|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
sheeba
Joined: 17 Jun 2004
Posts: 1123
|
 Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:46 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| Quote: |
| the problem is how to use it in class if you don't know the language yourself? |
Write words on the board in your best 汉字！/ask students to write certain words on the board. You don't need to be that good at Chinese to provide simple translations. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Katja84
Joined: 06 May 2007
Posts: 165
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
| sheeba wrote: |
| Quote: |
| the problem is how to use it in class if you don't know the language yourself? |
Write words on the board in your best 汉字！/ask students to write certain words on the board. You don't need to be that good at Chinese to provide simple translations. |
Not convinced... What translation as a class activity would be good for is hardly just word-to-word translation (let alone of so easy words that I would know them) but in explaining sentence structure and how English sentence structure differs from Chinese, and this I simply wouldn't have a clue... I have used translation activities in tests for my deaf students, but I needed a Chinese teacher for translation and that gets complicated if you are looking for an in-class activity... If you don't know enough Chinese to do translation in a proper way, an all-English rule in class may not be a bad idea (unless their book has got translations they can do on their own, but then they might as well do them out of class). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ddeubel
Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 39
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 8:29 am Post subject: |
|
|
I agree Katja.
Teachers should only use the L1 for very specific purposes. These range from as you explained - noting differences in semantic or grammatic functions between languages to addressing problems and discipline.
It might also be good for beginners, but as always, it is best to think first how one might do it / communicate it, in English.
I made a list on this blog post . Go there for further discussion. http://eflclassroom.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=826870%3ATopic%3A2883
| Quote: |
1. Instructions. But be careful. If it can be done in English effectively, do so. Also, have a signal for the use of L1. I use at all times, a basketball, time out signal. This allows the brain to delineate and compartment. It really works! Then signal again, time out over, play on......
2. Beginners. But be careful. Only with beginners who are maybe older, more fearful of learning language. I don't advocate this with children or those before puberty.
3. Language comparison. Very useful to explain the grammatical and syntactical differences between languages. As said above, use a time out signal!
4. Classroom management. Careful. Only for serious issues when dire communication needs to be done.
5. Personal. When dealing with definitions or questions of an abstract nature that can't be communicated simply or quickly in English. Done with one student or just a few and you quickly relate the L1 equivalent. Then move on.... |
DD |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sheeba
Joined: 17 Jun 2004
Posts: 1123
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 11:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
well maybe we disagree Katja.
I'm just saying that simple translations for abstract words are very useful in class. Sometimes you can try all you like but you will not get the point accross with English. Using Chinese for abstract words saves time and helps all. I often check that my class has the meaning of certain words by asking them to tell me in Chinese how to say something(even though I know). If they all tell me I can clearly see they have grasped the concept and I move on. I've found over time here that I do need to check that students have concepts and this is an easy check.
Sentence structures in my opinion don't need to be taught in Chinese at all. Students tend to have a quite good grasp with receptive skills and can manipulate structures quite well. Their productive skills are the problem and explaining structures in Chinese will not make the slightest difference if they understand the inputs anyway.
I maintain that word translation is useful but even that should be kept to a minimum and for checking concepts. Explaining structure in Chinese prohibits essential and useful English metalanguage that students could well do with. When I am studying French in my class my Chinese teacher uses Mandarin to explain everything and I have gained a whole new experience with language through her use of Chinese to explain language. It's repeated every week and you can soon get used to this kind of language. My students I feel should make use of English metalanguage. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
InTime
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Posts: 1676
Location: CHINA-at-large
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 2:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Sheeba, thanks for posting those questions.
We attempt to generalize about 'our students'
in classes of 30--40--or more
with wide range:
(1)motivation intensity
(2)brain waves
The future will have students trained in Learning How To Learn...
...learning how to train their brain waves for more memor-able learning,
and whole-brained fluency in oral skills.
Having the students get into listening to special Music...that doesn't seem too much of a Techno-leap.
I haven't tested it out yet.
| Quote: |
http://www.getimusic.com/focus.php?keyword=google-focus&gclid=CLuM3vf87Y4CFQfIbgodJmYODQ
FACT 1 Your brain's focus levels and your overall mental abilities are largely governed by your state of mind, which is determined by your brainwaves.
FACT 2 Science has uncovered which brainwaves create peak focus and acuity for learning, thinking, studying & virtually every mental task.
FACT 3 Listening to iMusic, an advanced acoustic technology, automatically dials your brainwaves into a peak focus and high brain power state for any situation or environment.
The Research
In a 2006 study, researchers found iMusic boosted focus by 24.26% in just 3 short weeks. Study participants reported feeling more aware, attentive, intelligent, mentally clear and acute as they worked, learned and interacted socially. See the iMusic + Focus Study
In another study, participants experienced IQ increases of as much as 24 points, and as little as 7 points, after using iMusic over a 25 day period. Participants also reported an increase in mental energy, clarity, creativity, spatial awareness and an overall improvement in well being. See the iMusic + IQ Study
In a 1999 study, Thomas Budzynski Ph.D found brainwave training gave college students a tremendous competitive edge: the group that used brainwave training technology watched their GPAs sharply rise & continue to improve even after the treatment, while those that did not (the control group) continued to struggle & watch their GPAs decline. |
RE:
| Quote: |
| Listening to iMusic, an advanced acoustic technology, automatically dials your brainwaves into a peak focus and high brain power state for any situation or environment. |
AUTOMATICALLY seems to be in the spirit of Pavlov/Skinner/Stimulus-Response... 
Seems like a word chosen by the Marketing Deptartment.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
InTime
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Posts: 1676
Location: CHINA-at-large
|
| Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
BELOW answers the Question;
How can we teach our students to learn oral skills better?
So many folks have crammed English into their (left hemisphere) heads, but when they "ride the bicycle" of Oral Skills, they are wavering all over the place.
Fluency/confidence/comfort sadly lacking. It seems the more they speak English, the deeper the whole they dig. So many 'advanced" English students seem physically/psychically out of balance. Victims of Cramming without hormonal lubrication?
| Quote: |
http://www.getimusic.com/v1/proven.php#top
A wide body of science has concluded that elite learners and readers exhibit dominant Alpha /low Beta brainwave frequencies while reading and learning. To experience the accelerated learning mental state and enhance your absorption, focus and understanding while reading you need to enter this high Alpha, low Beta brain state.
As the above spectrograms so clearly show, iMusic | PeakRead propels the listener into the high performance state exemplified by the elite learners and thinkers of our time.
As your brainwaves converge on a low Beta dominant frequency (as shown in the bar chart to the right)�amplitude reaching a high of 8 uVolts, you will feel smarter and more capable.
The BEFORE spectrogram is a brainwave measurement taken from someone who is deeply engaged in reading and learning and knee deep in the subject/topic they are working with, but is not using iMusic. They are not dialed in, nor are they in a productive mental state, but they are working as well as their physiology is allowing. The AFTER spectrogram shows someone who is in a dramatically enhanced mental state via iMusic, and is experiencing sharp improvements in performance and mental capability.
* In accordance with best practices, we record EEG/Brainwave data before, during and after the listening session. This provides us with a spectrum of data to eliminate invalid conclusions and allow comparative analysis. Placebo effect variable elimination tactics and subjectivity differential procedures were strictly applied to assure true results. These spectrograms and bar charts represent a culmination of laboratory trial and testing, and epitomize the real world results that every iMusic user can expect. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sheeba
Joined: 17 Jun 2004
Posts: 1123
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:38 am Post subject: |
|
|
Hey In Time.
You may wish to explore the findings of a Bulgarian psychiatrist Georgi Lozanov.
The claims for suggestopedic learning are dramatic. Memorization in learning by the suggestopedic method seems to be accelarated 25 times over that in conventional methods.
Lozano talks about yoga and Soviet psychology. He has borrowed techniques for altering consciousness and concentration through the use of rhythmic breathing.
Have a read of 'Approaches and methods' by Jack Richards chapter 10 for an introduction.
Some see it as 'pseudo-scientific gobbledygook' but on a practical level I see some uses. Varying intonations, reading in a dramatic manner over a background of special music seem to be useful class activities. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
InTime
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Posts: 1676
Location: CHINA-at-large
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
Sheeba
| Quote: |
Hey In Time.
You may wish to explore the findings of a Bulgarian psychiatrist Georgi Lozanov. |
In 1977 I attended the 1st International Suggestopedia Conference, at Iowa State U., w/Lozanov as Keynote Speaker. He also gave us training in Suggestopedia. Check out www.ialearn.org
NOTE that Suggestopedia is mentioned BELOW. Other Alternatives are;
*Community Language Learning...in which Native Language is used extensively by students in early stages (with teacher giving/recording translation)
*Silent Way...I saw Demo by founder Gattegno, at San Francisco TESOL Conference 1978, and visited their school at NYC World Trade Center
*TPR...I'm doing it in China, linked w/movie segments
Here's a relevant Questionnaire...
| Quote: |
http://www.asian-efl-journal.com/pta_Jan_07_yxy.php
Principled Eclecticism in College English Teaching in China
Authors
Yan Xiao-yun
Lida Polytechnic Institute, Shanghai, China
Zhou Zhi-yang
Donghua University, Shanghai
Dai Peixing
Donghua University, Shanghai, China
Abstract
In general, eclecticism in language teaching holds that although no single language teaching method manages to meet all the teaching and learning needs, many methods have valuable insights that should be drawn on. But it has been criticized for its lack of principles. Thus principled eclecticism and teaching by principles have been pursued.
This study investigated the attitudes and perceptions of the College English teachers in China towards eclecticism and principled eclecticism in their teaching in the intensive English language program, and the methods or approaches and teaching techniques they employ; and, through a case study, it probed whether the real teaching practice of principled eclecticism was as eclectic and principled as the proponents described at the theoretical level. After analyzing the questionnaire from 155 teachers and 51 students, a 12-week classroom observation, and person-to-person interviews, the authors find that eclecticism does exist and is widely practiced by College English teachers and is warmly welcomed by the students.
Appendix 1. A Questionnaire of College English Classroom Teaching (for College English Teachers)
This questionnaire aims to investigate your Beliefs, principles, Methods or Approaches, and techniques in your own College English Classroom Teaching. Your effort is sincerely appreciated.
Affiliation: E-mail: Tel:
Degree：a. Bachelor b. Master c. Doctor
Academic title: a. Teaching Assistant b. Instructor c. Associate Professor d. Professor
Length of service as a College English teacher:
a. less than 1 year b. 1-2 years c. 3-4 years d. 5-9 years e. 10-19 years f. more than 20 years
Your present students: a. Freshmen b. Sophomores c. Juniors and Seniors d. Graduates
Please tick�√�whichever you have heard of before and you may write down whatever else on the following line:
a. Grammar-Translation Method b. Direct Method c. Oral Approach d. Audio-Lingual Method e. Cognitive Approach f. Natural Approach g. Communicative Approach h. Total Physical Response i. Silent Way j. Community Language Learning k. Suggestopedia l. Eclectic Approach
I. Attitude toward eclecticism and principled eclecticism
*1. Eclecticism in language teaching holds that although no single language teaching method proves to meet all the teaching and learning needs, many methods have valuable insights that should be drawn on.
a. Strongly disagree b. Disagree c. Uncertain d. Agree e. Strongly agree
2. If you are also eclectic in your College English teaching, what is your main source of teaching principles?
a. No principles b. Uncertain about the question c. Teaching experience
d. Teaching principles of certain method or approach e. Research findings
f. All the available teaching principles of different schools of teaching and learning
3. Do you think eclectic language teachers have principles in language teaching?
a. No. b. Almost not. c. They might have some. d. They have some. e. Yes.
II. Teaching Beliefs
Please tick the number that shows your opinion. 1＝Strongly disagree; 2＝Disagree; 3=Uncertain; 4=Agree; 5=Strongly agree. The space after each question is for you to write your supplementary opinions if you have any.
1. Beliefs in language:
1) Language is a structural/formal system 1 2 3 4 5
2) Language is a communicative/functional system 1 2 3 4 5
3) Language is the union of form and function 1 2 3 4 5
____________________________________
2. Beliefs in language learning:
1) Language is learned (a conscious process) 1 2 3 4 5
2) Language is acquired (an unconscious process) 1 2 3 4 5
3) Language learning process includes both learning and acquisition 1 2 3 4 5
III. Teaching Principles
Please tick the number that shows your opinion. 1＝Never or almost never true of me; 2＝Usually not true of me; 3=Somewhat true of me; 4=Usually true of me; 5=Always or almost true of me. The space at the end of each question is for you to write your supplementary opinions if you have any.
1. My college English teaching is based on teaching principles.
2. My teaching principles focus on
① Cognitive aspect 1 2 3 4 5
② Affective aspect 1 2 3 4 5
③ Linguistic aspect 1 2 3 4 5
④ __________________ 1 2 3 4 5
3. My teaching principles are from 1 2 3 4 5
① my teaching and learning experience
② some books 1 2 3 4 5
③foreign/second language teaching journal 1 2 3 4 5
④lectures on foreign/second language teaching 1 2 3 4 5
⑤related discussion and chatting 1 2 3 4 5
⑥__________________ 1 2 3 4 5
IV．Teaching Methods/ Approaches:
In my College English classes:
1. I just follow my intuition and never consider the methodological issue or �method�. 1 2 3 4 5
( 1=Never or almost never true of me; 2=Usually not true of me;
3=Somewhat true of me; 4=Usually true of me; 5=Always or almost true of me)
2. I just adopt one teaching method/ approach, namely, ______________
3. I draw on important insights of these teaching methods/approaches:
（Please tick �√� the ones whose important insights you draw on. If one or two methods/approaches are your main source of teaching method, please mark a triangle�△�on its/ their item mark/marks. You may write down whatever method/ approach you follow partially of completely.）
a. The Grammar-Translation Method（Featured by translation and grammar teaching and learning activities）
b. The Direct Method（Teaching and learning in the target language and with the help of gestures, objects, facial expression and realia so as to convey meanings in a �direct� way）
c. The Oral Approach（�）
d. �
�
�
l. __________________
m. _________________
n. _________________
V. Teaching Techniques
Please tick the number that shows the frequency of your using each particular technique. 1＝Never use; 2＝Seldom use; 3=Sometimes use; 4=Often use; 5=Always use The space after each question is for you to write your supplementary techniques if you have any.
（A）Controlled Teaching Techniques
1. Warm-up 1 2 3 4 5
2．Setting 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5
3．Organizational 1 2 3 4 5
4．Content explanation 1 2 3 4 5
5．Role-play demonstration 1 2 3 4 5
6．Dialogue/Narrative presentation 1 2 3 4 5
7．Dialogue/Narrative recitation 1 2 3 4 5
8．Reading aloud 1 2 3 4 5
9．Checking 1 2 3 4 5
10．Question-answer, display 1 2 3 4 5
11．Drill 1 2 3 4 5
12．Translation 1 2 3 4 5
13．Dictation 1 2 3 4 5
14．Copying 1 2 3 4 5
15．Identification 1 2 3 4 5
16．Recognition 1 2 3 4 5
17．Review 1 2 3 4 5
18．Testing 1 2 3 4 5
19．Meaningful drill 1 2 3 4 5
20. Brainstorming 1 2 3 4 5
21. Story-telling 1 2 3 4 5
22. Question-answer, referential 1 2 3 4 5
23．Cued narrative/Dialog 1 2 3 4 5
24．Information transfer 1 2 3 4 5
25．Information exchange 1 2 3 4 5
26．Wrap-up 1 2 3 4 5
27．Narration/exposition 1 2 3 4 5
28．Preparation 1 2 3 4 5
（C）Uncontrolled Teaching Techniques
29. Role-play 1 2 3 4 5
30. Games 1 2 3 4 5
31. Report 1 2 3 4 5
32. Problem solving 1 2 3 4 5
33．Drama 1 2 3 4 5
34．Simulation 1 2 3 4 5
35．Interview 1 2 3 4 5
36．Discussion 1 2 3 4 5
37．Composition 1 2 3 4 5
38．A propos 1 2 3 4 5
B）Semi-Controlled Teaching Techniques
_______________________________
______________________________ |
The next step...?
http://llt.msu.edu/vol9num1/purushotma/default.html
Last edited by InTime on Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:56 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SnoopBot
Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 740
Location: USA
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 1:55 am Post subject: |
|
|
| sheeba wrote: |
Hey In Time.
Have a read of 'Approaches and methods' by Jack Richards chapter 10 for an introduction.
|
This book was used in my MA Ed TESOL course.
Many of the Jack Richard's books are good books to read and use for reference. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Shan-Shan
Joined: 28 Aug 2003
Posts: 1074
Location: electric pastures
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 2:37 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
sheeba wrote:
Hey In Time.
Have a read of 'Approaches and methods' by Jack Richards chapter 10 for an introduction.
This book was used in my MA Ed TESOL course.
Many of the Jack Richard's books are good books to read and use for reference. |
I used the same text in my undergraduate CTESL course! Looks like Mr. Richards has influenced more than a few of us. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Brian Caulfield
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Posts: 1247
Location: China
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:32 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I do a lot of information gap activities . I try to keep my classes as student centered as possible , with role plays , grammar games and students writing on the blackboard as much as possible . I spend my time trying to find ways to get my students to relax and trust in themselves . Schools really damage people here . |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Shan-Shan
Joined: 28 Aug 2003
Posts: 1074
Location: electric pastures
|
| Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
Schools really damage people here .
|
I've come to the same conclusion. Give students the opportunity to have some input into their education, and the majority become terrified and suddenly lost. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
InTime
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Posts: 1676
Location: CHINA-at-large
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 3:51 am Post subject: |
|
|
RE:
Jack Richards...
In 1982, I attended a workshop he gave, when he was teaching at Hong Kong U.
RE:
| Quote: |
| schools really damage people here |
BELOW is from Promoting Change--China Thread, page 1;
| Quote: |
(2) CRITIQUE the OLD
China official policy states: �Eliminate ignorance and combat feudal and superstitious activities.� �Improve our ability to understand the world and change it.� (Wang and Yu, p.9 In China, criticizing the current English etc. pedagogy is so widespread that it is pass�. From the early days of the People's Republic of China, policy makers spoke of a firm determination to break free from the process of feudal-Confucian education. As Mr. Lu Ting-Yi, Chief of the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee indicated in 1960, the goal of education reforms was nothing less than the total overturn of "old traditions in educational work that have persisted for thousands of years." (Hu, 1974) The reform process involved large-scale experimentation on reducing the number of years spent in education, raising the standards, controlling the study hours, and increasing physical labor to a suitable extent in the full-time middle and elementary schools. (Hu, 1974)
Fast forward forty years to contemporary China. The traditional exam-oriented, pressure-cooker process of "Confucian education" seems to be far from overturned, and there is concern in the society as a whole---students, parents, teachers, school officials, government officials. A recent story from the official, government-owned China Daily News seems to verify the saying "The more things change, the more they remain the same." Sun Yunxiao, deputy director of the China Youth and Children Research Center, states in the article: "Though children nowadays enjoy a much better living and study environment than their parents did, they are overwhelmed by a kind of invisible pressure which can not allow them to feel the pleasures of life." Statistics support the concerns expressed:
*students with psychological problems make up 21 percent of primary schools and 32 percent of secondary schools nationwide
*the ratio at universities and colleges range from 16 to 25 percent
*according to a sample survey in Nanjing, "after-school training courses take up an average of 57 percent of a child's spare time, while children in some developed countries spend over 90 percent of their spare time on sports or activities of their own choosing."
Perhaps it is not appropriate or even necessary to critique the old in China at this time. In theory, students, teacher, parents, school administrators and government officials agree that English pedagogy reform is necessary. In terms of the actual process of reforming English teaching, however, the difficulty is that China�s education system is excessively exam-oriented, with intense competition for scores which can qualify students for places in China�s woefully low supply of universities. As English conversation ability is not tested on the national exams, the �teach for the test� syndrome can easily prevail. Lacking confidence in their own English conversation skills and untrained in the communicative approach pedagogy, Chinese teachers focus upon vocabulary and grammar. Students in English Conversation class often can be seen studying in class for a test in another subject. Students who have had many years of English classes typically lack the confidence or the ability to engage in a simple conversation in English. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Zhongguo Tong
Joined: 30 Sep 2007
Posts: 6
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
Greetings,
How's everybody doing today?
I recall having a neighbor many years ago with a dog named Sheeba. I also think that simple, basic translation in L1 is beneficial, but, sometimes, control becomes an issue.
I truly do appreciate InTime's mass conversation technique. It sounds a lot like the wonderful noise created in a successful English Corner.
I agree with Slick Fox - treat it like a lecture or an English Corner.
I also wonder what L1 actually means, Vikuk? Thanks for such sage suggestions.
Z.T. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sheeba
Joined: 17 Jun 2004
Posts: 1123
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 7:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
Zhongguo Tong.
Maybe I was your neighbour. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
