Conference: ‘8th Malaysia International Conference on Languages, Literatures and Cultures’, Penang, August 12-14

[ELTWeekly Volume 6, Issue 15 | June 9, 2014 | ISSN 0975-3036]

From the conference organizers:

In academe today, doing research is salient for professional development and self-actualisation. The reverence for research is well-documented in the esteem accorded not only to publication, but also to public forum where oral dissemination of research is made possible. MICOLLAC 2014 duly acknowledges the importance of sharing research among communities in both practises.

To encourage intellectual growth, the forum provides a platform for dynamic discussion from three main trajectories, i.e. languages, literatures and cultures. While the trajectories can be treated discretely, a more complex multi-diciplinary approach is not not ruled out. The theme for the conference provides opportunities for lively paper and poster presentations that focus on relevant research in terms of:

1) the germination of new cutting edge ideas,
2) innovations that can be brought about through research studies, and finally,
3) how research in the fields impacts our lives. (more…)

Continue ReadingConference: ‘8th Malaysia International Conference on Languages, Literatures and Cultures’, Penang, August 12-14

Article: Blended and cooperative learning in EAP

[ELTWeekly Volume 6, Issue 15 | June 9, 2014 | ISSN 0975-3036]

The OUP ELT blog has published an article dealing with blended learning and cooperative learning.

Although the idea of blended learning is not new, most people now associate it with including computer or tablet and internet use in the classroom. These tools can be used to expand the range of possibilities for communication between students and teachers. Here are some ideas to experiment with.

Train your students to use internet

It may seem odd to think about training students to use technology – after all, they are digital natives. However, many students have not yet developed a critical mind-set when it comes to assessing whether or not information gleaned from websites is reliable or valid. They also may not be very adept at using key words to search for academic articles and books – resulting in either too many or too few hits or information that is not relevant to their research.

1. Teach students to recognise which sites are reliable for their purposes. Show them Google Scholar as a starting point and teach them to recognise more generally reliable URL endings: .org; .ac; .gov; .edu. Teach them to think about who wrote the page and why

(more…)

Continue ReadingArticle: Blended and cooperative learning in EAP

For your classroom: ‘A self-determination theory based lesson plan that works! Tapping student utilizing autonomy, competence, and relatedness’ by David Ockert

[ELTWeekly Volume 6, Issue 17 | July 14, 2014 | ISSN 0975-3036]

This paper presents a self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000) based lesson plan or task that can be used in a communicative language teaching (CLT) class. First, it must be noted that “(r)ecent studies on SDT-based motives have shown that games are primarily motivating to the extent that players experience autonomy, competence and relatedness while playing” (Ryan, Rigby, & Przybylski, 2006, p. 2). The authors investigated the impact of game play on participant psychological well-being based on these three basic psychological needs, which games are presumed to satisfy. Second, the “results show that SDT’s theorized needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness independently predict enjoyment and future game play” (p. 1). While some educators may argue against the use of the term ‘game’ for an in-class exercise, the terms ‘activity’ or ‘task’, as in task-based language teaching (TBLT), will be used in this paper.

The well-known game of bingo can be played in several different ways since it words wonderfully as a CLT activity. In fact, bingo may be the perfect TBLT activity ever created due to its amazing versatility and adaptability to student ability levels. For teachers working with junior high school students (JHSs), there are several very creative ways to make bingo an integral part of a principled CLT course (Dörnyei, 2009). (more…)

Continue ReadingFor your classroom: ‘A self-determination theory based lesson plan that works! Tapping student utilizing autonomy, competence, and relatedness’ by David Ockert
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