First and Second Language Acquisition Commons^™

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 …

Two-Week Training Course For English Language Teachers In The Ukraine, Maryna Gayduchenko

MA TESOL Collection

This is a two week teacher training course for Ukrainian secondary school EFL teachers. What is innovative about this particular course is that it was designed and written by a non-native EFL teacher and trainer for non-native EFL trainees. The following advantages make its importance particularly relevant: a non-native trainer is a role model for trainees – living proof that it IS possible to master new approaches and techniques; a non-native trainer is intimately acquainted with the challenges trainees and learners face and the strategies for dealing with them. The main objective of the course is to help trainees develop …

Three Surveys On Adult Esol Pronunciation: Teachers, Students, Textbooks, Hortensia Louro Bernal

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study used three instruments to examine the current state of the teaching of ESOL pronunciation. These instruments included a survey of 62 teachers, another survey of 508 ESOL students, and a comparative study of ten pronunciation textbooks in widespread use since 1990. The purpose of the study was to characterize the teaching of pronunciation at present through the voices of the teachers, the opinions of the students, and the content of the textbooks. The study also identified the approaches and types of activities being proposed by the experts and recommended additional activities as well as a rationale for their …

Writing In The Contact Zone: Three Portraits Of Reflexivity And Transformation, Laurene L. Christensen

Dissertations and Theses

Culture is at the core of language teaching. Because classrooms are contact zones (Pratt 1991), teachers must have a well-developed sense of their own intercultural competence so that they may better facilitate the cross-cultural discovery inherent in language teaching. Teacher preparation programs need to provide opportunities for new teachers to increase their intercultural awareness. The purpose of this research was to qualitatively understand the experiences of pre-service teachers in a required culture-learning class at a large urban university. Specifically, the focus of this study was the completion of a mini-ethnography project designed to give the students a cross-cultural exchange. Since …

Introduction To Bridge Procedure Guide (A Course Development In Maritime English), Olena Svitlychna

MA TESOL Collection

The paper presents a course development in maritime English and provides justification of the main pedagogical bases and principles of the materials. Introduction to Bridge Procedure Guide is designed to enable trainees with lower intermediate and intermediate level of English to discuss bridge procedures as well as to improve their general productive and receptive skills. The paper includes Introduction setting for the main teaching methods and techniques, Table of Contents, Introduction to Bridge Procedure Guide with Jigsaw Activities, the Key to the exercises, and English-Russian Vocabulary, Bibliography. The course materials have been field tested and will be used in Odessa …

A Two-Week Intensive Teacher Training Course For European Teachers, Olga Shepel

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is a teacher-training course designed for the Eastern European context. The aim of this course is to introduce trainees to different ways of teaching the language, to give them a chance to analyze their actions and to share their knowledge with their colleagues during the course. It covers most of the teaching aspects, such as presenting new materials, classroom management, problem solving and many others. This paper can be used as a manual for teacher trainers.

A Certificate Program In Teaching English To Brazilian-Portuguese Speakers, Sonia Regina Moussalli

MA TESOL Collection

This paper intends to present and describe a project of a teacher certificate program for Brazilian EFL teachers. First, I will introduce relevant information on the context and background where this project will take place including the reasoning behind this program, and an investigation of the prospective participants’ needs. Second, I will explore a study of some educational assumptions including teaching effectiveness, efficiency, competence, performance and some principles for the preparation of effective EFL teachers. Third, I will provide the readers a description of the goals and objectives of the program, along with, a detailed description of the courses. Finally, …

Using Children’S Books In The Adult English As A Second Language Classroom, Patricia Connors Little

MA TESOL Collection

This paper reports my personal story of using children’s books in the adult English as a Second Language classroom. The introduction explains how and why I came to the decision to use the books. Chapters One through Four are an overview of the books I used in my classroom and explain our collective classroom experience using them. Additionally the paper contains my classroom observations and reflections which helped guide me in selecting stories and lesson planning. The document highlights some of the advantages of using children’s books as well as some suggestions for ESL teachers who are interested in exploring …

A Journey To The Edge: Autobiographical Writing In The Esl Classroom, Deborah Lafferty

MA TESOL Collection

I teach ESL at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. One class project was the creating and publishing of a collection of the students’ autobiographical writings. This paper documents the process that my students and I engaged in. We used the process approach to writing and peer response. This paper discusses the theory behind this approach and its practical application in the classroom, the questions, concerns and dilemmas that I encountered and my responses to them. I also include the changes I would implement in a future project of this kind. The final product, The Golden Gate of Hope, …

Movement, Rhythms, And Music: Active Curriculums For Teaching Foreign Languages To Beginning Learners, Patricia Guillemin Gregory

MA TESOL Collection

Our task as educators is to fit our teaching methods to our learners. Middle school students have specific characteristics that can seem to interfere with learning. Among these characteristics are a bounty of energy and restlessness. The key for the teacher is to channel this energy into learning activities.

To understand a class and develop a teaching strategy for that class, the teacher should analyze the learning styles of the students. From the results of this analysis, the teacher can build effective lesson plans which match the trends that appear in the class.

With this data in hand, the teacher …

“Making Teaching Lexis And Structures To Adult Efl Learners More Effective Through Creating A Learning Community And Fostering Some Specific Learning Skills.” (A Curriculum For A Short-Term Development Course For Non-Native Speaker Efl Teachers), Oleksandr Klyevanov

MA TESOL Collection

Nowadays, EFL teachers are exposed to a large number of different approaches to teaching English. All of them, no matter how much they differ, focus on the objectives shared by all teachers regardless of their theoretical background, namely teaching lexis and structures. However, some approaches ignore what I have come to believe are necessities: creating a learning community, teaching strategies for retention and recycling lexical and structural items. By learning community I mean a group of learners who are focused on learning the target subject of knowledge, who expend their energies on learning, who feel secure being together and working …

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 …

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.

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.

The Effect Of Educational Kinesiology On Second Language Acquisition, Tina Lynne Haverstick

MA TESOL Collection

This thesis is a summary of my experience working with the theory of Educational Kinesiology (Edu-K) in the foreign language classroom environment. It may serve as a guide for anyone who is interested in tapping into the full potential of students’ brains within a structured learning environment.

A case study is presented here examining the effects of educational kinesiology on two groups of kindergarten students I taught simultaneously in my EFL classroom in Taiwan.

I chose to assess their attitudes toward different classroom activities, including those geared toward improving listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as the overall attitude …

Drama Methodology And Its Usage In Removing Barriers To English Language Acquisition In Japanese University Students, C Malcom Barry Duff

MA TESOL Collection

This paper examines how drama methodology can be used to remove barriers to English acquisition and to encourage English language production in Japanese university students. The effect of the affective filter and Monitor use in language production will be covered. The use of drama methodology will be analyzed and its usage in the classroom evaluated. The use of drama techniques to create lessons will be demonstrated.

Building A Teacher Education Program For Efl Teachers: From Process To Product, Eliana Santana

MA TESOL Collection

This IPP contains a teacher education program for a school in the north of Brazil. It also shows the process I used in order to construct it. It shows the context for which the program was developed, the state-of-the-art in TESOL teacher preparation, as well as my own beliefs and assumptions about how learning teaching takes place. Then, it presents the needs analysis as well as the curriculum designed for the program.

Training Teachers Of Slavic Lctls: Student Profiles And Program Design, Mark Richard Lauersdorf

Linguistics Faculty Publications

This article focuses on the differences between Slavic LCTL and Russian "language teaching situations" in the specific areas of student constituency and basic program structure, and the importance of considering these differences in developing teacher training programs that include teachers of Slavic LCTLs. Emphasis is placed on how the realities of the typical Slavic LCTL program point to the need to train graduate student-teachers in the specific skills of course/program design and development in order to prepare them more adequately for their teaching tasks. The results of a Fall 1996 survey of second-year Polish and Czech students and instructors are …

Language Learning Strategies: A Primer, Carol Lindenbrock Fujii

MA TESOL Collection

The question of why some learners acquire a second language more quickly than others has long been a problem for language teachers. Even when students seem basically equal in terms of opportunity and intelligence, progress can vary greatly. Variations in the language learning strategies students employ could explain why some students do better than others. Students can profitably explore the areas of language learning strategies to become more aware and successful learners. This paper begins by defining language learning strategies as the tools learners use to plan, monitor, and evaluate their own learning and to make that learning more efficient. …

Timed Conversation: One Routine For Engaging Large Classes Of Non-Motivated Learners In Meaningful Oral Communication, Bradley J. Deacon

MA TESOL Collection

This paper will explore an activity called “Timed Conversation” that I use in large classes of relatively unmotivated first and second year non-language majors in a Japanese university setting. Timed Conversation is designed to help students to communicate in native-like and incrementally longer sustained dialogues in the target language. In the activity, the students interact with many partners and practice conversations while practicing various language expressions. In every lesson over the course of a semester they speak in conversations about a number of topics for a set limit of time. The goal is to be able to speak more fluently …

Teaching English Communicatively In China - Educating Teachers Is Not Enough., Bernard Hird

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The extent to which the communicative language teaching approach is a relevant and viable methodology for English language teachers to use in China is an issue that has generated considerable interest in recent years. The conclusions drawn in this article are based on experiences of teaching in an in-service course for senior middle-school teachers of English in Hangzhou, China. The paper suggests that the communicative approach does have a role in English language teaching in China but that aspects of the approach need to be applied selectively and with caution. Some of the reasons for this stem from the nature …

Making The Most Of Volunteer Help: A Handbook For Parents And Teachers, Janet Lynn Bond

Graduate Theses

This project is concerned with the importance of parental involvement in children learning to read. Research shows children who view reading as an important and valuable process develop a more positive attitude toward learning to read. Children involved in reading activities at home learn to read earlier and have improved comprehension over children who have no experiences reading in the home. Parent involvement can take place in the home or at school as classroom volunteers. This project contains a volunteer handbook for parents and teachers. Included are characteristics of a volunteer, tips for teachers, suggested activities for the classroom and …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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)