Based on the questionnaires and interviews on 19 college English teachers of a university in Beijing, the paper discusses college English teachers＇ beliefs. Through the analysis of research results, the paper focuses...Based on the questionnaires and interviews on 19 college English teachers of a university in Beijing, the paper discusses college English teachers＇ beliefs. Through the analysis of research results, the paper focuses on the following questions： （1） What are the core beliefs of college English teachers？ （2） What influence will the teachers＇ beliefs exert on teaching behaviors？ （3） Will the teachers＇ beliefs change？ If the answer is YES, how will they change and what is the source of the changes？ The exploratory results and findings can help college English teachers realize the importance of teachers＇ beliefs, through which can help them improve their teaching practices and foster their professional development.展开更多
In English teaching, it is necessary to pay attention to students＇ psychology and cognition in order to make them harmonious and effective. Therefore, English teacher would change their teaching opinions, realizing t...In English teaching, it is necessary to pay attention to students＇ psychology and cognition in order to make them harmonious and effective. Therefore, English teacher would change their teaching opinions, realizing teaching object, guiding student＇s minds and ideas to study by some measures, such as accordant teaching and study, making students as a base in study, and students＇ self-study. In other words, making student study actively rather than passively is much better for their English abilities.展开更多
In the present article it will be critically questioned the traditional entrepreneurship education approaches based on a narrow conception of competency, and their values. Assuming the perspective that to be an entrep...In the present article it will be critically questioned the traditional entrepreneurship education approaches based on a narrow conception of competency, and their values. Assuming the perspective that to be an entrepreneur is basically an attitude towards life and the world, there proposed holistic, constructivist and experiential processes and strategies for entrepreneurship education. The ＂entrepreneur XXI＂, must be able to undertake a social function of change, so, an economical and social development more human, ethical and intelligent. Under this assumption, the ＂Tree Model for the Development of Entrepreneurial Competencies＂, that will be discussed globally in the second part of this article, suggests a dynamic and experiential approach ofentrepreneurship education based on the qualification of people＇s behaviour, self-esteem, competencies and experiences; a profile of key behavioural and performance competencies （root）, experimental pedagogical procedures （trunk） and real results within group projects （fruits）. This model has been developed during the last decade （2001-2011）, using a multidisciplinary research-action procedure, within business, education （at different teaching levels） and social project environments.展开更多
Consciousness is the main quality one can ask architecture students. Consciousness means the ability to recognize that the design process is a ＂problem solving＂ activity and not an exercise of uncontrolled imaginati...Consciousness is the main quality one can ask architecture students. Consciousness means the ability to recognize that the design process is a ＂problem solving＂ activity and not an exercise of uncontrolled imagination. In architectural education, small structures are a common subject in American and European universities where the inductive teaching is practiced routinely. This teaching experiment is developed within a design studio course in the second year of an architecture degree course and regards design and construction of a small bridge l：l scale. The exercises focus on the role of structural behaviour within architectural design. The teaching method contributes to the perception of the great complexity of the design process, to the acquisition of an attitude of prudence in design choices and to attention to detail in the development of creativity.展开更多
The phenomenon described here has no scientific title, but occurs frequently in daily living, from science to philosophy, religion, and medicine. In every field of human endeavor, when a view is expressed, sharp and p...The phenomenon described here has no scientific title, but occurs frequently in daily living, from science to philosophy, religion, and medicine. In every field of human endeavor, when a view is expressed, sharp and profound differences of opinion ensue. Initially, we coin this phenomenon as ＂understanding blindness＂ or ＂mind＇s awareness.＂ Thereafter, we decide to refer to it as ＂mind blindness,＂ a concept introduced to science by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, who coins it for a cognitive disorder associated with autism, Asperger＇s syndrome, and schizophrenia. Baron-Cohen＇s usage has subsequently been extended to dementia, bi-polar disorders, antisocial personality disorders, and even normal aging. In our view, definition and identification of ＂mind blindness＂ in philosophy, religion, science, medicine, and at end-of-life care can help mankind to better understand mechanisms of human behavior, and the causes of conflicts, controversies, contradictions, and sharp differences of opinion in human life, and even to solve some of them.展开更多
More and more scholars and researchers at home and abroad have gradually realized that teachers, especially English teachers, hold different attitudes and carry out different behaviors towards students of different ge...More and more scholars and researchers at home and abroad have gradually realized that teachers, especially English teachers, hold different attitudes and carry out different behaviors towards students of different genders during the teaching. There are many factors affecting the teachers＇ prejudiced attitudes and behaviors, such as teachers＇ stereotype, differences between male and female students, gender role expectation, etc. Teachers＇ bias attitudes and behaviors affect students＇ studies and development. Solutions are put forward to decline the influence of the teachers＇ prejudice on students＇ study and development.展开更多
Language teaching is a combination of teaching syntax, content of language in use, and the social background of that language. As the study of the act in speech, speech acts naturally exist in social and interpersonal...Language teaching is a combination of teaching syntax, content of language in use, and the social background of that language. As the study of the act in speech, speech acts naturally exist in social and interpersonal discourses. Thus it is of vital importance to let language learners to acquire its concept and principles. This paper is a brief introduction to the theories and approaches on speech acts as well as its application for ELT pedagogy. The paper is made up of three parts. In the first part, former investigations and theories on speech acts would be introduced and discussed. The second part is a discussion on communicative competence in English language teaching. In the third part, two sample tasks of implicit pedagogy for speech acts would be introduced. A conclusion of teaching speech acts implicitly is given out in the fourth part.展开更多
Group discussions are very important in oral English classes. It maximizes students＇ speaking time in a specified-time period. Group discussions have a strong positive effect on the atmosphere in the classroom and th...Group discussions are very important in oral English classes. It maximizes students＇ speaking time in a specified-time period. Group discussions have a strong positive effect on the atmosphere in the classroom and the behaviors of the students as they can get more ideas from their friends, and sometimes students don＇t even understand the topic for discussion but by interacting with others they can understand the topic. Particularly it is a good warm-up in conversational classes. The most important reason for using group discussions before speaking tasks is to reduce students＇ nervousness of making mistakes. And this encourages students to be more active in speaking class.展开更多
The present study investigates the preferred strategies of the speech act of complaint by Malaysian ESL learners. The subjects were selected from Malaysian university students majoring in English at University Sains M...The present study investigates the preferred strategies of the speech act of complaint by Malaysian ESL learners. The subjects were selected from Malaysian university students majoring in English at University Sains Malaysia. Data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire in the form of a discourse completion task and a semi-structured interview. The responses were analyzed based on Rinnert and Nogami＇s （2006） taxonomy of the speech act of complaint to examine the main components of complaint, the level of directness and the degree of mitigation. It is anticipated that the findings will be able to provide valuable insights into teaching and learning English in non-native settings.展开更多
文摘Based on the questionnaires and interviews on 19 college English teachers of a university in Beijing, the paper discusses college English teachers＇ beliefs. Through the analysis of research results, the paper focuses on the following questions： （1） What are the core beliefs of college English teachers？ （2） What influence will the teachers＇ beliefs exert on teaching behaviors？ （3） Will the teachers＇ beliefs change？ If the answer is YES, how will they change and what is the source of the changes？ The exploratory results and findings can help college English teachers realize the importance of teachers＇ beliefs, through which can help them improve their teaching practices and foster their professional development.
文摘In English teaching, it is necessary to pay attention to students＇ psychology and cognition in order to make them harmonious and effective. Therefore, English teacher would change their teaching opinions, realizing teaching object, guiding student＇s minds and ideas to study by some measures, such as accordant teaching and study, making students as a base in study, and students＇ self-study. In other words, making student study actively rather than passively is much better for their English abilities.
文摘In the present article it will be critically questioned the traditional entrepreneurship education approaches based on a narrow conception of competency, and their values. Assuming the perspective that to be an entrepreneur is basically an attitude towards life and the world, there proposed holistic, constructivist and experiential processes and strategies for entrepreneurship education. The ＂entrepreneur XXI＂, must be able to undertake a social function of change, so, an economical and social development more human, ethical and intelligent. Under this assumption, the ＂Tree Model for the Development of Entrepreneurial Competencies＂, that will be discussed globally in the second part of this article, suggests a dynamic and experiential approach ofentrepreneurship education based on the qualification of people＇s behaviour, self-esteem, competencies and experiences; a profile of key behavioural and performance competencies （root）, experimental pedagogical procedures （trunk） and real results within group projects （fruits）. This model has been developed during the last decade （2001-2011）, using a multidisciplinary research-action procedure, within business, education （at different teaching levels） and social project environments.
文摘Consciousness is the main quality one can ask architecture students. Consciousness means the ability to recognize that the design process is a ＂problem solving＂ activity and not an exercise of uncontrolled imagination. In architectural education, small structures are a common subject in American and European universities where the inductive teaching is practiced routinely. This teaching experiment is developed within a design studio course in the second year of an architecture degree course and regards design and construction of a small bridge l：l scale. The exercises focus on the role of structural behaviour within architectural design. The teaching method contributes to the perception of the great complexity of the design process, to the acquisition of an attitude of prudence in design choices and to attention to detail in the development of creativity.
文摘The phenomenon described here has no scientific title, but occurs frequently in daily living, from science to philosophy, religion, and medicine. In every field of human endeavor, when a view is expressed, sharp and profound differences of opinion ensue. Initially, we coin this phenomenon as ＂understanding blindness＂ or ＂mind＇s awareness.＂ Thereafter, we decide to refer to it as ＂mind blindness,＂ a concept introduced to science by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, who coins it for a cognitive disorder associated with autism, Asperger＇s syndrome, and schizophrenia. Baron-Cohen＇s usage has subsequently been extended to dementia, bi-polar disorders, antisocial personality disorders, and even normal aging. In our view, definition and identification of ＂mind blindness＂ in philosophy, religion, science, medicine, and at end-of-life care can help mankind to better understand mechanisms of human behavior, and the causes of conflicts, controversies, contradictions, and sharp differences of opinion in human life, and even to solve some of them.
文摘More and more scholars and researchers at home and abroad have gradually realized that teachers, especially English teachers, hold different attitudes and carry out different behaviors towards students of different genders during the teaching. There are many factors affecting the teachers＇ prejudiced attitudes and behaviors, such as teachers＇ stereotype, differences between male and female students, gender role expectation, etc. Teachers＇ bias attitudes and behaviors affect students＇ studies and development. Solutions are put forward to decline the influence of the teachers＇ prejudice on students＇ study and development.
文摘Language teaching is a combination of teaching syntax, content of language in use, and the social background of that language. As the study of the act in speech, speech acts naturally exist in social and interpersonal discourses. Thus it is of vital importance to let language learners to acquire its concept and principles. This paper is a brief introduction to the theories and approaches on speech acts as well as its application for ELT pedagogy. The paper is made up of three parts. In the first part, former investigations and theories on speech acts would be introduced and discussed. The second part is a discussion on communicative competence in English language teaching. In the third part, two sample tasks of implicit pedagogy for speech acts would be introduced. A conclusion of teaching speech acts implicitly is given out in the fourth part.
文摘Group discussions are very important in oral English classes. It maximizes students＇ speaking time in a specified-time period. Group discussions have a strong positive effect on the atmosphere in the classroom and the behaviors of the students as they can get more ideas from their friends, and sometimes students don＇t even understand the topic for discussion but by interacting with others they can understand the topic. Particularly it is a good warm-up in conversational classes. The most important reason for using group discussions before speaking tasks is to reduce students＇ nervousness of making mistakes. And this encourages students to be more active in speaking class.
文摘The present study investigates the preferred strategies of the speech act of complaint by Malaysian ESL learners. The subjects were selected from Malaysian university students majoring in English at University Sains Malaysia. Data were collected through an open-ended questionnaire in the form of a discourse completion task and a semi-structured interview. The responses were analyzed based on Rinnert and Nogami＇s （2006） taxonomy of the speech act of complaint to examine the main components of complaint, the level of directness and the degree of mitigation. It is anticipated that the findings will be able to provide valuable insights into teaching and learning English in non-native settings.
