| STREAM ABBREVIATIONS: | |
| CMD | Curriculum and Materials Development |
| EAP | EAP and ESP |
| GRA | Grammar |
| INL | Independent Learning |
| MET | Methodology |
| MOT | Motivation |
| PRD | Professional Development |
| PRM | Program Management |
| LIS | Teaching Listening |
| REA | Teaching Reading |
| SPE | Teaching Speaking |
| WRI | Teaching Writing |
| TYL | Teaching Young Learners |
| TES | Testing |
| TEC | Using Technology |
| VOC | Vocabulary |
| POS | Poster Sessions |
STREAM: Curriculum & Materials Development (CMD)
Developments in ELT and Teacher Resource Materials (Workshop)
The field of English Language Teaching (ELT) has seen many changes in approaches, methodologies, materials and teacher-support alternatives over the years. This presentation reviews some of these key developments and offers a variety of professional support options that are up-to-date, classroom-practical, and readily accessible to both new and experienced teachers through the popular Resource Books for Teachers series by Oxford University Press.
Developing Cultural Awareness within a Japanese University Context (Paper)
This paper provides an overview of a materials development project at Kanda University of International Studies (KUIS). The project’s purpose is to develop English language materials which first year students use to develop and reflect on their knowledge of and attitudes towards Japanese culture and society. Additionally, the materials establish a firmer connection with the second year curriculum. This has a greater intercultural awareness focus, looking at ideas and issues concerning global cultures and societies.
Survival Skills in ESOL (Paper)
In many areas worldwide, there is a marked lack of teaching resources and limited access to support and guidance. The rural teacher faces numerous challenges with large classes of mixed ability students, a lack of books or teaching aids and very little access to computers and the Internet. This teacher may also often face a motivation issue, since the immediate need for English is less obvious to the students.
This workshop will seek to address these challenges and to explore some simple classroom techniques. Proposed activities will include: motivating students through the choice of relevant topics, homemade teaching materials, communicative pair & group tasks, student-centred activities and assessment. The workshop will start with a short presentation followed by sample activities for participants, ending with a handout of guidelines for practising teachers. top
Minimal Resource Teaching for Khmer Teachers (Workshop)
This workshop is aimed at new and provincial teachers. Minimal resource activities require few if any materials achieving maximal output through minimal means. These are the best classroom activities, since they can be adapted to a range of levels and circumstances, and very importantly are highly productive. Teachers can be discouraged from setting up activities, because they think that they will need to provide elaborate resources, such as role cards or preparatory reading texts, in advance. However, many of the most successful activities require no materials at all and provide learners with opportunities to interact freely and spontaneously, to cope with unpredictability, and to provide opinions using complex and fluent language. Through a series of linked activities focusing on the four macro skills, plus using course books more effectively, Khmer teachers may gain confidence to produce more interesting and productive lessons.
How to Judge Difficulty Levels of EFL Texts (Workshop)
Workshop participants will examine key features of EFL texts and audio recordings to quickly determine their levels of difficulty. Written texts are categorised into those accompanied by visual context or by text only; those written with graded vocabulary or those in natural English; and those written in academic English or those using colloquial English. Audio recordings are analysed by their use of native or non-native English, narratives or scripts with multiple voices, and finally, dictated speech or reduced forms of speech.
First, participants hear a clear explanation of each type of text and audio category and receive a checklist for evaluating the difficulty of text samples. Next, they are presented with samples from EFL texts and are asked to evaluate the difficulty levels using the checklist provided. Finally, participants join in a discussion about the level of each text and its possible adaptation for a higher or lower level.
Cartoons in Language Classrooms (Workshop)
Cartoons are an invaluable source of authentic materials which learners find interesting, amusing and motivating. Learning is enjoyable when such materials are creatively exploited in the classroom to develop language skills.
This workshop will present a series of activities using self-contained short units in the form of cartoon strips which offer opportunities to record and store new vocabulary in a logical way and become familiar with new grammatical structures. Cartoon strips can also be used for speaking practice and drilling, simulations and role plays for improving fluency in English as well as practice in reading aloud, which offers pronunciation and fluency practice and silent reading. Reading activities can include predicting, responding to questions, gap-fill exercises and guessing unknown words in context. Finally, students can rewrite the narratives, suggest different endings and identify and list culturally specific features. top
Smart Choices for Smart Teachers (Workshop)
Many ELT professionals are looking for content that is fun for students and really gets them speaking in class; others are looking for materials that are flexible enough to adapt to their own teaching styles and classroom needs; and some are looking for multi-media resources that support both requirements. This session presents Smart Choice, the new four-skills adult course book from Oxford University Press, that offers all of the above in a fresh and high-tech format.
Communicative Activities for Pronunciation Improvement (Workshop)
This workshop will review common pronunciation difficulties of Cambodian and other Asian speakers, and explore and practise communicative activities to address these problem areas. Emphasis will be placed on exploring how such pronunciation features as word stress, sentence stress, speech rhythm, linking, intonation and reductions can considerably affect comprehensibility and intelligibility. Participants will actively practise activities that can be used with students in their own classrooms. They will also have the opportunity to develop additional communicative practice materials in small groups. The session will conclude with an interactive discussion about how these pronunciation activities can fit into the EFL curriculum.
What Should I Consider When Developing My Own Material, tasks and Activities for the English Language Classroom? (Paper)
English language course books serve an important purpose in any English language classroom but may be too expensive to be purchased by the teacher and all learners, or may not meet learners’ needs and interests. More and more teachers who are interested in teaching enjoyable and effective English language classes wish to develop their own materials, tasks and activities but are not clear as to what to use as of guidelines. This presentation will present such guidelines.
Foundation Critical Thinking: Saying What You Mean (Workshop)
This workshop presents a genres approach to task-based materials design. The structures and task types demonstrated can easily be applied to materials writing for any level. Workshop participants will be guided through the process of designing some genres material for their own classes. The first part of the workshop is an outline of the variations of the critical thinking theme: issues-based adversarial discourse, de Bono's issues-based divergent thinking, foundation literacy skills and formal logic. The second part is an outline of the presenter’s task-based approach to leading upper beginners and lower intermediates towards the skills required to begin the study of critical thinking, as seen in his textbook and course design. The learning process discussed here involves four steps: (1) Input (demonstration/listening/reading of vocabulary and phrases); (2) Usage practice (activities and tasks using the vocabulary and phrases); (3) Authentic task (arranging information, solving problems); and (4) Expression (reporting task results as presentations, dramas, videos or written reports). top
Active Learning Strategies in the Language Classroom (Workshop)
Workshop participants will be exposed to active learning strategies that they could employ in the classroom in order to increase students’ attention span and their understanding of subject matter. In Active Learning, the instructor plays a pivotal role in planning, facilitating and setting the right climate for effective learning to occur. Teachers in this workshop will have hands-on experience of how to develop materials from resources easily available around them to help students improve not only their language skills, but their thinking skills as well. More importantly, with proper planning and facilitation, teachers will be able to overcome problems of large classes and increase learners’ motivation.
In all, from the students’ point of view, Active Learning will help develop their personal, interactive and analytical skills. From the teacher’s point of view, moving towards Active Learning will guide them to adopt a more learner-centered approach to teaching.
Utilizing TV News Clips in Language Teaching (Workshop)
This workshop will demonstrate a variety of approaches to using TV news clips effectively in order to promote students’ active involvement in language learning. This in turn improves language proficiency. The presenter will demonstrate tasks of varying levels of difficulty, which workshop participants can adapt to their own classroom situations. There will also be discussion of the motivating factors and teaching techniques underlying such activities. Some of the tasks will be illustrated through videotaped lessons at high school and university levels.
English and Intercultural Competence: Bridging the World (Paper)
English is the world’s language. It is geared for spanning the globe, bridging the gap between diverse communities and cultures. Changing tides in the global economy, social organisation, market culture, trade, travel and technology have created a demand for more useful and tangible outcomes in the teaching of English.
If the teaching of English is to have any utility value, its goals will have to expand. It will have to incorporate into its objectives not only the development of linguistic and communicative competence, but also intercultural competence. The English classroom can provide a forum for the dissemination of beliefs, values and traditions. Culturally and cross culturally relevant materials can be used to develop learners’ awareness and an understanding of the Self and the Other, which is undoubtedly, the essence of any development. top
Creating and Using a Self-assessment Tool for Improving Curriculum Development (Workshop)
Teachers and managers in ongoing language programs often face a difficult challenge in maintaining quality, organising, and improving teaching materials that have been developed in-house. The perennial question: “What makes good teaching materials good?” can open debate and argument, or useful reflection and discussion. The presenter will describe how and why staff in a university English program developed a self-assessment rubric as a tool for guiding and improving curriculum development and will demonstrate one way in which the rubric can be used. Participants will be invited to try the tool themselves. Willing participants
are asked to bring several copies (3-5) of their own materials to share and discuss with colleagues. Please be prepared for active discussion of how to make, use and, most of all, improve teaching materials at any level of education.
Firstly, the rationale for intra-cultural awareness training in English will be discussed and the connection to the second year intercultural awareness materials highlighted. Secondly, an outline is provided of the materials development initiatives undertaken. This will include (1) how the teachers adapted a variety of authentic multi-media text resources to create suitable materials, and (2) how the students themselves were encouraged to use technology to help complete research tasks inside and outside the classroom.
The Impact of Two Types of Language Curricula on Learning Outcomes: A Comparative Study in a Vietnamese Context (Paper)
One important task of curriculum developers is to gain insights into the effects of curricula developed in light of different approaches, and then propose which type of curriculum contributes to better learning outcomes for each type of leaner. In this paper, the author presents the results of two empirical curriculum studies conducted at Can Tho University. The studies follow the one condition, pre-test and post-test design in which the curricula (the task-based language learning (TBLL) and the TBLL plus presentation-practice-production (PPP)) are independent variables and learning outcomes (self-regulation, learner autonomy and language proficiency) are dependent variables. All first-year students
of English language education programs in two academic years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 participated in the studies. The results from the studies showed each curriculum to have different beneficial impact on the ultimate development of learning outcomes when learners’ characteristics (e.g., their initial level of self-regulation) are taken into consideration. top
Starting Where Rural Students ‘Are’ - Using English to Express Local Knowledge (Workshop)
Ms Ursula Wall and Dr Jonathan Hull
Secondary school students in rural communities in South East Asia often do not see English as relevant to themselves, so English teachers can have difficulty keeping these students engaged. Although textbooks can be well constructed, their content is often, at best, irrelevant to students’ lives and, at worst, a threat to local traditions and culture. Recently, as part of a larger project, the presenters worked with English language teachers from several secondary schools in two rural areas in Thailand to help them develop ways of bridging the gap between published materials and their students’ lives.
This workshop will provide an opportunity to try some of the activities devised by the presenters and to discuss how to adapt others for Cambodian students. Some available published materials will be explored to examine ways of personalising tasks and developing supplementary materials to incorporate the local culture.
STREAM: EAP & ESP (EAP)
Dead Poets’ Society: Developing Critical, Analytical and Conceptual Skills through Literature (Workshop)
Much talk is heard of critical thinking and its importance in developing forward-thinking, capable graduates in whose hands lies the future of academic and economic expansion in Cambodia. This workshop will explore how literature is used in Britain to develop critical thinking skills, and will outline how this notion may be incorporated into a South East Asian context. A sample lesson will follow, using the opening paragraphs of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and a Philip Larkin poem.
A discussion will then ensue on the following:
- Which texts to use
- To improvise or not to improvise?
- The Socratic method of eliciting a critical response
- How can literary analysis be appraised?
Finally, participants will have an opportunity to discuss a suggested strategy for incorporating practical literary criticism into English programs at Bachelor’s and Master’s degree levels. top
Materials to Motivate in ESP (Paper)
Most materials offered commercially or in institutions for ESP or EAP presuppose an Intermediate or above level of English. They then proceed to introduce a heavy lexical load and often long, laboured descriptions of technical processes which the student may be studying in his mother tongue. Based on materials developed in the University of Surrey with three Russian Technical Universities, we will demonstrate that students have different aims and needs. They prefer to develop their general interactive language skills in English, as well as the ability to obtain information in their chosen field. Hence a needs analysis is extremely important to identify motivation and to select materials which will inspire these students. A sample set of materials for Tourism and for Ecology Studies will be demonstrated and the issue of language levels and practice will also be explored.
Teaching Activities for English Conversation Practice and Critical Thinking/ Writing (Paper)
This paper presents a study exploring the effectiveness of the teaching activities for 26 five-year Engineering majors (M: 23; F: 3) in an English Conversation classroom. Two research questions are: (1) How did the college students respond to the teaching activities from the perspective of English conversation practice? and (2) How did the college students relate the teaching activities to critical thinking and writing? Data collection included evaluation questionnaires, the instructor’s journal entries and the students’ reflection papers. Results indicated that the college students tended to agree that they increased their English conversation proficiency and critical thinking and writing abilities through these teaching activities. This not only may encourage interested instructors to employ some or all of these activities to make their classes enjoyable, meaningful, and critical, but also may entice interested researchers to work on further studies concerning these activities to contribute to various educational fields.
Preparing Students for Academic Success (Workshop)
Students who need to use English for Academic purposes not only need a high language level, but they also need to master specific study skills. Students have to take notes during lectures, understand academic texts, do research, write reports and essays, and make oral presentations. All these skills require a solid foundation of critical thinking skills and a mastery of academic vocabulary. This workshop will show how teachers can provide scaffolding to support and accelerate each student’s journey from exploring general interest topics to mastering academic content.
General Knowledge Quiz is Helpful in Teaching ESP (Workshop)
Why test? And how to test? Should general knowledge quizzes be used in English classes? Should ESP quizzes be used more often in ESP classes? Why?
Developing an ESP Course from A to Z (Workshop)
All around the world, the demand for English in the workplace is growing. Instead of sponsoring long-term General English courses, employers are increasingly interested in short-term customized classes which address both specific workplace needs and budget constraints. This hands-on workshop will use a case study along with authentic materials to take participants through the stages of developing a customised course. Stages include: (1) Conducting an initial needs analysis to determine course content and timing; (2) Exploring various sources, both print and online, for course materials (including ready-to-use materials, materials requiring adaptation and trainer-created materials) and (3) Discussing various methods of assessment. The workshop will be interactive and fast-paced, requiring participants to analyse information and make decisions, adapt resources to meet a specific aim and to participate in a communicative activity which the participants have created themselves. top
Moves and Strategies in Letters of Application by Cambodian College Graduates (Paper)
Effective letters of application play a significant role in determining success of second or foreign language learners in obtaining their intended employment. Letters of application, however, are observed to receive relatively little attention from researchers and only a small number of studies have been conducted on this genre. This paper reports on a study which analysed 22 letters of application from lecturers and students at the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL), Royal University of Phnom Penh. Following the analysis scheme suggested by Henry & Roseberry (2001), the study found that Cambodian applicants wrote their letters with a good observation of the target discourse conventions. There was no patterned move order among the sampled letters which differed from one another at both move and strategy levels. Based on the study findings, implication for teaching writing, especially about specific topic like letters of application, are explored.
Integrating Curriculum in the ESL Classroom (Workshop)
Dr Laurence MacDonald, Dr Richmond Stroupe and Mr Malcolm Daugherty
With the implementation of the iBT TOEFL, integrating skills has taken on greater significance in the ESL classroom. Students are now required to read and capture the main points of written and spoken materials and synthesise these materials in a culminating task, utilising critical thinking skills to compare and contrast information. In this educational context, constructing courses for individual skills (ie listening, reading etc), seems inadequate to reflect the current needs of learners. In this workshop, using Chamot and O`Malley`s Cognitive Academic Learning Approach (CALLA) as a theoretical template, we will identify if and how commonly-used textbooks are or are not integrated, and demonstrate how to supplement these texts to provide students with an integrated experience. The audience will then have an opportunity to analyse a variety of texts using the CALLA method to determine the degree to which they are integrated and brainstorm ideas for activities to promote integration.
Designing a Task-based ESP Curriculum (Workshop)
This practical workshop will describe the development of a task-based ESP curriculum for science and engineering students. After reflecting upon the underlying assumptions regarding teaching and learning, participants will be introduced to a ‘special needs’ curriculum. The curriculum is unique in that it integrates a task-based syllabus with science and technology content and hands-on project work. The project work includes a media project, a scientific measurement project, a data collection project, and a renewable energy project. Each project recycles a series of scaffolding tasks. The tasks involve real-world problem solving activities in addition to linguistic elements that are typically encountered in technical genres. The presenter will demonstrate how, through a structured set of pedagogical tasks, learners can become more actively involved in the learning process, more engaged in communicative activities, and more motivated to learn a second language. top
Strategies for Teaching Literature Effectively in the EFL Classroom (Workshop)
EFL teachers of literature face an eternal puzzle. How can they help students gain an understanding of literature in a foreign language in a communicative, comprehensible, and interesting way? This workshop will focus on strategies and materials that have been used successfully in a survey course of English literature that was created for low-intermediate EFL university students. The purpose of the course is to give students an overview of American literature using an integrated four-skill approach, which emphasises comprehensible input, basic literary analysis, communicative activities, and cross-cultural understanding. The course examines over twenty diverse writers, their time periods, and their works, using a variety of literary texts (graded readers, original texts, poetry, short stories, novels, drama) and multi-media. Practical strategies, a sample lesson, and some materials used in the course will be shared with participants who can use or adapt them according to their own needs.
ESP (English for Specific Purposes) Made Easy (Workshop)
Mr Shin'ichi Hashimoto, Mr Malcolm Daugherty and Ms Ingita Panda
Adapting subject matter to be used for ESP classes doesn’t have to be difficult. This workshop will give participants a hands-on opportunity to develop several activities that can be used for teaching ESP classes. First, a definition of ESP teaching will be presented. Then groups of participants will be assigned subject-matter materials and asked to brainstorm ideas about how they can adapt these into an English lesson. Finally, participants will be shown examples of lessons designed by the presenters. Through this process, it is hoped to stimulate discussion on ways to implement ESP in the classroom.
Developing Language Skills in Science (Paper)
In countries worldwide, English instruction is increasingly focused on developing learners’ competence in scientific and technical fields – a challenging task, for learners must develop content concepts and vocabulary at the same time. This paper examines specific techniques to help English language learners develop science language skills and content knowledge. The presenter demonstrates a visual approach for developing learners’ vocabulary and content knowledge in science. He then shows how learners can use their new vocabulary to develop reading skills, so that they can become strong, independent readers of science texts and textbooks. In addition, he shows how teachers can give students vocabulary skills and develop their academic vocabulary. (Academic vocabulary is the vocabulary found in every academic subject.) Finally, he will show ways that teachers can deepen students’ knowledge and skills through hands-on laboratories. Teachers will leave this session with ideas they can use on Monday morning. top
Evaluating and Improving Vocabulary Learning Tasks in ESP (Paper)
An increasing number of English language programs at university level are now endeavoring to provide students with specific language skills they will need in their post-academic careers. ESP courses are appearing earlier in post-secondary curricula and some university departments are giving these ESP courses the extra burden of introducing course concepts and vocabulary at the same time, or even before students have learned them through their first language. The impetus for this presentation stemmed from the author’s experience working in a content-based ESP course in Information Science and Engineering at a large private university in Japan. This presentation will first consider the elements of effective vocabulary learning tasks, then apply these to typical tasks found in ESP textbooks and consider how these tasks can be improved. The presentation will be interactive. Participants will be asked to work together in groups and present their ideas.
Science English and the Need for Specialised ESL/EFL (Workshop)
With the world embracing English as the second language of choice for career moves and business transactions, private language schools have sprouted everywhere. Unfortunately, most of these private language schools offer only business English or preparation classes for various English tests as specialised English classes. At the university level and for many professionals who seek English lessons for their specific needs, there are very few options. Rather than using traditional methods of lecture to teach, the presenter has developed and implemented a special project for Science students at the university level. The presenter will discuss the steps of formulating the project, the steps involved, the equipment used, and the presentation of the final product. In addition, the presenter will talk about other areas of English needs that have remained largely undeveloped and about alternatives for the project presented.
An Investigation into IFL Year Two Learners’ Attitudes toward Grammar Learning in English Language Classrooms (Paper)
Grammar has traditionally consisted of giving learners opportunities to produce specific grammatical structures, with the view that grammar learning means learning formal accuracy. This paper reports on a study conducted at the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL) in Phnom Penh. The conclusion was that learning grammar is not simply learning the forms and rules but learning to use grammatical structures meaningfully and appropriately. Learners viewed grammar learning as important in helping them improve their language skills especially in writing, passing examinations and class tests, and preparing for proficiency tests such as TOEFL and IELTS. On the whole, students believed that they can improve their knowledge even if they are not good learners, or consider themselves only fair learners. More interestingly, they were able to learn better if discussions for problem-solving activities were introduced, followed by meaningful practice and conventional ways of presenting grammatical rules or forms. top
Teaching Grammar Communicatively (Workshop)
Prof Sivadasan Cheriya Puthalath
Most grammar teaching at present is theoretical. It is often forgotten that in communicative English opportunities should be provided for learners to instinctively imbibe the understanding of rules of grammar from passages used as teaching materials. This workshop will present three passages of moderate length (prose, poetry and drama) and propose a methodology through which learners could extract underlying grammatical rules. Later they could be trained to use these underlying rules in other contexts. The prose passage is descriptive and could be used to teach the use of present tense; the poetry passage can be used to inculcate the idea of deviant grammar; and the drama passage will be shown to have grammatical structures suitable to verbal interactions. Learners could explore the intricacies of grammar and then use it innovatively in different contexts.
STREAM: Independent Learning (INL)
How to Increase Learner Autonomy (Independent Learning) (Workshop)
Due to its culture, Vietnam is a country where learners depend heavily on teachers, which becomes a headache for those who really care about independent learning. As a teacher of English in Vietnam, the presenter has considered this as a kind of institutional disease against which she has struggled year by year. This presentation includes two parts (1) How to make learners aware of independent learning; and (2) How to apply independent learning in integrated-skill classes at elementary/pre-intermediate levels with learners aged from 18 to 40 in class of over 20 students. The presenter’s experience has shown that independent learning can be achieved when learners are well prepared. In this presentation, she hopes to be able to share her experience with teachers in Cambodia whose situation may be similar to that of Vietnam.
5Steps to Learning without Study for Cambodians (Workshop)
Mr Paul Brown and Mr Richard Flynn
This workshop session highlights new, exciting and fun ways of promoting independent learning among both Cambodian students and Cambodian English language teachers. It offers realistic and practical tips to make English learning more enjoyable and interesting through dynamic and multi-media based alternatives to the traditional classroom environment in the Cambodian context. It will focus on the use and development of ESL web resources, forums, chat-rooms, student blogs, podcasts, and live radio broadcasts. The Cambodian participants will leave this workshop more confident in how to teach themselves and their students how to learn smarter and not harder by learning to learn without study. top
STREAM: Methodology (MET)
Learning Communities and Learners as Experts (Workshop)
In traditional classrooms, learners spend much time receiving knowledge from the expert teacher. In a learning-community approach, all members create, communicate and receive knowledge. Through creating and communicating, learners become more aware of the target language and of themselves as learners; aware of how their attitudes and classroom behaviours affect their ability to become proficient language users, not merely language learners.
This presentation will share handouts which focus on various principles, frameworks, and techniques that, once established within the classroom culture, empower low-intermediate level students to explore their role as experts within the community of learners. Topic-based handouts used by students to prepare for pair discussion will be shared. These are composite listings of student input. Teacher production of such handouts will be discussed, though the true experts on the ideas and knowledge in the handouts are the students themselves, based on their world views, life experiences, hopes and dreams.
Making Textbooks Come Alive in Cambodia (Workshop)
Ms Bernice Clark, Mr Charles Dold, Ms Helen Huntley, Ms Michele Lewis, Ms Jennifer Lund and Ms Victoria Cardone
Exercise after exercise, page after page, unit after unit – even the best textbooks get old and stale if teachers do little more than what’s in the book. This workshop will focus on creative ways to make textbooks come alive. Five English Language Fellows from across the region will share their favorite strategies and activities to enhance or extend any course text. A packet of simple, low-preparation to no-preparation activities will be distributed. This workshop is restricted to Cambodian teachers only.
Self-access with Morrie: Scaffolding Sociocultural Context through Reading (Paper)
The development toward greater learner autonomy is facilitated by the internalisation of the sociocultural environment which systematically renders textual input, Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom, as collaboratively comprehensible. Throughout the course, students move from a structured situated learning environment into one that is more freely participated in based on their own interests.
Building Better Bridges for Communication (Workshop)
This workshop explores ways of building better language and cultural bridges so learners can become more effective language learners in English classes, especially in Asia. A variety of short communicative tasks (listening and speaking, information gathering tasks, etc) demonstrate how students of varied levels or even shy, silent students are actively encouraged to interact and communicate with each other, even in large classes. Practical suggestions will be discussed on ways to create, develop and evaluate a more communicative style of learning that encourages greater student interaction. top
How to Integrate Media into Teaching Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation (Workshop)
Most Cambodian students study English with non-native English teachers, and most of them have limited listening ability. This is because they are not familiar with different accents and they lack access to speakers of English and to authentic materials such as news on radio, television or newspapers. As a result, few teachers want to teach listening and students complain that they cannot understand their interlocutors because their listening is poor. This workshop will provide participants with new ideas on how to incorporate different sources of media operated by native English speakers to enrich the teaching of listening, speaking and pronunciation in Cambodian language classes. It will also illustrate ways of using news broadcasts as classroom tasks which can facilitate the teaching and learning of pronunciation at the same time. The presenter will also show samples that her students have produced and how to access their production.
Energising the ESL Classroom through Problem Based Learning (Paper)
Problem Based Learning (PBL) is diametrically different from the conventional didactic and teacher-centred approach to teaching. Rather than the tutor dispensing the syllabus content, students decide and discover for themselves what they will learn. Problems are first given as the starting point of their inquiry and students are required to solve the problem by providing relevant knowledge and skills. The students work in groups to allow for collaborative learning in order to harness the collective synergy of teamwork. This is central to PBL as it mirrors real world situations where employees work in project teams to collaborate within and without. This paper will explain how a PBL project has been incorporated into the English language teaching curriculum in Japan. The purpose of my research is to investigate whether PBL is an effective means to motivate Japanese university students to negotiate task-based projects in English.
Multi-media Interactivity with New English File (Workshop)
Students need not only a sound and consistent framework for learning a language but also variety, stimulation, and opportunities to personalise and apply meaningful communication to their own contexts and situations. This presentation explores ways of combining these important aspects through classroom approaches, practical activities, and multimedia support from the highly interactive New English File series from Oxford University Press.
“Sentence Auction” Game for Reviewing Grammar (Workshop)
Reviewing grammar can be boring and tedious, but it doesn’t have to be. This workshop will introduce a “Sentence Auction” game for reviewing grammar in a way that is instructional, active, and fun. The presenter will show participants how to set up and play this highly interactive game. Come and see how to make reviewing grammar interesting and productive for students. top
Developing Effective Introductions and Conclusions for Writing and Speaking (Workshop)
In academic writing and public speaking, students need to create effective introductions and conclusions. This workshop begins by examining accepted techniques of this integral skill. After reviewing these techniques, participants will create their own introductions and conclusions for given topics based on the strategies presented. The workshop will close with the presentation, analysis and discussion of examples.
Writing-to-perform Comic Strips (Paper)
Comic strips offer a friendly and practical help for students at the beginner’s level who wish to start developing their writing skills. Containing the basic components of a play (e.g. setting, characters, and plot), they offer students a framework around which to develop a writing piece. Short and amusing, they ignite students’ interest and encourage the addition and creation of new comic characters, setting and plot, allowing students to engage in a way that makes language learning meaningful and creative.
This paper aims at demonstrating a set of pedagogical procedures that adapts Willis’ framework of task-based learning (1996) to teach English to students in technical colleges. It aims to contribute to the database of a research-based methodology informed by concepts of drama, that exemplifies procedures of fostering reflective learning and creativity by using ICT-based materials within foreign language learning.
Using Drama Techniques in the Classroom (Workshop)
In-class drama techniques are a powerful motivational tool that can potentially unlock and increase learner self-awareness and self-confidence in both verbal and non-verbal aspects of communicating in a second language. Drama also promotes critical thinking skills and risk-taking with an emphasis on the whole person (ie physical, intellectual, cognitive and affective domains). This workshop will explore how drama can be a welcome addition to daily lessons to promote both accuracy and fluency in a variety of teaching environments while requiring few or no additional resources. Examples of the challenges and successes of using drama in Thai classrooms at Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University will be discussed and a selection of simple and relevant drama techniques will be presented in a fun, hands-on format with the Asian classroom in mind.
Focusing on Frequent Errors by Khmer Teachers and Learners of English and Using a Simple Chart/Task to Rectify Them (Paper)
It is widely acknowledged by native speakers and teaches with experience teaching in Cambodia that Khmers are excellent teachers and students and very proficient in the speaking of English. However, there are many teachers and learners who continue to make common errors that could be dealt with in an effective manner. This presentation calls attention to those errors and gives an example of a chart/task that any teacher can make and use to assist in rectifying those errors. top
The Implementation and Practices of CLT (Communicative Language Teaching) at IFL (Paper)
This paper will demonstrate how lecturers at IFL (Institute of Foreign Languages) implement the eight changes in key components of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) suggested by Jacobs and Farrell (2003), in their language classrooms. The paper will also seek to point out whether students have more opportunity to promote their cognitive process and to develop pragmatic and linguistic skills in order to synthesize, evaluate and apply information to various contexts. The research tool used is the observation web (Millrood, 2003), which can prove if each lesson is student-centred, teacher-centred, informative, cognitive, pragmatic, individual-work focussed and interactive. Some practical suggestions on teaching techniques will be made, to promote the implementation of CLT as well as to overcome its difficulties in EFL classrooms in Cambodia.
Teaching Grammar the Fun Way: Using Jokes and Stories (Workshop)
Grammar is fundamental in English because it helps learners speak and write the target language accurately. Teachers, therefore, have been trying to find effective ways to teach grammar, with best results and without boring learners. Many learners find grammar difficult to master, partly because their teachers present rules and explain them in a very serious way. It is important for teachers to realise that students’ grammar mastery depends largely on their motivation and memorable experience. By choosing funny and interesting stories to teach grammar, teachers will be able to help their students overcome their difficulty and fear in learning grammar, for it can be amusing and stimulating. In this workshop, the presenter will point out how to stimulate grammar teaching, making grammar more learner-friendly, and the participants will have a chance to explore some stories and design appropriate tasks for their grammar lessons.
Improving English Communicative Skills among High School Students through Pair Work and Group Work in the Classroom (Paper)
This paper describes developments in English teaching and learning and how a communicative approach has been applied at high schools in Vietnam. It reports on a study conducted in the remote An Giang province about 200 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City on the Cambodian border. The study was conducted at 12 public and semi-public high schools in late 2006. Primary data for the research were collected by means of classroom observation and surveys on 1,466 students and 57 teachers of English. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings indicated that new teaching methods have been widely used by teachers of English at high schools, with a dramatic increase in students’ active participation. Benefits and problems associated with organising communicative activities are identified and recommendations are made as a guide for teachers to improve their teaching methodology to meet students’ needs for improved communicative ability in English. top
Getting Students Up and Moving (Workshop)
English teachers find it difficult to get students up and moving in the classroom. This workshop will explore strategies to get students involved in the learning process rather than sitting and listening to the teacher talk. The presenter will share practical strategies that teachers can use in their own classrooms as warm-up, practice and review activities to motivate students to actively use the language. Participants will also be encouraged to share their own experiences and ideas. Furthermore, a handout of strategies and activities will be distributed.
Graduating Globally Competitive Students: The Role of the EFL Teacher and Curriculum (Paper)
Dr Richmond Stroupe and Ms Ingita Panda
Upon graduation, students are entering an increasingly competitive global job market in which general communicative ability in English is no longer solely adequate for professional success. Students must not only be able to communicate about familiar topics, but must also be able to converse on specialised topics concerning their professional interests or current events. As a result, teachers must be able to appropriately stimulate and challenge students to achieve these goals. Curricula and programs must be developed in such a way that students are not only learning effectively in the classroom but also independently, with appropriate and effective study skills. This paper will discuss how a Centre for communicative language programs at a university in Japan has successfully addressed these changes in student needs, teaching requirements, and curriculum development, and how these changes inform the future short and long-term strategic plans for language education within the Centre and university.
Beyond English For Cambodia - Ways to Extend English Language Textbooks (Paper)
The first part of this paper examines the English for Cambodia textbook series and briefly outlines its initial production in terms of conception, constraints, goals, achievements and limitations. The second part of the paper looks at ways of moving beyond the English for Cambodia textbooks, as well as ways of extending textbooks in general.
The two parts of the paper focus on two different aspects of the theme of this year’s conference: “Building Bridges to the World”. The first aspect relates to content and deals with the way the textbook series attempts to relate a specifically Cambodian environment to a global context. The second aspect relates to teaching/learning methodology and deals with the way the textbook series aims to relate the classroom environment – what goes on in the classroom – to the “real” world outside the classroom. top
Pronunciation – “Building Bridges” to Communicative Competence (Workshop)
This hands-on interactive workshop is similar to a successful workshop delivered by Teachers Across Borders in Phnom Penh in 2007. It addresses the basics of English pronunciation and is particularly suitable for Cambodian ESL teachers, offering them practical insights and tips into the elementary features of English pronunciation. By engaging in practical tasks, participants will address the sounds, word stress, sentence stress, intonation, rhythm and linking. Integrating pronunciation features into the teaching of vocabulary and grammar will be discussed and specific pronunciation activities will be modelled. By using these ideas and strategies, participants will become more confident in selecting the specific features of English pronunciation which need to be highlighted in order to enable ESL students to develop greater communicative competence.
The True Information Gap: When Methodology Simply Becomes Practice (Workshop)
A classic information gap activity is where the teacher gives one student a piece of information, and another student has to find out that information. This “gap” is where communication will happen. While this is a very common activity, there is an even greater information gap often existing in the classroom – the gap between teacher and student. When an information gap exists between teacher and student(s) the resulting classroom effort changes from direct teaching to simply finding new and various ways of practising the knowledge a student has already gained. This paper will briefly define methodology in relation to direct teaching (the process of devoting effort directly to the presentation of new information or of the language points necessary for the activities to be both practical and educational) and the necessary role of the teacher in a language learning classroom.
A Cross-cultural Comparison of Language Learners’ Attitudes toward Sleeping in Class (Paper)
In addressing student motivation and learning, as well as classroom management and teaching methodologies, the TESOL classroom brings to bear a unique set of culturally-related issues. Past educational and cultural experiences of the students and the teacher lead to differing expectations and preferences that can ultimately jeopardise educational outcomes. This paper reports on an investigation which expands on previous research conducted by the presenters regarding the sleepy behavior of Japanese second language learners in the TESOL classroom. Through examining both qualitative and quantitative data sets on Japanese undergraduates in comparison with that of international exchange students, the presenters offer a deeper understanding of the motivations and attitudes of students who sleep in class.
What to Consider When Pairing up Learners in the Communicative Language Classroom (Paper)
Mr Ses Vichet and Miss Lan Sela
The communicative approach to language teaching requires that we develop speaking skills and other language skills through organising the class in pairs as a way to facilitate learning. But just to pair the learners up does not always lead to successful language acquisition. This presentation looks at some of the issues that need to be considered when pairing learners up.
How Teachers Ask Questions in Class (Workshop)
An important element of teacher talk is questioning. Teacher talk may involve explanations, presenting facts and ideas, controlling the direction of the lesson; but without skilled use of questioning, teachers will have difficulty figuring out how well students understand materials presented to them. This workshop will discuss how questioning can attract students’ attention to and interest in a particular issue or concept. It will also give some suggestions on how to use questions to provide opportunities for students to respond interactively, meaningfully and to ensure students’ active participation in classroom discussions.
Developing Linguistic Competence in Cambodian Students (Workshop)
This workshop will discuss some of the factors that affect the learning process for ESL students in Cambodia. From Krashen, we learn that the teacher needs to create a filter in the classroom to allow for a better learning environment. Moreover, a core curriculum needs to have a clear framework that accounts for the different types of second language competence that are required. The workshop will outline some of this theory and invite discussion as to how these ideas can be included in English language classrooms in Cambodia.
STREAM: Motivation (MOT)
Making English Relevant in Rural Classrooms (Workshop)
Mr Kong Kosal and Mr Jason Park
In Phnom Penh and provincial towns, a visible foreign presence shows students tangible benefits for learning English. As a result, students there tend to be more motivated in pursuing their English studies than students in rural communities, where English instructors face the challenge of proving that English is relevant. The importance of English as an international language is not reflected in the daily life of rural communities. Therefore rural educators must employ methods to generate interest among their students. Otherwise, the disparity in English ability between rural and urban students will only increase in the future. This workshop is designed to introduce a wide array of strategies for educators to create incentives for English study in rural communities. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a range of low-cost tools to help demonstrate the relevance of learning a secondary language in their own communities. top
Using Motivating Content in an English for Academic Purposes Classroom (Workshop)
Ms Maiko Katherine Nakano and Mr Michael Riley
Once students have reached a good level of competency in their English language skills, how can teachers ensure that motivation continues at the same rate as the acquisition of those skills? Content-based courses that offer stimulating, engaging, and relevant topics for intermediate to advanced-level students can not only help promote the development of language and academic skills but provide a forum for developing much-needed critical thinking skills. In this workshop, the two presenters will demonstrate how teaching topics of global concern and global literature in English in their classrooms has boosted students’ motivation while cultivating the exchange of ideas and opinions through group and class discussions. The presenters will provide copies of materials that have proven successful in class. These include topics of current global concern and samples of short stories by minorities from around the globe writing in English today.
Motivation: Use It in Your Teaching; Care About It in Your Students’ Learning (Paper)
How many teachers have heard or said, “My students don’t seem to be motivated to learn”? Teachers might not have noticed how much they are motivated to teach and how much they care about their students’ learning. This paper discusses the sources of motivation and how to maintain it in teaching and in student language acquisition. It also examines the operant conditioning of BF Skinner in the behaviorism theory of applied linguistics and how it helps build motivating environments in class and outside of class.
Classroom Management – How to Motivate Learners in Large and Mixed Level Classes (Paper)
Teaching English in large and mixed level classes is a pressing and necessary requirement in developing countries, such as Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia. This creates many problems for teachers to solve. For example, students make too much noise while they practise speaking, but they work too passively in doing reading or writing tasks. It is very difficult to divide students to work in pairs or groups because of small classrooms and uncomfortable fixed tables. Moreover, it takes teachers a long time to give students feedback and take notice of various level students.
This workshop will suggest some ways to deal with such problems and to answer the questions, “How to make students happy in studying English?”, “How to manage students’ self-study?” and “How to appreciate students’ work fully?” It is hoped that teachers will find this topic useful and communicative and that it may provoke further concerned discussion. top
Poster Presentations from Topic Statements: A Stimulating and Engaging Course for College Students (Paper)
The presenter will outline a poster presentations project, lasting between 8 and 12 classes (depending on the number of students in a class), which he has used successfully with
middle level students at several universities. Merging and refining ideas from two other projects, the presenter developed a 4-skills presentation course that is easy to run, requires hardly any photocopying or difficult administration, but which has proved to be popular, engaging and satisfying for students. It requires them to choose their own topic, to conduct interviews, discussions and research, to design a poster and to make a presentation – several times, thereby developing their fluency. Finally, the students write a report on the project. The presenter will describe the course in detail and provide examples of students’ work.
STREAM: Professional Development (PRD)
A Case Study on Cambodian Low-achievers and High-achievers of English Language (Paper)
This research study aims at identifying factors that made some students more successful academically than others. High-achievers are defined as those who received 80% of scores from all subjects combined at the English Department of the Institute of Foreign Languages IFL), Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). Low-achievers are defined as those who received below 55%. Forty students from Year 3 in the academic year 2006-2007 will be respondents in this study. Two data collection methods will be used: questionnaire and focus group discussion. To collect the most reliable data, participants will not be informed in advance whether they belong to the low-achieving or high-achieving group. This paper explores students’ level of exposure to English outside classroom, how they prepared for tests and exams, and their attitude toward English language.
Teaching Without Borders – Making Training Relevant to Our Teachers (Paper)
Ms Cynthia Kralik and Ms Jan Butler
Globalisation has resulted in English becoming the international language of not only business, but also education. This has led to an increasing demand for teachers of English – both native speakers and as those for whom it is a second language. The demand for teacher education has increased notably over the last few years but to what extent do programs meet the needs of teachers working in a range of international contexts?
RMIT English Worldwide (REW) is a global English language institution with joint partnerships in China, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. As an internationally recognised Australian university based in Asia, RMIT Vietnam assists in the development of human resources in Vietnam and the region. This paper will share the results of surveys carried out amongst local and foreign teachers at RMIT Vietnam and REW, and look at how this information has informed the development of teacher training programs. top
From Classroom View to Global View (Workshop)
How do language teachers view their role? From the fields of organisational development, intercultural communication and global management, the presenter will suggest ten roles for increasing the effectiveness of teachers’ time in the classroom and improving the efficiency of their students’ study experience. The roles will help teachers focus on the interaction between themselves and their students, the logistics of their classes, and involving the students more actively in the goals and operation of their course. There will be a list of questions to help clarify each role for use as a guide to planning and managing classes. The presenter will offer illustrations from his own experience.
How to Teach a Text (Workshop)
Second language educators are surrounded by texts daily, whether they be in the form of newsprint, journals or magazines. The question is what makes for a sound choice of text and how can teachers approach texts in a way that students would find motivating?
This story writing workshop presents the building blocks of narrative and in doing so, gives teachers a glimpse into their own creativity and processes of engagement. Group stories will be made during this session and read to each other.
ECAP: A Collaborative Professional Development Program for EFL Teachers in Japan & Korea (Paper)
Ms Fusayo Nakagawa and Prof Brian Nuspliger
ECAP (Educators’ Collaboration in Asia-Pacific) is an intensive professional development seminar for EFL teachers, sponsored by a self-supporting teacher development group, ACROSS, and a non-profit organisation for international educational cooperation, e‑dream‑s (both in Osaka, Japan). ECAP is designed to promote the professional development of EFL teachers by facilitating peer collaboration among English teachers, both native- and non-native-speaking, practising in East Asia, particularly Japan and Korea. This intensive in-service seminar has been held annually, alternating between Japan and Korea, since the summer of 2003 and all the teachers participate in the program on a voluntary basis. The program includes collaborative lesson planning, team-teaching, and peer observation and promotes language improvement for non-native speaking teachers while enhancing intercultural understanding among all the participants. This presentation is based on the proceedings and results of the recent seminar, ECAP 2007. The participants’ evaluation of the seminar will also be reported.
If You Were a Student Would You Want You for a Teacher? (Workshop)
What are teachers teaching, and what are students learning? Are students really learning from their teacher? What is the teacher gaining from the teaching experience? Does the curriculum target the students’ needs? This discussion begins with a game called “Who Am I?” which has been used in teaching speaking. The game is followed by a thought-provoking challenge to arrive at an answer to the question posed in the title. This is a hands-on and minds-on workshop which will cause many to consider and re-consider their notions of education, teaching and learning. (The key to good teaching may not be what teachers have been led to believe.) top
Building up EFL Teachers’ Expertise in Promoting Classroom Communication (Paper)
Encouraging communication in an English class with limited resources is always challenging to non-native EFL teachers. This is partly due to their insufficient awareness of the nature of classroom communication and expertise in sustaining communication in English. Such awareness and expertise are not innate; they need to be trained. This presentation reports some pedagogical implications drawn from an experimental study which reveals that training in classroom-based input and interaction equips EFL non-native trainees with skills in making input comprehensible to learners and encouraging the learner’s participation in classroom interaction. The training also develops trainees’ ability in classroom discourse analysis for follow-up reflection. In addition, the study shows that the more EFL teacher trainees are aware of the nature of classroom communication, the more eager they are to improve their language proficiency for better classroom communication. This training should therefore be incorporated in both pre-service and in-service EFL teacher training in non-native speaker contexts.
Impacts of In-service Training Programs on Teachers’ Classroom Practices: A Case Study of Vietnamese Teachers (Paper)
Dr Hiep Pham
It is often reported that many South East Asian teachers returning from in-service training (INSET) are not able to implement their newly acquired ideas. This paper reports the views and practices of five English language teachers returning from two INSET programs in Vietnam. Data from interviews and classroom observations show that the teachers supported the communicative approach that they had learnt in their INSET, but were not able to generate independent practices. They thus tended to use the new teaching approach only superficially through activities such as pair and group work. The result was dissatisfaction as the surface practices failed for various reasons. The paper argues that more efforts need to be made, not only in INSET, but also at home institutions to enable local teachers to make realistic changes. Among other things, ongoing debate, exchange with peers and students, support from policy makers and mentors are crucial in this process.
Training Teachers to Use Technology (Paper)
Technology is beginning to play a much greater role in language education. It can be used inside or outside the classroom in many different ways that can both motivate and inspire the learner. However, one of the biggest problems in trying to integrate technology into curriculums is teaching the teachers how to use it. If teachers don’t know how to use technology, they can’t and often won’t use it to help their students. This presentation will look at how a faculty of over 50 teachers was taught to use various forms of technology such as Microsoft Office, Moodle (a course management system), I-movie, Hot Potatoes and more. Training the teachers is easy for the trainer, and very effective for the learner. Moreover, the training can be used from university down to elementary school and is applicable to anyone who wants to teach teachers (or students) to use technology. top
What are the Strategies and Habits of Successful English Language Learners? (Paper)
Mr John Charles Kimbrough and Mr Yann Vary
Teachers of English want not only to develop learners’ English language ability but also to teach them how to be more successful learners. This presentation seeks to examine what those habits and strategies are, with the intention that those teachers who attend the presentation will present and pass them on to their learners.
Guidelines for Giving Presentations at CamTESOL and Other Meetings, Seminars and Conferences on Teaching English (Paper)
The CamTESOL conference is not meant to be a conference where mostly non-Khmer teachers give presentations. It is intended that increasing numbers of Khmer teachers will start making their own presentations. Unfortunately, many of the Khmer teachers of English that the presenter has met in reent years feel shy or lack confidence in presenting. This presentation seeks to give them information and guidelines that will provide them with the knowledge and motivation to give a presentation in the future at the CamTESOL conference or a similar event.
Reflective Practice in ELT (Workshop)
Recent decades have witnessed a shift from a technical-rational approach to a reflective practice approach in teacher education. Yet despite its popularity, reflective practice has often fallen short of expectations, due in part to a lack of clarity of the concept. What exactly is reflective practice? How can it be used to counter the effects of professional isolation, instill a sense of renewal and
effectively foster professional development? The presenter will discuss the key issues and provide strategies for engaging in reflective practice both alone and with others.
Teacher Training in a Local Context-Meeting the Challenges and Embracing the Possibilities (Workshop)
The aim of this workshop is to review and appraise an in-house teacher training program, to invite discussion and to share experiences related to teacher training in this region. To meet the need for local training in communicative language teaching, the IALF (Indonesia Australia Language Foundation) has developed a Certificate in Communicative Language Teaching (IALF C-CELT) aimed at Indonesian language teachers. The course provides a combination of classroom input, observation of experienced teachers, and the opportunity to plan and deliver short English language lessons to other participants (peer-teaching) and to a group of ‘real’ students.
This workshop will outline key features of the C-CELT training program, highlight feedback from participants, and the role of the Cambridge TKT in such a program, and discuss possible areas for future development. This short presentation will then move into a workshop format to share knowledge and experience regarding teacher training in this region. top
An Emergence of English Language Variety in Cambodia (Paper)
It is not clear whether English used in Cambodia can be considered another new English variety in an expanding circle. Kirkpatrick (2005) suggests that the added /s/ sounds at the end of words spoken by Cambodians could be seen as another expanding circle or learner feature of English language. This paper seeks to preliminarily understand characteristics of English language used by Cambodians in both oral and written communication, through analyses of data obtained from student essays and conversations at IFL, RUPP. The presenter will also explore experiences of foreigners (native and non-native speakers of English language) in communicating with Cambodians.
EFL Teachers’ Professional Development Needs: A Study of Teachers Practising in Japan and Korea (Paper)
Prof Koji Igawa and Ms Miki Tsukamoto
This paper reports on a study which investigated the nature of professional development (PD) needs of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers, using an open-ended questionnaire. It was predicated on the idea that as professionals, teachers need PD consisting of various processes of ongoing growth. The participants of the study were 44 teachers at secondary or higher education institutions in Japan and Korea, including 38 non-native speaking and 6 native speaking teachers of English who were attending an international PD seminar held in Tokyo, Japan. The results indicate that the perceived PD needs of the teachers include (1) teaching skills and methods, (2) language improvement for non-native speaking teachers, (3) general communication skills and (4) motivation. These challenges are all related to context: students, parents, school, curriculum, syllabus and society, and yet many of them are shared by EFL practitioners internationally.
Recent Developments in Second/Foreign Language Teacher Education (Paper)
Mr Mark Christianson, Ms Kumi Iwasaki and Dr Kota Ohata
The research focus in second language teacher education for the last decade has undergone a shift from searching for better ways to train teachers to trying to describe and understand “teacher development,” the process of how teachers learn to teach through their self-awareness or reflection. In line with this shift of emphasis, the idea of teacher exploration or an exploratory approach has often been discussed as a sort of “liberating tool” for teachers from the pressure of identifying a best or better way of teaching. This paper thus outlines and discusses recent developments in the field by addressing (a) how teacher development different is from teacher training, (b) what teacher exploration is in relation to teacher development and (c) what practical activities teachers can use to work on their development and explore their teaching. top
Designing a Professional Development Plan (Workshop)
The presenter will provide a 30-minute overview of professional development in language education, describing the approaches and suggested procedures for teacher development found in current TESOL literature (Bailey, Curtis, & Nunan, 2001; Richards & Farrell, 2005; Egbert, 2003; Murphey, 2003; Byrd & Nelson, 2003; Murphey & Sato, 2005; Palmer, 1998, etc.). The presenter will then guide participants thorough a 40-minute activity in which they (a) identify a strength and weakness in their own language teaching or administration, (b) create a long term and short term goal to address their strengths and weaknesses (c) select 3-5 activities (from a list of 50) that will enhance their strengths and improve on their weaknesses, (d) discuss one of the goals with a fellow participant. In the final 20-minutes, the presenter will discuss accountability and support structures to ensure the professional development plans succeed, and take questions and comments as time permits.
But What Does This Mean?: Designing Effective Questionnaires (Workshop)
A questionnaire can be an efficient and cost effective way of gathering information relevant to decision making across a range of social, professional and commercial domains. However, poorly designed questionnaires may not provide the information required to inform decision making. Indeed, a poorly designed questionnaire may lead to false understandings, resulting in decisions which may prove to be costly in both social and economic terms. This workshop examines the relationship between questionnaire purpose and content, highlights common errors in questionnaire design, and presents guidelines for writing questions to elicit necessary information. Participants will apply the principles which are presented, by identifying faults in samples and by preparing questions relevant to their field of concern. The workshop goal is for participants to write questions in such a way that neither respondent nor data analyst will need to ask, “But what does this mean?”
How NOT to Give a Presentation: Things to Consider When Speaking in Front of Others (Workshop)
Mr Ross Miller and Ms Margaret Kim
Teachers spend most of their working time speaking in front of others. It is ironic then, that when the classroom is replaced by the conference room, they often have trouble speaking effectively. In this light-hearted workshop, the speakers will present true examples of presentations gone wrong. Participants will work together to identify the weak points, and offer suggestions for improvement. Topics to be covered will include preparation, organisation, handouts, the act of speaking, and the use of PowerPoint. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a better sense of how to makeany presentation more effective. Active audience participation in the form of questions, comments, feedback, and even heckling, will be encouraged.
Promoting Learners’ Spoken Discourse Competence by Enhancing Their Critical Thinking (Paper)
Dr Trinh Lap Quoc and Mr Truong Dzung Vo
Preparing students for taking the TOEFL iBT test, newly introduced to Vietnamese candidates in the Mekong Delta, to serve their further education in English as a medium of instruction programs should necessarily mean making “bridges to the world.” In this paper, the authors will present initial difficulties and results of their study in the Human Resource Development Project, specifically named Mekong 1000 program, coordinated by Can Tho University. First, they will present their findings from context analysis, particularly the weak interaction between subjects’ spoken discourse competence and speaking performance. Then there will be discussion of initial results on promoting learners’ discourse competence by enhancing their critical thinking. Finally, some working proposals will be made for enhancing the quality of spoken response.
STREAM: Program Management (PRM)
The Profile of Expat Teachers: A Preliminary Study of the Expat ESL Teachers at the American Intercon Institute, Phnom Penh, Cambodia (Paper)
This is a preliminary study of the profile of a specific group of expat teachers at the American Intercon Institute, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This paper will discuss the nationality, age, gender, academic degrees, and length of teaching at the American Intercon Institute, prior teaching experiences in disciplines other than language teaching and experiences in teaching English as a Second Language; in addition, whether the teachers presented papers, acted as facilitators or participants of conferences and seminars related to teaching English, to improve their skills. This paper will also discuss criteria for hiring expat teachers and the bases of the salary scale. top
Winning Success: How One School Taught Its Students to Love English (Workshop)
“How can I make my students love English?” Since its formation in 2003, the MPI-Bell Centre of English in Macao has been approached by many schools and colleges with exactly this question. All too frequently the question is posed by teachers who have grown tired of working with large classes of uninterested students who show great reluctance to speak English in class. However, one school in Macao has successfully overcome this problem. This workshop will reveal the five steps taken by this school that have transformed it into a paragon of English language teaching. Participants will also be able to explore how this winning strategy could be employed in their own schools.
The Accreditation Process for English Language Centres (Workshop)
This workshop will describe the role of the Australian National ELT Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) in the accreditation of ELT centres and the various requirements, documentation and stages involved in the process. In addition, it will outline the role that NEAS plays in the ongoing monitoring of quality in ELT centres after accreditation has been granted. It will be of interest to owners and managers of ELT centres and will be an informal workshop with ample opportunity for discussion and questions from participants.
Keeping the Business on Track (Paper)
Business plans are often used in preparation for the start up of a language school, but they can also be used very effectively to evaluate the business on a regular basis, once it is running. This paper will look at how to keep the business of a language school on track by using a simple business plan. A template will be offered to enable managers of schools to evaluate the business with a view to improving their overall quality of service.
Management of University-based English Language Programs in Asia’s Non-native Contexts – An Innovative Approach (Workshop)
For many English language programs in Asian Universities, the roles of program administrators and managers are an area little explored, though effective management is essential for their successful planning, designing, developing, implementing and evaluating. The focus of this paper is how quality teaching and learning are achieved and maintained in an English language program in a non-native context through effective professional program administrators and managers. The paper argues that quality teaching and learning in an English language program is achieved not only as a consequence of how well teachers teach and how well students learn but through creating contexts and work environments under effective leadership and management that can facilitate good teaching. Issues such as factors relating to the institution, curriculum administrators, teachers, teaching and learners are considered in this paper. Innovative management approaches, techniques and practices applied in the Foundation Studies Department (Hanoi University, Vietnam) are also described, analysed and evaluated. top
The Benefits and Strategies of Integrating Music in the English as a Foreign Language Curriculum: The Current Research (Paper)
This presentation is a summary of recent research about music and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum. What has been found, and how is music used? Current research indicates music has positive cognitive benefits as well as the abilities to develop phonology, vocabulary and listening skills. Music has therapeutic properties for learners. How is music being incorporated in EFL Curriculum? This paper will discuss issues of access to music via the internet, listening equipment, technology and musical activities. Participants are invited to discuss and share their experiences and opinions.
STREAM: Teaching Listening (LIS)
Is the Shadowing Technique Really Effective for Improving EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension Skills? (Paper)
More and more Japanese teachers of English point out recently that a “Shadowing” technique is quite effective for improving Japanese EFL learners’ listening comprehension skills. The Shadowing technique refers to training Japanese learners to repeat English utterances with a couple of seconds delay, as they hear them ,without looking at their transcription. Although this technique was originally adopted as a method of training Japanese professional simultaneous interpreters of English, more and more Japanese school teachers have started paying attention to the technique and have become interested in actually adopting it in their EFL classes. However, only a few researchers have examined how effective Shadowing is for improving Japanese students’ listening comprehension skills. Therefore, this study explains in what ways and why Shadowing is effective, and also how to introduce it effectively in EFL classrooms. This study also investigates how much effect Shadowing actually produces on Japanese learners’ listening comprehension skills.
Listening Journals: An Extending Bridge or an Extra Burden? (Paper)
Teaching listening for a large mixed-level class seems daunting for a young university English teacher. How to get instant feedback from individual students about the teaching and learning of listening has been a pressing challenge. The limited class time restrains effective and extended communication between students and the teacher. In order to monitor students’ listening processes in and out of class, listening journals are used for students to promote regular self-reflection and self-assessment in the post-listening period.
This paper reports on a small-scale project on using listening journals as a learning tool. The investigation includes collecting students’ journals weekly and reading them carefully before giving feedback individually or collectively. By analysing the journal entries, the teacher-researcher wants to find out the advantages and disadvantages of using listening journals in the local context. Are listening journals regarded as an extending bridge or an extra burden? top
The Golden Ears (Workshop)
Turn tin ears into Golden Ears! This workshop illustrates how to create effective listening activities from any textbook, develop dynamic lessons that use an integrated skills approach, and provide students with listening activities that genuinely improve their listening comprehension. Through a series of diverse, hands-on listening activities, participants will personally experience how to evaluate material and manipulate it beyond the limits presented on the written page. The workshop will also address the evolving role of English as an International Language (EIL) and its impact on the existing theory and methodology for teaching listening skills.
How to Be a Good Listener (Paper)
Ms Nguon Ramna and Ms Huot Sopheap
Students often complain about the difficulty of listening. This is because of the task itself and sometimes the listeners themselves. This workshop will help listeners to discover the real problems with listening and effective ways to address these problems. In addition, participants will learn strategies to improve their own listening, as well as their students’ listening. Handouts will be provided at the end of the presentation.
Trying to Teach (Not Just Test) Listening (Workshop)
Listening is the primary and most important language skill but also the most complex and certainly the most difficult to teach well. For years, the presenter been trying to work out how to systematically teach rather than just test Listening. This provocative, highly practical session offers a range of practical techniques to help both teachers and students really get to grips with Listening both in and out of class. It is guaranteed to both challenge and improve teaching practice!
Development Listening Comprehensive Warmer and Closer (Workshop)
This workshop/demonstration will present listening comprehension exercises that can be used as a warm-up or during the last ten minutes of class. Students will find them enjoyable and consequently the class will become livelier. During the workshop, various types of exercises will be presented. Participants will then be asked to form pairs or small groups and develop their own variations of the exercises. The emphasis of the workshop is on practicality. The listening exercises require nothing more than constraints. They can be simplified or made more difficult to suit the level of the class. Finally, the exercises are by and large quite easy to develop. An eight-page handout reflecting the listening exercises presented during the workshop will be distributed at the end of the session, giving participants something to take home and make use of in their own classes. top
Helping Students to Independently Improve Their Listening Skills (Workshop)
Ms Ung Akhara and Mr Chea Theara
The Australian Centre for Education (ACE), Phnom Penh has found that most Cambodian students studying at this school score lowest in Listening when compared to the other macroskills. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to statistics from ACE students’ IELTS test results, and will be given a generic worksheet and tips to help improve students’ independent listening ability outside the classroom. Participants will leave the workshop with ideas for listening practice to share with their students. This workshop will be of interest to English teachers of Intermediate or higher level students who cannot access high-tech materials.
STREAM: Teaching Reading (REA)
Reading Journals for a Variety of Situations (Workshop)
Reading journals are a mainstay in many of the presenter’s classes, supplementing a boring textbook, encouraging step-by-step research that the teacher can check along the way, and as a core of a class. They consist of students being given, or finding on their own, news articles (international or domestic) related to the particular class theme, and the writing of summaries and reactions to the article, as well as discussion questions for their classmates based on the article. This is done at home. In the class, students use the opportunity to present their article in small groups and use them as a basis for discussion. This workshop will outline the types of classes such journals can be used in, demonstrate how to teach the skills students are required to know before embarking on the activity, and state problems that occur while using this activity, as well as solutions to these problems.
Promoting Readers’ Autonomy in Reading Skills through Authentic Materials (Paper)
Ms Chu Chok Seng and Mrs Zaleha Esa
The presenters teach in a centre with a skilled-based curriculum. In Reading, students are expected to be able to identify main and supporting ideas, understand inferences, deduce meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary and organise ideas. They have to be able to read English texts efficiently. This presentation aims at group work, student-centered learning and promoting students’ autonomy in reading skills. As Nunan has pointed out (1988) “small-group work in the language classroom provides the environment for negotiated comprehensible output.” Group work encourages learners to use the language, improves the quality of student talk, allows greater potential for the individualisation of instruction and increases students’ motivation. Materials used are articles from local newspapers and magazines such as Newsweek. Newspaper articles enable students “to achieve greater fluency in reading, broaden their vocabulary and understanding, and expand their means of expression, both in speaking and writing” (Walker, 1993). top
Understanding Reading: Reading to Understand (Workshop)
It is a commonly-held belief that to successfully read and understand a second-language text, one must read and understand each word within that text. This workshop aims to show that the skills employed when reading in one’s native language can be taught and utilised when reading second-language texts. Once learnt and practised, these skills can improve reading speed and overall comprehension.
This workshop will highlight individual reading skills: prediction & previewing, skimming & scanning, understanding main ideas, patterns of organisation, and guessing unknown vocabulary from context. It will also suggest examples of how to teach these skills at all levels. A practical element will be introduced with workshop participants completing sample exercises. Particular attention will be paid to the area of unknown vocabulary, which frequently causes problems for learners of English. Over-using dictionaries not only affects reading speed and overall comprehension but also hampers the development of a student’s natural skills.
Password to Reading (Workshop)
Getting students to read extensively is the easiest and most effective way of improving their reading skills. It also helps them improve other aspects of language learning: vocabulary expansion, writing skills. It builds confidence in their language ability: one of the most challenging and motivating experiences a student can have is to read a whole book in English.
This session addresses different issues relevant to reading in the EFL-classroom: setting up a reading program, choosing the right material, motivating students by using a variety of techniques, and monitoring their reading.
Improving Reading Comprehension by Reducing Extraneous Cognitive Load: A Case of English as a Foreign Language (Paper)
The aim of this paper is to improve reading comprehension by reducing extraneous cognitive load. Three experiments were designed to compare two instructional formats: split-attention and integrated formats. Participants were randomly allocated to one of the two groups and received one of the two instructional formats. The integrated format included a reading text and 10 questions integrated physically into the text. The split-attention format consisted of the same reading text and the same questions at the end of the text. Results indicated that the integrated format decreased extraneous cognitive load and facilitated the reading comprehension process. The paper also helps teachers of English to recognise and to reduce extraneous cognitive load in reading comprehension so as to lead to improvements in reading skill. top
Integrating Extensive Reading in an Academic English Program (Paper)
The extensive reading approach seems to have found its place in the field of teaching second language reading. There are now many teachers who are putting the idea into practice in their classrooms. However, implementing extensive reading in an academic program can sometimes be controversial. Administrators, teachers, parents and students are often not convinced of the value of such an approach, in which students read a lot of easy materials chosen by themselves. Students especially want to see immediate effects on the scores of English proficiency tests, such as TOEFL, and cannot understand how reading for pleasure relates to increasing their scores. This paper explains how an extensive reading course was set up and adapted to the needs of the students in the academic English program at the Japan campus of an American university. Some practical ideas used in the course will also be discussed.
Scaffolding Strategy for Teaching Reading (Workshop)
This workshop will provide teachers of English with practical scaffolding guidelines for facilitating learners to effectively comprehend reading texts. The participants will be exposed to a wide variety of ways to promote learners’ reading outcomes through both planning activities and teaching those activities in three stages of a lesson, namely the pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading stages. In addition, the participants will experience a practical activity in preparing scaffolding activities for teaching reading in EFL context.
Teaching Reading Skills Using Authentic Materials (Workshop)
This workshop will enable teachers of English to teach reading skills using authentic materials with skill and confidence. Workshop participants will learn and apply the steps of a standard reading lesson using the Cambodia Daily. Participants will also learn how to write different types of questions, including questions for skimming, scanning and comprehension. Finally, this workshop will help teachers become more creative by setting up objectives, tasks and activities using their own ideas rather than the course book to teach reading skills – and without translating the text into students’ mother tongue.
Reading Strategy Use and Reading Comprehension Achievement among Cambodian EFL Learners: A Study from Phnom Penh (Paper)
Recent research interest in second language reading has focused, among other things, on reading strategy use and the relationship between reading strategy use and reading comprehension achievement among learners in various educational and social contexts. The present study aims to (1) identify the reading strategies used by Cambodian EFL learners; (2) investigate the relationship between the frequency of reading strategy use and reading comprehension achievement; and (3) compare males and females in the frequency of the use of reading strategies. Quantitative analysis of the 58 participants’ responses to an EFL reading strategy use questionnaire developed by Baker and Boonkit (2004) revealed several major findings on the reading behaviors of Cambodian EFL learners. Several teaching implications and recommendations for future research can be drawn from the present study. top
Warming up with Pictures (Paper)
There is no doubt at all that images can be of great importance and relevance to second language teaching, particularly that of lower level students. Nevertheless, very few instructors seem to make the best use out of pictures in their classes. In a reading session where texts can sometimes be very complicated and uninspiring to students, pictures are one of very few aids which teachers can use to grab their students’ attention, as well as to motivate them before starting the actual reading. Through this paper, the advantages of using visual aids in the warm up phase of a reading class will be presented and the implementation of the technique itself will be presented. Participants will be able to absorb a great many ideas on the significance of pictures and become aware of the fact that they can be a tremendously useful and convenient tool.
Reading Comprehension Instruction (Paper)
Understanding and reacting critically to written ideas is of ever-increasing importance in today’s society. In reading, students need to not only decode or identify the written symbols but also comprehend written text based on their experiences, and make discriminative responses. The study of the process of reading and the teaching of reading has seen dramatic advances in the last 30 years. The focus of studying the reading process is no longer on just identifying and interpreting individual words or on looking only at factors residing within the reader. Current research on the reading process has concentrated on the comprehension of ideas and how this process is accomplished. A knowledgeable teacher is the key factor in whether or not students become successful in comprehending text. This session will review the current educational literature on reading comprehension and highlight specific teaching strategies to foster reading comprehension.
Enhancing Vocabulary Development through Extensive Reading: A Case Study among Non-performing Students (Paper)
One of the reasons given by students who failed their English course at the Centre for Foundation Studies is a lack of vocabulary, hence making it difficult for them to comprehend the reading passages in the final examination. This is not surprising as vocabulary is being taught incidentally in the reading component and some of the basic principles of vocabulary teaching and learning have also been forgotten or ignored. This paper reports on a pilot study conducted among non-performing students using extensive reading in the language classroom. The aim of introducing extensive reading was to inculcate good reading habits without putting pressure on students. The research questions in this study were: (1) Does extensive reading lead to vocabulary development? (2) Does extensive reading promote positive attitudes towards reading? (3) What challenges does a non-performing learner face in the extensive reading process and how did the learner deal with these challenges? top
STREAM: Teaching Speaking (SPE)
Using Classic Rhymes to Teach Syntax and Pronunciation (Workshop)
To provide a change of pace and a fresh way to teach English clause structure and sounds, why not offer poetry, rhymes and songs in the classroom? The engaging activities presented in this workshop focus on two famous English rhymes that happen to reveal a lot about spoken English, and whose intrinsic repetition and expansion facilitate retention of the patterns. After a sample listening to “The House That Jack Built” and “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” participants will be given tasks and lines for participation in a brief choral performance. The presenter will emphasise techniques for student involvement, demonstrating with the participants how to maintain student-centeredness, using tasks and pictures. This lively workshop will conclude with questions and comments for variations and reinforcement of the lessons.
Games for Communicative Language Teaching (Workshop)
Mr Am Bunthan and Ms Chan Sida
Have teacers ever noticed that their students are bored? Here are some good tips and helpful activities to brighten up classes. This workshop will look at a number of fun activities and games, particularly using speaking skills, for teachers to make their lessons more enjoyable and successful. The workshop will focus on both controlled and less controlled activities. Participants in the workshop will learn some fun activities to enliven their classes.
Developing Discussions (Workshop)
Getting groups of learners to take part in classroom discussions is often a challenge for teachers in Asia. What are the main hurdles for students? Coming up with the ideas? Having the language they need? Having the confidence to express themselves in English? Being able to interact appropriately with their classmates? Probably all of the above play their part.
This workshop will look at how students can be encouraged to take part in discussions through providing materials that support them, helping them generate ideas and giving them clear models of how they can effectively manage a group discussion. Examples will be taken from Synergy, a four-level course for young adults from Macmillan. top
Building Discussion through Guided Communication Skills (Workshop)
Mr Daniel Sasaki, Mr Malcolm Daugherty and Ms Yukiko Ishikawa
Constructing a series of activities which utilise previously practised communicative skills is an effective tool for building speaking competence. They can be useful for developing student communicative ability at all levels. This workshop suggests a way to build a progressive framework to facilitate oral discussions in the target language in the classroom. The versatility of this framework allows teachers to develop communicative activities on a myriad of topics.
Participants will take part in generating a variety of communicative activities, will see how incorporating these stepping stones to communication can further enhance the student’s English communication skills, and will share possible uses of this approach in the classroom.
Assessing the Effectiveness of a Course for Conversational Storytelling (Paper)
Students in Japan generally have few chances to speak English outside classes. When they do, they may feel overwhelmed and be unable to participate satisfactorily in conversations.
This presentation will discuss a course that targets the specific skill of “conversational storytelling” as means of enjoying greater success in informal conversational settings. Such conversational storytelling is common and plays an important role in everyday human conversation. The course focused on 5 strands: (1) the internal generic structure of conversational stories, (2) the frequently occurring grammatical patterns, (3) the frequently occurring lexis (4) the active role listeners play in storytelling in expressing their reactions to interlocutors and adding stories of their own , and (5) the development of oral fluency.
Next, the presentation will consider the ability of students to apply these skills in informal conversations with native speakers. Effectiveness will be assessed from various subjective and objective perspectives.
New Take on an Old Idea: Playing with Role Play (Workshop)
Mr D. Malcolm Daugherty and Mr Greg Lindeman
Role play in the English classroom is a valuable tool in the teachers’ repertoire. This often undervalued activity offers a rich, student-centered, creative language outlet for learners. Furthermore, role play enhances motivation and personalises language learning. Traditional teaching methods tend to employ impersonal and rigid drills, often taking the humanity out of the classroom and replacing it with only words on a page, sacrificing learner creativity and communicative authenticity. By integrating role play into the classroom, language comes back to life and students are able to “live” the words they are learning. This workshop will introduce some possible uses of role play in the classroom and explore ways in which they can be integrated into lessons as stand-alone activities or longer term projects. Most activities require little or no additional resources and are easily organised. top
Developing Effective Global Communication (Paper)
Role-plays are interactive, communicative, fun and a great way to practise. Using socio-cultural principles for learning, role-plays can be set up to foster classroom communication, enhance student talking time and develop global communication skills. Role-plays have been used throughout the presenter’s teaching life in a range of contexts including secondary and tertiary. This presentation will briefly discuss socio-cultural theories that have influenced classroom practice before giving practical ideas that can be used in most classrooms. Using classroom experiences, the presenter will reflect on different options available to teachers when designing role-plays and will discuss both benefits and hazards in their implementation. This presentation should interest teachers wishing to include more effective communication in their classroom.
Teaching Malaysian English to International Students (Paper)
Teaching English for oral interaction to a class of multilingual learners certainly poses challenges not present in a monolingual classroom. The challenge is more so when the students are international students who are learning English in a country where English is not a native language, but is widely spoken as a second language. The challenge is further multiplied when the variety of English generally spoken in the country is unique in its own form: Malaysian English.
This paper is based on the author’s experience of teaching oral communication skills to international students in an environment where the variety of English used in daily interaction is non-Standard American-British English (SABE). It argues that special considerations to expose and teach the features of Malaysian English (ME) are crucial, as this will allow Malaysia’s international students to integrate into the community in Malaysia where they have chosen further their studies.
How to Teach Speaking Successfully in Large Classes (Workshop)
Despite the recent shift towards communicative language teaching, many Cambodian teachers are still faced with large classes of over 50 students. Is it possible to teach communicatively in large, multi-level classes? This lively workshop offers practical ideas on conducting speaking activities with large classes. Teachers will learn how to set up speaking activities quickly and efficiently, and will discover techniques for monitoring, assessing and providing feedback. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of pair and group work will be discussed. The presenter will demonstrate fun repetition activities, as well as techniques to help students memorise dialogues effectively. Sample materials will be taken from Expressions - a four level, integrated, four skills series written by the renowned teacher and author, David Nunan, and published by Cengage Learning. top
Oral Correction (without a Dentist!) (Workshop)
This lively workshop reflects on whether, when and, most importantly, how we should correct students’ oral mistakes. In the presenter’s experience, many teachers tend either to stifle classes by over-correcting too quickly and too often, or to under-correct, often to the dissatisfaction of students. Furthermore, teachers often use a limited range of techniques when many other reactions to errors are possible. The workshop will demonstrate 18 practical options, which any teacher can use in virtually any teaching situation.
Teaching Phonics through Awareness-Raising Activities (Paper)
Since the early nineties, phonics has been an essential component of the English Language curriculum for primary schools in Hong Kong. In recent years, some secondary schools have experimented with teaching phonics to their junior secondary students. Yet the teaching of phonics to young adolescent students has to grapple with a range of challenges: the lack of attention to phonics in the L2 teaching methodology literature; the dearth of research on phonics instruction to L2 learners; the scarcity of appropriate phonics materials for junior secondary students; and the issue of mixed ability classes as secondary students may have had diverse experiences in phonics learning. This paper presents and exemplifies an awareness-raising approach to phonics instruction to young adolescent learners. Under an awareness-raising approach, instead of learning the specific sound-spelling relationships in English, students work through games and tasks that aim to sensitive them to the interplay between spelling and pronunciation.
“I Cannot Speaking English” – Suggestions (and Practice) for Error Correction during Oral Discourse (Workshop)
This workshop will briefly cover the controversy surrounding error correction in oral communication. The leading arguments for and against error correction will be presented, leaving workshop participants to form their own judgments based upon their respective teaching contexts and experience. An application session will follow, allowing workshop participants to practise some error correction suggestions made initially by the presenter. If time allows, participants will be encouraged to share their thoughts, ideas and suggestions for error correction. top
Effective Use of Tasks for Stimulating Speaking Classes (Paper)
The rationale for task-based language instruction has drawn from various learning theories and classroom studies. It continues to maintain its practical appeal to teachers who attest to its affective and cognitive value. This presentation will examine the practice and principles of using a communicative task-based approach to teaching speaking classes. The presenter will first examine the basic assumptions supporting this approach. Then he will focus on essential elements that contribute to putting together an effective task. Particular attention will be given to issues of peer task management talk, procedural stages, task types, proper methodology and evaluation techniques. The discussion will be limited to the examples of board games, card games and information gap worksheets used to promote fluency at false beginner and intermediate levels.
C2C: From Chant to Conversation in the Cambodian School Classroom (Paper)
Ms Ung Akhara and Mr Andrew Goffe
The presenters of this paper will explore ways in which exercises, taken from Cambodian schools text books can be used to enable students to have meaningful pair work conversations which they understand. The tools used are chants, which are not dissimilar to the type already used widely in Cambodian schools. An ancillary benefit gained is the empowerment of shy students (who are often female) to a level where they can speak loudly and clearly in the class room.
STREAM: Teaching Writing (WRI)
Class Publications: Motivating Students to Produce Quality Writing (Workshop)
Ms Amy Kaufman and Ms Erin Gotwals
In this workshop, participants will learn how to enhance an ordinary writing curriculum using a student-created class publication. This compilation of student pieces could take the form of a book, magazine or newspaper. Publishing students’ writing empowers them to see themselves as authors and inspires them to use new language skills for an authentic audience. This workshop will include an overview of the process, resources to guide student writing, and examples of final products. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss how to adapt these ideas for practical application in their unique teaching contexts. top
Instructors’ Perceptions of Peer Response in Writing (Paper)
Using peer response in a tertiary writing class can either be a frustrating waste of time for students or an experience that makes them realise that the instructor of the class is not the only person who can help them in improving their writing. It could be said that like any activity, students’ acceptance of use of peer response depends upon both the instructor’s perception of its benefits for aiding the students in their writing and also on the teacher’s expectations of students. This paper will present the findings of several writing-instructor focus-group studies carried out at a medium-sized university in Japan during early 2007. The focus-group prompts encouraged instructors to think about why they do or do not use peer response in their classrooms. This presentation will be of interest to university instructors, teacher trainers and senior high school teachers.
Journalling as Writing Practice, Reflection, Personal Expression (Paper)
Journals have long been used by process writing teachers to get students to write more fluently, to express themselves in a non-threatening atmosphere and to enjoy writing more. Journals are generally not corrected or graded. Students may be given a required or suggested topic, or no topic at all. They may write about the class content, an emotional incident – or a totally personal matter they need to “vent” or share. Teachers respond by “dialoguing”, acting as interested, trusted readers, not evaluators. Journals are used in a variety of environments, including online (Bollati 2002), in groups (Cole, et al. 1998) and writing for peers, sometimes even excluding the teacher (Worthington 1997). Teachers also use journals to reflect on the day’s teaching, articulate their beliefs, and explore innovative classroom options (Tait 2004). The presenter shares her positive journalling experiences, even in oral presentation courses.
Teaching English Essay Writing (Workshop)
Ms Felicidad Garcia and Mr Jason Park
This workshop will demonstrate a plan for teaching the three basic types of formal essay writing in English, such as the kind asked for in the national examination, but not covered in school texts. The schedule and techniques to be shown have been utilised in provincial high schools by Peace Corps volunteers in mixed level classes at public upper secondary schools. Taking different teaching situations into consideration, these strategies can be taught in as little as five weeks or more slowly over an indefinite period of time. The proposed curriculum incorporates journal writing, class games and oral examinations that encourage student-centered learning rather than lecture-focused instruction. Materials cover the complete creation of an essay, including: parts of an essay, brainstorming, creating a strong main idea sentence, and editing the final draft. All attendees will receive course plans with 25 one-hour lessons plotted out. top
Practical Ideas for Efficiency and Effectiveness in Academic Writing Feedback (Paper)
Dr Kota Ohata, Ms Kumi Iwasaki, Mr Chris Hoskins and Mr Mark Christianson
This presentation will introduce practical ideas on how to provide feedback to students to improve their academic writing skills. At International Christian University, a highly competitive bilingual liberal arts university in Tokyo, all students are required to attain the ability to write well-documented research essays of approximately 2000 English words by their second year. However, since Japanese high schools tend to teach very little English writing, helping students attain this ability is a significant challenge for instructors. In this context, the effectiveness of feedback on drafts of student writing is critical, and given the fairly large number of students, instructor feedback on essay drafts must be efficient as well as effective. Practical points of efficiency and effectiveness will be addressed in terms of feedback system design, peer feedback activity design, conferencing, and the role of feedback in the development of learner autonomy for writing skill improvement.
Interaction in a Writing Class through Peer Response (Paper)
A common perception of a writing class is a static, quiet room full of students writing. In many contexts, writers expect to write by themselves with instruction or feedback coming only from a teacher. Many writing students have never formally discussed or commented on each other’s writing. This may result in students not realising the educational value of giving feedback to classmates. However, writing classes can be communicative in nature through peer interaction in revising a piece of writing. Furthermore, discussion and feedback are necessary global tools for communication and can be developed in a writing classroom. This presentation will outline practical steps that teachers can take to develop peer feedback language and skills in students, based on research and classroom experiences. This presentation will be of interest to teachers of writing who would like to incorporate more student interaction through peer response.
A Study of L1 Interference in Third-Year English-Minor Students’ Paragraph Writing in the Basic Writing Course at Thaksin University, Thailand (Paper)
This paper reports on a study which aimed to analyse and describe features of L1 interference in paragraph writing by 28 third-year English-minor students who enrolled in the Basic Writing course in the 2006 semester 1 at Thaksin University, Songkhla, Thailand. Three levels of L1 interference, namely words, sentences and discourse, were analysed from samples of the students’ paragraph writing in the final examination paper and discussed by considering four approaches: contrastive analysis, error analysis, interlanguage analysis, and contrastive rhetoric. L1 lexical interference was found in literal translation of Thai words into English and the use of Thai words. Structural borrowing from Thai language, especially regarding word order, subject-verb agreement, and noun determiners indicated features of L1 syntactic interference. In addition, levels of language style and Thai cultural knowledge in written discourse presented features of L1 discourse interference. These problems should be solved for the effectiveness of ESL/EFL writing instruction. top
Teaching IELTS Essay Writing with Functional Grammar (Paper)
Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) provides teachers and students with the framework and grammatical resources necessary for understanding the most prestigious academic genre: the essay. The staging and grammatical features of the essay are invariably responsive to the general purpose and context of the writing task – namely to persuade the educated reader to appreciate the viewpoint of the essayist. Hence, the persuasive strategies of the writer involve choices in the text grammar and sentence-level grammar that serve this overriding purpose. These strategies and this grammatical knowledge can assist learners to develop their essay writing skills. This paper will explore a number of the key persuasive strategies, and grammatical resources that are essential for essay writing – in particular, essay writing in the context of preparing students for the IELTS examination. It will further outline a pedagogical framework for teaching essay writing as a component of any EAP program.
The Efficacy of Different Types of Teacher Written Feedback for Improvement of EFL Student Writing (Paper)
Dr Siriluck Usaha and Ms Chittima Kaweera
This paper reports on a study aims into different types of teacher written feedback namely, direct, coded, and uncoded feedback given to 81 EFL students enrolled in a 14-week writing course in a Thai university. The students wrote paragraphs of three different genres (narration, description, and comparison and contrast) with three topics and three drafts for each genre. In total 1,458 second drafts and final drafts were analysed to see the improvement of writing (holistic writing, targeted linguistic errors, and length of writing). The results reveal a highly significant improvement in the students’ holistic writing and reduction of errors, but there was no significant difference in the length of writing in comparing first and last writing. Error analysis shows that the highest error rate was found in wrong word use, followed by sentence structure, and verb respectively. The implications for methods of error correction and language teaching are also addressed.
How to Teach Your Students to Write Critically (Paper)
Mr Sou Visal and Mr Chea Kagnarith
This workshop will provide participants with methods to help their students write critically. Because of the influence of high school writing training, very often students’ writing is not critical enough to earn high scores on international tests such as IELTS, TOEFL and GRE. This presentation will focus on three points – how to make the contents specific, strong and logical. The audience will gain practical knowledge as the demonstration will be based on students’ real writing response and it is drawn from the Cambodian context. top
Writing Letters to the Editor: Bringing Authentic Audience into Classrooms (Paper)
One of the challenges for writing instructors is to teach students the importance of audience. To have students realise that they are writing to be read by someone, many teachers use peer review activities. However, especially in EFL contexts, the capacity of peer readers is often not the same as that of a genuine audience, as they tend to share the same first language, cultural background and knowledge as the writers. This paper proposes a writing project in which students read newspaper articles, discuss them, and write their reactions in the form of letters to the editor. It has been found that such an activity can make students aware of the general public as their audience and encourage them to make an extra effort to communicate their ideas. Sample works by students and tips for classroom implementation will also be presented.
STREAM: Teaching Young Learners (TYL)
Meaningful Adventures for Teenage Students (Workshop)
Teenage/secondary students can handle a considerable amount of vocabulary and grammar but they also need confidence-building development in the four skills, based on real-world examples. This workshop looks at ways of engaging and motivating teenagers with age-appropriate topics, contexts and skills work from the Adventures series by Oxford University Press.
The Efficacy of Direct Phonics Instruction Among Rural Malaysian Year 1 English Language Learners (Paper)
Mr Gregory Tweedie and Mr Robert C. Johnson
This paper presents a preliminary investigation of the efficacy of direct phonics instruction in creating phonemic awareness among ESL/EFL primary school pupils. In this study, 862 Year 1 students in nine rural Malaysian school districts were given phonics instruction, over a six-week period. Pre- and post-tests measured student progress in letter recognition, reading aloud of numerals, correctly identifying monosyllabic “nonsense” words, and recognition of examiner-produced letter sounds. Results were measured against a control group of 168 students.
While paired-samples t-tests showed significant improvement on every question and total test scores for both treatment and control groups, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) indicated a substantial group effect: students in the treatment group improved (on every question and test totals) significantly more than those in the control group. Further, both Linear Regression Analysis and Principle Component Analysis results suggest direct phonics instruction was an important factor in improving students’ test results.
Fun Grammar for Young Learners (Workshop)
Spiders in the classroom? No way. Well, only if they are Incy Wincy and Hairy Spider from kindergarten songs. Children love them. Teachers strive to teach stimulating lessons that allow all the students to have fun while learning. Kindergarten songs and activities are valuable and stimulating tools to teach young learners (4 -12 year olds) aspects of language such as grammar. They help young children learn while having fun. This interactive workshop will give participants techniques and practical knowledge of educational activities that challenge the creative minds of young learners. Participants will learn how to create a stimulating classroom environment that enhances young learners’ ability to learn. The versatile games and activities can be modified for children of all levels and class sizes. Kindergarten and primary teachers will benefit from this workshop. top
Incredible English for Young Learners (Workshop)
Ms Mindy Visser and Mr Edward Yoshioka
This presentation will interest teachers looking for a children’s ELT program that provides whole-child development by combining a higher vocabulary and reading load with other critical-thinking skills. Participants will see how Incredible English from Oxford University Press offers the best combination of recent methodologies, cross-curricular content and teacher support for student advancement.
Let’s Go Further in Children’s ELT (Workshop)
What are the most effective ways to provide a solid language progression when the students just want to enjoy themselves? This workshop explores examples of combining sound vocabulary, grammar and communicative development with a wide range of fun activities and games from the new third edition of the popular Let’s Go series from Oxford University Press.
Using Creative Writing in TESOL (Paper)
This paper will talk about the effective use of creative writing in teaching English as a second language at different levels. The first part of the paper will discuss studies in educational psychology that support the use of creative writing in teaching English as a second language. Different genres in creative writing such as poetry, prose and short stories will be discussed. The making of alphabet and number books in teaching children will be introduced, to enable children to harness their writing skills and improve their vocabulary. The use of “invented spelling” among children will also be discussed. Comic-writing as an effective tool will also be explored. The thesis of this paper will be presented using the philosophy of Developmental Education which explores personal experiences and symbols to express oneself in a written form.
Using Games to English for Children: Difficulties in Class Management and Solutions (Workshop)
English for children aged 8-11 often face in class management when conducting games, and then find out specific solutions for these difficulties. The study used a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods, of which the qualitative was dominant. Five data collection types were used in the study: document review, observation, interviewing, filming and questionnaires. The results of the study indicated that class management when playing games was a really big problem that reduced the effectiveness of games in teaching a language. Various solutions were found out and piloted at the Youth Foreign Language School within three months. Sound solutions require the teachers’ devotion, creativeness, patience and also strictness. They should form their own class habits and need to be gentle and strict to the children (which are going to be clearly stated in the main content). top
Short Stories for Young Learners (Workshop)
Mr Tuot Bunnat and Ms Saran Sopha
Teaching young learners requires more than just dependence on the course book. A variety of creative materials and practical activities need to be introduced to the class in order to promote active and successful learning. Some teachers tend to ignore the importance of the inspiration which can come from short stories in fostering of students’ listening, speaking and writing skills. In this workshop, participants will be given some tips on making the best use of short stories to improve their students’ abilities. The presenters will perform for and interactively engage the participants.
STREAM: Testing (TES)
Alternative Assessment with Portfolios (Paper)
Student assessment, which often been limited to standardized tests, can involve the creation of portfolios, or collections of pieces of work which the student selects to represent his or her efforts, progress, skills and accomplishments. Portfolio implementation matches the rise of instructional and assessment practices that are student centered, process oriented, performance based, integrated, interactional and multidimensional. This presentation addresses the use of portfolios with English language learners. The purpose is to describe and illustrate portfolios and to evaluate the use of portfolios through which students can demonstrate their English language skills. An overview of portfolio assessment, including its characteristics, implications, and advantages for language learners is presented. The contents and uses of portfolios are described and some samples of student portfolios are showed for illustration. Finally, the experience of portfolio implementation is shared and some practical issues and challenges associated with portfolio assessment are discussed.
Building Bridges to the World: Information Technology and Teacher Professional Development (Paper)
This presentation reports the experience in the development and delivery of a few highly successful in-service teacher training programs for English teachers, commissioned by the Education and Manpower Bureau in Hong Kong to help teachers understand how information technology (IT) can enhance the language teaching and learning process. This presentation emphasises the need for a strong language learning pedagogy component in the syllabus design when developing an IT program for language teachers. Actual examples of how pedagogy and technology components were integrated in the program materials are demonstrated. Additionally, the presenter makes recommendations to those interested in developing teachers’ ability to apply technology in language education. Suggestions are also given for using IT tools to add life and meaning to an English lesson. top
Learner and Teacher Perceptions of Test Revisions in the TVE JCEE English Test in Taiwan (Paper)
Increasing emphasis has been paid to the washback effects of language tests in recent years. Previous studies have examined the impact of tests on teachers, whereas those on students have remained under-explored. This study aimed to explore the washback effects of the largest public test in Taiwan, the TVE JCEE English test, on VHS English education. Randomly-selected from across Taiwan, 809 VHS students and 183 VHS teachers responded to questionnaires, followed by classroom observation and interviews. The results indicated that the TVE JCEE English test significantly affect the teachers’ selection of teaching materials, demonstration of teaching content, and utilisation of teaching methods. Students also showed evident changes in their learning attitudes and levels of motivation. Perception differences between the teachers and students of the VHS English instruction and the test were compared and identified. Lastly, this study discusses the pedagogical implications and makes some suggestions for further research.
Non-traditional Forms of Assessment in Writing Classes (Paper)
Plagiarism is common thing in the presenter’s writing classes in Vietnam and how to control it is a constant question. To assess students’ writing ability, teachers usually ask them to write a paragraph or an essay. However, in the presenter’s writing classes, this is only one part of the assessment. This paper will present a non-traditional form of assessment, where peer-evaluation is used and then the students’ assessments of each other are marked. The purpose is to help students become aware of how their writing is marked and make them alert and more motivated to write.
Assessing Students’ Answers on Tests (Paper)
Teachers generally write test questions with one correct answer in mind. However, students often give several alternative answers. Should teachers mark these alternative answers incorrect? Or should teachers be flexible in assessing students’ answers? This workshop will explore issues related to correcting and making students’ tests. The presenter will share her experience and approach to interpreting students’ answer on tests. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences and ideas also. top
The Effects of Test Authenticity and Test Delivery Media on Computer-based Reading Comprehension Ability and Test Takers’ Attitudes towards the Test (Paper)
This paper reports on a study into the effects of test authenticity and test delivery media on test takers’ reading proficiency. The study also explored the attitudes of the test takers towards test authenticity and test delivery media. 320 first-year students at King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology, North Bangkok participated in the study. The main instruments included the Authentic English Reading Comprehension Conventional Paper-and-Pencil Test, the Inauthentic English Reading Comprehension Conventional Paper-and-Pencil Test, the Authentic English Reading Comprehension Computer-Adaptive Online Test, and the Inauthentic English Reading Comprehension Computer-Adaptive Online Test. A retrospective interview was conducted to investigate students’ attitudes towards the tests.
The findings and recommendation for further research will be reported. Two-way analysis of variance (2*2 ANOVA) is employed to identify the main and interaction effects. The Partial Eta square reported by the SPSS program is used to measure the effect sizes of test authenticity and test delivery meda.
The International Testing Business and it effect on Local Teaching – Case Example: The Growth of IELTS in China and Hong Kong (Paper)
This presentation will explore the growth of the IELTS test in China and Hong Kong and reasons behind it, which include changes in the academic and business environment, as well as government policy and the trend of globalisation. The presentation will further explore why international academic tests such as IELTS are being widely used for purposes other than their nominal one, including reasons of test management, and the extensive development and validation cycle which leads to a high degree of validity and reliability in comparison with local alternatives. The paper will also consider the washback effects of the growth of IELTS on the tertiary and private education sectors in Hong Kong. Finally, the presentation will briefly cover how local teachers can reflect on testing in their own intuitions by considering the issues of validity, reliability and security that are so prominent in international language tests.
STREAM: Using Technology (TEC)
The Power of a Website in Increasing Learner Autonomy (Paper)
Mr Chea Theara and Ms Leang Sokhom
Apart from providing information, a website can also be a tool to learn English. The presenters will demonstrate how to create a website using MS Frontpage 2003 as a way of storing resources for their students to use independently. The participants will be introduced to a model website with learning materials including listening and reading texts and vocabulary exercises and will be shown how these materials can be easily uploaded. This presentation will be interesting to teachers who are using technology and would like to promote independent learning among their students.
Using CALL to Write and Research Academic Essays (Workshop)
This workshop is designed for both the beginner and the intermediate user of computers in the classroom. Part one will focus on how to research effectively with advanced internet search tips, including how to search for specific file types to ensure greater academic rigour in the sources. Part two will outline how to write appropriate essay introductions and conclusions, and will also include advice for the teacher on how to deal with problems such as plagiarism and the excessive use of machine translation tools. top
Online Collaborative Discussion and Language Use (Paper)
This paper will discuss two distinct but connected sets of information on the topic of collaborative contributions in online discussions. The first information set concerns student-teachers’ views about their participation in an online discussion forum as part of their work in an undergraduate language teacher education course. The second information set consists of captured samples of student-teachers’ online discussions. The two sets of information show associated academic and professional concerns but exhibit very different language conventions.
The paper will begin with background to the course of study and the online work which generated the information sets. This will be followed by a brief discussion of online collaborative learning. Next, the differences in the language conventions of the sets will be discussed. The paper will conclude with observations concerning the dynamic nature of language and the role of function in determining form.
Taking the Show on the Road: Cellular Phone Applications for Modern Foreign Language Teaching (Paper)
Mobile technologies such as the cellular phone are a ubiquitous aspect of modern life. In an environment where financial resources are often strained to meet Information Technology (IT) needs, schools should actively examine and pilot educational applications of mobile technologies such as cellular phones, devices which students have purchased themselves and often are able to make powerful use of without any direction from their instructors. This paper will discuss recent developments in mobile learning, how to incorporate a mobile program in existing curricula, tools, procedures for evaluating student achievements, as well as the results thus far of a study using cellular phones for instructing (a) prosody and (b) presentation skills.
EFL Learners’ Willingness to Use Technology (WUT?) (Paper)
In many areas, schools are increasingly employing technology. Students are exposed to so many technological devices that the transition from school to workplace should be seamless, but the reality has proven somewhat different. Moreover, recent research regarding the efficacy of technology-enhanced instruction has yielded mixed results. Most research to date has surveyed educators and administrators, not learners. To address this situation, the researchers surveyed over 500 university EFL learners. The first focus was on technology competence and, borrowing from McCroskey’s work, on their willingness to use technology. Second was perceived anxiety while using technology. The third focus was learners’ perceptions of the usefulness of technology in education. The final area was motivation, specifically how students intended to use technology in the future. The researchers will present student perceptions of technology in the EFL classroom and pedagogical and research implications. top
Blackboard Basics: Learning with WebCT (Workshop)
The presenter had the pleasure of participating in a pilot project of WebCT Vista Blackboard recently, and it has changed his academic writing classroom ever since. This two-tiered discussion will discuss the planning and organisation of a university-level academic writing course via the use of Blackboard, as well as implementation. In the first part of his workshop, the presenter will discuss Blackboard’s many uses, including gradebook, e‑mail, and the anti-plagiarism tool, turnitin.com. The presenter will also include activities that he has found to be meaningful in promoting intrinsic motivation among his academic writing students, namely essay comment blogs and podcasting. Time will be allotted at the end of the discussion for questions and feedback.
Reading Multimodal Texts and the English Language (Paper)
Reading texts in any language in the pre-ICT era was generally linear and verbal. In contrast to newspapers, comic books or advertisements of commercial products, text books in their densely printed text appeared more serious in texture and form. English books meant for teaching language skills are now becoming persuasive texts with more visual sophistication. They are becoming multimodal, using more than one mode of communication. The increased use of pictures, images and other links relieve the texts from too much reliance on words. Texts incorporate representations of spoken forms which make them “speak” in a direct way to the reader. This necessitates visual literacy along with the literacy required to decode the plain written text. This paper looks into these aspects and examines how multimodal English texts make teaching and learning more effective and absorbing in class rooms.
Technology in the ESL Classroom: Doing More with Less (Workshop)
Dr Laurette Poulos Simmons
As computers and projection systems get less expensive and consumables including photocopies, books and physical visual aids become more expensive, it is increasingly feasible for teachers to use technology in their ESL classrooms. While it may be impossible to have a computer and projection system in every classroom, it may be reasonable to have a few presentation systems that teachers share. Since presentation systems have become popular in the ESL classroom, teachers have spent their own time and effort developing visual aids for their classes. While that do-it-yourself approach can be very successful, there are two other methods that take less time. One is to exchange applications with other teachers. The other is to use materials that come with their ESL textbooks. This session will help empower teachers to create own visual aids, to use borrowed materials and to obtain and use materials provided with ESL textbooks. top
Grade/Mark/Score Recording and Calculation Using Microsoft-Excel Program (Workshop)
This interactive workshop will begin with a discussion of participants’ experiences and practices with regard to the recording and evaluation of students’ grades/marks/scores. It will then move on to show some well organised ways to record students’ grades/marks and faster ways to calculate them using Excel. Participants will receive hands-on training. It is advisable to bring a computer disk.
Using Blogs and Wikis to Promote Language Use (Paper)
Many people nowadays write blogs and create wikis using their first language. Blogs are web logs – in short, a kind of on-line journal. Many students already keep a blog in their first language so are familiar with the idea. Wikis are collaborative websites, which are created and maintained by a group of people. Both of these technologies require only basic access to the Internet, and a minimum of technical know-how. It seems there is the opportunity to use these media to engage learners of English in reading, writing and communicating to a real audience, using English. This paper will describe the rationale for using blogs and wikis, how to set up blog and wiki projects with classes, some of the potential pitfalls to avoid, and responses of students to using blogs and wikis.
Building Bridges through Learner Autonomy (Workshop)
Rapid developments in computer-mediated communication (CMC) such as Skype, MSN Chat, discussion boards and email constantly demand, and highlight the need for, new skills in the workplace in order to bridge ideas, knowledge and media across international borders. The ubiquitous nature of CMC and its ability to promote globalisation highlights its importance. However, differing computer skills and mixed-ability classes pose problems when integrating technology into the classroom.
This workshop addresses how teachers can help learners understand, and capitalise on, their individual learning styles, focusing on strategies to promote learner autonomy and an overview of practical e-based activities which can be used in the classroom and at home. top
Using Video to Increase Language Performance (Workshop)
This workshop offers hands-on practice in activities that help English (and any other) language learners of all ages and skill levels to acquire and express integrated reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Participants will learn how to use video to develop and elicit language with an emphasis on clarity of situation-specific communication. By learning how to supplement existing curricular tools with readily available videos, participants will leave with ideas and activities that they can implement immediately in their classrooms with minimal preparation. These activities will increase both the level of engagement of students in learning tasks and their subsequent language performance. Teachers will also learn how to adapt these techniques for assessing performance
Computer-based Project: A Way to Enhance EFL Learners’ Autonomy (Paper)
This paper describes how to create a computer-based project for EFL learners, based on the initiatives of the interdisciplinary program, Intel-teach to the future, produced by the Intel Group. The presentation will define a computer-based project and show how teachers can design a CALL project-based unit. It will then move on to showcase some work done by teachers and EFL learners, either using the templates provided by the Intel Group or learner-designed materials. There will also be a focus on the teacher’s assessment method, including assessment plan and timeline. Pedagogical and methodological implications for teachers will be drawn from the implementation of the project at lower and upper secondary schools in Vietnam.
Video as a Bridge for Integrating the Four Skills (Workshop)
Prof William O’Donnell and Prof Emi Matsumoto
This paper offers advice on integrating the teaching of the four language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) in their cultural context through the use of video clips in a PowerPoint presentation. The paper targets teachers whose students are from medium to high levels of English proficiency. Sample lessons with differing emphases will be demonstrated.
Vocabulary Acquisition through Story-Listening (Paper)
Studies show that EFL learners need to possess at least 3000 word families (Nation, 1990) to be able to read an unsimplified text. Using explicit learning strategies, typical Japanese students acquire only about 200 per year, which means that they possess about 1200 when they enter college in Japan. Although it has been argued that explicit learning is more efficient than implicit acquisition, listening to stories (a comprehension-based method) has been suggested as an effective way to increase vocabulary size, and research shows the acquisition rate using story-listening is as efficient as that seen in children acquiring English as a first language (Mason & Krashen, 2004; Mason, 2005). Furthermore, this method is cost effective, as no textbook is necessary for students. This presentation will demonstrate an effective and efficient method of using a fairy/folk tale to teach vocabulary, and research findings will be reported.
Strategies and Activities for Building Vocabulary (Workshop)
Students sometimes complain that they have a lot of difficulties listening, speaking, reading and writing English. When asked why, most of the answers are related to vocabulary. Vocabulary is critical for understanding and using language. This workshop will present a variety of strategies and activities to help teachers and students to develop, build or refine their vocabularies.
The 3 Rs of Teaching Vocabulary (Paper)
All language teachers and students know how important vocabulary is. Yet teachers often leave vocabulary almost to chance or leave the responsibility for actually learning it, to the students.
Using the 3 R’s of Vocabulary Teaching, namely “Reduce, Re-use and Recycle,” this presentation hopes to encourage more deliberate and thoughtful teaching of vocabulary, based on theories, old and new, and aims to provide practical suggestions for how to do this simply in the classroom. top
Learning Words Right with The Sketch Engine: Meaningful Lexical Acquisition From Corpora And The Web (Paper)
In Taiwan, and other Asian countries, students of English expect and are expected to memorise a lot of vocabulary. Often lists of vocabulary items do not really belong to a particular topic, or fit it very loosely, because the items have not been chosen in a principled way. Furthermore, the items are mostly learned piecemeal, without appeal to the context in which they usually occur, even though researchers have long recognised the importance of collocations and chunks in lexical acquisition. This paper shows how a web corpus builder (WebBootCat) and a corpus query tool (Sketch Engine) can be used to build lists of words that are related to a particular topic in an intuitive and statistically principled way, presenting the learner with a convenient opportunity to inspect typical uses of the words in context. An algorithm for the automatic generation of vocabulary cloze exercises is also presented.
English Vocabulary Learning Strategies Employed by Thai EFL University Students with Different Levels of Language Proficiency (Paper)
Dr Suksan Suppasetseree and Acting Sub.Lt. Kiattichai Saitakham
This paper reports on a study examining English vocabulary learning strategies employed by good and poor students of English and non-English major students. Questionnaires were administered to 60 English major students at Naresuan University and 60 Engineering students at Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand. Good and poor proficiency groups were chosen to rate the frequency of the use on six vocabulary learning strategies: guessing strategies, dictionary strategies, note-taking strategies, memory strategies (rehearsal), memory strategies (encoding), and activation strategies. The study reported that both high performers of English and non-English majors most frequently used guessing strategies while both low performers of English and non-English majors preferred to use dictionary strategies for learning English vocabulary. Moreover, the study showed there are significant differences between good and poor proficiency groups of English and non-English majors in using guessing strategies for learning English vocabulary.
STREAM: Poster sessions (POS)
Facilitating Group Discussions in the Classroom
This poster presentation highlights the benefits of facilitating group discussions in high school and university-level classrooms for English language learners, citing research on group discussions and group dynamics. The presentation also highlights examples from the presenter’s own classes as to what motivated students as well as challenges that occurred while facilitating group discussions. The presentation offers teachers beneficial practices for their classrooms and also a rationale for carrying out group discussions, highlighting the potential benefits to improving fluency and in having students express their opinions in English. Student perceptions of group discussions, both positive and negative, are addressed. It is also hoped that questions will be generated by participants as to how to make reluctant students participate more actively in class discussions and that these questions can be addressed through active discussion. top
Social Network Service Websites for Classroom Community Development
Social Network Service (SNS) websites, like MySpace, Facebook and Mixi have become extremely popular due to their ability to build virtual communities and foster communication. An SNS website was created and used as a semester-long project in a Japanese university class and was able to harness these qualities to promote learning. The presenter will demonstrate the website, share key results from the project and provide instruction to attendees on how to create their own SNS website for their class
Preparing Students to Learn through Warm-up Activities
The beginning of class is crucial for getting students involved in the day’s lesson. This poster session will highlight 10 easy activities to warm up and prepare students for learning. Included will be activities for reviewing previous material, introducing new material and some just for fun. A handout of all activities will be provided.
Using Bingo Game to Learn Vocabulary
Games are challenging and can be used to stimulate learners’ interest and to effectively teach various aspects of language, especially vocabulary. This poster presentation aims at helping teachers to use the Bingo game for vocabulary teaching. It includes useful tips and step-by-step procedures to conduct the game. top