Language Teaching Resources Research Articles

Open Educational Resources and the New Classroom Ecology

The article presents a response to the 2013 article Materials in the Classroom Ecology by Anne Marie Guerrettaz and Bill Johnston. Topics discussed include the use of teaching materials, such as textbooks, in language teaching and the use of digital open educational resources (OER) in language teaching,

Promoting interculturalism in primary school children through the development of encountering skills: a case study in two Finnish schools

The present article introduces diversity (educational, social and multicultural) of children as a resource in language teaching. Two English teachers with a total of 105 children of their language classes participated in the teaching experiment that was part of a nationwide research and development project in Finland. The aim was to develop conceptions and practices of intercultural language education and transform language curricula based on them. With the support of university researchers, the teachers experimented, reflected on, evaluated and developed such pedagogic action – pedagogy of intercultural encounters – through which they could meet the challenges of diversity in their classrooms. Good practices in teaching intercultural encountering skills were developed and seen essential for promoting identity development in language learning. Based on regular seminars where teachers' reports on their progress were discussed, reflected on and theoretically analysed, the teachers and researchers suggested justified improvements for language curricula.

The Role of Open Educational Resources in English Language Learning and Teaching

This article discusses the role of Open Educational Resources (OER) in foreign language learning and teaching, focusing on the field of ELT. Firstly, the concept of OER is introduced in the article by providing the definition of OER, role of OER in education, and studies on OER. Then the role of the OER in language learning and teaching is explained in accordance with language learning theories, and examples of OERs for the field of ELT are provided for learners and teachers of English. Possible concerns regarding the creation and use of OER by language teachers and learners are also examined in the article. The article ends with future directions and a summary of the benefits of using OER in language learning and teaching.

Performing Languages: an example of integrating open practices in staff development for language teachers

In 2009 the Department of Languages at The Open University, UK, developed LORO (http://loro.open.ac.uk), a repository of Open Educational Resources for language teaching and learning aimed at language teaching professionals. Initially populated with over 300 hours of teaching resources for French, Spanish, German, Italian, Welsh, Chinese and English for Academic Purposes, LORO’s initial function was to provide an efficient and open way of accessing and sharing resources. Additionally, the integration of LORO into language teachers’ workflows is part of the department’s strategy for teachers’ professional development and a key enabler for increased transparency, collaboration, skills development, and pedagogical reflection and discussion, leading ultimately to the enhancement of the quality of teaching and learning. This case study describes how the vision of openness facilitated by LORO is being implemented at a practical level through the incorporation of open practices into teachers’ professional development activities. We look at the project Performing Languages (www.performinglanguages.eu), a Grundtvig Partnership project (part of the Lifelong Learning Programme) in which language teachers in the UK work with theatre associations in Spain, France and Italy. Besides the primary objective of exploring the role of drama in the language classroom as a tool for language and culture learning and intercultural communication, this project also intends to develop and publish most project resources (workshop activities, lesson plans, texts and video recordings, for example) as Open Educational Resources. The aim is to share the project experiences as widely as possible to maximise impact and ensure others can benefit from them. This case study looks at how the project has been designed so that collaborative writing, open sharing and peer review of the resources produced by participating language teachers are fully embedded in the project activities. We look at the strategies and tools that enable us to achieve these objectives in a distance context, and the resources that have been created and published by participants as a direct result of the project. Drawing on data from feedback questionnaires and a debriefing session with participants, we examine how teachers’ increased awareness of the benefits of sharing and collaboration has resulted in changes in practice, both in relation to openness and pedagogical approach.

IS THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASS REALLY A MORE THREATENING PLACE THAN

Computer technology has the potential to provide rich resources for language teaching and learning. As computer access increases, so do new learning technologies in education. This paper is specifically interesed in the case of English language instruction in a Teacher Training Faculty, and blended e-learning components as tools for supporting English language acquisition. Through the analysis of a researcher-developed survey, this study examines and compares students’ feelings and perceptions towards their participation in class and their participation in the online environment with the aim of detecting whether major differences between the two contexts exist. It also seeks to discover the extent to which learners value the online environment within the whole language learning process. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for and relevance of research focusing on this learning format, given the specific characteristics of University education today, in the light of the recent implementation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) at University.

EFL Teachers‟ Attitudes toward Using Computer Technology in English Language Teaching

Computers have become commonplace in our personal as well as our professional lives. Computers have made many of our everyday tasks easier and faster and made our society more productive. A very important set of variables such as the classroom teacher and the teacher’s attitudes towards the effective uses of computers in the classroom have been overlooked in EFL classrooms. This study investigates how teachers perceive the use of computer technology resources in English Language Teaching. The first aim of the study is to define the teachers’ attitudes. The second aim is to discuss the aspects of attitude. The third aim is to explain teachers’ attitudes and computer technology training. The fourth aim is to elaborate teachers’ attitudes and computer technology integration. The fifth aim is to define teachers’ attitudes and computer experience. The sixth aim is to discuss teachers’ attitudes and computer anxiety and interest. The last aim is to review teachers’ attitudes and computer literacy. The review of the related literature shows that simply introducing computer technology resources does not guarantee teachers’ use of these in practice. Knowledge of EFL teachers’ attitudes about teaching, learning, and computers, affords them the opportunity to design and implement EFL instruction.

Language revitalization and language pedagogy: new teaching and learning strategies

Language learning and teaching of endangered languages have many features and needs that are quite different from the teaching of world languages. Groups whose languages are endangered try to turn language loss around; many new language teaching and learning strategies are emerging, to suit the special needs and goals of language revitalization. The teaching of ‘foreign languages’, ‘majority languages’, ‘heritage languages’ and endangered languages is compared in this paper. Because of the paucity of language teaching resources for endangered languages, and especially because of the special goals of learning for language revitalization, individuals and communities and the professionals who work with them are developing novel ways of teaching and learning their ancestral language, to meet the goals of language learners and their communities.

Instructors' Integration of Computer Technology: Examining the Role of Interaction

Abstract: Computer technology has the potential to provide rich resources for language teaching and learning. However, it continues to be underutilized, even though its availability, familiarity, and sophistication are steadily increasing. This case study explored the way in which three language instructors' beliefs about language teaching and learning affected their use of computers in teaching in a postsecondary context. Data consisted of six weeks of observations of classrooms and computer labs and interviews with the three instructors. The findings suggest that the instructors' beliefs about interaction affected their use of computers significantly more than their technological expertise, and imply that for computers to be used more widely, teacher preparation needs to take into consideration instructors' beliefs and approaches to language teaching.

Do Teachers have Adequate ICT Resources and the Right ICT Skills in Integrating ICT Tools in the Teaching and Learning of English Language in Malaysian Schools?

AbstractThe unparalleled development of information and communication technology tools within the last thirty years has given a tremendous boost in supporting new modes of delivery in training, teaching and learning. ICT tools can indeed assist students in acquiring English Language competency as well as enhance the quality of the learning experience. This paper examines the available ICT resources and the level of ICT skills of English language teachers and tries to determine if serving teachers are able to promote ICT integration in the teaching and learning of English Language in Malaysian schools. This research is based on the findings of a questionnaire survey conducted over a period of five months (i.e. from 1st September 2004 to 31stJanuary 2005). The survey findings reveal that a fairly large number of teachers have the necessary ICT skills but yet the utilization of the available ICT resources in English Language teaching and learning is far from satisfactory. In the concluding part, the researcher looks at possible reasons for this. Some obvious obstacles to ICT use in the teaching and learning of English are discussed and the researchers suggest the use of ICT tools that promote interactive lessons and strongly encourage e‐learning among pupils to speed up the teaching and learning of English.

The Web Portfolio: A Project to Teach Spanish Reading and Hispanic Cultures

This article describes the Web Portfolio, a project designed to facilitate reading and learning about target cultures in Spanish as a second language instruction. The project is a simple web page on a cultural topic created by language learners who read Internet texts in the target language and provide annotations and links. The goal of the Web portfolio is to foster autonomous and extensive reading in Spanish and research on Hispanic cultures. The project is also the basis for interactions and presentations in class. The various components of the Web Portfolio project can be modified to accommodate different types of courses and learners (e.g., at secondary or university levels). An overview of research on portfolios, extensive reading, teaching culture, and using Internet resources in foreign language teaching is presented. Also, the article provides examples of instructions for a Web Portfolio assignment, Internet resources, a sample portfolio, and grading criteria.

Languages taken at school and languages spoken in the community – a comparative perspective

Abstract This paper compares two sets of data from the same year, 2001 – the numbers of students taking languages other than English at primary and secondary level, and census statistics for the home use of languages other than English. The data draws attention to languages that are taught principally in day schools and those taken mainly in after hours programs, and to variation between States and between education systems. While it is acknowledged that the strong presence of a language in the community is not the only reason for offering it in schools, the paper demonstrates that some important international languages are now among the major community languages and that some of them are marginal in the mainstream education systems in Australia. The presence of large numbers of speakers will facilitate the utilization of community resources in language teaching. Consideration needs to be given especially to Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin and Spanish, community languages with increasing numbers, the first two especially among the young.

Uporaba novih tehnologij pri jezikovnem pouku

The paper presents an overview of the possibilities of using new technologies in language teaching. The use of new technologies in language teaching depends on both the willingness of the teacher to accept them and use them in the classroom, as well as the equipment available. The possibilities for using new technologies are grouped into three main categories: language teaching resources, general resources and electronic communication. In addition to a brief description of each of the possibilities, the most important advantages and disadvantages of its use are assessed as well. For each category, possible examples for English and Slovene language teaching are given.

MULTIMEDIA CONFERENCING FOR REMOTE LANGUAGE TEACHING OVER SUPERJANET

Abstract This paper describes work which is being carried out as part of a remote language teaching research investigation (called the ReLaTe project), which is looking into the use of multi‐cast, multimedia conferencing over SuperJANET. ReLaTe is a joint project between the University of Exeter and University College, London, which is being funded by BT as part of the BT/JISC SuperJANET research initiative. The fundamental idea is to investigate the feasibility of sharing language teaching resources between uni‐versities within the UK, by making use of the broadband SuperJANET SMDS service.

Using corpora as a resource in language teaching

The paper begins by considering the need to provide a learner-directed computer package to help mature students to perfect their English. The information they require to do this has two components: expert procedural knowledge and expert domain knowledge. Expert procedural knowledge encompasses the lexical, grammatical and discourse skills involved in writing good English. Expert domain knowledge is the collection of documents from different genres that is accepted by the native speaking community. This collection is dynamic. Three components of special interest to the implementors of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) packages are dictionaries and thesauri, tagged corpora, and discipline-specific documents generated by scholars or professionals in a specialist field. The paper considers, with examples, how corpora of each type can best contribute examples and exercises to suit learners of a wide range of abilities. Examples are drawn from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (OALD) and the Susanne Corpus. Dictionaries excel in the provision of general lexical exercises, but are inadequate for grammar or discourse. Tagged corpora are unreliable for some lexical examples but are superb for clause level grammatical exercises and simple discourse exercises that rely on easily recognizable frameworks such as enumeration. Neither of these prime sources is adequate for specialist vocabulary or domain-specific document structures such as laboratory reports which require resort to specialist dictionaries and texts.

Challenges & Suitability of TESL at the College Level in Bangladeshi Context

This paper presents the result of a study about teaching English to Bangladeshi college students. It analyses the problems faced by Bangladeshi English teachers, including methodological problems and expertise problem. The shifting from grammar based to communicative approach has produced acute problems of expertise in the field, resulting in inefficiency of the classroom instructors and lack of appropriate resources for language teaching. In response to the problems, this paper also discusses CLT methodology and considers the suitability of the Content-Based Approach (CBA) in Bangladeshi context. It then tries to uphold a balanced curricular and pedagogical suggestion for making language teaching more effective, arguing that blending of two approaches, CLT and CBA, can help English language teachers achieve maximum learning among students. Key Words: Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), Content-based Approach (CBA), Curriculum development DOI: 10.3126/nelta.v14i1.3090 Journal of NELTA Vol.14, No 1&2, 2009 December Page: 45-54