Pronunciation - simple past endings

http://esol.britishcouncil.org/pronunciation/pronunciation-simple-past-endings

Animated and fun. Try it

Students of phonetics

Some useful videos. Here are the links. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Q1QN-SFCM

Storify

  I've  tried a new tool that helps users create stories with videos or information on the web. It is important to select our sources allright to convey our message. I believe it's useful for students since they can organize data around a given topic and just direct to that story.

Here I leave the link

http://storify.com/georgy/multiple-intelligences

Digital Storytelling_ EVO 2012

Hello you all. I'm virtually attending a fantastic seminar on digital tools to be applied in the classroom with our students. I've found out that there is really useful software available for free. In some cases, we can even log in our facebook or twitter accounts, and we are ready to start.

I'm having a really good time trying software so that I gain more confidence using these tools when classes begin. You're invited to watch one of my creations at GoAnimate.
http://goanimate.com/movie/0mUZZzwlLfto?utm_source=linkshare&uid=09eZuFOQrzGg

Just sharing

Georgina

Sites to work with comics

http://www.slideshare.net/JanetBianchini/fun-with-comics-and-cartoons

Working with software for presentations

I have recently found out about this amazing tool for delivering presentations. It can be used at all levels. Students can learn to handle them in order to make their own presentations.

This is one example. Refer to the link
http://prezi.com/gbocymtwxzqh/academic-writing/

Tips on Teaching First Graders to Read

Tips on Teaching First Graders to Read

“Research papers in education are a medium to express, share and discuss critical points in the educational field”

Academic articles and their impact on the educational field

In each academic field, research articles are the polished products of investigation, which provide the reader with in-depth discussion as to the field being explored and on most occasions undergo a complex writing and research process. Important still is to notice that they belong to “a genre that requires [the writer] to spend time investigating and evaluating sources with the intent to offer interpretations of the texts, and not unconscious regurgitations of those sources” (Online Writing Laboratory (OWL), Genre and the research paper, para. 2, 2011).Therefore, the assumption that “[r]esearch [p]apers in education are a medium to express, share and discuss critical points in the educational field” seems correct.

 As the American Psychological Association (APA) (2010) addresses “different scholarly disciples have different publication styles” (p.11). According to this, researchers are comprised in a systematic process which forces them to carry out a number of procedures for the fulfillment of a goal. This goal may vary according to the kind of research made and the design opted for. A research article in the field of education may be exploratory for which there is not sustained theory and argumentative which involves the writer’s thoughts and subjectivity (Hernandez-Sampieri, Collado & Lucio, 2008). Else it may be analytical offering the audience a “critical interpretation of primary and secondary sources throughout the paper (…)” (OWL, Analytical research paper, para. 2).

Either case, the writer will resort to his or her critical thinking skills in order to evaluate, interpret, understand and ultimately generate knowledge, “to establish that his or her particular area of research is of some significance” (Swales & Najjar, 1987, p. 179). Education which belongs to the Humanities appears to have these characteristics. It is in this field of study where writers attempt to describe, share and discover new realities with the purpose of enabling this community to be part of further investigation and discussion.

Language teaching, Applied linguistics, Sociology, Psychology may seem to belong to this wide category of research in the Social Sciences where a thoughtful and comprehensive perspective is favored in order to contribute to the field but also to provide the researcher and the academic community to create the a new enlighten “research space” (Swales & Najjar, 1987). If the researcher, for examples, is interested in analyzing the use of the Critical Incident Technique in a community of teachers, he may then have a clear objective in mind on which his or her study would be based upon.

On the whole, there is evidence to support that research articles are the tangible, visible product of a dynamic and purposive process. Accordingly, Educational journals may be considered as the formal means to allocate findings in formal acknowledged context, inviting colleagues to assess, discuss and perhaps refute those conclusions and results (APA, 2010). What is fundamental to consider is that this researcher then leaves literature that fellow colleagues may use to continue investigating or establishing novel gaps to be bridged.

References

American Psychological Association (2008). Publication Manual (6^th ed.). Washington, DC: British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

Hernández Sampieri, R., Fernández Collado, C., & Baptista Lucio, P. (2008). Metodología de la investigación (4th ed.). McGraw Hill. México.

Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) (2011). Genre and Research Paper. Retrieved May 2011, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/01/

Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) (2011). Genre and Research Paper. Retrieved May 2011, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/02/

Swales, J., & Najjar, H. (1987). The writing of research article introduction. Written Communication (4) 2, 175-191. Sage Publications: Inc. Retrieved May 2011, from http://wvuscholar.wvu.edu:8881/exlibris/dtl/d3_1/apache_media/L2V4bGlicmlzL2R0bC9kM18xL2FwYWNoZV9tZWRpYS82MDM1.pdf

Academic abstracts: Varied parameters according to the research field

The American Psychological Association (APA, 2010) determines that an “[a]bstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the article; it allows readers to survey the contents of an article quickly (…)” (p.25).  Audiences should be attracted to go on reading the rest of the study from a limited number of words which form part of this important section. For that reason APA (2008) advices writers on being accurate, concise, and coherent as well as non-evaluative when documenting information.  An abstract then may be a fundamental section in a research article, being required by the majority of scholarly journals for the submission of papers.  Despite this, it should be clarified that the abstract as well as the rest of the article is likely to adjust to the specifications of the journal and the field of research pursued. Either in the social sciences as well as the hard sciences, writers may undergo a complex process when preparing this piece since as Swales (1990) maintains an abstract is “a rite de passage” for entering the academic community (as cited in Orasan, n.d).  This present work is intended to analyze and compare four abstracts developed in the field of medicine and education.

Wijeysundera, Beattie, Fraser, Austin, Hux and Laupacis (2010) have produced an in-depth abstract for a medicine research paper which exceeds the usual wording (more than 150 words).  It presents heading division, following no particular format.  As for the introduction the objective seems to be clearly stated: To correlate variables in the study.  This part is followed by the obtained results which sustain the hypotheses made and the conclusion part which correlates non-invasive cardiac stress testing with life promising prospects. Yet the method section is not labeled after that name but “interventions” is the name provided (Wijeysundera, Beattie, Fraser, Austin, Hux & Laupacis, 2010). It states the steps that would appear in the body of the paper.  It is a “brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of the article” (APA, 2010, p. 25) that resembles a report on an empirical study (APA, 2010, p. 26).  However, results or findings are comprehensibly presented in short concise sentences, but there is not method section explained.  There is use of complete sentences with predominance of past passive and past verbs; they are clear as regards the summary of ideas made still there is abundant use of terminology which hinders understanding of some concepts.  The axiom of conciseness is kept: “be brief, and make each sentence maximally informative” (APA, 2010, p.26).

In line with the above example, The New England Journal of  Medicine (2008) presents a research paper whose abstract section seems to be intended to transmit information about the positive effects of antihypertensive treatment in patients 80 years of age or older.  It is possible to state that this section is developed on a separate sheet of paper as well as being situated between the title and the first page of the research work. According to APA (2008), the number of words for an abstract should not exceed 200 words. However, this abstract section does not comply with APA specifications for surpassing the number required. In addition, the Introduction-Method- Result-And-Discussion (IMRAD) formula appears to be replaced by background, methods, results and conclusion parts. Although the abstract must have been written akin to the authors’ notions, it should be noticed that the piece appears to be directed to an audience with understanding on the topic. As Swales and Feak (1994) clearly express "research abstracts are more important for the reader than for the writer" (p. 210). Regarding linguistic features, the present abstract includes full sentences in the past, the use of impersonal passives and the absence of negatives (Swales & Feak, 1994; Swales, 1990).  Nevertheless, the results part is full of abbreviations and jargon which make difficult its comprehension for a non-doctor community.

Writing abstracts within the Social Sciences does possible entail fewer standards to meet. King (2002) has produced an abstract whose parts may be covertly stated. According to its usage, this abstract is more specifically written in the field of teaching foreign languages.  As set out by Lancaster (1991), this may be an informative summary of the paper to be dealt with further on (cited in Orasan, n.d). There is background information as regards the rise of films as pedagogical resources for classroom use. This abstract could be in line with theoretical studies as well. Therefore, it is not designed after the Introduction-Method- Result-And-Discussion (IMRAD) model with no subheadings used. Yet, the use of phrases and connectors such as “this paper starts (…)” and “finally” clarify the research questions.  These, in turn, are related to the implementation of “film viewing approaches” and the criteria reached after deep analysis in order to favor motivation in classroom environments (King, 2002).  The online writing laboratory (OWL, 2010) claims that an abstract to be good “is intelligible to a wide audience” (Writing report abstracts). This abstract would fit that axiom since language is clear and concise to involve a teaching community in general.  Making the most of DVDs can apply to a science teacher in the same way as a foreign language one. Moreover, it does not contain results, conclusions or recommendations. Still, it presents the scope of the study, in this case, to evaluate the benefits of film viewing in the classroom (King, 2002).

 Likewise, Rammal (2006), whose research article is aimed at encouraging teachers of English to use video materials in the foreign language classroom, develops an abstract comprised in the Humanities. There seems to be no structured format since the summary is attained through a two-sentence paragraph. There is an opening statement that introduces the topic of the RA. However, there is no reference to methods, results as well as conclusions in the abstract. Moreover, there is no use of past tenses, which characterizes this part. There are several writers who discuss that among the parts of an abstract, the problem which gives rise to the research work is bound to be delimited. In this case, Rammal (2006) has not highlighted sections but signals the focus of the project and the main concern under investigation through the opening line: The design of audio-visual material for EFL. Although the approach or method is not expressed either, Rammal (2006) by means of the transition word “however” has narrowed the topic. Consequently, it is probable to refer to this summary as an indicative one where the writer “provides a brief description to help the reader understand the general nature and scope of the original document without going into a detailed step by step account of what the source text is about” (Lancaster, 1991; as cited in Orasan, n.d).

After analyzing and comparing the four abstracts which introduce diverse topics in different research articles within the fields of medicine and education, it has been possible to reach the following conclusions. The four abstracts seem to clearly state the purpose of these studies, although they do not clearly cope with the IMRAD formula. However, the information presented at the very beginning of each document appears to successfully attract the reader’s attention for being concise, specific and objective. In addition, linguistics features may be well-produced when expressing the main purpose of this section. Significantly enough is the fact that the abstracts in the medicine field tend to be directed to professionals who belong to that community and who may share common knowledge so that comprehension is reached. Another similarity is the exceeding number of words in these summaries. Somewhat different are the abstracts comprised in education. Namely, the number of words is fewer and subheadings are not employed. There seems to be distinctive parameters in both cases which may be aimed at common understanding for the reader with no attention to formula in structure or layout. Altogether, as stated by several scholars, an abstract entails a rather complex task, one which may vary according to the research field as well as the Journal’s requirements.

References

American Psychological Association. (2008). Publication Manual (5^th ed.). Washington, DC: British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual (6^th ed.). Washington, DC: British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

Becket, N. S., Peters, R., Fletcher, A. E., Staessen, J. A., Liu, L., Dumitrascu, D., et al. (2008). Treatment of hypertension in patients 80 years of age or older. The New England Journal of Medinice. Retrieved June 2011, from http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0801369

King, J. (2002). Using dvd feature films in the efl classroom. The weekly column, 88. Retrieved June 2011, from http://www.eltnewsletter.com/back/February2002/art882002.htm

Online Writing Laboratory. (2010). Report abstracts. Retrieved May 2011, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/656/01/

Orasan, C. (n.d). Patterns in Scientific Abstracts. University of Wolverhampton.  Retrieved May 2011, from http://www.wlv.ac.uk/~in6093

Rammal, S. M. (2006). Video in efl classroom. Retrieved June 2011, from http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/video-in-efl-classrooms.html

Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. (Cambridge Applied Linguistics Series). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (1994). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills. Ann Harbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

Wijeysundera, D. N., Beattie, W. S., Elliot, R. F., Austin, P. C., Hux, J. E., & Laupacis, A. (2010). Non-invasive cardiac stress testing before elective major non-cardiac surgery: Population based cohort study. British Medical Journal, 340, b5526. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b5526

Research articles in the social and hard sciences

Identifying academic conventions in the fields of medicine and education

Sampiere, Collado and Lucio (1998) explain that after the research work finishes and results are ordered, organized and evaluated, findings need to be communicated through a report which will take different forms which may vary from books to audiovisual material like DVDs. “It is then important to define the type of report to be adopted which will rely on (a) the reasons why the research work emerged, (b) the audience the research is directed to, and (c) the context where it will be introduced” (Sampiere, Collado & Lucio, 1998, p. 502).  A medical article and an educational research work have been drawn from scientific journals in different academic fields. Both studies bear distinctive characteristics as regards citation styles and handling of results findings albeit resemblances in report division.

The research article (RA) in the field of medicine is concerned with the benefits of living in farming environments by being exposed to a great variety of microorganisms which have proved to protect children from asthma. While the educational article is a descriptive study about the children's perception of their schools as related to their long-term development. Taking into account the results, discussions and conclusions sections in RAs, these two studies have developed their work through different structures. According to Swales (1990), the diverse parts of a research document may be presented in isolation or integrated together, as in the case of the results and discussions sections. For some authors the former may stand separated from the latter, while for other writers the results section needs to be blended with the discussions one depending on the kind of research.

Considering that the result section introduces the main findings of the research (Swales, 1990), it is possible to recognize the outcomes in both works by analyzing the information that the authors have presented by means of academic conventions. Not only has data information been developed along the text format, but also through tables and figures, since this kind of resources provides the authors with the possibility of presenting a great amount of gathered information in a small space (American Psychological Association, 2007).  In the medical study, the researcher makes reference to the numbered figures and tables that appear on separate pages of the paper, while the tables in the educational field stand between paragraphs. Additionally, both research articles make use of past tenses for the collected data explanation, so as to clearly inform the audience about their findings.

It should be noticed that DeMarie (2010) has included tables in order to supplement information. Still, the author has centered but not italicized headings. Yet, general notes “[which] refer to some aspect of the entire table” and specific notes are used to clarify meaning of “a particular column or row” (APA, 2007, p. 82).  The medicine article also misses to italicize table headings neither it locates them flush right but centered. As far as figures are referred to, both convey with APA requirements in reference to titles in lower and uppercase form as well as figure and number italicized. Especially noteworthy is the use of graphs to establish comparison of variables between the children on farms: Control group and the children on rural areas: Reference group (Ege, Mayer, Normand, Genuneit, Cookson, Phil, Fahrlander, Heederik, Piarroux & Mutius, 2011).

Regarding format, not only the discussion but also the conclusion sections are hold together in Ege et al. (2011) where the authors analyze the outcomes in the light of their findings. Similarly to the educational article, the study in the field of medicine has covered the analysis of data gathered in the results section. Furthermore, these studies seem to answer the hypotheses made (Sampiere, Fernandez-Collado & Lucio, 1998).  DeMarie (2010) outlines the findings as presented in the research questions. Ege et al. (2011) employ the same mechanism in order to discard the notion that microbial exposure on farms is related to childhood asthma. However, the latter has made use of an unnecessary expression for signaling the concluding paragraph which is not commonly employed in serious academic writing (APA, 2007).

DeMarie (2010) incorporates a discussion section, further enhanced by a recommendation section and a concluding paragraph. Except for the fact that these three are written in isolation, it would be in accordance with Sampiere, Collado and Lucio’s proposal (2008). However, the author appears to have chosen a clear-cut division so that the audience is able to trace the line of thought pursued. The discussion part clearly states the key issues found in the study as well as a comparative analysis of the groups analyzed. It can be noticed the use of process-paragraphs and past tenses.  Further still, the author recommends applying auto-photography, interviews and picture selection as methods of information gathering so that the researcher may get a fairly complete picture of what a school is like through children’s eyes (DeMarie, 2010).  A conclusion is then reached, and the author appears to acknowledge some enlightening results on the understanding children might have of their schools from a “bottom-up perspective” (Katz, 1993; as cited in DeMarie, 2010, Conclusion section, para. 1).

Using an author-date citation style, authors should list all works cited in the text alphabetically at the end of the article. Bearing in mind APA (2010) recommendations for reference list citations, rules for documenting sources must not be ignored, such as autho(s), date of publication, title of the source, place of publication, publisher and any other relevant data. However, the educational study uses a modified editorial style based on the fourth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, since it differs from the APA style principally in the use of authors' names as they appear in the cited articles rather than the use of only first initials. By the same token, the medical article does not cope with APA style requirements for dealing with reference lists, since authors entries have not been order alphabetically, but numerically regarding the order in which each source has been cited in the body of the paper. It can be noticed, yet, that reference entries are double-spaced, and authors are named if the number does not exceed six. Otherwise, the three first are named followed by et al.

Although writers are free to choose between presenting isolated and blend results, discussions as well as conclusions sections due to their own purposes, it is important to accept that linguistic characteristics for research articles presentations should be considered as necessary features regarding academic conventions. For that reason, it could be possible to believe that researchers should be capable of performing academic writing skills when dealing with research studies. Identifying a problem, summarizing data, stating and evaluating solutions as well as enhancing the reader’s reflection through convincing arguments seem to be valuable processes for coping with research documentations. All in all, the outlined sections should provide the reader with explanations, assumptions, interpretations, assessment as well as possible alternatives by means of an appropriate use of academic features and patterns for researching investigations.

References

American Psychological Association (2007). Concise rules of APA style. Washington, DC: British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual (6^th ed.). Washington, DC. 

Edge, M., Mayer, M., Normand, A.C., Genuneit, J., Cookson, W., Phil, D., & Mutius, E.V. (2011).

Exposure to environmental microorganisms and childhood asthma. The New England Journal of Medicine, 364 (8), 701-709. Retrieved May 2011, from http:// www.nejm.com.org

DeMarie, D. (2001). Successful versus unsuccessful schools through the eyes of children: the use of interviews, autophotography, and picture. Early Childhood Research and Practice, 12 (2). Retrieved May 2011, from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v12n2/demarie.html

Hernández Sampieri, R., Fernández-Collado, C., & Lucio, B.P. (2008). Metodología de la Investigación (4th ed.). México: McGraw-Hill.

Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. (Cambridge Applied Linguistics Series). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press

In-depth analysis of research articles

Comparative analysis: Academic research papers

In academic research, papers are means to communicate new findings in different fields as well as to trigger reflection, analysis and provoke an impact on the reader that of further investigation. Goals and perspectives are bound to change so are layouts and sections when writing academically. That is to say, writers may tend to organize their research papers considering section division as they see most appropriate; accordingly, organization will vary depending on the kind of purpose in mind and the kind of research adopted.

The research articles analyzed and compared in this paper have distinctive purposes, conditioning the research strategy. Shear’s (2010) research paper is contained in the field of education, being both descriptive and explanatory. It portrays the use of educational television in the third grade classroom for science. It exposes the traits of teachers applying technology in their lessons, outlining the assets, in particular, of educational television which the researcher distinguishes from instructional television. This is shown by the use of general-specific texts such as comparative definitions. The second research paper shows another kind of format and purpose. Michele, Pettit, Jacobs, Kyle & Porras (2010) set their research at an exploratory level, which limits the literature scope. The authors, in this case, attempt to describe and correlate two variables:”emotional intelligence factors and eating disorders symptoms among college students” (Pettit et al., 2010, p.47).

Structured in the table of contents, Shear (2010) delimits the introduction as a part of the paper division. It does not follow the create-a-research-space-model (C-A-R-S) as proposed by Swales and Najjar (1987). Previous research as regards the topic chosen is dealt with in isolation. The gap in the field is opened negatively referring back to “a limited amount of research about the use of educational television in the classroom” (Shear, 2010, p.7). The writer then “occupies the niche” by a purposive statement and problem-solution paragraphs as regards to the status of educational television in the classroom. Pettit et al. (2010), on the other hand, embeds the literature review before setting the subject of query in the paper. It presents the current state of studies by a negative opening: “with the exception of a few studies (…)” (Pettit et al., 2010, p. 47). In addition, an outline of the research structure is no possible since the paper is categorized as an exploratory study.

Whereas Pettit et al. (2010) do no include a literature review on the basis of the research design, in Shear’s (2010) design this section stands separately. It is divided between general-specific (G-S) texts such as extended definitions and process texts to trace the rise of television and its later adoption for educational goals. The author restores to the past simple tense to narrow the context and present passive to specify her theoretical stance. It should be pointed out that the American Psychological Association (APA) advises researchers to use simple past or present perfect for this section (APA, 2010). Interviews are part of technique for collecting data which may be reported in the methods section (Sampieri, Collado & Lucio, 2008). The author has opted in this case for explaining in detail the technique used: Interview with an expert within the literature review section.

Pettit et al. comply with some characteristics for the methods section as proposed by APA (2010). Although the word which labels the section is not centered, the participants are mentioned by the title of sample. It conveys the guidelines of process paragraphs to describe the steps for sample gathering. Procedure and materials are headed after collection of data which presents the quantitative tools such as attitudes scales and surveys devised. Both research papers use the same headings and present process paragraphs which are written in the past tense. Still, in Shear’s (2010) work the title: Method is centered. Moreover, the researcher positions herself as a participant within the process. A point of difference since Pettit et al. employ a singular detached tone, emphasizing a qualitative method in data gathering composed of attitudinal scales and statistical surveys.

Drawing on APA format requirements, both articles indent paragraphs and make use of a readable font and size. However, Shear includes a title page, and double-spaced paragraphs. Unlike the former, Pettit et al. (2010) starts the abstract on a separate page neither contains a title page. Page numbers, moreover, are not aligned at the top right corner but are placed at the bottom right part of the page. Reference entries do also differ. Shear puts the list on a separate page from the main text (APA, 2010). Furthermore, it is alphabetically ordered and double-spaced (APA, 2010). Both researcher papers provide author(s), date of publication, titles, volume numbers, publisher and other retrieval data. What differs in both cases is the arrangement of information. Pettit et al. (2010) gives date at the end of the reference entries, with semi-colons for volume numbers. Further still, superscript numbers are used which refer back the audience to the reference entries at the end of the paper.

Ultimately, there is consistency in structure as well as report style in the information collected. Both research works produce knowledge, considering key prerequisites in writing. There is specificity which is “essential in scientific writing” (APA, 2009, P. 71). Presentation of ideas is kept by Shear (2010) as well as Pettit et al. (2010) Continuity is best noticed in these articles by the use of punctuation and transitional words (APA, 2010). Nevertheless, these research papers have not included the same number of section or the same order. Requirements on format aspects change accordingly, being subdued to organizational rules for paper submission. Comprised in different field, namely the Humanities and Medicine, these articles are scientific and academic despite the fact that each one incorporates sections which do not overlap.

References

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual (6^th ed.). Washington: APA

Pettit, M. L., Jacobs, S. C., Page, K. S., & Porras, C. V. (2010). An assessment of perceived emotional intelligence and eating disorders among college students. American Journal of Health Education, 41 (1), 46-52. Retrieved April 2010, from http:// http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ871145&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ871145

Shear, A. (2010). Implementing Educational Science Television in the Third Grade Classroom. Retrieved April 2011, from ERIC database. (ED 510636)

Swales, J., & Najjar, H. (1987). The writing of research article introductions. Written Communication 2 (4), 175-191. Retrieved May 2010, from http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68973/2/10.1177_0741088387004002004.pdf

Interesting sites

Hello everyone,

                      Here I post some interesting blog links on word-coinage

http://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/;

http://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/

                      To spark off ideas
Warm regards,
Georgina

Discussion » Please post your questions here for 2011 workshop: REplaying Process Drama

Great resources as regards Drama work. This have been given at the English Online Village for Replaying drama 2011.

Discussion » Please post your questions here for 2011 workshop: REplaying Process Drama

EAP terminology

Academic lexicon

Academic definitions are characteristic of a discourse community. Considering specific terminology in this teacher cohort may be profitable. These definitions may provide teachers with a tool so that they feel more confident when researching or contributing in the academic writing field.

Banfi (1997) defines a profession as involving more than just a group of individuals who are all engaged in the same line of work (cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010). Furthermore, she proposes that a profession includes some features (Banfi, 1997as cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010). Professionals as claimed by Banfi (1997), should be skillful, autonomous, have problem-solving abilities and be trained for that matter (cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010).

A good illustration of this description is given by the reflective model of professional development. Wallace (1991) suggests that there are models of professional development, which allows professionalism in a certain service (cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010). This model, for instance, can be seen in teachers’ communities where they both receive, work on and construct knowledge within the community (cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010).

 The term is closely related to professional competence. Banfi (1997) maintains that “[p]rofessional development comprises those activities in which processionals are engaged for the purpose of achieving professional competence” (as cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010, p.28). Quest for progress and development through updating, reflective practices, collaborative work, and autonomy are summarized as the useful qualities towards competence at a professional level (Banfi, 1997, cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010).

References

Pintos, V., & Crimi, Y. (2010) Unit 1: Building up a community of teachers and prospective researchers. Retrieved August 2010, from

http:// caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=6856

The case for change: methods of reflective practice

Plenty of research has been made in the educational field so as to bring about feasible methods to produce data that may help expertise and novice teachers grow in their praxis. Personal narratives cast light on this field giving birth to new methods. Among these, a vignette is a viable option to generate and assess knowledge, enhancing teaching and learning. Consequently, professional development is complied with while paving the way to expertise (cited in Angelides, 2006).

Miles (1990) defines a vignette as “providing a snapshot, or perhaps a mini-movie, of a professional practitioner at work” (as cited in Angelides, 2006, p. 3). In the case of professional development in teaching, vignettes follow a procedure. Miles (1990) claims that there should be a professional and an outsider working collaboratively (cited in Angelides, 2006, p.3). As clarified by her, the outsider-observer should act as a “critical friend” to schools as his/her aim is to encourage improvements.

Teachers can implement this method of reflection in order to gather data which may lead to professional competence. For instance, if they regard misbehavior as an issue in their school, they can work with this genre to derive causes and propose changes. As described by Miles (1990), the professional teacher narrates a situation, considering actions and end (cited in Angelides, 2006). After the account is written down, a colleague, principal or coordinator provides a personal judgment that is constructive and directed to qualitative changes (Angelides, 2006). The use of vignettes is a viable option to foster professional growth and reflection with the possibility of future improvements in reality.

References

Angelides, P. (2006). Supporting the continued professional development of teachers through the use of vignettes. Teacher Education Quarterly. Fall, 2006. Retrieved September 2010, from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3960/is_200610/ai_n17197617/

Pintos, V., & Crimi, Y. (2010). Unit 2: Personal narratives in teaching. Retrieved September 2010, from

http:// http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=7214

 

A critique on Teacher Man by Frank McCourt (2005)

One man’s handbook of engaging memoirs

“Here they come. And I’m not ready. How could I be? I’m a new teacher and learning on the job” (McCourt, 2005, p.13). Judging by these opening chapter lines, the reader may be bound to think Teacher Man is a book about learning and teaching. Yet, there is more to it than just enlightenment on teaching and learning dynamics. This book continues to cast light into McCourt’s (2005) teaching experiences in America. Especially withstanding is the writer’s choice of descriptive words and colloquial language which produces irony. Told in the first person, Teacher Man would best impact the reader and let them picture scenes more clearly and smoothly. Otherwise, it would be difficult to feel, smell, and see what it is being retold. Namely, the audience can visualize McCourt’s “mouth clogged with sandwich, [which] attracted the attention of the class” (p 20).

The author has chosen to divide the book in three parts and eighteen chapters all of which depict the unusual and sometimes eccentric stories of his classrooms. These experiences span three decades from public to one community college. Amidst teaching memoirs, this book is sprinkled with life crises like an unhappy marriage, firing, and an attempt to earn a doctorate. Appealing are the titles chosen for the book chapters such as Coming alive in room 2005 where McCourt (2005) seems to close a cycle and transmit a sense of fulfillment. In fact, writing excuse letters from Adam or Eve to God, reciting recipes as fine poetry, debating on Hazel and Gretel suitability for future generations best exemplifies such title choice.

McCourt (2005) appears to have selected an accurate and colloquial style so that the reader may feel sympathetic to opt for a role in his stories. Rather more significantly is the in-depth accounts of classrooms dynamics quite apart from the traditional teaching setting he was in. All in all, Teacher Man comprises an enthralling and masterly told book of memoirs. The audience may identify with that student who does not behave, with that parent who wants their children to learn fine poetry, with the teacher who is confused or with the man just the man who struggles to find a way in society, and thrives or fails in the attempt.

References

McCourt, F. (2005). Teacher Man. New York, NY: Scribner.

Critical incidents: My personal experience

Making changes in teaching daily practice

When I was attending my last year at Profesorado Superior de Lenguas Vivas, my former phonetics teacher offered me to be her assistant. I was going to give extra lessons to freshmen students. As goals were concerned, practice and review of theoretical units were to be covered. The class was going to consist of 25 students who had registered for the course. Timetable was every Saturday morning, and lasted for an hour and a half.

As soon as I accepted, I thought on how to teach the subject and how to make my new students achieve the objectives of the course. The best methodology, I thought, was a blend of theory and practice. Nonetheless, I was about to realize it was harder than I first considered. The first week was not an easy undertaking since great deal of theory needed to be discussed with students.

The following lesson, I devoted a long time to making students answer and ask questions as far as content was involved. Description of vowels, consonants, diphthongs were among the topics studied. The class did not participate on a frequent basis but listened to me lecturing on those topics. Fifteen minutes after theory was tackled, oral practice began as students repeated transcribed dialogues that had been written by the tutor.

The third Saturday, the number of students reduced. Furthermore, students sighed very frequently and were always looking at their watches or seemed absent-minded when asked something. What would be useful? How could I change this? Was the class working? The next step was to take a survey to know about students’ expectations from the class. Knowing students better may pay the way for improvements, I figured.

On account of how I had been modeled the lessons, the class did not meet students’ expectations. As the survey analysis showed, they wanted to utter sounds less artificially and more authentically. Likewise, they desired to gain theoretical knowledge meaningfully and use language. After a careful evaluation, I was about to bring bear to content as a vehicle for language integration.

Students were told in advance to reread units and come prepared to discuss them in class. Gap-information, jigsaws and pair work were designed to develop theory. After the class had completed activities, I assessed both pronunciation and articulation, if problems were present. Moreover, every class students were supposed to bring material from their language books, internet or newspapers to deal with.

As soon as this new system was brought about, students’ disposition to the class changed. There were more hands up ready to discus and share opinions. The atmosphere felt different, and time seemed to fly away. Furthermore, the tutor of the class commented upon students’ progress in lessons as she evaluated their production in performance tests and daily participation. Changes had worked on well, and I had learned on the way.

When a teacher is given the opportunity to start practicing, they are left wondering “how” they will manage to succeed. To teach is not an easy task which involves continuous inquiry on our side every single class. From this experience, I gained insight into academic teaching, but above all into praxis. I learned to be always ready to change, to reflect and to venture in this wonderful job.

v

Journal entry on critical incidents

Working towards professional competence: Critical  incidents

As contended by Fernandez, Escartín and Perez (2003), continuous teacher development implies teachers as both apprentices and expertise. Therein, Banfi (1997) asserts that professional growth is best promoted through the acquisition of knowledge and skills realized in several techniques. In this research process, not only do teachers reflect on knowledge but also transform it to fit their own practice. According to Banfi (1997), professional competence is sustained by ceaseless updating which involves access to different sources of information. Therefore, an illustration that complies with it is the use of personal narratives in teachers’ communities. As Gazin (2003) explains personal narratives are accounts of experiences that encourage self- reflection. Their implementation in the classroom, thus, is welcome.

Critical incidents fall into the narrative genre category, aiding professional teachers. Fernandez, Escartín and Perez (2003) emphasize that a critical incident is a tool that orientates teachers in their constructive process of teaching and learning. As reports of real experiences, critical incidents pose problems in the classroom such as misbehavior, inappropriate methodology, flawed student performance and the like, that need to be solved. This technique is, as claimed by Elliot (1993), two pronged since leads to changes in real like contexts. In addition, teachers think critically as well as collaborate in a group. Fernandez, Escartín and Perez (2003) comment that “critical incidents foster a group dynamic where the teacher community takes a stand about current issues in education” (p. 105).

Cooperative work gives birth to development and construction as noted in humanistic psychology. Hence, when teachers apply critical incidents, they judge, discuss and propose to trigger change. Moreover, they are presented in a context whose problem gathers teachers in the quest for a solution and a decision. Banfi (1997) assumes that professional teachers should be autonomous and involved in decision-making (cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010). This latter is therefore accomplished by the critical incident strategy. In view of my own experience, this narrative technique is valuable throughout pre and in service teaching. It bridges the gap between novitiate and experience. Consequently, professional competence may be reached through a strategic mind, collaboration, problem-solving and autonomy. All of which is integrated thanks to critical incident analysis.

References

Fernandez, Gonzalez, J., Elortegui Escartin, N., & Medina Perez, M. (2003). Los incidentes criticos en la formacion y perfeccionamiento del profesorado de secundaria de ciencias de la naturaleza. Revista Universitaria de Formación de Profesorado, 17-001. Zaragoza. España: Universidad de Zaragoza. Retrived September 2010, from

http:// http://redalyc.uaemex.mx/redalyc/src/inicio/ArtPdfRed.jsp?iCve=27417107

Gazin, A. (2003). Focus on autobiography. Instructor, Jan. 2000. Retrieved August 2010, from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_mOSTR/is_5_109/ai_59042596

Reflecting on a discourse community scope

What a discourse community entails

                   

What criteria are to be followed to categorize a discourse community? What is it implied to tell discourse communities apart? According to Swales (1990), a discourse community is “a means of maintaining and extending a group’s knowledge and of initiating new members into a group (…)” (as cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010, p. 13). Swales (1990) continues to add that a discourse community complies with certain standards which comprise common goals, participatory mechanisms, information exchange, community-specific genres, specialized terminology and high general knowledge of expertise (cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010).

Within a discourse community, members pursue specific objectives and have specific interests (Swales, 1990). An illustration is a cohort-based graduated program personalized and responsive to teachers’ needs. Wenzlaff and Wiesemen (2004) aptly put the matter “forty three per cent of the cohort entered the program to improve their skills as teachers” (p. 3). Moreover, Wenzlaff and Wieseman (2004) hold that several discourse communities in teacher reflection have arisen, but each of them oriented to different goals and interests. Hoffman-Kipp, Artiles and Lopez-Torres (2003) give the example of “phenomenological discourse communities” (p. 2), whose main aim is to focus on the individual and his/her experiences as the source for reflection.

Second to specific goals, Swales (1990) mentions participatory mechanisms as another standard to limit a discourse community. The flow of communication and feedback by the members in a discourse community is necessary. Hoffman-Kipp, Artiles and Lopez-Torres (2003), for example, explain that a cohort structure is formed by “inquiry groups of teachers” (p. 4). In addition, interaction is said to be the primary means of communication in the cohort. They expose “roles that people are expected to play in the inquiry group are established through negotiation and configuration of routines” (p. 4). Thus, the previous trait relates directly to information exchange and interrelatedness in the discourse community.

A discourse community, as referred to by Swales (1990), should deal with genre that defines the group’s association. Hoffman-Kipp, Artiles and Lopez-Torres (2003) suggest a “critical discourse community” (p. 3) who validates reflective practices through personal narratives of oppressed members of society. They propose a “situated learning discourse community” whose work is based on three concepts that are interrelated: situated activity, social endeavor and distributed process with content (Hoffman-Kipp, Artiles and Lopez-Torres, 2003, p. 3). Likewise, a cohort of teachers oriented to reflection supports collaborative learning and a cohort approach towards a sense of empowerment (Wenzlaff and Wieseman, 2004).

Not only does a community consider genre discourse, but also specialized terms. Therefore, a community college may fit this criterion as considered by Kleese (2001). She clarifies that “the community college can be seen as adopting language that has been given particular meaning within the larger education community” (p. 2). In the same line of thought, Hoffman-Kipp, Artiles and Lopez-Torres (2004) agree on the fact that a situated learning community talks via a “social language” which is to be transformed by teachers (p.7). Wenzlaff and Wieseman (2004) seem to distinguish this feature in a cohort group. They express with clarity that “teachers need opportunities in professional communities that discuss learning theories and various teacher materials and pedagogy” (p. 2).

What knowledge a discourse community uses is a final standard to consider. Wenzlaff and Wieseman (2004) assert that “cohort communities” are built up on the professors’ assumptions and experiences (p. 6). The relation knowledge holders-receivers is set by Kleese (2001) who phrases “community college faculty members are seen as the receivers of knowledge not the producers” (p. 4). Hoffman, Artiles and Lopez-Torres (2003), over and above that, assess that for a reflective community of teachers, there is a level of expertise underlying the organization of activities. They contend that”scholars such as Dewey, Van Manen and Schon laid the groundwork for this discourse” (p. 3).

In conclusion, the requirements presented by Swales (1990) shed light in the principles to classify and limit a discourse community as such. From the different articles and authors mentioned, there is enough evidence that supports those features. Consequently, it is possible to distinguish a community of teachers with a reflective vision to learning and teaching; a cohort community of teachers who privilege collaborative and social practices; and a community college discourse community overridden by a university community. It appears the case that a discourse community to be defined as one needs to follow Swales (1990) considerations.

References

Hoffman-Kipp, P., Artiles, A. J., & Lopez Torres, L. (2003). Beyond reflection: teacher learning as praxis. Theory into Practice. Retrieved October 2007, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NQM/is_3_42/ai_108442653

 Kelly-Kleese, C. (2001). Editor’s Choice: An Open Memo to Community College Faculty and Administrators. Community College Review. Retrieved October 2007, from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HCZ/is_1_29/ai_77481463

Wenzlaff, T. L., & Wieseman, K. C. (2004). Teachers Need Teachers To Grow. Teacher Education Quarterly. Retrieved October 2007, from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3960/is_200404/ai_n9349405