Volume 2, Number 2, December 2005
Brian Tomlinson
The Future for ELT Materials in Asia (pp. 5–13)
In this paper I raise a number of controversial issues which are currently being debated in relation to the development of materials for language learning. For each issue I summarise recent literature relevant to the issue, I relate the issue to the current situation as regards language learning materials in Asia, I state my own position in relation to the issue and I make recommendations for developments in Asia. The first issue I raise relates to the debate about whether learners of English in Asia should be helped to learn International English rather than be taught a standard native-speaker variety of English. Corpora of successful users of international English are referred to and the position is put forward that for most learners of English in Asia Standard British English and General American English are neither necessary nor attainable models. Another major issue considered is the debate concerning the benefits of implicit and explicit teaching and the connected discussion of the optimum ways of helping learners to gain from explicit learning. The current literature on the issue is referred to and recommendations are made that English teaching materials in Asia should both include many more opportunities for implicit learning from engaged exposure to language in use as well as opportunities to make explicit discoveries for themselves about how English is used to achieve effect. Other recommendations made are that content approaches should be made more use of in English ma terials for Asia, that materials for young children should focus much more on enjoyment, fun and creativity and that Asia should not be reluctant to make use of culturally novel approaches providing they are sensitively introduced rather than imposed.
Olaf Bärenfänger
Learning Management: A New Approach to Structuring Hybrid Learning Arrangements (pp. 14–35)
Partly due to economic reasons and partly due to pedagogic reasons, educational activities outside the classroom have recently begun to play an increasingly important role in the teaching and learning of foreign languages. The integration of self-directed learning and/or e-learning with classical classroom instruction especially fosters some highly desirable developments, such as more individualised and flexible learning. Yet, relatively new learning arrangements like these call for a pedagogic framework that accounts for the specific conditions under which learning best takes place. Learning management constitutes a general framework that conceptualises learning processes as learning projects. As a result, some of the well-established techniques of project management can be applied to structuring learning processes of the kind described above. In this article, general characteristics of learning scenarios where one part is classroom-based and one or more parts take place outside the classroom are discussed first. The notion of hybrid learning is suggested in order to denote this kind of learning. The following section analyses in detail a hybrid learning environment at the University of Leipzig in Germany. The next section contains a brief introduction to the main ideas of project management. Building on these sections, it will then be shown how learning processes in which many protagonists and learning materials are involved can be efficiently planned, controlled and evaluated by means of learning management. This article will conclude with a final discussion of the pedagogic profile of learning management.
Miwako Yanagisawa
Exploring JSL-Learners’ “Language Socialization” (pp. 36–44)
This paper examines the narrative competence of learners of Japanese as a second language (JSL) within Gee’s (1989, 1996, 1999) framework of Discourse. In order to tell a good story, L2-learners have to be aware of the values and norms of the target culture so that they can effectively communicate the point of a story to their L1-audience (cf. Polanyi, 1979). Gee (1989, 1996, 1999) proposes the notion of a Discourse with a capital D, which involves more than language – it always involves a set of values which define what counts as acceptable from the insider’s point of view. Drawing on Gee’s framework of Discourse, this study found that the way JSL-learners interact with their L1-Japanese audience serves as an indication of their second language socialization, that is, even at the beginning level, the learners are aware of the target norms and are able to use rich points (Agar, 1994), or culturally-salient L1-resources, in relation to what is/not expected in the target culture. Identifying themselves as ‘foreigners’, or outsiders to the L1-Discourse, the learners even use their non-membership in the target Discourse as their resource. This study will demonstrate that narratives provide an authentic context of interaction in which learners can utilize their cultural awareness in a meaningful manner as they interact with an L1-audieince, which in turn, further facilitates their second language socialization.
Alla Zareva
What is New in the New TOEFL-iBT 2006 Test Format? (pp. 45–57)
In recent years TOEFL has become one of the most popular high-stakes tests affecting not only what and how English language teachers teach but also what and how students learn (e.g. Johnson, Jordan, & Poehner, 2005; Alderson & Wall, 1993). The new 2006 TOEFL–iBT exam is on its way; yet, until now, information about the new test format and test preparation materials is scarce. Above and beyond interest in the test alone, the burning question is what demanded the revision of the current test, given that the latest computer-based TOEFL was introduced fairly recently worldwide. The paper elaborates on some of the major reasons that have promoted the current changes of the exam format emphasizing the realization of testing experts, researchers, ESL/EFL teachers, students, program administrators, and other end-users that to succeed in an academic environment in which English is the language of instruction, students need not only to understand English, but also to communicate effectively. Among these reasons is the growing awareness among all parties interested in the test results that if a test is aiming to be a test of English for academic purposes and a reliable instrument of language proficiency, it needs to capture the integrated nature of the use of skills in academic settings. The paper also discusses in greater detail the new revisions of the test format – that is, the inclusion of a new speaking section, the revision of the writing component, and the incorporation of note taking throughout all sections of the test – in light of the theoretical considerations and research findings underpinning the modifications. The expected outcomes and implications of the test revisions are outlined with regard to a focus on communicative competence and the anticipated positive washback effect on the way English is taught in the future.
Myung-Soon Hong & Hyang-Ki Min
Kulturspezifische Wortschatzvermittlung für die aktive Kommunikation (in German) (pp. 58–70)
Wenn zwei Menschen aus unterschiedlichen Kulturen miteinander kommunizieren, können sie leicht auf Missverständnisse oder Verstehensblockaden stoßen, auch wenn sie strukturell perfekte Sprachkenntnisse besitzen. Einer der vielen Gründe dafür liegt im Wortschatz. Der Wortschatz bildet den Kern jeglicher Bemühungen um das Fremdsprachenlernen, weil die Kommunikation auch ohne Hilfe der Satzstrukturen möglich ist, wenn man die relevanten Wörter aneinander reihen kann. Was weiter die Kommunikation beim Sprechen schwer beeinträchtigt, ist der Mangel an eigenkulturbezogenem Wortschatz, da der Wortschatz beim Fremdsprachenlernen meist nur zielkulturbezogen erlernt wird. Das kann die Lernenden später beim Gebrauch der gelernten Sprache leicht zur passiven oder stummen Anwendung führen und das Gespräch zur asymmetrischen Beziehung zwischen den Sprechern werden lassen. Deswegen ist es beim Fremdsprachenlernen notwendig, neben dem universalen und dem zielkulturbezogenen Wortschatz auch eigenkulturbezogene Wörter zu erwerben. Der vorliegende Aufsatz befasst sich erstens damit, warum bei der Wortschatzauswahl eigenkulturelle Hintergründe der Lernenden zu berücksichtigen sind, und zweitens mit der Vermittlung des eigenkulturbezogenen Wortschatzes im Unterricht. Am Beispiel des DaF-Unterrichts für koreanische Lernende wird erläutert, wie der Wortschatz kulturspezifisch ausgewählt und im Unterricht vermittelt werden kann.
Reviews
Review of Sociolinguistics: The Essential Readings 《社会语言学：经典选读》" (in Chinese) (pp. 74–78)
reviewed by Jingquan Li