title: Exploring discrepancies between beliefs and practices in ESL curriculum and syllabus design

authors: Fester, Anthea Marcelle

abstract: In response to a questionnaire-based survey of teachers of English as a second language (ESL) (involving a sample of teachers from five different countries), more than one third indicated that the institution in which they worked either did not have an overall curriculum for the English courses offered or that they did not know whether it had one or not. Many respondents added comments indicating that the curriculum documents that were made available to them were inadequate, incomplete or unhelpful. In follow-up in-depth interviews with a sample of language programme managers, interviewees were asked a series of questions about their institutional curricula. All but one claimed that their institutions had curricula relating to their ESL programmes, that each of the courses offered was described in terms of levels with associated proficiency-style level descriptor statements and that there were ‘can do’ learning outcome statements associated with each course. However, a review of the curriculum documents provided by the interviewees did not always confirm their perceptions of them. This paper presents and discusses some of the findings of the research project as a whole, suggesting some possible reasons why there appears to be so much confusion and disagreement about the nature of the ESL curriculum.

text: Exploring discrepancies between beliefs and practices in ESL curriculum and syllabus design In response to a questionnaire-based survey of teachers of English as a second language (ESL) (involving a sample of teachers from five different countries), more than one third indicated that the institution in which they worked either did not have an overall curriculum for the English courses offered or that they did not know whether it had one or not. Many respondents added comments indicating that the curriculum documents that were made available to them were inadequate, incomplete or unhelpful. In follow-up in-depth interviews with a sample of language programme managers, interviewees were asked a series of questions about their institutional curricula. All but one claimed that their institutions had curricula relating to their ESL programmes, that each of the courses offered was described in terms of levels with associated proficiency-style level descriptor statements and that there were ‘can do’ learning outcome statements associated with each course. However, a review of the curriculum documents provided by the interviewees did not always confirm their perceptions of them. This paper presents and discusses some of the findings of the research project as a whole, suggesting some possible reasons why there appears to be so much confusion and disagreement about the nature of the ESL curriculum.

year: 2015

title: Book review: Dying in the Law of Moses: Crypto-Jewish Martyrdom in the Iberian World – By Miriam Bodian

authors: Simms, Norman

subjects: book review

abstract: This article reviews the book: “Dying in the Law of Moses: Crypto-Jewish Martyrdom in the Iberian World”, by Miriam Bodian.

text: Book review: Dying in the Law of Moses: Crypto-Jewish Martyrdom in the Iberian World – By Miriam Bodian This article reviews the book: “Dying in the Law of Moses: Crypto-Jewish Martyrdom in the Iberian World”, by Miriam Bodian.

year: 2010

title: Turning a negative into a positive: Aquatic weed harvesting Lake Rotoehu

authors: Mallinson, Richard

abstract: The submerged aquatic weed hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) has become widespread through Lake Rotoehu since its establishment in the lake around 2000. This exotic pest plant is surface reaching in large parts of this shallow lake making it a perfect candidate for mechanical harvesting.
As part of the Te Arawa - Rotorua Lakes Programme the Lake Rotoehu Action Plan sets out nutrient reduction targets for nitrogen and phosphorus. Realising these targets is integral if lake water quality is to be restored to the trophic level index (TLI) target for Lake
Rotoehu. Restoration measures have included land use management efforts to arrest nutrient inputs, phosphorus locking through alum dosing, floating wetlands, and most recently the deployment of two aerators. To date the most successful in-lake nutrient reduction method has been mechanical harvest of hornwort.
Aquatic weed harvesting has resulted in reaching a significant portion of the annual nutrient target for the lake catchment. Attaining this level of nutrient removal has manifested in tangible water quality gains in the past few years. Most noticeable is the reduction in cyanobacterial (blue-green) algal blooms which had been prevalent in the lake in summer months. We discuss the practicalities and problems of submerged lake weed harvesting, disposal options, and impacts of this activity on the lake.

text: Turning a negative into a positive: Aquatic weed harvesting Lake Rotoehu The submerged aquatic weed hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) has become widespread through Lake Rotoehu since its establishment in the lake around 2000. This exotic pest plant is surface reaching in large parts of this shallow lake making it a perfect candidate for mechanical harvesting.
As part of the Te Arawa - Rotorua Lakes Programme the Lake Rotoehu Action Plan sets out nutrient reduction targets for nitrogen and phosphorus. Realising these targets is integral if lake water quality is to be restored to the trophic level index (TLI) target for Lake
Rotoehu. Restoration measures have included land use management efforts to arrest nutrient inputs, phosphorus locking through alum dosing, floating wetlands, and most recently the deployment of two aerators. To date the most successful in-lake nutrient reduction method has been mechanical harvest of hornwort.
Aquatic weed harvesting has resulted in reaching a significant portion of the annual nutrient target for the lake catchment. Attaining this level of nutrient removal has manifested in tangible water quality gains in the past few years. Most noticeable is the reduction in cyanobacterial (blue-green) algal blooms which had been prevalent in the lake in summer months. We discuss the practicalities and problems of submerged lake weed harvesting, disposal options, and impacts of this activity on the lake.

year: 2015