Troubling literacy: monolingual assumptions,multilingual contexts,and language teacher expertise

The current educational context in many English speaking countries is one where literacy is understood to be essentially monolingual in orientation; that is, an understanding of literacy around a single common language, with the emphasis on identifying universal, normative ‘standards’ and ‘benchmarks’, such as the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy in Australia, the Primary National Strategy in the United Kingdom, and No Child Left Behind in the United States. This paper aims to problematise such assumptions by examining how teachers, themselves, understand “teaching literacy” when their students come to the teaching/learning relationship with a first language other than English. With a focus on teachers working with bilingual and multilingual students in their early stages of acquiring English as a second language (ESL), the study thus acknowledges the increasingly diverse sociolinguistic profile of students in Australia and elsewhere in the varying degrees of communicative competence they bring to the mainstream in their use of ESL. Moreover, it draws on ESL teacher knowledge and expertise which has been identified as increasingly marginalised within mainstream educational discourse. Through case studies of three ESL teachers in the middle years, salient themes around the interrelated notions of literacy as learning, language for literacy and language as literacy were identified with respect to the literacy needs of second language learners.     

用课堂教学语言营造英语语言环境

英语课堂教学是英语学习者所需要的最便捷的语言环境，这一语言环境是通过英语教学语言来实现的.英语教学语言是英语学习者能获得的重要语言环境之一。本文就用课堂教学语言营造英语语言环境的必要性、英语教学语言的概念、特点及其作用作简浅论述。     

‘Everyone thinks that I just need to know a few words and sing some songs to teach English to the kids’: primary school English language teachers struggled for their professional legitimacy

Language teachers’ struggles for professional legitimacy have emerged as an area of interest in the field of language teaching research. Grounded in Wenger’s concept of ‘trajectories of learning’, the current study explored the fight for legitimate status of two primary school English language teachers in Vietnam. Data for this article were collected through life-history interviews in which the two participating teachers were encouraged to tell stories about the early days of their teaching careers. The findings of the study reveal that the participants struggled for professional legitimacy during the early stage of their teaching careers. Beyond the school setting, the two teachers encountered negative attitudes towards their teaching profession as teaching languages to young learners was not highly valued in society. Based on the findings, the study pointed to the issue of power relations which, although regarded as a barrier to teachers’ professional legitimacy, is not adequately addressed in the concept of ‘trajectories of learning’. The study also revealed some implications for legitimising language teachers’ professional status.     

“中国英语”应用于英语教学的几点思考

“中国英语”目前尚未成为一种独立的英语变体,现在将“中国英语”引入英语课堂并不符合实际,也无此必要.本文从坚持标准英语规范更能促进对外交流、坚持标准英语是否是一种语言偏见、语言功能与语言形式孰轻孰重、教师对学生英语表现的评价、翻译标准的讨论、本土教师与外教的比较等多个角度,论述了这一观点.     

对英语课堂用语的认识与思考

英语课堂用语,作为英语教师在课堂上从事和组织教学所使用的语言,它不仅是教师进行英语教学的工具,同时也是学生学习英语时一个重要的语言输入来源。课堂用语的数量和质量在某种程度上决定着英语课堂教学的成败。因此,对当前英语教师课堂用语的使用进行深入认识与思考对于英语教学具有重要意义。     

Teaching and Assessing Writing: an Australian Perspective

This article examines issues of writing instruction and assessment as they relate to an approach to English language education that has been developed in Australia. The approach, put forward by proponents of genre theory, is underpinned by the argument that it is essential for all teachers, and especially English teachers, to have a ‘metalanguage’ about language education. The expectation is that such a metalanguage makes it possible for teachers and students to develop shared understandings of how written and spoken language works in their various forms. The related argument is that the teacher represents an authoritative (as distinct from authoritarian) language user in the classroom and is responsible for teaching the linguistic characteristics of texts as well as the relationship between texts and the cultural and social contexts in which they are produced and received. In this article I examine the ‘genre’ position and consider its relevance to the business of teaching, learning and assessing in the English classroom.     

语用学与英语教学

语用学近年来越来越受到英语教学工作者的重视。越来越多的人开始采用旨在提高学生交际能力的语用教学，语用学对英语教师、英语学习者及其交际能力都起着十分重要的作用，语用学对解决一些在英语教学中长期存在的难题有着参考性的作用。     

有效口语输出对英语口语教学的作用

在英语口语教学中,我们不仅要关注语言的输入内容,更应关注口语的有效输出。从教师的角度来说,以学生的有效口语输出为教学目的,教师的教学内容会更充实,教学效果会更好;此外,学习者的有效口语输出会成为教师评价其教学效果的有效材料,从而对教师的口语教学具有指导性的意义。从学习者自身的角度来说,有效的口语输出能够强化学习者对语言输入材料的掌握;对于课堂上的其他学习者来说,有效的语言输出起到了良好的示范作用,因此成为新的语言输入材料,从而为他们有效的口语输出活动起到了推动作用。因此,在英语口语教学中,教师应特别关注学习者的有效口语输出。     

交互式语言教学原理在公共英语教学中的应用

基于影响学习效果的综合因素,布朗提出的交互式教学理论可有效地激发学习者内在的学习动机。教学过程中,教师作用的成功发挥和交互式语言教学原理的有效运用对提高英语教学效果有着重要的现实意义。     

Understanding L2 French teaching strategies in a non-target language classroom context

This research explored the congruence and disparity between teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards French as a second language (L2) teaching strategies in a non-target language classroom context in the USA. The findings suggest students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards the direct and indirect teaching strategies were generally consistent, but not in terms of the collaborative teaching strategies. The findings also indicate that the beginner and elementary level students held different preferences for all the three teaching strategies. The underlying reasons could be learners’ different language proficiency levels, and how well teachers execute these different teaching strategies in class. This study concludes with some implications for foreign language teacher education.     

The treatment of culture in the foreign language curriculum: an analysis of national curriculum documents

Teaching culture in the foreign language classroom has been widely debated ever since its importance was recognized. Current research suggests that centralized ‘top down’ curricular policies can become potential constraints to teaching culture and points to the need for adapting curricula for culture-integrated language learning. This study analysed official curriculum documents published in 14 different countries to identify how the sociocultural component to Teaching English as a Foreign Language is reflected in the document. To date, there is scarce research on the place of culture in English as a Foreign Language curricula; hence, the present study aims at filling in a gap in this area. The study points to the following findings: curricula state the importance of culture in language learning and promote an integrative view of teaching language and culture; cultural objectives focus on appreciating cultural diversity, raising cultural awareness and reinforcing students’ positive cultural identity; teachers are portrayed as facilitators (rather than transmitters) of cultural knowledge yet, learners are described as acquiring (rather than discovering) cultural knowledge; curriculum documents focus on cultural knowledge and attitudes towards foreign cultures, rather than on the skills needed for successful interaction. These findings are elaborated and discussed, with potential implications for practice.     

Teacher educators’ personal practical knowledge of language

This paper describes teacher educators’ understanding of language for classroom communication in higher education. We argue that teacher educators who are aware of their personal practical knowledge of language have a better understanding of their students’ language use and provide better support for knowledge construction. Personal practical knowledge originates from teachers’ professional practice and is based on their past experience, current awareness and future expectation. Data from focus group interviews with teacher educators (N = 35) were used for content analysis. Findings demonstrate an emerging conceptualization resulting in two language modalities of personal practical knowledge, specified as: ‘language-sensitive and interpersonally oriented’ and ‘language-focused and pedagogically oriented.’ The insights contribute to building a professional practical knowledge base of language and communication-oriented teaching.     

基于体认语言观的中小学英语教学

英语教学的最终目的是帮助学习者习得英语语言知识和学会使用英语,学习者对语言学习材料的体验和认知是习得英语的根本路径。体认语言观强调语言兼具体验性和认知性,体验是基础,认知是对体验的高级加工。鉴于小学、初中和高中不同学段学生的体认能力和特点存在差异,中小学英语教学要依此安排教学内容和运用教学方法。小学英语教学要让学生更多地体验语言本体和语言使用,获得对英语的感性认识;初中英语教学要基于对英语语言本体和语言使用的体验,帮助学生形成语言知识,学会使用英语;高中英语教学要加强学生对英语语言本体和使用的认知,探索其中的理据性。     

任务型语言教学法在高职英语教学中的应用

任务型语言教学法以学习者为中心,凸显了意义至上、使用至上的教学原则,与高职英语教学实用为主、能力本位的指导思想相得益彰。在任务型语言教学法实施的过程中,任务设计要激活学生的内在知识系统,教师要根据所学课文内容搜集有关资料,在语篇分析时突出理解和表达,在课后练习环节注重对所学知识的强化和巩固。     

大学英语口语情境式教学探论

文章结合分析大学英语口语教学中存在的问题,探讨了建构主义理论下的情境式教学对大学英语口语教学的启示作用,即把学习者作为学习的主体沉浸在英语的语言环境或情境中愉快的体验英语,逐渐形成英语思维习惯,最终实现其语言能力向口头交际能力的转化。     

提高农村英语教师课堂教学语言有效性策略探讨

教学语言是教师传递知识的必需工具,是课堂教学取得成效的关键。提高农村英语教师课堂教学语言有效性,有利于英语教学的高效开展,能提高教学效率和教学质量,提升学生英语素养,为社会培养合格人才。教师在教学中要发挥表率作用,注重用语规范;运用教学技巧,激发学生学习热情;注重实践教学,提高学生英语运用能力。     

How Can Chinese English Teachers Create a Communicative,Intercultural Classroom to Achieve Optimal Student Learning Outcomes

The main goal of English language teaching is to train the students’ ability to listen,speak,read and write in English,and develop their communicative competence.Traditional English teaching cannot meet the requirements of the learners and society as more and more international opportunities could be accessible.Teachers are no longer the controllers in the classroom;they act as facilitators,assessors,organizers,prompters and participants.This paper,therefore,aims to discuss how Chinese English teachers can create a learner-centered,communicative and intercultural classroom to achieve the best student learning outcomes.     

文化渗透在大学英语教学中的应用

在大学英语教学中,传统的教学法倾向于单纯的语言知识技能的训练,忽略了文化渗透对于大学师生跨文化意识能力及思辨能力培养的重要性。文化渗透是高校教学改革与发展的需要,语言学习者承认多元文化的需要。该文结合当前社会需求和大学英语教学的特点,从提高教师与学生文化素养的角度,对文化渗透在大学英语教学的重要性和促进现代外语教学改革的要求做了初步的探讨。     

高级英语教学与语言能力的提高

＂高级英语＂是高等教育自学考试英语专业本科阶段的精读课,是一门训练学生综合英语技能的课程。为进一步提高学生理解和运用语言的能力,本文从分析教材的特点出发,分别从词汇、句法、修辞和语篇等四个方面的教学来探讨该课程的教学方法,以加深学生对语言更加深入的理解,开拓思维,提高英语语言运用能力。