Using Presentation Software to Enhance Language Learning

Miriam Schcolnik
smiriam [at] post.tau.ac.il
Tel Aviv University (Israel)
Sara Kol
sarakol [at] post.tau.ac.il
Tel Aviv University (Israel)

In this paper we report on two uses of presentation software in our EFL courses: one as a tool for oral reporting and the other as a writing tool. In both cases students use the four language skills actively. They read source materials, discuss their ideas with their peers and teacher, write them and then share their writing with others. In both uses, students function as "doers and creators" and as such are motivated to invest time and energy into their tasks.
Computer applications are now being used in many school disciplines and changing teaching methodologies throughout the curriculum. We have been using computers in our EFL courses for many years and have employed a variety of computer applications and methodologies. We agree with Murphy-Judy (1997) that "the readers whom foreign language education produces now...should not be trained in defunct literacy practices, but rather should be prepared to function in this new world...Literacy, today, is increasingly electronic and telecommunicational."

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Using Video in the EFL Classroom

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This research project provides teachers of English as Foreign Language (EFL) with insights into developing materials and teaching methods that can be incorporated and thus practically implemented in their classrooms.  Emphasis will be on approaching the identity and culture of the native speakers of English through diverse authentic teaching materials.

Video has been proven to be an effective method in teaching English as a foreign/second language (EFL/ESL) for both young and adult learners.  Video can be used in a variety of instructional settings - in classrooms, on distance-learning sites where information is broadcast to learners who interact with the facilitator via video or computer, and in self-study and evaluation situations.  It can also be used in the teacher’s personal and professional development or with students as a way of presenting content, initiating conversations, and providing illustrations for various concepts.  Teachers and students can always create their own videotapes as content for the class or as a means to assess learners’ performance.

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Using Creative Thinking to Find New Uses for Realia

The use of realia is well known to teachers. However, this article suggests different ways of using realia. By thinking creatively we can find new teaching uses for the everyday objects that surround us, by relating them to language and looking at them in new ways.
Introduction

We like using realia, i.e. objects in the class because it adds interest and relates language to the real world.  I have found my use of realia fall into three main areas, first for descriptions, and second as props in drama and another type of activity is a creative thinking exercise, finding different uses for an object, e.g.  a ruler could be a weapon, musical instrument, a symbol of authority and so on. However, there is another possibility suggested by this last use. If we ask our students to find other uses for everyday objects, why shouldn't teachers find uses for objects for teaching? This means making a connection between objects and language. Here are some ideas, looking at specific grammar points, drills, and free speaking.

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The Use of Authentic Materials in EFL Classrooms

Introduction
The use of authentic materials in an EFL classroom is what many teachers involved in foreign language teaching have discussed in recent years. We have heard persuasive voices insisting that the English presented in the classroom should be authentic, not produced for instructional purposes. Generally, what this means is materials which involve language naturally occurring as communication in native-speaker contexts of use, or rather those selected contexts where standard English is the norm: real newspaper reports, for example, real magazine articles, real advertisements, cooking recipes, horoscopes, etc. Most of the teachers throughout the world agree that authentic texts or materials are beneficial to the language learning process, but what is less agreed is when authentic materials should be introduced and how they should be used in an EFL classroom.

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BERPACU MENUJU SEKOLAH HIJAU

Oleh: Soffa Ihsan

Pemerhati Pendidikan dan Direktur Lembaga Daulat Bangsa, Jakarta


Negeri kita saat ini agaknya mulai dipandang kurang nyaman. Dari tahun ke tahun, negeri kita kerap menuai bencana. Banjir bandang, tanah longsor, kebakaran hutan, tsunami atau ke-keringan seolah-olah sudah menjadi fenomena tahunan yang kerap terjadi. Sementara itu, perburuan satwa liar dan illegal loging nyaris tak pernah luput dari agenda para perusak lingkungan. Ironis, kita seolah-olah menutup mata bahwa ulah manusia yang bertindak sewenang-wenang dalam memperlakukan lingkungan hidup bisa menjadi ancaman yang terus mengintai setiap saat.

Meminjam istilah Garret Hardin (1968), inilah yang disebut the tragedy of commons, akibat kegagalan manusia dalam memelihara milik bersama. Kegagalan mengapresiasi sumber daya serentak juga akan melahirkan eksternalitas negatif. Ekses-ekses buruk dapat disebabkan oleh perilaku pihak luar dan tanpa disadari berpengaruh terhadap kehidupan komunitas lain. Ketidakmampuan Indonesia mencegah pembalakan hutan misalnya, akan berimbas negatif kepada rakyat negara ini dan juga generasi yang akan datang. Lalu, bagaimana melakukan "revolusi" demi perbaikan mindset masyarakat agar mencintai lingkungan? Ya, kembali ke laptop, alias ke pendidikan.

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Teaching English Technique: Pause & predict – YouTube technique

Submitted by Nicola Crowley on http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk

            This YouTube activity is quite simple and can be used with a variety of YouTube videos especially those from Mr. Bean. This clip is a great introduction to the theme of travel and can help students practise prediction e.g. ‘I think he’ll pack his teddy bear’ or ‘ He’s definitely going to forget his suitcase’.

Preparation

• Open the YouTube video Mr Bean ‘Packing for a Holiday' (www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r0dr_juOiI) and make sure it is ready to play.
• You will need post-it notes for the students’ predictions. Alternatively, the students can write their prediction in their notebooks.

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Pendidikan Karakter

Pencetus pendidikan karakter yang menekankan dimensi etis-spiritual dalam proses pembentukan pribadi ialah pedagog Jerman FW Foerster (1869-1966). Pendidikan karakter merupakan reaksi atas kejumudan pedagogi natural Rousseauian dan instrumentalisme pedagogis Deweyan.
Lebih dari itu, pedagogi puerocentris lewat perayaan atas spontanitas anak-anak (Edouard Claparède, Ovide Decroly, Maria Montessori) yang mewarnai Eropa dan Amerika Serikat awal abad ke-19 kian dianggap tak mencukupi lagi bagi formasi intelektual dan kultural seorang pribadi.
Polemik anti-positivis dan anti-naturalis di Eropa awal abad ke-19 merupakan gerakan pembebasan dari determinisme natural menuju dimensi spiritual, bergerak dari formasi personal dengan pendekatan psiko-sosial menuju cita-cita humanisme yang lebih integral. Pendidikan karakter merupakan sebuah usaha untuk menghidupkan kembali pedagogi ideal-spiritual yang sempat hilang diterjang gelombang positivisme ala Comte.
Tujuan pendidikan adalah untuk pembentukan karakter yang terwujud dalam kesatuan esensial si subyek dengan perilaku dan sikap hidup yang dimilikinya. Bagi Foerster, karakter merupakan sesuatu yang mengualifikasi seorang pribadi. Karakter menjadi identitas yang mengatasi pengalaman kontingen yang selalu berubah. Dari kematangan karakter inilah, kualitas seorang pribadi diukur.

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Improving the Students’ EFL Writing Ability through “Put Yourself in the Picture” Strategy

By
Pryla Rochmah Wati
Graduate Program of State University of Malang
e-mail: rpryla@yahoo.com

Abstract: This Action research was intended to improve the students’ EFL writing ability through “Put Yourself in the Picture” strategy. This research involved 15 second year students of MTs Muhammadiyah I Jombang in the academic year 2008/2009. This research was conducted in two cycles by following the procedures of the action research, namely, planning, implementing, observing, and reflecting. Each cycle of the research encompassed three meetings. The data of the research were gathered through observation checklists, field notes, questionnaire, and portfolio. The findings of research showed that “Put Yourself in the Picture” strategy has proven effectively to improve the student’ writing ability. The improvement could be seen from the increase of the students’ average writing score. Besides, “Put Yourself in the Picture” strategy can increase the students’ participation during the process of writing.

Key words: “Put Yourself in the Picture” strategy, writing ability

Among the four language skills, writing belongs to a productive skill. Dixon and Denise (1983) cited in Eksan (2004) stated that as a productive skill, writing plays an important role in communicating ideas, thoughts, and messages to a reader for a purpose. Writing as one of the four language skills plays an important role in the context of English teaching as a foreign language in Indonesia. Hyland (2003:9) viewed that writing is a way of sharing personal meanings and it emphasizes the power of the personality to construct someone’s view based on a certain topic. Writing comprises communicating a particular message in the written form (Spratt, 2005: 26). However, writing is regarded as the most difficult skill for foreign language learners to master because it involves several components which need to be considered while the learners are writing, such as content, organization, vocabulary, language use and punctuation (Brown, 2004:244–245). In addition, writing is linked with several components of language such as choice of word, grammar, syntax, mechanism, and generating of ideas (Gebhard, 2000: 211). Furthermore, writers should pay attention both on the goal of writing itself and the readers (Gebhard, 2000: 211)

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How to express regret?

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