Own-language use in language teaching and learning: state of the art

Until recently, the assumption of the language-teaching literature has been that new languages are best taught and learned monolingually, without the use of the students’ own language(s). In recent years, however, this monolingual assumption has been increasingly questioned, and a re-evaluation of teaching that relates the language being taught to the students’ own language has begun. This article surveys the developing English language literature on the role of students’ own language(s) in the language classroom. After clarifying key terms, the paper charts the continuing widespread use of students’ own languages in classrooms around the world and the contemporary academic and societal trends which have led to a revival of support for this. It then explores key arguments which underpin this revival, and reviews a range of empirical studies which examine the extent and functions of own-language use within language classrooms. Next, the article examines the support for own-language use that a range of theoretical frameworks provide, including psycholinguistic and cognitive approaches, general learning theory and sociocultural approaches. Having explored the notion of ‘optimal’ in-class own-language use, the article then reviews research into teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards own-language use. It concludes by examining how a bilingual approach to language teaching and learning might be implemented in practice

Own-language use in ELT: exploring global practices and attitudes

In this research paper Graham Hall and Guy Cook explore teacher attitudes to own-language use in the classroom. They conducted a global survey and interviews with practising teachers. They found evidence of widespread own-language use within ELT, and suggest that teachers’ attitudes towards own-language use, and their classroom practices, are more complex than usually acknowledged. The findings also suggest that there is a potential gap between mainstream ELT literature and teachers’ practices on the ground

Origin, evolution and dynamic context of a Neoglacial lateral-frontal moraine at Austre Lovénbreen, Svalbard

Moraines marking the Neoglacial limits in Svalbard are commonly ice cored. Investigating the nature of this relict ice is important because it can aid our understanding of former glacier dynamics. This paper examines the composition of the lateral–frontal moraine associated with the Neoglacial limit at Austre Lovénbreen and assesses the likely geomorphological evolution. The moraine was investigated using ground-penetrating radar (GPR), with context being provided by structural mapping of the glacier based on an oblique aerial image from 1936 and vertical aerial imagery from 2003. Multiple up-glacier dipping reflectors and syncline structures are found in the GPR surveys. The reflectors are most clearly defined in lateral positions, where the moraine is substantially composed of ice. The frontal area of the moraine is dominantly composed of debris. The core of the lateral part of the moraine is likely to consist of stacked sequences of basal ice that have been deformed by strong longitudinal compression. The long term preservation potential of the ice-dominated lateral moraine is negligible, whereas the preservation of the debris-dominated frontal moraine is high. A glacier surface bulge, identified on the 1936 aerial imagery, provides evidence that Austre Lovénbreen has previously displayed surge activity, although it is highly unlikely to do so in the near future in its current state. This research shows the value of relict buried ice that is preserved in landforms to aiding our understanding of former glacier characteristics

Women, Power, and Partnership

As women in a community move into senior positions from which they can influence the economic advancement of women at all levels, commentators have examined factors contributing to their advancement. This article outlines data about the Women\u27s Economic Forum, a Boston group formed in 1985. The degree to which interdependence or partnership is a positive element in achieving the group\u27s objectives suggests that other communities could adopt the WEF model

'Active Sports' The First Step to Sporting Excellence?

Graham Victor Cook Title: ‘Active Sports’: The First Step to Sporting Excellence? Abstract The aim of this research was to establish whether the Active Sports initiative (Sport England, 1999a) was an effective vehicle to facilitate progression in young children’s involvement in sport from grass roots towards elite performance. The Durham Sport Partnership in the North East of England was used as a case study to examine this. As part of a survey design, varied methodologies including registration forms, questionnaires and interviews were employed to generate qualitative and quantitative data to identify the numbers and profiles of the children and coaches engaged in Active Sports, as well as to compare their interpretation of the quality of their experiences during the Active Sports initiative in providing the first step to sporting excellence. The extent to which the scheme achieved the set equity targets and the influence of the initiative on the sporting involvement of the children were examined, along with the coaches’ interpretation of the impact of the scheme on the development of sporting talent. Analysis of the data revealed that participants and coaches found involvement in Active Sport a fulfilling and enjoyable experience that had positive impact on continued sports involvement and professional development respectively. However, the design of the activities and their relationship with any progression to elite sport was found to be questionable, as was the appropriateness of the inclusion of equity targets into an initiative designed to positively impact on elite sport. A significant contributory factor to this was the lack of knowledge the stakeholders had of the initiative, particularly the coaches. The organisation and fundamental structure of the Active Sport initiative in terms of the relationship between what sports the sporting infrastructure is able and willing to offer and what sports young people want to be involved in is questioned, as is the lack of integration of robust talent identification systems in the initiative. The conclusion is therefore drawn that the Active Sports initiative was not an effective vehicle to facilitate the progression in young children’s involvement in sport from grass roots towards elite performance

The English language needs and priorities of young adults in the European Union: student and teacher perceptions

The rapidly changing communicative landscape presents challenges to ELT professionals and students. In the European Union (EU), as elsewhere, increased mobility, migration, and integration, combined with developments in online communication, have led to substantial changes in English language use and practices. Young-adult learners are inevitably most receptive to and arguably most affected by such changes, with potential implications for English language teaching. This paper reports on the project The English language needs and priorities of young adults in the EU: student and teacher perceptions, an investigation into the contemporary English language needs of 18–24 year olds in a context of increasing English language use, emergent forms of English, and increasing use of new technologies for communication. The project involved the collection of both quantitative survey data gathered through a Europe-wide questionnaire for teachers and students, and qualitative interview and focus-group data from three specific EU contexts: Germany (a founder member), Romania (a later acceding member) and Turkey (a candidate member). The body of this report draws mainly upon the qualitative data, using it to exemplify and add depth to the quantitative findings, which are presented in the appendices. The findings offer clear evidence that young-adult students and their teachers in the three contexts share generally similar attitudes towards English. They accept both different native English language varieties and non-native English as a lingua franca for communication; they recognise the need for English language proficiency for employment and study; and they emphasise the importance of English in online communication – perhaps the most notable use of English in young adults’ current non-academic and personal lives – while also noting evident differences between ‘classroom English’ and ‘online’ or social English. Consequently, young adults and their teachers identify a tension between learning English for real-life use, and teaching/learning English to pass a test, for further study or for future employment. Two possible resolutions to this tension were suggested by participants. In contexts in which students had fewer opportunities for communication in English outside the classroom, whether face-to-face or online, the preferred solution was to focus more on communication than form in class. However, in those contexts where young adults often communicate in English outside class (for example, online) and may be more familiar with emergent and non-standard aspects of the language, the best use of classroom time may be to provide more formal language instruction in areas where young-adult students are less competent than their teachers, to reduce attempts to reproduce contemporary, informal communication in materials and activities and instead to draw on students’ own knowledge of these aspects of English language use. In this way, the ELT classroom would become a two-way exchange in which students and teachers bring together complementary sources of English language knowledge