Contents
Content Type: 1
Title: Obama Budget Proposes Modest Bump for English-Learner Programs
Body:
From http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2014/03/obama_budget_proposes_modest_b.html
Obama Budget Proposes Modest Bump for English-Learner Programs
By Lesli A. Maxwell
March 4, 2014
President Barack Obama's fiscal 2015 budget blueprint would raise spending levels slightly for states and local districts to support instruction for English-language learners, after several years of declining funding that was further eroded by sequestration.
The proposed budget—unveiled by the president earlier today at an elementary school in Washington—asks for $723 million in spending on English-language acquisition programs.
Read the full article and access links to more information at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2014/03/obama_budget_proposes_modest_b.html
Source: Education Week
Inputdate: 2014-03-09 16:59:09
Lastmodifieddate: 2014-03-10 03:07:05
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2014-03-10 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2014-03-10 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Giant Matrix Helps Students Make Stories
Body:
From http://marisaconstantinides.edublogs.org
Here is a blog post with four matrices: characters, places, situations and objects – which are some of the ingredients of any story. Students use a 2-digit number to determine the specific elements that they are to include in the story. Access the matrices and read about how to use them in your classroom at http://marisaconstantinides.edublogs.org/2014/01/13/the-giant-storymaker-ideas-for-a-hundred-million-stories/#.UxxPEF5lgYQ
Source: TEFL Matters
Inputdate: 2014-03-09 17:02:26
Lastmodifieddate: 2014-03-10 03:07:05
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2014-03-10 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2014-03-10 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Ideas for Review
Body:
From http://swanwickhallis.weebly.com
Are you looking for quick activities that can help your students review nearly any content? Here is a collection of ideas: http://swanwickhallis.weebly.com/26/post/2014/02/revision-ideas.html
Source: International Studies Blog
Inputdate: 2014-03-09 17:03:10
Lastmodifieddate: 2014-03-10 03:07:05
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2014-03-10 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2014-03-10 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Blog Post: Greeting Students at the Door: Beyond Bien
Body:
From http://creativelanguageclass.com
Teacher Kara Parker greets her students at the door each day, but the greetings and expected student responses change depending on what is being taught in class. Read how she does it in this blog post: http://creativelanguageclass.com/2014/03/02/beyond-bien
Source: Creative Language Class
Inputdate: 2014-03-09 17:04:04
Lastmodifieddate: 2014-03-10 03:07:05
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2014-03-10 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2014-03-10 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Description/Actions Activity: Pick a Portrait
Body:
From http://www.waflt.org
Here’s an activity for practicing descriptions and commands with actions that Anita Alkhas recently shared with her colleagues in the Wisconsin Association for Foreign Language Teachers, with both a low tech and a high tech variation: http://www.waflt.org/index.php?q=node/488
Source: WAFLT
Inputdate: 2014-03-09 17:05:15
Lastmodifieddate: 2014-03-10 03:07:05
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2014-03-10 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2014-03-10 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 3
Title: Three Phases of Task Design
Body:
by Julie Sykes, CASLS Director
In Task-based Learning and Teaching (TBLT), the design and implementation of tasks are central to success in the classroom. Ultimately, the learners themselves much choose to engage around the task(s); however, successful design can facilitate learner engagement with the meaning and purpose. Three phases of task design are helpful in constructing a task for use in the classroom.
(1) Pre-task: This phase prepares learners for the primary task by discussing the objective(s), activating background knowledge, and providing the resources needed to convey meaning. It is important to remember the pre-task phase is still focused on meaning and it not the manipulation of form(s). Pre-tasks can be a series of subtasks that help learners gain skills to convey meaning and to activate background knowledge and contextual understanding. Sample pre-tasks might include brainstorming, reading introductory material, or surveys.
(2) Task: This entails the primary task with a real-world purpose. The primary objective is the outcome of the task where the focus is on the communication of meaning and not the manipulation of form. Sample tasks can include, for example, sharing unknown information, engaging in a transaction for services or goods, understanding critical elements of a message, putting things in order, comparing, and problem solving.
(3) Reflection/Assessment: Upon completion of the primary task, the learners and instructor engage in a process of reflection and assessment. Learners are given feedback from experts and peers and also self-reflect on their own ability to complete various elements of the task. Reflective elements can include overall success with the task, the ability to use structure in the service of expressing meaning, organization of discourse, and pragmatic elements of task completion.
Source: CASLS
Inputdate: 2014-03-09 17:48:24
Lastmodifieddate: 2014-03-10 03:07:05
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2014-03-10 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2014-03-10 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: Vacancy Notice: Full-time Chinese Teacher at Jesuit High School in Portland
Body:
Jesuit High School in Portland is seeking a full-time Chinese language teacher. The closing date to apply is March 30, and the starting date is August 18.
View the full vacancy notice at http://www.jesuitportland.org/uploaded/Employment/VACANCY_NOTICE_Chinese_2014_3.14.pdf
Source: COFLT
Inputdate: 2014-03-11 12:34:20
Lastmodifieddate: 2014-03-17 03:06:46
Expdate: 2014-08-18 00:00:00
Publishdate: 2014-03-17 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2014-03-17 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 3
Title: Advantages of task-based language teaching
Body:
by Manel Lacorte, University of Maryland
Manel Lacorte is Associate Professor of Spanish Applied Linguistics at the University of Maryland. His research focuses on second language (L2) and heritage language (HL) pedagogy and teacher education; L2 classroom interaction and context(s); applied linguistics; and sociopolitical issues in L2 and HL teaching and learning.
Considered a branch of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), task-based language teaching (TBLT) is one of the most popular approaches to second language (L2) teaching at present because of its emphasis on developing meaningful tasks for learners using the L2. The most commonly mentioned advantages of TBLT are:
1. It is useful for moving the focus of the learning process from the teacher to the student. In a typical task-based lesson, the teacher does not pre-determine what language will be studied. The teacher may present language in the initial steps of the task (ʻpre-taskʼ stage), but the students are ultimately free to use the grammar constructs and vocabulary that may be more useful for the completion of the task.
2. It provides students with a much more varied exposure to language. TBLT is specifically intended for learners to fulfill a variety of daily practices in the L2. For this reason, students are exposed to a whole range of lexical phrases, collocations and patterns related to a wider variety of social and cultural contexts.
3. It gives learners a different way of understanding language as a tool to carry out real-world tasks instead of as a specific goal related to specific lexical areas and/or grammar structures. Real-world activities can be looked at and sequenced in much the same way as grammar forms can – from simpler to more complex.
4. It can bring teaching from abstract knowledge to real world application related to contexts based on the studentsʼ experience with the L2. TBLT emphasizes the combination of language learning in class and activities outside the classroom in order to improve the learnersʼ communicative abilities in the target language.
5. It is helpful in meeting the immediate needs of the learners, because the language explored often arises from the studentsʼ own needs. In "stronger" versions of the approach, these needs dictate what is to be covered in the lesson rather than a decision made by the teacher or the textbook.
6. It may be both engaging and motivating because the tasks are likely to be familiar and relevant to the students (e.g.: looking for a job, planning a vacation, searching for a convenient academic program abroad, etc.). In the process of communicating in the L2 to complete the task, TBLT emphasizes learnersʼ interaction and cooperation. Learners are encouraged to apply and share their experiences with the L2 together.
Some possible issues to take into consideration when implementing TBLT are the need for teachers to help learners expand the language and vocabulary they have developed during the completion of the task. In this regard, it is important to follow up in the post-task stage, otherwise half of the task based learning process is wasted.
References
Leaver, B. L. and Willis, J. R. (2004). Task-Based Instruction in Foreign Language Education. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Nunan, D. (2004). Task-Based Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Source: CASLS
Inputdate: 2014-03-16 09:23:36
Lastmodifieddate: 2014-03-17 03:06:46
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2014-03-17 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2014-03-17 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 5
Title: Task-based Learning in the Classroom by Mandy Gettler, CASLS Associate Director
Body:
What does task-based learning look like in the classroom? To find out, I talked with Brandee Mau, a German teacher at Campbell County High School in Wyoming who will be the Pacific Northwest candidate for the 2015 ACTFL Teacher of the Year competition. Brandee credits task-based learning with making language learning more meaningful to students.
"Most of what I do is task based," Brandee shares. "We select a theme, and then students determine what angle they want to take. They get to choose how they want to talk about the theme, and I ask students to research something, identify their point of view, and support it."
In creating a task-based learning lesson, Brandee first looks at students' proficiency and clarifies what she expects students to be able to do. Then, she identifies a task that will give them the opportunity to practice in a meaningful way. The biggest challenge is keeping the tasks as authentic as possible while recognizing students' varying proficiency levels.
Brandee finds self-evaluation truly valuable, especially for these types of units. "Grades aren't doing it," says Brandee. "They could care less if they get an A or a B or C."
Brandee asks her students to complete self-evaluations during their task-based unit and a big-picture self-evaluation at the end. The evaluations she uses are very specific about language use and include, for example, "Did I use compound sentences?" Students also have to provide evidence and set their own goals for what they want to do next time. You can use the same self-assessment Brandee uses by reading the March 31 issue of InterCom. The self-assessment she developed will be the activity of the week.
For higher-level students, Brandee uses a discussion forum and asks students to evaluate their own contributions for quality and quantity.
The rewards of task-based learning are worth the challenge. "The biggest reward is the look on students' faces when they realize they've done it, when they realize what they've done and what they can do."
Source: CASLS
Inputdate: 2014-03-16 09:38:16
Lastmodifieddate: 2014-03-17 03:06:46
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2014-03-17 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2014-03-17 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
Content Type: 1
Title: New Issue of Language Learning & Technology
Body:
From http://llt.msu.edu
Volume 18 Number 1 of the free refereed online journal Language Learning & Technology is now available online at http://llt.msu.edu/issues/february2014/index.html
In this issue:
FEATURE ARTICLES
Fostering Foreign Language Learning Through Technology-Enhanced Intercultural Projects
by Jen Jun Chen & Shu Ching Yang
Using Peer Computer-Mediated Corrective Feedback to Support EFL Learners' Writing
by Ali AbuSeileek and Awatif Abualsha'r
Direct and Indirect Access to Corpora: An Exploratory Case Study Comparing Students’ Error Correction and Learning Strategy Use in L2 Writing
by Hyunsook Yoon and JungWon Jo
Effects of Captioning on Video Comprehension and Incidental Vocabulary Learning
by Maribel Montero Perez, Elke Peters, Geraldine Clarebout, and Piet Desmet
Ecological Affordance and Anxiety in an Oral Asynchronous Computer-Mediated Environment
by Levi McNeil
Use of Wikis to Promote Collaborative Writing in EF
by Zelilha Aydin and Senem Yildiz
COLUMNS AND COMMENTARIES
Emerging Technologies
Edited by Robert Godwin-Jones
Towards Transparent Computing: Content Authoring Using Open Standards
by Robert Godwin-Jones
Action Research
Edited by Greg Kessler
Can a Web-Based Course Improve Communicative Competence of Foreign-Born Nurses?
by Eileen Van Schaik, Emily Lynch, Susan Stoner, and Lorna Sikorski
Exploring how Collaborative Dialogues Facilitate Synchronous Collaborative Writing
by Hui-Chin Yeh
Plus reviews, announcements, and acknowledgments
Source: LLT
Inputdate: 2014-03-16 22:00:23
Lastmodifieddate: 2014-03-17 03:06:46
Expdate:
Publishdate: 2014-03-17 02:15:01
Displaydate: 2014-03-17 00:00:00
Active: 1
Emailed: 1
Isarchived: 0
