Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

The Independent Professional Point: Use Of A Recorded Musical Story, Entitled The Point, For Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages, Robert Stuart Duncan

MA TESOL Collection

This project discusses use of The Point, a recorded story of songs and narrations, as a TESOL tool. A brief summary of the story line is provided followed by why the author feels it has valuable TESOL application. Actual case studies, in which The Point was used, plus suggestions towards classroom applications are presented.

The following materials are included: letters to students which introduce The Point; a transcription of the recording; a comic book; a do-it-yourself dictionary; a cassette recording of The Point and an animated film suggestion.

The project encourages creative thinking and creative teaching.

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 …

A Handbook For Esl Teacher Training At Okinawa Christian School, Dan Jerome

MA TESOL Collection

The handbook has been designed for use as the text in a two or three day teacher-training course as well as a reference book of information useful throughout the academic year of the school. Because many of the ESL teachers at the school are inexperienced and/or untrained in the field, the information and suggestions have been written in non-technical language using a question/answer style that attempts to deal with the practical issues with which new teachers are most concerned. More than a “how-to” book, however, the handbook suggests matters of philosophical importance that will help teachers see beyond the immediate …

Teaching Esl Literacy To The Functionally Illiterate Adult: Using Language Experience And Words In Color, Kimberly Gerould

MA TESOL Collection

This thesis attempts to arrive at a personal approach to teaching reading in English as a second language to functionally illiterate adults in a multilingual ESL classroom. There is a brief review of some of the research on teaching reading and on the reading process, as well as a review of the major teaching reading methodologies. Two approaches to teaching reading, the Language Experience Approach and Words in Color, are then focused on. The author suggests ways in which these two approaches can be adapted to the adult ESL classroom and integrated with other approaches. Finally, a series of concrete …

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.

An Introduction To Rods : Grammar And Story Telling, Edward A. Combes

MA TESOL Collection

In this paper I propose a way of using rods in teaching ESOL that is consistent with my personal assumptions about teaching and learning. It is written for teachers with no or little previous experience working with rods.

The introduction of the paper tells of my own start in working with rods and why I feel rods to be an exciting and important learning tool. Next there is a step-by-step analysis of the application of rods in teaching the present, past, future, and perfect verb tenses. Finally I address ways of using rods to generate stories, with rods representing all …

A Set Of Student-Invested Materials For A Conversation Class, David J. Kehe, Peggy Dustin Kehe

MA TESOL Collection

This paper describes eleven speaking projects which have been developed around the beliefs that a conversation class is successful when:

- the focus is on the students talking, not the teacher talking

- the atmosphere is non-threatening

- the material is personally relevant

- the students use each other as sources of correction

Each project is comprised of two separate speaking activities. The first uses teacher-prepared material. The second consists of four steps in which students: (1) in groups, create material modeled after the teacher-prepared material, (2) have it checked by the teacher, (3) use it with the whole class.

Developing A Conversational English As A Second Language And Acculturation Program For A Social Service Agency Engaged In The Resettlement Of Soviet Jewish Immigrants, Robert Charles Wachman

MA TESOL Collection

This paper describes the creation and first year of development of a three-component conversational ESL and acculturation program for Soviet Jewish immigrants. The project was designed to meet the needs of a private social service agency engaged in resettlement in Long Beach, California. It consisted of reorganization and development of a newly formed volunteer tutorial project, and the creation and development of a weekly class program and a series of cross-cultural communication gatherings.

Of special note are selections which discuss the orientation, on-going training, and problems relative to the employment of non-professionals as tutors and teaching assistants. Approaches, methods, and …

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

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Teaching Esl Through American Songs: A Sourcebook, Julia Ann Somers

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

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 …

Live...From The Language Lab., Ursula H. Raeth

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Use Of Rapid Question And Answer Exercises In The Esl Classroom, Alfred B. Porter Jr.

MA TESOL Collection

This is a study on the use of rapid oral question and answer exercises as a tool in language teaching. It pays particular attention to the mechanics of asking and answering questions in the large classroom; and that question and answering is an essential learning process of mental expression.

Using A Case Study Method To Teach Culture In The Esl Classroom, William Peter Polaski

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

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 …

A Hodge-Podge Of Written Realia, Suzanne Petrick

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

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 …

Friday Night At The Mayaguez Mall: A Rationale With Examples On The Use Of Drama In The Notional-Functional Classroom, Stephen Newman

MA TESOL Collection

Three recent intensive courses teaching EFL in Puerto Rico and ESL in Brattleboro provided the author with practical experience using drama activities in connection with the application of notional-functional syllabuses. These experiences are described and the choice of a "functional" approach is justified. Functions are explained and an overview of drama is given. Seven practical drama activities for a variety of language levels and situations are presented. A discussion of the pedagogical aspects of practicing functions through drama follows, wherein such considerations as the role of the teacher, the development of the student, lesson planning, giving directions and aims are …

Games And Activities Based On Grammatical Areas Which Are Problems For The Intermediate Esl Student, Cheryl Olson, Susan Shalek

MA TESOL Collection

This project consists of games and activities based on grammatical areas which are problems for the intermediate-level ESL student

After polling ESL teachers, we selected three specific problem areas:

(1) irregular past tense verbs (2) modal auxiliaries (3) verbs in the perfective

For each grammatical area we have created a minimum of six games/activities, including at least one card game, one board game, one individualized activity, and one jazz chant.

Every game and activity has been tested through actual use in at least one ESL classroom. Revisions have been made based on the results of this testing.

Responsibility - A Foreign Perspective On Four Issues In The Master Of Arts In Teaching Program, Margaret Elizabeth Mcdonald

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is a foreign perspective on four issues: Responsibility and Student-Centered Learning, Group Process, Experiential Learning, and Culture and Individuality in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at the School for International Training, Brattleboro, Vermont. Personal Experiences as a student and student-teacher are combined to address these issues as they relate to foreign students at the school. The central theme is responsibility. Each section marks a disctinct stage and describes the author's development of the ability to take responsibility for learning in a system that is fundamentally different from her own. The author concludes with the view that …

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 Esl Through Creative Writing, Nancy Husari

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Suggestions For Using Films In The English As A Second Language Classroom. A Sample Unit: But What If The Dream Comes True, Charmaine Ann Horvath

MA TESOL Collection

The following paper is offered to the ESL instructor who would like to have more information concerning the proper usage of film in the classroom. The types of films, roles and goals of the instructor when deciding to use a film in class, general criteria suggested in choosing a film and guidelines to aid the instructor in preparing and applying the film to his class are included. The paper also deals with specific techniques, activities and exercises which can be used in conjunction with a film, depending on the specific language goal in mind. The film, But What if the …

Communication Modules: Student-Generated Language Arts Projects For Bilingual Education, Annie Katherine Hawkinson

MA TESOL Collection

The materials consist of nine curriculum units designed for use with bilingual students at 4th, 5th, and 6th grade levels. Although originally developed for French-English bilingual students, they can be used with any language group, since the learning activities are themselves not language-specific. The language used for each communication project is collected from the students themselves: hence the units themselves can be used with any bilingual group.

The learning activities are also designed to be used in multilevel classes, i.e. classes where students' language proficiency may vary. They of course may also be used in classes where such variation does …

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

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

An Esl Program With Laotian Refugees, Patricia A. Ryan-Croes

MA TESOL Collection

This project is a report on an ESL program developed for and taught to a Laotian couple who arrived in Brattleboro, Vermont in December 1979. The program took place from January to March 1980. The purpose of this report is to present and discuss issues, incidents, suggestions and conclusions regarding the teaching of ESL to Laotian refugees which may be helpful to program organizers and teachers.

The first part of the report details the refugee couple's background before their arrival in Brattleboro. Next is a description of the process of organizing the program and establishing the classroom procedure. This is …

Materials For Teaching Indonesian By "Silent Way", Thomas Ray Ross

MA TESOL Collection

This material consists of a Color Coded Pronunciation Guide and a Color Coded Spelling Guide to be used for teaching Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) as a second language, particularly when using the Silent Way. The guides assign colors to each sound of Indonesian and then present the writing of the language (in the New Spelling system) using those colors. Accompanying the guides are descriptions and keys (including examples)