Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants acting as cultural ambassadors on the campus

Many language instructors in colleges and universities around the world have teaching assistants to help them with the teaching. Since 1968, the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant （FLTA） program has aimed to strengthen foreign language instruction at U.S. educational institutions by establishing a native speaker presence. As one of the first group of Fulbright Chinese Language Assistants, the author worked at the College of Wooster in the United States from August, 2005 to May, 2006. At the beginning of the paper, the author gave a brief introduction of Fulbright FLTA program. Then the author described five cultural activities that Fulbright FLTAs could employ in foreign language learners＇ learning process： giving presentations, teaching songs, watching movies, organizing free tea or coffee breaks, and holding free talks. The following section discussed two phenomena that FLTAs should avoid, that is, ethnocentrism and cultural stereotyping. The author pointed out in the conclusion that Fulbright language assistants should make efforts to be qualified cultural ambassadors.

Physical Education Teaching Assistant Perceptions on Classroom Management and Teaching Effectiveness

This research examined graduate students in physical education TA （teaching assistant） positions instructing lower level classes, and how classroom management skills prior to student teaching may improve the quality of TA classroom instruction. A survey was conducted with TA graduate students instructing lower level classes and an examination of their opinions and open mindedness as to the idea of education in leadership methods and class management to improve the quality of TA instruction. The following questions were examined in the survey： comparative importance between classroom management and mastery of skills, having detailed knowledge of a subject to teach entry level classes in this subject or having leadership capabilities to successfully manage the class, and knowledge level of the subjects they are teaching. This study revealed that most TAs believe that knowing and developing classroom management skills can help enhance their efficiency of content delivery for students. Thus, it is imperative for colleges and universities to seek highly qualified individuals with TA positions while providing training to improve their classroom management and leadership skills. The authors offer suggestions for development of TAs further.

Capacity Building Needs for Manual and Computer Assisted Teaching of Pattern Drafting for Entrepreneurship in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

This study investigated the capacity building needs for manual and computer assisted teaching of pattern drafting for entrepreneurship in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.The study was conducted and guided by two research questions and two hypotheses.This study adopted an ex-post facto research design.The population for the study consisted of 131 Home Economics lecturers from the Universities,Polytechnic,and Colleges of Education in South East Nigeria.The entire population was studied because of its manageable size,hence there was no sampling.The results of this study showed that the Home Economics lecturers are competent in drafting patterns using manual method.Technical skills required for lecturers of Home Economics to advance from manual to computer-assisted teaching of pattern drafting were identified.They include ability to grade patterns,ability to use software packages,and ability to discuss procedures of pattern drafting among others.Based on the findings,it was recommended among others that computer assisted teaching of pattern drafting should be incorporated and applied by Home Economics lecturers to ensure that students acquire technical skills that will enable them to enter into entrepreneurship.

Construction of Multiple Linear Regression Prediction Model of PRETCO-A Scores and Its Positive Backwash Effect on Teaching

PRETCO-A is a standardized English proficiency test set up to evaluate the English application ability of the students in higher vocational college.In order to improve the passing rate,a multiple linear regression prediction model is constructed in this paper.A significance test was first performed on the regression model and the regression coefficient to verify a high correlation among the variables.The confirmed model was then put into application to predict the students’scores and identify the students who may fail the exam,leading to targeted tutoring assistance given to those students in advance.Finally,60 students with predicted scores lower than 60 points were selected as research samples,and randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group,30 students in each group.Finally,the experimental group students were given 40 teaching hours of precision assistance and targeted training,while the control group did not engage in any teaching intervention.The experimental results indicate that the pass rate of experimental group is 20%higher than the control group,which means the backwash effect of the test prediction is positive.The prediction model is proved to be scientific and reliable for teaching.