TESL Canada Journal
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Determiners, Feline Marsupials, and the Category-Function Distinction: A Critique of ELT Grammars
No full textThe concept of determiners is widely employed in linguistics, but mostly absent from English Language Teaching (ELT) materials (dictionaries, teacher-reference books, and student-oriented texts). Among those employing the concept, there is near-universal confusion between determiners and pronouns, arising mainly from an analytical and terminological failure to distinguish consistently between the category (determinative) and the function (specifier). I criticize this situ- ation and present linguistic evidence for a more consistent framework. I conclude by arguing that in language teaching and applied linguistics we rarely adopt advances from linguistics, not because they fail to meet some criterion of rele- vance à la Widdowson (2000), but simply because we are ignorant of linguistics in general.Le concept de déterminants s’emploie largement en linguistique, mais il est très peu présent dans le matériel pédagogique pour l’enseignement de l’anglais (dic- tionnaires, manuels de référence pour les enseignants, manuels pour les étudi- ants). Parmi ceux et celles qui emploient le concept, il existe une confusion quasi universelle entre les déterminants et les pronoms. Cette confusion découle no- tamment d’une analyse erronée et d’une erreur terminologique faisant en sorte qu’on ne distingue pas toujours la catégorie (déterminant) de la fonction (spé- cificateur). Je critique cette situation et présente des données linguistiques qui plaident en faveur d’un cadre plus constant. Je conclus en affirmant qu’en en- seignement des langues et en linguistique appliquée, nous adoptons rarement les avancées du domaine de la linguistique, pas parce qu’elles ne répondent pas à des critères de pertinence à la Widdowson (2000), mais parce que nous connaissons mal la linguistique de façon générale
Expansive Visibilization to Stimulate EFL Teacher Reflection
No full textDespite the growing popularity of action research, bridging the gap between data collection and reflective data analysis still lacks a well-developed methodology. As a supplement to the traditional action research procedure for language teaching, I adopted a method called expansive visibilization (EV), which has the potential to be a reflective stimulus that facilitates the reflection of action researchers. EV was originally proposed by Engeström (1999a) to help workers better understand and improve their workplace activities. I describe two EV sessions. The participants were two college and high school EFL teachers in Japan. Each went through the crucial second stage of EV. The participants first explained the daily contradictions that they faced when teaching. Subsequently, I asked them to draw a triangular diagram of their teaching and explain their teaching again using the diagram. I compared their explanations before and after use of the diagram. EV seemed to have changed the nature of the first participant’s reflection, but not that of the second. This contrast demonstrates both the feasibility and limitations of EV as a supplement to conventional action research
Linguistic Identities and Experiences of Generation 1.5 Teacher Candidates: Race Matters
No full textThis article recounts the experiences of six Generation 1.5 teacher candidates (TCs) as they grapple with the significance of their racial identity in asserting their native-English-speaking status. A one-year qualitative case study, it draws on critical race theory and positioning theory to elucidate how native-English speaking status is linked to levels of language proficiency and country of birth as well as to individuals’ race. Whereas Generation 1.5 non-white teacher candidates’ discourses reveal instances of marginalization and racism, discourses of white Generation 1.5 teacher candidates express privilege and acceptance
Alberta K-12 ESL Proficiency Benchmarks
No full textThis article provides information on the Alberta K-12 ESL Proficiency Benchmarks with a description of the Benchmarks, their supporting resources, and a commentary on their use in the classroom
Words for English-Language Learners
No full textIt is well-established that vocabulary is the strongest predictor of reading comprehension from grades 2 or 3 on. In this article, I argue (a) that English vocabulary is acquired in a similar sequence by native-English speakers and English-language learners; and (b) that it is possible to identify words that both lower-vocabulary English-speakers and English-language learners need to acquire. At least one published listing of these needed word meanings is available
Cultural Competence in Alberta Schools: Perceptions of ESL Families in Four Major School Boards
No full textComplex linguistic, acculturative, and social needs of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learners challenge the K-12 education system to develop cultural competence in working with culturally diverse families. This study surveyed 242 self-identified ESL students and their parents from four of Alberta’s major school boards. Results of the survey questionnaire offer insights into the perception of ESL learners and their parents on how Alberta schools respond to cultural diversity with respect to school environment, cultural representation, school practices, competence of school staff, school- and student-family interactions, family-school communication, school-community collaboration, and involvement of families in school activities
ESL Teacher-Candidates’ Beliefs About Language
No full textHow do ESL teacher-candidates grapple with beliefs about language during their professional training? In this article, we present the findings of a qualitative research study conducted in a large eastern Canadian university Bachelor of Education program. As Johnson (2010) has recently noted, despite extensive research and theoretical work that stresses the importance of functional conceptualizations of language based on social practice, much ESL teacher training still revolves around the skills needed to transmit antiquated notions centered on descriptions of phonology, morphology, syntax, and grammar. This study identifies five key factors that influenced how the teacher candidates in this study thought of language: prior beliefs, interaction with peers, the course textbook, lectures, and the teaching practicum. We found that our participants demonstrated willingness to consider language as social practice and argue that this tendency can be strengthened in particular through the integration of teacher-training course content as it pertains to functional conceptions of language with the practicum experience
Actualizing Reader-Response Theory on L2 Teacher Training Programs
No full textIn this article we share our experiences of using poems in teacher-training courses where the students are predominantly second-language learners. We describe how we tried to help learners engage with a creative text through its language and meaning. We share our experiences of helping to facilitate the open expression of opinions and feelings in L2 teachers (both inservice and preservice) on creative texts, specifically the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke. The use of this poem and others like it in teacher education courses in three of Hong Kong’s tertiary institutions has produced consistently impressive outcomes in terms of teachers’ responses to poetry in general. We aim to illustrate a teaching strategy that emphasizes the reader as expert and to show how this process leads EFL/ESL teachers as well as English-language learners (ELLs) to experience more lived, esthetic responses as part of their coursework
Critical Media Analysis in Teacher Education: Exploring Language-Learners’ Identity Through Mediated Images of a Non-Native Speaker of English
No full textMedia literacy education has become increasingly present in curricular initiatives around the world as media saturate our cultural environments. For second-language teachers and teacher educators whose practice centers on language, communication, and culture, the need to address media as a pedagogical site of critique is imperative. In this article, I introduce critical media analysis (CMA) as a tool that cultivates discussion of language-learners’ identities as they are shaped by popular media. I present CMA in the context of critical language studies and communication theories that situate language in social and political landscapes. I describe a hybrid (quantitative/qualitative) approach to CMA as I apply it to a non-native speaker of English (NNSE) character from an internationally successful Hollywood film. I describe representations that “symbolically colonize” (Molina-Guzmán, 2010) the NNSE as lower class, lower status, and comfortably positioned as subordinate to his native-speaker counterparts. I then share examples of how students use CMA to further explore media cultivation of social attitudes toward language-learning, language policies, and NNSE identity. Overall, this article offers second-language teacher educators a theoretically informed model of analysis that engages TESL professionals as active participants in their
media-saturated environments
Prewriting Tasks for Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic Learners
No full textAlthough it is a well-known fact that students’ preferred learning styles vary, many instructors teach in the way that reflects their own learning style preferences despite the fact that mismatches in teacher-learner styles may result in lower student achievement. In a traditional ESL or EAP writing class, students who prefer to learn by reading and writing may be privileged over those who have a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic style preference. In this article, I describe a variety of prewriting tasks that appeal to diverse learners and complement a processoriented approach to writing