TEFL Theory, 2013
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TEFL Theory, Further Course Information
Instructor: Andrew Blyth, PhD (Ed; candidate), MA ELT, CELTA, B.Sc (Bio).
Contact: [email protected]; [email protected]
Materials required: (1) A small pocket notepad (for language notes), (2) an A5 notebook (to be a
‘research journal’), (3) a notebook for class notes, (4) USB memory stick, (5) and a sense of curiosity.
Textbook: Carter, R., and Nunan, D. (2001) The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers
of Other Languages. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. < Must be acquired.
Other key reference: Nunan, D. (1998) Language Teaching Methodology: A textbook for teachers.
Longman.
Assessment (see page 4 for details): a 1 hour written test (40%), a 2000 word research paper (40%,
due week 11), and class performance and attendance (20%).
Research Journal: � (A5 notebook). Use this for basic research topics that will be assigned to you on a weekly basis.
Add at least one entry a week. We’ll spend up to just 10mins of class time each week reviewing
your journals.
How to pass this class
� It is really easy to pass (if you try).
� Come to every class すべてのクラスに出席し
てください。
� Review and preview every class 毎クラス予
習復習をしてください。
� Ask questions (I like answering questions) もしわからないことがあれば恥ずかしがらず質
問してください。質問は大歓迎です。
� Have fun. ☺ 楽しんでください。
� Also, build up your vocabulary. Get a little
notebook (see right) and write in some
interesting words, expressions and sample
sentences each week during class.
(McCrostie, 2007)
McCrostie, J. (2007) Examining learner vocabulary
notebooks. ELT Journal, 61(3), p246-255.
Conferences
It is strongly recommended that you attend at least one of these or similar event:
� Japan Association of Language Teachers (JALT) Nagoya Chapter meeting. Monthly
presentations, see http://jaltnagoya.homestead.com/Presentations_Future.html.
� JALT Computer Assisted Language Learning (JALTCALL) annual conference, 31st May to
2nd June, 2013, at Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Nagano. See http://jaltcall.org.
� JALT Pan-Special Interest Groups (JALT Pan-SIG), 18th
– 19th
June, 2013, at Nanzan
University, Nagoya. See http://pansig.org/2013/, also see http://jalt.org/ for more information
about the participating SIGs.
� First Annual Brain Day (FAB), usually mid-July, and possibly at University of Kitakyushu,
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. See http://fab-efl.com for details.
TEFL Theory, 2013
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Schedule
Note: This schedule is subject to change when necessary. Also, if you can’t find the extra readings in the
library, you can ask me to bring it to class. These optional extra readings do not represent seminal papers in
their fields, but contain recent interesting ideas being applied, so these should also be considered good
examples of publications for you to consider as models for your own future research and publication.
Week 1: 15th Apr. Research & observation in ELT
Reading: Chapters 16, Observation; and 17, Classroom Interaction
Key Concepts: Brief course introduction. Qualitative vs. Quantitative research, a very brief introduction.
Introduction to Moral Relativism and cultural filters affecting observers’ understandings. Introduction to
Observation research, observer’s paradox; Classroom Interaction: display vs. referential questions, teacher-
fronted interaction, IRF pattern, pair work, group work, turn allocation, hypothesis testing. A brief
introduction to Action Research, and research triangulation, reliability & rigor. Transcript analysis: language
independent of the sentence, context-rooted, Utterances vs. Sentences, caretaker language, scaffolding.
Extra reading: Nishida, R., and Yashima, T. (2010) Classroom interactions of teachers and elementary
school pupils as observed during a musical project in a Japanese elementary school. System, 38(3), p480-490.
OR Eröz-Tuğa, B (2013) Reflective feedback sessions using video recordings. ELT Journal, 67(2), p175-183.
Week 2: 22nd Apr. Theories of learning & memory
Reading: McInernney & McInernney (1998) Educational Psychology: Constructing learning. Prentice Hall,
p20-34. OR Chapter 11, Psycholinguistics.
Key Concepts: Review of Week 1. A very brief introduction to the brain; long term & working memory
types; declarative and nondeclarative knowledges; scaffolding; introduction to Vygotsky: collaborative
construction of meaning, Zone of Proximal Development; introduction to Piaget; Multiple Intelligences
theory; Hermann Ebbinghaus’s ‘forgetting curve’ and vocabulary learning introduction.
Extra listening: Anything on the Brain Science Podcast. See http://brainsciencepodcast.com/ or iTunes.
Week 3: 29th Apr. Vocabulary
Reading: Chapter 6, Vocabulary
Key Concepts: Review of Week 2. What is a word?, Nation’s ‘word families’, paired translation equivalents,
semantic sets, corpora, collocation, chunking, concordancing, Key Words in Context (KWIC), metaphors,
false friends (eg, compare ‘hip’ in English to ‘hip’ in Japanese-English), loan words (Japanese vocabulary
expressed in katakana). Lexical recall models: neighbourhood activation model and Bayesian Probability.
Key reference: Nation, P. (2010) Plenary presentation at PAC-KOTESOL, audio recording and notes
available from Andrew (see Dropbox.Com). OR McLean, Hogg, & Rush (in press) Vocabulary learning
through an online computerized flashcard site. JALTCALL Journal (see the JALTCALL Journal website).
Week 4: 6th May. Grammar
Reading: Chapter 5, Grammar
Key Concepts: Review of Week 3. Morphology, syntax; descriptive vs. prescriptive; Universal Grammar
(UG) and criticisms; transformational-generative; pragmatic competence; focus on form (noticing,
consciousness-raising) and Pienemann’s Processibiltity Theory; scaffolding (review of Vygotsky); construct
theory; chunks and patterns; interlanguage; Present-Practice-Produce (PPP) and Test-Teach-Test (TTT)
lesson plan types.
Extra listening: Philosophy Bites (2010) 135, Daniel Everett on Nature of Language. Accessed at:
http://philosophybites.com/past_programmes.html, or http://www.philosophybites.libsyn.com/2010/09. (A
discussion about the flaws of Universal Grammar).
Week 5: 13th May. Teaching Methodologies
Outline of research paper is due
Reading: Chapter 25, Task-based Language Learning
Key Concepts: Direct vs. Indirect methods, Methods vs. Approaches (introducing grammar translation,
Audio-lingual methods, Communicative Language Teaching TBLT, and others); explicit vs implicit
instruction; form-based, meaning-focused, meta-communicative tasks, delayed focus on form, genuine tasks,
task-plan-report cycle, learner roles, sequencing of tasks, PPP, current status of ELT Methodologies.
Extra reading: Bell, D. (2007) Do teachers think that methods are dead? ELT Journal, 61/2, p135-143.
TEFL Theory, 2013
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Week 6: 20th May. Listening
Reading: Chapter 1, Listening
Key Concepts: Definitions of listening. A brief introduction of listening processes. A brief history of
teaching listening; Krashen’s i+1, top-down, bottom-up, rhythm in languages (stress, syllable, and mora) and
lexical segmentation, phonemic exemplar theory, extensive listening vs. listening strategies, internet and
other media resources, input differences between L1 and L2, lexical access, Sociolinguistic perspectives.
Key reference: Blyth, A. (2011) How teachers teach listening in Japan: Part 1. PAC-KOTESOL Conference
Proceedings: Advancing ELT in the Global Context. Seoul, South Korea, 16-17 October 2010.
Optional extra reading / listening: Renandya, W., and Farrell, T. (2011) ‘Teacher, the tape is too fast!’
Extensive listening in ELT. ELT Journal, 65(1), p 52-59. Or Renendya, W. (2010) ‘Teacher, the tape is too
fast!’ Extensive listening in ELT. PAC-KOTESOL 2010 Conference presentation. (see DropBox.com).
Week 7: 27th May. Speaking
Reading: Chapter 2, Speaking
Key Concepts: recently stressed skill, audiolingualism, behaviorism, strict rotation of LSRW where S =
strict repetition of target structures and patterns; speech acts (function and form), skill sets, 4-stage process:
conceptualization, formulation, articulation, and self-monitoring, fluency, accuracy, complexity, task-
recycling, Comprehensible Output Hypothesis vs. the Comprehensible Input Hypothesis.
Extra reading: Shahini, G., and Riazi, M. (2011) A PBLT Approach to teaching ESL speaking, writing, and
thinking skills. ELT Journal, 65(2), p170-179.
Week 8: 3rd June. Reading & Strategies
Reading: Chapter 3, Reading; and Chapter 24 Language-learning Strategies
Key Concepts: Reading: grapheme to phonological representation models, models of learning (from phonic
to sight), top down, bottom up, phonetic vs. whole word, text vs. reader, literate vs. non-literate, strategies
(pre-, during, and post-), Krashen and free sustained reading, graded readers, extensive vs. intensive.
Strategies: Oxford’s learner types, achievable short-term goals, autonomy, cognitive strategies, Vygotsky and
scaffolding, social learning, hypothesis testing, mnemonic strategies, metacognitive strategies, compensatory
strategies, affective strategies, social strategies, O’Malley and Chamot strategy list, Rubin’s good language
learner.
Extra reading: Brown, D. (2009) Why and how textbooks should encourage extensive reading. ELT Journal,
63(3), p238-245. Or Robb. T. and Susser B. (1989). Extensive reading versus skills building in an EFL
context. Reading in a Foreign Language, 5(2), p239-252. (Available free on the internet)
Week 9: 10th June. Writing
First draft of research paper is due (see samples in dropbox.com)
Reading: Chapter 4, Writing
Key Concepts: peer-writing, process approach, reading vs. writing as way to learn writing, translation vs.
direct composition, contrastive rhetoric, plagiarism, influence of Internet, error correction,
Key references: Connor, U. (2002) New directions in contrastive rhetoric. TESOL Quarterly, 36(4),
p493-510. OR Friesen 2011, Creative Writing Workshop, presented at JALTCALL 2011 (see DropBox).
Week 10: 17th June. Second Language Acquisition
Reading: Chapter 12, Second Language Acquisition
Key Concepts: contrastive analysis, interlanguage, error, teachability / readiness, natural order of
acquisition, silent period, critical period, working memory demand vs. complexity, Krashen’s
comprehensible input hypothesis (learning vs. acquisition), Swain’s comprehensible output hypothesis,
intrinsic & extrinsic motivation.
Extra reading: Dörnyei, Z. (2009) The Psychology of Second Language Acquisition. OUP, p 135-151. (see
Dropbox)
Week 11: 24th June. Assessment theory
Research paper is due
Reading: Chapter 20, Assessment; and Chapter 21, Evaluation
Key Concepts: assessment vs. evaluation, portfolio, one-time vs. continual, proficiency vs. achievement,
formative vs. summative, norm-referenced vs. criterion referenced, validity, reliability, measurement error;
TEFL Theory, 2013
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stakeholders, motivation, discrete item vs. integrative, objective vs. subjective, washback, washforth,
evaluation cycle, accountability, practical testing tips, ethical issues in testing.
Handouts: Common European Framework (see DropBox.com)
Extra reading / listening: McNamara, T. (2011) Language analysis in the determination of origin of asylum
seekers: A perspective from language testing. 2nd
combined ALAA & ALANZ Conference. (Includes issues
regarding the limitations of testing, human rights, and public policy; see DropBox.com for audio and notes).
Week 12: 1st July
Activities: Brief review of research paper and final exam, good luck ☺
Assessment
Class Attendance and Performance (20%) � Simply do pre reading of the assigned material, and discuss in class
� Constructively contribute to class discussions
� Do the research diary tasks and report back in class
� Demonstrate other attributes expected of a person entering the teaching profession.
Research Paper (40%) Students are to write a 2000-word paper on one of the topics below. Your topic should be chosen by Week 3
(29th April). An outline is due Week 4 (6
th May), the first draft is due Week 8 (3
rd June), and the finished
paper (with a minimum of three sources of which two must be from ELT publications, using APA or ELT
Journal style writing and referencing) is due Week 11 (24th June).
1. Three issues in vocabulary acquisition (see week 2&3 topics).
2. Three issues in teaching listening (see week 6 topic).
3. The pros and cons of strategy instruction. (see weeks 6 & 8)
4. An ELT conference presentation you saw. Include a theoretical background (a summary of the
key points of the presentation and other sources), and then your assessment on the practicality
of the ideas proposed by the presenter. Use either a “three issues” or “pro & con” format.
Final Exam (40%) This tests your knowledge of key concepts most pertinent to current ELT theory, including your knowledge
of recent developments in ELT research. The test consists of short and long answer questions, including
defining and explaining concepts, with examples.
Useful Links for ELT
Academic resources
� APA Style format for academic referencing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APA_style#Reference_list
� ELT Journal, our industry’s leading academic journal: http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/ *
� LinguistList: http://linguistlist.org/
� RELC Journal, especially for South-East Asia: http://rel.sagepub.com/
� TESOL Quarterly: http://tesol.org
Jobs
� LinguistList: http://linguistlist.org/ > Jobs
� Also see LinkedIn.Com
� TEFL.Com for global job listings: http://tefl.com *
Professional organisations
� British Association of Applied Linguists: http://baal.org.uk/ *
� Japan Association of Language Teachers: http://jalt.org/
� International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign language: http://iatefl.org/
Other
� Lives of Teachers: http://livesofteachers.com/ (also see Darren’s Twitter feed)*
� Winjeel.Com: My website with some resources for you. * The most recommended for you to join or subscribe to.
Welcome to our profession ☺