SHARE
An Electronic Magazine by Omar
Villarreal and Marina Kirac ©
Year
7
Number
170
September 5th 2006
10,944 SHARERS are reading this issue of SHARE this week
__________________________________________________________
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
__________________________________________________________
Dear SHARERS,
It´s all good news. We are thrilled.
Scarcely a week after the launching of the 2006 SHARE Convention, enrolment
forms have started to arrive from as distant places as
has dispelled all our doubts and has
proved Marina and the kids (and our battalion of friends) right: we had to have
a SHARE Convention.
So this is where we are…and we are
happy about what we have got to offer:
Some of the finest lecturers in our
country will be addressing the semi-plenaries.
The topics have been carefully chosen
so as to answer that too often asked question: HOW TO…?
The whole Convention will be centred
around the provision of practical and down-to-earth examples that the REAL
teacher can use in the REAL classroom.
A bonus section of three
semi-plenaries (conveniently scattered around the timetable) on
Discipline and Classroom Management
conducted by a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a mediator and a family
counsellor.
And an incredibly hilarious play,
“Gimme a Break”, by Celia Zubiri´s outstanding Bs As Players.
Have you visited our Website? We are
very proud of it. Please follow this link and join us in an exciting academic
tour and a photo tour of San Telmo (City of
http://www.shareeducation.com.ar/congresses/HOWTO/index.htm
It will an unforgettable experience,
Two days for our enormous SHARE family to celebrate teaching and learning, to
get together and celebrate that sublime capacity of our readers to SHARE.
We really hope to see you there.
Love
Omar and Marina
______________________________________________________________________
In SHARE 170
1.- Developing reading comprehension questions.
2.- EFL- Teaching English in an
Argentinian Context.
3.-
Ploys to Play.
4.- The
Earlier the Better? Children learning Languages II
5.- Primeras Jornadas
Internacionales de Traductología
6.- Writer
Glenn Patterson in Argentina.
7.- ELT Western Conference.
8.-
Philip Prowse at the British Art Centre.
9.- Andrew
Walkey´s Tour of
10.- Llamados a Concurso para Titularidades.
11.-
12.- Positions Vacant.
13.- Workshops
for Kinder & Pre-kinder Teachers.
14.- Forthcoming Activities at Universidad
Del Museo Social Argentino.
15.- The Bs. As. Players: September
Performances.
16.- Language Seminar in
17.- Becas de Postgrado en Australia.
18.- Reseñas
Educativas / Education Review.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.- DEVELOPING
The following is an article that our
dear friend Sergio Damonte wanted to SHARE with all of us:
Developing reading
comprehension questions
By Richard R. Day
and
Abstract
This article presents a detailed
picture of six types of comprehension and five forms of questions that can be
used to help students become interactive readers. The taxonomies of the types
of comprehension and the forms of questions may also be used as a checklist for
language teachers as well as materials developers. Teachers can use the
taxonomies to make their own comprehension questions for texts that their
students read to help them understand better what they read. In addition, they
can be used to analyze instructional materials and to develop materials to
ensure that the various forms of questions are used to help students respond to
a variety of types of comprehension.
keywords: comprehension questions,
teaching reading, materials development, evaluation
Some reading tasks
This article is somewhat different
from most journal articles. We ask that you read the article, and then answer
the questions in Appendix A. We also ask you to identify the type of
comprehension and form of each question. The answers to the comprehension
questions, identification of the type of comprehension each represents, and the
form of the question are given in Appendix B. It may be useful to look over the
questions in Appendix A before reading the article.
After you have finished answering the
questions, identifying the types of comprehension and the forms of the
questions, and checking your answers in Appendix B, we suggest you apply what
you have learned by reading the short article in Appendix C and developing your
own comprehension questions for the article. You might want to work with a
colleague and discuss your responses and the article with each other. Appendix
D contains a large number of comprehension questions that we developed for that
text to illustrate the range of possibilities.
Introduction
In the last several decades, theories
and models of reading have changed, from seeing reading as primarily receptive
processes from text to reader to interactive processes between the reader and the
text (cf., Adams, 1990; Eskey and Grabe, 1988; Perfetti, 1985; Samuels, 1994;
Stanovich, 1992; and Swaffar, 1988). Approaches to the teaching of foreign
language reading have attempted to reflect this development through interactive
exercises and tasks. The use of questions is an integral aspect of such
activities, and in our experiences as language teachers we have seen that
well-designed comprehension questions help students interact with the text to
create or construct meaning.
We believe that it is critical that
teachers help their students create meaning. In a study of first grade
teachers, Pressley, Wharton-McDonald, Allington, Block, Morrow, Tracey, Baker,
Brooks, Cronin, Nelson, and Woo (2001) found that exemplary first-grade
teachers had their students actively engaged in actual reading and writing
through activities that involved reading, writing, and doing things with the
text. This active involvement contrasted sharply with other classrooms where
the students' engagement was passive – taking turns reading aloud or listening
to their teachers. In addition, we have seen well-developed comprehension
questions help our students begin to think critically and intelligently.
The purpose of this article is to
present a detailed picture of six types of comprehension. We also describe five
forms of questions. The six types of comprehension and the five forms of
questions can be used to help students become interactive readers. These types
of comprehension and forms of questions are a result of our work in teaching
foreign language reading and in developing materials for teaching foreign
language reading.
The taxonomies of the types of
comprehension and the forms of questions are designed to be used as a checklist
for language teachers as well as materials developers. Teachers can use the
taxonomies to make their own comprehension questions for texts that their
students read to help them understand better what they read. In addition, they
can be used to analyze instructional materials and to develop materials to
ensure that the various forms of questions are used to help students respond to
a variety of types of comprehension.
We look first at the six types of
comprehension, with a brief description of each. Then we examine how the five
question forms can be used to engage students in the six types of
comprehension. Both the types of comprehension and the forms of questions are
shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Grid for Developing and
Evaluating
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Types of Comprehension |
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Literal |
Reorganization |
Inference |
Prediction |
Evaluation |
Personal Response |
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Yes/No |
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Alternative |
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True or False |
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Who/What/ When/Where/ How/Why |
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Multiple Choice |
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Types of comprehension
As noted previously, the six types of
comprehension that we propose and discuss are based on our experiences in teaching
reading and developing materials. We do not intend this taxonomy to cover all
possible interpretations of comprehension; we have found the six types to be
useful in helping our students become interactive readers. Our taxonomy has
been influenced in particular by the work of Pearson and Johnson (1972) and
Nuttall (1996).1
Literal comprehension
Literal comprehension refers to an
understanding of the straightforward meaning of the text, such as facts,
vocabulary, dates, times, and locations. Questions of literal comprehension can
be answered directly and explicitly from the text. In our experiences working
with teachers, we have found that they often check on literal comprehension
first to make sure that their students have understood the basic or surface
meaning of the text.
An example of a literal comprehension
question about this article is: How many types of comprehension do the authors
discuss?
Reorganization
The next type of comprehension is
reorganization. Reorganization is based on a literal understanding of the text;
students must use information from various parts of the text and combine them
for additional understanding. For example, we might read at the beginning of a
text that a woman named Maria Kim was born in 1945 and then later at the end of
the text that she died in
Questions that address this type of
comprehension are important because they teach students to examine the text in
its entirety, helping them move from a sentence-by-sentence consideration of
the text to a more global view. In our experience, students generally find
reorganization questions somewhat more difficult than straightforward literal
comprehension questions.
Inference
Making inferences involves more than a
literal understanding. Students may initially have a difficult time answering
inference questions because the answers are based on material that is in the
text but not explicitly stated. An inference involves students combining their
literal understanding of the text with their own knowledge and intuitions.
An example of a question that requires
the reader to make an inference is: Are the authors of this article experienced
language teachers? The answer is not in the text but there is information in
the third paragraph, page 2 of this article that allows the reader to make a
good inference: "These types of comprehension and forms of questions are a
result of our work in teaching foreign language reading and in developing
materials for teaching foreign language reading." Readers are required to
use their knowledge of the field, teaching foreign language reading, with what
they have gained from reading the article, in particular that sentence, to
construct an appropriate answer. That is, readers might understand that
newcomers to the profession generally do not develop materials or write articles,
so the authors are probably experienced language teachers.
Prediction
The fourth comprehension type,
prediction, involves students using both their understanding of the passage and
their own knowledge of the topic and related matters in a systematic fashion to
determine what might happen next or after a story ends.
We use two varieties of prediction,
while-reading and post- (after) reading. While-reading prediction questions
differ from post-reading prediction questions in that students can immediately
learn the accuracy of their predictions by continuing to read the passage. For
example, students could read the first two paragraphs of a passage and then be
asked a question about what might happen next. They can determine the answer by
reading the reminder of the text.
In contrast, post-reading prediction
questions generally have no right answers in that students cannot continue to
read to confirm their predictions. However, predictions must be supported by
information from the text. Generally, scholarly articles, such as this one, do
not allow for post-reading prediction questions. Other types of writing, such
as fiction, are fertile ground for such questions. To illustrate, consider a
romance in which the woman and man are married as the novel comes to a close. A
post-reading prediction question might be: Do you think they will stay married?
Why or why not? Depending on a variety of factors including evidence in the
text and personal experiences of the reader, either a yes or a no answer could
be justified.
Having students make predictions
before they read the text is a pre-reading activity. We do not see this type of
prediction as a type of comprehension. Rather, it is an activity that allows
students to realize how much they know about the topic of the text.
Evaluation
The fifth type of comprehension,
evaluation, requires the learner to give a global or comprehensive judgment
about some aspect of the text. For example, a comprehension question that
requires the reader to give an evaluation of this article is: How will the
information in this article be useful to you? In order to answer this type of
question, students must use both a literal understanding of the text and their
knowledge of the text's topic and related issues. Some students, because of
cultural factors, may be reluctant to be critical or to disagree with the
printed word. In such circumstances, the teacher might want to model possible
answers to evaluation questions, making sure to include both positive and
negative aspects.
Personal response
The sixth type of comprehension,
personal response, requires readers to respond with their feelings for the text
and the subject. The answers are not found in the text; they come strictly from
the readers. While no personal responses are incorrect, they cannot be
unfounded; they must relate to the content of the text and reflect a literal
understanding of the material.
An example of a comprehension question
that requires a personal response is: What do you like or dislike about this
article? Like an evaluation question, students have to use both their literal
understanding and their own knowledge to respond.
Also, like evaluation questions,
cultural factors may make some students hesitate to be critical or to disagree
with the printed word. Teacher modeling of various responses is helpful in
these situations.
Summary of comprehension
types
If we believe that reading is an
interactive process in which the reader constructs meaning with the text, then
we need to help our students learn to do this. This means moving beyond a
literal understanding of a text, and allowing our students to use their own
knowledge while reading. It may be challenging, however, for beginning and
intermediate students to create their own understanding, if they are accustomed
to reading word-for-word and focusing on meaning at the word- and
sentence-levels.
When questions move beyond a literal
understanding, students' answers have to be motivated by information in the
text. Inference questions can have clearly correct and incorrect responses. In
contrast, prediction, evaluation, and personal response answers are correct as
long as they depend primarily on students' reactions to what they read.
Evaluative and personal response answers not only depend primarily on students'
reactions to what they have read, but they need to reflect a global
understanding of the text.
Finally, research has shown that
effective teachers and teachers in more effective schools are more frequently
observed asking higher level questions, questions that go beyond a literal
understanding of a text, than less effective teachers and teachers in less
effective schools (Knapp, 1995; Taylor, Peterson, Pearson, and Rodriguez,
2002). This provides a solid reason for teachers to engage their students in
all six types of comprehension.
There is another reason for using a
variety of questions that involve different types of comprehension. Guszak
(1967, cited in Pearson and Johnson, 1972: 154) found that students performed
best when answering questions of factual recall, which was the type of question
that their teachers asked most often. This means that students do best at what
they have learned and practiced. Thus, if we would like our students to be able
to go beyond a literal understanding of a text, then it is necessary to teach
them how to do this and to give them opportunities to work with different types
of comprehension.
This taxonomy of comprehension types
is not an inventory of reading skills and strategies. It is, rather, an
overview of types of understanding that foreign language learners need to have
if they are to read a text with more than a literal understanding. How these
types of comprehension can be approached through a variety of question forms is
the focus of the next section.
Forms of questions
We present and discuss five forms that
comprehension questions may take to stimulate students' understanding of texts.
This is not a discussion of all possible ways of questioning students. For
example, we do not discuss fill-in-the-blank activities or cloze, as such
activities or tasks may be more appropriate for assessing, and not
comprehending, the types of comprehension presented and discussed in the
previous section.
Yes/no questions
Yes/no questions are simply questions
that can be answered with either yes or no. For example, Is this article about
testing reading comprehension? This is a common form of comprehension question,
but it has the drawback of allowing the student a 50% chance of guessing the
correct answer. So when using yes/no questions, we recommend following up with
other forms of questions to ensure that the student has understood the text.
Yes/no questions can be used to prompt
all six types of comprehension. When yes/no questions are used with personal
response or evaluation, other forms of questions seem to follow readily. For
example, Did you like this article? Why? The follow-up questions may be more
useful in helping students than the initial yes/no questions.
Alternative questions
Alternative questions are two or more
yes/no questions connected with or: for example, Does this article focus on the
use of questions to teach reading comprehension or to test reading
comprehension? Similar to yes/no questions, alternative questions are subject
to guessing, so the teacher may want to follow up with other forms discussed in
this section.
Alternative questions have worked best
for us with literal, reorganization, inference, and prediction types of
comprehension. We have found that they do not lend themselves as well to
evaluation and personal response.
True or false
Questions may also take the form of
true or false. While true or false questions are found frequently in
commercially available materials, there is a potential danger in relying
exclusively on them. As with yes/no questions, students have a 50% chance of
guessing the correct answer. Teachers might simply accept a right answer,
failing to ask why the answer is correct or the distracters (the wrong choices)
are not correct.
An example of a true or false question
focusing on literal comprehension is: Is this statement true or false?: The
authors believe that the use of well-designed comprehension questions will help
students become better readers.
True or false questions are difficult
to prepare. The false answers must be carefully designed so as to exploit
potential misunderstandings of the text. False answers that are obviously
incorrect do not help teach comprehension because students do not have to
understand the text to recognize them as incorrect. True or false questions may
also be hard to write because sometimes, as written, both answers are
plausible, regardless of the degree of comprehension of the text.
Like yes/no questions, true or false
questions can be used to prompt all six types of comprehension. When used with
personal response or evaluation, follow-up tasks are sometimes necessary. To
illustrate, a personal response question about this article might be: Is this
statement true or false? I like this article. Explain your choice.
Wh- questions
Questions beginning with where, what,
when, who, how, and why are commonly called wh-questions. In our experience, we
have found that they are excellent in helping students with a literal
understanding of the text, with reorganizing information in the text, and
making evaluations, personal responses and predictions. They are also used as
follow-ups to other questions forms, such as yes/no and alternative.
In particular, wh- questions with
how/why are often used to help students to go beyond a literal understanding of
the text. As beginning and intermediate readers are often reluctant to do this,
using how/why questions can be very helpful in aiding students to become
interactive readers.
Multiple-choice
Multiple-choice questions are based on
other forms of questions. They can be, for example, a wh-question with a
choice:
When was Maria Kim born?
a. 1940
b. 1945
c. 1954
d. 1990
Generally, but not always, this form
of question has only one correct answer when dealing with literal
comprehension.
The multiple-choice format may make
wh-questions easier to answer than no-choice wh-questions because they give the
students some possible answers. Students might be able to check the text to see
if any of the choices are specifically discussed, and then make a choice.
Multiple-choice questions may be used
most effectively, in our experience, with literal comprehension. They can also
be used with prediction and evaluation. However, when used for these types of
comprehension, we suggest using follow-up activities that allow students to
explain their choices.
As with true or false questions,
developing good multiple-choice questions requires careful thought. We have
found that developing a question with four choices works best for students with
low proficiency in the target language. One of the four, obviously, is the
desired answer; the others should be seemingly plausible responses.
An important consideration
Regardless of the level of
comprehension or the form of the question, teachers and materials developers
need to make sure that the questions are used to help students interact with
the text. This can be done by making sure that students keep the text in front
of them while answering questions on the text. They should always be able to
refer to the reading passage, for we are interested in teaching reading
comprehension, not memory skills.
Another element in ensuring that the
questions actually teach is avoiding what we call tricky questions. If the goal
is helping students to improve their reading comprehension abilities, teachers
must resist the temptation to trick them with cleverly worded questions (e.g.,
a complex sentence in which one clause is true and the other is false).
Negative wording in a question can also make it tricky. Such unclear or
misleading questions tend to discourage students. It is better to ask about
important aspects of the text in a straightforward, unambiguous fashion.
Conclusion
In our experience, the use of
well-designed comprehension questions can be used to promote an understanding
of a text. However, comprehension questions are only a means to an end. The use
of questions by themselves does not necessarily result in readers who interact
with a text utilizing the six types of comprehension discussed in this article.
The teacher, through a combination of teacher-fronted and group activities,
must promote a discussion of the answers, both the right and wrong ones, so
that students are actively involved in creating meaning.
We would like to end on a note of
caution. Beware of the death by comprehension questions syndrome. The use of
comprehension questions in teaching reading can be overdone. Even the most
highly motivated student can become bored having to answer 20 questions on a
three-paragraph text. As with most things in life, moderation is the best
course of action.
Notes
1. For other treatments of
comprehension, see Applegate, Quinn, and Applegate (2002), Bartlett (1932),
Barrett (1972, cited in Smith and Barrett, 1974 pp. 53-58), Keene and Zimmerman
(1997), Nuttall (1996), and Pearson and Johnson (1972).
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our
appreciation for the insightful comments and suggestions by two anonymous
reviewers.
References
Adams, M. J. (1990). Beginning to
read: Thinking and learning about print.
Applegate, M. D., Quinn, K. B., &
Applegate, A. J. (2002). Levels of thinking required by comprehension questions
in informal reading inventories. The
Barrett, T. C. (1972). Taxonomy of
reading comprehension. Reading 360 Monograph.
Bartlett, F. C. (1932). Remembering.
Eskey, D. & Grabe, W. (1988).
Interactive models for second language reading: Perspectives on instruction. In
P. Carrell, J. Devine, & D. Eskey (Eds.), Interactive approaches to second
language reading (pp. 223-239).
Guszak, F. J. (1967). Teacher
questioning and reading. The
Keene, E. O. & Zimmermann, S.
(1997). Mosaic of thought: Teaching comprehension in a reader's workshop.
Knapp, M. S. (1995). Teaching for
meaning in high-poverty classrooms.
Nuttall, C. (1996). Teaching reading
skills in a foreign language. (2nd ed.)
Pearson, P. D. & Johnson,
Perfetti, C. A. (1985). Reading
ability.
Pressley, M., Wharton-McDonald, R.,
Allington, R., Block, C. C., Morrow, L., Tracey, D., Baker, K., Brooks, G.,
Cronin, J., Nelson, E., & Woo, D. (2001). A study of effective first-grade
literacy instruction. Scientific Studies of
Samuels, S. J. (1994). Toward a theory
of automatic information processing reading, revisited. In R. B. Ruddell, M. R.
Ruddell, & H. Singer (Eds.), Theoretical models and processes of reading
(4th ed.) (pp. 816-837).
Smith, R. J. & Barrett, T. C.
(1974). Teaching reading in the middle grades.
Stanovich, K. E. (1992). The
psychology of reading: Evolutionary and revolutionary developments. In W. Grabe
(Ed.), Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 12 (pp. 3-30).
Swaffar, J. K. (1988). Readers, texts,
and second languages: The interactive process. Modern Language Journal, 80,
461-477.
Taylor, B. M., Peterson, D. S.,
Pearson, P. D., & Rodriguez, M. C. (2002). Looking inside classrooms:
Reflecting on the "How" as well as the "What" in effective
reading instruction. The
Appendix A: Comprehension
Questions
Instructions: After reading the
article, answer these questions. Then, identify the form of each of the ten
questions and their type of comprehension. The answers are found in Appendix B.
1. Why do the authors believe that it
might be difficult for beginning and intermediate students to answer evaluation
questions?
2. True or False: The authors believe
that the use of well-designed comprehension questions will help students become
better readers.
3. How many types of comprehension do
the authors discuss?
4. What are the strengths of the
article? What are its weak points?
5. Is the purpose of the article to
present information on teaching reading or to explain how comprehension
questions can be used to teach reading?
6. Why did the authors write this article?
7. Would you recommend the article to
a colleague?
8. Did you like the article? Why or
why not?
9. What is the motivation for the use
of comprehension questions?
a. It helps students to learn more
vocabulary.
b. It helps students to develop their
sight or hearing vocabularies.
c. It helps students interact with the
text to construct understanding.
d. It helps students develop important
strategies such as skimming.
10. What was the most important thing
you learned from reading this article?
Appendix B: Possible
Answers and Identification of Forms of Questions and Types of Comprehension
|
|
Form |
Type of Comprehension |
|
1. Because the answers are not found in the text. |
Wh- |
literal |
|
2. True |
True or False |
literal |
|
3. Six |
Wh- |
literal |
|
4. (possible) strength: well written; (possible) weakness: too many
tasks |
Wh- |
evaluation |
|
5. To explain how comprehension questions can be used to teach reading |
Alternative |
literal |
|
6. There are a number of possible answers. One is: They wanted to
share their experiences with other reading teachers. |
Wh- |
inference |
|
7. Yes! |
Yes/no |
evaluation |
|
8. Yes, because it will be useful in developing my own comprehension
questions. |
Yes/no with a wh- follow up. |
personal response |
|
9. c |
Multiple choice |
literal |
|
10. I have learned how to develop comprehension questions. |
Wh- |
personal response |
Appendix C: Community
Service
I was reluctant to go there on that
first day, and as I waited outside the director's office, my anxiety only
increased. My legs felt like lead. "There" was a rehabilitation
residence for mentally and physically ill people. My dad, a doctor, had
insisted on my volunteering at the residence. He wanted my high school
community service requirement to be filled in a productive way. I felt the
same. The previous summer I had gardened and picked up trash, activities that
didn't really seem to make the meaningful difference that I thought I wanted to
make. Still, I was scared imagining what the realities of working at the
residence would be.
The director was brief. She told me
about the need to establish emotional connections with the residents, then
rushed to introduce me to a group of 15, their ages ranging from 8 to 21, that
I was asked to supervise. My charges welcomed me graciously. Some tried to clap
but couldn't bring both hands together; some tried to say hello, but their
speech was so impaired that I really only guessed at what they said. Most
conspicuous among them was Young-il. He was older than I, and he was the only
one who spoke clearly enough for me to understand fully. Young-il had the face
of a 30 year-old, but he was barely four feet tall. He took me in charge at
first and, stumbling as he walked, showed me around and taught me the basics of
the residents' routine. I was embarrassed when he told me what to do; to be
frank, I felt as if I were being instructed by a child. Later, thinking back on
my condescension toward that kind, intelligent man, I felt a much deeper
embarrassment.
The youngest was Sung-Min. He was
eight years old, only three feet tall, and his fingers were all odd shapes and
sizes. A teacher told me that Sung-Min's fingers used to be fused, but he had
recently had an operation. Sung-Min now had five discrete digits on each hand,
but their irregular forms still made it very hard for him to grasp things. In
spite of his physical struggles, Sung-Min was the brightest and most energetic
person at the residence. On my second day of work, he was the first to greet
me, something I was grateful for, since not all of the residents remembered my
face.
Helping at lunch was my most difficult
task. It required considerable patience. Some residents had trouble focusing on
eating and would often start shaking their heads violently as I tried to feed
them. But whatever their physical challenges and discomforts were and however
unappealing the food was, none of the residents ever complained. I couldn't
help contrasting the residents' behavior with mine. I was again embarrassed to
think about my regular pickiness, my refusal to eat this or that or at all, my
demands for particular foods; and I began to hope that the road to wisdom was
paved with such small embarrassments.
After my first lunch at the residence,
a teacher took over the group. Everyone in the room said goodbye in his own
way, and Sung-Min, the little guy with the mismatched fingers, accompanied me
to the door and hugged my knees. I walked home, my legs much lighter than they
had been that morning. My fears and worries had disappeared; in their place
were the surprising beginnings of an emotional connection that I had thought
was beyond me. I was looking forward to seeing the residents again, to helping
them, I hoped, and having them help me.
(This is adapted from a college essay
written by Jun-Min Kim, November 2003, and used by permission.)
Appendix D: Questions for
Community Service
(Note: We have developed a large number
of questions to illustrate the variety of types of comprehension and forms of
questions. For an article the length of "Community Service" – about
600 words – we would recommend no more than ten questions. A = the Author)
LITERAL
2. The residents of the rehabilitation
home were mostly old men. T/F
3. Did the director of the residence
think it was necessary that A learn sign language or establish an emotional
connection to work with the residents?
4. Who was the youngest resident at
the home?
5. Who taught A the basic routines of
the home?
6. What was A's most difficult daily
assignment?
7. When did A garden and pick up trash
in his neighborhood?
8. Why did A's father want A to work
at the residence?
9. How many residents did A supervise?
10. How did A feel when he first
arrived at the residence?
11. Did A first go to the home by
himself?
12. The institution where A worked
was:
a) a hospital
b) a school
c) a rehabilitation residence
d) a job training center
13. When A was leaving the residence
after the first day, Sung-Min ______
a) sang a song.
b) hugged A's leg.
c) showed him around the residence.
d) gave A some food.
REORGANIZATION
14. Is Young-il a child?
15. How did most the residents
communicate with A?
16. Was the operation on Sung-Min's
hands a complete success?
INFERENCE
19. Was Sung-Min able to speak
clearly?
20. Sung-Min hugged A's leg:
a) because they were playing a game
b) because he wanted to be fed
c) to help him understand the
residents' daily routine
d) as his way of saying goodbye
21. How has A's attitudes toward and
understanding of disabled or disadvantaged changed through his experience at
the residence?
22. Did the residents only play or did
they also study?
23. Do you think that A's work at the
residence made a meaningful difference to the people there?
24. Why do you think A's work at the
residence made a meaningful difference to him?
25. Why did A feel as if he were being
instructed by a child when Young-il taught him about the residence?
PREDICTION
26. Do you think that A will continue
to volunteer at the residence after his school requirement is satisfied?
27. Imagine that next summer A is
offered the opportunity to either return to his volunteer work at the residence
or to participate in a foreign-language study program abroad. Which do you
think he will choose?
28. While feeding the residents, A is
embarrassed remembering his own behavior at mealtimes. Do you think that A will
change the way he behaves?
EVALUATION
27. This essay was written as part of
a college application. Is the essay effective in presenting the author as an
attractive or interesting candidate to an admission officer in a college?
28. Is this article well-written?
PERSONAL RESPONSE
29. Was A's decision to work at the rehabilitation
residence a good choice for satisfying his school community-service
requirement?
30. How do you feel about A? Do you
like him?
31. Which person in the essay do you
find most interesting? Who, in the essay, would you like to meet?
32. What experiences have you had with
disabled or disadvantaged people?
33. Would you like to or be willing to
volunteer at the residence?
34. What other activities do you think
would be good community service activities?
About the Authors
Richard R. Day is a Professor in the
Department of Second Language Studies,
© Reading in a Foreign Language
Volume 17, Number 1, April 2005
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.- EFL- TEACHING ENGLISH IN AN ARGENTINIAN CONTEXT
Our dear SHARER Karina Elbey has sent us this
article that she wroteletter which we SHARE with all of you:
EFL- Teaching English in
an Argentinian Context
By Karina Elbey
The purpose of this work is to
describe the factors that might account for the individual differences in
achievement of a group of twenty-seven false–beginner learners, whose ages
range from eighteen to twenty-two, and who attend evening lessons after a
full-time job.
In the last twenty years the emphasis
of research has shifted from the study of methods for the teaching of English,
to the observation of what goes on in the classroom. Much time has been devoted
to studying the influence of different factors on success in learning a new
language. The study of these variables is important to make teachers aware of
the complexity and diversity of their learners, and how these contribute to
their learning.
We can begin by noting that Gardner
and McIntyre (1992) have classified learner’s variables into cognitive,
affective and miscellaneous categories. The first category involves different
aspects of cognition, from intelligence to language aptitude, to language
learning strategies, to previous language training and experience. These
factors are considered to be internal to the learner, so they are very
difficult to be observed by a third person. This can be solved in two ways:
one, through the use of diary studies where the individual learners keep daily
records of their experience in learning an L2, and the other, when teachers use
questionnaires and interviews with individual learners.
The second category is affective
variables, those attributes that involve individuals’ reactions to any situation.
These can refer to attitudes and motivation, language anxiety, feelings of
self-confidence about the language, ambiguity tolerance and learning styles.
Hahn (1989,9) states that “affective characteristics have at least as much
influence on learning as do ability factors”.
The final miscellaneous category
includes factors like age, or socio-cultural experiences which can have either
cognitive or affective implications. Even though it is assumed that the route
of acquisition of a foreign language is not influenced by age, adults seem to
acquire primary levels more rapidly because of their greater cognitive
abilities, but very seldom a native- like pronunciation as children do so
easily. Depending upon the socio-cultural context, these variables might play
roles of differing importance as they facilitate learning.
Let us turn now to the aspects that
affect the language learning process of a group of false-beginner adults
–fifteen female and twelve male students- in a school in
Furthermore, attitude , which
has great effect on acquisition, is in most cases negative because
learners consider English a very difficult language. As a possible effect of
the characteristics described above, they also seem to possess few language
learning strategies to facilitate their learning.
A positive aspect which can be
detected is motivation, which seems to be strong as in most of the learners,
who, with the exception of the four youngest girls, consider English crucial
for their personal development. The importance of this aspect in language
teaching is well known and can be used by the teacher to personalise
instruction.
Some of them seem able to pick things
up quickly and remember them, while others are slower, lack study skills and
generally experience more difficulties in learning. There are also remarkable
differences in the students’ background knowledge, not only of the world but
also of their skills and talents in other areas. Some of these differences may
be linked to age, sex, different levels of maturity, different interests and so
on.
Their language anxiety is lowered
making them work in groups. To be in an environment which allows them to
interact freely without feeling ashamed of their errors, helps them to develop
the positive attitude they need. Also, with a clear understanding of what they
are doing and why, students can have confidence in their teacher and in the
subject, key elements mentioned by students in studies quoted by Harmer (1991:
5-6). The student-centred approach is one of the main aims in my teaching
methodology because it leads to the aim of enabling students to develop the
tools they would need to further their
independent study of English.
Furthermore, if materials are interesting and varied, if teacher and student
roles do not become static, and if there is an element of challenge and the
unexpected in lessons, then the students will rarely become bored.
The performance of this group does not
seem to be affected by age, as none of them is in what is considered “the
critical age” (up to 12). Nevertheless, it may affect the type of motivation
they have. According to this and taking into account Maslow’s pyramid, we can
conclude that these learners are characterised as persuing a long term
motivation, because their purpose for studying English- to acquire proficiency
to get a better job- is a long term goal. It is clear that we are referring to
an “instrumental” motivation : to learn the language for utilitarian and practical
reasons.
As a result of these strategies
described previously, one of the positive signs I have noticed during this year
is that I could be able to cope with almost all the obstacles found at the
beginning of the year and, fortunately, problems of absences that occur in
other subjects are not present in English.
To finish with, as we could see, the
individual learner is a complex and many-sided phenomenon, and this
individuality, as Littlewood (1981) expresses, must be respected and encouraged
to find _expression. To conclude we can say that it is important that teachers
of foreign languages should take students personalities and cognitive variables
into account because ultimately “what is learned is controlled by the learner,
and not the teacher, not the textbooks, not the syllabus” (Ellis, 1993, 4).
Bibliography:
•Ellis, R (1993) “Second Language
Acquisition Research: how does it help teachers?” ELT Journal, vol.47/I,4
•Hahn,C. (1989) “Dealing with
variables in the Language Classroom” English Teaching Forum, XXVII 4, pp 9-11.
•
•Harmer, J. (1991) The practice of
English Language Teaching, New edition,
•Littlewood, W. (1981) Communicative
Language Teaching,
About the author:
Karina
Elbey is a teacher and translator and a Licenciada en Educación from Universidad
Nacional de Quilmes. She is currently
persuing postgraduate studies at the
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.- PLOYS TO PLAY
Our dear SHARERS Mónica Valicenti and María Laura Conte have sent us
this article to SHARE with all of you.
Ploys to play
Mónica Valicenti, María Laura Conte,
Argentina
The value of play
Most dictionaries coincide that the
word "ploy" refers to clever methods of getting an advantage
especially by pretending something that is not true. We will definitely adopt
these "clever methods" but we will try to redefine the term
"pretending" with the purpose of attaining some practical teaching
goals. If pretending meant "making someone believe", if pretending
meant "diving into an imaginary world", then we would recoin the term
to get ready to play along.
Important advances in research on
human behaviour have brought about significant innovations in the teaching
field. Parents, teachers, and all others concerned with the challenge of human
growth have finally reached practical conclusions that are gradually being
poured into the context of the classroom. A refreshed concern of the role of
play in the learning context is coming to light and all teachers are invited to
reflect on its importance.
Play appeals to everyone. It is inborn
in the human being. It is pleasurable, enjoyable and it is this feature that
makes the player value it as a source of relaxing output. Although in
utilitarian terms, play may appear to be inherently unproductive, it in fact
affords unlimited possibilities. It is spontaneous and voluntary and it
involves active engagement on the part of the player. For all these factors,
play has historically been linked with creativity, problem-solving and language
learning. It is the need to delve into the nature of the latter link that has
motivated us to reflect on the potential of game-like resources in the FLT
field.
The question is then: Why
games for language learning?
No doubt, learning a language is a
huge dynamic challenge. When learning a language we are plunged into the pool
of the unknown; and this causes anxiety. We are compelled to struggle to
understand, to apply the newly understood language in context and to produce
what we have learnt as accurately as possible. A significant dose of commitment
and effort is demanded to cover the jump and even more to sustain it over a
somehow longish period of time. In a word, to undergo this process successfully
we need to find some spices that work. Games are handy resources that comply
with all what we need: engagement, spontaneity and enjoyment- three essential
requirements to make language learning a bit easier. Thus, playing opens a
crucial pathway to language learning not only because it grants the opportunity
to use the language in a flexible and meaningful way but also and above all
because it nourishes both the intellect and the soul. Learners engaged in a
motivating game want to participate and in so doing they need to understand
what others are saying and they need to communicate their own viewpoint or
bridge some information gap to put the message across. When playing, all the
learner's attention is directed towards the outcome of the game and in this
unconscious effort of being in action, inhibition vanishes altogether.
Moreover, following any game procedure
guarantees the development of cooperative behaviour. Teachers who resort to
games in their classes have to set basic ground rules that little by little
help to build the learners' kingdom of values. Game rules have to be
interpreted, accepted and finally respected by all the participants. In a word,
by using games teachers are fulfilling their ultimate aim: instruct and
educate.
If we still add to this the fact that
it is widely accepted that games provide intense and meaningful practice, we
firmly believe that they should be a must in all teachers' repertoire. For all
this, we are all for games.
Having agreed on these basic premises,
we can now dive into the realm of games and try to find the answers to some of
our most recurrent questions:
- 1 Are games suitable for all age
groups and levels?
-
- 3 Which skills can I practise?
- 4 Do all games provide communicative
practice?
Are games suitable for all
age groups and levels?
1-Playing should not be restricted by
age, least by levels. As we have been trying to show throughout, play is
inherent to man, it is in his nature; so both young learners and adults are
always eager to play games. Adolescents, however, may be more reluctant to
participate when they are presented with a game, since they may feel ridiculous
and find no purpose in the game itself. The key factors in this matter lie in
the appropriateness of the game and the ability of the teacher to present it.
The more enthusiasm she shows, the better response she will get. Group and pair
work help overcome this situation.
In what moment of the
class should we use games?
2-Games can be used in all stages of
the learning process. Though they are mainly effective during the practice and
consolidation period, skillful teachers can also profit from them to present
new material. Some games are particularly useful for the presentation stage
since they cater for systematic repetition of models in natural contexts.
Which skills can we practise?
3- All four skills. It is a
misconception to believe that games are only suitable as oral activities; they
can provide intense practice in the four skills. Most games, even the most
traditional ones, can be easily adapted to encourage students´ practice in both
receptive and productive skills alike.
Do all games provide
communicative practice?
4- No, not all of them. Though some
games may present appealing dynamics, not all of them focus on communication.
The traditional Tic Tac Toe, a popular
choice among teachers, can be easily spoilt if meaning is neglected. If the
challenge to draw the winning straight line just involves making sentences in
isolation or recognizing words at random, we will be probably ruining a handy
tool. Yet, if each frame suggests a task - in order to mark a square students
have to solve a riddle, produce a piece of discourse such as a poem or lecture,
narrate a past event or even invent a song- we will be then succeeding in
enlarging the students´ communicative scope of action.
Another example may be a Memotest. If
this memory procedure is just used to elicit discontextualized words, we will
be limiting its potential. Instead, if the visual stimuli provided by a
memotest were used to encourage students to perform a task, to solve a problem
or to overcome an obstacle, then the game would turn out to be communicatively
profitable. (e.g Pictures of professionals could be matched to incomplete CVs,
lyrics of songs to unfinished letters or landscapes to incomplete brochures)
Demos at:
http://www.creactivityprops.com.ar/tic_tac_try.php
http://www.creactivityprops.com.ar/memall.php
Just click into these demos to see for
yourself.
Conclusion
In conclusion, play is a crucial
ingredient in the life of man since it helps him develop and foster his
creativity, his imagination and even his self-esteem. Play allows him to train
himself for life skills and among these life skills, communication is primary.
It is apparent that learners who are not given opportunities to engage in
"real" language interaction through play are being deprived of a
vital and essential aspect not only of the language experience but also of
their integral development. We then invite teachers to supplement and reinforce
their basic language programmes with games that will not only help students
practise the language meaningfully but also and above all grow as human beings.
Many questions are still unanswered,
yet the words below will surely lead you into the first move in this direction.
He gave me only puzzled looks,,
I tried to teach my child with words, ,
They passed by him often unheard, ,
despairingly, I turned aside, ,
how shall I teach this child I cried, ,
into my hand he put the key, ,
come he said and play with me!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.- THE EARLIER THE BETTER? CHILDREN LEARNING
LANGUAGES II
The child as a learner 2
Isela Shipton, Alan S. Mackenzie and
James Shipton, British Council
In the first part of this two part
article we looked at how children learn a language and how to create the right
environment for learning. In this second part we will look at techniques to
help develop their language and how to deal with errors.
Involving the whole child
Children have highly inquisitive minds
and enjoy learning through play and using their imagination by observing and
copying, doing things, watching and listening.
Children also learn a lot of their
first language by physically responding to their parents' instructions in real
and meaningful contexts. The parent says, "Look at that dog" or
"Give me the ball" and the child does so.
These interactions between parent and
child always have a clear reason for the communication.
This is very a different learning
situation from asking, "What is the past tense of 'give'?" The only
reason for this question is to test the child's memory. It is not fun and it
does not involve the child's senses.
Tips to parents
Parents can help by providing a rich
learning environment and placing learning in context. They can help by making
English fun to practice at home by using songs, games, drama and drawing. Here
are some things you can suggest for them.
Create an 'English Corner' by
providing materials in English at home such as comics and books, cable TV and
Internet (with parental guidance!)
Play language-based games in English
such as Scrabble and bingo, I-spy, 20 questions, Memory, Simon says etc.
Use sticky labels or 'post-it' notes
to label objects at home in English. For example, in the kitchen you can label
table, chairs, refrigerator, etc.
Collect music in English, get the
lyrics from the Internet and sing along!
Do craft activities in English. Make
puppets and invent a little show in English. Make posters (about their
favourite star, sport, etc.); make picture dictionaries with drawings and
cut-outs.
Take an 'English adventure outing'.
Take your children to a park. Using English only they have to say what they see
such as, "The children are riding their bikes", "The man is
selling fruit", "There are some boats on the lake" and so on.
Other locations where you can do this are: the supermarket, an office, a
shopping centre.
Make reading a habit:
Read to your children in English. A
short story or a few pages of a book daily creates a life-long habit.
You do not have to buy the books, you
can join a library or download text from the Internet.
If you are concerned with your own
pronunciation, there are plenty of materials on the Internet that have the text
read to the viewer. Also, there are books that come with cassettes or CDs, so
that children can read and listen at the same time. You could do this together.
Helping children with
vocabulary
Encouraging children to memorise
random vocabulary lists is not very helpful. The more associations you can make
between different parts of the language the better. Methods that are likely to
help the child are:
Grouping words in contexts (foods,
occupations, animals) or by meaning (boiling, hot, warm, cool, cold) or
opposites (open, closed).
Ask the child to say the word out
loud, or read a story aloud that contains the new word
Have them write words down
Ask them to draw a picture of the word
Have them listen to new words in
context on a tape
Ask them to tell you about other words
it sounds like
Have them keep a vocabulary notebook,
or word scrap-book. Review it regularly by:
Asking your child to tell you about
the words in the book
Telling a story using the words
Reading the words without looking at
their vocabulary book
Make a story yourself and have the
child read or listen to it.
Dealing with mistakes
For children, making mistakes is part
of the natural process of learning.
A five year old speaking his mother
tongue may still make grammar mistakes.
They will frequently 'invent' their
own rules and over generalisations like "my car breaks", or "my
friend camed to the party yesterday". So, learning another language will
also involve a lot of mistakes.
This is a natural part of learning. In
fact, for effective communication it is a good idea to concentrate on learning
words, not grammatical accuracy. If a foreigner comes up to you and asks,
"Train station where please?" you can understand and help, even
though the grammar is awful. Now, imagine if he says, "Can you please tell
me where to find... uh... er...oh?"
There's plenty of time later for
learning the grammar; but knowing the words will help your child communicate
now, and help them in learning the grammar later.
Repeating, encouraging, praising and
building confidence are what is needed to help a child to overcome mistakes.
Avoid overtly correcting your child or you might discourage them. Some
techniques that you can use are:
Don't correct, 'model' the correct
form of the language. So if your child says "The boy wented home,"
you can say, "Yes. The boy went home. What did he do then?"
Encourage children to correct
themselves, this will build confidence and deepen the learning process. Say
"Almost right, try again…" or show the child where the mistake is but
do not give them the answer.
Some correction is okay but be careful
not to over-correct. A page full of crossing out and corrections can be very
demotivating, as is always being told, "Wrong! Do it again!"
Particularly in speech it is much
better to let the child develop their ideas and fluency than to keep
interrupting with corrections. The ideas are more important than the grammar.
Keep their age and level of English in
mind. Give lots of praise and encouragement for every effort - they can't know
everything.
Top ten requests for
parents
Here is a list of advice you can give
to parents
Be involved. Parent involvement helps
students learn and helps teachers work with your child to help them succeed.
Be positive. Encourage children to do
their best, but don't pressure them by setting goals too high or by scheduling
too many activities.
Be a good role model. Show your
children by your own actions that you believe English is both enjoyable and
useful. Read more and use television, videos and game systems creatively for
education.
Accept your responsibility as parents.
Don't expect the school and teachers to take over your obligations as parents.
Teach children self-discipline and respect for others at home -- don't rely on
teachers and schools to teach these basic behaviours and attitudes.
Encourage students to do their best in
school. Show your children that you believe education is important. Ask about
homework, check it has been done. Don't let them miss classes unnecessarily.
Find a balance between schoolwork and
outside activities. Emphasise your children's progress in developing the
knowledge and skills they need to be successful both in school and in life.
Be aware of things that affect
classroom performance:.Try to limit the negative effects of late nights and
long hours of extra activities.
Provide resources at home for
learning. Make sure you have English language books, comics and magazines
available in your home.
Understand and support school rules
and goals. Take care not to undermine school rules, discipline, or goals.
Speak to the teacher! As soon as you
think there's a problem, contact the school. Don't wait for the end of term or
parents' day.
Conclusion
We hope that this article has given
you some useful insights into how to make learning more effective and enjoyable
for young children and some tools to help you encourage and engage parents in
the learning processes of their children.
Further
Children Learning English, Moon. J.
Young Learners, Philips, S.
Very Young Learners, Reilly, V and
Ward, S.
This article published: 26th July, 2006
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/methodology/young_learners2.shtml
BBC | British Council site, teaching English.
© BBC World Service, Bush House, Strand,
© British Council, 10
5.- PRIMERAS JORNADAS INTERNACIONALES DE
TRADUCTOLOGÍA
Primeras Jornadas Internacionales de
Traductología
Hacia un Encuentro de Lenguas y Culturas
21,
22 y 23 de setiembre de 2006
Facultad
de Lenguas, UNC, Córdoba, Argentina
El
Centro de Investigación en Traducción de
Estas
Jornadas constituirán una manera de crear un espacio de discusión, reflexión e
intercambio de experiencias y enfoques sobre las disciplinas involucradas en el
ámbito de
Destinatarios
Docentes,
investigadores y alumnos de grado y postgrado y de nivel terciario cuya área de
interés o especialización sea
COMISIÓN
ORGANIZADORA
Esp.
Ana María Granero de Goenaga
Prof. Marta Arróniz
Prof. Ángela Brígido
Lic. Marta Celi
Lic. Emma Lupotti
Lic.
Ana María Maccioni
Prof.
María Teresa Toniolo
Informes:
Centro de Investigación en Traducción (CIT)
Av. Vélez Sársfield 187, Tel:
4331073/75 int. 19 - E-mail: cit@fl.unc.edu.ar
Secretaría
de Extensión y Relaciones Internacionales • Facultad de Lenguas • Universidad
Nacional de Córdoba
Av.
Vélez Sarsfield 187 • Córdoba • Argentina • CPA X5000JJB • Tel/Fax +00 54 0351
4331073 al 75 int. 30
------------------------------------------------------------
6.- WRITER GLENN PATTERSON
IN
Our dear SHARER May Godward from the British Council
has got an important announcement to make:
Writer Glenn Patterson in
Glenn Patterson came to prominence
during the 1980s as one of the younger generation of novelists whose work began
to develop fresh perspectives on the representation of the Northern Irish
troubles since
Events in
•
Memory, history and society
Interviewed by Susana Groisman, Glenn
Patterson explores how the interaction between memory, history and society is
reflected in his books.
Tuesday
5 September – 1800-1915
IES
en Lenguas Vivas Juan Ramón Fernández – Salón 400, Carlos Pellegrini 1515,
Buenos Aires
Registration:
(011) 4311 9814
Events
in Córdoba
•
Ficción y política
Chaired by Andrew Graham.-Yooll, Glenn
Patterson and Vicente Battista exchange views on politics in their fiction.
Simultaneous interpretation available.
Wednesday
6 September – 2000-2100
Feria
del Libro de Córdoba, Auditorio Obispo Mercadillo, Córdoba
•
Cultural memory
Presentation on
Thursday
7 September – 1030-1200
Cultural
Memory Symposium, Facultad de Lenguas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Avda
Vélez Sarsfield 187, Córdoba
Events
in Mar del Plata
•
New writing from the
Jorgelina Carlassare facilitates a
reading group focusing on Glenn Patterson
Friday 8 September
Jornadas de Inglés, Universidad
Nacional de
•
Memory, history and society
Interviewed by Jorgelina Carlassare,
Glenn Patterson explores how the interaction between memory, history and
society is reflected in his books.
Saturday
9 September – morning
Jornadas
de Inglés, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata
Glenn Patterson was born in
If you would like further details on
Glenn Patterson, please check our web pages (www.britishcouncil.org.ar), where
you will find links to interviews, extracts, New Writing resources and a
session on Writing Believable Dialogue by Patterson and published by the BBC.
If you would like to receive copies of the three pieces published in New
Writing, please let us know (info@britishcouncil.org.ar) so we can post them to
you. Otherwise, if you live near the office in Buenos Aires, you may prefer to
fetch them directly from the reception at Marcelo T de Alvear 590 – 4th Floor
(Mondays to Thursdays: 0900 to 1700 and Fridays: 0900 to 1330).
Hope to see you all at the events!
Mary Godward
Manager Knowledge and Learning -
British Council
M T de Alvear 590 - 4th Floor -
C1058AAF Buenos Aires
T +54 (0)11 4311 9814 - F +54 (0)11
4311 7747
mary.godward@britishcouncil.org.ar
www.britishcouncil.org.ar
Access our online information service
from Monday to Friday between 1000 and 1400 at www.britishcouncil.org.ar and
get an immediate reply to your queries about the
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.- ELT WESTERN CONFERENCE
Our dear SHARERS from Universidad Nacional de
Saturday 16th of September ELT Western Conference
Resources that work in practice!
with Andrew Walkley (
Venue: Liceo Cultural Británico- Sede
Follow the links for:
General Information, Fees and
Registration
http://www.eltevents.com.ar/docs/western2006.htm
Biodata & seminars
http://www.eltevents.com.ar/docs/western2.htm
Schedule
http://www.eltevents.com.ar/docs/western3.gif
------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.- PHILIP PROWSE AT
THE BRITISH ART CENTRE
Our dear SHARER Mónica Levi from
Macmillan has written to us:
Join us at his one and only
presentation of Philip Prowse in
Academic Talk
Inspiring teenagers: issues of
motivation and discipline in the classroom
Motivation and discipline problems
loom large in the lives of many teachers. We will see how we can use the power
of language to address these problems. Specifically, we will look at the
creation of a positive learning environment through the language which the
teacher uses to manage the class. We will consider the significance of
intonation and non-verbal signals, the importance of choice, presuppositions
behind what we say, constructive praise, motivation building and anger
management. We will also reflect on appropriate use of the mother tongue and
how to look after our own voices.
Learning in Style!
Left brain, right brain or no brain?
Is learning style identification a fad or a useful tool? What does recent
research tell us? In this practical workshop we’ll do a learning styles
questionnaire and see whether you agree with its ‘diagnosis’. Then we’ll carry
out a range of activities which you can use in your own classroom and decide
how far they reflect different learning styles. Examples will be taken from
Inspiration (Macmillan).
Philip Prowse
Philip taught and trained teachers for
the British Council in Egypt, Portugal,
He then became Principal of
He is co-author, with Judy
Garton-Sprenger of Inspiration among other publications.
He is Reviews Editor of English
Language Teaching Journal.
Venue
BAC British Arts Centre - Suipacha 1333 - Ciudad de Buenos Aires
Date September 20th, 2006 - Time 6 p.m.
Free of Charge
Registration Macmillan Publishers S.A.
Phone: (011) 4717 0088 / 0810 555 5111
e-mail: eltinfo@macmillan.com.ar
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9.- ANDREW WALKEY´S TOUR OF
Our dear SHARER Karina Medaglia has sent us all this invitation:
Andrew Walkley's Tour -
Andrew Walkley is a teacher and
teacher trainer at the
Date: Sept 16th
REVISION AND RECYCLING
Learning a foreign language takes a
long time and progress is dependent on learning, remembering and eventually
using a lot of language. This talk looks at how teachers and coursebooks often
underestimate the amount of revision and recycling which is required for
students to improve and offers a number of practical activities to revise
language.
Venue: ELT Western Conference -
Time: To be confirmed
Registration: info@ecl-test.com.ar
Date: Sept 18th
ROUTES INTO FLUENCY
The main destination for most students
of English is a degree of oral fluency. In this talk, I will argue that many
students never get close to their destination in part because materials still
focus too much on the teaching of grammar rules plus words with not enough
attention to usage. I will suggest an alternative route to fluency with
reference to my teaching, some sources of inspiration outside EFL and the
coursebook series Innovations.
Venue:
Universidad Abierta Interamericana - San Juan 951, Capital Federal
Time: 6.30 PM
Registration: Thomson Learning
Argentina S.A. - Tel: (011) 4582-0601/7 o thomson@thomsonlearning.com.ar
Date: Sept 20th
MAKING LIFE EASIER FOR LOW LEVEL
LEARNERS
Why do so many students stop learning
English at low levels? In this talk I suggest the typical Elementary syllabus
is partly to blame. By reflecting on L1 acquisition, we can rethink the
language taught in elementary courses, the contexts used and the way we address
students' questions. The talk offers practical advice and possible ways of
thinking about material.
Venue: KEL Ediciones , Emilio Frers
2228 -
Time: 5.00 PM
Registration: Thomson Learning
Argentina S.A. - Tel: (011) 4582-0601/7 o thomson@thomsonlearning.com.ar
Date: Sept 21st - 23rd
"CHALK AND TALK? Using the
whiteboard in the language classroom"
Whiteboards have been described as
'the most versatile piece of teaching equipment', yet remarkably little has
been written about their use. Training tends to look at organising the board,
the use of coloured pens and the like, while largely ignoring the subject of
what is actually written on the board, how teachers and students interact
through the board, and what students actually write down in their notes. Based on
classroom observations, questionnaires and interviews, this talk explores these
areas and also raises questions about what it means to be student-centred, and
theories of language and language learning.
Venue: FAPPI: Colegio San Bartolome -
Entre Rios 419, Rosario.
Time: To be Confirmed
Registration: www.aprir.org.ar
Date: Sept 19th
REVISION AND RECYCLING
Learning a foreign language takes a
long time and progress is dependent on learning, remembering and eventually
using a lot of language. This talk looks at how teachers and coursebooks often
underestimate the amount of revision and recycling which is required for
students to improve and offers a number of practical activities to revise
language.
Venue: Hotel Lafayette - Soriano 1170,
Time: 6.30PM
Registration: Thomson Learning
Argentina S.A. - Tel: (005411) 4582-0601/7 o thomson@thomsonlearning.com.ar
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10.- LLAMADOS A CONCURSO PARA TITULARIDADES
Concursos
para cargos de Profesor Titular del Instituto de Enseñanza Superior en
Lenguas Vivas “Juan Ramón Fernández”
De
acuerdo con el Reglamento Orgánico del Instituto de Enseñanza Superior en
Lenguas Vivas “Juan R. Fernández” (art. 13.6), el Rectorado y el Consejo
Directivo llaman a concurso público y abierto de antecedentes y oposición para
la provisión de cargos titulares de las siguientes cátedras del nivel superior:
Inscripción:
desde el miércoles 30 de agosto hasta el martes 19 de septiembre de 2006.
Profesorado
en Inglés
Metodología
y Práctica de
Seminario
de Literatura Inglesa (Turno Mañana “A”)
Traductorado
en Inglés
Lengua Inglesa III (Turno Tarde)
Análisis
del Discurso (Turno Mañana)
Traducción
Literaria I (Turno Tarde)
Lengua
IV (Turno Tarde y Turno Vespertino)
Materias
comunes
Pedagogía
PA (Turno Mañana)
Sujetos
de
Problemas
del Conocimiento PF (Turno Mañana)
Importante:
Si
al cierre del llamado a un concurso, el número de inscriptos fuera menor a tres
(3), el llamado permanecerá abierto hasta el 10 de octubre de 2006
Informes
e inscripción: Secretaría de Rectorado
IES
en Lenguas Vivas “Juan Ramón Fernández” - Carlos Pellegrini 1515 Capital
de
lunes a viernes de 9:30 a 18 hs.
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11.-
MAR DEL PLATA: ELTTEAM CONSULTANCY FORTHCOMING COURSE
ELTTEAM CONSULTANCY
American Expressions worth knowing!
What would an American say if s/he
wants to know what alcoholic beverage you usually have? The answer is
"Name your poison"
A workshop which leaves textbook
English behind...
Venue:
Fee: $10 (ELTeam Members $ 8)
Please confirm attendance -
(0223)475-8631
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12.-
POSITIONS VACANT
1.-
Aquellos
que esten interesados por favor enviar su CV a
cri-lenguas@ubp.edu.ar
o solicitar entrevista al 4144444 int. 422 los martes y jueves de
Posted
by : Silvina Cragnolino, Coordinadora del Programa de Lenguas Extranjeras
scragnolino@hotmail.com
2.-
Call for Teachers 2007
If you are a fresh gratuate planning
to move to Comodoro Rivadavia and would like to work at Teacher Training School
level submit an introductory letter, CV, referees & updated photo to
celiacademica@speedy.com.ar
State what subjects you would be
interested in co-teaching and visit our website at www.celisa.com
Call for Director of Studies 2007
If you are a seasoned gratuate
planning to move to Comodoro Rivadavia and would like to work both at
CAE, parents' meetings, etc.) submit
an introductory letter, CV, referees & updated photo to celiacademica@speedy.com.ar and visit our website at
www.celisa.com
Posted by Adriana Eugui
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13.- WORKSHOPS
FOR KINDER & PRE-KINDER TEACHERS
Our dear SHARER Maria Marta Suarez has
got an invitation to make:
Workshops for Kinder &
Pre-kinder Teachers
By
Prof. María Marta Suárez
At
Instituto de Argentino Europeo de Formación Docente Comenius
Freire 1882 -
September & October 2006
During these series of experiential
sessions...
…nursery school and kindergarten
teachers will be actively engaged in stories, dances, finger-plays, songs and
drama which they will be able to adapt and use in their own classes. Teachers
will also be introduced to the theoretical background that supports a rich and
early start in language learning.
September 13th from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m.
The Earlier the Better: English for
babies.
Find out how you can make the most of
the huge language learning potential of babies.
A foreign language is easy to learn
along with the mother tongue rather than after the mother tongue. So, during
this workshop you will learn about the natural capacity that young children
have to acquire a foreign language. Through stories, play, singing and dancing
you will be introduced to the methodology that is being used at the moment with
groups of babies from 4 months to three years of age.
September 27th from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m.
When it comes to teaching the little ones...think
BIG!
We see them little and we teach them
little…but why teach little if they can have the whole?
Discover the huge learning potential
of the little geniuses trapped in the small bodies of your young learners. Find
out how a multi-sensory holistic approach to language teaching and learning can
help you make the most of the magic chamber held in the child’s brain. During
this session you will learn the why and the how of teaching English to the very
young and you will take home a bagful of classroom tips, rhymes, songs,
finger-plays, stories and musical games that will enrich your repertoire and
fill your classrooms with creativity and fun!
October 4th from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m.
Story Telling: from the cradle to
kindergarten and beyond.
The easy way to teaching and learning
the whole of the structural system of the language!
Find out how you can exploit story
telling as a tool to facilitate the learners’ internalisation of the so-called
“difficult” structures. Experience how a multi-sensory approach to story
telling can make your classes with young learners fun and
effective.
October 18th from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m.
Look, Move, Sing and Say in
Kindergarten
Action and music based activities to
enjoy with the young ones!
During this workshop you will learn a
series of games, rhymes and finger-plays, which together with music and songs
can enrich your classes with learners at the pre-literacy stage. You will also
learn about the theoretical principles that support the choice of content and
grading for such activities.
October 25th from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m.
Dances for the Young
Join this Circle Dance journey that
will enrich your brain, give flexibility to your body and inject your teaching
repertoire with joy and creativity:
Join this session and learn dances and
songs that you can share with your young learners in class or at school
celebrations. Following the brain-friendly premises that “we learn by doing,”
and that “we learn best when our heart is touched, María Marta Suárez
will guide your process of learning simple steps to dance to the melodies of
traditional music of different cultures, which have been adapted to be used in
ELT classes for or at school celebrations.
María Marta Suárez
Prof. María Marta Suárez is a teacher,
teacher trainer, curriculum designer, and a text-book writer. She has run
holistic immersion and teacher training courses throughout
She was a Methods teacher at ISP
Joaquín V. Gonzalez. At present she is a lecturer of Didáctica Inglesa
para Nivel Inicial at Instituto Argentino Europeo de Formación Docente
Comenius.
Informes e Inscripcion:
Administración del Colegio Pestalozzi,
Freire 1882 de
Tel: 4555-3688 – Belgrano,
Costo
por Taller: $25 - Costo por taller cancelando el pago al 8 de septiembre: $20
Costo
por los cinco talleres: $100 - Costo por los cinco talleres cancelando el pago
al 8 de septiembre: $ 80
Consulte
telefónicamente por inscripción a través de depósito bancario.
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14.- FORTHCOMING ACTIVITIES AT UNIVERSIDAD
DEL MUSEO SOCIAL ARGENTINO
Our dear SHARERS from UMSA announce:
Universidad
del Museo Social Argentino
Av.
Corrientes 1723 - C1042AAD - Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Teléfono:
(54-11) 4375-4601 - Fax: (54-11) 4375-4600 - E-mail: informes@umsa.edu.ar
Cursos
De Extensión Universitaria 2006
Las Preposiciones En General y su Especificidad en el Lenguaje
Jurídico
Idioma:
INGLÉS
Profesoras:
Julia Suárez Maceyra – Silvia Sehinkman
Estudiantes
avanzados, profesores, traductores e intérpretes
Sábado
2, 9, 16 y 23 de septiembre, Av. Corrientes 1723 - C1042AAD - Ciudad Autónoma
de Buenos Aires
Arancel:
$ 120
Taller De Traducción, Traducción Literal Vs Traducción Idiomática.
Interferencias Lingüísticas Y Técnicas De Traducción
Idioma:
INGLÉS
Profesora:
Norah Marcela Azúa
Dirigido
a: Estudiantes de traductorado
Viernes
8 y 15 de septiembre, Av. Corrientes 1723 - C1042AAD - Ciudad Autónoma de
Buenos Aires
Arancel:
$ 50
Análisis Y Cotización De Proyectos De Traducción
En
castellano
Profesora:
Patricia García Ces
Dirigido
a: Traductores, intérpretes y estudiantes de las carreras de traductorado
/interpretariado en inglés, francés, italiano o alemán
Viernes
15 y 22 de septiembre, Av. Corrientes 1723 - C1042AAD - Ciudad Autónoma de
Buenos Aires
Arancel: $ 45
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15.- THE BS. AS. PLAYERS : SEPTEMBER
PERFORMANCES
Our dear SHARER Celia Zubiri has sent
this tempting invitation:
SEPTEMBER, 2006
The plays we are staging now will not
be shown next year. So... it is now or never!
Performances
at Teatro Santamaría, Montevideo 842, Ciudad de Buenos Aires.
Moppyland - a 50-minute musical comedy for children aged 3 - 6.
Sat 23/09 –
Wed 27/09 –
The Sleeping Princess - a 55-minute musical comedy for children aged 5 - 8.
Tues 12/09 -
Thur 14/09 –
Wed 20/09 – 2.30 p.m.
Pandora's Box - a 60-minute musical comedy for children aged 9 - 12.
Tues 12/09 – 2.30 p.m.
Fri 15/09 – 2.30 p.m.
Sat 16/09 –
Dead Buddies - a 60-minute hilarious thriller for adolescents and adults
(Intermediate level).
Wed 13/09 – 1.30 p.m.
Fri 15/09 –
Sat 16/09 – 12.15 p.m.
Gimme A Break! - a 60-minute comedy for adolescents and adults (Intermediate level).
Sat 23/09 – 12.15 p.m.
Tues 26/09 –
Taming Caterina - a 75-minute musical comedy for advanced students.
Fri 8/09 - 7 p.m.
Wed 13/09 -
Thur 14/09 – 2.30 p.m.
Fri 15/09 - 7 p.m.
Reservations: (011) 4812-5307 /
4814-5455
thebap@thebsasplayers.com /
thebap@arnet.com.ar
More information and workpacks:
www.thebsasplayers.com
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16.- LANGUAGE SEMINAR IN
Our dear SHARER Leandro Paladino
has sent us this invitation for all our SHARERS:
A full-day seminar on 9th September in
Instituto Terrero (Calle 11 Nro 675),
This whole day of learning will
provide two strands of English language analysis and practice: the first will
explore the quantity and quality of English used in the classroom (by teachers
and students); the second will consist of a number of clinics on very
advanced-level language brush-up, with an emphasis on grammar and speaking.
The constant interaction between the
two, and the variety of materials and resources to be used, will yield a
perfect blend of thinking, sharing and enjoyment – all in Leandro’s usual
upbeat style!
• Teacher talk
How much should a teacher speak in
class? Is (teachers’) speech the only way to give instructions, explanations,
corrections…? Not only will this workshop critically mirror teachers’ little
‘vices’, it will also help you experiment with the ways silence, gestures and
the body can be harnessed to great effect!
• The mother tongue – to use or not to
use?
20th century EFL methods have in turn
vilified or deified the mother tongue. Given the paradigm change, it may be
difficult to know where to stand in the realities of a new millennium. Can
students’ native language be put to any use? can a principled eclectic approach
exist? Can any fun be had in the L1-L2 midst?
• Nitty-Gritty grammar
New findings now show certain grammar
aspects to be more-or-less idiomatic, more-or-less likely, rather than plain
right-or-wrong. There comes a moment in every language teacher/learner’s life
where the belief sets in that ‘there’s hardly any more grammar to still learn’.
This workshop will set the record straight!
• Speaking matters
Rusty speaking, formal small talk,
bookish English… If these reflect the way you ever feel your spoken English
sounds, this workshop will give you a boost to shape it up! Results (and
enjoyment) guaranteed!
Enrolment is at NEL Inglés
There are discounts for group
enrolments. Those interested can write us on info@nelingles.com or visit
www.nelingles.com
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17.-
BECAS DE POSTGRADO EN AUSTRALIA
Denominación
de la beca : Becas de posgrado en Australia
Destinatarios
: Egresados universitarios con título superior .
Tipo/Finalidad
: Cursos de posgrado.
Descripción
de la beca
El Commonwealth Scholarships Program
Student Financing Unido. Department Of Educación, Science And Training
(DEST) de Australia ofrece becas para licenciados de cualquier nacionalidad que
quieran iniciar estudios de posgrado o de doctorado a tiempo completo de
dedicación en alguna universidad australiana o llevar a cabo investigaciones
junto con investigadores australianos.
Requisitos
de la beca
Ser
estudiante extranjero, cumplir con los requerimientos para solicitar visa en
Australia, no estar recibiendo otra beca.
Dotación
de la beca
La
dotación incluye gastos de matrícula y seguro médico.
Nacionalidad
de los destinatarios : Argentina.
Convocante
: Gobierno de Australia
Pais/Región
en el que se disfruta la beca : Australia.
Plazos
: Final Plazo Solicitud: 01/12/2006
Información
de contacto
Url:
http://www.backingaustraliasfuture.gov.au/guidelines/documen ...
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18.- RESEÑAS
EDUCATIVAS / EDUCATION REVIEW
Reseñas
Educativas / Education Review es una publicación académica con formato
electrónico de reseñas de libros sobre educación. Se creó en 1998 y desde
entonces ha publicado casi 1.500 reseñas que pueden ser consultadas en la
siguiente dirección: http://edrev.asu.edu
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We would like to finish this issue of
SHARE with this mail that a dear SHARER
From
Hola
Omar y Marina ...es un placer recibir toda esta información de ustedes. Soy una
ex profesora de ingles egresada del profesorado nacional de Moreno,Ricardo
Rojas, ex alumna de Efraín Davis....como olvidar...tan magnifica persona.Vivo
hace 9 años en Fort Lauderdale Florida USA...Sigo y leo todo lo que me llega
sobre profesores y profesorados y estoy al tanto de todo...por esto te
agradezco el envío de todo este material que me encanta leer y me hace tanto bien.
El motivo de esta carta es ese...decir gracias a una persona que tanto hace por
el bien común....una vez mas gracias a los dos.....
Marta
Rodriguez de Alemann
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK
Omar and Marina.
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