Monday, December 17, 2012
INTEGRATING SKILLS THRU GAMES
By Dr. George Kolanchery
Incorporating games to EFL classroom often integrates all the four skills and provides ample chances for the learners to interact with classmates, to articulate self constructed sentences, to learn with pleasure and to practice language in a realistic manner. In the workshop the presenters familiarize the participants with four unique games quite useful to the teachers/learners to turn the process of learning /teaching English creatively fun filled, skill integrated, unfailingly motivated and learner centric.
Multimedia Language Lab and Its Pedagogical Benefits in EFL/ESL Learning
Dr. George Kolanchery
Media-based learning has emerged as a new, powerful form of instruction. Apart from experimenting new teaching methods, more and more universities have been applying modern technology to support language skills teaching and linguistic studies. One may call this innovative method of Language Learning as Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) or Computer Mediated Communication (CMC). In a broader sense, we may term it Multimedia Language Lab (MLL). In light of such innovations the paper discusses the importance of multimedia in language learning, what MLL is and its benefits, and how multimedia in language learning can be maximized. For EFL learners who desperately need more authentic exposure and the opportunities to use the knowledge learned in the classroom, the use of MLL both inside and outside the classroom can contribute to enhancing learning to a certain extent.
EMPOWERING WEB APPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS & LEARNERS
EMPOWERING WEB APPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS & LEARNERS
Dr. George Kolanchery
georgeomani@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The paper focuses on open source(OS) softwares or freewares available on the internet for ELT teaching and learning practices and delves deep into a few of them to show ways for exploiting the potentials of these from a linguistic perspective to make learning and teaching interactive, learner-centric , multisensory and individual paced.
The internet with its immense possibilities for disseminating knowledge, global sharing of ideas and constructive intellectual collaboration/rebuilding has become an enormous repertoire of free/open source softwares that cater to the needs of many teachers/learners at various levels of instruction. Though many teachers are conversant with the commonly popular softwares used in their academic environment a considerable section is not yet well initiated into the rich pool of freewares quite reliable to enhance quality of pedagogy and better positive learning outcomes in English language education. The presentation apart from attempting a fleeting survey of the cost-free softwares for ELT practices at various levels will demonstrate the rudiments of downloading /installing /using a few of them so that the participant get well informed notions on how to utilize these digital contributions to their academic scenario to help learners acquire/practise all the skills in English.
E-learning & English labs: Vehicles for Listening Skill
Abstract
E-learning & English labs: Vehicles for Listening Skill
E-learning sources play a vital role in improving Listening Skill. Listening is the most ignored one among all the 4 basic language skills, whereas it is the first receptive skill. Being so, it has to be delivered to the learners in an interesting and interactive way.
This workshop goes through the topics of ‘Traditional method of Listening, Ways to make it interesting, Basic principles of classroom, Technological trends of today’s generation etc. It will make the participants examine ‘what we are teaching’ and ‘what the students are doing’, and ‘role of e-learning through English labs in improving listening skill’. The participants will also be exposed to a variety of audio and video clips to make sure the effectiveness. The workshop will give a clear idea to its participants about how to incorporate the e-learning sources in improving the listening skill of the learners.
Integrating Poetry into EFL/ESL Teaching
Has poetry a place in the EFL/ESL context today? The answer is ‘Yes’. It has a tremendous appeal for learners and it is the best way of creating a love for language. It stimulates them to see, hear and think of things in new ways. It lays a foundation for the appreciation of the beauty of language, for poetry is beauty - beauty of form, beauty of language, beauty of thought, mood or feeling. Language teaching can be rather dull if we always look at linguistic points using only predictable textbook examples.
Much depends on the choice of poems for the various classes. They should be easy to understand and suitable for the age groups under instruction. Poems with unusual, archaic, difficult language and thought should be avoided. It would also be good, though not absolutely necessary, if some of the poems related to the daily life of the learners.
The use of poetry in an EFL/ESL classroom involves many factors, such as the use of the Internet, reading poems, comprehension, appreciation, and finally writing poems using blogging. Creative teachers can work wonders in the classroom by incorporating poetry into their EFL/ESL work.
Has poetry a place in the EFL/ESL context today? The answer is ‘Yes’. It has a tremendous appeal for learners and it is the best way of creating a love for language. It stimulates them to see, hear and think of things in new ways. It lays a foundation for the appreciation of the beauty of language, for poetry is beauty - beauty of form, beauty of language, beauty of thought, mood or feeling. Language teaching can be rather dull if we always look at linguistic points using only predictable textbook examples.
Much depends on the choice of poems for the various classes. They should be easy to understand and suitable for the age groups under instruction. Poems with unusual, archaic, difficult language and thought should be avoided. It would also be good, though not absolutely necessary, if some of the poems related to the daily life of the learners.
The use of poetry in an EFL/ESL classroom involves many factors, such as the use of the Internet, reading poems, comprehension, appreciation, and finally writing poems using blogging. Creative teachers can work wonders in the classroom by incorporating poetry into their EFL/ESL work.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Need for a Specific Approach to Spelling Instruction
By Dr. George Kolanchery
ABSTRACT
Regularity or predictability of English orthography is not a regular/predictable proposition. Educational researchers continue to spend a good amount of time to evolve effective strategies to ensure a steady command of learners over spelling in English but the truth is that still spelling in English evades the grip and grasp of many. Addressing spelling difficulties is a necessity because poor spelling hampers both reading and writing skills.
Teaching and learning spelling, unless done with innovative and improvised tactics, will invite boredom and diminishing degree of motivation in learners. The English spelling system turns to be logical and learnable if proportionate care is taken to apply appropriate measure of commonsense logic and improvised tactics/technologies while teaching it.
The paper throws light on the comprehensive approach (CA) to spelling which is a creative blend of the traditional as well as the multisensory approaches because it makes use of multimedia, general knowledge of the learners, supportive pull of the mother tongue, spellwares, and application of certain strikingly improvised memory tactics to concertize the elusive and confusing spelling system of the English language. The salient feature of this approach lies in making the whole learning process an edutaining one with the use of five CA tools.
The paper also examines the need for a specific approach to spelling instruction in ELT curriculum and pedagogy. The paper will further share with the audience the need for combating the spelling difficulties of ESL learners and the possibilities of adopting the CA to teaching and learning spelling to ESL leaner’s of various levels/needs. The presenters’ classroom experiences of applying CA tools in their ESL/EFL context and its consequent positive outcomes in spelling abilities of their students will also be discussed.
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