18 research outputs found
The teaching, learning and testing of te reo Māori in tertiary institutions in Aotearoa/New Zealand
No full textAdditional language teaching and learning is fraught with problems the world over and Aotearoa/New Zealand is not immune to these issues. This doctoral research investigates current practices of teaching and learning te reo Māori (the Māori language) as an additional language in tertiary educational institutions and explores the appropriacy of measuring the language proficiency of speakers and learners of te reo Māori by using a variation of the C-test principle. The first chapter (Chapter One) sets the context by providing an overview of post-colonial historical events in Aotearoa/New Zealand that led to a language shift which would result in many Māori learning te reo Māori as a second language. The literature review (Chapter Two) provides an historical overview of additional language teaching methods and approaches since the 18th century and critiques some language teaching methods/approaches – found to be outdated, teacher-centred and/or too limited in scope – that are currently used to teach the Māori language in tertiary institutions. The next two chapters report on responses from a questionnaire-based survey (Chapter Three) and semi-structured interviews (Chapter Four) with tertiary teachers of te reo Māori, which found that most teachers are largely untrained and unqualified in the area of additional language teaching and learning. The chapter that follows (Chapter Five) provides an analysis of a textbook series – reported to be the most widely used Māori language resources in tertiary institutions – which was found to be largely influenced by an eclectic approach to textbook design that includes grammar translation and audiolingual methods. For the next chapter (Chapter Six), the development of a particular type of Māori language proficiency test (variant C-test) is discussed, along with the findings and results of its trial, which was done, firstly, with a sample of highly proficient speakers of te reo and, secondly, with a small sample of second language learners of te reo, prior to a pilot of the test which was conducted with a second sample of tertiary learners of te reo Māori. While analyses of test scores reveal that satisfactory reliability coefficients were obtained, more research is required, not only to investigate the validity of this particular C-test variant, but also to further explore the appropriacy of applying the (variant) C-test principle to measuring general Māori language proficiency. This chapter (Chapter Six) concludes with a discussion of the questionnaire responses about the educational backgrounds, language backgrounds, motivations and attitudes of the samples of learners, approximately half of whom are additional language learners and the other half of whom have been raised with te reo Māori as (one of) their main language. An overview of the research findings and its limitations is provided in the final chapter (Chapter Seven), along with potential contributions of the research and further recommendations for future research. The challenge that each issue raised in this thesis places on teachers, students and the revitalisation movement of te reo Māori in tertiary institutions, is one which needs to be further explored and addressed
Changing perspectives on syllabus design in ELT: Textbook trends and tertiary teacher decision-making
No full textBy the mid-1900s, the impact of behaviourism and linguistic structuralism had led, in the area of second/ additional language teaching, to the development of structural syllabuses and audio-lingual methodology. It was not long, however, before both behaviourism and full-blown linguistic structuralism began to be challenged, challenges which underpinned a raft of proposals relating to both methodology and syllabus design. In some cases, the distinction between syllabus and methodology has become blurred to such an extent that it has been suggested that any attempt to differentiate between the two is irrelevant or even, perhaps, misguided. There can be few who do not accept that the interaction between the what (content) and the how (methodology) of language teaching is a critical one. This should not, however, mean that any research that focuses on the content of language courses is no longer relevant. Even so, while there is a considerable body of research that relates primarily to methodology, there is much less that relates primarily to syllabus. It is with issues relating to the language syllabus that this thesis is concerned. More specifically, it explores the impact that a range of syllabus design proposals has had, directly or indirectly, on a sample of English language textbook writers and English language teachers.
One part of the research programme reported here focused on English language teachers and language programme managers operating in the tertiary education sector. A sample of English language teachers who completed a questionnaire-based survey were found, in general, to favour clearly articulated blended syllabuses that include a primary focus on vocabulary and grammar and, to a lesser extent, discourse features. However, there was considerable disagreement about the nature of the content that is appropriate at different levels and evidence of a high degree of uncertainty and confusion in the area of achievement objectives setting and discourse-based specifications. In addition, approximately one third of the respondents reported that they relied heavily on commercially produced textbooks in determining the detailed content of the language courses for which they were responsible. A sample of language programme managers/ co-ordinators who participated in semi-structured interviews all stressed the importance of having explicit syllabuses for the courses and programmes offered by their institutions. Grammar, tasks, vocabulary, language skills and learning skills were each considered to play an important role in General English (GE) courses, and skills and discourse features were considered fundamental in the case of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses. In only one case, however, did the programme documentation provided by the interview participants include a reasonably clear indication of course content and, once again, as in the case of the teachers who took part in the questionnaire-based survey, there was evidence of considerable reliance on commercially produced textbooks in determining detailed course content.
In another part of the research programme, representative samples of widely used, commercially produced textbooks focusing on GE or EAP were analysed from the perspective of the nature of the syllabuses underpinning them. So far as the GE textbooks are concerned, it was found that the structural syllabus was becoming situationalized and lexicalized by the mid-1960s, with indications of incipient functionalization emerging in the early 1970s. Some attempts to design textbooks around a more wholly functional syllabus in the late 1970s and 1980s appear to have been largely abandoned by the 1990s. By that time, the syllabuses underpinning GE textbooks were found to have a largely situationalized and functionalized lexico-grammatical core. From the 1990s onwards, there was an increasing focus on skills (including learning skills), with a limited range of discourse features being added to the mix, yielding a more complex type of hybrid syllabus. With very few exceptions, the writers of commercially available GE textbooks appear to have shown little enthusiasm for syllabuses that are primarily lexical, task-based or relational in orientation. In the case of the EAP textbooks, the underlying syllabuses were found to be largely discourse-based, the primary emphasis being on cohesive devices and, to various extents and in varying combinations, paragraphing, generic cross-disciplinary organizational structures (e.g. general/ particular and problem/solution) and a variety of text-types and discourse modes. While some textbook writers appear to have accommodated the different strands of what are essentially hybrid syllabuses with little difficulty, others appear to have been less successful in doing so, leading to a somewhat disjointed, even haphazard approach to syllabus specification.
While several proponents of different approaches to syllabus design have tended to reject other approaches out of hand, textbook writers and language teachers appear, in general, to have opted for a compromise position. However, that compromise appears to have been, at times, an uneasy one, one that can result in syllabuses that are neither coherent not theoretically grounded
Youth in care with emotional and behavioural challenges: Alternative pathways to tertiary education
No full textThis article aims to start a discussion on whether an alternative pathway to tertiary education can be found for
New Zealand youth who are in care and who are experiencing mental health and/or behavioural difficulties and,
more specifically, conduct problems. Our purpose is to challenge the conventional approaches to education and
to propose a method that could support the development of more tailored and effective educational pathways.
These proposed, potentially more effective, pathways would see youth in care – who would not ordinarily achieve
New Zealand’s National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA) levels 1 and 2 (due to externalising
behaviours which impact progress to tertiary education) – gain success in these qualifications
Critical thinking, EAP and supplementary resources
No full textThe development of critical thinking skills in English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students is a major area
of interest for teachers in the sector.
While teaching on a sessional EAP course at a university in New Zealand, I used a range of supplementary materials
to develop a three-stage framework to assist students in developing their critical thinking (CT) ability. As it was not possible to cover very many aspects of developing this crucial CT skill in the time allocated for critical thinking in the course, this framework seemed like a
viable option to cover the core content.
The three stages included critically evaluating their self-assumptions, critically evaluating academic articles on a macro-level and critically evaluating academic articles on a micro-level in terms of the language used. Ultimately, I hoped that this could lead to students
developing the ability to critically evaluate their own writing once they developed the ability to be more critical of what they were reading
Book reviewed: Parrish, B. (2019). Teaching adult English language learners: A practical introduction.
No full textI reviewed this book for the Modern English Teacher Journal published by Pavilion Publishers
My Introduction to the book was:
This book includes a collection of key Adult English Language Learning (AELL) issues that form the core of many teaching AELL programmes or courses. Although I have been a language teacher trainer and mentor for almost twenty years, I feel that for me this book offers tremendous value in terms of the depth of understanding of issues that Parrish relays, and the useful refreshing approaches and suggestions that are made about core aspects of ELT. The explanations, tasks and resources included in each chapter and the addition of current practices related to some shifts in learner groups, such as an increase in low literacy learners and advocating for learners by empowering them, enriches the content
He waka eke noa1: Lockdown, CR4CA and teaching reflection
No full textIn the English language teaching (ELT) sector, the introduction of new technology tools over the last few decades has been greeted with a range of emotions ranging from excitement to trepidation and fear. However, 2020 and the unprecedented Covid-19 Lockdown in New Zealand arrived with a bang, escalating the move towards, what for many turned out to be, mandatory emergency remote teaching (ERT) (Hodges, Moore, Lockee, Trust & Bond, 2020). This initiated an urgent need for teachers to rapidly upskill in order to manage their online teaching.
At the tertiary institution where the presenter teaches, one technique used to manage this ERT was the appointment of two centre representatives for course adjustment (CR4CA) during Covid-19 Lockdown. The presenter was one of two nominated CR4CA at the institutions’ Centre for Languages. This role was essentially created as a bridge between teachers and the institution’s centralised online technical staff.
This presentation covers some key reflections related to pre-lockdown views of the role, the actual role during lockdown and course adjustment opinions and implementations, and post-lockdown evaluations. In this reflection, the presenter addresses some key tenets related to ERT mentioned by Hodge et al. (2020) and how the CR4CA role aligned with these tenets. The speaker will also evaluate the extent to which supporting and mentoring EL teachers remotely addressed core aspects covered by Caldwell & Ichaporia (2020) in their webinar on remote EL teaching
The impact on language teachers of trends in the literature on language teaching and learning: A questionnaire-based study involving teachers of English as an additional language
No full textI report here on specific aspects of a survey of a sample of 93 teachers of English as an additional language from five different countries who completed a questionnaire that included questions relating to objectives specification and the inclusion of coherence, cohesion and genre in their teaching. The data collected suggest that although literature on language teaching and learning appears to have had some impact on the beliefs and practices of these language teachers, that impact has, in general, been a superficial one
Book reviewed: Sharma, P. & Barrett, B. (2018). Best practices for blended learning. English Teaching professional: Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd: United Kingdom.
No full textSharma and Barrett, in their introduction, clearly mention that their book is designed to “provide a comprehensive, practical handbook of use to language teachers, academic managers, teacher trainers and institution heads around the world” (p. 8), thereby emphasising their target readership. The authors appear to adopt an objective and realistic approach to the notion of a BL environment. This is particularly visible in a few of the chapters such as in Chapter 1 (‘What is Blended Learning?’) which addresses various terms that have been used to discuss BL such as, disruptive, redundant, sustainable, mobile, culture and flux (p. 20), in Chapter 3 (‘Research’) where, with all the positive aspects of BL, they state clearly that “Any claims about the superiority of BL need to be taken cautiously’’ (p. 39) and in Chapter 6 this objectivity is once again addressed with the chapter titled ‘Challenges’
Students, resources and critical thinking: An EAP perspective
No full textCritical thinking(CT) should probably be developed within any English language course, however, the pressure on pre-sessional and sessional EAP course students to develop their CT ability is arguably more crucial than in many other language learning courses. In the teaching of EAP courses, teachers are encouraged to adopt a number of different approaches. Fairbairn and Winch (2011, p. 36) expand on the SQ3R approach proposed by Beard (1990), which is a planned and scaffolded approach. The other possible approach can be an unplanned ‘critical thinking moment’ (de Chazel, 2014). De Chazel suggests that teaching critical thinking that involves different cognitive processes should be seen as a ‘state of mind’ (de Chazal, 2014, p. 143) It has many challenges, the least of which is making students aware of diverse perspectives. This session starts with an initial short presentation and sharing of techniques and resources successfully used by the presenter to facilitate critical thinking for pre-sessional and sessional tertiary EAP students. It supports a combination of a planned and unplanned approach. Following that, the presenter will invite session attendees to share successful resources and technique they have found useful. The workshop will conclude with a Q and A session
Book review: Dummett, P. & Hughes, J. (2019) Critical thinking in ELT: A working model for the classroom. National Geographic Learning. USA: Sherrise Roehr.
No full textThis comprehensive book by Dummett and Hughes (2019) is arguable the first book that so explicitly sets out to be an ELT resource with useful activities for language teachers to implement and for busy teachers it provides an approachable concise guide.
There are numerous definitions used by textbook writers for the term Critical thinking, and Dummett and Hughes, as probably expected ,do look at the possible definitions for the terms. However, the point of difference is the fact that the authors for this book, survey teachers and it is the voices of the teachers that comes through with quotes used to from teachers on defining CT. This focus with the voice of teachers woven into some of the chapters, Will possibly make teachers enjoy reading the book more as their voices are prominent in the chapters and they can relate to the supporting points. This is quiet an impressive aspect of the book
