ELT/ESP/EYL Professional Practice
Preparing a Rationale
A discourse approach to rationale
Problem – Solution patterns in TESOL texts
Situation
This is where I work, both literally and in terms of an area of ELT
Problem
This is the aspect of my work on which I intend to focus
Response
This is my preferred response, my centrally important statement
Basis for
Response
Here are my reasons in principle for advocating this response
Evaluation
Here are some data in support of the claims that I make.
(Edge & Wharton 2002)
Work with a specific article
Alhquist, S. 2013. Storyline: a task based approach for young learners. ELT
Journal 67 (1): 41-51
This article describes a particular course and so is in some senses comparable with
your assignment for PP. There are also some important ways in which it is different!
Please read through it and identify the following elements:
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Description of the context and students
-
Reasons for using the Storyline approach
-
Description of the Storyline topic
-
Reasons for specific activities in the topic
-
Evaluation of the approach
Which of these elements are most applicable for the Rationale part of your
assignment? Are any of the discourse techniques used by this author likely to be
useful to you?
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Some further work on ‘rationale-type’ articles:
The following four articles all have "rationale" as a significant part of their text: they
might be arguing for a particular approach, or for the value of specific materials.
You could read them and note down the techniques/ perspectives which the authors
use to provide their rationales, ie to persuade the readers that their ideas are useful.
Sarah Guth and Francesca Helm
Developing multiliteracies in ELT through telecollaboration
ELT J (2012) 66(1): 42-51
Communicating and collaborating in online contexts can be quite different from faceto-face situations and requires students to acquire multiple literacies in addition to
foreign language skills and intercultural communicative competence. This paper looks
at how the development of multiliteracies can be included in the EFL classroom
through the practice of telecollaboration, that is internet-mediated intercultural
exchange. The integration of multiliteracies in the task design of the three stages of a
telecollaboration project is illustrated through practical examples from an exchange
which used English as a lingua franca.
Huiping Ning
Adapting cooperative learning in tertiary ELT
ELT J (2011) 65(1): 60-70
An updated guideline for tertiary ELT in China has shifted the emphasis to the
development of learners’ ability to communicate in English. Using group work and
getting learners actively involved in the actual use of English are highlighted more
than before. This article focuses on adapting cooperative learning methods for ELT
with tertiary learners. The adaptation mainly involved three aspects: group formation,
technique adaptation, and course evaluation.
Richard Cullen
Teaching grammar as a liberating force
ELT J (2008) 62(3): 221-230
The idea of grammar as a ‘liberating force’ comes from a paper by Henry Widdowson
(1990) in which grammar is depicted as a resource which liberates the language user
from an over-dependency on lexis and context for the expression of meaning. In this
paper, I consider the implications for second language teaching of the notion of
grammar as a liberating force, and identify three key design features which, I propose,
need to be present in any grammar production task in which this notion is given
prominence. These are: learner choice over which grammatical structures to use; a
process of ‘grammaticization’ where the learners apply grammar to lexis; and
opportunities to make comparisons and notice gaps in their use of grammar. I then
discuss, with practical examples, types of grammar task which exhibit these features.
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These tasks all derive from traditional ELT practice, but have been revitalized to
support an approach to teaching grammar which emphasizes its liberating potential.
Sally Gibson
Reading aloud: a useful learning tool?
ELT J (2008) 62(1): 29-36
This article is concerned with the role of reading aloud (RA) in language learning.
General ELT methodology literature does not recommend the practice. However,
recent research and specialist literature recommend using RA for various purposes. It
can help reading by reinforcing graphemic-phonemic correspondences. It can aid the
acquisition of prosodic features of English and help to develop writing skills by using
it as oral proofreading. RA can also be used as a technique for autonomous learning
and may help some anxious students to feel more able to speak. It is suggested that
the benefits of RA could outweigh the disadvantages, and that the latter could be
mitigated by careful and appropriate use of the activity. A small study of NS and NNS
teachers and learners gives support to most of the purposes recommended above. This
evidence suggests that the role of RA in language learning should now be reappraised.
References
Edge, J. and Wharton, S. (2002). Genre teaching: The struggle for diversity in unity. In Unity
and Diversity in Language Use, K. Miller and P. Thompson (eds.), 22-38, London: BAAL/
Continuum.
Edge, J. and Wharton, S. (2001). Patterns of text in teacher education. In The Patterns of
Text, M. Scott and G. Thompson (eds.), 255-286, Amsterdam: Benjamins.
Wharton, S. (2006). Given and new in TESOL texts: the management of community
consensus and individual innovation IRAL 44/1: 23-48.
Wharton, S. (2007). Social identity and parallel text dynamics in the reporting of
educational action research. English for Specific Purposes 26: 485-501.
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