Lead Articles
Feature
by Maria Corazon A. Castro and Teri Rose Dominica G. Roh, University of the Philippines Diliman
The global use of English has amounted to variations in the language, as well as different perceptions towards the linguistic variations. In this study, a Philippine English (PhilE) speech sample is used to elicit and analyze the particular sound segments and suprasegmental features that Koreans perceive as variations from a standard variety of English. The study also explores whether the respondents would choose the same speaker as their English teacher. The results show that Koreans are especially sensitive to certain vowel and consonant variants of PhilE. As for suprasegmentals, the respondents’ neutral ratings suggest that they do not have well-defined opinions towards the speed, pauses, stress, and volume exhibited by the PhilE speaker, but some degree of doubt is evident in relation to their perceived correctness of the speaker’s intonation, which is possibly due to a preconceived notion that variations from a norm-providing variety of spoken English indicate incorrectness. When confronted with the choice of having the speaker as their English teacher, more than half of the participants gave a negative response. Such results pose implications on the use of English as an international language. Read more
Innovation
From Course Book to Source Book: Maintaining Teacher Autonomy
by Hayo ReindersChulalongkorn University, Thailand
Teaching is a delicate balancing act between conformity and creativity. On the one hand, teachers have to respond flexibly to different individuals, changing circumstances and the many daily challenges that are inherent in teaching a subject as personal and complex as language. On the other hand, teachers are expected to meet predefined objectives, teach to the test, and follow a given curriculum. One obvious manifestation of these constraints is the set course book. It prescribes content, sequencing, gradation, activities and assessment, limiting teachers’ choices and freedom in the classroom. In this article we look at ways in which teachers can be creative in howthey use a particular course book to best meet their students’ needs. Read more
Feature
by Zahra Shahsavar, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and Tan Bee Hoon, Universiti Putra Malaysia
This study seeks to investigate the effects of pedagogical blogging on tertiary students’ critical thinking. The authors initially discuss the role of Socratic questions in promoting students’ critical thinking through Web 2.0 tools. They further explain how blogging was incorporated into the curriculum of a course for tertiary level students enrolled in a Malaysian university. Finally, they show how qualitative and quantitative methods were used to evaluate the efficiency of Socratic questions in students’ blogging and its effects on students’ critical thinking. Findings suggest that implementing Socratic questions in students’ blogging would help promote students’ critical thinking. Read more
Media Review
A Review of “English Language as Hydra: Its Impacts on Non-English Language Cultures”
by Wong Jock OnnNational University of Singapore
English Language as Hydra, a compilation authored by scholars of various native tongues, serves as ‘a wake-up call to those responsible for the global promotion of English’ (p.xx). Herein lies its value. Although mastery of the English language is arguably a key to economic success, this book reminds language planners and teachers not to let it rob English language learners of their first languages and cultural identities. The learning of English should contribute to linguistic and cultural diversity, not reduce it. The commonly held belief is in ‘additive bilingualism’ as the solution (p.31), which means that English plays an ‘additional’ role (p.33) to that of the vernacular languages, without dominating. This book is thus an important one, which all language planners, ministers of education, English educators and other related authorities should be encouraged to read. On a rating scale of 1 to 4, I would give it a 3.5. Read more
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Features
- The Effect of Language Attitudes on Learner Preferences: A Study on South Koreans’ Perceptions of the Philippine English Accent
- Pedagogical Blogging: Promoting Tertiary Level Students’ Critical Thinking by Using Socratic Questions
- Using Children’s Literature to Explore the Issue of Exclusion: Language Learning Through Personal Connections, Multiple Perspectives and Critical Reflections
- “Unheard Melodies’’ from Behind the Veil: Male and Female Omani Student Responses to Translated Short Stories by Arab Women Writers
- The Effects of Bilingual Instruction on the Literacy Skills of Young Learners
- Reliability of Second Language Listening Self-Assessments: Implications for Pedagogy
- Motivation through Autonomy: A Case Study at a Japanese University
- Assessing Students’ Language Arts Performance: The Experience of Hong Kong Teachers
- Teacher Reflections: Teaching Article Use to Graduate Students
- Sentence Types: Students’ Perceptions and Productions
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Innovations
- From Course Book to Source Book: Maintaining Teacher Autonomy
- A Suggested Writing Process for In-House Materials Development
- Putting a Humanistic Approach to Grammatical Input into Practice: A Sample Lesson
- Using Facebook to Extend Learning into Students’ Digital Lives
- Accelerated Learning In and Out of the Reading Classroom
- Reading What’s Beyond the Textbooks: Documentary Films as Student Projects in College Reading Courses
- Digital Storytelling in the Foreign Language Classroom
- Creative Ways of Teaching Research Paper Writing
- Empowering Students to Self-Learn
- Encouraging Proofreading and Revision
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ELT Court
- Does ‘Self-Access’ Still Have Life in It? : A Response to Reinders (2012)
- The End of Self-Access?: From Walled Garden to Public Park
- Listening Strategy Instruction (or Extensive Listening?): A Response to Renandya (2012)
- Five Reasons Why Listening Strategy Instruction Might Not Work with Lower Proficiency Learners
- Rubrics-Based Writing: Liberating Rather Than Restricting in Many Contexts
- Formulaic Writing Advice: A False Panacea
- The Case against Group Grades
- The Case for Group Grades
- The Case against Abstract Grammar: Against Non-Communicative Grammars
- The Case for Abstract Grammar: Formal Grammar and Linguistic Communication
