scholarly journals Not Losing the EFL Plot: L2 Engagement through Literature (Reading Circles) and Producing Short Stories (Creative Writing Circles)

Author(s):  
Kevin M Maher

Reading and writing stories (literature) can be an effective way to engage students’ L2. Pedagogically, teachers are looking for ways to increase L2 input, and amplify L2 output. Because of the communicative nature of acquiring language, teachers are equally looking for collaboration among students to increase the usage of their L2 language. This paper proposes studying literature through Reading Circles and creating plot-focused short stories within a Writing Circles structure. It will theoretically establish the value of literature circles and creative writing circles in the EFL context, and share how language teachers can implement them.

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-51
Author(s):  
István Berszán ◽  
Philip Gross

Abstract In their article “Hand-Written Road Maps to Multi-Dimensional Space” István Berszán and Philip Gross investigate the heightened alertness of literary reading and writing in an interview with Gross, the prize-winning British poet and professor of creative writing. After the presentation of the interviewee Berszán ask him questions concerning the kinetic spaces of his literary practices. The itinerary follows issues like place, temporality of occurrences, attention, system and ecology, metaphor, time projection, gesture-resonance and collaboration. Gross seems to be as good a creative playmate during the discussion as he was for children, students, artists or readers who met him in a „collaborative space between”: his answers turn the questions both into hunter and quarry.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Abdalla Elkheir Elgobshawi

The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of Idiomaticity on language learning and the extent to which it can be a language learning barrier. It contrasts the perspective of language teachers and the attitude of language learners regarding how idioms can influence language learning. The theoretical framework provides a description of the general properties of English idiomatic expressions and shows the relevance of idiomaticity to linguistic theory. The paper is based on an analytical analysis and follows a quantitative approach in which two questionnaires are used to collect the data. The two questionnaires are administered to two independent samples: 20 participants representing ELT teachers at the tertiary level and 80 subjects representing Saudi EFL college students. The data are then analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). The study reveals learners’ reasonable consensus on the issues assessed. They generally acknowledge the significance of idioms for language learning but with a general dissatisfaction with their status in learning and teaching contexts. Both teachers and learners view idioms as odd pieces of language that lack a uniform character and do not receive due attention in language syllabi and curricula. Teachers give different ratings on the pedagogical value of idioms, but they generally show low interest in teaching them.


1970 ◽  
pp. 4-6
Author(s):  
Saadi Nikro

As the title indicates, this issue of Al-Raida is informed by the theme of Arab Women Writing in English, presenting essays, short stories, personal reflections, and poetry. Accordingly, the File includes mostly creative writing by Arab women living and working either in or outside the region.


Author(s):  
Vladimir Proshkin ◽  
Oksana Glushak ◽  
Nataliia Mazur

The analysis of competences that should be formed in the future foreign language teachers by the tools of modern information and communications technologies is presented by the authors. It is been determined that generic (core) competences include: informatics, informational, organizational and methodological competences; profile (specific) competences include the abilities of information and communications technologies usage for such pupils` skills forming as: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The program of electronic study course to support the realization of above-mentioned task is presented. The purpose of the program is to create a modern level of informational and computer culture, acquiring practical skills of application information technologies by teachers and philologists in order to increase the efficiency of the educational process; students of philological specialties and their preparation for the pedagogically effective use of information technology training in further professional activities. The content of the program modules has been given. Module 1. Network technologies in foreign languages, module 2. Office technologies in foreign languages, module 3. Multimedia technologies. The stages of using ICT in education have been identified, they are search, analysis and research of information, software, methodological resources for a lesson preparation with the further discussion; planning of organizational and methodological measures aimed at achieving goals and objectives of a certain lesson type; developing information materials according to the topic and type of lesson using ICT tools; assessment of future foreign language teachers readiness for the introduction of informational materials on the basis of software resources into the learning process. The usage of ICT for listening, speaking, reading and writing skills forming is demonstrated on the examples of software, on-line services and various podcasts.


Author(s):  
Jenny Ang Lu

This chapter aims to investigate how podcasts can be made to fit into the repertoire of resources utilized by teachers, especially in language education. It focuses on arming the language teacher with a fundamental knowledge of podcasting, centering on its potential applications in the classroom. Podcasts are ideal resources for language teachers, especially English language teachers, because almost all topics imaginable are now being treated in podcasts and the bulk of podcasts are recorded in English. Aside from making use of language-teaching podcasts, language teachers can also incorporate English language podcasts dealing with a wide range of issues to cater to the varying preferences of students. In addition to discussing these points, this chapter also provides suggestions for the practical incorporation of podcasts in language learning and teaching, both inside and outside the classroom. Two case studies demonstrating possible ways to use podcasts in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context are presented.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Hamid Ashraf ◽  
Aynaz Samir ◽  
Mona T. Yazdi

<p>The aim of the present study was to find the reflection factors at which Iranian EFL teachers reflect on their teaching practice. To this end, 18 Iranian EFL teachers at several language institutes participated in this research. Teachers were surveyed using in-depth interview. The results of study indicated that Iranian EFL teachers were practicing four underlying factors of reflection in their teaching including: practical, cognitive, meta-cognitive, and affective factors. Obviously, the practice of reflective teaching improves the quality of teaching practice and increases students’ motivation towards language learning in classroom. The results call for paying further notice to important role of theses reflective teachers in Iranian EFL context and there is a need to raise knowledge and awareness of all language teachers of the importance of reflecting on their teaching practice.</p>


1982 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-117
Author(s):  
Caroline Slocock

In the early 1970s, a number of Vietnam veterans sought publication for a collection of veterans' creative writing which they felt could make an important contribution to a political understanding of the war in Indochina. However, efforts to find a commercial publisher for their anthology met with no success. Their conviction that this literature both deserved and could find a substantial audience led these writers to establish their own independent publisher for the literature of Vietnam veterans, the 1st [sic] Casualty Press. In 1972, the Press published an anthology of veterans' poetry, Winning Hearts and Minds (or WHAM as it is often called), edited by Larry Rottmann, Jan Barry and Basil T. Paquet; it was followed a year later by Free Fire Zone, an anthology of short stories edited by Rottmann, Paquet and Wayne Karlin. As their epigraph, both volumes were given the quotation: “In war, truth is the first casualty.”


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-156
Author(s):  
Titus Terver Udu

This survey tested the null hypothesis that teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards reading and writing do not simultaneously predict students’ achievement in the English language. The researcher utilized a sample of 38 teachers and 492 senior secondary school students from 12 schools in Benue State, Nigeria, for the study. The researcher developed and utilized the English Language Students’ Attitude Scale (ELSAS), English Language Teachers’ Attitude Scale (ELTAS), and Reading and Writing Achievement Test (RWAT) for data collection. An estimate of internal consistency was obtained through Cronbach’s Alpha and Kuder Richardson’s reliability methods and found to be 0.76 for ELSAS, 0.68 for ELTAS, and 0.81 for RWAT. Data analysis was by multiple regression statistics. The findings revealed that both English language teachers and students have a positive attitude towards reading and writing (F3, 492 = 0.160, p0.05) implying that teachers and students’ attitudes towards reading and writing jointly predicted students’ achievement in the English language in senior secondary schools. To conclude, learning would be facilitated if both teachers and students hold positive attitudes towards reading and writing, and this, in turn, could impact the students’ achievement in the English language. It was recommended that teachers should plan reading and writing instruction that can help students develop positive attitudes to these skills and parents should help in the development of these skills at home.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-27
Author(s):  
Lira Hayu Afdetis Mana

A tedious situasion of learning Bahasa Indonesia in this pandemic era makes Facebook become a choice to have a varied and interesting learning process. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a research on the students` responses toward Facebook as a medium of learning. This is a descriptive qualitative research. The instrument used in this research was students` response questionnaires to Facebook as a learning medium which was distributed to 145 high school students in West Sumatera by using the google form. The link was distributed through the Whatsapp Group. The results of this study shows that students : [1] are familiar with, have downloaded and used Facebook; [2] saw Facebook as a positive, profitable and entertaining application; [3] (minority) saw Facebook as a negative, harmful, and unsatisfactory application; [4] like Facebook because they can get information; [5] mostly agree that the Facebook application is used as a medium for learning Bahasa Indonesia (listening, speaking, reading, and writing); [6] (minority) do not like to use Facebook due to many naughty and fraudulent accounts appear; [7] (mostly) have received information on procedural texts, short stories or narrative texts, explanatory texts, observation report texts, exposition texts, anecdotal texts, poetry texts and negotiation texts. Then, [8] a small proportion of students have never seen debates, saga, novels, dramas, lectures. Hence, it can be concluded that Facebook can be used as a learning medium to make the students motivated and enjoyed the learning process.


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