First and Second Language Acquisition Commons^™

Well Begun Is Half Done: Preparing For The Start Of A New Class, Stephanie C. Downey

MA TESOL Collection

This paper explores the critical learning moment that occurs on the first day in a new language class as the individual students, group and teacher interact for the first time. It states that the first day can influence the entire direction a course takes and asserts that the learner, the group, the teacher and the cultural context are key variables that determine how the first day turns out. It argues that by being aware of the impact each of these variables has on learning, the teacher can direct the emotional, mental and social energy of the group positively and create …

Helping Students To Learn: Addressing Student Affect And The Four Skills In An English Communication Skills Course For Students Of Health Sciences, Nicholas Dimakides

MA TESOL Collection

This study in two cycles describes the development of an English oral communication skills course for students of health sciences at a Finnish university. In the first cycle attempts were made to increase students' positive affect by developing community, increasing student security, and providing choice, which was expected to facilitate and enhance the students' learning. In the second cycle the focus was on providing access for students to tasks and activities, and more fully integrating all four skills into the syllabus. This was expected to increase and improve the amount and quality of students' language production. The findings of this …

How To Define A Word For Your Students: An Introduction To Lexicography For Classroom Teachers, Christopher W. Decker

MA TESOL Collection

Classroom teachers are often required to define words for their students, yet few have any training in how to do so. With proper training, however, classroom teachers are able to provide their students with definitions superior to those in any dictionary because they are uniquely able to determine what information the student needs and how to convey it in a way that the student can understand. Without principles and techniques for defining words, however, teachers will find it difficult to select appropriate content for their definitions and present it in ways that are comprehensible and useful to their students.

The …

Esl Curriculum Guide For Seoul Foreign School, Brian Brumsickle

MA TESOL Collection

The ESL Curriculum Guide for Seoul Foreign School (SFS) was written as a map for ESL teachers to follow in order to organize and prioritize curriculum in a sequential manner for students. The guide can also be used for parents as well as other faculty at SFS to inform them of materials and content taught during the academic year. The first document in the Guides relates “Best Practices” which encapsulate the vision for the subject area and serve as the anchor document from which the second, the “Standards” document, was developed. Throughout “Best Practices,” there is linkage with SFS’s expected …

Writing On!, Maria Aranda

MA TESOL Collection

This paper describes my participation in the development and implementation of an online writing program at Associacao Alumni, a Binational Center in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The program, Writing On!, was Alumni’s first of many online programs that was developed by a team of teachers of writing.

In Chapter One, I narrate my first experience with giving feedback online in a writing program designed for a young Brazilian student who needed to improve his academic writing skills in order to study in the U.S.A. this enriching learning experience planted the seeds of Writing On!.

In Chapter Two, I give an overview …

Using A Story As A Basis For Working With Language And Culture, Marie Finnigan Miyashi

MA TESOL Collection

The focus of this paper is the development of linguistic materials for adult ESL/EFL students based on the use of a story involving and ethical or moral dilemma. The story and follow-up activities which are presented can be utilized in a variety of settings. This paper will describe how this framework was originally used for intercultural seminars as well as how it can be used to teach linguistic aspects of language in the ESL/EFL classroom. I relate my personal history in learning to use stories with adult learners, and discuss my beliefs regarding their value in the classroom. A module …

University Students As Near Peer English Teachers In A Weekend English Camp For High School Students In Japan, Annie Marquez

MA TESOL Collection

This paper presents a way to use university students as near peer role models and student leaders for a weekend English camp experience for a small group of high school students. It explores the basic design for the project, and outlines the rationale for the syllabus for preparing the near peer role models in a semester conversation class at a Japanese university. It details each of the activities used during the English camp experience, and shares reflections from the participants on the community experience.

Dictation: What And How Students Learn From It, Marilyn C. Fisher

MA TESOL Collection

In the cycle of preferred English language teaching techniques, dictation is currently out of favor. Today, anything inviting the term “old-fashioned” is passed over without consideration as to what qualities made it popular in the past.

This paper reconsiders the merits of dictation use in the classroom, pedagogical theory, and supportive research, and the author’s experimental work with student group dynamics centered on dictation exercises.

My own classroom research shows interesting ways students catch or miss language clues and meaning in dictation exercises and how their minds are directed to analyze the incoming language both during the exercise and after, …

Business English For Special Purposes As A Negotiated, Strategic Competence, Chi-Chieh Liu

Theses Digitization Project

The aim of this project is to provide a curriculum designed specifically on the basis of negotiated and strategic competence, which will meet the needs of the business world.

Strategy-Based Listening Comprehension For Junior High School Students Of English In Taiwan, Yu-Chi Yang

Theses Digitization Project

This project provides research on listening-process pedagogies for teachers and learning strategies that can assist learners' listening comprehhension. Based on these perspectives, a theorectical model of strategy-based listening process instruction is offered for the purpose of promoting listening comprehension.

An Analysis Of Interactive Dialogue Journals Of English Language Learners In First Grade, Norma Castro Zavala

Theses Digitization Project

This project analyzes interactive dialogue journals of first grade students who have been identified at different levels of English language proficiency.

Achieving Interaction In Listening And Speaking Within A Chinese Cultural Context, Qingquan Shi

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to develop heuristics and guidelines for English teachers to design appropriate courses. The exploration begins with a review of relevant literature in order to provide principles to comprise a pedagogical model. Based on that model, an instructional unit is presented that incorporates the model in a real-world context.

Promoting Listening Strategies Use In Elementary English As A Foreign Language Computer-Assisted Learning Environment, Makiko Kojima

Theses Digitization Project

In Japan, English education in elementary schools is still in the process of innovation. The purpose of this project is to seek the most appropriate and effective way for elementary-level students to acquire listening skills in a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) environment.

Computer-Assisted Project-Based Learning In English For Specific Purposes, Chanmi Moon

Theses Digitization Project

The aim of this project is to address the need for effective English learning and develop an English curriculum which practically meets learners' needs. The project is for students who study business English in Korean community college. This project presents effectiveness of English learning in the content concerning with English for specific purposes, project-based learning, cooperative learning, computer-assisted language learning, and technological literacy. These ideas are incorporated into the project to develop the unit, Creating a Company, which consists of six lesson plans.

Competence In Communication For Esl/Efl Speaking Curriculum, Somi Shin

Theses Digitization Project

This project provides a background on English instruction in Korea and features a literature review that builds theoretical aspects of this project. This project also presents a model of communicative competence applied to the speaking process which incorporates the application of speaking strategies.

The Development Of Computer Assisted Instruction On The World Wide Web To Enhance English Learning For Thai Non-Formal Education Students, Vittaya Pongmussaya

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was to develop computer-assisted instruction (CAI) software on the world wide web (WWW). This project was an interactive English learning environment for Thai adult students at the Warin Chumrab District Non-Formal Education Center, Thailand. This project software followed the recommendation of a recent study by the center of education technology (CET) indicating that the favorite types of CAI among Thai adult students were tutorial and drill and practice. In this project students chose to learn from two types of lessons, either a tutorial or a drill and practice. The lessons were made interesting by the …

Achieving English Competence In Korea Through Computer-Assisted Language Learning And Crosscultural Understanding, Jue Yeun Nam

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to address the problems and improve English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning for the students of Korea by contrasting cultural similarities and differences and the same time utilizing computer-based instruction learning.

Professional English Communication Training For English For Specific Purposes, Galon Anthony Melendy

Theses Digitization Project

This project addresses the need for effective English training for speakers of other languages who are engaged in professional careers.

Promoting Creative English Teaching Using Chinese Culture For Elementary Schooling In Taiwan, Ya-Chi Lee

Theses Digitization Project

To make English an interesting subject for elementary school students, teachers need to know what material attracts students, how to motivate students, and how to release students' creativity. Therefore, This project incorporates the concepts of multiple intelligences, motivation, culture and language, and development of creativity to provide a model for promoting creative English teaching in the elementary schools of Taiwan. In addition, the content of the unit, based on Chinese culture and the comparison of Chinese and American cultures, is an innovative curriculum designed to motivate students to learn English.

Enhancing Academic Competence In English As A Foreign Language Through Multiple Strategies, Mei-Hwa Yeh

Theses Digitization Project

In Taiwan, English has always been taught mostly by the grammar t ransalation method. Learning strategies and metacognitive strategies are seldom introduced during classroom instruction. Therefore, students learn a lot of gragmented knowledge but do not know how to apply the knowledge in their learning process. For my target teaching level, secondary school, the ability to utilize different strategies with in the learning process is critically important in order for the students to integrate their knowledge and use language effectively. This project is designed to address the problems of teaching English in Taiwan employing a strategy-based curriculum.

Social Cognition-Based Content Instruction For Communicative Competence In Japanese Middle School English, Wakana Kitamura

Theses Digitization Project

This project demonstrates how English teachers in Japan can conduct purposeful and meaningful lessons for middle school low-intermediate students. The teaching approach used for this project is based on Content-Based Instruction (CBI).

Analisis Kontrastif Kata Bilangan Dan Penjodoh Bilangan Di Antara Bahasa Melayu Dan Bahasa Jepun, Aini Aziz

Student Works (2000-2009)

The main aim of this research is to study and identify errors in numerals and quantifiers in the Japanese Language which are often made by the Malay students at MARA University of Technology, Shah Alam. The writer attempts 10 find factors that cause these errors and suggests various methods to solve the problems. A survey has been carried out as a background study. 19 sets of questionnaire were administered to the students of the Diploma in Tourism Management, faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism. UiTM. The aim of this study is to get feedback on the errors that always occurred, …

First Language Transfer Amongst Malay Students In National Primary Schools, Kien Cheng Yong

Student Works (2000-2009)

This study attempts to discover the influence of first language transfer on the production of written English. Since all the subjects are Malay students, their first language is likely Bahasa Melayu. Their second language is the English Language which is taught in their national primary schools. Besides that, this study also seeks to discover the types of errors involved in first language transfer, whether gender and the socioeconomic background of the subjects affect ESL learning. 194 Year 4 students from two national primary schools in Kajang, Selangor were involved in this study. They were given four sets of writing tasks …

Error Analysis And Curriculum Development In An Efl Classroom In Taiwan, Meng Teh Wu

MA TESOL Collection

It is the premise of this paper that errors provide invaluable information for guiding teachers and learners in the process of language acquisition. They offer insights for the teacher in constructing curricula and help the students with their ingerlanguage development. Errors should not be regarded as negative indicators. They are significant guide posts in the learning process. When and how to correct errors and what errors to correct has been the focus of Error Analysis studies. In this respect this paper is no exception. Special emphasis has been laid, however, on how to translate theoretical concepts into the author’s classroom …

Esl Mentoring: An Empowering Tool, Maria Cristina Tur

MA TESOL Collection

The purpose of this IPP will be a qualitative case study of the mentoring program at Hostos Community College, City University of New York. I will learn the working of the mentoring program. I will examine the mentor’s role and strategies in helping her two protégés. I will reflect upon the relevance of a Mentoring Program as a tool in facilitating the acquisition of ESL. Finally, I will explain the advisor/advisee program at Intermediate School 184 in the South Bronx in whose pilot program I participated.

The Importance Of Community Building In The Efl Classroom, Svitlana Trofymenko

MA TESOL Collection

This paper argues that success in the EFL classroom depends less on techniques and materials, and more on the relationships between the class members and the educational climate. It asserts that, because the creation of a sense of community facilitates learning in different ways, the most important talk of a teacher is to foster a sense of community between students in the language classroom as well s to challenge them with linguistic tasks. A classroom community can increase student motivation and self-esteem. It can reduce extreme anxiety and maximize student-student interaction in the EFL classroom. It can also facilitate co-operation …

Comings And Goings: Considerations And Reflections On The English Program In Korea (Epik), Kiama Robinson

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines both practical considerations for sojourners who are planning to work overseas in South Korea’s English Program in Korea (EPIK) and reflections on the author’s experiences with this program. The first section of the paper presents pre-departure, arrival and descriptions of what the school and housing might consist of, followed by reflections on the author’s direct experiences through three paradigms: world view, intercultural adjustment, and culture shock. While the main focus of this paper is on native English speakers participating in EPIK, the practical considerations and discussion may also be generally helpful for hosting organization as well as …

The Evolution Of A Reflective Practitioner: One Teacher’S Story, Anne K. Reagan

MA TESOL Collection

Becoming a reflective practitioner requires and active, disciplined process as well as support from colleagues according to the experiences of one elementary school Spanish teacher. This paper provides an overview of the learning experiences in a MAT graduate program that shaped this teacher’s initial thoughts about reflective teaching. It also reviews several experts’ ideas on reflective thought and teaching. Finally, it narrates and analyzes her experience of creating a reflective teachers’ group using a text as the impetus for discussion. The conclusion offers ideas for future development of a reflective teachers’ group.

Written Feedback In The Classroom And Beyond, Karen Gould Peltola

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is an in-depth look at the experimentation with and use of written feedback with middle school foreign language students and their parents. It includes my own learning about giving written feedback, the process by which I have trained my students to give written feedback, and finally the extensions of written feedback beyond the classroom, to the parents. Examples of written feedback forms and formats are included, as well as completed examples.

Motivating Adolescents To Be Active Participants In The Language Learning Process, Kier Merill

MA TESOL Collection

Motivating adolescents to be active participants in their own language learning process is a challenge faced by all middle and high school language teachers. This paper provides and overview of tone teacher’s experiences in the struggle to motivate her own students. it also supplies some useful ideas on activities that work to motivate students both inside and outside the classroom. The appendices include step by step plans to help guide other teachers in carrying out some of the activities in their own classes.