Teaching and learning L2 in the classroom: It's about time

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patsy M. Lightbown ◽  
Nina Spada
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Instructional Time ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Intensive Instruction ◽  
Primary And Secondary School

AbstractOne of the challenges facing second and foreign language (L2) teachers and learners in primary and secondary school settings is the limited amount of time available. There is disagreement about how to meet this challenge. In this paper we argue against two ‘common sense’ recommendations for increasing instructional time – start as early as possible and use only the L2 (avoiding the use of the first language (L1)) in the classroom. We propose two better ways to increase the instructional time: provide periods of intensive instruction later in the curriculum and integrate the teaching of language and content. Studies in schools settings around the world have failed to find long-term advantages for an early start or exclusive use of the L2 in the classroom. Nevertheless, many language educators and policy makers continue to adopt these practices, basing their choice on their own intuitions and public opinion rather than on evidence from research.

scholarly journals An Evaluation of Sub-Skills (Vocabulary, Grammar and Pronunciation) in the Grade 9 English Textbook of Afghan Secondary Schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5C) ◽  
pp. 1236-1241
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
School Textbook ◽  
English Textbooks ◽  
Grammatical Structures

English language is a part of the school's curriculum in all levels in Afghanistan as a foreign language. Despite it being including for decades, very little research has been done in regard to the quality and evaluation of the ELT English textbooks. The current study investigates and evaluates English Language Sub-skills of the secondary school textbook “Grade 9” to evaluate the effectiveness of the materials for the teaching and learning of the subskills. The Eclectic Checklist of Demir & Ertas (2014) has been selected for evaluating the selected English textbook. The findings indicate that the selected textbook lacks contextualized usage of vocabulary, systematic representation and sufficient explanations of grammatical structures, and appropriate usage of pronunciation activities. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the textbook needs improvements in developing and presenting the sub-skills of English language appropriately, particularly grammar and pronunciation. These findings will be helpful to policy makers and ELT textbooks developers of Afghanistan to represent the contextualized and appropriate usage of the English Language sub-skills in upcoming versions of ELT textbooks.

Considering what we know and need to know about second language writing

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Belcher,
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Knowledge Construction ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Second Language Writing ◽  
L2 Writing ◽  
The Past ◽  
Language Writing ◽  
Primary And Secondary School

AbstractThe relatively young field of second language (L2) writing has come a long way in the past few decades but still has far to go if it wishes to broaden its research foci to consider a greater diversity of writing contexts. As a largely pedagogically-motivated area, L2 writing has so far mainly focused on writing in English as a second language, especially that of young adults in English-medium universities. Far less investigated by L2 writing researchers have been the needs of younger L2 writers, at primary and secondary-school levels, and adults outside of universities. Still less examined have been the teaching and learning of writing in foreign language contexts, most notably in languages other than English. These gaps have important implications for knowledge construction in L2 writing.

scholarly journals Reading Skills in Greek as a First Language and in French as a Foreign Language among Primary and Secondary School Children with Specific Reading Disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Georgia Andreou ◽  
Vasiliki Tsela ◽  
Fotini Anastassiou
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
First Language ◽  
Reading Disorder ◽  
School Students ◽  
Specific Reading ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Good Reading ◽  
Primary And Secondary School

The aim of the present study is to investigate reading skills among primary and secondary school students with good reading skills with those of students with specific reading disorder, in Greek as a first language (L1) and in French as a foreign language (L2). Furthermore, a basic objective of the study is to investigate whether reading skills in Greek could predict reading skills in French both for students with good reading skills and for students with specific reading disorder. The sample of the study consists of one hundred and eight (N=108) students with good reading skills and one hundred and eight (N=108) students with specific reading disorder who are assessed for decoding and fluency in reading, both in Greek and French languages. The results of the study revealed that students with specific reading disorder had lower performance than those with good reading skills, with a statistically significant difference, in all tasks of the French language. Furthermore, it was found that the deficits appeared in a specific task in one language were transferred analogically to the same task in the other language. Finally, there was a statistically significant relation between the tasks in both groups and in both languages.

“Identical” vowels in L1 and L2? Criteria and implications for L2 phonetics teaching and learning

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 144-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikola Maurova Paillereau
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
First Language ◽  
Positive Transfer ◽  
Phonetic Similarity ◽  
Perceptual Characteristics ◽  
L1 And L2

Researchers in the field of the teaching and learning of phonetics agree that learners of a foreign/second language (L2) acquire identical vowels by positive transfer from their first language (L1). This statement prompted us to examine whether the French and Czech languages, differing in the size of their vowel inventories, possess any identical vowels that could thus be omitted from French as a Foreign Language (FFL) phonetic curricula intended for Czech learners. The quantification of the vowels’ phonetic similarity is based on the comparison of their (1) phonetic symbols, (2) formant values (F-patterns), and (3) perceptual characteristics. The combined results show that strictly identical vowels between the two languages do not exist, but some French vowels can be defined as highly similar to some Czech vowels. Different coarticulatory effects of vowels produced in isolation and in labial, dental and palato-velar symmetrical environments point to a very strong influence of phonetic contexts on vowel similarity. Indeed, no French vowel is highly similar to any Czech vowel in all of the contexts studied. The findings suggest that phonetic exercises designed for Czech learners should focus on allophonic variations of all French vowels.

scholarly journals EFL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARDS THE USE OF BAHASA INDONESIA IN AN ENGLISH CLASSROOM

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Setya Resmini
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Negative Perceptions ◽  
English Classroom ◽  
Bahasa Indonesia

ABSTRACTThe issue of using first language (L1) in teaching English has always been a controversy in the field of teaching and learning English.  The purpose of this study was to investigate the English as Foreign Language (EFL) students’ perceptions towards the use of L1 (Bahasa Indonesia) in the English classroom. In this study, the descriptive qualitative method was employed.  The participants involved in this study are 40 EFL students in the second semester who learn General English in IKIP Siliwangi. A questionnaire which consists of 15 questions was distributed to the participants to gain primary data. To support the data from questionnaire, observation also conducted in the classroom. The findings reveal that the teacher’s use of bahasa Indonesia brought positive/negative perceptions towards students. The students give negative perception towards the teacher’s use of bahasa Indonesia in General English classroom. However, the students also recognized the advantages and disadvantages of the teacher’s use of bahasa Indonesia in the classroom.Key words: EFL; students’ perception; first language (L1); foreign language

scholarly journals WASHBACK TO LANGUAGE TEACHERS: A REVIEW OF MODELS AND EMPIRICAL RESEARCH IN AND BEYOND VIETNAM

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinh Minh Thu
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Key Innovation ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

Washback, i.e., test effects on teaching and learning, has been emerging as an attractive research topic in language training and assessment for over the past 20 years for its significant implications of test validation and fairness for both policy-makers and practitioners. Presently, it deserves more Vietnamese researchers' interest in the context of the enactment of the National Foreign Language Project 2020 (extended to 2025), which puts language assessment as a key innovation requirement. Washback operates either positively or negatively; i.e. promoting or inhibiting learning. Teachers are considered the precursor in the washback mechanism. There is only one washback model on the washback effects on teachers, which is proposed by Shih (2009). This paper aims to critically browse other washback models besides Shin’s (2009) to generate a washback framework on teachers' perceptions and practices. Previous empirical washback research on teachers in and beyond Vietnam is, then, investigated in alignment with the aspects illustrated in the framework to point out achievements and gaps in the field. A qualitative approach of document analysis of over forty studies of differing types, i.e. books, dissertations and articles, has been adopted to reach the research aim. The discussion is divided into two major parts, including the washback models pertaining to teachers to scaffold a model for teachers' perceptions and practices, and the results in empirical research in terms of the aspects mentioned in the model. Findings show that washback on teachers' perceptions ranges from perceptions of the test itself, students' language ability, teaching contents and methodology to teachers' professional development. Plus, washback on teachers' practices concerns their selections of teaching contents and methodology in class as well as their involvement in professional development. The element of professional development can be considered a new light in the reviewed washback model. This has a significant meaning by raising teachers' awareness of developing themselves professionally. The current paper expects to contribute to elaborating the scenario of washback research for interested researchers, practitioners and policymakers not only in but beyond the context of Vietnam.

Study of Emotional Intelligence Patterns with Teachers Working in Public Education

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
László Balázs
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Major Question ◽  
Training Institutions ◽  
The Given ◽  
Primary And Secondary School

AbstractThe data necessary for the empirical research presented it this study were provided by 572 people, from altogether 26 schools. The schools included 18 primary schools, 7 secondary training institutions and 1 primary and secondary school. The major question of the study related to the pedagogues' emotional intelligence, more precisely if the teachers of different institutions showed any individual differences in their emotional intelligence patterns according to the given type of their school's organisational culture. We also examined if the nature of the organizational culture had any influence on the development the individual's emotional intelligence pattern. On the basis of the results we can declare that the teachers of different institutions having their own particular organizational cultures evolve different emotional intelligence patterns. Accordingly, we can come to the conclusion that in the long term the organizational culture affects the evolution of the individual's emotional intelligence pattern and vice versa.

scholarly journals The Dual-Coding and Multimedia Learning Theories: Film Subtitles as a Vocabulary Teaching Tool

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanellopoulou ◽  
Kermanidis ◽  
Giannakoulopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Multimedia Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Dual Coding ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Teaching Tool ◽  
Vocabulary Recall

The use of multimedia has often been suggested as a teaching tool in foreign language teaching and learning. In foreign language education, exciting new multimedia applications have appeared over the last years, especially for young learners, but many of these do not seem to produce the desired effect in language development. This article looks into the theories of dual-coding (DCT) and multimedia learning (CTML) as the theoretical basis for the development of more effective digital tools with the use of films and subtitling. Bilingual dual-coding is also presented as a means of indirect access from one language to another and the different types of subtitling are explored regarding their effectiveness, especially in the field of short-term and long-term vocabulary recall and development. Finally, the article looks into some new alternative audiovisual tools that actively engage learners with films and subtitling, tailored towards vocabulary learning.

The Development of Professional Developers: Learning to Assist Teachers in New Settings in New Ways

1999 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Kay Stein ◽  
Margaret Schwan Smith ◽  
Edward Silver
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Interpersonal Sensitivity ◽  
Educational Reforms ◽  
Common Features ◽  
School Settings

In this article, Mary Kay Stein, Margaret Schwan Smith, and Edward A. Silver identify and describe the challenges that practicing teacher educators and professional developers are likely to encounter as they design and implement new programs to help teachers learn new paradigms of teaching and learning amidst current educational reforms. The authors call attention to the fact that, just as teachers will need to relearn their teaching practice, so will experienced professional developers need to relearn their craft, which traditionally has been defined as providing courses, workshops, and seminars. This article focuses on two professional developers who engaged in long-term efforts to work with teachers in new ways, identifying the tensions that each actually faced. The cases illustrate the challenges that professional developers may encounter in supporting the transformation of teachers, including learning how to work with groups of teachers in school settings, expanding their repertoires beyond workshops and courses, and balancing interpersonal sensitivity with the need to challenge prevailing practices and beliefs. The final section of the article looks across the two cases and begins to map out common features of the terrain through which practicing professional developers can expect to travel.

‘Turn up the volume and listen to my voice’: Students’ perceptions of Music in school

2020 ◽  
pp. 1321103X2092970
Author(s):  
Natassa Economidou Stavrou ◽  
Ioulia Papageorgi
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Music Teachers ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Music Teaching ◽  
School Students ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Voice Students

Music teachers are often faced with students’ negative attitudes towards Music as a school subject, and dilemmas of what would be most important to teach and at the same time interesting, useful and relevant to students. Looking at music teaching and learning through the eyes of students can play a key role in re-shaping the condition of learning and promoting a positive and motivating musical learning environment. The aim of this study was to ‘turn up the volume’ of secondary students’ views of their music lessons in secondary school, including what they value and how they would have liked lessons to be if they had the opportunity to change things. A self-report questionnaire was devised for the purposes of the study and was administered to 749 secondary school students in schools in Cyprus. Our findings reveal that participants enjoyed Μusic, ranking it as their second favourite out of 15 secondary school subjects. However, there was a reported discrepancy between the activities students are engaged with and what they would like to be engaged with. Students called for more focus on singing, to play a greater variety of instruments besides the recorder (i.e., drums, guitar and piano) and to play the music they like. Building on students’ perspectives, recommendations are made for music teachers and policy makers.

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