Lecturers’Efforts in Building Rapport in the English-Medium Instruction(EMI)Context:Focus on the Use of Communication Strategies

Past studies reveal the prevalence of anxiety,coupled with low motivation and disengagement among students in English-medium instruction(EMI)programs.Given the detrimental impact these negative emotions can have on learning outcomes,it is imperative that teachers establish positive emotional rapport with their students.This study explores how experienced and highly rated EMI lecturers at a Chinese university’s overseas campus use communication strategies to build rapport with their students during interactive academic activities.It identifies the strategies used by these lecturers and examines how the strategies facilitate the teaching-learning process.The data,consisting of 10 hours of tutorials and 10 hours of supervisor-student supervision meetings,is analyzed using an adapted Conversation Analysis(CA)approach.The analysis reveals three types of communication strategies(CSs)frequently used by lecturers:back-channeling,codeswitching,and co-creation of messages.By employing these strategies,the lecturers established a strong rapport with the students,which created an encouraging and supportive learning environment.Consequently,this positive atmosphere facilitated students’learning of content knowledge through English.The findings of this study have implications for the training of lecturers who encounter difficulties in establishing rapport with multilingual students in the EMI setting.

浅谈中小学素质教育

从应试教育向素质教育转轨，一方面源于应试教育本身很深蒂固的流弊，另一方面来自社会发展特别是改革开放新形势的迫切要求。本文就如何实施素质教育的问题，结合当前的社会现实，作了六方面的深入分析。

Teacher＇s role in teaching English for Medical Purposes （EMP）

This paper has addressed key notions about ESP and examined issues in ESP curriculum design. The content of the paper was determined by a need identified based on author＇s professional experience as an EMP instructor designing and delivering the content-based language lessons--language preparation for Doctoral Degree Applicants in medicine. The author believes that in English class teachers should adopt a student-centered approach, have some knowledge of the special subjects and choose appropriate materials that fit all medical students. This approach has achieved satisfactory result in helping students know about the latest breakthroughs in biomedical fields, communicate with colleagues of other countries and contribute to foreign medical journals.

Streamlining the Writing and Tutoring Process of English Major Theses With Stringent Tasks and Procedures

English thesis writing and tutoring process is traditionally loose and open-ended. Both students and teachers enjoy much liberty in the maneuver of different steps in the whole process, which, as it were, may cause a series of problems and dissatisfactions, consequently undermining the quality and significance. This paper is intended to explore a streamlined and systematic procedure to ensure both the students and teachers are doing their bit and make due contribution to the thesis perfection.

An Ecological Exploration of the Culture of English as an International Language Among Iranian English Language Teachers in Light of Vygotsky＇s Genotypic Approach

Language ecology is defined as the study of the interactions between any given language and its environment. It is primarily determined by the people who learn it, who use it, and more important than the previous ones by the people who transmit it to the others; that is, language teachers. English language is used as an additional language almost all over the world and an indispensable part of the ecology of this international language is culture. Thus, an ecological perspective demands a particular view of the practice of the culture of English language as situated and localized. Exploring such practice within the diverse contexts of the use of English language should be based on the genesis underpinning English language teachers＇ thoughts and practice. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to explore Iranian English language teachers＇ attitudes, knowledge, and skills of teaching culture in light of Vygotsky＇s genotypic approach. To do so, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 English language teachers in Iran. Their records were analyzed and discussed in terms of four different and interrelated spans, namely phylogenetic, cultural-historic, ontogenetic, and microgenetic. Phylogenetic span focuses on the development of language teachers as natural species and their physical evolution. The cultural historic span concerns the development of language teachers based on social, cultural, and historic bases. Ontogenetic domain investigates the role of language teachers across their human life span. Microgenetic span is related to a set of roles, activities, and interpersonal relations experienced by the developing person in a given setting. The findings of the study have indicated that there is a sharp contrast between Iranian English language teachers＇ attitudes towards teaching culture and their practice in the classroom which is due to the divergence between the their ontogenetic development of culture teaching on one hand and the policies of the English language institutes develop within the cultural historic span on the other hand.

Explicit Grammar and Implicit Grammar Teaching for English Major Students in University

The status of English grammar teaching in English teaching has weakened and even once disappeared in part English class; until the late 1980s, foreign English teachers had a consistent view of the importance of grammar teaching. In recent years, more and more domestic scholars begin to think about the situation of China and explore the grammar teaching method. This article will review the explicit grammar instruction and implicit grammar teaching research, collect and analyze the integration of explicit grammar instruction and implicit grammar teaching strategy and its advantages in the grammar teaching.

A Narrative Research on Affordances for EFL Student Teachers＇ Learning-to-Teach Beyond the Classroom＊

To become a qualified EFL （English as a Foreign Language） student teacher who can take an English teaching job in primary or high school after graduation, he or she must learn and use teacher knowledge inside and outside the classroom. Adopting a narrative research, this paper discusses eight excellent EFL student teachers＇ perception of affordances for learning to teaching beyond the classroom based on the theories of affordance and niche. The results show that perceiving many affordances for learning to teach in their niches is of great significance for student teachers to improve their teaching competence. To make student teachers become qualified, we teacher trainers should not ignore the importance of leaming-to-teach beyond the classroom.

Student-Teacher Communication in University Teaching

Considering that communication is an extremely important element in modem university education, it is of utmost importance to know how successful student-teacher communication can be achieved. In an attempt to explain it, this paper gives a definition of educational communication focusing on key aspects of student-teacher relationship and development of skills necessary for complete and independent communication. Student-teacher relationship is mostly determined by the first contact, as explained in Heider＇s attribution theory, because assigning attributes to other people and trying to understand their behavior is essential part of human nature. Through the example of pedagogical workshops, the paper demonstrates the importance of the interactive learning at university level, which leads towards establishing effective communication between teachers and students.Considering that communication is an extremely important element in modem university education, it is of utmost importance to know how successful student-teacher communication can be achieved. In an attempt to explain it, this paper gives a definition of educational communication focusing on key aspects of student-teacher relationship and development of skills necessary for complete and independent communication. Student-teacher relationship is mostly determined by the first contact, as explained in Heider＇s attribution theory, because assigning attributes to other people and trying to understand their behavior is essential part of human nature. Through the example of pedagogical workshops, the paper demonstrates the importance of the interactive learning at university level, which leads towards estabhshmg effective communication between teachers and students.

University Students＇ Perceptions of English Teachers＇ Codeswitching in Class

Foreign language teachers＇ codeswitching （CS） between Foreign Language （FL） and Mother Tongue （MT） in class has been under discussion for years. Out of the pedagogical concern, many teaching practitioners conducted various studies in different contexts aiming at describing, quantifying, and interpreting teachers＇ CS between FL and MT in class. However, up till now little attention is paid to students＇ perceptions and understandings of teachers＇ CS, which may help improve educators＇ understanding of the phenomenon in FL classrooms. This paper presents the result of two focus group interviews with groups of Chinese university students at their third and fourth year of college. Following a formal interview outline, issues on students＇ recall, understanding and evaluation of teachers＇ CS are addressed in the interview. Based on the analysis of the interviews, a better understanding on foreign language teachers＇ CS is gained, and students＇ perceptions on teachers＇ purposes and reasons for CS are drawn. A framework for investigating foreign language teachers＇ CS in Chinese universities is proposed with two hypotheses generated.

An Analysis of Conceptions of Learning English Among College Students in China

In the field of second language acquisition, an increasing amount of research has been conducted on learner＇s beliefs. Few empirical studies, however, have been focused on students＇ conceptions of learning English （COLE）. This study aims to assess conceptions of learning particularly in the domain of English. Data were collected through the COLE questionnaire among 284 college students in China. Seven factors of COLE are identified, such as ＂memorizing＂, ＂testing＂, ＂drill and practice＂, ＂increasing knowledge＂, ＂understanding＂, ＂application＂, and ＂seeing in a new way＂. These findings also provide some pedagogical implications for English language instructors and researchers.

Handling the EFL Students＇ Crisis of Self-confidence to Ask Questions

It is no wonder that inquiring is an important skill. This paper deals with a research which was intended to see if respect and encouragement could solve the problem of students＇ self-confidence to inquire in the EFL （English as a Foreign Language） classroom. The research involved a secondary group of students whose self-confidence to ask questions was considered low by the teacher and research collaborators. The data were collected through observation, questionnaire and interview. Based on a pre-observation, problem sources had been identified, i.e., the students were afraid of being thought of as ＂looking for sensation only＂, afraid that their classmates would laugh at them, worried of being judged as arrogant or pretentious, did not want to be considered stupid, and wondered if they could produce qualified questions. Teachers believed that fear of asking questions is part of the Indonesian students＇ culture. The research team agreed upon the way to handle the problem--by respect and encouragement procedure. The first session implementing the procedure was not successful enough in raising the students＇ self-confidence. Though students had already started to address some questions of this stage, their behaviors did not seem to be improved. They were still afraid, doubtful and unhappy with questioning, which were the signs of lacking of confidence. However, the next cycle was in general a success. The students＇ questions increased considerably. They looked more enthusiastic, passionate and happier in response to teachers＇ invitation to inquire, showing that their self-confidence for asking questions has developed.

The Significance of Students＇ Personal Narratives in Teacher Training

Recognizing the importance of personal narratives in general and in the field of teacher training in particular this paper first presents a review of research in the field, offers several definitions and theories of analysis, and then provides readers with the personal narratives and the analyses of three fourth-year students in the Department of English at a College for Teacher Training. The goal is to find out, learn, and make use of the voices, attitudes, experiences, visions, successes, failures, hopes, and frustrations of students engaged in teacher education. The conclusion asserts the necessity of adopting a model of training which is based on students＇ personal narratives--one which encourages and strengthens partnership between students cooperating teachers, and academics

The Role of Lexis in Developing EFL Learners＇ Speaking Skill

EFL （English as a Foreign Language） speaking is a very demanding skill that requires learners＇ socio-pragmatic as well as strategic competence in any interactional situation, and lexis proves to play a crucial role in this process. However, few studies have investigated how both EFL teachers and learners view and analyze situations in which learners are not producing enough spoken language in class, and the reasons behind them. The present study will pinpoint the significant role of lexis in Moroccan learners＇ speaking production. To this end, 40 EFL teachers and 200 Moroccan high school students are surveyed and interviewed to reveal their perceptions of the speaking skill and the corresponding high significance of lexis in this instance. Results show that both teachers and learners identify vocabulary deficiency as the main factor behind students＇ inability to speak English. In the present paper, among the many suggestions that could be proposed to deal with this situation, it is argued that one efficient way would be to assist the students during the process of L2 （second language） vocabulary learning through vocabulary learning strategy instruction. Pedagogical and research implication will be given in response to the difficulties encountered in this area as have been identified by the EFL teachers and learners surveyed.

Perceptions of Instructors and Students to Online Education at a Rural University

The popularity of technology has allowed universities to make changes through their educational system in recent years. Some transitioned from face-to-face instruction to online instruction. The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of both the instructors and the students as regards second language acquisition through online education at a rural university. The study was implemented in the context of teaching and learning English as a second language in an online education environment. The course material is based on The Net Languages Learning Platform, which is available at http：//ide.yok.gov.tr/, and the course level is general English pre-elementary. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in this study. For quantitative data collection, a questionnaire was employed to understand the reasons for low student attendance on online courses. For qualitative research method, observation was carried out, and interviews are designed as data collection techniques. Purposive selection was used for selection of the participants. The findings revealed that online education needs to be modified. The students are eager to improve their second language competencies; however, they do not want to waste their time on an easy course level.

On cultivating students＇ ability of autonomous leaming during the English class in universities

It is necessary to cultivate students＇ ability of autonomous learning. This is not only because the theory of life-long learning and the theory of modem languages teaching but also the guarantee of improving the efficiency of English teaching. In order to develop students＇ ability of autonomous learning, English teachers should improve students＇ learning surroundings, develop their motivation, use creative teaching methods and make full use of multimedia equipment and network resources.

Flipping the College English Classroom

The flipped classroom is an emerging teaching mode which is originated from the United States and is now prevalent in many countries. It is helpful to build a more harmonious relationship between the teachers and the students, to enhance the students＇ self-study ability, to create a favorable learning environment, to realize the individualized teaching in class, and to improve the students＇ English ability. The study focuses on the college English classroom in China. The author tries to prove that the flipped classroom is a helpful way to improve the teaching and learning effect of college English classroom. A teaching procedure for the flipped college English classroom is designed in the hope of changing the current college English teaching condition.

Teacher-Pupil Relationship in Implementing Modem Teaching Technologies

In the article, the features of using modern teaching tecnologies are investigated and results are revealed. The establishment of teacher-pupil relationships based on comfortable mutual trust and equal rights is the direct effect of proper and expedient use of innovative training technologies. Teaching technologies＇ features are explored, experiment examples are listed, and all these results are analysed in this article. In the article, modem teaching technologies＇ characteristic features are explored and the need of these features in teaching process with the teacher-pupil relationship is substantiated. Some conclusions were made to analyse all these points.

Anomaly detection and segmentation based on multi-student teacher network

In automated industrial inspection,it is often necessary to train models on anomaly-free images and perform anomaly detection on products,which is also an important and challenging task in computer vision.The student-teacher network trains students to regress the output of the teacher,and uses the difference between the output of the student network and the pre-trained teacher network to locate anomalies,which has achieved advanced results in the field of abnormal segmentation.However,it is slow to predict a picture,and no anomaly detection is performed.A multi-student teacher network is proposed,which uses multiple student networks to jointly regress the output of the teacher network,and the minimum square difference between the output of students and teachers in each dimension is selected as the difference value.The information in the middle layer of the network is used to represent each area of the image and calculate the anomaly distance for anomaly segmentation,and the maximum abnormal score is used to represent the abnormal degree of the image for abnormal detection.Experiments results on MVTec anomaly detection show that the algorithm predicts a picture in 0.17 s and can output anomaly detection results at the same time,with image AUROC reaching 91.1%and Pixel AUROC reaching 94.5%.On the wall tile dataset produced by taking pictures of real scenes,image AUROC reached 89.7%,and Pixel AUROC reached 89.1%.Compared with the original student-teacher network,the proposed method can quickly complete anomaly segmentation and anomaly detection tasks at the same time with better accuracy,and it also has better results in real applications.

Education for Consumer Citizenship in Greece： Teaching Student Teachers and High School Students

In the frame of the Greek educational system, education for consumer citizenship is provided to thirteen-year-old students who attend courses on home economics in junior high school. Students＇ training is focused, among others, on their acquaintance with the notion and the basic principles of consumption, primarily within the frame of family running, and, secondly, in the frame of narrower or broader social settings. Students are consequently expected to actively develop styles of mature consuming behaviour in family, school, and society. In the Faculty of Home Economics and Ecology at Harokopio University of Athens, student teachers attend special courses on consumer citizenship are systematically trained to use effectively alternative instructional strategies during the teaching of subject units that refer to consumer citizenship. The present study aims at presenting, firstly, how Greek student teachers are trained through University Syllabus and Practicum in order to be qualified as educators for consumer citizenship, and, secondly, how they diffuse this specific knowledge to their students during their years of in-class service. In addition, the study examines the career satisfaction of the graduates of home economics and ecology at Harokopio University of Athens. The result of the present study showed that the great majority of graduates were promptly appointed as teachers to Greek high schools, and today they are considered to play a major role in the conveyance of the education for consumer citizenship＇s principles in Greek society, since home economics is the only junior high school subject that promotes and develops consumer awareness in Greek secondary education.

The Influence of Teacher Talk on Raising Students’ Intercultural Awareness

In English classroom, teacher talk is an important source of students’ input in English language and plays a pivotal role in the development of language skills. At present, the intercultural awareness in the teaching process in China’s universities is weak. With the increasing demands of the society on the cultivation of students’ intercultural communicative competence, the importance of intercultural communicative competence is becoming more and more obvious. This paper discusses how to use teacher talk effectively to raise students’ intercultural awareness from the aspects of textbook development, teaching concepts, teaching methods, and after-class activities, aiming at enhancing the intercultural awareness of college students and raising intercultural communicative competence.