ELT in Japan (ELT-J)

Implementing Better Multiple Choice for EFL Learning and Testing (a presentation made at IELT-CON 2021 / PELLTA)

2023-04-26T17:56:00.003+09:00

The conference was done online, and this is the video for my presentation.

https://youtu.be/BiGx_BgE3Fg

A video of the presentation, "Implementing Better Multiple Choice for EFL Learning and Testing." by Charles Jannuzi, University of Fukui, Japan This presentation describes and explains procedures and techniques by which teachers can create their own collections of multiple-choice (objective-response) items for language practice and testing for courses. The focus is specifically how to devise and deploy multiple choice questions (MCQ) to enable language practice and testing that are more organic to assigned courses and their designated syllabuses, materials, and classroom content. It is hoped that these explanations and examples will serve, for example, teachers who have to give grades based on objective evaluation to large numbers of students and who do not have time for alternative means (e.g., oral interviews). A couple of notes of correction and clarification:

1. In the presentation I say basically the words 'clothes' and 'close' have the same pronunciation. Their canonical dictionary pronunciation says that they are different, but my point was in a lot of speech, the cluster of the coda of 'clothes' elides or simplifies to make the word a homophone of 'close'. 2. In the presentation I discuss using word frequency analysis software to analyze your materials. Another good tool is software to give you a reading level / grade level / difficulty level. Texts with lower reading levels / less difficulty levels tend to use the most frequent words of English. PDFs of the working paper and presentation file are at the links below. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NLKD... https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GBtE...

Video Presentation at ICONFED 2020 "Using Films for an Online Extensive Listening Library"

2021-01-19T21:47:00.000+09:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLJdxlBjC-4

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION 2020

Using Films for an Online Extensive Listening Library In ELT, listening and reading can be analyzed by what learners are asked to do, such as intensive vs. extensive tasks. Teaching is typically centered on intensive aspects. Although the distinction is usually applied to reading, it analogously holds for listening. Intensive tasks combined with language-focused exercises typically prove insufficient as input. Learners require extensive but meaningful exposure to much more language. Is there a way to provide students with sufficient comprehensible input for language acquisition? Extensive reading has received a lot of attention but not extensive listening. This presentation will examine key concepts like intensive, extensive, and fluent types of listening (language processing). Then it will describe how to create a low-cost extensive listening program using online materials--that is, free software, public domain films, scripts / screenplays, and multilingual subtitle files. Moreover, the program can be done entirely online as a part of a taught course or to manage effective independent study. Finally, many of the techniques and procedures can be applied to teacher training, the native language arts, and various academic subjects. Keywords: ELT, intensive listening, extensive listening, public domain films

Paper for Presentation at ICONFED 2020 "Using Films for an Online Extensive Listening Library"

2020-10-31T11:42:00.001+09:00

Using Films for an Online Extensive Listening Library

Introduction

In ELT, listening and reading can be distinguished according to what types of tasks learners are asked to do. While any number of various goals could be singled out, a major contrast is often drawn between intensive vs. extensive tasks. Classroom activities are typically monopolized by intensive aspects. Although the distinction usually differentiates types of reading tasks, it can also be applied analogously to listening. For example, a class that is centered on taking the TOEFL or IELTS will emphasize intensive listening and reading questions like the ones on the tests.

The problem is that the domination of intensive tasks in the classroom leads to a dearth of linguistic input, especially in EFL situations. Is there a way to increase the incidental exposure of students with English such that it leads to higher motivation, a greater engagement with language learning activities, significantly more input, and more assured language acquisition? One activity that has received a lot of interest in this regard is extensive reading. For example, schools and programs create expensive extensive reading programs for independent study using commercially published graded readers.

However, much less attention has been directed towards programmatic extensive listening. With this in mind, this presentation and its accompanying paper will explain a methodical and systematic way to create an intensive listening program using no-cost materials that are available online--that is, open source and free software, public domain films, English-language scripts, and multilingual subtitles. Moreover, the proposed intensive listening program can be done entirely online as a part of a taught course or to manage effective independent study.

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The full paper can be read or downloaded as PDF here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yCmDN_YYMDgZdYg3OaahEhcSQfC-m14D/view?usp=sharing

New issue of ELT in Japan (Practitioner Journal).

2020-01-04T14:13:00.001+09:00

It is available as a download in .pdf at the link below. It can also be viewed in the browser if the browser can display .pdfs.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ACB3Iz3lrYCO3hjrQewPuAqhSEmOBP8U/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ACB3Iz3lrYCO3hjrQewPuAqhSEmOBP8U/view?usp=sharing

iELT-CON 2019 Workshop: Getting Students to Do Systematic, Effective Independent V...

2019-04-13T01:13:00.002+09:00

Link to presentation on vocabulary teaching (upcoming workshop at iELT-CON 2019)

2019-04-12T22:01:00.005+09:00

You can view or download the presentation as PDF at the following link:

Getting Students to Do Systematic, Effective Independent Vocabulary Study

MELTA Journal English Teacher Article: Implementing a Pronunciation Component into a Course Syllabus

2018-12-29T18:18:00.003+09:00

The article that is the follow-up to the MELTA 2018 workshop on teaching pronunciation is now up at the MELTA English Teacher site.

The link to the ET journal online is:

https://journals.melta.org.my/index.php/tet/index

The link to the article in PDF form is:

https://journals.melta.org.my/index.php/tet/article/view/623

You can click through and display the PDF in your browser. And you can also download it, here:

https://journals.melta.org.my/index.php/tet/article/download/623/383

Materials (presentation files, papers as doc., etc.) from MICELT 2018 and MELTA 2018

2018-10-09T23:37:00.001+09:00

I created a public folder at Google Drive that contains the presentations, papers, and related materials for the recent MICELT 2018 and MELTA 2018 files. You can read them as PDF online or download them.

The folder is found here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EKIZag0sZmSzWkxYHXN3G_HAynzEVpFM?usp=sharing

MICELT 2018 WORKSHOP: Practical Techniques for Vocabulary Teaching and Learning

2018-09-30T13:34:00.002+09:00

Presentation file (as pdf)

Paper

MICELT 2018 WORKSHOP: Practical Techniques for Vocabulary Teaching and ...

2018-09-18T16:28:00.002+09:00

PREVIEW OF PRESENTATION FOR MICELT 2018 WORKSHOP ON VOCABULARY TEACHING AND LEARNING

2018-09-16T19:15:00.000+09:00

CLICK ON THE GRAPHIC BELOW TO VIEW A PDF OF THE COMPLETE PRESENTATION OR DOWNLOAD IT.

Preview of Paper on Vocabulary Teaching for MICELT 2018 Conference

2018-09-16T18:54:00.004+09:00

Click on the graphic below to view the PDF of the article or download it.

Click on the graphic above to view and/or download the PDF of the article.

LINKS TO MELTA 2018 WORKSHOP MATERIALS

2018-08-13T18:25:00.000+09:00

Planning, Teaching, and Evaluating a Pronunciation Component
for the Syllabus of an EFL Speaking Course

1. The presentation as a PDF.

2. Appendix to the presentation (supplementary materials) as PDF.

3. The paper on which the presentation is based.

MELTA WORKSHOP ON PRONUNCIATION TEACHING

2018-08-05T12:36:00.002+09:00

Content of the MELTA workshop to be delivered this month (August 2018) in video form at YouTube.

Wikipedia and Wiktionary as LL Resources

2018-07-13T21:50:00.001+09:00

One possible resource for students' word study and language practice is Wikipedia and its related Wiktionary. However, the situation at Wikipedia is complicated. Beginning-level students (and their teachers) might have difficulty in navigating its text-heavy pages and multiple hyperlinks. There are actually at least four different resources at Wikipedia that might be useful. But the teacher will have to take great pains to make sure the students find and understand them.

First, Wikipedia has various bilingual dictionaries that can be accessed from the top page of the Wiktionary site. For example, one can link to a Japanese Wiktionary (JW). The JW can be used as both E-J and J-J dictionaries. The J-J function can also serves as a minimal J-E one, since it will give a very short English translation for a searched Japanese word.

Below in the figure is a screenshot of the result of using the JW's E-J function for the verb 'negotiate'. It includes an etymology, phonetic transcription of both US and UK pronunciations transcribed into both IPA and SAMPA (no special characters), a sound file, inflected forms of the verb, Japanese translations of the core meanings, example sentences in both Japanese and English, and finally important lexical derivations. However, the JW didn't give English definitions or collocations for 'negotiate'.

For English definitions, there is the English Wiktionary (EW). For example, the EW gave five definitions for 'negotiate', including one that is now obsolete. There is also the Simple English Wiktionary. However, it limits definitions to a list of key synonyms and synonymous phrases.

Finally, there is the Simple English Wikipedia. It has a lot of content useful for language learning and practice put into more basic English than the regular Wikipedia.

A list of links to Wikpedia and Wiktionary:

1. Top page of Wiktionary
https://www.wiktionary.org

2. Top page of the Japanese Wiktionary
https://ja.wiktionary.org/wiki/メインページ

3. Top page of the Simple English Wiktionary
https://simple.wiktionary.org/wiki/Main_Page

4. Top Page of Simple English Wikipedia
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Some problem consonants and consonant contrasts of English

2018-06-13T22:14:00.002+09:00

We can identify 'problem sounds' by three main ways: (1) differences across English and the L1 of the learners (contrastive analysis), (2) the actual pronunciation errors L2 learners produce (in general or based on language background), and (3) 'marked' sounds of spoken English that learners of various backgrounds might find difficult (for example, they are late in native acquisition processes, or they are rare sounds among most world languages or at least some major languages).

Here is a set of problem consonant sounds and contrasts that I have compiled with all three above in mind.

Teaching English /l/ vs. /r/ as PDF download

2018-03-16T15:57:00.002+09:00

This is one of the more popular articles on this blog, so I have decided to make it available as a PDF that you can view online or download.

Teaching English /l/ vs. /r/ (click to view PDF).

A Quick Guide for Teachers Using Core English for Global Communication

2018-03-14T14:16:00.001+09:00

MAR

A Quick Guide for Teachers Using
Core English for Global Communication

I am making a PDF available for download. It is an overview and quick guide about the textbook for teachers who are planning to use the book in their EFL courses. It may also be of interest for those who are considering the textbook for classroom use.

It explains the language proficiency levels that the book has been designed for (in terms of TOEIC, CEFR, etc.). It then looks at the main task sets in each unit. Finally, it gives a message that teachers might use in their first class to help their students engage the book and English learning in class. In future blog posts here, we will be looking at sample units and then specifically at how to teach and manage each task set in the book. We will also look at alternative procedures for running the tasks in class.

Please note, this file is not the teacher's manual. The teacher's manual is available from Asahi Press.

A Word Frequency List for the Textbook, CORE ENGLISH FOR GLOBAL COMMUNICATION

2018-03-12T19:22:00.004+09:00

This takes you to the post at the blog dedicated to the textbook.

https://coreenglishforglobalcommunication.blogspot.jp/2018/03/word-frequency-list-for-core-english.html

New Blog for CORE ENGLISH FOR GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS

2018-03-12T18:28:00.004+09:00

I have created a new blog specifically for teachers using (or interested in using) the textbook, Core English for Global Communications (Asahi Press, 2018).

Click on the word map image below to go to the new blog.

The url is:

https://coreenglishforglobalcommunication.blogspot.jp

Get FREE inspection copy of EFL textbook (for teachers in Japan)

2017-11-18T14:44:00.002+09:00

The textbook is Core English for Global Communication.

The Japanese title is 自己表現のためのコア英語.

It will be published by Asahi Press in 2018.

It is an EFL book that covers all skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing) in support of discussions. It is intended mostly for students at beginning to intermediate level, but it can be adapted to more advanced levels as well.

You can get inspection copies at this preview page for the textbook at Asahi's site.

This link is to preview the textbook. Your browser will need Flash plug-in.

Preview page for the textbook

The next link is where you can place an order for an inspection copy. You will have to navigate the order page in Japanese.

Link to order an inspection copy of the book from Asahi

Alternatively, send me an e-mail and I will forward your request to Asahi.
I will need your name, organization / affiliation, and mailing address.

Send your request to this e-mail:

The units of the textbook are as follows:

Unit 1 : Hometown

Unit 2 : Student Life---Studies

Unit 3 : Student Life---Free Time

Unit 4 : Mealtime

Unit 5 : Health

Unit 6 : Leisure

Unit 7 : Work

Unit 8 : Shopping

Unit 9 : The Seasons

Unit 10 : The Weather

Unit 11 : Food and Culture

Unit 12 : Technology

Unit 13 : Travel

Unit 14 : Eating Out

Unit 15 : Pets

Publication of textbook - 自己表現のためのコア英語 Core English for Global Communication

2017-10-30T00:32:00.003+09:00

https://text.asahipress.com/english/detail.php?id=1490

自己表現のためのコア英語

Core English for Global Communication

Charles Jannuzi /菅野雅代

マルチ・アプローチによって、使える英語を身につける！

学習者が自ら考え、表現するアクティブラーニングに最適。TOEICやTOEFL、
英検などの試験に頻出の語彙を使ってアメリカと日本を比較しながら学ぶ。
大学の授業の中で試行錯誤を重ねながら作成された、幅広いレベルのクラスで
使用可能な学習者重視のテキスト。

ELT in Japan (Practitioner Journal) New Issue October 2017

2017-10-26T03:17:00.001+09:00

The new issue of ELT in Japan can be viewed at this link. You can preview and read the issue in PDF at this link and then download it (click on the download arrow icon in the upper right corner of the preview window). You will need a program that can read Adobe PDFs, such as Acrobat Reader or MS Edge Browser.

ELT-J October 2017 click here

ELT-J October 2017 click here

ELT in Japan (Practitioner Journal) October 2017 Preview

2017-10-22T18:33:00.001+09:00

After a 5 year hiatus (to work on textbooks), we will be publishing a new issue of ELT-J. The two articles in this October 2017 issue are previewed below. Links for a download of the issue as a PDF will follow.

A Review of L2 Student Motivation
Robert Dykes
University of Fukui (Fukui, Japan)

Abstract

Motivation in the contexts of SL, FL and L2 learning has been researched and analyzed since the 1950s. (Gardner, 2006). It has been concluded through research that aptitude alone is not enough to succeed in the L2 classroom (Gardner, 1985). Dornyei (1998) maintains that alongside aptitude, motivation is a key factor in language acquisition success. The amount of material completed on motivation within the L2 context since the 1950s is far too extensive to cover in an essay of this size and cope, so it will instead briefly cover some of the key and influential explanations of motivation, focusing mostly on the work of Gardner, Dornyei, and some key developments stemming from these two. After reviewing L2 student motivation as enacted in such research and theorizing, possible pedagogical applications in institutional and classroom environments will be offered and critically examined.

Keywords: motivation, attitude, learning, language learning

Creating a Pronunciation Strand for a Spoken English Syllabus
Charles E. Jannuzi
University of Fukui (Fukui, Japan)

Abstract

Phonetics and phonology are often taught as an academic course to teachers in training. The theories and concepts used tend to reflect a rather old structuralist heritage. This is indicated by the use of such terms as 'phonemes', 'sound segments', and 'minimal pairs'. The treatment of supra-segmentals / non-segmentals tends to be structuralist as well. This article is not really a re-hash of phonetics and phonology based on the structuralist heritage of ELT . Rather, what is presented is a specific plan for implementing and integrating a pronunciation strand into a spoken English course syllabus that lacks one (e.g., oral communication, English speaking, English conversation, etc.). The examples are based on pronunciation for teaching EFL to Japanese and Chinese students at universities in Japan. The model can be applied to other L2s, students with other native language backgrounds, and other teaching situations. No specialist knowledge in either phonetics or phonology is required for teachers wishing to implement such a component to supplement a given syllabus. However, rather than treating pronunciation as a marginal skill, pronunciation is presented here as essential to successful L2 learning. That is, it is best taught as 'applied phonology' in support of L2 learning (e.g., language processing, memory skills, listening skills, articulation, etc.) using a lexical approach. By 'lexical approach' it is meant that pronunciation materials should be based on the most frequent words of English.

Keywords: pronunciation teaching, pronunciation learning, lexical approach

THINKING ABOUT MEMORY

2016-09-18T14:29:00.000+09:00

Sort of out of the blue I started thinking about MEMORY. As in, the way we talk about memory in human language processing and learning, although I'm not clear how that separates from memory in general learning or just memory of life.

So I remember how memory was always presented as an academic topic as something like THREE parts--processing, short-term, and long-term. And one obvious problem for learning another language is that, no matter how much we pound it into our 'heads', it doesn't 'write to long-term memory (of course that is not the only problem).

But it seems to me that the only way memory works in conscious or active learning is if we put it into processing memory. I doubt short-term memory can just write to long-term memory. This is why, to try and remember, we repeat things to ourselves. Or perhaps short-term memory just blends into long-term memory, and long-term learning is simply over-learning into the same memory.

Now I have to work on breaking down processing memory into parts that might be useful for thinking about second language learning--such as 'phonological memory', and why that proves problematic for second language learners.

The next diagram is my attempt to visualize how memory might participate
in knowledge forms (schema).