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• Book of the week: ‘500 Activities for the Primary Classroom’ by Carol Read
• Article: ‘Extensive reading: why it is good for our students… and for us’ by Alan Maley
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• Research Paper: ‘Analysis of Responses of Learners in the Learning Resource Centre’ by Dr. Ravi Bhushan
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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:

ESLFlow.com was created in 1998 as a resource for researching ESL/EFL ideas and creating lessons/courses as quickly as possible.

Peter Snashall, the founder of this portal, initially used the Internet due to a lack of resources at the school where he  once worked. This is, of course, the situation faced by many teachers around the world.

And increasingly this site has become an experiment in the creative possibilities offered by advanced search techniques. It is also an attempt to offer unencumbered information organisation, layout and navigation. The site is totally a work-in-progress and makes no pretence to being
comprehensive. Rather it aims to explore the endless possibilities offered by the Net….and the direction of the site shifts from month to month as new possibilities spring out of the Net (or my own mind!!).

Alan says, “In this, the first of two articles for TeachingEnglish, Alan Maley considers the benefits extensive reading can bring to English language learners and teachers.

What is Extensive Reading (ER)?

Extensive Reading is often referred to but it is worth checking on what it actually involves.  Richard Day has provided a list of key characteristics of ER (Day 2002). This is complemented by Philip Prowse (2002). Maley (2008) deals with ER comprehensively. The following is a digest of the two lists of factors or principles for successful ER:

1. Students read a lot and read often.
2. There is a wide variety of text types and topics to choose from.
3. The texts are not just interesting: they are engaging/ compelling.
4. Students choose what to read.
5. Reading purposes focus on: pleasure, information and general understanding.
6. Reading is its own reward.
7. There are no tests, no exercises, no questions and no dictionaries.
8. Materials are within the language competence of the students.
9. Reading is individual, and silent.
10. Speed is faster, not deliberate and slow.
11. The teacher explains the goals and procedures clearly, then monitors and guides the students.
12. The teacher is a role model…a reader, who participates along with the students.

The model is very much like that for L1 reading proposed by Atwell (2006).  It has been variously described as Free Voluntary Reading (FEVER), Uninterrupted Silent Reading (USR), Sustained Silent Reading (SSR), Drop Everything and Read (DEAR), or Positive Outcomes While Enjoying Reading (POWER).”

‘Extensive reading: why it is good for our students… and for us’ by Alan Maley

Every primary teacher and teacher trainer will want a copy of this book!

The definitive handbook for all primary teachers and teacher trainers,written by Carol Read, a well-known primary specialist and teacher trainer and primary author.

500 Activities for the Primary Classroom is the answer to the perennial question of “what on earth am I going to do with my class tomorrow?” Aimed at teachers of children between the ages of 3-12, this is a lively, varied compendium of ideas and classroom activities.

Key Features

• A wide-ranging resource of activities which are easy to set up
• Up-to-date approach covers current approaches in teaching children including content-based learning
• Ideal for all primary-focussed teachers
• Designed to be flexible to supplement a wide range of syllabus-types (story-based, grammatical, etc.)

500 Activities for the Primary Classroom

There are a number of ways of looking at language within specific content subjects. We can look at the subject-specific language itself which makes up much of the content curriculum of a subject-specific topic area like ‘cells and tissues’ in Biology. We can investigate the general academic discourse of the topic which interests us and see how it is used in class.

Lastly, we can examine the role of the non-academic language of the classroom. All of these perspectives make up the complete picture of the discourse of the language of a content subject. Knowing what language is used in these dimensions can help us plan for the development of this language both in the input and in the output of the content of the subject.

This presentation will present ways and means of identifying and organizing the language of content from these three perspectives.

Download this webinar now for your iPod / iPhone / iTunes

Lesson: How new words are created

Level - intermediate and above

This lesson looks at how new words are created in English. It encourages learners to analyse words they already know and to understand more about meaning from form. It also encourages them to experiment with new words and possible meanings – an important skill in manipulating language.

Plan components

Lesson Plan: – guide for teacher on procedure including answers to tasks.

Download lesson plan pdf 80k

Worksheets: - exercises which can be printed out for use in class. The worksheet contains:

• Seven exercises exploring the way new words are formed

Download worksheets pdf 69k

For more information about this topic you can visit these BBC sites:

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/youmeus/lingo/index.shtml
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv337.shtml

This study, by Dr Simon Borg of the University of Leeds, assesses the impact that studying English has on students’ lives.

Interviews were conducted with 47 British Council students in Muscat, Cairo, Rome, Madrid, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City. The findings suggest that learning English has a positive impact on a wide range of issues:

• Employment prospects, performance and promotion
• Access to education and professional development
• Use of technology
• Leisure activities
• Intercultural communication
• Intercultural understanding
• Confidence
• Attitudes towards English and the UK
• Access to information
• Service encounters
• Citizenship

The study thus provides clear evidence of the varied ways in which students feel that improving their command of English makes a significant contribution to their lives.

Download ‘English as a Second Language in the United Kingdom ‘ Free eBook

Teaching ESL with Technology, the benefits of using technology to teach the language that’s unofficially the universal language of internet.