active, Resourceful, And Responsible Learners In An Experiential, Cross-Cultural, Academic Program, Teryl Lee Lundquist

MA TESOL Collection

A primary goal for education is the development of learners who know how to learn actively, resourcefully, and responsibly in the changing and complex environment in which they find themselves. Based on my own experiences as a learner and an educator , and most specifically on my experience as Academic Director of two College Semester Abroad groups to Ireland, I have formed five priorities for myself as a facilitator of such learning. These priorities are - (1) To encourage the learner first to view him or herself as the most valuable resource available, and then to look to other human …

English Through Drama: Rationale And Description Of Materials Developed In An Esl Drama Project In Israel, Enid Carol Kumin

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines the rationale and design of a series of skits which three others and I wrote and presented in Israel during the course of an "English-through-drama" program which we conducted in the public school system. The paper presents one skit, used for fourth - sixth grades, as an example of the work we produced and as a basis for clarifying the way our teaching assumptions and objectives were reflected in our materials. The skits are of interest because of the way in which they integrate various drama techniques to meet both affective and linguistic needs in the classroom, …

Teaching Spanish The Silent Way (A Summary Of Student Teaching), David Miller-Siegel

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

An Overview Of Error Correction: Cultural Dimensions And Techniques, Kathleen Carty, Joseph Reilly

MA TESOL Collection

In this paper the writers consider the theoretical issues of error correction in the language classroom. The evolution of different philosophies regarding error correction is discussed. This is followed by an overview of some of the assumptions behind language teaching approaches in vogue and implications these assumptions have for handling errors in the classroom. Finally, the paper presents classroom evidence to support the idea that there is a cultural dimension that must be considered in the treatment of learner's errors.