Self-directed English Language Learning Through Watching English Television Drama in China

This paper presents a case study of a group of Chinese ESL learners in China, who study English by immersing themselves regularly and rigorously in English television drama. A self-directed learning pedagogy has been developed and discussed, which seems to have signposted an effective and economic way for ESL learners to improve linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic competence beyond the language classroom.     

语言迁移对汉语作为第二语言学习的影响

语言迁移作为应用语言学研究的重要领域,在学习者的第二语言学习中起着关键的作用,本文在描述语言迁移现象及分类的基础上,分析其在汉语作为第二语言学习过程中的相关表现,从理论层面探讨语言迁移研究给对外汉语教学带来的启示,从而继续加强语言迁移理论在二语习得中的应用。     

汉语作为第二语言的学习策略研究

学习策略研究是现代心理学发展的产物。随着现代心理学对人类自身研究的不断深入,第二语言的教学研究也从"教"转向了"学",从以往侧重研究教学方法转移到研究学习者的特征和学习策略,以及这些特征和策略在第二语言教学中可能产生的影响。语言学习策略是当前教育领域和应用语言学领域颇受关注的热点问题,同时也是汉语作为第二语言学习即对外汉语学习成败的关键因素。系统探讨语言学习策略,可以全面提高对外汉语的教学质量。     

Parent involvement in early childhood: a comparison of English language learners and English first language families

This study evaluated parents’ communication, involvement and knowledge of their children’s abilities in reading and mathematics among parents who spoke English as a first language (EL1) and those who were English language learners (ELL). Forty‐two kindergarten‐aged children, their parents and their teachers participated in the study. Results indicated that EL1 parents communicated more frequently with the teacher than ELL parents. However, there were no language group differences in parents’ involvement in their children’s education (as rated by the teacher). For both groups of parents (EL1 and ELL), parents’ ratings of their children’s abilities in reading did not predict children’s reading scores. However, parents’ ratings of their children’s abilities in mathematics did predict their children’s mathematics scores. Further analyses indicated that this relationship was not mediated by parents’ communication or involvement. It is concluded that parents’ accurate knowledge of their children’s abilities in mathematics may be the result of their involvement at home and particularly for ELL parents, their greater understanding of and emphasis on mathematics learning.     

The Role of Input,Interaction and Output in Second Language Learning

This article mainly talks about the role of input,interaction,and output in the second language acquisition.Input is believed as a trigger for learners’language learning.And the process from input to output is interaction.Through interaction,language learners can negotiate the meaning with the interlocutor and narrow down the gap between the target language and their own.All the hard work made in interaction is to produce output,which includes three functions:noticing function,hypothesistesting function,and metalinguistic function.Some teaching examples are shown to testify the hypothesis and its function in the process of second language acquisition.     

二外日语教学探讨

从某种程度上讲,日语已成为我国外语学习者的第二大语种。这对于以汉语为母语的学习者来说,无疑是有益于学习的事情。但另一方面,由于第一外语与第二外语两种语言语系间的差异,以及学习者习得第一外语的时间相对较长,对此形成了一种较为固定的语言模式的认识,大部分学习者认为二外掌握起来难度较大。因此,兼顾第一外语与二外日语教学的进度显得尤为重要。     

严肃游戏在尼日利亚小学非母语英语课程教学中的应用研究

该研究旨在探讨在尼日利亚拉各斯市的小学里将在线严肃游戏《Mingoville》与英语作为第二语言的教与学的整合应用。研究采用个案研究法,对202位小学生和9位教师进行采访、观察、记录和录像。研究发现：学生认为将严肃游戏运用于自己的学习能够激发自己的学习兴趣;严肃游戏增强了学生的英语语言技能;应用严肃游戏的课堂上不同的因素可能会使学生受激励或失去动力;教师是游戏整合于教学的关键角色等。研究结论为严肃游戏进入课堂教学的相关实践提供借鉴。     

论英语在中国成为第二语言的可能性

目前，英语是中国最主要的外语，但就其发展趋势来看，由于英语的全球化及其对中国英语教育的推动，英语在中国受重视程度的不断提高，英语将可能成为中国的第二语言，并且“中国英语”对其成为第二语言也有一定的积极作用。     

Meeting the Needs of High School Science Teachers in English Language Learner Instruction

This survey study explored high school science teachers’ challenges and needs specific to their growing English language learning (ELL) student population. Thirty-three science teachers from 6 English as a Second language (ESL)-center high schools in central Virginia participated in the survey. Issues surveyed were (a) strategies used by science teachers to accommodate ELL students’ special needs, (b) challenges they experienced, and (c) support and training necessary for effective ELL instruction. Results suggest that language barriers as well as ELL students’ lack of science foundational knowledge challenged teachers most. Teachers perceived that appropriate instructional materials and pedagogical training was most needed. The findings have implications for science teacher preservice and inservice education in regard to working with language minority students.

第二语言学习动机的动态发展研究

第二语言学习动机具有动态性和系统性。第二语言学习者在开始学习之初,学习动机系统较为敏感,对后续的学习影响深远。第二语言学习动机系统的发展无法忽略特殊事态的影响。第二语言学习动机系统的发展其本质在于系统结构的完善。     

社会文化学理论和第二语言教师教育

社会文化学理论是基于前苏联心理学家和教育家维果斯基的理论而发展出来的一个学术流派。最近二三十年来,这一理论在第二语言教师教育领域得到了广泛重视。本文介绍社会文化学理论在第二语言教师教育领域引起的改变,说明第二语言教师教育领域应用该理论时所采用的具体方法,并指出该理论中值得注意的若干问题。     

Parent Motivation Strategies and the Performance of Preschoolers in a Rural Philippine Municipality

Although under-investment in children is an identified problem in low-income developing countries (LDC) and the establishment and use of preschools has been advocated as a partial remedy, the readiness of children and parents for preschool in LDC has been little studied. This paper assesses motivational techniques that parents report using with preschool children in a rural Philippine municipality. The purposes of this study were to examine: (a) whether the motivation strategies used by parents are consistent with a “balanced, holistic approach” to child development and (b) whether the parents’ motivational strategies are associated with school performance. The study suggests some over-weighting by parents of academic achievement, but otherwise more appropriate child-oriented behaviors were observed than reported in some research. Motivation by parents also was associated with preschool performance.     

The Relationship between the Learning of English and the Learning of a Second Language in Pre-Schoolers

Educators and parents are concerned with the optimal age of introducing a second language to children. This study attempted to find out whether young pre-school children are able to handle two languages competently. Children between the ages of 31/2 and 6 were assessed on a number of language tasks in both English and the mother tongue. Results show that young children found difficulty in learning two languages simultaneously, but the degree of difficulty varied according to the types of second language and the extent of exposures to the two languages in question.     

The Measuring Early Learning Quality & Outcomes initiative: purpose,process and results

ABSTRACT

Measuring Early Learning Quality & Outcomes (MELQO) was initiated to address needs for child development and quality of early childhood education (ECE) data, specifically for low- and middle-income countries. Drawing from existing tools, MELQO convened a consortium to create open-source tools to be adapted to national contexts, simultaneously informing global and national population-level monitoring. Beginning with the rationale and context for creating MELQO, we outline the process of creating the tools; highlight results from psychometric evaluation; and describe how the data have been used to reveal patterns of inequity and levels of learning and classroom quality. While psychometric analyses of MELQO indicate that scores should not be used to compare quality of child development between countries, country experiences suggest that data from MELQO tools within countries identify priorities for improvement of preprimary classrooms. MELQO also highlights the importance of local leadership to generate high-leverage data on ECE.     

An English-Speaking Prekindergarten Teacher for Young Latino Children: Implications of the Teacher–Child Relationship on Second Language Learning

This case study was designed to describe how an effective English-speaking prekindergarten teacher develops strategies for communicating with and teaching young English language learners. The teacher’s classroom practices to enhance her own relationship with the children promoted opportunities for the Latino children to become full participants in the classroom community. At the end of the year, the Latino children showed progress in formal and informal measures of receptive vocabulary in both English and Spanish. Findings from the study suggest the importance of the affective and social nature of second language learning in young children. Implications for practice and research are discussed.     

用服务学习搭建语言学习与素质发展的桥梁

2003年的《普通高中英语课程标准(实验)》对高中英语课程的性质和内容目标做出了重大调整,明确了其工具性和人文性双重特征,提出把发展人的综合素质作为提高语言综合能力的前提,通过英语课程促进学生全面发展的目标.这一重大调整对学习方式和教学方法提出了重大挑战,如果能将服务学习这一方式引入语言学习领域,就可以充分发挥其在搭建语言学习与素质发展间的桥梁作用.     

Loving and Learning with Wemberly and David: Fostering Emotional Development in Early Childhood Education

Children enter the world with simple emotions and gradually add complex feelings to their repertoire of skills. As children grow and develop, they learn to label their emotions and regulate them in socially appropriate ways. Literature is one way early childhood educators can foster healthy emotional development. This article explains how emotions develop during the preschool years (3–5), shares why it is important for early childhood educators to understand the connection between emotional and literacy development, and suggests books and strategies that can be used to enhance young children’s emotional and literate lives.