Reading English newspapers and magazines is an effective way to help the students get the latest information worldwide and improve English levels. The present article first analyzes the features of the English newspap...Reading English newspapers and magazines is an effective way to help the students get the latest information worldwide and improve English levels. The present article first analyzes the features of the English newspapers and magazines and then proposes making good use of them through such classroom activities as discussing the hot issue and role-playing to provide more authentic situations in which the students can have chances to practice four English skills, achieving the ideal teaching result.展开更多
Teacher Talk is of crucial significance to the English Language Teaching (ELT) classroom. The success or failure of Foreign Language Teaching in the classroom to a large extent depends on the quantity and quality of...Teacher Talk is of crucial significance to the English Language Teaching (ELT) classroom. The success or failure of Foreign Language Teaching in the classroom to a large extent depends on the quantity and quality of Teacher Talk. This paper analyzes the various factors affecting Teacher Talk.展开更多
The acquisition of word knowledge, in terms of breadth and depth, has a fundamental impact on language learning. A comprehensive framework of word knowledge is therefore needed to help language learners master all the...The acquisition of word knowledge, in terms of breadth and depth, has a fundamental impact on language learning. A comprehensive framework of word knowledge is therefore needed to help language learners master all the aspects of word knowledge. This paper proposed a framework of word knowledge based on the literature review of the field. The pedagogical implications of the word knowledge framework were then proposed and discussed critically. Finally, it is proposed that syllabus designers need to consider the possibility of incorporating "word knowledge framework" into syllabus.展开更多
Due to the popularity of English, English language teaching has taken up an important position in China's education. Teachers of English may seldom consider the power behind this widely-used language during the teach...Due to the popularity of English, English language teaching has taken up an important position in China's education. Teachers of English may seldom consider the power behind this widely-used language during the teaching process. This article starts with revealing the power behind language so as to let teachers be aware of the hidden power behind English language and be conscious that English language is not neutral. At the same time, it reminds teachers of English to have a critical attitude on their teaching practice and help students to balance the study of Chinese and English.展开更多
The study is based on an observation of the pronunciation of a group of undergraduate students of English as a Second Language (ESL) whose mother tongue is Arabic and who have no formal training in the spoken variet...The study is based on an observation of the pronunciation of a group of undergraduate students of English as a Second Language (ESL) whose mother tongue is Arabic and who have no formal training in the spoken variety of English other than that received in the classroom. The study of acquisition of pronunciation of consonant clusters at morphological, particularly at the morphophonological levels indicates that the learners are sensitive to the syllabic structure viz., cccv type and cccvcc type, at the word-initial, medial and final positions. Samples of words with different consonant clusters were tested with a homogeneous group of students. Words of identical morphological categories were used as the data to test the students' level of perception. These were analyzed using Speech Analyzer Version 2.5. The data includes consonant clusters like plosive-fricative, plosive-plosive, fricative-fricative and plosive-fricative-trill/liquid combinations. The results varied according to the perceptual and articulatory abilities of the learners. It was observed that the plosive perception and acquisition of three-consonant clusters of plosive-plosive word initially, plosive-plosive combinations word finally and plosive-fricative type, posed more difficulty for the learners. The tendency to drop one of the consonants of the cluster was more pronounced with syllables ending in plural morphemes and those ending in -mp, -pt, -kt, -nt, -bt, etc. Difficulty was also noticed with the initial plosive+/r/, plosive+/1/combinations, especially in word initial positions. Across the syllable boundaries, these clusters are almost inaudible with some speakers. The difficulty in the articulation of these consonant clusters can be accounted for the mother tongue influence, as in the case of many other features. The results of the analysis have a pedagogical implication in the use of such words with consonant clusters, to teach reading skills to the students of undergraduate level in the present setting and promote self-learning through the use of speech tools.展开更多
Language learners can hardly develop their communicative competence and aesthetic appreciation of literary works without the awareness of stylistics. Since CET-4 and CET-6 direct college students in China, as learners...Language learners can hardly develop their communicative competence and aesthetic appreciation of literary works without the awareness of stylistics. Since CET-4 and CET-6 direct college students in China, as learners of English as a foreign language, what to learn and how to learn English, they naturally reflect the importance of stylistics. This paper gives a stylistic analysis of the listening and reading part in CET-4 and CET-6 to show it is important for non-English majors to have some knowledge of stylistics.展开更多
With the great impact of WTO and the business globalization, professional internationalized business people are heavily demanding, which imposes pressure and necessity on practical and effective Business English progr...With the great impact of WTO and the business globalization, professional internationalized business people are heavily demanding, which imposes pressure and necessity on practical and effective Business English program. This essay intends to design an intensive, non-assessed, inservice oral business English course for intermediate business people.展开更多
The paper is an analysis of how much success Thai teachers of English have had throughout four decades of teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and the future direction to take. Thai teachers are aware that ...The paper is an analysis of how much success Thai teachers of English have had throughout four decades of teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and the future direction to take. Thai teachers are aware that their students are not confident of their speaking abilities. That is why they try to avoid making mistakes in pronunciation and connected speech making as mistakes are taken as signs of inability. It is a common sight in an English class that Thai students prefer to remain in their comfort zone of using the Thai language. Speaking is a productive skill; teaching someone to speak cannot be successfully done through listening to the "how to" lecture. The author proposes that to dream a possible dream, the teachers need to change their course design to adopt the goals of English for communication and enhancement of soft skills such as networking skill, teamwork skill, self-management skill, creativity, and work attitude. An example of a course design used is discussed with the underlining learning theories for the course, the course organization, and the fruits of this endeavor. This course is adopting the "Teach Less and Learn More" approach, a route to take for real learning.展开更多
Culture teaching is an inseparable part of an English major program to enhance students' intercultural competence. Yet, in practice, culture teaching does not receive due attention. More often than not, culture is ta...Culture teaching is an inseparable part of an English major program to enhance students' intercultural competence. Yet, in practice, culture teaching does not receive due attention. More often than not, culture is taught and intercultural competence is developed randomly by individual teachers. The practice lacks cooperation, unity and coherence at the curriculum level. This paper proposes a systematic approach to plan, organize and coordinate culture teaching and to enhance intercultural competence for English major students. The theoretical assumption is a language is inseparable from its relative culture and the foreign culture should be openly addressed in actual teaching.展开更多
With the aim of investigating the longitudinal washback of the innovated College English Test (CET) on College English (CE) classroom teaching and learning and ascertaining what changes the test innovation has bro...With the aim of investigating the longitudinal washback of the innovated College English Test (CET) on College English (CE) classroom teaching and learning and ascertaining what changes the test innovation has brought to CE in China, this study compares CE classes of a university in 2003 with those in 2009 through classroom observations, supplemented with interviews and questionnaire survey. The results indicate that the CE teaching model remains nearly the same before and after the CET innovation, but obvious changes are observed in terms of semester teaching plans, teaching content and teaching methods. It seems that the CET innovation is one of the main factors contributing to these changes, which, however, may also be attributed to other factors such as The College English Requirement, curriculum design, the use of CET results, teachers' individual differences, and students' English proficiency.展开更多
How to have a successful Intensive reading English class? The teacher should possess a lot of practice based on the theory of second language acquisition and teaching strategies. This paper mainly discusses the way of...How to have a successful Intensive reading English class? The teacher should possess a lot of practice based on the theory of second language acquisition and teaching strategies. This paper mainly discusses the way of how to manage Intensive English classes in the perspective of teaching approach, class design and teaching procedure, etc. The three aspects are associated with each other very closely. If the teacher can combine these three factors successfully, he can be regarded as a competent teacher.展开更多
文摘Reading English newspapers and magazines is an effective way to help the students get the latest information worldwide and improve English levels. The present article first analyzes the features of the English newspapers and magazines and then proposes making good use of them through such classroom activities as discussing the hot issue and role-playing to provide more authentic situations in which the students can have chances to practice four English skills, achieving the ideal teaching result.
文摘Teacher Talk is of crucial significance to the English Language Teaching (ELT) classroom. The success or failure of Foreign Language Teaching in the classroom to a large extent depends on the quantity and quality of Teacher Talk. This paper analyzes the various factors affecting Teacher Talk.
文摘The acquisition of word knowledge, in terms of breadth and depth, has a fundamental impact on language learning. A comprehensive framework of word knowledge is therefore needed to help language learners master all the aspects of word knowledge. This paper proposed a framework of word knowledge based on the literature review of the field. The pedagogical implications of the word knowledge framework were then proposed and discussed critically. Finally, it is proposed that syllabus designers need to consider the possibility of incorporating "word knowledge framework" into syllabus.
文摘Due to the popularity of English, English language teaching has taken up an important position in China's education. Teachers of English may seldom consider the power behind this widely-used language during the teaching process. This article starts with revealing the power behind language so as to let teachers be aware of the hidden power behind English language and be conscious that English language is not neutral. At the same time, it reminds teachers of English to have a critical attitude on their teaching practice and help students to balance the study of Chinese and English.
文摘The study is based on an observation of the pronunciation of a group of undergraduate students of English as a Second Language (ESL) whose mother tongue is Arabic and who have no formal training in the spoken variety of English other than that received in the classroom. The study of acquisition of pronunciation of consonant clusters at morphological, particularly at the morphophonological levels indicates that the learners are sensitive to the syllabic structure viz., cccv type and cccvcc type, at the word-initial, medial and final positions. Samples of words with different consonant clusters were tested with a homogeneous group of students. Words of identical morphological categories were used as the data to test the students' level of perception. These were analyzed using Speech Analyzer Version 2.5. The data includes consonant clusters like plosive-fricative, plosive-plosive, fricative-fricative and plosive-fricative-trill/liquid combinations. The results varied according to the perceptual and articulatory abilities of the learners. It was observed that the plosive perception and acquisition of three-consonant clusters of plosive-plosive word initially, plosive-plosive combinations word finally and plosive-fricative type, posed more difficulty for the learners. The tendency to drop one of the consonants of the cluster was more pronounced with syllables ending in plural morphemes and those ending in -mp, -pt, -kt, -nt, -bt, etc. Difficulty was also noticed with the initial plosive+/r/, plosive+/1/combinations, especially in word initial positions. Across the syllable boundaries, these clusters are almost inaudible with some speakers. The difficulty in the articulation of these consonant clusters can be accounted for the mother tongue influence, as in the case of many other features. The results of the analysis have a pedagogical implication in the use of such words with consonant clusters, to teach reading skills to the students of undergraduate level in the present setting and promote self-learning through the use of speech tools.
文摘Language learners can hardly develop their communicative competence and aesthetic appreciation of literary works without the awareness of stylistics. Since CET-4 and CET-6 direct college students in China, as learners of English as a foreign language, what to learn and how to learn English, they naturally reflect the importance of stylistics. This paper gives a stylistic analysis of the listening and reading part in CET-4 and CET-6 to show it is important for non-English majors to have some knowledge of stylistics.
文摘With the great impact of WTO and the business globalization, professional internationalized business people are heavily demanding, which imposes pressure and necessity on practical and effective Business English program. This essay intends to design an intensive, non-assessed, inservice oral business English course for intermediate business people.
文摘The paper is an analysis of how much success Thai teachers of English have had throughout four decades of teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and the future direction to take. Thai teachers are aware that their students are not confident of their speaking abilities. That is why they try to avoid making mistakes in pronunciation and connected speech making as mistakes are taken as signs of inability. It is a common sight in an English class that Thai students prefer to remain in their comfort zone of using the Thai language. Speaking is a productive skill; teaching someone to speak cannot be successfully done through listening to the "how to" lecture. The author proposes that to dream a possible dream, the teachers need to change their course design to adopt the goals of English for communication and enhancement of soft skills such as networking skill, teamwork skill, self-management skill, creativity, and work attitude. An example of a course design used is discussed with the underlining learning theories for the course, the course organization, and the fruits of this endeavor. This course is adopting the "Teach Less and Learn More" approach, a route to take for real learning.
文摘Culture teaching is an inseparable part of an English major program to enhance students' intercultural competence. Yet, in practice, culture teaching does not receive due attention. More often than not, culture is taught and intercultural competence is developed randomly by individual teachers. The practice lacks cooperation, unity and coherence at the curriculum level. This paper proposes a systematic approach to plan, organize and coordinate culture teaching and to enhance intercultural competence for English major students. The theoretical assumption is a language is inseparable from its relative culture and the foreign culture should be openly addressed in actual teaching.
基金part of the achievements funded by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in China(No.0205005201030)the National Scholarship Council of China(No.2010850066) granted to the second author to support a one-year visiting professorship and period of collaboration with University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations from October 2011 to September 2012
文摘With the aim of investigating the longitudinal washback of the innovated College English Test (CET) on College English (CE) classroom teaching and learning and ascertaining what changes the test innovation has brought to CE in China, this study compares CE classes of a university in 2003 with those in 2009 through classroom observations, supplemented with interviews and questionnaire survey. The results indicate that the CE teaching model remains nearly the same before and after the CET innovation, but obvious changes are observed in terms of semester teaching plans, teaching content and teaching methods. It seems that the CET innovation is one of the main factors contributing to these changes, which, however, may also be attributed to other factors such as The College English Requirement, curriculum design, the use of CET results, teachers' individual differences, and students' English proficiency.
文摘How to have a successful Intensive reading English class? The teacher should possess a lot of practice based on the theory of second language acquisition and teaching strategies. This paper mainly discusses the way of how to manage Intensive English classes in the perspective of teaching approach, class design and teaching procedure, etc. The three aspects are associated with each other very closely. If the teacher can combine these three factors successfully, he can be regarded as a competent teacher.