Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

“O.Henry’S American Scenes” And The Accompanying Language Activities To Use In The Efl And Esl Classes, Tamila Mehtiyeva

MA TESOL Collection

“O.Henry’s American Scenes” is a Ladder Edition book at the 1,000-word level published by the English Language Programs Division in Washington D.C. The Ladder Series of books are specially prepared editions of well-known American books. They have been shortened and simplified to use for ESL and EFL students. Though the stories have been shortened, they remain enjoyable and engaging to read. The author uses these stories in her classes at Baki State University.

This thesis shows how the teachers of ESL and EFL can use these stories as an effective teaching tool in their classes. Included are 7 stories taken …

Using Students' Written Feedback As Classroom Content To Promote Community, Nora Mckenna

MA TESOL Collection

This paper describes the collection of written feedback from students and an attempt to to impact class atmosphere by publishing back anonymous excerpts to students. By using these excerpts as content for language learning activities, students could enjoy themselves as they warmed up for their weekly lesson in English and at the same time learn about their classmates' perceptions of previous shared learning experiences. This created a type of ongoing written dialogue (correspondence) to articulate the joys and frustrations of learning another language. Meanwhile, students were also learning to trust the feedback cycle and one another as they became aware …

Project-Based Learning: Five Projects That Stimulated Student Learning, Asuka Kitano

MA TESOL Collection

This paper, based from a classroom research project, examines a variety of projects which can help students become positive learners. The first chapter gives relevant background information and introduces the reasoning behind and implementation of five particular projects, which I used in the classroom. The following five chapters each focus on one particular project (skit festivals, textbooks, poster presentations, class visuals, and response papers), and each chapter describes and analyzes each project, and also includes student feedback. The appendices, which follow each of the five projects, include photos of the students and their output, and this should help demonstrate the …

Actividades Prácticas Para La Enseñanza Del Curso De Ubicación Avanzada De Literatura En Español (Ap Spanish Literature), María José González

MA TESOL Collection

In my two years as a teacher of Advanced Placement Spanish Literature, I have developed a variety of activities intended to help my students form a lasting connection with the depth and magnificence of literature written in the language of Cervantes.

In May 2003, the College Board presented a new AP Spanish Literature exam and program that requires the study and analysis of a widely expanded list of works. The challenge of covering this enormous volume of material in one school year inspired me to be both practical and original in my instructional planning. By making the activities both useful …

Teaching Adult Efl Learners In Japan From A Japanese Perspective, Patricia Jean Gage

MA TESOL Collection

This paper presents teaching materials that were developed for adult EFL learners in Japan. The author’s primary purpose for developing these materials was to create lessons that would utilize content from a Japanese perspective and the students’ personal interests. The author asserts that students are able to communicate more effectively when the topic and the content of the lessons are familiar to the students. Developed around topics chosen by the students, these lessons contain anecdotes written by the students along with activities that integrate listening, reading, speaking, and writing. The five lessons and the rationale for designing them are included …

Enhancing A Student Exchange With A Day-By-Day Activities Folder, Anne Cottagnoud

MA TESOL Collection

This paper reviews the use of a Folder to document series of activities designed to enhance and maximize learning during a student exchange. Swiss high school students visited their American partners and conducted activities before, during and after the exchange. The Folder was a teacher-prepared booklet that engaged students in the four phases of Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle: experience, observation and reflection, abstract thinking and generalizing, and testing learned concepts. It also encouraged the Swiss students to ask questions of American host families and American students in order to learn more about American culture. The Folder made use of …

Language And Cultural Learning Through Student Generated Photography, David M. Cosgrove

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines and discusses the unique teaching context and the inherent problems faced by foreign English teachers in the Japanese University System. It contains a personal account of the process the author went through to develop a new and interesting curriculum to overcome these problems. This curriculum is based on student-generated photographs of their lives and is an effective method of both language learning and culture learning. Included in the paper is a step-by-step course description of twenty-four lesson plans based on the photographs.

The Din Theory Revealed: Theoretical, Professional, And Personal Reflections Concerning The Socialization Of Language, Dana Elise Arends

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is a written analysis of my personal experience with the "din in the head" theory proposed by Dr. Elizabeth Barber and Dr. Stephen Krashen (Barber 1980; Krashen 1981). I experienced this din firsthand during a three day trip to Montreal, Quebec in Canada and a subsequent three day trip to Roma, in Italia. I will propose that the language din suggested by professors Barber and Krashen does exist. Furthermore, I will show how the Spanish din with which I had become familiar with from my classes at the School for International Training hindered, and at times prohibited, my …

Building Community With Adolescent English Language Learners, Jill Antal

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines a year of teaching in which the author used social and emotional learning strategies to build community in her classroom of English Language Learners at Macfarland Middle School in Washington, DC in 2001-2002. The author’s adaptations to components of Northeast Foundation for Children’s Responsive Classroom model are discussed. The conception and implementation of the author’s own project, Passport Partners, is included. The major research supporting Social and Emotional Learning is briefly presented, as well as the wider implications of addressing or not addressing students’ social and emotional needs.

Connecting Language And Culture Through Storytelling: A Materials Development Project, Sarah M. Anderson

MA TESOL Collection

This materials development project presents a Total Physical Response Storytelling (TPRS) unit created around an authentic Mexican legend. The author wrote and taught ten mini-stories in preparation for using the legend as the main story of the unit.

The author first discusses the theory behind the TPRS approach and its effectiveness in regards to language teaching and learning. An overview of how the TPRS process works, including examples specific to the author’s teaching context, is also described.

The paper then presents the rationale and design of the project itself. The author incorporated an authentic legend with the intention of connecting …

Writing Poetry With Esol Students, Molly J. Haines

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is the result of a unit of study on the topic of poetry as used in two ESOL classrooms in Kentucky and Ohio. It begins with some basic questions and definitions. The paper shows the benefits of poetry in everyday life and especially in the language classroom. The bulk of the paper outlines the way in which poetry was presented and many student samples are included. The conclusion shows how some of the original questions were answered and how new questions arose during the process.

Making Connections With Dialogue Journals, Catherine Elliott

MA TESOL Collection

This paper makes a case for the use of dialogue journals in the second language classroom. In Part One the author examines the research of experts in the fields of second language acquisition and writing instruction and presents their findings as a rationale which supports the use of dialogue journals. In Part Two the author draws from her own experience in the classroom to illustrate how dialogue journals can be used effectively with second language learners.

Praxis: Do I Practice What I Believe? A Course In Research In The Language Classroom For The English Language Teacher Education Program At Universidad Centroamericana, Nicaragua, Sarah Renata Wright

MA TESOL Collection

I have asked myself to describe my teaching beliefs and analyze my teaching practice in order to see if the two are congruent and if in fact I do have a teaching praxis. This is a professional paper about course development based on a classroom research project. First, through a discussion of theories, experiences, and observations I describe my teaching beliefs. Second, I describe the Research in English Language Teaching course that I designed and taught to a group fourth year student teachers at the Universidad Centroamericana in Nicaragua. This description is based on a selection of student writings, lesson …

Let’S Play Cards. Grammar Is Fun. (How And Why I Have Taught English To My Students), Tomi Yukimune

MA TESOL Collection

In Japan, most students have to memorize grammar rules to pass entrance examinations to high schools as well as universities. As speaking skills are not required in those exams, many students regard grammar as nothing but rote learning. However, grammar is not dried bones but a vivid creature, which can be formed by students. Grammar can be learned with the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing), which is addressing diverse learning styles. It can be taught with stories, poems, plays, songs, games, puppets, picture books, and playing cards. Once students learn the rules of grammar, they will be able to …

Designing And Teaching A Culture Course In Korea: Developing Cultural Awareness In The Korean University Classroom, Melanie Van Den Hoven

MA TESOL Collection

This Independent Professional Project outlines my process of becoming aware of the interrelationship of language and culture in the Korean University language classroom and the issues surrounding teaching culture in Korea at the turn of the millenium. My decisions, reflections and realizations made as an expatriate EFL teacher based in Seoul, Korea, which helped to address these concerns, are fully presented. This paper reflects on the “culture bumps” inherent in my living and teaching context, and the cultural adjustments made both in the classroom and out. It also explores the major theoretical influences that have been helpful in designing a …

Their Own Best Resources: Students And Real-World Interaction, Observation, And Reflection, Brenda Ferreira

MA TESOL Collection

Students can use their experiences outside the ESL classroom to facilitate their own learning of culture and communicative competency. In a course I continue to design, students prepare for real-world interactions and learning. They practice communication strategies and discuss topics largely of their own choosing in a multi-cultural context. They then go out into the community to make cultural and communicative observations, and interact with native- and non-native speakers of English. This IPP presents various definitions of culture and communicative competency and gives suggestions for in-class and real-world activities, including communication tasks, observations, and reflections through journal writing.

Catering To Learner Needs Using Cards, Lisa M. Corbin

MA TESOL Collection

Catering to the needs of a learner is of great concern in a whole learning approach to language instruction. This paper will explore what is intended by whole learning, outline the needs of a learner, and provide a series of tasks and activities to use with cards. The first chapter introduces the topic and briefly describes the author’s classroom situation. The second chapter describes my initial experiences and discoveries while using cards in the classroom. The third chapter outlines the theoretical principles behind whole learning, details the needs of a learner and parallels how cards comply with these needs. The …

Lingualib: Linguistic Liberation For The First Year Spanish Student, M. Theresa Cordell

MA TESOL Collection

LinguaLib: Linguistic Liberation for the First Year Spanish Student This variation of Mad Libs (a popular party game in the United States) is best suited for middle high school and first year Spanish students who are learning basic vocabulary and grammatical structures. This supplemental material focuses on vocabulary and form; it also elaborates on the culture lessons introduced in most textbooks of this level. The student’s interest and self-expression is piqued when they are invited to alter the authentic meaning of an incomplete text, into their own text, which conveys an improbable message. Students are encouraged to choose from acquired …

A Process Approach To The Teaching Of Literature In An Efl Context, Stefan Colibaba

MA TESOL Collection

The paper takes a process approach to exploring ways in which the study of literature in the foreign language classroom can be made into a significant experience for both learners and teacher.

A rationale for the integration of cultural, linguistic, and personal growth models in teaching literature is developed with the avowed aim of facilitating learners’ engagement with, interpretation of, and response to the literary text. Complementary to that, coherent sets of classroom activities designed around the sample literary texts provide the practical component of the paper. Besides relevant practice in the four skills, these sets of activities offer opportunities …

A Teacher Training Program On Reflection, Niura Regiane Henke

MA TESOL Collection

This paper reports the teacher training program I developed and conducted to introduce student teachers to the practice of reflection. The paper is based on the lesson plans, participants’ reactions and observations, and personal reflections on how the program evolved. The data collected in my research draws on relevant materials published in the literature of this area. As a final conclusion, I analyze the program as a whole. From this analysis I derive conclusions which might be useful to other teachers and teacher trainers interested in the reflective practice.

Interpersonal And Pedagogical Communication: An Argument For Natural Communication Practices In The Romanian Efl Classroom, Dana-Anca Cehan

MA TESOL Collection

The paper explores aspects of EFL classroom discourse in the Romanian context and pleads for the use and cultivation of natural communication practices and relevant language behavior in the classroom.

Viewing classroom discourse not only in pedagogical terms but also as a social event, the paper provides a dual perspective on the varied EFL classroom discourse strategies. Some characteristic classroom discourse features, such as its micro-functions, language switching and typical turn-taking are examined and compared to the characteristics of natural encounters. It is argued that the language teachers who ascribe to interpersonal goals in classroom discourse can enhance their students’ …

Applications Of The I-Thou-It Framework To Teaching English As A Foreign Language In Macedonia, Zora Busovska

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is based on David Hawkins’ framework of the I-Thou-It with an expanded and personalized interpretation. It aims at defining more precisely the roles of the I, the Thou, and the It in the author’s classroom. The paper also cites research related to this framework and compares the findings, differences and similarities of author’s research with those of other researchers. The paper examines each of the roles and the interplay that takes place between and among them.

The paper explains the advantages of the subject-centered classroom, i.e. dominance of the It. Thus, the emphasis of the paper is on …

Reading Program For The Third Year Medical Undergraduates, Gabriela Breazu

MA TESOL Collection

The paper provides an examination of the reading program that was devised for the third year medical undergraduates, at the Department of Modern Languages, at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Luilu Hatieganu", Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The reading program, using authentic medical texts and authentic literary texts, is intended for Romanian medical students in order to develop efficient reading skills. At the same time the program aims at pushing learners into experiencing pleasure and joy in reading interactively, inside and outside the English class and classroom. The chapters of the paper analyze in details the different parts of the program from …

Exploiting The Auditory, Visual, And Kinesthetic Modalities In The Language Lab, Christine P. Brennan Mori

MA TESOL Collection

The primary purpose of this paper is to introduce new methods of maximizing the traditional language lab by overlaying a framework of the perceptual modalities on different classroom activities.

Question Forms And Their Use: A Self Reflective Examination Of The Use Of Questions And Feedback In Two Self Observed Taught Lessons, Chris Mangham

MA TESOL Collection

This project is a self reflective study examining my use of question forms in two self observed lessons. The second lesson having been planned and taught in a way that was informed by findings resulting from the first lesson. The question forms examined were taken from a variety of sources and are defined in this paper. The main aim of the project was to discover if, through awareness of how I use questions, it was possible to increase the fluency of student responses. A further aim was to see if students were able to use more of their language skills …

The Moorish Influence On Spanish Language, Civilization, And Culture, Tommy Genoris Erwin

MA TESOL Collection

This project examines the vast contributions made by Moors to the Spanish language, civilization and culture. The project will also try to clarify as to whom the Moors were, where they came from, and the specific contributions that they made during lengthy rule of Spain. This project is divided into five major sections. The introduction explains why this topic was chosen and the audience for whom the information is intended. The second section explores the background, achievements and contributions that were made by the Moors during their 800 (eight hundred) year domination of Spain. The third section addresses more specifically, …

Simplification And Personalization Of French Grammar, Regina Dee

MA TESOL Collection

The materials included in this project have been developed as a result of my emerging understanding of French grammar since I began studying it in 1976. I began teaching a French Activities class in 1986 to eighth graders at St. Andrews and third and fourth graders at an elementary school in Baltimore as a student at Morgan State University. While I was completing my student teaching at Baltimore City College Preparatory School, I found that my students had difficulties understanding textbook explanations. I therefore began to create my own explanations during sessions when students came for after school help. I …

Making Meaning: A Teacher’S Journey, Joanne Griffin Yorks

MA TESOL Collection

This thesis shows how one teacher gained an increased understanding of the way she learns, discovered a theoretical support base for her learning style and found validation for her way of making meaning. Melding this new awareness with what was for her a new theoretical approach to teaching reading, reader-response theory, and then adapting the theory for the ESL classroom, she sought to offer her students opportunities similar to those she’d had to use reading to bring about new understandings of self and increased confidence in one’s ability to make meaning for oneself. The first chapter is an introduction to …

The Role Of Nifl Content Standards And Casas Competencies In An Esl Adult Education Teacher’S Course Development, Mary Anne Sullivan

MA TESOL Collection

This project explores the relevance of the National Institute of Literacy (NIFL) Equipped for the Future (EFF) Content Standards to an Adult Education ESL Teacher’s course development and the prioritization of the CASAS competencies in an Adult Education ESL Teacher’s course development. It examines their role among other sources of input for teacher course development. And finally it concludes that the degree of implementation of the EFF Content Standards and CASAS competencies is dependent on the appropriateness to the context.

Reading Your Way Into Culture: A Materials Development Project, Marie Nestingen

MA TESOL Collection

The focus of this paper is to help beginning Spanish foreign language students increase and improve their reading skills in the target language while learning about some of the Hispanic culture and customs in Guatemala. In this paper I will combine the two, explaining and giving examples of how students, novice language learners, can learn more about the target language culture while improving their reading skills in the target language.