Application of Web Resources for English Language & Literature Teaching

Dr.R.Gandhi Subramanian, Reader (Retired), Postgraduate & Research Department of English, Government Arts College (Autonomous), Coimbatore-641018.

This paper intends to present a discussion on ways to apply web resources for effective teaching of English Language and Literature; how far the multimedia resources are used in our colleges and universities; suggestions to improve teaching of English Language and Literature by using multimedia as an innovative tool and also some of the problems encountered while introducing multimedia as a tool for imparting education.

Multimedia uses combinations of text, graphics, sound, video and animation controlled, coordinated, and delivered on the computer screen. Multimedia encourages inter-activity involving the user to get actively engaged in the presentation of information but not to remain a passive observer.

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With What Frequency Are Teachers Employing Evidenced-Based Procedures in Their Writing Classrooms?

by Soiferman, L. Karen; Boyd, Karen; Straw, Stanley B.

Background: The need for improvement in writing instruction in schools is dependent on teachers being aware of evidence-based procedures in writing and implementing them on a regular basis in their classrooms. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the frequency with which teachers in Western Canada employed evidence-based procedures in writing instruction in the classes. The data were gathered on the eleven elements identified by Graham and Perin (2007) in their meta-analysis of the most effective procedures for teaching writing.

Setting: Writing classrooms in Western Canada. Study Sample: Seventy-five teachers randomly selected participated in the study. Intervention: none. Research Design: Statistical Survey. Control or Comparison Condition: none. Data Collection and Analysis: Data were collected on the frequency with which teachers employed the eleven effective elements identified by Graham & Perin (2007).

They were: Direct Strategy Instruction, Summarization Instruction, Collaborative Writing, Setting Specific Product Goals, Word Processing, Sentence Combining, Engaging in Pre-Writing Activities, Engaging in Inquiry Activities, Process Writing, the Study of Models, and Writing for Content Area Learning. Two other elements, Formal Grammar Instruction, and the Use of Writing Rubrics were also investigated.

Findings: We found that approximately a quarter of the teachers surveyed employed the most powerful elements for teaching writing on a regular basis. The notable exceptions were in collaborative writing, teaching summarizing, and sentence combining which a small number of teachers utilized. Between and third and a half of the responses for the eleven elements were in the “seldom” or “never” categories.

Conclusion: This study makes no claims to why some teachers employ evidence-based techniques in teaching writing and why others do not. It is clear, however, that the percentage of classroom teachers who need to employ, regularly, evidence-based techniques need to be increased, at least in Western Canada. A concerted effort on the part of provincial ministries of education and teacher education institutions may be needed to keep teachers better informed on what strategies are most effective in teaching writing and how to implement those in their classes. Citation: Soiferman, L.K., Boyd, K., & Straw, S. B. (2010, Janaury 7). With What Frequency Are Teachers Employing Evidenced-Based Procedures in their Writing Classrooms? A paper presented at the 8th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu, Hawaii. (Contains 3 notes.)

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Language Based Approaches to Using Literature in Teaching English

by Dr.N.V.Bose, Institute of Language Teaching, Jamnagar.

Introduction

Literature itself has been greatly enriched by recent developments in the field of critical theory. Structuralism, Deconstructionism, Reader-response theory, Feminist and Marxist criticism are just some of the branches of critical theory which have been challenging the ways in which we read and understand literature. The sole aim of this paper is a practical one; it is to find ways of using literature which will help learners to achieve their main purpose for being in the classroom, that is, to improve their English. For most teachers this is the compelling goal when selecting and designing materials, and there is not really sufficient time to think about critical theory as well.

Literary text as resource

Literary texts are seen as resource-one among many different types of texts-which provide stimulating language activities. The advantage of using literary texts for language activities are that they offer a wide range of styles and registers; they are open to multiple interpretations and hence provide excellent opportunities for classroom  discussion; and they focus on genuinely interesting and motivating topics to explore in the classroom (Duff and Maley,1990). Studying the language of the literary text will help to integrate the language and literature syllabuses more closely. Detailed analysis of the language of the literary text will help students to make meaningful interpretations or informed evaluation of it. At the same time, students will increase their general awareness and understanding of English. Students are encouraged to draw on their knowledge of familiar grammatical, lexical, or discourse categories to make aesthetic judgements of the text.

Literary Texts: Valuable Authentic Materials

Literature is ‘authentic’ material. By authentic we mean that most works of literature are not fashioned for the specific purpose of teaching language. In reading literary texts, students have also to cope with language intended for native speakers and thus they gain additional familiarity with many different linguistic uses, forms and conventions of the written mode: with irony, exposition, argument, narration, and so on. Literature is perhaps best seen as a complement to other materials used to increase the foreign learner’s insight into the country whose language is being learnt.

Another positive aspect of literature is that it provides a rich context in which individual lexical or syntactical items are made more memorable. Reading a substantial and contextualised body of text, students gain familiarity with many features of the written language-the formation and function of sentences, the variety of possible structures, the different way of connecting ideas-which broaden and enrich their own writing skills. The extensive reading required in tackling a novel or long play develops the students’ ability to make inferences from linguistic  clues, and to deduce meaning from context, both useful tools in reading other sorts of materials as well (Collie ad Slater 1987).

Traditional Approaches to Teaching Literature

In recent years the approaches to teaching language mainly aim at promoting the learner’s communicative competence. However when it comes to teaching literature, this communicative ideal often vanishes. The way literature is presented often has a number of typical features. Sometimes the teacher falls back upon more traditional classroom role in which he or she sees him or herself as imparting information about the author, the background of the work, the particular literary conventions that inform the text and so on. Learners are somehow expected to have the ability to take all this in and make it their own. Besides, the sheer difficulties of detailed comprehension posed by the intricacy or linguistic subtlety of the language turn the teaching of literature into a massive process of explanation by the teacher or even of translation, with greater proportion of available classroom time devoted to a step by step exegetical exercise led by the teacher.

At more advanced levels of work with literature, the teacher may resort to the metalanguage of criticism and this may both distance learners from their own response and cause them to undervalue it, whatever the gain in analytical terms (Collie and Slater 1987). The time-honoured technique of question-and-answer can provide some help. But unless questions are genuinely open-ended, there is often a feeling on the part of the students that the teacher is slowly but surely edging them to particular answers that he or she has in mind. There is little room for either their own responses or their involvement during such sessions. In short, personal investment is minimal.

Language based Approach

A language-based approach is quite a broad approach which covers a range of different goals and procedures. Generally speaking, this approach focuses on a closer integration of language and literature in the classroom, since this will help the students in achieving their main aim which is to improve their knowledge of, and proficiency in, English.

Techniques and procedures

A language based approach to using literature includes techniques and procedures which are concerned more directly with the study of the literary text itself. The aim is to provide the students with the tools they need to interpret a text and to make competent critical judgements of it. Stylistics analysis is one of them. Stylistics involves the close study of the linguistic features of a text in order to arrive at an understanding of how the meanings of the text are transmitted.

Stylistics in the classroom

Stylistics has two main objectives: firstly, to enable students to make meaningful interpretation of the text itself; secondly, to expand students’ knowledge and awareness of the language in general. Thus, although the aim of using stylistics is to help students to read and study literature more competently, it also provides them with excellent language practice.

For the language learner, stylistics has the advantage of illustrating how particular linguistic forms function to convey specific messages. Stylistic analysis can also provide a way of comparing different types of texts (literary or non-literary) in order to ascertain how they fulfil different social functions. For example, students may be asked to compare the description of a character in a novel with information about someone given in a letter of reference or a medical form (Widdowson,1975).

The students will then be able to examine how these texts differ and the reasons for this difference. The teaching of literature can thus be integrated more fully into the classroom, since literary texts can be studied alongside other kinds of texts.

Activities

A number of language-based activities for exploiting literature with the language learner can be conducted in the classroom. A few examples could be:

Activity 1.

Different section of a dialogue from a play are given to groups of students, and each group has to rewrite the dialogue in reported speech using a range of verbs (e.g. suggest, mumble, wonder etc.) when they are finished, they give their reported versions to members of another group to transform into dialogues, which are then compared with the originals from the paly.

Activity 2.

After they have read it, students are given three different summaries of a short story. They have to decide which summary is the most accurate.

Activity 3.

Students are given three different critical opinions of a play or novel they have read. They have to decide which they find the most convincing or accurate.

Literature and self-access

A literature self-access centre could be a small collection of texts for students to read on their own with minimal supervision. The self-access centre could consist of: literary texts such as novels, plays, short stories, anthologies of poetry and a collection of video recordings of plays or films based on novels, and audio recordings of literary texts which students are encouraged to work through on their own perhaps after reading the original literary text.

A self-access centre would provide students with a choice of literary texts to listen to or to read, foster the students’ enjoyment of literature, promote language acquisition, develop reading and listening skills and to enable students to become more self-confident and independent as learners. A sample self-access worksheet could be:

Self-access Worksheet

PLAYS

Facts about the play

Title:

Author (playwright):

When published

Type of the play/genre

CONTENT

1. 1. Setting (where the action takes place)
2. 2. When is it set
3. 3. The plot: The play is about…………….
4. 4. Characters: Write down the names of the main characters, the role of each one on the story, and 2 or 3 adjectives to describe them.
5. 5. Message : Has the pay got a message?

If so what do you think it is?

LANGUAGE

Write down 3 or 4 words, phrases or expressions you have learnt from this play.

OPINION

1. 1. Choose from the following adjectives to describe the play:

Hilarious      gripping    moving    powerful    tedious    tragic   amusing

What other adjectives could you use to describe the play?

1. 2. The play is going to be performed and you are the director. Describe the costumes, scenery, lighting, etc. you want for each act.
2. 3. Would you recommend this play to anyone else? Why?

Does this play remind you of any plays in your own language? If so, what?

Conclusion

The overall aim of language-based approach to using literature is to let the students derive the benefits of communicative and other activities for language improvement within the context of suitable works of literature. All that the teacher needs to do is to keep a balance between literature and language and select the activities and tasks and presents them confidence.

Reference:

1. Brumfit,C.,Carter,R.(ed) (1986) Literature and Language Teaching, Oxford University Press.
2. Carter,R (ed)( 1982). Language and Literature: An Introductory Reader in Stylistics, Allen and Unwin.
3. Collie. J, and Slater, S.(1987). Literature in the Language Classroom, Cambridge University.
4. Duff, T.(ed).(1988). Explorations in Teacher Training- problems and issues. Longman.
5. Lazar,G.(1993). Literature and Language Teaching.

Widdowson,H.G.(1975). Stylistics and the Teaching of Literature. Longman.

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The Study of Foreign Language Teachers– Teacher Efficacy and Native Speakership

by Liaw, En-Chong

Abstract

This study aims at examining the differences between native and nonnative foreign language teachers at a major northeast university. The primary areas of investigation are “teacher efficacy” and “teacher perceptions of language teaching.” The results of this study suggested that both nativeness and wide repertoire of teaching experience and strategies play the significant role on efficacy in teaching higher-level classes. Beside, the results also revealed that teachers of less commonly taught languages seemed to be more conservative and cautious in evaluating their efficacy levels, while those of more commonly taught languages appeared to be more open in doing so. (Contains 2 tables.)

Download the ‘The Study of Foreign Language Teachers– Teacher Efficacy and Native Speakership’ research paper by visiting http://www.eric.ed.gov

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The issue of “grammar instruction” in Second/Foreign Language Learning Teaching is among the most hotly debated ones. Of course, there is no gainsaying that grammatical competence alone cannot account for what is involved in the mastery of a language. However, the reaction against grammar teaching which resulted due to the communicative approach revolution has certain inherent weaknesses. This article evaluates the role of grammar in Second/Foreign language pedagogy and subsequently goes on to show how grammar is, in fact, so important that it cannot be ignored. Hence the issue now is no longer whether grammar is to be taught or not but rather how grammar items are to be taught most effectively. With this end in view, the article looks into a model of task-based grammar teaching, which blends grammar instruction with communicative tasks so that accuracy is not sacrificed at the altar of fluency.

Grammar teaching in English as Second Language/ English as a Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) pedagogy has always been a contentious issue. In fact, there has been a pendulum swing regarding whether grammar should be taught or not. Before the advent of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in the 1970’s, for instance, grammar was in a position of domination in language education, with curricula being organized around it. However, the supremacy of grammar was questioned when developments in the field of Sociolinguistics in the seventies challenged the traditional notions about the nature of language and learning. One of the primary reasons for the rejection of a narrow focus on grammatical forms and structures in language learning was the blurring of the notion of ‘correctness’ of language thanks to the investigation of language varieties. Also, sociolinguists like the American Dell Hymes went on to put forward a broader concept of ‘communicative competence’, which drew attention to language use in social context. This had a tremendous impact on language teaching, encouraging a more critical look at language and sharpening an awareness of the need to make language relevant to students’ needs and to provide opportunities for language use in the classroom.

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Abstract of the paper:

Although there are many websites designed and published on the Internet for learning and teaching English, little use of them is done by both Egyptian EFL teachers and students. The textbook is usually their main concern and focus. That is why the present study draws more light on the importance of language teaching and learning websites and evaluates some of them so as to introduce them to both for use.

This problem was tackled through answering the following questions:

(1) What are the websites available online for learning and teaching English as a foreign language?;

(2) What are the points of strength and weakness of some of these sites?; and

(3) How can these sites be utilized by the Egyptian teachers and students for teaching and learning English as a foreign language? A 63-item evaluation criteria checklist was used to assess the six selected websites.

It covered eight dimensions as follows: Authority, Purpose, Coverage, Currency, Objectivity, Accuracy, Technical Aspects (navigation, design and structure, and access), and Usefulness for TEFL Teachers and Students. The participants (n=17 – post-graduate students at Benha University) visited them and responded to the evaluation criteria checklist for identifying the points of strength and weakness of each website.

The six websites, as a whole, were reported by the participants very useful for learning and teaching English. Based on the findings of evaluation, educational implications and recommendations for the utilization of these sites for teaching and learning English in Egypt were suggested. (Contains 7 tables and 7 appendices.)

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This is an English communication instruction system designed to teach children basic, easy to remember conversation strategies without the use of a textbook or to serve as a supplement learning system to a textbook. This English communication training method provides learners with concrete language patterns, a broad spectrum of vocabulary and encourages students to use their own creative thinking process to develop real English sentences, questions and answers. This system can also serve as a basic curriculum guide for novice EFL teachers teaching in overseas settings or for experienced EFL teachers who are looking for suggestions to improve their teaching style and classes. (Contains 6 footnotes.)

Access ‘FUEL, Functional and Useful English Learning, An EFL Teaching System’ by Joe Drakos from ERIC

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Analysis of Responses of Learners in the Learning Resource Centre (Language Labs) at Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidayalaya, Khanpur Kalan (Sonipat), Haryana

By Dr. Ravi Bhushan, Assistant Professor & Head, Learning Resource Centre, Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidayalaya Khanpur Kalan (Sonipat), Haryana.

Learning Resource Centre at Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidayalaya, Khanpur Kalan (Sonepat), Haryana was established in August 2007. This paper raises the following issues:

1. Are learning resource centers successful/failure.

2. f they are successful, what and how much learners benefit from it?

3. If they are failures, what are the reasons that make the learning resource centre unviable.

This paper reports on the performance of thirty learners (30) over a period of 15 hours in a Learning Resource Centre (Language Lab).The data in Learning Resource Centre was collected at two stages i.e. at the Ist hour and at the 15^th hour, when the learners leave the learning resource centre. The interpretation of the data together with questionnaires and structured interviews with learners reveals the following:

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Teaching Grammar Through Situational Approach

 by Prashant Mishra, Professor and Head, Department of English, Government S.V.P.G. College, NEEMUCH(M.P.) 458 441

Introduction:

Learning of mother tongue is an unconscious process. People learn their mother tongues from the socio-cultural surroundings. They do not learn the grammar of their mother tongues consciously and deliberately. But learning of a second language proves to be a difficult and complex exercise. In spite of making extra efforts, non-native learners find it difficult to acquire proficiency in the use of a second language. An L2 learner comes across two main obstacles in the learning of a second language. One is to acquire linguistic competence and second is to extend linguistic competence to communicative competence i.e. to use grammatical items appropriately in various real-life situations while communicating with the people. Most of the teachers are accustomed to teach grammar rules in isolation. They follow prescriptive approach by first acquainting the students with the grammatical rules and then providing practice to them in their uses and applications. Even teachers who follow descriptive approach too divorce the teaching of grammatical items from the real life situations. Therefore, it becomes necessary for a grammar pedagogue to associate teaching of grammatical rules with their uses in real life situations. Here a teacher has to adopt a strategy to create such situations in the class room which provide ample opportunities to the students to use grammatical items meaningfully in different types of real life situations. As class rooms are divorced from the lives of the students due to imposition of curricula, examination pattern and time constraints, it becomes difficult for a teacher to match the class room situations with the real life situations they encounter outside the class rooms. But a resourceful teacher can easily maneuver class room situations to extend teaching of rules to their appropriate uses in various socio-cultural situations.

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Intellectual Fashion in India: The Role of Euphemism, Neologism and Slang in Indian English

By Dr.Asma Rizwan, Asst. Professor, People’s Institute of Management & Research, Bhopal.

English like all language is not static. It is ever changing and adopting new words and style or let’s call it fashion. Global English has led to a crisis of terminology. The distinctions between ‘native speaker’, second-language speaker’, and ‘foreign-language user’ have become blurred. English already finds itself in a different mix – nowhere does it enjoy complete hegemony. It is growing as an Asian lingua franca. The British Empire may have been responsible for the global colonisation of the English language, but much to the surprise of traditionalists the globalising forces of commerce, technology, Hollywood and Bollywood mean that the ‘purity’ of the language has been invaded. This has not been largely by ‘Americanisms’, but also by local appropriations and reworking Robert Birchfield once said that “Our language is changing slowly and America is leading the way now, not Britain”. If he was present now he would have added “Asia” to his quote. Here in India we discover fascinating words each day used mostly by the Intelligentsia, politicians, media and the generation next. Even though we find reasonably poor command on the spoken form of English,( only 3% Indians speak proper English) the use of euphemism and slang are quiet prevalent among the common man or the aam admi,( a Hindi term for common man) a very popular term used even by the elite English speaking class in India.

A euphemism is a word or phrase used to mask a rude or offensive concept. These figures of speech provide a technique to avoid taboos by being polite. It is a kind of linguistic dishonesty. Many euphemisms are so common, that we don’t even recognize them as such. Perhaps the best way to learn about euphemisms and their growth is to investigate some example like the toilet room (the word toilet was itself originally a euphemism).

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