SHARE

 

An Electronic Magazine by Omar Villarreal and Marina Kirac ©

 

Year 4                    Number 98               February 26th 2003

 

           4700 SHARERS are reading this issue of SHARE this week

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Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being SHARED

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Dear SHARERS,

 

As we finish writing this issue of SHARE the number of subscribers has reached a total of more than 4,700. That was the most dramatic increase ever if we bear in mind that we were 4,400 SHARERS last October!

As you all know SHARE is a group administered by Yahoo! and that means that all details about membership are public. You, or anyone else for that matter, can access our magazine Yahoo! Home page at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ShareMagazine and find out how the figures

change from day to day. And “change” does not always mean “increase”. Yahoo! conducts frequent “cleansing” operations and deletes e-mail addresses which are no longer operative or which bounce all too often (and also some people get tired of us and they unsubscribe!)

So when we say we are 4,700 SHARERS this week you can be sure that is the way it is “this week”.

Is all this business about figures important for us? In a way yes because it means that our efforts are appreciated by quite a number of people. But, believe us, we enjoyed writing SHARE for the barely 40 something SHARERS that made up the original group of friends who

received issue 1 as much as we enjoy writing this issue 98 of SHARE today… which reminds us    

we will be publishing issue 100 in two weeks! We must start getting ready for a celebration.

 

Love

 

Omar and Marina

 

 

 

In SHARE 98

 

1.-    The Benefits of Extensive Reading - Part Two.

2.-    A Recipe for Disaster in your Classroom.  

3.-    Youthspeak.

4.-    FAAPI 2003 in Salta.

5.-    Mabel Gallo elected to TESOL Board of Directors.

6.-    You got some marbles?

7.-    Distance Education and e-learning. 

8.-    E- Teaching Online.     

9.-    On Chomsky (2002).

10.-   Licenciatura en Enseñanza del Inglés en la UCALP.

11.-   Seminario para Directores y Coordinadores.

12.-   News from Advice Corrientes.

13.-   Job Opportunities at home and abroad.

 

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1.-   THE BENEFITS OF EXTENSIVE READING -PART TWO

 

 

In our last issue we published the first part of this article that our dear SHARER Mary Ryan from Montevideo, Uruguay sent us. Here goes the second part together with the bibliographical references.

 

 

The Language Learning Benefits of Extensive Reading – Part 2

Paul Nation

 

Top Ten California Youthspeak Words

 

1. Hottie              Object of affection, either personally or in the cultural milieu.

2. For shizzle         Variation of ‘for sure’,popularized by rapper Snoop Dogg.

3. Tight               Replacing 'cool'.

4. Phat                Way cool, as in ‘rolling phat’.

5. Hella               An intensifier: “hella tight” or “hella phat”.

6. Wassup             This greeting refuses to die, entering mainstream circles.

7. Flow                Dinero, money. Originally from ‘cash flow’. Also,‘bank’ for lots of flow.

8. Poppins             Perfect. In the California Youthspeak version of Cockney rhyming slang ‘toppins’ rhymes with Poppins, which connotes Mary Poppins who was ‘perfect in every way’.

9. Bling bling         The sounds of diamond and gold jewelry clinking together

10. Stog              Cigarette, short for ‘stogy’.

 

Youthspeak Phenomenon of Note

 

Up Talking            Ending all sentences with a rising inflection, as if asking a question.

 

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4.-   FAAPI 2003 IN SALTA 

 

Once again all of us teachers in Argentina start preparing for the big event of the year: The Federation Conference which this year will be held in the city of Salta from 18th to the 20th of September. The theme of this year´s Conference hosted by the Asociación Salteña de Profesores de Inglés ASPI will be: "Humanizing our Teaching Practice: Minding the
Whole".

 

One of the main aims of FAAPI is to link and support English Language Teaching professionals in Argentina and the Annual Conference is its most important event. The 2003 FAAPI CONFERENCE hopes to bring together ELT teachers interested in humanizing their practice and helping their students enhance their learning. The conference will provide professionals from Argentina and other countries with the possibility of discussing, reflecting and sharing their experiences and beliefs. In this way, they will be challenged to introduce changes into their classroom to make their every day task more significant. Presenters will deliver workshops, demonstrations, papers and poster presentations.

Given the nature of this conference, participants are invited to submit papers on the following areas:

 

-          Humanistic approaches to language teaching, learning and assessing.

-          Teaching and learning styles

-          Learner autonomy

-          Learner centredness

-          Reflective practice.

-          Group dynamics and cooperative learning

-          Emotional intelligence in the classroom

-          Interpersonal and intrapersonal skills

-          Teacher’s beliefs and how they affect teaching and learning

-          Personality profiles and how they influence the teaching and the learning process

-          Professional development

 

 

This list is offered as a guideline for prospective contributors. The 2003 FAAPI Conference  aims at focusing on the self, the ‘I’ of both teaching and learning, and is therefore concerned with Who rather than with What or How. Who does the teaching? Who does the learning? What is the nature of the relationship between both? Who chooses to teach and Why? In accepting or rejecting a proposal, the main criterion will be the extent to which the contributions seek to elucidate how taking into account the whole person will result in meaningful teaching and learning.

 

ASPI together with the Universidad Nacional de Salta will run a pre-convention Colloquium on 16th and 17th of September. This VIII Latin American ESP Colloquium is aimed at researchers and teachers in the field of English for Specific Purposes. 

Our dear SHARER Ana Triboli from the Organizing Committee of FAAPI 2003 has sent us the FAAPI Conference Call for Papers. You will find the Guidelines for Submission and the Presenter´s form in the NEWSBOARD section of our Website: www.ShareEducation.com.ar where all information concerning FAAPI 2003 will be displayed from now on till the time of the pre-convention colloquium and the convention proper in mid-September

 

For further information please contact: Ana Triboli Pisi or Ines Amaduro at Phone: 0387 – 4394469 or  e-mail:  aspisalta2003@hotmail.com

 

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5.-   MABEL GALLO ELECTED TO TESOL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Our dear SHARER and friend Mabel Gallo has been appointed to the TESOL Board of Directors.

Our heartfelt congratulations to Mabel and our wishes of every success for the benefit of our profession worldwide.

 

Below is the text of the announcement and a message that our dear SHARER Vivien Morghen of ARGENTINA TESOL sent us:

 

En nombre de ICANA y Argentina TESOL, nos hace muy feliz compartir con ustedes la elección de Mabel Gallo como miembro de la Junta Directiva de TESOL.

Mabel fue elegida para el cargo de Director Serving as Affiliate Representative para el período 2003- 2006. 

Este nombramiento es un reconocimiento muy especial y merecido a Mabel en su destacada trayectoria y a su querida persona. Buena suerte, Mabel!

 

Muchos cariños, Vivian Morghen

 

The 2003-2004 TESOL Election Results


President-Elect, 2003-2004 (to become President 2004-2005)
Michele Sabino, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, Texas, USA

Director Serving as Convention Chair, 2003-2006
Bill Eggington, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA

Director Serving as Director at Large, 2003-2006
Mary Ann Boyd, Illinois State University Emerita, Towanda, Illinois, USA

Director Serving as Interest Section Representative, 2003-2006
Jo Ann Miller, Universidad del Valle de Mexico, Col. Copilco el Bajo, Mexico DF, Mexico

Director Serving as Affiliate Representative, 2003-2006
Mabel Gallo, Instituto Cultural Argentino Norteamericano, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The 2003 Nominating Committee will be chaired by JoAnn (Jodi) Crandall. Newly elected members are Anna Uhl Chamot, Virginia LoCastro, Marcia Fisk Ong, and Nancy Storer.

 

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6-    YOU GOT SOME MARBLES?

 

Our dear SHARER Bethina Viale has sent us this story with, as she says: “lots of love”.

It is a piece to think about as you go about the busy-ness of living.  Smell the roses and enjoy family and friends.   

 

You got some marbles?

 

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

 

A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.

 

I turned the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding chap with a golden voice. He was talking about "a thousand marbles" to someone named "Tom." I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say.

 

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your

daughter's dance recital." He continued, "Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

 

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years." "Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the

number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."

 

"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy."

 

"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to roundup 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away." "I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."

 

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then God has blessed me with a little extra time to be with my loved ones...... "It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good morning!"

 

You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the show's moderator didn't have anything to say for a few moments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about.

I had planned to do some work that morning, then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special," I said. "It has just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy

store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

 

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7.-   DISTANCE EDUCATION AND E-LEARNING

 

Our very dear friend and SHARER Susana Trabaldo has sent us this invitation:

 

www.net-learning.com.ar tiene el agrado de invitarlo a la primera edición de 2003 de su curso en línea:

 

Diseño y desarrollo de proyectos de e-learning y educación a distancia

 

Destinatarios:

Instituciones de educación que hayan adoptado la modalidad del campus virtual y deseen capacitar a su personal.

Responsables de áreas de capacitación o recursos humanos.

Profesores que deban desempeñarse como tutores.

Profesionales involucrados en el desarrollo de cursos y elaboración de contenidos.

Toda persona interesada en conocer sobre educación a distancia

 

Objetivos:

Presentar la modalidad de la educación a distancia y el e-learning.

Describir los procesos y decisiones necesarias para su gerenciamiento.

Proveer herramientas teórico-prácticas para el diseño de cursos.

Guiar en la selección y elaboración de materiales.

Brindar recursos para el seguimiento y evaluación de los alumnos.

Asesorar en el uso de herramientas tecnológicas.

 

Contenidos:

Módulo 1. Porqué educación a distancia

* El boom de la Educación a Distancia. Nuevos paradigmas generados por la NTIC. entornos virtuales, educación en línea, e-learning, blended- learning. Ventajas e inconvenientes para la instituciones que deseen implementar la modalidad.

* Innovadores mercados para la educación y la capacitación profesional continua. Instituciones de EaD, mega universidades y organizaciones  internacionales.

* Diseño de un proyecto de EaD: Áreas de la gestión. Pasos en implementación. Claves básicas para el éxito.

 

Módulo 2.  Enseñar y aprender en un campus virtual

* Cómo se aprende y se enseña en un campus virtual. Nuevos modelos pedagógicos  aplicados a lo virtual. Particularidades de la formación de adultos. Desarrollo de competencias complejas a distancia.

* Aprendizaje cooperativo y colaborativo. Resolución de problemas, simulaciones, método de casos. Desafíos de estudiar a distancia.

 

Módulo 3. Diseño de la enseñanza. Materiales y recursos para la EAD

* Cómo planificar la enseñanza para un entorno en-línea. El equipo de producción de materiales.

* Desarrollo y procesamiento de los contenidos en diferentes soportes y formatos.

* Elaboración de módulos autoinstructivos. Pasos y secuencias en el diseño de la instrucción. Organizadores previos, ayudas textuales, multimedia, actividades significativas.

* Selección y  evaluación de materiales.

 

Módulo 4. El profesor/ tutor

* Nuevos roles y funciones del profesor, el tutor y el alumno. Claves de una buena tutoría : motivación y seguimiento del alumno. Selección y formación específica del tutor.

* Herramientas para  encuentros sincrónicos y asincrónicos. Estrategias de coaching y mentoring aplicados a la EAD.

* Diversidad del alumno, estilos e inteligencias.

 

Módulo 5. Tecnología al servicio del aprendizaje

* Software para el desarrollo del campus virtual. Plataformas, cómo son, qué permiten hacer. Cómo elegirlas y evaluarlas.

* Procesamiento de la palabra. Presentaciones multimedia

* Imágenes, sonido, vídeo, simulaciones, animaciones.

 

Módulo6. Evaluación y control de calidad del proyecto

* Técnicas e instrumentos para la evaluación y autoevaluación del alumno.

* Estándares de calidad para la evaluación de proyectos, cursos y carreras a distancia.

 

Evaluación

Al finalizar el curso lo invitaremos a presentar una propuesta personal de aplicación de los contenidos desarrollados.

Tutores:

Equipo multidisciplinario de egresados del Master en EAAD de la UNED ( España) de la UOC (Cataluña) y la Open University (UK).Lic. Nancy Píriz, Lic. Susana Trabaldo, Ing. Patricio Rey, Lic. Daniel Núñez, Lic Rosario Vega.

 

Fecha de Inicio : 6 de Marzo 2003   Duración:  6 semanas

Costo: $125 (en Argentina) o U$S 50 (en otros países) - Descuentos institucionales   

 

Más datos en: info@net-learning.com.ar   o TE: (011) 791-6009 / (011) 4654-8945 /desde el exterior: +(54 11) 4791-6009 . www.net-learning.com.ar

 

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8.-   E-TEACHING ONLINE

 

Our dear SHARERS Patricia Salvador & Alicia López Oyhenart write to us:

 

E-teachingonline.com.ar is back to assist teachers

 

After a one-month summer break e-teachingonline.com.ar  the magazine on line for English teachers has returned to the Internet.

In the February issue # 4 the emphasis is on supplying loads of resource material for teachers to get ready for the 2003 school year. Plenty of Hints & Tips will surely satisfy the necessary updating before classes begin.

At the end of February in the March issue # 5 the usual Activities for Kids, Teens and Adults will be present together with the Business section. There will be a good selection of written exercises for each level mentioned to be taken to class in the Take 5' section. Songs ppropriate for each level will also be offered to add variety to the class.

New areas will be added: EGB material and Pre-school activities will complete issue # 5 thus covering every teacher needs.

As the Editorial Group aims at reflecting what goes on in institutions they interviewed Verónica Cameron Local Secretary of UCLES ESOL Buenos Aires office who reveals interesting aspects of the famous "Cambridge exams".

Teachers will find news about scholarships, international exams,training courses, a calendar of relevant events, book reviews, interviews with celebs and personalities of the local ELT arena.

Beatriz K. de Pena Lima will open the Model Teachers section.

There is also  a correspondent in London who supplies news from the UK and English speaking world.

As usual subscribers receive two full size posters by mail. The magonline has added a CHAT section for teachers all over to contact one another. As from March there will be an interactive connection with "The Typical Mistake" the radio programme.

The magazine, whose editors understand the needs of Argentine teachers, can be seen at www.e-teachingonline.com.ar . It appears once a month but its material is updated weekly.

 

 

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9.-   ON CHOMSKY (2002)

 

 

The following is a reproduction of the review published in LINGUIST List:  Vol-14-525. Fri Feb 21 2003. ISSN: 1068-4875.

 
Date: 
Fri, 21 Feb 2003 10:00:14 +0000
From:  Jonathan White <
jwh@du.se>
Subject:  On Nature and Language

Chomsky, Noam (2002) On Nature and Language.
Cambridge University
Press, x+206pp, hardback ISBN 0-521-81548-7, $60.00.

Reviewed by : Jonathan White,
Högskolan Dalarna, Sweden

CONTENTS

This book evolved from a month's stay of Chomsky's at the
University of Siena in November 1999. Chapters two, three and five are based on lectures given by Chomsky at the university; while the interview presented in chapter four was conducted by the editors of this volume,
Belletti and Rizzi, with Chomsky during his stay. Chapters two and three are described as immediately accessible to the non-specialist. Chapter four is generally non-technical, but refers to recent history and theoretical concepts within generative syntax. The final chapter deals with Chomsky's views on politics.

Chapter 1: Editors' introduction: some concepts and issues in linguistic theory

 

The introduction to this volume was written by Belletti and Rizzi as a theoretical and historical background to the chapters that follow. They start by placing generative linguistics within the study of the human mind, comparing Chomsky's views with those of Saussure that language is a social object. This leads to a discussion of the notion of Universal Grammar in its general sense as found in language  acquisition, and in its technical implementation in the field of syntax, as a recursive procedure for generating sentences in a language (see Chomsky 1981, 1986 for discussion). The syntactic theory deriving from this idea, known as the Principles and Parameters framework, is presented with a number of examples of linguistic variation worked through to illustrate the power of the theory. Then the move to a minimalist view of language is discussed. The principle differences between the approaches are highlighted. For example, the new place assigned to economy conditions (Chomsky, 1991, 1993) and the use of morphological features as triggers for movement processes. More recent developments such as the idea of the phase (Chomsky 2000, 2001) are also covered.

This is not in any way meant to be a full exposition of the current state of the art in generative syntax, but as a summary it is well presented and technical enough for students of linguistics. I would not like to recommend it for those not on a course dealing with generative syntax since the authors do throw in technical terms when discussing syntactic theory without any further explanation - one such example is c-command. On the positive side seminal works on the
various phenomena under discussion are given.  Although the list is not complete enough for the research student, undergraduates would find this a valuable guide to important works in the field.

Chapter 2: Perspectives on language and mind

Next Chomsky sets his views on language in an historical perspective taking the views of Galileo as a starting-point. Galileo was the first to see that language involves a finite means of expressing an infinite array of thought, an idea which became a central tenet of Port Royal
grammar (Darwin noted some similar ideas through the study of evolution). Galileo argued that the mind was similar to a complex mechanical machine contra Descartes, who thought language was constrained by the body but was not caused by it. The other important point to come out is that categories in science do not necessarily have to conform to objects we intuitively ''see'' in reality. The function of science is to form a body of doctrine, not to map reality. In conclusion, Chomsky sees Galileo's contribution to the study of language as the realisation that scientific study of the mind is not impossible, although it has only really become possible in the 20th century. This chapter leads on nicely to the next one, on the possibility of unification of studies of the human brain. I will,therefore, comment on the two chapters together as a unit.

Chapter 3: Language and the brain

Here Chomsky compares the study of the mind with studies in natural sciences like physics, chemistry and biology. There, he notes,unification has been possible to a much greater extent. He argues for the view that such unification is possible in the sciences of the mind as well. He begins by repeating much of the discussion from the previous chapter on Galileo - that is, that we should be seeking to devise intelligible theories, not to understand reality. Chomsky's
point is that this was a debate that happened in the natural sciences prior to unification, so he sees the current debate in linguistics as a positive sign. The methodological position of ethologist Mark Hauser is looked at next. This is that language, as with other ''communication'' systems in the animal world, should be studied from four perspectives. The first two are that we should study the psychological mechanisms that implement the system, and the genetic and environmental factors that cause it. Chomsky points out that language is special from other communication systems, through properties such as duality, etc., and so factors pertaining to
language may not apply to all forms of communication. However, these factors are both of primary concern to the linguist. The third factor we need to study, for Hauser, is the effect of language on survival. Chomsky's view is that this is too narrow for language, although it can be studied. The final factor is evolutionary history, which Chomsky argues seems a difficult area for study, and not one that language would advance. The final view covered here is that of
C. R.  Gallistel. He argues for a modular approach to language, the most similar to Chomsky's own views. Chomsky's overall position from these two chapters is a positive one, namely that unification is an attainable goal in the sciences of the mind, even if we cannot see how to do so at this moment.

It is these two chapters that were the most interesting for me as a linguist. Putting the study of language in the context of developments in science in general is an important and not often done task. The parallels between natural sciences and sciences of the mind are striking and give one a positive view of the future prospects for unification of these fields.

Chapter 4: An interview on minimalism

The final chapter dealing with linguistic issues takes the form of an interview between the editors of the book, Belletti and Rizzi, and Chomsky.  The major theme of the interview, following on from the chapters on Galileo and the study of the mind, is that linguistics is
a developing field and that the questions we are asking have only become possible through changes in theoretical perspectives. Thus, the view prior to Chomsky's
Pisa lectures was that language was construction-specific and rule-based. That view then radically changed and we referred instead to language-independent principles and language-specific parameters. The most recent change in theoretical machinery has seen economy conditions come to the fore. The question we mostly ask nowadays is whether language is ''perfect''. Chomsky points out that this question has only become possible with a well-formed theory of language itself - only then can we ask what it takes to have a ''perfect'' language. A major question Chomsky takes up is the fact that most of language actually appears to be imperfectly designed, such as Case and agreement systems and the displacement property. We have begun to realise, though, that such
systems are actually well designed for use by the interpretative systems. Another consequence of changes in theory is that a lot of questions we used to ask are not so relevant now, such as the specifier/complement distinction, now redundant in the bare phrase structure system. A fact dealt with is whether this radical questioning of our theoretical beliefs is a sign of a healthy
discipline. Chomsky's strong answer is yes. Without questioning our assumptions, we can never move forward, and the long-term goal of unification with the sciences of the mind will never be attained.

I believe that the earlier sections of this chapter would be the most interesting for students learning about the minimalist program. The change in research questions is well set out and clearly described. Later on, things get heavier. I am not certain what linguists would gain from the detailed descriptions of work that has gone on in the natural sciences.  Despite these questions, the point this chapter, and indeed the whole book, makes is clear: that change
in linguistic theory is healthy, and we are able to ask deeper questions now than we have ever been able to ask.

Chapter 5: The secular priesthood and the perils of democracy

Chomsky turns his attention here to the so-called ''secular priesthood'', intellectuals who were apologists for the Communist regime and its actions.  He believes that a similar group exists
nowadays who defend the American government. Chomsky cites a number of cases of abuses of power abroad by
America and the fact that such events are never discussed in intellectual circles. He also notes that foreign policy seems to be decided by commercial considerations. Chomsky refers in particular to the use of euphemism and other techniques of linguistic propaganda by the media as well.

GENERAL EVALUATION

I would certainly recommend this book for postgraduates and researchers as a valuable discussion of scientific methodology as applied to syntax, and as an historical summary of changes in the field. For undergraduates, though, I would be more selective. Certainly, the first chapter and the first part of the last chapter would be relevant for students on introductory courses in minimalism. The presentation of the change in viewpoint from Principles and Parameters to minimalism is clear, and includes some very pertinent examples.  The middle two chapters would be relevant for people interested in the history of science and thought, where the parallels in the development of linguistics and the natural sciences are particularly interesting. There are unfortunately places where Chomsky presents certain conclusions as self-evident, but the relevant argumentation would be beyond the students.  Thus, my view is that
this would be a good reference book for undergraduates wanting to get an idea of the ''bigger picture''. My overall evaluation is that this is an interesting and thought-provoking book, which presents a very hopeful view for the possibility of unification with other brain sciences.

REFERENCES

Chomsky, Noam (1981) Lectures on government and binding.
Dordrecht:Foris Publications.

Chomsky, Noam (1986) Knowledge of language.
New York: Praeger.

Chomsky, Noam (1991) Some notes on economy of derivation and representation.  In The Minimalist Program. Chomsky (ed.).
Cambridge,Mass.: MIT Press. 129-166.

Chomsky, Noam (1993) A minimalist program for linguistic theory. In The view from Building 20. Hale and Keyser (eds.).
Cambridge, Mass.:MIT Press. 1-52.

Chomsky, Noam (2000) Minimalist inquiries: the framework. In Step by step: Essays in minimalist syntax in honor of Howard Lasnik. Martin,Micheals and Uriagereka (eds.).
Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. 89-155.

Chomsky, Noam (2001) Derivation by phase. ms. MIT.

About the reviewer:

The reviewer's research interests include phrase structure, syntax and semantics of adverbials, interfaces between syntax and semantics and between syntax and morphology.


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10.-  LICENCIATURA EN ENSEÑANZA DEL INGLES EN LA UCALP

 

 

La Facultad de Humanidades de la Universidad Católica de La Plata, comunica a los interesados a inscribirse a la carrera de Licenciatura en la Enseñanza del Inglés, que la misma cuenta con la aprobación del Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología de la Nación, mediante Resolución nª 93/02.

                                         En lo que refiere al desarrollo de la misma, se dictará los días sábados a partir del segundo cuatrimestre del año 2002, con módulos horarios que permiten el máximo aprovechamiento dentro de una distribución armónica de las asignaturas.

El cuerpo de Profesores ha sido seleccionado teniendo en cuenta la envergadura del proyecto académico que ponemos en marcha.

                                         En la certeza de que esta experiencia académica da respuesta a una demanda instalada desde hace mucho tiempo en el ámbito del Profesorado, nos ponemos a disposición de  los aspirantes para lo que consideren pertinente: Calle 13 Nro 1227 entre 57 y 58 La Plata. TE: 0221- 4227100. e-mail: humanidadessecretaria@ucalp.edu.ar 

 

Plan de Estudios

Primer cuatrimestre

1.1. Antropología Filosófica

1.2. Filosofía de la Educación

1.3. Metodología de la Investigación

1.4. Corrientes de la Literatura en Lengua Inglesa

1.5. Psicolingüística

1.6. Gramática Española

 

Segundo cuatrimestre

2.1. Teología

2.2. Filosofía del Lenguaje

2.3. Análisis del discurso

2.4. Literatura Inglesa I: seminario

2.5. Estructuras Lingüísticas Comparadas español-inglés

Tercer cuatrimestre

3.1. Ética y Deontología

3.2. Investigación Educativa Aplicada

3.3. Enseñanza de la Lengua Inglesa para Propósitos Específicos

3.4. Literatura Inglesa II: seminario

3.5. Diseño y Desarrollo de Cursos Aplicados a la Enseñanza del inglés

Cuarto cuatrimestre

4.1. Pasantías-Tutorías-Adscripciones en el nivel superior

4.2. Tesis

 

Destinatarios: Podrán realizar esta la carrera los profesores de inglés con Títulos otorgados por

Universidades Nacionales, de Gestión Estatal o Privada.-Institutos de Enseñanza Superior no Universitaria, de carrera de cuatro años de duración

 

In a special issue of SHARE NEWS we will publish more about the academic offer of UCALP for 2003.

 

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11.-  SEMINARIO PARA DIRECTORES Y COORDINADORES

 

 

Our dear SHARER Lic. Oscar Molina, Director de Marketing y Difusión - Acuarell Consultores has an announcement to make:

 

 

PRIMER SEMINARIO INTENSIVO PARA DIRECTORES Y COORDINADORES DE INSTITUCIONES EDUCATIVAS

 

La selección de los docentes que conformaran el staff de la institución requiere no solamente una evaluación de desarrollo académico y experiencia, sino tambien el "rasgos de personalidad" pues es este último aspecto el que determinará un escenario armónico en el ámbito laboral, pero, ¿conoce Ud los rasgos centrales de los integrantes de su staff?, sabe Ud. que los motiva?, cómo reaccionan ante la presión laboral? Qué tendencia adoptarán para manejar conflictos en el aula?. Le ofrecemos la oportunidad de acceder a un método de alta confiabilidad, basado en la experiencia empírica de los temperamentos humanos

 

DSM -TEST DE RASGOS DE LA PERSONALIDAD - -MODELOS TEMPERAMENTALES –

El éxito de un Director o Coordinador tiene una directa relación con el conocimiento de los perfiles de personalidad de su grupo laboral, porque le permitirá establecer como motivar, como incrementar la energía laboral, reducir los niveles de conflictos, aumentar el caudal creativo y establecer estrategias para manejar situaciones que devienen de la interacción de las personas.

 

Contenidos:

 

* Implementación, lectura e interpretación de DSM, herramienta mundial de Diagnósticos y Estádisticas de la Psicología y Psiquiatria moderna.

* Analisis de perfiles y modelos temperamentales.

* Modelos de personalidad: perfil intelectual - perfil emocional - perfil conductual - Manejo de la Presión y Stress - Manejo de la diversidad - Comportamiento ante la autoridad - Preferencias Laborales - Manejo de conflictos - Manejo de desafios - Atención a los detalles - Empatía - Vocación de servicio.

 

8 DE MARZO  10 a 18hs. En CABILDO SUITES - Av. Cabildo 1950 Buenos Aires.

Inversión: $85  - suscriptores Share: $ 75

 

Un aspecto imprescindible para aplicar una capacitación de alto nivel es poder dar la mejor calidad posible, tanto en el ámbito académico como en el personal, por ello vamos a trabajar con un grupo muy reducido de participantes (40 asistentes), lo que permite ofrecer una formación muy personalizada.

Información e Inscripción: ACUARELL Consultores - 4823-9315 -acuarellinfo@ciudad.com.ar 

 

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12.-  NEWS FROM ADVICE CORRIENTES

 

Our very dear friends from Advice Corrientes are moving house. Peie Berardi has sent  us this information. We send Peie and Silvia a house-warming hug from Buenos Aires together with our very best wishes.

 

Por este medio confirmamos la nueva dirección de Advice en Corrientes:

 

SAN JUAN 580 - 3400 CORRIENTES

TEL: 03783 - 156 09066

TELEFAX: 03783-03783- 430589. Nuevo teléfono

EMAIL: advicecorrientes@ciudad.com.ar

Por razones de fuerza mayor el antiguo teléfono de ADVICE (03783 - 436034) queda anulado.

 

 

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13.-  JOB OPPORTUNITIES AT HOME AND ABROAD

Practicum Teacher for College required in Patagonia

Instituto Salesiano de Estudios Superiores  (Río Gallegos – Santa Cruz) needs a teacher of English for Práctica Pedagógica II. The subject includes practice lessons in kindergarten. For further details please contact / send CV to: aldanaboidi@yahoo.com.ar

 

NNS (non-Native Speaker)  ESL teacher assistance required in Canada


We are offering Non Native Speakers ESL teachers airfare, accommodation and access to
the TESL teacher training seminars in
Canada. We require escort/guardian/translation /coordinator assistance for students ages 8 to 18 traveling to Canada for the ESL in Canada Summer Plus English Camp.
If you have the summer available, like kids, want to live/work in an English immersion environment - this could be ideal for you. Please write to us for additional details: K.Ross at

eslincanada2000@yahoo.com

 

 

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Time to say goodbye again. This week we want to leave you two short quotations to reflect upon. They should undoubtedly be engraved on the doors of every classroom as we are absolutely convinced they are deeply engraved, in one way or another, in every teacher´s heart:

"There is hunger for ordinary bread, and there is hunger for love, for kindness, for thoughtfulness."-- Mother Theresa.

"Man becomes great exactly in the degree to which he works for the welfare of his fellow man."
-- Mahatma Gandhi.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!

 

Omar and Marina.

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SHARE is distributed free of charge. All announcements in this electronic magazine are also absolutely free of charge. We do not endorse any of the services announced or the views expressed by the contributors.  For more information about the characteristics and readership of SHARE visit: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ShareMagazine

VISIT OUR WEBSITE : http://www.shareeducation.com.ar There you can read all past  issues of SHARE in the section SHARE ARCHIVES.

 

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size=2>Victoria University of Wellington

 

 

Extensive Reading of Unsimplified Texts

 

Several correlational studies looking at the effect of a variety of factors on L2 proficiency have shown the importance of extensive reading. Huang and van Naerssen (1987) found that reading outside class was the most significant predictor of oral communicative ability. Green and Oxford (1995) in a study of the effect of learning strategies on language proficiency found that reading for pleasure was most strongly related to proficiency. Gradman and Hanania (1991) found that out of class reading was the most important direct contributor to TOEFL test performance. This study raised the important issue of causality through the use of the LISREL program for analysing the data. Gradman and Hanania found the strongest connection going from individual out of class reading to TOEFL results. They found that oral exposure, speaking and listening outside class and communicative oral use affected out of class reading.

It is clear from these studies that extensive reading can be a major factor in success in learning another language. It is likely that the relationship between extensive reading and language proficiency is changing and complex. Success in formal study may make reading more feasible. Success in reading may increase motivation for further study and reading.

These correlational studies are supported by Pickard's (1996) survey of the out of class strategies used by a group of German learners of English in Germany, where extensive reading of newspapers, magazines and novels ranked very high on the list of strategies used for learning English. Use of reading and other input sources may be the only practical options for out of class language development for some learners.

In a study using SRA reading boxes, Robb and Susser (1989) found that extensive reading of SRA material and readers written for American teenagers produced several results superior to a skills focused reading course involving less reading. The extensive reading program also gave the learners more enjoyment both of reading and writing. The effects of extensive reading were thus both cognitive and affective.

 

Extensive Reading and Vocabulary Growth

 

Experimental studies of second language learners´ vocabulary learning from reading have not come near to approaching the careful design of first language studies best exemplified by the work of Nagy, Herman and Anderson (1985).

The second language studies (Day, Omura, & Hiramatsu, 1991; Pitts, White, & Krashen, 1989; Saragi, Nation, & Meister, 1978) used tests that were not sensitive to small amounts of learning (see Joe, Nation, & Newton, forthcoming), did not adequately control text difficulty, and generally lacked careful control of the research design.

In spite of these shortcomings, there is no reason to doubt the finding that learners incidentally gain small amounts of vocabulary knowledge from each meaning focused reading of an appropriate text. The most important finding from first language studies is that this vocabulary learning is not an all-or-nothing piece of learning for any particular word, but that it is a gradual process of one meeting with a word adding to or strengthening the small amounts of knowledge gained from previous meetings. The implications of this finding are very important for managing extensive reading. Essentially, vocabulary learning from extensive reading is very fragile. If the small amount of learning of a word is not soon reinforced by another meeting, then that learning will be lost. It is thus critically important in an extensive reading program that learners have the opportunity to keep meeting words that they have met before. This can be done in two ways: (a) by doing large amounts of extensive reading at suitable vocabulary levels so that there are repeated opportunities to meet wanted vocabulary, and (b) by complementing the extensive reading program with the direct study of vocabulary. A well-balanced language program has appropriate amounts of message directed activity and language focused activity.

There is a rough way of providing a guideline for deciding how much extensive reading learners at a particular level should be doing. The two factors determining the necessary amount of reading are (a) the frequency level of the learners' vocabulary, and (b) the length of time that the memory of a meeting with a word is retained. For example, if a learner has a vocabulary of around 1,000 words and is thus expanding her vocabulary at the 1,001-2,000 word level, on average each word at this word level will appear once in every 10,000-15,000 running words (see Table 2). If, for example, the memory of a meeting with a word lasts for one week, then the learner will need to read at least 10,000 words per week (40 pages of 250 words per page) to ensure that there is another meeting with the word before the memory of it is lost. At this level, this is the equivalent of one graded reader every one to two weeks. As learnersí vocabulary grows larger, the new vocabulary is of lower frequency, and therefore the amounts of extensive reading would need to be greater. The length of graded readers increases as the vocabulary level increases, so up to the 2,000 level about a book a week is about right.

 

Table 2 (see note below)shows, for example, that each word at the 1500 word level occurs 75 times per million running words. This means that a learner with a vocabulary of the most frequent 1500 words would need to read 13,000 running words in order to meet a repetition of words at this level to reinforce a previous meeting.

The figures in column two are from Francis and Kuçera (1982). Column three converts the figures in column two to a ratio. The lengths in column four are from the Longman Structural Readers Handbook (1976). The weakness of this analysis is that the figures of occurrences per 1,000,000 running words are based on unsimplified texts. Simplified texts, especially long ones, provide more repetitions of high frequency words (Wodinsky & Nation, 1988).

 

Conclusion

 

The research on extensive reading shows that there is a wide range of learning benefits from such activity. Experimental studies have shown that not only is there improvement in reading, but that there are improvements in a range of language uses and areas of language knowledge. Although studies have focused on language improvement, it is clear that there are affective benefits as well. Success in reading and its associated skills, most notably writing, makes learners come to enjoy language learning and to value their study of English.

However, the figures on repetition indicate that teachers need to be serious about extensive reading programs particularly in ensuring that learners do large amounts of reading. The benefits of extensive reading do not come in the short term. Nevertheless, the substantial long-term benefits justify the high degree of commitment needed.

References

 

Day,R. R., Omura, C., & Hiramatsu, M. (1991).Incidental EFL vocabulary learning and reading. Reading in a Foreign Language,7(2), 541-551.

Elley, W. B. (1991).Acquiring literacy in a second language: The effect of book-based programs. Language Learning, 41(3), 375-411.

Elley, W. B. (1989). Vocabulary acquisition from listening to stories.Reading Research Quarterly, 24(2), 174-187.

Elley,W. B., & Mangubhai, F. (1981a).The impact of a book flood in Fiji primary schools. Wellington: NZCER.

Elley,W. B., & Mangubhai, F. (1981b). The long-term effects of a book flood on children´s language growth. Directions, 7, 15-24.

Francis,W. N., & Kuçera, H. (1982).Frequency analysis of English usage. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Gradman, H., & Hanania, E. (1991).Language learning background factors and ESL proficiency. Modern Language Journal, 75(1), 39-51.

Green, J. M., & Oxford, R. (1995).A closer look at learning strategies, L2 proficiency and gender. TESOL Quarterly, 29(2), 261-297.

Hafiz, F. M., & Tudor, I. (1990).Graded readers as an input medium in L2 learning. System, 18(1), 31-42.

Hafiz,F. M., & Tudor, I. (1989).Extensive reading and the development of language skills. ELT Journal, 43(1), 4-13.

Hirsh, D., & Nation,P. (1992). What vocabulary size is needed to read unsimplified texts for pleasure? Reading in a Foreign Language,8(2), 689-696.

Huang, X.,& van Naerssen, M. (1987). Learning strategies for oral communication. Applied Linguistics, 8(3), 287-307.

Joe, A.,Nation,P., & Newton, J. (forthcoming).Sensitive vocabulary tests.

Laufer, B. (1989). What percentage of text-lexis is essential for comprehension? In C. Lauren & M. Nordman (Eds.), Special language: From humans thinking to thinking machines. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Longman Structural Readers Handbook. (1976). London: Longman. (2nd ed.)

Nagy, W. E., Herman, P., & Anderson, R. C. (1985). Learning words from context. Reading Research Quarterly, 20, 233-253.

Pickard, N. (1996). Out of class language learning strategies. ELT Journal, 50(2), 150-159.

Pitts, M., White, H., & Krashen, S.(1989).Acquiring second language vocabulary through reading: A replication of the Clockwork Orange study using second language acquirers. Reading in a Foreign Language, 5(2), 271-275.

Robb, T. N., & Susser, B. (1989). Extensive reading vs skill building in an EFL context. Reading in a Foreign Language, 5(2), 239-251.

Saragi, T., Nation, I. S. P., & Meister, G. F. (1978). Vocabulary learning and reading. System, 6(2), 72ñ78.

Tsang, W. (1996). Comparing the effects of reading and writing on writing performance. Applied Linguistics, 17(2), 210-233.

Tudor, I., & Hafiz, F. (1989). Extensive reading as a means of input to L2 learning. Journal of Research in Reading, 12(2), 164-178.

West, M. (1953). A general service list of English words. London: Longman.

Wodinsky, M., & Nation, P. (1988). Learning from graded readers. Reading in a Foreign Language, 5(1), 155-161.

 

(c) Copyright 1997 Paul Nation

 

Due to restrictions in the format of SHARE we regret to inform that we had to delete a number of tables that were included in the original article as submitted by Ms Ryan. Please find the complete article in: http://langue.hyper.chubu.ac.jp/jalt/pub/tlt/97/may/extensive.html

 

 

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2.-   A RECIPE FOR DISATER IN YOUR CLASSROOM

 

Our dear SHARER Patricia Fernandez Torres from San Luís, Argentina sent us this article:

 

It's not what you know

Expecting children to think before they have mastered basic learning skills is a recipe for disaster, argues Chris Woodhead

 

By Chris Woodhead
Wednesday January 29, 2003
The Guardian

 

"What do you think?" our children are asked, lesson after lesson, day after day. They are probably asked how they feel even more often, but it is a close run thing. Everybody must empathise and introspect; everybody, however ignorant, must have an opinion. What matters these days is the critical engagement, the process of thought, the honing of judgment. And the relevance, of course, of what is discussed to the social, economic and political realities that lie beyond the classroom. Gone are the bad, old Gradgrindian days when the teacher, an authority in his or her subject, taught children things they did not know. "We now know," Professor John MacBeath of Cambridge University writes, "that ... far from thinking coming after knowledge, knowledge comes on the coat tails of thinking. Instead of knowledge-based schools we need thinking-centred schools."

So, yes, why not? Let us bring political opinions right into the heart of the classroom. We will need, of course, to ensure that children are not exposed to blatant propaganda, but that is not difficult. The teacher simply becomes a "neutral chairman" who holds the ring. Nothing could be easier. The fact that they do not know enough to have an opinion is neither here nor there. "Knowledge comes on the coat tails of thinking". Stupid. Let our children engage with the great political questions of the day and they will come, naturally and inevitably, to assimilate whatever knowledge and understanding they need. Like most of the orthodoxies peddled so enthusiastically by the great and the good of the education establishment, it sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

In fact, it is a recipe for yet further disaster. Here is someone who understands rather more about teaching than the Cambridge professor I have just quoted - Jonathan Smith, who taught English for 30 years at Tonbridge. "The best teachers," he observes, "tell you things. Now the pupil is told less, and yet, paradoxically, the less he is told the more he is being told to think for himself." Primary school teachers are expected to give their seven-year-olds the opportunity "to find out about the main political and social institutions that affect their lives". Children, for their part, must learn "to understand and respect our common humanity, diversity and differences so that they can go on to form effective, fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning".

What bothers me most is not the possibility of indoctrination, though this is real and serious. It is, rather, the sheer Alice in Wonderland unreality of those who want to substitute these cosmic aspirations for the teaching of basic skills and knowledge. For, obviously enough, the more time that is devoted, in primary or secondary classrooms, to the exploration of political opinion, the less time there is for the mastery of that learning upon which any serious exploration of the issues that affect our "common humanity" depends.

Why, the national curriculum order for citizenship asks, is world peace so elusive? Why indeed? In my mid-50s, I am hard pushed to marshal a half-coherent response. But this is a question the government believes primary school children can ponder in a meaningful way. It is ridiculous, and a ridiculous waste of time that ought to be used for genuinely educational purposes. Is it surprising that 200,000 seven-year-olds cannot read?

When George Walden was MP for Buckingham he paid a visit to one of his local primary schools. He stood watching a history lesson. The subject was the French resistance. The children clearly had very little idea who was resisting what, or, even, where France might be. But this did not matter. The teacher was telling the class how a little girl had had to watch her father being dragged off by the Gestapo. How, the teacher asked (yes, you have guessed it), would you have felt if you had been that little girl and it was your father? Silence, George noted, reigned. Then one pupil screwed up their eyes in concentration, deliberated, and delivered the expected reply: "I would not have liked it, Miss."

This is the banal endgame, the inevitable consequence of hostility to the teaching of real knowledge, on the one hand, and a determination, on the other, to push the pupil's emotional and intellectual response centre stage. The truth is that we need less politics in the classroom, less opinion generally. Forget the rhetoric of citizenship and the strident calls to render the curriculum more student-centred, more politically relevant. The truth today is that 27% of respondents to a recent poll did not realise that joining the euro means scrapping the pound. Only half of a random survey of 18-year-olds knew that the Battle of Britain took place in 1940. Eleven percent thought that it took place in 1066 and that the troops involved were cavalry.

We can encourage our children to spout ill-informed prejudice. We can applaud their attempts to criticise and question accepted opinion. We can, unrealistically, expect the teachers who have to conduct such lessons to maintain a studied, impenetrable neutrality. Or we can revert to a traditional belief in education as a transaction between the generations in which what matters is not the sound and fury of the immediate political controversy, but the best that has been thought and known. Sadly, I do not think any of us should hold our breath.

 

EducationGuardian.co.uk © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003

http://education.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4593861,00.html

 

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3.-   YOUTHSPEAK

 

Our dear SHARER Gerardo Martino from Mar del Plata, Argentina wants to SHARE this top ten list with all of us.