This book is written for teachers of all backgrounds. Our
aim is to discuss a wide range of teaching problems—from
classroom techniques to school organisation—in order to
help practising teachers in their daily tasks. We have adopted
an eclectic approach, recognising that the teaching of English
must be principled without being dogmatic, and systematic
without being inflexible. We have tried to show how the
underlying principles of successful foreign language teaching
can provide teachers in a wide range of EFL situations with a
basic level of competence which can be a springboard for
their subsequent professional development.
Distance learning is a big challenge for special-needs students
To the relief of local teachers, parents, and students, this school year is almost at an end. The sudden transition to distance learning back in March posed a challenge to schools across the country, but it’s been especially tricky for special education and English as a Second Language students, along with their teachers and families. These students require individualized, hands-on assistance and care, something that does not lend itself easily to at-home learning. Learn more about this topic by reading in on C-ville.
Teaching for Cross-Language Transfer in Dual Language Education
Bilingual education and second language immersion programs have operated on the premise that the bilingual student’s two languages should be kept rigidly separate. Although it is appropriate to maintain a separate space for each language, it is also important to teach for transfer across languages. In other words, it is useful to explore bilingual instructional strategies for teaching bilingual students rather than assuming that monolingual instructional strategies are inherently superior. The paper explores the interplay between bilingual and monolingual instructional strategies within dual language programs and suggests concrete strategies for optimizing students’ bilingual development.
Learning a new language can boost our brains and spirits
In quarantine, or any time, it is now easier than in any other decade to learn another language. I write this with no program or book to sell or recommend, but I know you can download audible programs on your phone or computer, or play a CD or DVD. It can be a family project (X hours of no English) or a solo concentration. Language immersion, for some, is particularly suitable in times like this.
Learn more about this topic by reading in on BuffaloNews.
After reading “Foreign student industry faces dramatic drop”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.
Access to Meaning The Anatomy of the Language Learning Connection
PDF #51 – Access to Meaning The Anatomy of the Language Learning Connection – David Skinner
In this Part II the author examines the most common assumptions about second language acquisition by means of the anatomical model created in Part I. The examination includes a review of the most widely-used second language acquisition methods, and shows how they owe their basic assumptions to those embodied in the Direct Method — a century-old approach to teaching second languages.
After reading “Joe Gilliland’s ‘A Teacher’s Memoir’ ” you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs, and visit my YouTube channel.
English Language Partners Aoraki
A staff restructure at English Language Partners Aoraki will not impact on the service, its national chief executive says. English Language Partners New Zealand chief executive Nicola Sutton said the Timaru office’s restructure, will mean its two part-time staff members – a manager and an administrator, will be replaced by one coordinator based at the new shared Multicultural Hub for migrants in Sophia St, and will be managed from Christchurch. It was about costs and learners would not notice the change, she said. “We wanted the service to continue.”
English Language Partners Aoraki tutors teach English to those who speak it as their second language, so they can participate in all aspects of New Zealand society and live independently.
Sutton said the two staff members were “welcome” to apply for the new role but would not be drawn on whether they had, citing employment privacy.
“The change in structure has allowed us to continue offering a range of community-based English language teaching programs in class, for work, and at home to former refugee and migrant learners settling in the Aoraki region.
“Learners will also be able to join new online classes that have started across the country in response to Covid-19 – this will give learners even more learning options than before,” Sutton said.
Learn more about this topic by reading in on Stuff.
After reading “English Language Partners Aoraki”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.
Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition
PDF #50 – Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition Jenny X Montano-Gonzalez
Learning strategies refer to a set of tactics that people use in order to gain control over their own learning process. Nowadays, enhancing strategies in second or foreign language classrooms is one of the teachers’ roles, since their mission is to facilitate the learning among their students and make their thinking process visible. In order to teach a second language (L2) effectively, educators must take into consideration the needs and biographies of each learner, as a result, they are able to employ methodologies that guide students in using strategies which enhance their L2 learning process. This paper helps readers understand the concept of such strategies and its importance in terms of accelerating and facilitating English learning by putting forth a number of the definitions of the concept as posited by different authors. Then, it discusses three differing approaches to L2 instruction such as Grammatical, Communicative, and Cognitive in order to identify which of these approaches promote useful learning strategies in the classroom. And finally, based on the Biography Driven Instruction (BDI) model, this paper analyzes on how four learning strategies were put into practice in settings of English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
A History of English Language Teaching
PDF #49 – A.P.R. Howatt-A History of English Language Teaching -Oxford University Press (1984)
The history of English teaching is a vast subject, and this is a relatively short book which of necessity has had to adopt a specific and therefore limited perspective. the spread of English round the world in the wake of trade, empire-building, migration, and settlement has ensured the teaching of the language a role, sometimes central, sometimes peripheral, in the educational history of virtually every country on earth. the European focus of this book is, therefore, only a small part of the history of the subject, hence the indefinite article in the title.
The Science of Language
The Science of Language – At some point in early childhood you started to connect the sounds and shapes of words with their meanings. Using words to initially express basic needs and wants — warm food or your favorite blanket — you eventually moved to advanced stages of relaying thoughts and feelings, slowly but surely developing a foundation of language. Odds are you rarely thought about the science of language until you actually studied English or attempted to learn a second language.
The reason why linguists and scientists believe that learning a native language comes easy is because we’re not overtly trying to learn it. It’s a natural process, rather than a studied one. This organic “class” starts early: in the womb. Researchers found that the melodies in the cries of 30 French and 30 German newborns matched the sounds of their native languages. The only way they could perform such a natural symphony was by hearing their mothers’ words before birth.
From there, language learning seems to start with baby talk.
A study of 2,329 babies in 16 countries showed that most of them responded best to infant-directed speech, as opposed to their caregivers speaking to them more like adults. “Often parents are discouraged from using baby talk by well-meaning friends or even health professionals. But the evidence suggests that it’s actually a great way to engage with your baby because babies just like it. It tells them, ‘This speech is meant for you,’” Michael Frank, a Stanford University psychologist and member of the organization that conducted the study, ManyBabies Consortium, told Stanford News.
Learn more about this topic by reading in on NOW.
After reading “The Science of Language”, you can check important issues for ESL teachers on the section PDFs. And visit my channel by YouTube.
Pedagoy of English
PDF #48 – Pedagoy of English Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad
Curriculum is the most significant part of any programme which acts like the constitution of a particular course. Therefore, It is essential for any programme to emphasize optimally into making of its curriculum in order to get the desired outcome from education.