Teaching Conceptual Metaphors to EFL Learners in the European Space of Higher Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-114
Author(s):  
Regina Gutiérrez Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
International Communication ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Second Language Teaching ◽  
Conceptual Metaphors ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Language Context

AbstractThe CEFR encourages a more effective international communication. Given that effective communication in a L2 involves the ability to use metaphors, this figure becomes of prime importance to the teaching of languages. The present study applies a methodology for teaching English metaphors and idioms following the tenets of Cognitive Linguistics (CL). It argues the importance of “metaphoric competence”, and, by a conceptual metaphor awareness method, it advocates the usefulness of teaching metaphors and idioms and its explicit inclusion in a language syllabus aimed at increasing proficiency in L2. This conceptual basis for language is almost entirely unavailable to L2 learners in course books and reference materials. This paper reviews the scope of metaphor and metaphoric competence in the context of second-language teaching and learning, and provides some tips on how to teach metaphors and idioms effectively in a foreign language context. By analizing the systematicity and experiential basis of the expressions subject of study, it offers some pedagogical suggestions and teaching material that can facilitate the acquisition of idiomatic expressions by raising awareness of the conceptual metaphors that underlie them.

scholarly journals An overview on teaching english as a second language to adults (based on eu experience of «IC-ENGLISH» platform)

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-163
Author(s):  
Nabok А.I. ◽  
◽  
Borysenko І.V. ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
International Communication ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
English Teaching ◽  
Amount Of Knowledge

Expansive development of the English language throughout the world has recently given it the status of the language of international communication, known as a global language or “lingua franca”. The established status of English is strengthened by its dominating in the sphere of politics, mass media, culture, trade and science. Globalization processes accompanied by the expansion of the English language influenced the demand on staff with certain amount of knowledge and skills in the sphere of international communication. Considering the rising need in English-speaking employees, there is a need in preparing teachers capable of teaching competitive specialists. Accordingly, it is important to find optimal methods to teach English to adult students. The article aims at presenting an outline of existing teaching methods to teach English as a second (foreign) language in the view of characterizing basic practices, their development and their influence on adult learners. At the same time the article describes key points of individually-oriented innovative EU educational platform. In order to achieve the intended objective of the research there was certain methodology applied. Descriptive method let us analyze relevant features of main English teaching methods; historical method helped uncover their developmental peculiarities; comparative method was used to single out their common and different traits in the methodology used in teaching and learning English as a foreign language. Regarding a method to be a set of procedures, which turn out to be a practical implementation of the chosen approach in a teaching process, the paper reveals different viewpoints on its nature, stresses on hierarchical relations between a method and an approach, and dwells on the major methods having made a considerable impact on the modern English Teaching Methods in EU. Resulting from main approaches and methods, a case study of «IC-ENGLISH» platform as an example of an individual approach to teaching adults is presented, whereas four sui generis styles of learning designed by its creators focus on every personality type satisfying their learning needs. The practical value of the paper lies in the ability to apply the results of the research I teaching English as a second (foreign) language on the basis of the suggested student personality types and according to the devised practical tasks. Key words: English Teaching Methods, foreign language, method, approach, IC English platform, adult learning types.

scholarly journals The influence of a Lesson Study cycle on a 2nd grade EFL picture book-based teaching practice lesson in Norway

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Larssen ◽  
Ion Drew
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Educational Method ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Video Recordings

This study aims to explore the influence of Lesson Study on the teaching of a 2nd grade English as a foreign language (EFL) picture book-based lesson conducted by a group of student teachers during teaching practice in Norway. Lesson Study is an investigative educational method originating in Japan. A group of teachers plan a research lesson which one of them teaches and the others observe, their attention focussing on a few selected pupils. The lesson is reviewed, re-planned and re-taught to a different class. The data presented here was collected through video-recordings of two lessons (a lesson taught and the same lesson re-planned and re-taught) and their corresponding pre-, mid-and post-supervision sessions. Lesson Study appeared to have had an influence on the activities, especially the type and number of questions being asked by the teacher, the timing of activities, and the use of the target language. It also appeared to have had an influence on the attitudes of both the mentors and students to using picture books with young EFL learners. Lesson Study has previously been little used and researched in foreign language teaching. This study demonstrates its potential to enhance teaching and learning in that context.

scholarly journals CLASSROOM DISCUSSION: AN ACTIVITY TO PROMOTE SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-101
Author(s):  
Marina Lidya ◽  
Melvina Amir
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communication Skill ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
International Communication ◽  
Classroom Discussion ◽  
Basic Requirement ◽  
Globalized World

In the era of information and technology, every people are demanding to master the English language for communication purpose. Nowadays English is widely used for different purpose such as academic, business, diplomacy, news and information, entertainment and others. It proves that the English language has become a basic requirement for students and job seeker in this increasingly globalized world. In order to meet the needs for international communication, Indonesians students need to be proficient in English, especially in oral communication skill. Communication skill is highly needed by students in order to prepare them for their possible further academic career and future workplace. This paper is intended to discuss about classroom discussion. Classroom discussion is one kinds of activity that is done by the teacher in teaching and learning. In this activity, the students will present their opinions to the class. Therefore, the students get the opportunities to speak English well. It also gives valuable experience for them to prepare themselves to use English in multi society where English is a demanding tool for communication in our today’s life.

scholarly journals Linguistic Awareness of the Prepositional Phrase Complexities in the English as a Foreign Language Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Chinger Enrique Zapata-Leal ◽  
María Cecilia Ávila-Portuanto
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Language Awareness ◽  
Functional Grammar ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Prepositional Phrases ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Multiple Meanings ◽  
Language Context ◽  
Internal Configuration

This essay focuses on a description of the complexities of Prepositional Phrases (PPs) and their challenges for EFL learners. The rationale is to raise language awareness of the multifaceted nature of the PP in teachers and students. The grammatical explanations offered in the literature review are based on Functional Grammar. Moreover, previous research conducted addressing the issues of EFL learners facing problems with PPs are proposed in four configurations: semantic, syntactic, lexical and socio-cultural. Such configurations address scenarios for the identification of multiple meanings, different syntactic functions and structures, regional variations, typology, formal and informal language usage, among others, which represent obstacles and difficulties in the comprehension of the topic by EFL learners. Finally, we conclude that the limited use of syntactic functions, poor internal configuration of PPs, as well as the high frequency of errors reported by previous research indicate PPs are complex to use. Thereby, explicitly reinforcing the teaching of all the configurations of PPs is suggested.

Traditional Singing Games in English for Teaching Modules Developed According to the Interests of Primary School Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Penka Kuneva
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Primary School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Teaching Modules ◽  
Singing Games ◽  
Learning English

The report discusses traditional singing games in English and the benefits of their use in teaching English as a foreign language, especially in teaching modules developed according to the interests of primary school students. A review of scholarly articles has been made and some conclusions about using singing games in teaching and learning English as a foreign language has been presented.

scholarly journals Grammatical Intricacy in EFL Textbooks

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinh To
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Linguistic Complexity ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Lexical Density ◽  
English Textbooks ◽  
Different Levels

Grammatical intricacy is an important concept in charactering complexity of language (Halliday, 2008). However, this concept has not yet been fully investigated in the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language (TEFL), particular in English as a foreign language (EFL) textbooks in higher education. This paper aims to examine grammatical intricacy across textbook levels in a book series used in tertiary education in the Vietnamese context. This is part of a larger research project looking at linguistic complexity of English textbooks in the TEFL setting. The research employed Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) as the main theoretical framework and Halliday’s method as a measure of grammatical intricacy to look at how this language feature was used in reading comprehension texts in four textbooks at different levels including elementary, pre-intermediate, inter-mediate and upper-intermediate. The findings revealed that grammatical intricacy increased in accordance with the book levels. Particularly, the mean scores of grammatical intricacy showed a gradual increase from the elementary to the intermediate book level; though they were not different significantly and the upper-intermediate textbook did not show the topmost grammatical complexity. These findings suggest that the use of grammatical intricacy in the investigated textbooks was appropriate for EFL learners across levels; however, the use of other linguistic features such as lexical density and nominalisation may potentially impact the use of simple clauses in the textbooks at a higher level. Thus, further investigations are recommended to fully explore the complexity of textbook language.      

How Can EFL Teachers Help EFL Learners Improve Their English Pronunciation?

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani ◽  
Narjes Banou Sabouri
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
And Performance

One of the important parts of foreign language teaching and learning is English pronunciation because it impacts learners' communicative competence and performance. Lack of pronunciation skills reduces learners’ self-confidence and limit their social interactions. EFL teachers can help their learners obtain the necessary skills of pronunciation they need for effective communication. In this paper, the researchers define the term pronunciation, explain the importance of pronunciation, declare the goals of English pronunciation, state the aspects of English pronunciation, elaborate the reason of integrating pronunciation in EFL classes, express techniques for teaching English pronunciation, and mention implications for the learning and teaching of English pronunciation. The review of literature indicates that EFL teachers play a vital role in improving the learners’ pronunciation skill.

The Efficacy of Novel Pre-activity Tasks on Macroskills: The Case of Group Discussion on Reading Comprehension

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 794
Author(s):  
Hooshang Khoshsima ◽  
Mahboobeh Khosravani
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Spss Software ◽  
Experimental Group

The main concern of most researchers in the field of second and foreign language teaching is lessening the problems and eliminating the hinders on the way of learning a language. The importance of reading skill in the process of teaching and learning different languages is undeniable for everyone. The main aim of this study was to examine the effects of group discussion strategy as a pre- activity task on reading ability. To this aim, 27 Iranian EFL learners, who were at the same level –intermediate- studying at Shokuh and Safir Institutes, Birjand, Iran were chosen. Two groups- one control and one experimental group- were studied. In control group the conventional method was used in teaching reading, while in experimental group, group discussion pre-activity task was administered. Both groups met the same level -Intermediate. At the end, the obtained data of the tests was analyzed by SPSS software. According to the obtained data, it can be strongly concluded that group discussion has no significant effect on reading comprehension. This study can help teachers and syllabus designers in choosing and applying an effective pre-activity task which really help the learners in reading classes.

scholarly journals From the Curtain to the Façade: Enhancing ESL/EFL Learners’ Communicative Competence through an Interactive Digital Drama

2012 ◽  
Vol VI (2) ◽  
pp. 61-75
Author(s):  
Ivan Lombardi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Human Factor ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Technological Tool ◽  
One Act ◽  
Meaningful Role

Façade is a one-act interactive digital drama about a marital crisis. The player is asked to play the role of a friend of the couple, and to try to cope with the situation by using his or her interaction skills. In this paper, I argue that Façade may be a valuable tool for teaching English as a second/foreign language, especially for the development of communicative competence. In order show how Façade may be used effectively, I (i) highlight the features of the tool that can play a meaningful role in language teaching; (ii) give examples of drama techniques that best exploit Façade; (iii) trace the techniques back to a methodology of reference; (iv) stress the primary importance of the human factor, the learners and teacher, over the technological tool. I then linger on the role of the teacher in activities that involve Façade, as well as other digital media. My proposal is presented under the metaphor of the edurector.

scholarly journals Reverse Transfer Of L2 To L1: The Case Of Code-Switching

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (7) ◽  
pp. 57-68
Author(s):  
Shima Ghobadi ◽  
Mohammad Reza Talebinejad
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Code Switching ◽  
Reverse Transfer ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Convenience Sampling ◽  
And Control ◽  
Academic Year

Issues related to the learners’ use of the foreign language and the mother tongue (code-switching) in the foreign language classroom and their role in language teaching and learning processes have been a common area of research. This study aimed at investigating Reverse Transfer of L2 to L1.To this end, 50 Iranian intermediate EFL learners (25 males, 25 females) at Islamic Azad University, Shahreza Branch studies in the second semester of the academic year 2016-2017 were selected through the convenience sampling method. They were then assigned randomly to the experimental and control groups.

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