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Teaching (or not teaching) grammar in an ESL classroom.
Get PDFSummary Abstract: Lack of grammatical accuracy has been often seen as a common issue in non-native English background students. With changing views on teaching English throughout ESL history, researchers and practitioners have argued about the best ways to teach grammar and whether teaching grammar was necessary at all. CLT was often perceived as a licence to abandon grammar teaching altogether. To explore this issue further a project was initiated in which classroom observations were conducted to see how much time and effort was spent on grammar in a typical 50-minute lesson. The conclusion was that teachers either avoid any grammar instructions, or have an explicit, systematic approach to specific grammar items, e.g. teaching passive voice. In addition, a number of observed teachers were interviewed to gain insight into their beliefs about teaching grammar. The presentation will also look at some methods to promote accuracy in production of English
From reflection to autonomy: English curriculum reform in China
Get PDFDeveloping autonomy means supporting learners’ control over their learning, and likewise teachers’ control over their teaching. Throughout the process, reflection is a key. This presentation examines the reflective practice of a group of Chinese EFL secondary teachers about cultivating learner autonomy in the context of an innovative school project. Two questions are addressed: In what ways was learner/teacher control supported in the context? And what reflections did the teachers demonstrate regarding their autonomy-oriented practice?
The participants comprised the school principal, the executive director, and all nine teachers in the English Department. Taking an interpretive naturalistic paradigm, this case study deployed a multi-method approach to data collection, conducted over an academic semester of five months. Data gathered included twenty two classroom observations, fourteen post-lesson discussion sessions, eleven interviews, and numerous field and reflective notes, school documents and classroom materials. The collected data were subjected to a process of grounded analysis, through which important themes were identified by open and axial coding, constant comparison and contrast and iterative checking.
Major findings were summarised into two points. On the part of students, while opportunities to take control were allowed in such activities as pre-lesson presentations, collaborative group work, and peer teaching, few opportunities were observed for students to reflect on their learning and rationalise their participation in these activities. On the part of the teachers, whereas reflective sessions were running weekly in the form of collective post-lesson discussions, the range of topics covered in the discussions was too wide to permit focussed reflection. The study implies that teachers need to develop students’ awareness of and ability for reflective learning, and that school managers should guide and support teachers to conduct more purposeful LA-oriented reflective teaching
supervision of honours student research
No full textLGBT photographic portrait series examining identity and queer theor
Comparison of anisotropic models to simulate the mechanical response of facial skin
Get PDFPhysically-realistic models of the face can be applied in a wide range of domains, including biomedicine, computer animation, and forensics. There has been significant improvement in the anatomical accuracy of face models with better representation of the mimetic muscles, and realistic contact and attachments between soft and bony tissues [1,2]. Face simulations can also benefit from improved constitutive models of the skin layer. For example, better representation of the mechanical properties of facial skin can lead to improved predictions of deformations as a result of maxillofacial surgical procedures.
The objective of this work is to compare and evaluate constitutive models’ ability to simulate the mechanical response of facial skin subjected to a rich set of deformations using a probe.
We developed a finite element model to simulate the facial skin experiments of Flynn et al [3]. Several anisotropic constitutive equations were tested for their suitability to represent facial skin, including models proposed by Gasser et al [4], and Tong and Fung [5]. To represent in vivo tension, we applied a prestress to the model prior to simulating the full set of deformations. The reaction forces due to the displaced probe were calculated. A non-linear optimization procedure determined model parameters and in vivo tensions that best fit the model reaction forces to the measured experimental reaction forces.
The finite element model simulated the force-displacement response of facial skin under a rich set of deformations. Use of an anisotropic constitutive law in place of an isotropic law resulted in a better fit between the models and experiments. For example, using the Gasser et al [4] anisotropic material model results in a 0.87 variance accounted for compared to 0.79 variance using an isotropic Ogden material model [3].
Future developments include the incorporation of the structure inferior to the skin in the model. We believe this will have the most significant effect on the model performance.
References:
[1] Flynn et al. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Eng, 18: 571-582, 2015
[2] Wu et al. IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph, 20:1519-1529, 2014
[3] Flynn C et al. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater, 28: 484-494, 2013.
[4] Gasser T et al. J R Soc Interface, 3: 15-35, 2006.”
[5] Tong, P and Fung Y-C. J Biomech, 9: 649-657, 197
Musical Anti-Virtuosity in New Zealand’s Nature’s Best
No full textThis article presents an analysis of Nature’s Best (2002), three albums that represent the mainstream and critical canon of New Zealand popular music. I argue that Nature’s Best predominantly conveys the viewpoints of white, male songwriters, many of whom belonged to a “Golden Generation” of New Zealand musicians. Further, the tracks on Nature’s Best are frequently imbued with a sense of musical anti- virtuosity, which provides a representation in song of masculine tropes that are common in New Zealand culture
2do. Festival del Cartel de la Habana 2nd Poster Festival of Havana -4x3 International Poster Project
No full textInvited to exhibit the project at the Second Poster Festival of Havana, 48 original posters, poster promoting the event and catalogue books sent from Hamilton to Havana via courrier
Keynote address for Mercurial Rhapsodies: Tribute to Queen
Get PDFThe documents provides my answers as part of the facilitated address/panel discussion at Mercurial Rhapsodies: Tribute to Queen, led by Marie Berginiat in St Etienne, France, October 2016
Pianist/Keyboardist for SH48 National Tour 2016, Napier
No full textThe 2016 national tour of SH48, a musical by Hamilton-based Chris Williams, used a pre-recorded soundtrack for which I played the piano and keyboard parts
Pianist/Keyboardist for SH48 National Tour 2016, Wanganui
No full textThe 2016 national tour of SH48, a musical by Hamilton-based Chris Williams, used a pre-recorded soundtrack for which I played the piano and keyboard parts