ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Learning to Hypothesize with Confidence through Sudoku Game Play
Author: Ting, Y. L. Teresa
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Games,Hypothesis Testing,Logical Thinking,Language Usage,Verbs,Vocabulary Development

A main objective in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) is to enable students to communicate effectively in many situations and contexts. This involves being able to control a wide range of language functions, which are how speakers use language for requesting, congratulating, apologizing, complaining, consoling, and promising, among many other functions. The author was relieved when she found that the popular game of "Sudoku" offers an ideal, authentic context for incorporating modal verbs and colloquial expressions to teach the useful language functions known as "confident hypothesizing" and making "logical conclusions." Playing Sudoku provides a meaningful context for many learners to get actively involved in generating, at a very high frequency, the functional language of confident hypothesizing and concluding. Likewise, the colloquial expressions and language of challenge come so naturally in the context of a game that one forgets how highly form-focused the language of play actually is. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)
Reading to Speak: Integrating Oral Communication Skills
Author: Zhang, Yun
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Communication Skills,Teaching Methods,English (Second Language),Phonemes,Pronunciation Instruction,Communicative Competence (Languages),Oral English,Foreign Countries,Speech Communication,Acting,Debate

According to Ur (1996, 120), &quot;of all the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), speaking seems intuitively the most important.&quot; Indeed, whether for business or pleasure, a primary motivation to learn a second language is to be able to converse with speakers of that language. However, in addition to being an important skill, speaking is also a great challenge for foreign language learners, and students must master several difficult microskills, including the pronunciation of unfamiliar phonemes, the correct placement of stress and intonation, and the appropriate use of formal and informal expressions. Opinions are divided on how to go about making a change in the way English is taught, although many see a problem with the traditional overemphasis on grammar and vocabulary in English classes where students receive intensive but separate practice in reading, writing, and listening, with no speaking involved. In this article, the author presents three activities that provide students with opportunities to practice their spoken English. In the activities described, integrating speaking and reading skills deepens students' understanding of the reading material, reveals any problem they have understanding a text, and, most importantly, lets them apply the information they have read into authentic speaking practice that improves their fluency.
Hawai'i: The Aloha State
Author: Klein, Edward F.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Altruism,Official Languages,United States History,Native Speakers,English,Spelling,Cultural Influences,Geography,Climate,World History,Governance,Political Issues,Tourism,Agriculture,Malayo Polynesian Languages

August 21, 2009, marks the 50th anniversary of the entry of the 50th state into the United States of America. All the states have their stories, but as a string of islands in the vast Pacific Ocean, more than 2,000 miles from any other land mass, Hawai'i has a story that is unique in many ways. Consider, for example, that Hawai'i has two official languages, English and Hawaiian. In this article Hawaiian words are spelled following the accepted method of including the &quot;okina&quot; (a backwards apostrophe indicating a glottal stop) and the &quot;kahako&quot; (a macron over the vowel indicating that it is lengthened). Perhaps more importantly, one calls Hawai'i the &quot;Aloha State&quot; for good reason. Although the word &quot;aloha&quot; is used to say &quot;hello&quot; as well as &quot;good-bye,&quot; its basic meaning is &quot;love, affection, kindness&quot;--something people in Hawai'i earnestly try to show to each other and extend to Hawai'i's many visitors.
To Teach Standard English or World Englishes? A Balanced Approach to Instruction
Author: Farrell, Thomas S. C.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Standard Spoken Usage,Guidelines,English (Second Language),Language Variation,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Language Teachers,Teaching Methods,Futures (of Society),Class Activities

This article suggests that English language teachers should consider all varieties of English, not just British Standard English or American Standard English. In order to better prepare students for the global world, and to show them that their own English is valued, teachers can implement a balanced approach that incorporates the teaching and learning context as well as the learners' values. It also helps to prepare learners for future interactions with speakers of different varieties of English. This article presents guidelines for a balanced approach that can be adapted by all teachers who wish to help their students prepare for real world interactions.
An Approach to Teaching Organizational Skills to Adults
Author: Issa, Sandra Tompson
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Skill Development,Language Skills,Organizational Communication,Educational Needs,Educational Practices,Educational Strategies,Classroom Techniques,Curriculum Enrichment,English Curriculum,Instructional Design,English Instruction,Adult Education

In English language teaching, it is not unusual to come across a student who seems to lack certain basic organizational skills. However, many of the language teaching techniques and materials require students to rely heavily on these skills. The use of textbooks and handouts, the assigning of tasks and homework, and the planning of a syllabus or curriculum all presuppose competent organizational skills in students. This article presents a rationale and approach for incorporating organizational skills development into the mainstream curriculum to help all students and especially to help those students with weak organizational skills, without setting them apart from the rest of the class. While students need much more than organizational skills to learn a language, mastery of this set of skills can foster student success in the language learning classroom. (Contains 1 figure.)
Using Public Speaking Tasks in English Language Teaching
Author: Iberri-Shea, Gina
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Public Speaking,Learning Activities,Problem Sets,English Instruction,Debate,Student Projects,Teaching Methods,Educational Practices,Instructional Design,Program Descriptions,Classroom Techniques,Language Usage,Audience Awareness

The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions for using public speaking tasks in English language teaching (ELT) and to highlight some of their many advantages. For the purpose of this article, the author will focus on two types of these tasks: student presentations and debates. Student presentations may consist of either individual or group speeches based on class lessons or outside projects. Debates are interactive tasks, and usually require a greater degree of organization. They can be held with two or more students who take turns speaking on either side of an issue. The public speaking tasks suggested here rely on authentic language use and communication toward an audience. In this article, the author will introduce advantages of using these tasks in the language classroom, describe their implementation, and provide examples of their use. (Contains 1 figure.)
How to Make Upper-Level University English Classes More Interactive
Author: Lytovchenko, Irina
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Learner Engagement,English for Special Purposes,English Instruction,Teaching Methods,Class Activities,Classroom Techniques,Educational Practices,Communication Skills,Speech Communication,Content Area Reading,Content Area Writing,Instructional Design

Upper-level English classes often pose special problems for teachers. Known as English for Specific Purposes (ESP), this type of English instruction integrates the specialized subject matter of the field into the classroom. ESP requires the acquisition of highly specialized terminology and the ability to explain formal processes as students prepare for the high-level competence they will have to demonstrate in their chosen careers. Because this advanced material is often difficult and challenging, students can easily fall behind or become nonresponsive. It is therefore imperative for teachers to use methods that make upper-level classes effective and communicative. One good solution is task-based teaching, which links pair and group work with relevant activities to make language lessons more interactive, thus increasing student engagement and comprehension. This article describes how the author implemented task-based teaching to improve language learning in an upper-level ESP class for engineering students. (Contains 2 tables.)
Video Recording as a Stimulus for Reflection in Pre-Service EFL Teacher Training
Author: Orlova, Natalia
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Video Technology,Feedback (Response),Student Teachers,Evaluation Methods,Reflective Teaching,Teaching Methods,Preservice Teacher Education,Technology Uses in Education,Instructional Design,Protocol Materials,Educational Practices,Second Language Instruction

More than three decades ago, when the author was a student teacher in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) program, her evaluations came from either a mentor or a university supervisor. Feedback about her teaching was filtered through the lens of their perceptions and experiences, leaving little space for her own reflection. While this type of supervisory observation is common, the field of Second Language Teacher Education (SLTE) has advanced and now includes many other evaluation methods, including self-reflection by teachers on aspects of their own classroom practice. After looking at the particular benefits of reflective teaching, this article will describe some specific steps that SLTE teachers can take to introduce video recording as a stimulus for self-reflection in a pre-service EFL program. (Contains 1 figure.)
New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment
Author: McKay, Sandra
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: American Indians,Tourism,Geography,United States History,Mexican Americans

New Mexico, a state of brown plains and sand deserts, is nicknamed &quot;The Land of Enchantment.&quot; One reason is that the very starkness of the land adds to its enchantment. Another reason is that the rich history of the state has resulted in a landscape filled with remnants of the Pueblo people, Spanish colonizers, and Mexican settlers.
The Relevance of Literary Analysis to Teaching Literature in the EFL Classroom
Author: Van, Truong Thi My
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Class Activities,Learning Activities,Cultural Awareness,Literary Criticism,Foreign Countries,Language Skills,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Relevance (Education),Vocabulary Development,Literature Appreciation,Critical Thinking,Communicative Competence (Languages),Teacher Education,Language Teachers

For many university teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL), the study of literature is indispensable because it exposes students to meaningful contexts that are replete with descriptive language and interesting characters. Structuring lessons around the reading of literature introduces a profound range of vocabulary, dialogues, and prose. In addition to developing students' English language skills, teaching literature also appeals to their imagination, develops cultural awareness, and encourages critical thinking about plots, themes, and characters. Most importantly, the activities that one can apply with literature lessons easily conform to the student-centered and interactive tenets of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Unfortunately, many postgraduate EFL teacher-training courses focus mainly on language teaching methodology and offer little guidance on the analytical methods that are essential to interpreting literature and designing effective classroom activities. This article presents a basic review of six approaches to teaching literature and includes a discussion based on the author's own experience as well as feedback from colleagues who are familiar with the different approaches. Although this discussion pertains to the university-level EFL context in Vietnam, it can be generalized to the wider global audience of instructors of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
Between the ESP Classroom and the Workplace: Bridging the Gap
Author: Bouzidi, Hassan
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English for Special Purposes,Hospitality Occupations,Textbooks,Educational Change,French,English,Work Environment,Job Performance,Performance Factors,Second Language Learning,Language Fluency,Tourism,Instructional Materials,Relevance (Education)

Since the launch of far-reaching higher education reforms several years ago, many institutions across Morocco have begun revamping their English for Special Purposes (ESP) programs to bring them in line with the needs of local employers. These reforms recognize the correlation between what students learn in class and success in their future professions. Therefore, a main objective of English departments is to ensure that ESP courses impart the key communicative skills that are most useful to graduates in their chosen careers. An important component of an effective ESP course is a textbook that contains job-related English lessons. However, there often is a mismatch between the content of ESP textbooks and actual workplace language demands. To help teachers recognize and rectify the mismatch, this article describes a three-step method to (1) collect data about the needs of employees and employers; (2) use that data to evaluate classroom material--in this case an ESP textbook for English language learners who work in the local Moroccan hospitality industry; and (3) supplement the ESP textbook to make it more relevant to the employment setting. (Contains 1 table.)
Livening up College English Classes with Games
Author: Cervantes, Emerita P.
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),College Students,Writing Instruction,Teaching Methods,Games,English (Second Language),Second Language Instruction,Interaction,Creative Teaching,Foreign Countries

According to Martin (2000), English-language instructors should be careful about monopolizing a class with too much teacher-talk--for speaking and writing activities, more than 15 percent of the time is probably excessive. Teacher-centered lessons featuring lectures on sentence structure and how to write effective paragraphs are bound to create passive students who do not take an active role in class. Clearly, English classes need to be more interactive to keep students interested in the lessons. After ten years of teaching the author has learned that English need not be a boring subject; on the contrary, it can be fun if teachers supplement the formal lessons with alternative methods and techniques. In this article the author shows how teachers can easily adapt available games and develop new ones to add some fun and excitement to the learning process. In addition, she reports on feedback from her students regarding how they feel about the use of games in the ESL classroom. (Contains 1 note.)
Using VOA Special English to Improve Advanced English Learners' Productive Use of High Frequency Words
Author: Nan, Yao
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Comprehension,Advanced Students,Speech Communication,Second Language Learning,Foreign Countries,Vocabulary Development,English (Second Language),Vocabulary,Word Frequency,Receptive Language,Listening Comprehension

In China many non-English majors, who often score high on English exams that emphasize reading comprehension and grammar, have difficulty finding the English words they need to express their ideas in speaking and writing. This problem is not unusual, and it is often difficult for students to use their receptive reading and listening vocabulary for the productive skills of speaking and writing (Nation 2001b). Although students do display individual differences when it comes to vocabulary acquisition and use, they generally find it a great challenge to sufficiently master the spelling, pronunciation, and comprehension of words in their second language. This article discusses a method to deal with this obstacle to language production and illustrates how to use the Voice of America (VOA) Special English program to increase advanced students' vocabulary and improve their spoken and written skills.
CAR: A Means for Motivating Students to Read
Author: Komiyama, Reiko
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Feedback (Response),Second Language Learning,Reading Motivation,Reading Skills,English (Second Language),Teaching Methods,Student Motivation,Competence,Personal Autonomy,Student Participation,Self Determination,Learning Activities

Reading is an important skill for English language learners in today's world; it supports the development of overall proficiency and provides access to crucial information at work and in school. With English being the dominant language of the Internet, international business, and academia (including science), beginning and advanced students alike face pressures to develop their second language (L2) reading abilities. The acquisition of reading skills, however, is never easy, and students need consistent practice to become fluent readers. But what can teachers do to motivate students to read in English? Some research on this subject points to successful methods and techniques, such as choosing reading topics that appeal to students, assigning material and tasks at the right level, organizing collaborative work, and offering positive feedback and other incentives for students' efforts. However, in their efforts to motivate students to read, teachers often do not realize that different instructional methods actually promote different types of student motivation. The purpose of this article is to distinguish among these different types of motivation and illustrate how to apply motivation-supportive instructional strategies in the classroom to create a dynamic environment where reading comes alive. (Contains 1 figure.)
Virginia: The Old Dominion
Author: Kirschenmann, Jean
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Geography,United States History,Climate,Employment Level,Industry,Agricultural Occupations,Natural Resources,Tourism

In this article, the author features Virginia, a state of contrasts--from the suburbs of Washington, District of Columbia, in northern Virginia to the Great Dismal Swamp in the south and from the scenic mountaintops in the west to the beachside resorts along its eastern shore. Virginia became a state in 1788, the tenth state to join the Union. Virginia's complex story is closely tied to the story of the United States, but it also has several chapters all its own. The author discusses the state's geography, its tidewater, Piedmont and the mountain and valley regions of Virginia. A brief history of Virginia is included.
Tools for Activating Materials and Tasks in the English Language Classroom
Author: Rosenberg, Rick
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English (Second Language),Student Interests,Student Reaction,Teaching Methods,Brainstorming,Vocabulary,Educational Games,Student Participation,Learner Engagement,Second Language Learning

Most teachers have seen the reactions students can have to tasks and activities that they do not find engaging: the glassy or rolling eyes, the unfocused behavior, and the cries of "Not again!" This article provides practical techniques that the author's students have helped him learn over the years to better "activate" materials and tasks in the English language classroom while tapping into students' interests, needs, and aims. Activation techniques, then, are tools to make materials and tasks more interactive and more learner-focused, encouraging students to take more responsibility for their own learning. This article demonstrates activating techniques through three strategies: (1) elicitation; (2) gapping; and (3) adaptation/extension.
The Formeaning Response Approach: Poetry in the EFL Classroom
Author: Kellem, Harlan
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Reading Materials,Pronunciation,English (Second Language),Poetry,Teaching Methods,Reader Response,Reader Text Relationship,Class Activities

In English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, where acquisition of English is the ultimate goal, one of the main tasks for the teacher is to provide students with language input and activities that best aid them in their learning process. As different researchers have reported, including poetry-based activities in the EFL classroom is beneficial. Among other reasons, poetry is a source of content-rich reading material; a model of creative language in use; a way to introduce vocabulary in context; and a way to focus students' attention on English pronunciation, rhythm, and stress. Two main pedagogical approaches to teaching poetry and literature have their roots in literary criticism: (1) Stylistics, an approach that analyzes the language forms of the text; and (2) Reader-Response, an approach that concerns itself with the reader's interaction with the text. Although these two approaches are typically considered mutually exclusive, one way to marry the two when teaching poetry is to use what the author calls the "Formeaning Response" approach. This approach places equal importance on the study of language elements and on responding personally to poetry. This article first reviews the Stylistic and Reader-Response approaches and their roles in second language acquisition, and then demonstrates how to combine them to teach poetry in the EFL classroom with the Formeaning Response approach.