scholarly journals Differentiating Instruction in the Language Learning Classroom: Theoretical Considerations and Practical Applications

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1220
Author(s):  
Diego P. Ortega ◽  
Johanna M. Cabrera ◽  
Jhonny V. Benalcázar
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Academic Excellence ◽  
Classroom Context ◽  
Practical Applications

Differentiated instruction (DI) is a topic that has attracted the attention of in-service and pre-service teachers, teacher educators and educational authorities in the last few decades, because of its great importance and several different affordances for better student learning. In this sense, this article attempts to provide content-area, classroom teachers and English language teachers with a solid understanding of what DI entails by learning about its key characteristics and fundamental reasons for the use of DI within the classroom context. Moreover, the importance behind modifying content, process, and product is not only analyzed in this paper but also the value of adjusting the learning environment is examined as well. Then a brief narrative of a teaching situation in an EFL context is highlighted in order to set the stage and explain the necessity of the implementation of a DI model into the classroom, so that students can experience meaningful and successful language learning. Afterwards, practical applications, based on meaningful and varied ways to differentiate instruction are included, so that language teachers find it easier to help students achieve learning standards. It is concluded that DI helps teachers be responsive to leaners’ needs, interests, ability and language proficiency levels, and learning styles, as DI puts students at the center of teaching and learning, promotes equity and academic excellence, and acknowledges student uniqueness.

scholarly journals E-Classroom Interactional Competencies: Mediating and Assisting Language Learning During Synchronous Online Lessons

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822098527
Author(s):  
Benjamin Luke Moorhouse ◽  
Yanna Li ◽  
Steve Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Management Competencies ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
Synchronous Online

Interaction is seen by many English language teachers and scholars as an essential part of face-to-face English language classrooms. Teachers require specific competencies to effectively use interaction as a tool for mediating and assisting learning. These can be referred to as classroom interactional competence (CIC). However, the situation created by the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic which began in early 2020, and the recent advancement in technologies have led to teachers conducting synchronous online lessons through video-conferencing software. The online environment is distinctly different from the face-to-face classroom and teachers require new and additional skills to effectively utilise interaction online in real time. This exploratory study used an online mixed-method survey of 75 university level English language teachers who had engaged in synchronous online teaching due to COVID-19, to explore the competencies that teachers need to use interaction as a tool to mediate and assist language learning in synchronous online lessons. Teachers were found to require three competencies, in addition to their CIC – technological competencies, online environment management competencies, and online teacher interactional competencies – which together constitute e-CIC. The findings provide greater insights into the needs of teachers required to teach synchronously online and will be of interest to teachers and teacher educators.

scholarly journals Teaching and Learning Vocabulary: What English Language Learners Perceive to Be Effective and Ineffective Strategies

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Seyyed Hatam Tamimi Sa’d ◽  
Fereshte Rajabi
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Strategy Training ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
English Language Teachers

Vocabulary constitutes an essential part of every language-learning endeavour and deserves scholarly attention. The objective of the present study was three-fold: 1) exploring Iranian English language learners’Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLSs), 2) examining language learners’ perceptions of vocabulary learning, and 3) exploring Iranian English language teachers’ Vocabulary Teaching Strategies (VTSs). In total, 145  intermediate learners of English as a foreign language, consisting of 114 males and 31 females aged 15 to 27, participated in the study. The triangulated data were collected using three tools: questionnaires, interviews, and class observations. Sixty-seven learners (31 females and 36 males) filled out a 56-statement questionnaire, adopted and adapted from Takač (2008) and translated into Persian. The questionnaire comprised two parts, enquiring as to the learners’ VLSs and the teachers’ VTSs. The findings indicated that females and males differed significantly in their reported VLSs and their teachers’ use of various VTSs. Additionally, 78 learners were interviewed as to their perceptions of effective and ineffective VLSs as well as VTSs. The findings revealed that the most effective VLSs were reported to be: a) reciting, repeating and listening to words, b) using words, and c) memorising words while the most effective VTSs revolved around: a) explanation, b) repetition, and c) dictation. The observations also confirmed the findings obtained via the questionnaire and interviews. In general, the findings are indicative of the limited repertoire of vocabulary acquisition techniques employed by Iranian EFL learners, hence the need for strategy training in how to acquire vocabulary. 

scholarly journals INSIGHTS INTO LEARNING STYLES PREFERENCE OF ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATES: IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 390-409
Author(s):  
Nadia Nur Afiqah Ismail ◽  
Tina Abdullah ◽  
Abdul Halim Abdul Raof
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Style Preferences ◽  
Style Preferences ◽  
Learning Style Preference ◽  
Engineering Undergraduates

Background and Purpose: Education at higher institutions prepares graduates for the real world. To develop and maintain quality, the focus must not only be on what institutions can offer but also on the learning needs and styles of learners. Despite many studies on engineering learners’ learning styles, limited research has been conducted to compare the learning styles of Engineering and Engineering Education learners. This study was conducted to ascertain the learning style preferences of first-year undergraduates from both groups in a science and technology-driven university in Malaysia.   Methodology: This descriptive study consisted of 40 Engineering and 40 Engineering Education learners who attended an English language course at the university. Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire was adopted as the survey instrument. The data were analysed using self-scoring sheet and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.   Findings: While both groups chose Kinaesthetic as a major learning style preference, the Engineering Education learners also chose Group, Tactile, and Auditory learning styles as their other major preferences. Both groups chose Visual and Individual as their minor preferences.   Contributions: The findings extend research demonstrating the significant role of specific disciplines in Engineering to determine the learning style preferences of learners. The findings also provide useful insights that suggest implications for practice and policy.   Keywords: Engineering, engineering education, English language, learning styles, teaching and learning.   Cite as: Ismail, N. N. A., Abdullah, T., & Abdul Raof, A. H. (2022). Insights into learning styles preference of engineering undergraduates: Implications for teaching and learning.  Journal of Nusantara Studies, 7(1) 390-409. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol7iss1pp390-409

Becoming a process drama practitioner: An exploratory study of higher education language teachers in Japan

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110609
Author(s):  
Kim Murray ◽  
José Reis-Jorge ◽  
Julie-Anne Regan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Process Drama ◽  
Educational Approach ◽  
Japanese Higher Education

Research in language learning indicates that process drama (PD), an educational approach where students and teachers work in and out of role to explore themes and issues, can be well suited to the Japanese higher education (HE) context. Despite the benefits highlighted in the literature, PD remains a niche approach to language teaching and learning, with a limited number of practitioners in Japan. This study seeks to uncover language teachers’ experiences of becoming Process Drama Practitioners (PDPs) and using and sharing PD as an English language teaching approach in Japanese HE. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with six experienced PDPs. The findings indicate that prior positive experiences with drama was an encouraging factor of the adoption and self-directed initial use of PD in their teaching practices. Positive student outcomes and feedback were primary motivators for continued use of PD. Experiences of sharing PD led to a perceived need to distinguish PD from theatre-based approaches and establish connections to familiar approaches to language teaching.

An Investigation of the Relationship of Motivation, Attitudes and Environment

2018 ◽  
pp. 1126-1139
Author(s):  
Helen, Yeh Wai Man
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Attribution Theory ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Self Confidence

This chapter will study a Philippine and a Chinese leaner's approaches to learn and achieve English language proficiency over 15 years in Hong Kong using biographical approaches. It focuses on the experience of individual motivation and social learning environments, and examines the interactions between the learner's motivation, self-confidence, and competition in the global economy. The effect of the interaction on shaping English learning and the learning experiences in three aspects including formal, self-directed and natural learning environments will also be discussed through Gardner's model of socio-educational model in second language acquisition and Weiner's attribution theory in social psychology. The chapter will suggest some practical implications for students and language teachers, discusses the ways to enhance second language learning in a cosmopolitan city, and presents some possible ways to increase learners' motivation and competitiveness in the global economy.

Language Skills Training through Mobile Apps

2017 ◽  
pp. 142-167
Author(s):  
Revathi Viswanathan
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Mobile Assisted Language Learning

With the advancement in technological tools and devices, language teachers can foster learning of communication skills through mobile devices. There is a growing interest among students to use the latest gadgets for getting connected with their peers. It must be admitted that the usage of these devices would bring in a real revolution in the teaching and learning process. It has been widely accepted that mobile learning promotes students' active participation. Teachers also now understand that one of their responsibilities is to create more opportunities to make their students practice language skills. Although numerous researches has been done in the field of English Language Teaching in India, research on mobile assisted language learning is still in an infancy stage. In this chapter, the author discusses the possibility of offering training through mobile apps, based on research she conducted recently.

Supporting the development of primary in-service teacher educators

ELT Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-437
Author(s):  
Laura Grassick
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Primary Teachers ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
State School ◽  
English Language Teachers ◽  
University Lecturers ◽  
School Curricula

Abstract English language as a compulsory component of primary state school curricula is a growing phenomenon around the world. One of the challenges of this lies in training the vast numbers of teachers required. To date there has been little consideration of how those tasked with facilitating the professional development of primary English language teachers might be supported and the kind of knowledge, skills, and understanding they might need. This paper explores the experiences of primary teachers and university lecturers learning to become in-service teacher educators in the context of primary ELT curriculum change in Vietnam. The findings provide insights into the participants’ understanding of primary English language teaching and learning and the new curriculum, their awareness of the classroom contexts in which primary teachers work, and their ability to support teachers in implementing the innovation. The implications of this beyond the context of the study are highlighted.

scholarly journals Enhancing Chinese Students’ Learning in an Australian 2+2 Undergraduate Engineering Program

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Peter Edward Doe ◽  
Sarah Lyden ◽  
Seeta Jaikaran-Doe ◽  
Xiaolin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Style ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Flash Cards ◽  
Effective Delivery ◽  
Additional Support

Undergraduate engineering units (subjects) are delivered by Australian academics at two universities in China over a three-week period. Students may choose to transfer to the Australian university to complete the final two years of the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours degree (2+2 program). The aim of this study is to determine what strategies are most effective for the Australian university academics to adopt for effective delivery of engineering units at Chinese universities. A mixed methods approach was applied to in-class feedback and student surveys. Three major themes: Language, Learning and Social were identified. These themes were further explored in a quantitative survey of Chinese students newly-arrived in Australia in 2016. Successful strategies for delivering engineering units included referring questions to discussion groups; students explaining difficult concepts to other students; writing key words on the board and flash cards. The principal concern for students before they transferred to Australia was the teaching and learning style of the Australian university academics. However, English language proficiency was the major concern for students transferred to Australia. The strategy for improving Chinese students’ engagement and learning outcomes should focus on additional support both in China and Australia.

scholarly journals Counteractive Measures for the Tribulations Faced by Intermediate Students of Selected Colleges of Lucknow, While Teaching and Learning English

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 516
Author(s):  
Mohammad Owais Khan
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
College Education ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Intermediate Students ◽  
Learning English

The present study attempts to highlight the issues related to the Tribulations and Counteractive measures for teaching and learning English to Intermediate students of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP), India. The language policy in intermediate college education emerged as a social and personal problem. The quality of English Language teaching in majority of Indian Intermediate Colleges presents a very appalling picture. Teachers’ language proficiency, exposure to language and teaching materials is major concerns for quality English language learning. In reality intermediate students’ situation in UP is very difficult. They don’t have good opportunities as the big cities’ students have. These students consider English as a subject not as a language. So they focus only on examination not on the learning. This is an area which needs proper investigation. This study and the remedial measures suggested at the end will hopefully help students and teachers in learning and teaching English easily and appropriately. The study will also be useful for teachers, scholars, course designers and material producers of English language teaching.

scholarly journals Mobile-assisted Language Learning (MALL) for ESL Learners: A Review of Affordances and Constraints

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harwati Hashim ◽  
Melor Md. Yunus ◽  
Mohamed Amin Embi ◽  
Nor Azwa Mohamed Ozir
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Learning Styles ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English As Second Language ◽  
Mobile Assisted Language Learning ◽  
Esl Learners

Nowadays, mobile technology is changing the landscape of language learning and is seen as the next frontier being researched for its potential in enhancing the teaching and learning of English language.  The portability of mobile devices is believed to bring new methods that can shape learning styles and pedagogies which could become more personalised and allow learners to learn on the move; thus, enhance English language teaching and learning.  This creates the potential for significant change in the teaching and learning of English as Second Language (ESL). Taking mobile learning as the setting within which developments in Mobile-assisted Language Learning (MALL) may be understood, this paper offers reflections on what Mobile-assisted Language Learning (MALL) has potentially offered and the constraints that might be faced by the English as Second Language (ESL) learners when using MALL.  Above all, it was a challenging issue to cover learning tasks by using a mobile device particularly in learning English as Second Language (ESL).  Nevertheless, mobile devices which are popular among students are motivational tools to be used in education as well as various learning activities.  This was proven by many researchers who have shown the positive outcomes.  Hence, we should admit that mobile devices are finding their way into classrooms in the student’s pockets, and we have to ensure that educational practice can include this mobile technology in effective and productive ways particularly for English as Second Language (ESL) learning.

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