First and Second Language Acquisition Commons^™

A Handbook For Teaching Technical English, Kathleen Bogue Caissie

MA TESOL Collection

In this paper are discussed, first, the unique problems facing the teacher who finds himself teaching technical English. Second, ways in which that teacher can prepare himself to most effectively deal with these problems (used here in the sense of tasks to be mastered) are offered, together with practical strategies for establishing and maintaining his professional and emotional equilibrium. Finally, specific suggestions are made for presenting technical terminology to ESL students, as well as improving their general English language proficiency.

In addition, three appendices are provided. The first delineates examples of the special problems connected with teaching technical English. The …

Charts That Show Basic Transformations In English, Lawrence Fuller Allen

MA TESOL Collection

This project is a teaching tool to be used in the ESL classroom. It consists of six large (30" x 20") multicolored charts. Each charts focuses on a particular "operator" verb in English ("be," "do," or the modals) and shows the role the operator plays in the grammatical transformations of question formation and negation. The student can actually see how the same sentence changes from the statement to the question form and from affirmative to negative. In addition to the charts themselves, the project includes a written description of the charts, suggestions for using them in the classroom, and tables …

The Cultural Problems Encountered In Teaching Basic English To Russian Jew Refugees As An Initial Step To Entering An English Speaking Society, James Edwin Traver

MA TESOL Collection

The Organizzazione Rieducazione Tecnia in Rome, Italy offers English language instruction to Russian Jew refugees who for one reason or another wish to obtain visas to an English speaking country. The students are in a transitional phase in their lives; they have left their country of birth and haven't yet been accepted into another country of their choice. This creates special needs in regard to language acquisition. They need survival skills to help them make this transition and they need to gain an appreciation of English speaking cultures.

During the summer of 1977, I taught and observed classes at this …

Spoken Bakhtiari, Gholam Hossein Rahmanian

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Self-Concept, Self-Image Improvement Activities For The Classroom, Daniel Mack

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Space, Time And Movement: The Context For Spoken Language, Nancy Leach

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Interference Of Brazilian Portuguese On Learning English, Tizuko Hirose, Tsizuco Iwase

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Methods And Materials For Esl Literacy, Ann Ebersole Strauch

MA TESOL Collection

Literacy education for adolescents and adults has been a perplexing problem for ESL teachers, who are generally unprepared for this specific type of instruction. Materials designed for native-English speakers are not suitable for ESL literacy instruction, and teacher-training institutions are not providing preparation for ESL literacy for prospective ESL teachers. Furthemore, very little research has been done on ESL literacy. In spite of this dearth of information and lack of suitable didactic materials available, substantial numbers of nonliterate students are seeking ESL instruction. This thesis addresses the need for methods and materials specifically intended for ESL literacy instruction.

Library research …

Visual Developmental Dyslexia In Children (Specific Language Disability), Sue Golden

MA TESOL Collection

Developmental Dyslexia is a disorder manifested by difficulty in learning to read, speak, and write, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, and socio-cultural opportunity. Although this disorder affects approximately 10% of all school children, it remains unknown to many teachers, especially those in the field of English as a Second Language (ESL). The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the nature of this disorder and the current remedial methods and techniques being used. It also points out some of the discrepancies that exist between theory (the treatment that a child would ideally receive), and reality; this is …

Theater Games And Group Problem-Solving Exercises For The Foreign Language Classroom, Larraine Ruth Wright

MA TESOL Collection

This paper is a handbook of initiative games, theater games and improvisations especially adapted for use in the foreign language classroom. It includes games for small children, older children and adults. It can be used with classes of all levels. The games are described with recommendations for their use. Background information on the theory behind theater games, their use in the classroom, and an annotated bibliography of further sources are included.

National Michigan Test Score Improvement Averages For The International Students Of English At The School For International Training Of Ten Programs From January 1974 Through June 1976, Robert J. Thomas

MA TESOL Collection

This project contains student data, consisting of nationality, test scores, and age, from ten programs of International Students of English at the School for International Training. The data has been calculated to produce national test score averages which are helpful when comparing the various national and language group abilities of performance on the Michigan Test. In general this material supports the hypothesis that the closer a student's native language is to English linguistically the greater his score improvement will be on the Michigan Test.

Teaching Dari To English Speakers, Sajia Sultany

MA TESOL Collection

This project contains the materials, methods and rationale used in teaching Dari to a group of American Peace Corps Volunteers. Included in the materials covered are the Dari alphabet and the pronunciation of Dari phonemes as well as the basic grammatical structures and vocabulary in the course. The final segment of this project consists of five appendicies outlining specific materials used to teach alphabet, pronunciation and vocabulary.

Strategies With The Rods, Joseph Barrett

MA TESOL Collection

Silent Way is an intriguing approach to ESL teaching. Dr. Caleb Gattegno and Educational Solutions have developed a wide range of materials to accompany the techniques they suggest for helping people learn languages. Prior to my student teaching, however, I recognized the need to prepare myself to use these materials effectively. This report is a summary of my self-preparation.

Readings With Exercises For Advanced Esl Students, Vincent D. Antonelli

MA TESOL Collection

Readings in English for non-native speakers are usually simplified and controlled so that the students will not be overwhelmed by the linguistic complexity of the reading passage. For advanced English language students however, simplification is no longer useful or necessary. The student's interest in reading real material should be met by choosing material that is of high interest value. This project contains three readings which, although edited, have not been simplified. The readings have been chosen for their potential interest value to the ESL student. Exercises accompany each reading. It is the author's contention that for advanced level students, grammar …

And What Did The Dr. Say? Readings, Exercises, And Activities For The Foreign Physician, Karen Kale

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Learning To Trust And Trusting To Learn: A Discussion Of The Attitudes Of The Teacher And Student In The Counseling-Learning/Community Language Learning Model, Lois Rosen

MA TESOL Collection

The author explores the relationship between learning and trusting in four different contexts. In all four contexts the principles of Counseling-Learning and Community Language Learning are seen at work. In the first part of the paper the philosophy of Counseling- Learning is set forth. In the next part, a workshop in Counseling-Learning and Community Lanuage Learning is described. In this section, the five stages of language learning as advanced by father Curran are described, and an informal paper by Earl Stevick on "Two Ways of Teaching" is appended. In the next part, the author's use of CLL in ESL classes …

Preparing And Adapting Reading Materials For Esl Adults, Kathryn L. Riley

MA TESOL Collection

The adult ESL student who is illiterate or functionally illiterate in his native language has particular difficulty when learning to read English. This paper is a step by step description of a materials writing project undertaken at Bristol Community College, Fall River, Massachusetts; the goal of the project was to develop reading materials for adult Portuguese ESL students, many of whom were illiterate. Included in the paper are the general guidelines followed, specific steps taken to meet the requirements of each guideline, and a discussion of each level of materials developed. Examples of all four levels are included. Particular emphasis …

Second Language Teaching Methodologies : An Introduction Using Video Tapes, David Prince, Sonia Beker, Carl Kelley, Nadine Pawlak-Prince

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

An Adaptation Of Reading Materials For Students Of Science In English As A Second Language, Susan Maguiro

MA TESOL Collection

This project is an udating of the reader Scientific English Practice. Its purpose is to substitute outdated subjects, and expand others with more recent scientific information.

Vocabulary lists, comprehension questions, and grammar exercises were written to accompany several substituted essays. Vocabulary lists and exercises thereof were developed for the remaining essays, some of which were expanded upon.

A Workbook On Advanced English Vocabulary For Portuguese Speakers, Rosana Pereira Lima

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

Teaching English To Japanese, Kayoko Hisano

MA TESOL Collection

This paper aims at offering some information on the background of Japanese students to native teachers of English. Japanese students have a unique background in English education, which it is advisable for teachers of English to know about if they are to be as effective as possible when teaching them.

CHAPTER I touches on why the Japanese learn English, and CHAPTER II examines the kind of English education that is taught at Japanese high schools. CHAPTER II covers linguistic differences between Japanese and English, and CHAPTER IV deals with the psychology of Japanese students.

Teaching English Vocabulary From Latin Roots In The Esl Classroom, Barbara Ashley Goldhor

MA TESOL Collection

The following material has been developed for classroom use with an advanced (400+ TOEFL) ESL class. The material is based on five Latin roots, nineteen prefixes, and several suffixes, resulting in seventy-seven derivatives. The primary goal of this project is not to teach these specific seventy-seven vocabulary items but to provide the student, through his work with these seventy-seven words, vocabulary acqusition and discernment skills.

The order of the exercises is based on the concept of moving from the known to the unknown. The definition exercise asks the student to compose a short definition based on his knowledge of Latin …

The Use Of The Language Laboratory For Language Learning In Japan (English), Hideko Fukuhara

MA TESOL Collection

This is a work-related study concerning the language laboratory in Japan. It is primarily based on my working experience at the National L.L. School, my student teaching site, and at the Seibi Bunka Center (Seibi Cultural Center) where I worked as a coordinator sent from the National office. It is also supported by my study of selected articles in Modern Language Journal, books written by Japanese experts, a report of Osaka-fu Kagaku Kyoiku Center ( The Osaka Prefectural Educational Science Center) where I attended lectures on the language laboratory, and information from a questionnaire sent to secondary school teachers who …

A Reference Manual Of French, Italian, Romanian, Portuguese And Spanish Regular Verb Tense Formation, John Zioze

MA TESOL Collection

The present work is intended to serve as a reference manual of the formation of the regular verb forms in five related Romance tongues - Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian. Because of their common origin in Latin, it is logical to expect that these languages share many aspects of verb formation in common. This work compiles information about the morphological patterning of verbs and relates these to use and tense with charts reflecting their inflectioned endings. Such information will hopefully be of value to students of Romance languages as well as students of comparative linguistics.

High Interest Readings For The Adult Beginning Esl Student, Judith Anne Zoebelein

MA TESOL Collection

No abstract provided.

The Reading Process And Alphablanks, Dale Saul, Linda Driver

MA TESOL Collection

Alphablanks was developed as an aid for teaching reading by Rosalie R. Saul. It has been used chiefly in teaching children to read in their native language, especially in the field of learning disabilities. We wanted to expand its use into the ESL classroom. But we also wanted to present a rationale for using Alphablanks, to research the field of reading and how we go about learning to read, in order to find out exactly what areas of reading Alphablanks would help. Thus this paper is divided into two main parts: a summary of current research into reading, interpreting this …

Teaching Across Cultures: A Review Of The Personal Accounts Of Twelve Teachers, Nicholas Hilmers

MA TESOL Collection

This is a review of the personal accounts of twelve teachers who have worked in cultural settings other than their own. It is intended to be useful to teachers who plan to enter a different culture. The twelve critical reviews are supplemented by a commentary which points out the limitations of the literature and discusses common adjustment problems which appear. It is argued that the success of a teacher in adjusting to a different culture can be attributed to certain qualities of personality. Briefly stated, these qualities are adaptibility, a strong will, creativity and a humanistic attitude.

Teacher's Manual For "The Magnetic Sentence": A Classroom Aid For Teaching English As A Second Language, Jeffrey Smith

MA TESOL Collection

"The Magnetic Sentence" is a classroom aid for teaching English as a second language. It consists of (1) a set of word-cards on which are written words, phrases, or morphemes; (2) a board for displaying these word cards; and (3) a teacher's manual.

The set is designed to show visually many common grammatical transformations by presenting them on a display board. This is done by placing the word-cards on the display board and rearranging, deleting, and adding to them to show the process involved in a transformation.

The following transformations and constructions can be shown with the set: affirmative statements, …

Visual English: A Method Of Language Education For The Deaf, Adapted For The Esl Classroom, Dennis Sayers

MA TESOL Collection

This report details an adaptation for the ESL classroom of the Fitzergerald Key, a method of language education for the deaf which utilizes question words to organize vocabulary development and to visualize the regularities of word order in English. The modified Key is a visual means of silent communication shared between teacher and students which utilizes a board and three kinds of manipulatives: squares marked with question words to indicate the 8 slots of an English transitive sentence; cubes which give common modulators of meaning and frequent pro-forms; and vocabulary cards. The methodology used is "commanding verbalizations", i.e, commands with …

Second Chance Language Learning: A Study Of What The Slow Language Learner's Problems Are, Why They Exist, And How To Give The Slow Language Learner Help On A Remedial Basis., Pamela S. Plimpton, Helen Kalaya

MA TESOL Collection

In the course of our paper , we will discuss theories of why the problem of the slow language learner exists, what the problem was for our specific situation and how we personally dealt with the problem(s). Realizing that other teachers will not be facing the same physical situation we did, (that of teaching ESL to Greek students at a private Greek high school in Thessaloniki, Greece) we will discuss alternatives concerning physical facilities needed for remedial help. Lastly, we offer an annotated listing of resources dealing with these students; and suggestions for the practical application of materials and methods …