Elements in the Language Learning/Teaching Process: "Did he learn, or was he taught?"

When teachers understand the learning/ teaching process, they are better prepared to manage learning more effectively. The process begins with language intake being worked upon by the learner's qualities, including his intention to comprehend, and by a wide range of mental processes ("types of thinking"). When this is accompanied by suitable conditions for learning (which comprise impact, interest, variety and organisation conducive to learning) comprehension occurs. Some of what is comprehended is also internalised as receptive learning. A further effort is required, in which the learner re-creates in sound a simulacrum (rough and ready likeness) of his receptive learning, in order to induce productive learning and use. At every single stage, the process can be made more rapid and effective through the intervention of a skilled teacher: good teaching recognizes the learner's needs at any moment and provides assistance of an appropriate kind

Exporting Language Teaching Methods from Canada to China

ESL specialists at the present time have no conceptual framework to guide them in deciding whether teaching methods developed in one country are appropriate for the educational systems of other countries. Because of the lack of such a framework, three problems are emerging as Canadian and Chinese ESL specialists wrestle with the difficulties involved in exporting Canadian teaching methods to the People's Republic of China. These problems stem from not seeing development as multidimensional, from confusion about the relationship between scientific and educational theories, and from the worldwide presence and ac- THE NEED FOR A FRAMEWORK ceptance of technocratic imperialism. Some responses are suggested to the educational practices of modelling and memorization in China. It is suggested that these practices are not dysfunctional within the current educational theory in China that places high value on certain types of teacher-student interactions and on human interactions mediated by shared values which inhere in the canon of texts known as Marxism Leninism-Mao Zi-Dong thought. It is suggested that the teaching practices ESL teachers observe in China are not trivial or accidental, but inherent and important in the fabric of Chinese society

Phonological Processes in ESL Five-Year-Olds

This paper reports the results of a study investigating the acquisition of the sound system by fifteen ESL five-year-olds. Segmental consonant errors drawn from speech data collected over ten months were categorized according to eight phonological processes in three categories, assimilation. substitution, and syllable structure changes. Eighty-six percent of the errors corresponded to those identified by Ingram (1979) and others as universal in first language acquisition. The author advises caution in the interpretation of this result, however, since there were certain differences in the particular errors made by the ESL learners within each category as well as processes considered universal among first language learners which were not found among the ESL learners

Bringing Real Language into the Classroom: The Re-Tell Activity

A re-tell is an activity designed to involve ESL learners in a dynamic interactive process. Using authentic reading and listening passages as core input, its aim is to create a context which encourages negotiating for meaning through an exchange of information. It is a flexible activity. easily adaptable for a variety of levels and teaching situations. A re-tell meets the criteria for a student-centered classroom, real language use and the fostering of acquisition by exposure to challenging material

Teaching Language for Specific Purposes

We are witnessing a tremendous increase in the demand for special English programming. Most teachers, however, are trained as language specialists and few of us have the background to cope with technical vocabulary and concepts in great detail. This article addresses the fundamental need for language development in special English contexts and offers practical suggestions for the development of specific materials