ELT Research Papers

#99, Research Paper: ‘The Face Behind The Mask: Selected Plays Of George Bernard Shaw’ by Md. Afrozuddin

Post author:Tarun Patel
Post published:September 23, 2011
Post category:ELT Articles and Research Papers ELT Newsletter ELT Research Articles ELT Research Papers ELTWeekly Issue#99
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ELTWeekly Vol. 3 Issue#99 | September 26 | ISSN 0975-3036

Md. Afrozuddin works as Assistant Professor of English at Sri Venkateswara Institute of Technology (SVIT), NH-44, Behind Anantha PVC Pipes, Hampapuram (V), Rapthadu (M), Anantapur – 515722.

The 19^th century saw the introduction of legislation that began a process of state intervention into the living and working conditions of the men and women of Britain. Many people’s living conditions were shocking and degrading. As a young man, “Shaw worked for a firm of estate agents collecting tiny sums of rent from slum dwellers in Dublin. Shaw hated this job and that it was through this experience that … he saw how gentleman actually behaved and how they made their money out of working men and women … Landlords, it seemed to him, were little better than thieves.”[1]

Shaw intended his first play to expose the practices of slum landlords and the corruption within local government that continued to line the pockets of those willing to exploit and abuse. At the time of its first performance in 1892, it excited a great of controversy, a sense of uproar which delighted Shaw and the reaction of the middle class audiences was understandable since they recognized the attack Shaw was making on them. (more…)

ELTWeekly Vol. 3 Issue#98

Post author:Tarun Patel
Post published:September 19, 2011
Post category:ELT Articles and Research Papers ELT Conferences ELT Newsletter ELT Research Articles ELT Research Papers ELT Videos ELTWeekly Issue#98
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ELTWeekly Vol. 3 Issue#98 | September 19 | ISSN 0975-3036 Subscribe to ELTWeekly (FREE) TeachingEnglish Video: Mobile learning Research Article: ‘Why are English Teachers Married to Soft Skills?’ by Dr…

#98, Research Article: ‘Why are English Teachers Married to Soft Skills?’ by Dr Shree Deepa

Post author:Tarun Patel
Post published:September 18, 2011
Post category:ELT Articles and Research Papers ELT Newsletter ELT Research Articles ELT Research Papers ELTWeekly Issue#98
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ELTWeekly Vol. 3 Issue#98 | September 19 | ISSN 0975-3036

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Dr Shree Deepa works with ELTC, University of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (India).

Everyone talks about the importance of ‘soft skills.’ It has become the intellectual property of the English teachers (read experts). Any ‘Soft Skill Trainer’ has to have a masters’ degree in English (read literature, and many corporate sectors do not make a distinction between English Language and English Literature). This study explores the definition and scope of the term ‘Soft Skills’ and traces the association of the English teacher with it.

There is no consensus on a precise definition of ‘soft skills,’ but in general the term is used to describe on-the-job abilities that go beyond an employee’s job description. For example, a computer programmer’s ability to create and read programs would generally be described as a hard skill, whereas his or her ability to work effectively with co-workers, communicate with clients and manage projects would be lumped together under the soft skills banner. The term Soft Skills implies critical thinking, interpersonal communication and innovation. These are treated on par with technical skills and expertise. In fact, success in the workplace stems from having these abilities, regardless of what kind of work a person does. Soft skills are really the hardest skills to learn and to teach. The magic word communication binds the English teacher to this field of learning. It is a sociological term which refers to the cluster of personality traits, social graces, and facility with language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that mark people to varying degrees. Soft skills complement hard skills, which are the technical requirements of a job. The study aims at finding out the real meaning of the term and its apparent inseparable nature from the English teachers. The study also looks into the corporate ‘syllabi’ of such training programmes. (more…)