Language Needs in the Multicultural Classroom

Author(s):  
Erica Ramos ◽  
Kristin Orlovsky ◽  
Emily A Rentz ◽  
Vincent C Alfonso
1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Wood ◽  
Joan L. Rankin ◽  
David R. Beukelman

Word prompt programs are computer software programs or program features that are used in addition to basic word processing. These programs provide word lists from which a user selects a desired word and inserts it into a line of text. This software is used to support individuals with severe speech, physical, and learning disabilities. This tutorial describes the features of a variety of word prompt programs and reviews the current literature on the use of these programs by people with oral and written language needs. In addition, a matrix that identifies the features contained in eight sample word prompt programs is provided. The descriptions of features and the matrix are designed to assist speech-language pathologists and teachers in evaluating and selecting word prompt programs to support their clients' oral and written communication.


English for Academic Purposes course focusing on the academic language needs of students is a subfield of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). It is a type of specialized course to integrate specific subject matter, language content, and material based on learners’ needs. The study aims to evaluate the British Council’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP) coursebook in terms of content, sequencing, learners’ autonomy, motivation, feedback and focus on language skills. Furthermore, the study tries to provide a general perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of the coursebook for undergraduate students. The EAP Students’ Manual coursebook is used as a primary source for the data collection. The researcher has chosen Nation & Macalister (2010) model of language teaching principles to analyze and discuss the data. The study found the coursebook a useful, effective and an appropriate source of English language learning in terms of the investigated aspects of the book. The findings report that the coursebook provides practice and practical usage in all domains of the academically required English language skills. It helps the students to build language competency and to be more independent learners. In addition, it provides an opportunity to the learners to think in the target language, use the language more practically and learn it in a natural type of environment. The study concludes and suggests that the content needs to be supplemented with English language audios and videos presenting the students relevant documentaries and helping material in order to make the coursebook and the learning process more useful, effective, interesting and motivating. Furthermore, the study recommends that while choosing /designing a coursebook for a certain course, it needs to be evaluated following the various criteria and language-teaching-principles suggested by different language researchers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 90-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceren Su Abacioglu ◽  
Adela-Maria Isvoranu ◽  
Maykel Verkuyten ◽  
Jochem Thijs ◽  
Sacha Epskamp

2019 ◽  
pp. 136216881986556
Author(s):  
Jim Yee Him Chan

The past 40 years have witnessed significant developments in ELT research, reflecting the changes in learners’ language needs and the extensive development of various language learning/teaching methods in different times and places. The aim of this study is to provide a systematic and comprehensive account of changing ELT methods (oral-structural approach, communicative language teaching and task-based language teaching) in Hong Kong’s secondary education between 1975 and the present. By adopting Richards and Rodgers’s (2014) framework (approach, design and procedure), it examined how ELT theories have been transformed into local curricula (1975, 1983, 1999 and 2002/07) and commercial textbooks (Longman, Oxford University Press) via detailed content analysis. The findings suggest that research into ELT methods in Hong Kong over the past decades has generally directed the designs of the language curricula. Changes in the textbooks, however, have been relatively limited, although considerable attempts have been made to align textbook design with ELT trends. By considering various constraints in the theory-to-practice process, this study offers suggestions for future research and language teaching, particularly regarding the recent debate over the choice between the ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ versions of task-based language teaching in EFL contexts, and the post-methods perspective in language teaching.


2016 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Romain Schmitt ◽  
Shahrzad Saif

This article reports on a study conducted as part of a larger investigation of the predictive validity of the Test de Français Laval-Montreal (TFLM), a high-stakes French language test used for admission and placement purposes for Teacher- Training Programs (TTPs) in major francophone universities in Canada (Schmitt, 2015). The objective of this study is to examine the validity of TFLM tasks for measuring language abilities required by tasks common to the Target Language Use (TLU; Bachman & Palmer, 2010) domains in which preservice teachers are expected to function. Adopting Messick’s conception of construct validity (1989) and Bachman & Palmer’s Framework of Task Characteristics (2010), the study features a comprehensive task analysis detailing the characteristics of TFLM tasks in contrast to those of three major TLU academic and instructional contexts linked to the test. The results of the study are discussed in terms of the standards of validity (Messick, 1996) and qualities of usefulness (Bachman & Palmer, 1996). Findings suggest that TFLM tasks and constructs do not represent those of the TLU contexts and do not address the language needs of preservice teachers as identified by the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS). The implications for the consequential aspect of TFLM validity and the potential nega- tive consequences of TFLM use as an admission test are discussed. Cet article présente une partie d’une étude plus complète sur la validité prédictive du Test de Français Laval-Montréal (TFLM), test de langue française à enjeux critiques utilisé comme test d’admission et de placement dans les programmes de formation initiale en enseignement d’importantes universités francophones au Canada (Schmitt, 2015). Le but de ce e étude est d’analyser la validité des tâches du TFLM à des fins d’évaluation des compétences linguistiques exigées dans les tâches communes aux domaines d’utilisation de la langue cible dans lesquels les enseignants en formation doivent fonctionner (Target Language Use (TLU); Bachman & Palmer, 2010). Basée sur la conception de la validité conceptuelle de Messick (1989) et le cadre d’analyse des caractéristiques des tâches de Bachman & Palmer (2010), l’étude compare de manière détaillée les tâches du TFLM à celles de trois contextes académiques et pédagogiques d’emploi de la langue cible. Les résultats de cette analyse sont évalués en termes de validité (Messick, 1996) et des qualités des tests (Bachman & Palmer, 1996). Les résultats indiquent que les tâches du TFLM et les construits qu’il est sensé évaluer ne correspondent pas à ceux des contextes d’emploi de la langue cible et ne répondent pas aux besoins des ensei- gnants en formation tels qu’identi és par le Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS). La validité du TFLM, les conséquences ainsi que les aspects potentiellement négatifs de son utilisation comme test d’admission sont discutés. 


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