...Open doors with the power of learning another language Students need the mental exercise of operating in another language system. Being bilingual is a springboard to further languages acquisition, and allows students to operate with a dual track mentality, furthering their capacity in all subject matter. It provides a pliability that will allow them to consider other arguments and points of view, and appreciate other cultures and ways of life. Not only this, but it provides enormous wealth to their English. A secondary language should be taught as a mandatory subject starting in elementary, as it will be easy for a child to learn with their brain that’s like a sponge, it will help them mentally, and it will prepare them for the future when entering the work force. A young child's brain is like a sponge, they soak up and retain information that adults and older children don't retain. Learning a new language at that age is a snap, they barely have to think about it. It has also been shown that these children do better on other schoolwork, such as reading and math, which counters the argument that it was take attention away from other subjects. It is also not necessary to spend a bunch of class time on learning a new language, since in elementary school students spend all day with one or two teachers. The new language can be taught side by side, such as when learning the days of the week, the alphabet, and so on. Phrases in the foreign language can be used for simple commands like...
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...Abstract This study investigated teacher behaviors, lesson delivery and sequence of content and learning expectations used by K-5 teachers at one school in New Delhi, India. This research brings broader understanding of strategies for teaching English reading and writing to students whose first language is not English. The rationale for the study stems from the need to gain greater international perspective of the teaching of English learners. Results reflect analysis of classroom observation field notes, face-to-face interviews with thirty three teachers and administrators, digital photo journaling, and artifacts. The theoretical framework for this study draws from Collier's Conceptual Model, Acquiring a Second Language, explaining the complex interacting factors students experience when acquiring a second language, and the work of Dorothy Strickland outlining effective literacy instruction. Emerging from the data are nine effective teaching strategies that teachers of English learners can add to their repertoire. Introduction |"English has become the medium of all relevant social interactions and the ability to use English effectively is considered an | |absolute essential for honorable existence." | |--Quotation from a retired Army Colonel, | |now working as a New Delhi textbook publisher...
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...Crossing Boundaries – an interdisciplinary journal VOL 1, No 3 - Fall 2002 From Communicative Competence to Language Awareness: An Outline of Language Teaching Principles MANUEL SINOR Department of Linguistics, University of Alberta This essay offers a critical review of some key theoretical issues relevant to second language acquisition and considers the practical implications of these issues on language teaching. The discussion advocates a renewed communicative approach to language pedagogy, which entails the educators’ readiness to act as teacher-researchers, their cautious considerations of individual learner differences, their familiarity with some defining aspects of human learning, and their willingness to encourage the learners’ discovery of formal language properties in a reflective and autonomous manner. 1 Introduction This essay reviews some of the key theoretical notions associated with second language acquisition and considers the pedagogical relevance of these notions. In order to relate the discussion to the practicalities of language teaching, we refer to the hypothetical case of ten adult learners of English, freshly arrived from Japan for a six-month course at a Canadian language school. These learners have earned their title of “mature students” not only from their middle age range, but also because their country’s Foreign Office selected them for their motivation to study English in Canada. Despite this promising background, two burning questions...
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...This article was downloaded by: [University of Texas El Paso] On: 09 August 2011, At: 13:50 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Bilingual Research Journal Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ubrj20 Language Learning in the American Southwestern Borderlands: Navajo Speakers and Their Transition to Academic English Literacy Gloria Dyc a a University of New Mexico-Gallup Available online: 22 Nov 2010 To cite this article: Gloria Dyc (2002): Language Learning in the American Southwestern Borderlands: Navajo Speakers and Their Transition to Academic English Literacy, Bilingual Research Journal, 26:3, 611-630 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2002.10162581 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/termsand-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently...
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...HOW TEACHERS DEVELOP SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS THE CONTEXT AND MEASUREMENT OF TEACHER EFFICACY HOW TEACHER EFFICACY AFFECTS CLASSROOM LEARNING IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS The concept of self-efficacy was pioneered by Albert Bandura (1925–) who characterized self-efficacy as the extent to which individuals believe they can organize and execute actions necessary to bring about a desired outcome. Self-efficacy is fundamentally concerned with the execution of control rather than the outcome action produces. In 1984, Patricia Ashton (1946–) published a groundbreaking study that fundamentally expanded the concept of efficacy to include the extent to which teachers feel confident they are capable of bringing about learning outcomes. Ashton identified two dimensions of teaching efficacy: general, the extent to which a teacher believes her students can learn material; and personal, the extent to which a teacher believes her students can learn under her instruction. Ashton argued that teachers' beliefs Figure 1ILLUSTRATION BY GGS INFORMATION SERVICES. CENGAGE LEARNING, GALE. about their ability to bring about outcomes in their classrooms, and their confidence in teaching in general, play a central role in their abilities to effectively serve their students. Since then, studies of teaching efficacy and its inclusion in studies of teacher effectiveness have grown exponentially. Subsequent understandings of teaching efficacy have refined Ashton's understanding of personal efficacy. In a...
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...Both Ronald Macaulay and Rachel Rafelman thru their essays are trying to eradicate the stereotype, they are both almost speaking about the subject in their essays and the tone in the essays are almost the same, funny and at the same time keeping a serious tone underneath, sexism seems also to be a common point for these two author it seems to be the center of pretty much everything they’re talking about. Stereotype in the both essay as been pointed out and the authors seems to take people to that point where they are convicted enough to stop doing that thing which is stereotype not only that but they uses different other article to point to point that and say what think about it, for example, Ronald Macaulay; in his essay “Sex difference” uses novel and different other article to point the stereotype but not only that he also argues about it just as Rachel Rafelman in her essay “Party Line” uses interviews that she makes or other colleague Article to pointed that out and talk about it or argue about it, both author stick with the same idea that lead us to conclude that they are both talking about the same subject but just in two different environment, for example Rafelman in her essay she is at A Gala and Macaulay is just using Article, novel, journal to talk about the subject . In these essays the authors tone is what we can describe as having two side, funny and serious at the same time the reason why I am saying this is because in the essay the author are using it to...
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...Foreign Language Annals Á vol. 43, No. 1 27 Language-Learning Motivation During Short-Term Study Abroad: An Activity Theory Perspective Heather Willis Allen University of Miami Abstract: This study investigated the development of language-learning motivation during short-term study abroad (SA) for six intermediate-level students of French. Taking an activity theory perspective, findings demonstrated that one of two orientations motivated participants to study or continue studying French at the college level: linguistic motives or career-oriented motives. The choice to study abroad was seen as either a critical step to achieving fluency or a means of travel and cultural learning. Enhanced language-learning motivation emerged to varying degrees for participants with linguistically oriented motives for learning French who viewed SA as a languagelearning experience but not for participants with primarily pragmatic reasons for learning French and participating in SA. Implications of the study include the need for curricular intervention in student learning abroad. Key words: French, activity theory, learning motivation, second language learning, self-regulation, study abroad Introduction From the 1960s through the mid-1990s, research on study abroad (SA) largely supported the notion that it is an ideal means of learning a foreign language. Moreover, foreign language professionals often impart this view to students, typically based on their own successful if not life-transforming...
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...Despite the fact that language learning or acquisition is an apparent requirement for translation, the role that translation might play in language learning and acquisition has been considered one of the most hotly debated issue in both Translation Studies and language pedagogy in the West as well as Arab world. Thus, translation studies have been taught in translation classes without being seen in normal foreign or second language (FL) classrooms. In spite of the claims in opposition to make use of translation in English language classroom, recent studies regard highly that far from being counter-productive and fruitless, translation can be an effective boost in (FL) learning and teaching. In most of Arabic countries, the mother tongue, Arabic,...
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...globalization process accelerating, it is critical to learn a foreign language. Therefore, we can communicate with foreigners with few language barriers. At the sometime, how to learning is a frequent topic of discussion languages. Some argue that understanding the country as well as the cultures and lifestyles of the people who speak it is benefit to learn a language. Personally, I agree with this opinion. A language is not only including vocabulary and grammar; also the cultures and lifestyle are mutually exclusive. In the first place, without understanding the cultures, we might use the language in some wrong cases. For example, it is wired when you staring talking with climate in English speaking countries, however it is a normal beginning in China. In the second place, lifestyle is a key factor to learning a language, especially in writing essays. In western area, essays always begin the writer’s views. In contrast, in our country, we prefer to render our opinions at the end of the essays. In the third place, learning about the country has the inherent advantage of learning language. More specifically, some special words restrict to some countries. If you never been there, you would not understand such words accurately. Admittedly, there would be some drawbacks if you learn a language in this way. To begin with, it is time-consuming. Generally, understanding a language’s background cost more time than only learning grammar and vocabulary. In addition, it is also expensive. Travelling...
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...“importance” of learning a second language. Me being the English speaking American I am, practiced one of my rights as a US citizen and spoke the thoughts that i had accumulated in my mind. I told him how I think it is pointless to have the knowledge of a second language. He explained his side of the story and how it will help us later in life but, i explained that it would not help at all, it will just make my life hard right now. Welding, pushing buttons, being a lifeguard and everything in between does not require the knowledge of multiple languages to accomplish tasks effectively. Yes everybody might think it is interesting...
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...The internet enables us to instantly communicate with people worldwide, which means an increasing amount of people will need to correspond in a language other than their own. Luckily, the internet also gives us the ability to learn another language from the comfort of our own home. Online platforms mean that Language learning is no longer an activity reserved only for the classroom. One of the online language learning platforms is Duolingo. With 120 million users around the world (Huynh, Zuo, & Iida, 2016), it is one of the most popular language learning platforms. At the time of writing, Duolingo teaches 26 languages, although most of them are only available for English speakers. After a user on Duolingo has learned new vocabulary for the...
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...to the progress in language learning. It has become a major issue in the education world and has been used from preschool up until the university level. ICT has been publicized as potentially powerful enabling tools for educational change and reform. “Use of ICT has changed our conventional ways of learning and proposes the need to rethink education in terms of a more current context (White, 2010).” In language learning, we study about the particular language and when we study it, we also apply it to how we communicate to someone directly. The communication can be more interesting when we use some tool or widget to support it. People use the internet to communicate with one another, and now, teachers can use internet to motivate and communicate with a student to study and open their minds to different things. Njagi & Isbell (2003) assessed the students’ attitudes towards web-based learning resources. The study addressed the differences in attitude change, towards computer technology, for students using web-based resources and those using traditional textbooks. It was pointed out that the majority of the students in both web-based and the traditional textbook groups had owned personal computers and had Internet accessibility at their homes; it is therefore possible that computer use was equal for all groups. We are living in a constantly evolving digital world. ICT has an impact on nearly every aspect of our lives - from working to socializing, learning to playing. The digital...
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...Does Language Affects Learning? I. COLONIAL POLICIES A. SPANISH ERA (1521-1898) -One means of control was to limit access to language and education except for the elite ilustrado class that was generally composed of wealthy Filipinos who were economically and socially positioned to conform with and support Spanish colonial agenda. B. American Era (1898-1946) - -Americans found ideal colonial subjects who were receptive to the opportunities given by English, “the most potent weapon of the colonial government” - It was therefore easy for Americans to bring English to Philippines because of the “positive attitude” of Filipino towards Americans and the incentives given to Filipinos to learn English in terms of career opportunities, government service and politics. II. LANGUAGE POLICY AND PLANNING (LPP) 1974- Bilingualism in the Philippines was introduced, wherein two Media of Instructions were used. English was used in teaching English, Communication Arts, Mathematics, and Science while Pilipino was used in subjects Social Studies and History. 1985- Evaluation of the program revealed no significant gains only indicators of benefits for Tagalog speaking regions 1987- Filipino was declared as the National Language -Marks the start of “Bilingual Education” wherein Filipino was mandated to be the language of literacy and language of scholarly discourse while English was described as the international language and non-exclusive language...
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...processing of the structure and the meaning of larger syntactic untis, i.e. phrases or sentences. The top-down reading skills were considered to be additive or compensatory after the bottom-up processing is achieved. Moreover, second-language learners are required to have a fluent recognition of words before acquiring text-processing skills. Together with word recognition fluency, morphophonemic structure of words and phrases, bottom-up processing has shifted the teaching method of reading to young and adult second-language learners. For young school-age and older leaners, teachers are required to begin with teaching visual appreance of words, sound letter relationships and development of word recognition fluency before developing top-down skills. However, the second-launguage learners must be familiar with the reading fundamentals before benefiting from the top-down instruction method. Reading and Vocabulary In the 1970s and 1980s, the teaching of vocabulary was secondary to the teaching of reading. At present, it is widely agreed that vocabulary knowledge is key importance to the teaching of reading. According to Hu and Nation (2010), a second-language learners needs to understand approximately 98% of words of the texts. A second-language learners are required to be familiar with about 5,000 word families which is defined as a base word with several related words and their inflected forms). In addition, the vocabulary range in university textbook are overlapping with general...
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...Learning a foreign language can be a daunting challenge, but can also be one of the most rewarding experiences in one’s life. The journey to fluency is a long and difficult path, in part because foreign language learning is not a single skill. It is the intensive coordination of multiple skill sets. These include memory, cognitive problem solving, internalizing grammar, speech fluidity, listening comprehension, and vocabulary. To the foreign language learner the process is slow and growth is almost imperceptible. However, through exposure to comprehensible input a language learner can improve (Krashen, 1985). The input hypothesis (IH) “assumes that we acquire language by understanding messages” (Krashen 1985). This hypothesis states that language learners only grow when exposed to language that is just out of their level of comfort, but can be understood (Krashen 1985, 1995). The language learner level is “l” and the level needed for growth is “i+l”. This pushes students to broaden their understanding and acquire more language knowledge. The type of input can be any type of language material as long as it is at...
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