scholarly journals Beyond the avatar: Using video cameras to achieve effective collaboration in an online second language classroom

2021 ◽  
pp. 228-243
Author(s):  
Vladimir Pavlov ◽  
◽  
Natalia Smirnova ◽  
Ekaterina Nuzhaia ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Online Collaboration ◽  
The Other ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Video Cameras ◽  
Study Materials ◽  
Teachers And Students

In language learning, students learn through interaction with the teacher, the other students, and with the study material, to build language skills. What happens to interaction opportunities when learning goes online? In an online classroom, collaboration is difficult to achieve due to lack of physical proximity among the participants. This paper explores the problem of online collaboration between teachers and students in English as Foreign Language (EFL) classroom with the empirical focus on the role that video cameras play in online collaboration. We argue that cameras, although being contested as a pedagogical tool, should be seen as an important ‘proximity tool’ that helps foster collaboration by bringing learners and teachers ‘closer’. We theorise ‘collaboration’ via the social constructivism lens and argue that collaboration as being ‘close’ echoes in the digital sense with ‘being with’ and is core for developing an ecology of virtual collaboration. We draw on the online survey data from foreign language students and language instructors in one Russian research-intensive university, who were asked how they use cameras online. Quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis have been used to identify key patterns and emerging themes. The key findings of the study are that 1) cameras could be an important aspect of fostering collaboration online; 2) there is a tension in relationships between students, teachers, and study materials; 3) students and teachers differently perceive the need to use cameras, which may limit opportunities for online collaboration; and 4) while students feel more comfortable when all the other participants turn their cameras on, many do not see turning cameras on for themselves to be important. The paper concludes with a discussion of how camera use can foster online collaboration between teachers and students.

scholarly journals Early Childhood Teachers’ Ability in Pronouncing Vocabularies

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (02) ◽  
pp. 168-178
Author(s):  
Rochyani Lestiyanawati ◽  
Luluk Alawiyah
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
It Impacts ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Correct Pronunciation ◽  
The Subject

Problems for learners of English as Foreign Language may appear due to the lack of English mastery of the teachers. Since teachers are regarded as input for language learning, it impacts the students’ achievement. Pronunciation is one of the problems faced by both Indonesian teachers and students. When the teachers give the correct pronunciation, it results in the correct pronunciation of the students. On the other hand, the wrong pronunciation of the teachers will impact the students’ incorrect pronunciation. This study is aimed to reveal the early childhood teachers’ ability in pronouncing English vocabulary. The findings of the study are to determine the appropriate treatment which might be needed to overcome the problems. The subject of the study were 40 randomly selected early childhood teachers. The data were collected by testing their vocabulary mastery and pronunciation ability. The result of the study showed that the English mastery of early childhood teachers was needed to be developed for less ability in pronouncing the vocabulary correctly. The questionnaires also implied that the teachers need improvement in dealing with English.

Compelled digitalization of language education: challenges of foreign language learning in the electronic environment

2020 ◽  
pp. 61-70
Author(s):  
Liudmila Vladimirovna Guseva ◽  
Evgenii Vladimirovich Plisov
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Electronic Environment ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Effective Use

The article defnes the role of digital means in foreign language learning, establishes the reasons for the effective use of digital means and digital technologies, identifes challenges in mastering a foreign language in an electronic environment, as well as the prospects for the digitalization of foreign language education. When studying the issues of emergency off-campus learning organization, the results of surveys of teachers and students conducted in April 2020 at Minin University were used. image/svg+xml

scholarly journals FEATURES OF A FOREIGN LANGUAGE LESSON

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (194) ◽  
pp. 167-172
Author(s):  
Tetyana Tokaryeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Learning Material ◽  
Proper Understanding ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Oral Skills ◽  
Specific Part

The article considers the main features of a foreign language lesson in view of the goals and content of the lesson, its complex nature, structure and main types. Considerable attention is paid to the complex nature of work in the classroom, as all elements of language material – phonetic, lexical and grammatical – are interdependent in the implementation of foreign language speech activities. The specifics of goal setting are considered taking into account the features of the lesson, its structure and typology. The purpose of the lesson is a definite reflection of the ultimate goal, a specific part of it. Proper understanding of the purpose of the lesson should be based on a combination of two features of the lesson – language learning and complexity. Each foreign language lesson has a practical, educational and upbringing purpose. The structure of the lesson involves closely interrelated and independent activities of teachers and students, in which the learning process is embodied. The article focuses on the initial stage of a foreign language lesson, which prepares students to implement skills and abilities in various types of speech activities, such as speaking, listening, reading and writing. The beginning of the lesson is one of the constant stages of a foreign language lesson. The initial stage consists of various exercises, mostly oral. It can also be implemented in the form of dialogue between students, in the form of students asking a series of questions on a particular topic addressed to the class. The teacher may also suggest starting the lesson with a story based on familiar and understandable learning material. In addition, individual or frontal control can be performed at the beginning of the lesson. Since a foreign language lesson is a lesson in the development of skills, the stages of communication and consolidation of new knowledge are combined with the performance of various exercises. Lessons of different types, combined for a specific purpose, can form a system of thematic series, within which the objectives of the lessons vary in quantitative and qualitative terms. There are three such systems, namely, the system of lessons aimed at: 1) the development of oral skills and abilities; 2) reading and understanding the text; 3) for the development of both groups of skills. An overview of the typology of foreign language lessons developed and proposed by leading experts in the field of methods of teaching foreign languages is presented in order to emphasize the features of a foreign language lesson.

scholarly journals Innovation research on foreign language teaching theory with Chinese characteristics based on Whitehead’s process philosophy

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Su
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Process Philosophy ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Innovation Research ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Feasible Solutions

AbstractSince China’s reform and opening up, foreign language teaching (FLT) in China has achieved rapid development under the guidance of foreign language teaching theories both at home and abroad. However, problems such as ‘time-consuming and inefficient foreign language learning’ and the presence of ‘dumb foreign languages’ in FLT in China have not been fundamentally solved. Based on Whitehead’s process philosophy, this research aims to put forward feasible solutions to the existing problems in FLT in China so that the level of FLT in China can be promoted by discussing the purpose, contents, processes and stages of FLT and the relationship between teachers and students in both FLT and FLT evaluation systems.

scholarly journals The Effects of YouTube in Multimedia Instruction for Vocabulary Learning: Perceptions of EFL Students and Teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raniah Kabooha ◽  
Tariq Elyas
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Vocabulary Comprehension ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Youtube Videos ◽  
Reading Activities

The present study sought to examine the improvement in vocabulary comprehension and retention of Saudi English as foreign language female students at King Abdul Aziz University as a result of integrating YouTube in their reading classes. The study also investigated the perceptions of both students as well as teachers towards the inclusion of YouTube on the development of vocabulary. One hundred female intermediate level students aged between 18-20 years old participated in the study. Students were divided into two groups: an experimental group who watched YouTube during the reading activities and a control group who was not exposed to the videos. Data were collected using pre-tests and post-tests in addition to questionnaires. The findings of the study reveal that the group who viewed the YouTube clips outperformed the group who was not exposed to YouTube videos in the posttest. The results clearly show that YouTube provided statistically significant effects on the students' vocabulary acquisition. The findings of the study indicate that the participants positively viewed the use of YouTube in their lessons. The findings also revealed significant improvement in the students’ vocabulary achievement. The implications of the findings are discussed within the context of foreign language learning and teaching.

English as a foreign language in Azerbaijan: English teaching in the post-Soviet era

English Today ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulker Shafiyeva ◽  
Sara Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Communicative Language Teaching ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Rigorous Approach ◽  
Linguistic System ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Traditional Language

During the Soviet era, language teaching methodology in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was premised on promoting a deep knowledge of a language's grammar and vocabulary. To this end, the selection of texts was centrally mandated, and teaching techniques and activities were carefully controlled and monitored. This rigorous approach to language teaching had both benefits and drawbacks for teachers and students. In response to the drawbacks of traditional Soviet methodology, some teachers and teacher trainers in former Soviet republics are currently promoting communicative language teaching, also known as the communicative approach. Communicative language teaching, as opposed to more traditional Soviet teaching methodology, emphasizes learning to use language to communicate rather than learning language solely as a linguistic system. However, the implementation of communicative language teaching has been problematic, for reasons ranging from government policies to teachers' beliefs and training to students' expectations. The purpose of this article is twofold. We first describe important characteristics of traditional Soviet language teaching methodology and the consequences of that methodology for language learning. Then, we explore the challenges of transforming traditional language teaching methodology (for the teaching of English as a foreign language, in particular) in post-Soviet republics, using Azerbaijan as a specific example.

The FI Program in 1963

PMLA ◽  
1964 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald D. Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Foreign Language Teachers ◽  
Language Program ◽  
Activity Increase ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Long Range Planning ◽  
Telephone Calls

Describing a year's activity in a half-hour report is an annual challenge that grows more difficult as the pace and scope of the activity increase. The Foreign Language Program is in some ways the victim of its success. One of our early goals was to become an information center and we have succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. Requests for materials, information, opinions, and assistance threaten to overwhelm us daily. Three members of the staff do nothing but answer these requests. The ones that are unanswerable are put in my in-basket. Telephone calls and visitors multiply. All this activity we are tempted to think of as interruptions to our real job, long-range planning, deep thinking, foreign languages in the next century. But in a very real sense the magnitude of the interruptions to our job is the sign that we are succeeding, that more and more foreign-language teachers and students and more and more people in general want to know the answers to questions and the solutions to problems of which they were hardly conscious a few years ago. There has been a revolution in language learning in this country and among recent visitors to our office have been language teachers and administrators from all over the world (France, England, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Africa, Australia), who have come to find out what we are doing.

scholarly journals Adult EFL Reading Selection: Influence on Literacy

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 167-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Sebastián Basallo Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Adult Students ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Selection Processes ◽  
Text Selection ◽  
The Impact

<p><span>This paper is about the impact of systematic reading selection used to promote English as foreign language learning in adult students. A qualitative action research methodology was used to carry out this project. Ten class sessions were designed to provide students an opportunity to select texts according to criteria based upon their language levels and personal/professional interests. The findings align with three categories of influence: motivation, engagement, and contextualization/interpretation of readings. The main objective of this project was to see how the students’ text selection processes, guided by systematically designed criteria and elaborated strategies, influenced learning and acquisition in terms of motivation, perceptions, and opinions towards reading in English.</span></p>

scholarly journals Correlation of Creativity and Academic Performance in English in STEM and Humanities Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-482
Author(s):  
Irina E. Beliakova ◽  
Marina A. Kecherukova ◽  
Julia S. Murzina
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
School Students ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
Microsoft Office

Introduction. Developing students’ creative thinking is one of the current global trends in higher education. Despite the existence of a number of studies focusing on creativity enhancement, including its development by means of foreign language learning, the problem of the correlation of students’ creativity levels, academic profile (track) (STEM and humanities) and academic progress in mastering a foreign language remains open. The purpose of this study was to identify possible correlations: between the creativity of university students and their academic performance in a foreign language and between their creativity and specialization areas. Materials and Methods. The sample consisted of 300 students (150 majoring in humanities and 150 in engineering) from two Tyumen universities. The study used an abridged version of the Torrance test of creative thinking, the second subtest “Incomplete Figures Task”. The collected data were processed using mathematical statistics methods in Microsoft Office Excel and Statistica 10.0. Results. According to the results of the study, a low level of students’ creativity was discovered in terms of originality and flexibility of thinking. These indicators were lower than those of the high school students in 1994. At the same time, two other indicators, fluency and elaboration, were higher than statistical norms. A positive correlation was found between academic performance in English as Foreign Language and elaboration. No relationship between academic performance in EFL and other indicators has been registered. There were no statistically significant differences in the level of creativity between students majoring in engineering and humanities. Discussion and Conclusion. The results of the study point to the need to find new ways to foster students’ creativity in the classroom, including creation of a creativity stimulating environment, pedagogical monitoring of students’ creativity, and measures to encourage creative teaching.

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