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3 An Edited Version of the First Eight 13 Classroom ideas from Gary Henscheid, 1,000-Word Frequency Bands of Nick Caine, Douglas Perkins and Adam the Japanese-English Version of the Pearson, and Richard Buckley Vocabulary Size Test Stuart McLean, Tomoko Ishii, Tim Stoeckel, Phil Bennett, and Yuko JALT Praxis Matsumoto 18 TLT Wired Young Learners Readers’ Forum 20 22 Book Reviews 9 Brain-Friendly Learning Tips for Long-Term Retention and Recall 26 Teaching Assistance Jeff Mehring and Regan Thomson 28 The Writers’ Workshop 30 Dear TLT 33 SIG Focus: School Owners’ SIG 35 Old Grammarians
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Print available from englishbooks.jp. Digital from englishbooks.jp, gotoreaders.com, xreading.com JULY / AUGUST 2016 • Vol. 40, No.4 Contents In this month’s issue . . . Feature Articles }} An Edited Version of the First Eight elcome to the July/August 2016 issue of TLT. Most 1,000-Word Frequency Bands of the of us are currently in the middle of our semesters Japanese-English Version of the and gearing up for the summer break. We hope that Vocabulary Size Test...... 3 classesW wrap up nicely and that the coming weeks are a time of relaxation and creative rejuvenation. Readers’ Forum We here at TLT would like to take this time to express our }} Brain-Friendly Learning Tips for thoughts and well-wishes to the people in Kumamoto, who Long-Term Retention and Recall. . . .9 suffered severe earthquakes on April 14 and 16. We hope residents and volunteers remain safe and healthy during this JALT Praxis important time of rebuilding. }} My Share...... 13 This month’s Feature Article brings us An Edited Version of }} TLT Wired...... 18 the First Eight 1,000-Word Frequency Bands of the Japanese-En- }} Young Learners...... 20 glish Version of the Vocabulary Size Test, by Stuart McLean, Tomoko Ishii, Tim Stoeckel, Phil Bennett, and Yuko } } Book Reviews...... 22 Matsumoto, in which the authors discuss the quality and }} Recently Received ...... 25 shortcomings of the Vocabulary Size Test. In our Readers’ }} Teaching Assistance...... 26 Forum, Jeff Mehring and Regan Thomson explore various }} The Writers’ Workshop ...... 28 study skills to help improve memory storage and retrieval }} Dear TLT ...... 30 strength, and ways of incorporating them in the classroom, in Brain-Friendly Learning Tips for Long-term Retention and JALT Focus Recall. }} SIG Focus ...... 33 Last, but certainly not least, our Praxis section is a wealth }} JALT Notices...... 34 of classroom-oriented ideas, tips, and advice. We at TLT endeavor to bring you the best content, in quality and variety, Other which is reflective of the range, diversity, and exploratory nature of our readership. }} Old Grammarians...... 35 As always, we appreciate the hard work and dedication of }} JALT Membership Information. . . 36 all our volunteers at TLT. Currently, TLT is looking for vol- unteers to work on the production team as copyeditors and proofreaders. Training is provided, and opportunities often arise for editor positions. If you are interested, please contact JALT Publications Online us at
42nd Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning & Ed- ucational Materials Exhibition November 25–28, 2016 WINC Aichi, Nagoya, Aichi TLT Editor: John Roberts Prefecture, Japan TLT Japanese-Language Editor: Toshiko Sugino
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 1 The Language Teacher • Foreword & JALT Information
LT2016年7・8月号へようこそ。皆様の大方は前期の いつもと同様、今回もTLTのボランティアの皆様の献身 最中で、夏休みに向けて調子を上げていることでし 的な仕事ぶりに感謝いたします。現在、TLTでは、プロダ Tょう。授業が順調に終わり、皆さまがその後の数週 クションチームのボランディア会員を募集しております。編 間をゆったり、かつ創造的に元気を回復する時間をお過 集作業用の研修もあり、さらに、編集長になる機会もあり ごしに なりま す よう期 待して おりま す 。 ます。ご興味がおありでしたら、tlt-editor@jalt-publications. また、この場をお借りして、4月14日・16日の地震で被災 orgまでお知らせください。お便りをお待ちしています。そ された熊本の方々にお見舞いを申し上げます。住民の方 れでは、ぜひTLT今月号をお楽しみください。 々やボランディアの人々が大事な再建の時期に安全に過 John Roberts ごされ 、健康でいらっしゃることを願っております 。 TLT Editor 本号のFeature Articleでは、Stuart McLean、Tomoko Ishii、Tim Stoeckel、Phil Bennett、Yuko MatsumotoがAn Edited Version of the First Eight 1,000-Word Frequency Bands of the Japanese-English Version of the Vocabulary Size Testの中で、語彙サイズテストの良い点と欠点につい Our Mission て論議しています。Readers’ Forumでは、Jeff Mehringと Regan Thomsonが、Brain-Friendly Learning Tips for Long- JALT promotes excellence in term Retention and Recallの中で、記憶の保持力・回復力 を向上させるための様々な学習スキルを研究し、それら language learning, teaching, を授業に導入する方法にも触れています。 and research by providing 最後に、JALT Praxisには、授業用のアイディアや助言 がたくさん用意されています。広範囲で多様な分野で活 opportunities for those 躍され、また探究心にあふれたTLTの読者の皆様を対象 にした質・量ともに最良な内容を掲載しております。 involved in language education to meet, share, and collaborate. The Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) 使 命（ミッション・ステートメント）全国 A nonprofit organization 語学教育学会は言語教育関係者が交 The Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) is a 流・共有・協働する機会を提供し、言語 nonprofit professional organization dedicated to the im- 学習、教育、及び調査研究の発展に寄 provement of language teaching and learning in Japan. It provides a forum for the exchange of new ideas and tech- 与します。 niques and a means of keeping informed about develop- ments in the rapidly changing field of second and foreign language education. JALT Board of Directors, 2015-2016 President ...... Caroline Lloyd Vice President ...... Richmond Stroupe Director of Membership . . . . Fred Carruth Director of Program ...... Steve Cornwell Director of Public Relations . . .Ted O’Neill Submitting material to Director of Records ...... Nathaniel French Director of Treasury ...... Kevin Ryan The Language Teacher Auditor ...... Aleda Krause Guidelines The editors welcome submissions of materials con- Contact cerned with all aspects of language education, particu- To contact any officer, chapter, or Special Interest Group larly with relevance to Japan. (SIG), please use the contact page at
2 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt ARTICLES JALT PRAXIS JALT FOCUS - 3 - The Monolingual VST The Monolingual (VST) & Beglar, (Nation Test Size The Vocabulary estimates of the 2007) to provide was developed or second language that foreign of words number Various in a written format. can recognize learners of the VST exist, all of which forms monolingual families of word count based on a frequency are (BNC; Corpus National the British derived from lists of 1,000-word twelve The first 2006). Nation, range and family using word revised were the BNC spoken token the 10-million from figures frequency lists word 1,000 the remaining of the BNC, section token 100-million based on the entire bands are of the VST is version The most well-known BNC. to provide developed version, the original 140-item vocabulary of measure a comprehensive size from of families 1,000-word fourteenth the first to the forms 100-item two parallel recently, More English. also have families covering the first 20,000-word or intermedi of low learners For become available. been used. forms have abbreviated ate proficiency, used of the test, Beglar (2010) study In his validation of the measuring knowledge version an 80-item level bands with intermediate 1,000-word first eight measuring knowl version and a 40-item students low bands with four 1,000-word edge of the first lower learners. This was because using proficiency would have learners bands with these frequency vocabulary the chances of overestimating increased lower from of words size due to guessing. Examples aperitif, soliloquy, fens, cranny, bands are frequency talons and erythrocyte eleventh, tenth, at the ninth, bands, 1,000-word twelfth, thirteen and fourteenth respectfully. 範囲を超える精査が殆どされていないため、更なる検証を重ねる事には VST の最初 & Nation, 意義がある（Nguyen 2011）。本論文は、日本語版 の8000語レベルの単語出現頻度帯について、測定の一次元性と正確さの 向上を目的に改訂を試み、その結果をまとめたものである。改訂作業に おいては、 (a) 音による推測が容易なカタカナ語を選択肢から排除し、 各選択肢の長さの均衡をとった。 各選択肢の品詞を統一し、(c) (b) - - THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 FEATURE ARTICLE FEATURE Vocabulary Size Test Vocabulary
1,000-Word Frequency Bands of Bands of Frequency 1,000-Word An Edited Version of the First Eight Eight the First of Version An Edited the Japanese-English Version of the Version the Japanese-English
本論文は、日本語版２ヶ国語 Vocabulary Size Test (VST) における最初 本論文は、日本語版２ヶ国語 This paper provides and explains the criteria by which the first the which by criteria the explains and provides paper This bands of theJapanese bilingual frequency eight 1,000-word The VST (Nation & revised. (VST) were Size Test Vocabulary for size of vocabulary measure as a designed was 2007) Beglar, and validated language learners. It was originally produced bilingual several years recent in but monolinguala format, in more yield may variants These made. been also have versions accurate results, because they avoid knowledge with ability to decode answer choices in the L2. conflating vocabulary little scrutiny initial beyond pilot- they have received However, ing and may therefore benefit from further examination and the describes paper This 2011). Nation, & (Nguyen refinement revision of the first eight 1,000-word frequency bands of the the test’s Japanese bilingual VST with the goal of increasing (a) removed revisions The unidimensionality and accuracy. exam the answer choices to prevent from English loanwords Miyazaki International College Yuko Matsumoto Yuko match phonological through responding correctly inees from answer each of thatspeech theof parts ensured (b) alone, ing identical, the and (c) matched lengths of answer choice were choices. Phil Bennett University of Niigata Prefecture Tim Stoeckel Tim Meiji Gakuin University Tomoko Ishii Tomoko Osaka Jogakuin Stuart McLean の8000語レベルまでの改訂された単語出現頻度帯の基準を説明したも (Nation and のである。VST Beglar, 2007) は言語学習者の語彙サイズを 計測するために作られたもので、当初は英語のみで制作されていたが、近年様々な言語対応の版も作られている。これらの版では、英語の読解 力に左右されることなくテストを受けられ、より正確な結果が得られるこ とが予想される。しかしながら、それらの版は初期のパイロットテストの The Language Teacher • Feature Article
Elgort (2013) also took the position that it is not edge of grammar and syntax. The monolingual always optimal to estimate vocabulary size using versions of the VST include relative clauses (e.g., the entire instrument. McLean, Hogg, and Kramer ‘argued against the facts that supported it’) and (2014) and McLean, Kramer, and Stewart (2015) adjective/noun/verb phrases (e.g., ‘full of energy’). provided insight into appropriate test length in Karami (2012) states: the Japanese context. These researchers collected VST scores from Japanese university students and, Complex grammatical knowledge as well as based on subsequent retrospective interviews and good reading skills are required on the part of the test takers to get the item right. It poses a statistical analysis, posited that the vocabulary sizes problem for monolingual vocabulary size tests of most of these learners were overestimated when as these tests cannot be claimed to be tests of using the results from the first eight 1,000-word fre- pure vocabulary knowledge. Other factors, such quency bands. It may be concluded that for accurate as grammatical knowledge and reading ability, estimates of vocabulary size from all but the most contaminate the measurement (p. 55). able of Japanese university students, utilization of bands beyond the first 8,000 words is best avoid- Bilingual versions of the VST may also reduce the ed. For this reason, we have limited the scope of level of anxiety examinees experience while com- our revisions of the Japanese VST to the first eight pleting the test (Elgort, 2013). Further, through the sections of the test. perception of relative ease, examinees’ self-efficacy specific to the task of completing a bilingual VST may increase. Our level of self-efficacy influences Bilingual Versions of the VST “whether certain (coping) behaviors will be initi- A number of bilingual versions of the VST have ated, how much effort will be expended, and how been developed, including Russian, Korean, Viet- long it will be sustained in the face of obstacles and namese, Mandarin, Persian, and Japanese. In these aversive experiences” (Bandura, 1977, p. 191). variants, each question stem is presented in En- glish while the answer choices are presented in the learners’ L1. Here is an example from the Japanese Time Necessary to Complete the Test bilingual VST: Owing to students’ faster L1 reading speed relative to their L2, and the fact that bilingual tests allow for shorter answer choices, the bilingual VST can see: They saw it. be completed more quickly than the monolingual a. 切った (cut) form. Karami (2012) states that “long distractors b. 待った (waited for) are unavoidable in monolingual tests to completely convey the meaning of more difficult words” (p. c. 見た (saw) 56). Shorter answer choices in the bilingual format d. 始めた (started) may reduce the degree to which fatigue influences VST scores, particularly among less able readers, as Studies of the Vietnamese, Persian, and Russian such learners often have difficulty concentrating for versions of the VST have found that each provides more than 20 minutes when conducting L2 reading reliable results, generally separating participants ac- (Day & Bamford, 1998). cording to overall proficiency, and that the difficulty of items forms a continuum based on frequency (El- The Utilization of Only High Frequency Words gort, 2013; Karami, 2012; Nguyen & Nation, 2011). in Answer Options In the monolingual VST, answer choices were writ- Relative Benefits and Limitations of ten with a restricted set of vocabulary. The answer Monolingual and Bilingual Versions of the VST choices of items testing the first two 1,000-word Unidimensionality frequency bands were written using only the first 1,000 words of West’s (1953) General Service List A fundamental purpose of test design is to create (GSL), while items from the third 1,000-word band instruments which yield unidimensional results. In onward were written using only the GSL. This other words, test makers hope to isolate and mea- raises two issues. First, examinees with very limited sure a single target construct to the greatest degree lexical knowledge might not be able to demon- possible. Bilingual tests play a key role in this. Elgort strate understanding of items testing the first 1,000 (2013), Karami (2012) and Nguyen and Nation (2011) words if they lack knowledge of words used in the argue that bilingual tests more accurately estimate answer choices. Second, accurately representing the vocabulary sizes of examinees with limited knowl-
4 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt ARTICLES JALT PRAXIS JALT FOCUS 5 - (swimming pool) (swimming (amusement park) (amusement (shopping promenade) (shopping promenade) (shopping (bank) (bank) (a drinking place) drinking (a place) drinking (a 遊園地 水泳プール 銀行 銀行 酒場 酒場 商店街 百貨店 c. c. (spy) could only be could only the distractor supai (spy) Similarly, b. d. b. d. Though we were able to replace all problematic all problematic to replace able Though we were a. a. Edited VST item which is not so commonly is not so commonly translated to chohouin, which to and seemed problematic Japanese used in daily - re be on the test. This distractor was therefore is another which (researcher), by kenkyusha placed in this that matches the other options occupation item. ). camel for , rakuda crab for kani (e.g., ten in katakana not be katakana would that such use of decided We represen not phonological as they are a problem clues any and do not offer words of English tations - This is consis answer. the correct choosing when (2013) by Elgort on with recommendations tent of the VST. version bilingual Russian in a loanwords words in katakana represented answers correct above, mentioned approaches using one of the two approach of distractors neither a small number for in question loanwords because the seemed possible and could not verywere used in Japanese widely In such cases, we in other ways. be expressed easily instance, distractor itself. For chose to change the to the be translated swimming pool could only suimingu puuru or puuru- , both pho katakana forms it explaining and English, derived from nologically therefore We seemed awkward. to swim” place as “a park) the distractor yuuenchi (amusement employed described is instead. The original and edited item shown below: Original VST item to the pub. pub: They went Part of Speech and Inflections of Speech Part the of the VST, In the original bilingual version of test items of a small number answer choices four : They went to the pub. pub: They went THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 - - - An Edited Version of the First Eight 1,000-Word Frequency Bands of the Bands VST Frequency of the 1,000-Word First Eight An Edited et al.: McLean, Version
Along with English-based loanwords, there were were there loanwords, with English-based Along When we replaced katakana answer choices, an katakana answer choices, When we replaced
many of the names of plants and animals were writ- were and animals of the names of plants many following a common practice in Japanese language, in Japanese practice a common following related to their English equivalent. For instance, For equivalent. to their English related many words written using katakana that are not written using katakana that are words many meaning edible fruit. , oribu translation shokuyo-no-mi into the direct word. For example, in the case of olive, we changed example, For word. times employed a brief description of the tested description a brief times employed - we some palette. Alternatively, word target English clearly not a phonological representation of the representation not a phonological clearly Japanese language, but is easily understood and is language, but is easily Japanese , which might not be used widely in daily in daily not be used widely might , which enogu-ita (palette) was replaced with replaced was instance, paretto (palette) For alternative Japanese synonym was sometimes used. was sometimes used. synonym Japanese alternative all answer choices. discarded katakana English loanwords entirely from from entirely loanwords katakana English discarded katakana. In our revision of the test, we therefore of the test, we therefore katakana. In our revision wise examinees to eliminate distractors which use which wise examinees to eliminate distractors word in only the correct answers might allow test- allow answers might the correct in only word replacing katakana with paraphrases of the target katakana with paraphrases replacing respond through phonological matching alone. Mc matching alone. phonological through respond of loan that the presence suggesting this regard, vocabulary by simply this problem size. Addressing may enable examinees to correctly examinees to correctly enable in katakana may tion a concern in and Kramer (2014) express Lean, Hogg, of inflate estimates might as answer choices words choices for such words, presenting the correct op- the correct presenting words, such for choices unproblematic in itself. However, in the answer in itself. However, unproblematic rative process. This is normal and palette). yogurt, (e.g., Japanese - the collabo informed principally linguistics applied in bands of the VST exist as loanwords frequency native speakers of Japanese with specializations in specializations with Japanese of native speakers Loanwords English in the first eight of the tested words percent Ten modified the instrument to address the issue. Two the issue. to address the instrument modified low, we describe each of these and explain how we how these and explain we describe each of low, have identified several areas in need of revision. Be- revision. in need of several areas identified have of the test and subsequent review of the results we of the results review of the test and subsequent available for several years. However, in recent use in recent However, several years. for available The bilingual Japanese version of the VST has been of the VST version The bilingual Japanese the monolingual test. the monolingual VST Japanese Bilingual the Revising “sliding box,” the definition offered on a version of a version on offered the definition box,” “sliding than of drawer representation accurate more much represents a represents of drawer, translation Japanese direct meaning of target words with very with of target words meaning vocabu limited the hikidashi, example, lary For be problematic. can The Language Teacher • Feature Article differed in part of speech or grammatical function. poor: We are poor. This can be problematic for test takers who attempt a. 貧しい (poor) to slot each answer choice into the example sen- b. 幸せ (happy) tence provided in the question stem (Elgort, 2013). We revised such items so that all answer choices c. とても興味がある (have a strong interest) shared the same part of speech or grammatical d. 一生懸命には働きたくない (not willing to work hard) function. For instance, an item from the second 1000 words was translated as follows in the original d Japanese VST: In this item, option is substantially longer than the others. We revised this item as shown below, to have four options of about the same length, each upset: I am upset. of which would sit naturally in place of poor in the a. 疲れた (tired) example sentence: b. 有名な (famous) c. 金持ちの (rich) poor: We are poor. d. うろたえた (upset) a. 貧乏だ (poor) b. 幸せだ (happy) Among these options, b and c are in a form that c. 興味がある (interested) needs to be followed by a noun (e.g., a famous d. 怠け者だ (lazy) person, a rich family). In contrast, although they are in adjective forms, options a and d could also be in- terpreted as the past tense of being tired and being Changes to Stems upset, and do not necessarily have to be followed by For two items, the stems were problematic because a noun. This difference could possibly make options when translated directly into Japanese, they did not a and d look more suitable to replace “upset” in the provide a natural context for the answer choices. In example sentence “I am upset.” In order to elim- the item for candid, the example sentence provided inate such inconsistency, we revised this item as in the stem was “Please be candid.” With the word follows: “please” in the stem, it is natural to have Japanese forms that sound like a request. However, with adjectives, it seemed very awkward to express such upset: I am upset. nuance in the answer choices. As a consequence, a. 疲れている (tired) we chose to change the stem to “He is candid.” This b. 有名だ (famous) way, having basic adjective forms such as kouhei- c. 金持ちだ (rich) da (fair) or socchokuda (candid) as answer choices would not pose any problem. Similarly, we changed d. 怒っている (upset) “He felt lonesome” into “He was lonesome” to make the use of basic adjective forms more natural. All of these forms can come at the end of a Japanese sentence, and they look equally attractive Conclusion following the phrase “I am.” We have described an effort to improve the Jap- anese bilingual version of the VST. We intend to Length of Answer Choices follow the revisions reported here with two further Following Elgort (2013), who recommends the analyses. First, we plan to compare the original and balanced presence of either single-word or descrip- edited versions of the test, giving particular atten- tive-sentence distractors, we revised several items tion to the effect of replacing katakana in some of so that (a) all answer choices were short Japanese the answer choices. Second, we will collect initial translation equivalents, (b) all choices were short evidence for validation of the instrument for use phrases in Japanese, or (c) two choices were single with Japanese university students. words and two were phrases. We made sure that As the test remains closely based on the no items had three of one answer style and just one much-studied original VST, it can be used for pur- of the other. For instance, in the original Japanese poses of research to estimate vocabulary size or vo- VST, the item for poor appeared as follows: cabulary growth of Japanese learners of English, and include the same errors of being based on a now dated British corpora. The VST should not be mis-
6 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt ARTICLES JALT PRAXIS JALT FOCUS - 7 - - - - Canadian Modern Language Language Modern Canadian and listening? reading for http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/ 63(1), 59-82. Review, cmlr.63.1.59 (7), 31 9-13. Teacher, The Language Vietnamese vocabulary for size test of English http://dx.doi. 42(1), 86-99. RELC Journal, learners. org/10.1177/0033688210390264 & Co. Green, London, UK: Longman, Nation, I. S. P. (2006). How large a vocabulary large How needed is (2006). P. I. S. Nation, (2007). A vocabulary size test. D. & Beglar, P., I. S. Nation, (2011). A bilingual P. I. S. & Nation, C., T. L. Nguyen, service A general . M. (1953). words list of English West, instructor at Miyazaki International instructor at Miyazaki International theme main research College. Her is the L1 use in the L2 classroom She instruction. on reading focusing Institute Monterey graduated from (MA TESOL) Studies of International College. candidate at Tsuda a PhD and is currently ture in Niigata. His research is in the His research in Niigata. ture of vocabularyareas and assessment vocabulary among EFL college growth learners. professor Bennett is an assistant Phil Liberal of International in the School College Arts at Miyazaki International the language he coordinates where academic and teaches both program liberal arts and team-taught English candidate at the is a PhD courses. He and his of Birmingham University acqui cover all aspects of lexical interests research sition. Matsumoto is an English Yuko is an instructor McLean Stuart an holds He at Osaka Jogakuin. and a PGCE, and MSc Ed (TESOL) doctor d Linguistics is an Applie at Kansai University. al student in in Reading has published He Language, Vocabulary a Foreign Re , Language Teaching Learning and Instruction and Language Assessment search, TESOL Quarterly, Quarterly. from her PhD Ishii received Tomoko in 2005, of Nottingham the University at sev- and has been teaching English teaching She is currently eral colleges. in Kanaga University Gakuin at Meiji is an active member of wa, Tokyo, and SIG. Vocabulary the JALT is an associate professor Stoeckel Tim Prefec of Niigata at the University THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 -
Plenary speakers: October 1 & 2, 2016 Nanzan University, Nagoya Nanzan University, An Edited Version of the First Eight 1,000-Word Frequency Bands of the Bands VST Frequency of the 1,000-Word First Eight An Edited et al.: McLean, Version Anna C-S Chang & Kiyomi Okamoto C-S Chang & Kiyomi Anna Extensive Reading: How Do You Do It? Do You Do Reading: How Extensive 9th Annual Extensive Reading Seminar Extensive 9th Annual
examination of the effect of guessing on vocabulary size of the effect examination 4(1), Learning and Instruction, Vocabulary test scores. http://dx.dof.org/10.7820/ vli.v04.1.mclean.et.al 1-10. Vocabulary Levels Test. Shiken, 19(2), 1-11. Levels Test. Vocabulary Japanese university learners’ English vocabulary English sizes university learners’ Japanese Learning and using the vocabulary size test. Vocabulary 3(2), 47-55. Instruction, of a bilingual version of the vocabulary of the of a bilingual version size http://dx.doi. 43(1), 53-67. test. RELC Journal, org/10.1177/0033688212439359 status of test items on the Vocabulary Size Test. Test. Size status of test items on the Vocabulary http://dx.doi. 30, 253-272. Language Testing, org/10.1177/0265532212459028 second language classroom. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Press. University , 101-118. 27, 101-118. Language Testing, Test. Size Vocabulary http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265532209340194 Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Prentice Cliffs, NJ: McLean, S., Kramer, B., Stewart, J. (2015). An empirical An empirical (2015). J. Stewart, B., Kramer, S., McLean, McLean, S., & Kramer, B. (2015). The creation of a new (2015). The creation B. & Kramer, S., McLean, McLean, S., Hogg, N., & Kramer, B. (2014). Estimations of (2014). Estimations B. & Kramer, N., Hogg, S., McLean, Karami, H. (2012). The development and validation and validation Karami, H. (2012). The development Elgort, I. (2013). Effects of L1 definitions and cognate of L1 definitions Elgort, I. (2013). Effects Extensive reading in the Extensive (1998). J. R. R., & Bamford, Day,
Size Test described here is available from the au from is available described here Test Size of the validation A Rasch-based (2010). D. Beglar, revised version of the Japanese bilingual Vocabulary bilingual Vocabulary the Japanese of version revised word frequency bands of the VST were revised. The revised. bands of the VST were frequency word pages. Academia.edu thors’ Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory . Englewood explains the criterion by which the first eight 1,000- the first eight by which the criterion explains References this paper provides and this paper provides Thus, anese bilingual VST. - the existing Jap but improve new size instrument, and levels tests. The authors set out not to make a out not to make The authors set tests. and levels Kramer (2015) explain the relative advantages of size advantages the relative explain Kramer (2015) pedagogical benefit for some teachers. McLean and McLean teachers. for some benefit pedagogical gaps in learners’ vocabularies and may be of greater be of greater and may vocabularies gaps in learners’ taken as a levels test, which is intended to diagnose diagnose to is intended test, which a levels as taken Aca List and Speak 123 Toeic B5 ad final outlines.pdf 1 3/28/2016 11:53:06 AM
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K ARTICLES JALT PRAXIS JALT FOCUS - - - - 9 - - Unfortunately, students believe mass-practice mass-practice believe students Unfortunately, the In this paper we demonstrate that despite An example of Bjork and Bjork’s (1992) term de and Bjork’s of Bjork An example tables difficulty could be the multiplication sirable class. They acquire in math learn children many - study of steady the combination accuracy through to demon opportunities by ample ing accompanied strength, Retrieval strate use of that knowledge. or on the other hand, of how quickly is a measure - This also increas information. one can recall easily Spaced Repetition Spaced or insufficient, it cannot support new knowledge it cannot or insufficient, to constantly students requiring et al., 2010), (Amrose Helping and retention. with new learning struggle their weaknesses and improve overcome students or techniques new methods them to learn requires strengthening and new information retaining for knowledge. their prior in improvement works because they witness a quick This false sense of information. the ability to recall Bjork,plateaus and quickly & 1992) (Bjork fluency the in to recall in being unable disappears resulting the exam or later in other courses. during formation or that because the facts, formulas, feel Students during practice, remembered easily were arguments students What forever. that way they should remain one has to work to is that the harder realize don’t spike the subsequent the greater a memory, retrieve This is known and storage strength. in retrieval Bjork,(Bjork & 1992). They difficulty as desirable of how is a measure that storage strength found builds up steadi which well something is learned but never and use and can increase with study ly decreases. the mass-prac like fix solutions popularity of quick pretest spaced repetition, to learning, approach tice better ways are testing, and interleaving ing, regular and plateau the inevitable to overcome to learn these approaches While the false sense of fluency. in rate of improvement a slower produce might accumulation to a greater the beginning, they lead in the over time, as will be discussed of learning article. - - THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 - - READERS’ FORUM READERS’ (間隔反復)、Pretesting（事前（予備）試験)
Brain-Friendly LearningBrain-Friendly for Tips Long-Term Retention and Recall Retention Long-Term repetition
earning is a process that leads to change as a that leads earning is a process the po- increasing of our experiences, result enhanced outcomes and improved for tential
学習者の主な学習スキルは、集中練習、反復、再読、蛍光ペンなどで 、Interleaving(インターリーブ：交互配置)、定期試験は、より深い学びに 至る学習スキルである。これらのスキルを授業に取り入れ、スキルの使い 方を教えることは、より深い学習と学習者の達成感につながるだろう。本 論文では、これらの学習スキルをどのように教室の授業活動に盛り込め るかについて具体的に検討する。
The main study skills students presently rely on are massed on are rely The main study skills students presently and highlighting which cause rereading, practice, repetition, a false sense of fluency (Bjork & Bjork, 1992). Memory has two withthe strength, retrieval and strength storage strengths, to has one harder the that stating difficulty desirable of theory the subsequent spike the greater a memory, work to retrieve (Bjork & Bjork, 1992; Hattie, and storage strength in retrieval regular and interleaving, pretesting, Spaced repetition, 2013). a few study skills that learning. can lead to deeper testing are Incorporating them into teaching as well as showing students re how to use them could lead to deeper learning, stronger Kwansei Gakuin University Kwansei Gakuin Regan Thomson This paper examines these study trieval, and longer retention. skills, including examples of how to incorporate them into var activities. ious classroom SEAMEO-RELC, Singapore SEAMEO-RELC, Jeff Mehring Jeff る (Bjork & Bjork, 1992)。記憶力には「保持」と「想起」の2つがあり、「 Bjork, & マークすることだが、これらは学習者が流暢だと思い込む要因となり得 (Bjork る 望ましい困難」は、記憶を想起する為に努力すればするほど、結果的に & 保持と記憶力が増加するという理論である(Bjork Bjork, 1992; Hattie, 2013)。Spaced prior knowledge. When prior knowledge is weak knowledge When prior knowledge. prior relearning it in order to retain the new informa to retain it in order relearning with a lack of or poor students leaves this practice needs to encounter new information many times, many new information needs to encounter Unfortunately, cramming or mass-practice. through creating new connections, building upon back new connections, creating The brain and even forgetting. formats, in various is or new learning an exam for to prepare way typical Norman, 2010). Making changes in the brain requires 2010). Norman, new information encountering knowledge, ground the most students, For memory. in long-term tion future learning (Amrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & DiPietro, Bridges, (Amrose, learning future L Aca List and Speak 123 Toeic B5 ad final outlines.pdf 1 3/28/2016 11:53:06 AM 11:53:06 1 3/28/2016 final outlines.pdf B5 ad Toeic Speak 123 List and Aca C M Y K CM MY CY CMY The Language Teacher • Readers’ Forum es with study and use, but will decrease over time, into box number five where they are reviewed every hence the need for constant review. The principle other month. It is at this point that the words have of mass-practice relies on short-term memory, a strong storage and retrieval strength, becoming whereas durable learning requires time for mental part of one’s long-term memory. rehearsal and the other processes of consolidation to take effect, including forgetting. Forgetting aids learning by actively filtering out competing facts, and additional practice allows for deeper learning (Bjork & Bjork, 1992). For this reason, spaced repe- tition increases the effort required to retrieve new learning, re-triggering consolidation, and further strengthening memory (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006). Roediger and Karpicke (2006) found that when one Figure 2. Demonstration of vocabulary card box successfully recalls information through spaced rep- study intervals. etition, he (a) restores the information differently than how it was previously stored; (b) develops new connections to the information, such as connec- Pretesting tions relating to other facts in mind at the time of Pretesting is the method of testing students on in- recall; and (c) alters the old network of cells which formation which has not yet explicitly been taught previously stored the information. or studied. The brain is stimulated by novelty, paying close attention to it and later, when the How Spaced Repetition Works in an EFL brain encounters the item again, it recalls the first encounter (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014; Environment Sousa, 2011; Willis, 2006). Essentially, pretesting Sebastian Leitner in the 1970s developed the Leitner is developing background so two or three classes Box (Landauer & Bjork, 1978). Using five boxes, four later, when the material is presented, there is a boxes for spaced practice—one box for frequent higher possibility of making a connection and being (daily) study, the second box every three days, the retained. third box once a week and the fourth every month, Additionally, pretesting requires students to vocabulary cards move in either direction between work harder by guessing first rather than by the boxes as they are studied (see Figure 1). On the studying directly, eliminating the fluency illusion first day, the student studies and moves words he (Bjork & Soderstrom, 2015; Roediger & Karpicke, knows into the second box. Daily, the student goes 2006a; 2006b). With mass-practice or memorizing, through this process until the fourth day when the students only study the correct answer. Pretest- student studies both the first and second boxes (see ing offers additional choices, hence throwing the Figure 2). The second box of words has not been re- student off so he does not second-guess himself on viewed for four days, creating the desirable difficulty the test. For example, a student studies the capital effect when reviewed. If the student successfully of Australia as Canberra but on the test encounters recalls a word it moves into the third box, where it additional options such as Sydney, Melbourne, or stays until the following week. If the student does Brisbane. Suddenly, he second-guesses himself and not recall the word correctly from box number two, may choose incorrectly. One element to keep in it moves back to box number one and is studied dai- mind with pretesting is that it requires immediate ly again. This process continues until words move feedback, so any pretest must be corrected immedi- ately. Immediate, corrective feedback helps prevent students from incorrectly retaining material they have misunderstood and produces better learning of the correct answers.
How Pretesting Works in an EFL Environment Pretesting cannot be used with students who do not possess basic language abilities. For example, if the students are zero beginners and do not know the Figure 1. Demonstration of Leitner’s box for vocab- English alphabet, pretesting will not work because ulary study. students will be unable to comprehend what is
10 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt ARTICLES JALT PRAXIS JALT FOCUS ------11 -
Keeping a journal is another method, a journal is another helping Keeping read A final possibility would be to interleave a period of practice, the players were tested to see tested were the players practice, of a period showed Research hit the most pitches. could who one (Hall, than player better two did much player up the pitch 1994). Mixing & Cavazos, Domingues, two distinguish helped player practice es during pitches, enabling different between the differences one. The brain balls than player him to hit more in es- determine incongruities, to quickly learns sees something that is out of the brain sence when and Rohrer Taylor up. it wakes of place, or out order better enables determined that interleaving (2010) on later better scores and produces discrimination between new up learning tests because by mixing old to recognize is better able material, one and old between old connections make material as well as and new material. couraged to write about the grammatical or lexical or lexical couraged to write about the grammatical and expressions of the story, organization features, understanding. This trouble have they may which to im students writing will enable type of reflective skills and build the groundwork their reading prove writing. future for Testing Regular more to recall students enables testing Regular the back allowing because the material is cycled and meaning each of context to add layers student 2007). and McDer Arnold & Taylor, time (Rohrer regularly are who that students mott (2013) found - interleav two skills where and writing are Reading process. in the learning an active role ing could play of writing before (1985) discussed the notion Spack experiences, as a method to express one reads text. to the reading attitudes, or issues as they relate stu is a Disney story, topic if the book example, For could write about their personal experiences dents or watching Disney movies. of visiting Disneyland of their reac to digest and become aware students could copy Students read. they have to what tions a special meaning that have the book passages from to to them on one half of the page and respond responses them on the other (Zamel, 1992). These ideas, or summaries thoughts, could be reflections, read. have students of what or voluntary free reading ing and writing through class outside of to read encourages students which (Hirvela, conditions structured under less 2004). en types of texts, they are various read As students How Interleaving Works in an EFL Works Interleaving How Environment THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 - - - Brain-Friendly Learning Tips for Long-Term Retention and Recall Brain-Friendly & Thomson: Mehring Learning Tips for Long-Term
Students are able to follow along by looking at by looking along to follow able are Students A quick and easy way to design and administer to design and administer easy way and A quick Q. #1) I saw a man (_____) was sitting on a bench. a man (_____) was sitting on #1) I saw Q. a. what who b. c. which d. where be seen in Appendices A-C. be seen in Appendices ideas that could be used for vocabulary can practice ideas that could be used for when the student logs on. A few other pretesting other pretesting on. A few logs the student when to take attendance since Pear Deck keeps a record a record Deck keeps attendance since Pear to take ing at the beginning of class should encourage stu ing at the beginning of class should encourage to arrive on time as well as eliminate the need dents - pretest Deck for Pear and time is not wasted. Using can also make sure students move along efficiently efficiently move along students sure can also make answers and give feedback accordingly. The teacher accordingly. answers and give feedback to real-time data, they can review the student’s the student’s data, they can review to real-time shown on the screen. Since the teachers have access the teachers have Since shown on the screen. their mobile phones which mirror what is being what mirror which phones their mobile then followed by a different pitch and so on. After a different by then followed fastball would be followed by a curveball or slider, by a curveball or slider, fastball would be followed without knowing which pitch was coming. So, a without knowing which ers. Player two practiced by mixing up the pitches two practiced ers. Player fastballs followed by curve balls followed by slid by curve balls followed fastballs followed baseball players. Player one practiced hitting only hitting only one practiced Player baseball players. described interleaving using the example of two using the example described interleaving (Taylor & Rohrer, 2010). Wang and Aamodt (2011) Wang 2010). & Rohrer, (Taylor he is surrounding the new material or skill with old he is surrounding down learning on one skill slows practice repeated mixing-up the learning. When a person interleaves, When a person interleaves, the learning. mixing-up whereas in a while, knows but has not revisited ferent contexts for stronger memories, essentially, essentially, memories, stronger for contexts ferent materials he already or skills, possibly er knowledge Interleaving is the idea of presenting learning in dif- learning is the idea of presenting Interleaving Interleaving
Table 1. Example Question Shown to Students. Question 1. Example Table on the screen (see Table 1). Table (see on the screen tions using Pear Deck and during class posts them using Pear tions nouns. Before class, the teacher creates the ques- creates class, the teacher nouns. Before - clause pro be relative to be tested could content for the teacher to review later. For example, the the example, For later. the teacher to review for their mobile phones as clickers and stores the data and stores as clickers phones their mobile com), a free program that allows students to use to use students that allows program com), a free what is coming. what (www.peardeck. Deck is by using Pear these tests the principle idea is to prime the student’s brain for for brain to prime the student’s idea is the principle written. Multiple choice tests work best considering best considering tests work choice written. Multiple The Language Teacher • Readers’ Forum quizzed have two advantages over those who are material later. Regular testing provides opportuni- not: (1) they possess a more accurate idea of what ties for students to review previous learning, check they know and do not know, and (2) they possess a what they know and do not know, strengthening strengthening of learning that results with the con- retrieval. The learning plateaus that students face tinual retrieval of information. Wang and Aamodt’s when relying on popular mass-practice methods (2011) research showed that if students are tested on for studying do not have to be inevitable if teachers coursework a month apart, they are likely to recall equip them with appropriate strategies for learning. it for a year or two. If they are tested on coursework a week apart, they are likely to recall it for 10 to 20 weeks. So, regularly testing students by including References both old and new information in the tests helps to Ambrose, S., Bridges, M., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M., & improve recall. Unfortunately, one must use tests Norman, M. (2010). How learning works: Seven re- that require students to supply the answer, that is, search-based principles for smart teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. fill-in-the-blank, essay, or short answer. These types of tests appear more effective than simple recog- Arnold, K. M., & McDermott, K. B. (2013). Test-potenti- nition tests like multiple choice or true and false ated learning: Distinguishing between the direct and indirect effects of tests. Journal of Experimental Psychol- tests (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014; Wang & ogy: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 39(3), 940-945. Aamodt, 2011). Brown, P., Roediger, H., & McDaniel, M. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Cambridge, MA: How Regular Testing Works in an EFL Harvard University Press. Environment Bjork, R., & Bjork, E. (1992). A new theory of disuse and an old theory of stimulus fluctuation. In A. F. Healy, S. M. The most effective way to implement regular Kosslyn, & R. M. Shiffrin (Eds.), From learning processes testing is to give students weekly quizzes which are to cognitive processes: Essays in honor of William K. Estes corrected in class. This not only improves learning (vol. 2) (pp. 35-67). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. but students understand their mistakes immedi- Bjork, E., & Soderstrom, N. (2015). Learning versus per- ately allowing the teacher to better understand formance. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(2), what students are retaining, and what needs to be 176-199. covered again. For example, in the university setting Chamot, A. U. (2005). Language learning strategy instruc- a semester runs for fifteen weeks resulting in a lot tion: Current issues and research. Annual Review of of quizzes. At the beginning of the semester, the Applied Linguistics, 25, 112-130. teacher could inform students that they can pick Crow, J. T., & Quigley, J. R. (1985). A semantic field ap- ten of the quizzes that will become part of their proach to passive vocabulary acquisition for reading final grade. This way, if a student does very poorly comprehension. TESOL Quarterly, 19, 497-513. on a quiz, they have the option of dropping that Hall, K. G., Domingues, D. A., & Cavazos, R. (1994). Con- quiz from the final assessment. The quizzes would textual interference effects with skilled baseball players. contain material studied during the previous weeks, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 78, 835-841. requiring students to recall the information. These Hirvela, A. (2004). Connecting reading and writing in sec- quizzes should not be thought of as separate from ond language writing instruction. Ann Arbor: University the lesson, but as an integral part of the lesson it- of Michigan Press. self. Regular testing enables students to continually Landauer, T. K., & Bjork, R. A. (1978). Optimum rehearsal assess their learning and retain information longer. patterns and name learning. In M. M. Gruneberg, P. E. Morris, & R. N. Sykes (Eds.), Practical aspects of memory (pp. 625-632). London, UK: Academic Press. Conclusions Roediger, H., & Karpicke, J. (2006a). The power of testing While students have depended on quick fix learning memory: Basic research and implications for educa- strategies for many years, research has proven that tional practice. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1, there are better, more effective strategies available 181-210. which result in longer-term storage and stronger Roediger, H., & Karpicke, J. (2006b). Testing enhanced retrieval. When the brain is recalling information, learning’ taking memory tests improves long-term it is doing something different, harder than simply retention. Psychological Science, 17, 249-255. reviewing information. By spacing out retrieval at- Rohrer, D., & Taylor, K. (2007). The shuffling of math- tempts, more effort is needed to recall the content. ematics problems improves learning. Instructional Interleaving various topics or skills creates connec- Science, 35, 481-498. tions between material that is already known and new material, enhancing the ability to recall the
12 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt ARTICLES JALT PRAXIS JALT FOCUS - 13 Japanese stories, folk legends, mem- Keywords: recall ory, Learner English level: Junior high to high school time: 15-30 minutes Preparation » » » » » » In this month’s online edition, Nick Caine shows us In this month’s Nihon University [email protected] Quick Guide Draw and Tell Gary Henscheid is a Language Mehring is a Language Jeff in at SEAMEO-RELC Specialist from training teachers Singapore Asia in second Southeast around holds He acquisition. language Pepperdine from a doctorate and a masters from University His University. Pacific Hawaii the include interests research integration flipped classroom, language learning the second into of technology can He neuroscience. and educational environment, at
»» Activity time: 90 minutes Step 7: Have groups return to the blackboard »» Materials: Handouts, chalk, blackboard following the chronology of the story and tell their scenes to the class. The teacher and other students listen and then ask questions after each scene. This activity uses Japanese stories provided by the Step 8: After the final scene of the story is present- Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website, Kids ed, ask higher-level classes to explain any lessons or Web Japan
14 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: My Share
Preparation concept by placing a greater emphasis on speaking. Step 1: Go to the BBC Desert Island Discs homepage For example, students could record their own radio (bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnmr) and download interviews, or perhaps do a short presentation of one of the shows (archives date back to 1956). their Desert Island Discs page. Either way, choosing less than five songs is a more realistic target as most Step 2 (optional): Prepare a listening comprehen- students have probably had fewer “life experiences” ARTICLES sion worksheet based on the show you have selected than the guests on the real show! (see appendix for example). It is suggested that you use short clips as each show lasts 45 minutes. As for Padlet, it offers an effective means of presen- tation that gives students the option of viewing and Step 3: Visit the Padlet website (padlet.com) and commenting on each other’s pages. It is also easy to open a free account. listen to short clips of the song choices due to the Step 4: Create a new page in Padlet and give it a title fact that video links are embedded on each page. such as “My Desert Island Discs.” Customize it from This is particularly useful if the songs are unfamil- the menu bar as required. iar.
Step 5: Search YouTube for three songs that you JALT PRAXIS • MY SHARE would take to your desert island and link each video Appendix to your Padlet page. The appendix is available from the online version Step 6: Upload pictures of a luxury item and book of this article at
Procedure Presenting the World: Step 1: Introduce students to the concept of Desert Country Poster Island Discs by playing a snippet or two from the downloaded show. Presentations Step 2: Set the group a similar challenge and get each student to write down the names of three Douglas Perkins and Adam songs, a book, and an object that they would take to Pearson their desert island. Advise students to choose songs that invoke special memories—for example, those Musashino Joshi Gakuin Junior and Se- that act as reminder of a life event. nior High School JALT FOCUS Step 3: Make pairs and share ideas, reminding stu- [email protected] dents to give reasons for their choices. Step 4: Group feedback. Ask for volunteers to share [email protected] some of their ideas with the class. Step 5: Tell students to open a web browser, go to Quick Guide the Padlet website, and open their own free account. »» Keywords: Presentations, peer-teaching, foreign Step 6: Show students your Desert Island Discs page geography, foreign culture and talk about your choices. »» Learner English level: Junior high school and up Step 7: Ask each student to create his/her own »» Learner maturity: Junior high school and up Desert Island Discs page (explain steps 4-7 in the »» Preparation time: 5 minutes preparation above, if necessary). »» Activity time: 30-40 minutes Step 8: Check the finished pages by getting students »» Materials: Handouts (see Appendices), black- board or projector and screen to mail you their page URLs and, if you have pre- pared one, give the worksheet for homework. Presentations are common activities in English conversation classes, but because gathering data is Conclusion difficult and time consuming, the scope is typically Whilst this lesson plan presents an outline for a quite narrow. The goal of this activity is for students writing activity, you can stay closer to the original to develop and deliver a presentation on a foreign
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 15 The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: My Share country without the burden of research. A presen- Step 7: (Optional) Conduct a written or oral quiz to tation can be divided into four parts: information check classmates’ attention to and comprehension gathering, writing, practicing, and presenting. All of what they have watched. of these are important skills, but since doing all of them together can be overwhelming in one’s native language, not only in English, this activity removes Conclusion the first step, simplifies the second, and allows stu- If you have the time, you can do the same project dents to focus on the remaining two. with different countries a few weeks after doing it the first time. Students should be much faster the second time around. A common problem when Preparation talking about countries is improper generalization. Step 1: Print one A3 copy of as many posters (from Consider the statement, “In the U.S., people like to Appendices A-F) as you need in order for each eat pizza.” That’s not entirely true because many student group to have their own, plus one (Appen- people don’t. It would be better to say, “Pizza is dix G) for your demonstration. If available, color is popular in the U.S.” By carefully choosing how we preferable to monochrome. display the information on the posters, teachers Step 2: Print one copy of the worksheet (Appendix help students avoid this kind of pitfall and simul- H) for each student. taneously provide examples of ways to properly make large-scale observations. The vocabulary that students need to deliver these presentations Procedure is taught in JHS 3 and above. However, if the topic Step 1: Put students in pairs or groups of three. Give is changed from “countries” to “foreign schools” or each group a poster with information about, and “celebrities,” and new posters are carefully created, pictures of, a foreign country. the same general procedure can be used with JHS 1 Step 2: Give an example demonstration with a and 2 students. poster (Appendix G) about America. This demon- stration shows students what they are supposed to Appendices do and include in their own presentations. Include the country’s name, capital, common languages, The appendices are available from the online ver- population, and size. Presentations can also include sion of this article at
16 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: My Share
Teachers are often reluctant to administer formal Step 2: Distribute the test. Since students are some- vocabulary tests perhaps because memorizing long times reluctant to take the initiative in requesting lists of words out of context does not sit comfort- the vocabulary list, monitor actively and discreetly ably with the communicative focus of most EFL offer the word list. Over time, students should be- settings. Many students, however—especially those come more confident in asking. ARTICLES preparing for examinations such as TOEIC—ac- Step 3: Collect the test and distribute the word list tively expect to be tested rigorously on vocabulary. for the following week’s vocabulary. This activity combines a deep-learning approach to vocabulary with a challenging twist on the tradi- tional test. Conclusion This format of testing benefits students in four key Preparation ways. Firstly, for students who enjoy and expect “conventional” summative assessment, it has the Step 1: Identify ten vocabulary items for students rigor and challenge of a traditional vocabulary test. to learn. Prepare a bilingual vocabulary list that Secondly, by shifting the focus of the assessment JALT PRAXIS • MY SHARE includes (a) the English vocabulary item and its part towards demonstrating conceptual understanding, of speech, (b) the Japanese definition and (c) one students have an incentive to move beyond rote or two example sentences that demonstrate the memorization, and can start to engage with English range of its meanings and usage that you wish the vocabulary in a way that does not assume a one-to- students to learn. In addition, prepare a list of the one correspondence with Japanese. Thirdly, stu- Japanese words only (without English). dents are pushed to request help—something that Step 2: Prepare a written passage, which includes they are often culturally reluctant to do. Finally, it the ten vocabulary items, then remove them—this rewards the students who recognize and confront is your vocabulary test paper. Pilot the test. gaps in their knowledge, prompting a more reflec- Step 3: If you have time, prepare additional practice tive approach to learning. materials for the list, such as a “mock test” to prac- tice away from test conditions at home. Step 4: One week before the test, present the Available Online vocabulary items in full and offer opportunities Making a Video Introduction Wall for practice. Encourage students to search for the vocabulary items online in order to see them in Nick Caine different natural English-speaking contexts. Making video introductions and exhibiting them on a web- based class bulletin board not only offers a permanent pro- file of each student for the teacher, but also provides a virtual
space that the students themselves can visit during the course JALT FOCUS Procedure in order to get a little background information on each other. Step 1: Before distributing the test, explain the full rules to students. They have 10 minutes to fill What Did Sensei Do? in the 10 gaps in the passage, using the ten words that they have learned. For each correct word, they Drew Larson score five points, minus one point for any mistakes This activity asks students to accomplish communicative tasks of conveying specific information and building sentences in in spelling or form (such as plurals, verb endings). the past tense quickly and accurately. The game can be played If they have done as much of the test as they can with students working in teams of two or more. and cannot recall any more of the words, they may request a Japanese-only word list. However, any These activities are available at
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 17 [RESOURCES] TLT WIRED Edo Forsythe In this column, we explore the issue of teachers and technology—not just as it relates to CALL solutions, but also to Internet, software, and hardware concerns that all teachers face. We invite readers to submit articles on their areas of interest. Please contact the editor before submitting. Email: [email protected] • Web: http://jalt-publications.org/tlt/departments/tlt-wired
integrating it into a class’s assessment scheme, and Phrasebot: An Online collecting learner feedback about their experience of using the application. A description of Phrasebot’s Mobile Game for Multi- functions, how it was used in practice, and feedback from learners will be presented below. Word Units Chris Hastings Nagoya University of Foreign Studies [email protected]
earning a language’s lexicon can at times, appear to learners to be an endless task reliant mainly on unstimulating, rote memorization. Also, it Lis true that simple rote methods such as repeated exposure to flash cards are an effective way to mem- orise vocabulary. Sometimes they can be too effective if students rely only on this one method to cram Figure 1. Phrasebot title screen. This figure shows for tests at the expense of understanding nuance or the start menu, which greets the user after initial- developing productive vocabulary skills. As teachers, ly starting the application. we are responsible for training learners in a variety of methods that allow for the necessary repetition Phrasebot (Figure 1), currently available for free and depth of processing to effectively and efficiently on the Apple App Store and Android Google Play, learn vocabulary. Common pen and paper teaching is a puzzle game that allows learners to actively methods include word trees, synonym and antonym study any kinds of words, phrases, or sentences. The lists, and personalised sentences that use the target presentation from graphic design to sound effects vocabulary. However, while these methods are effec- is slick, engaging, and attractive. There are a variety tive, learners may not find them as engaging as other of game modes that test learners’ productive and areas of their language training. One way to make receptive vocabulary skills to varying degrees of vocabulary study more fun for learners might be to difficulty. For example, the gameplay can be timed supplement the previously mentioned pen and paper or non-timed, cues can be text, audio, or a picture methods with digital vocabulary learning methods. (an individual cue or all three are possible), and the Teachers can do this by taking advantage of the high text clues on answer tiles can be varied from whole incidence of smartphone ownership amongst learn- words, just first and last letters (Figure 2), or single ers. A 2014 survey tells us that 88.6% of all Japanese letters (Figure 3). 15 to19 year-olds own a smartphone (Hakuhodo DY The app also allows users to preview word lists Group, 2014). The high rates of device ownership (Figure 4) before playing a game as well as review combined together with the availability of free CALL them after a game (Figure 5). On these screens, the or mobile-learning applications can now offer more user’s progress is also tracked by coloured stars, efficient, digital approaches to traditional methods, which reflect how many times a particular word as well as brand-new approaches that blend game- has been answered correctly or wrongly. This helps based learning with traditional methods. This article the user to focus more efficiently on the words they aims to introduce one such application, Phrasebot. need to study. This is a useful feature that draws the The author used Phrasebot in an action research learners’ attention to vocabulary they repeatedly get project that involved training learners in its use, wrong or right.
18 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: TLT Wired ARTICLES
Figure 2. Gameplay screen. This figure illustrates Figure 5. Review screen. This figure shows how Phrasebot’s ability to give audio and visual cues users can review a word list after they play a game, that need to be answered by writing letters indi- and they also see their updated scores before pro- vidually. gressing to the next game stage. JALT PRAXIS • TLT WIRED
Word Lists Phrasebot comes with several word lists preloaded (more can be downloaded for a small fee), but the best feature of the app is its ability to import word lists from Quizlet for free. Quizlet is another useful vocabulary learning platform (quizlet.com) that has been written about in this column before (Foster, 2009), as well as being featured in JALT conference presentations (Ashcroft & Imrie, 2013). Quizlet has millions of word lists available as well as the ability to create word lists with pictures and audio em- Figure 3. Gameplay screen. This figure illustrates a bedded. Now that the main features of Phrasebot text cue that needs to be answered by choosing the have been presented, learner training and classroom words with only the first and last letters shown. integration will be considered.
Classroom Training and Protocols In the author’s classes, Phrasebot was presented to JALT FOCUS learners as a self-study tool to supplement traditional vocabulary learning methods. The classes focused on reading and vocabulary acquisition, making Phrase- bot an appropriate tool that learners could clearly see the value of. Learners were trained in the various game modes, and how to import the classes’ weekly vocabulary lists from Quizlet, by having them do this on their own devices while watching a live demon- stration screencast from the author’s device. To inte- grate Phrasebot meaningfully into class assessment, Figure 4. Preview screen. This figure shows how playing Phrasebot with the course’s word lists for 45 users can preview a word list before they play a minutes in a week was set as one of five self-study game and also see how many times they have cor- assignments that focused on vocabulary acquisition rectly or wrongly answered questions. techniques (the other four assignments focused on traditional methods). The five assignments as a 42nd Annual International Conference whole were worth 20% of the overall course credit. on Language Teaching and Learning & Learners were required to take a screenshot of their Educational Materials Exhibition score after a week (the score had to be above 1,500 November 25–28, 2016 points, which is roughly equivalent to 45 minutes of WINC Aichi, Nagoya, time spent using the application) and attach it to an Aichi Prefecture, Japan
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 19 The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: TLT Wired email sent to the author. Students were required to Conclusion write their name, class name, class period, and the Phrasebot is a fun and engaging vocabulary learn- number of points in the subject line of the email. ing application that allows learners to study on the This allowed the author to easily sort emails and move. The majority of the learners in the author’s view the weekly scores of each student. The protocol classes found it to be very beneficial and a useful had 100% compliance and some learners even sent addition to their independent learning toolkits. scores 10 to 20 times higher than the requested 1,500 However, some learners expressed a preference for points. It is also interesting to point out that some traditional pen and paper methods. Teachers would students sent their high-scores to the author at the be wise not to assume that all learners of university end of the course without being requested to do so. age are digital natives. Clear demonstrations and adequate training are necessary. Therefore, it is up Comments from Learners to teachers to perform a cost-benefit analysis for their individual group of learners that takes into At the end of the course, the author administered account the possible pedagogical benefits as well as a questionnaire to the classes that used Phrasebot. the cost in time for training. This questionnaire comprised of Likert scale type questions as well as space for learners to write gen- eral comments about the application. The response References from learners was overwhelmingly positive. Many Ashcroft, R., & Imrie, A. (2013). Learning vocabulary with comments mentioned the convenience of being able digital flashcards. JALT2013 Conference Proceedings (pp. to study on the train, or when learners had a few 639-646). Kobe: JALT. moments to spare between appointments. Other Foster, H. (2009). Building learner-generated vocabulary comments mentioned the importance and value logs with Quizlet. The Language Teacher, 33(12), 23-25. of having the option of audio cues. However, some Hakuhodo DY Group. (2014, April 11). News releases: learners did express a preference for traditional Findings from analysis of the 9th survey of 1,000 pen and paper methods of vocabulary learning. For smartphone users across Japan. Retrieved from http:// example, one learner commented that while the www.hakuhodody-holdings.co.jp/english/news/pdf/ application was beneficial to learning, it lacked the HDYnews20140411en.pdf flexibility that pen and paper methods offer, such as the ability to enter synonyms and antonyms of target Teachers who wish to experiment with Phrasebot can vocabulary. Another comment remarked that the download it from either the Apple App Store or Goo- application was ill-suited for learning the spelling of gle Play for free, and a page of useful resources made words. However, since Phrasebot has a specific mode by the creator of Phrasebot can be found at:
[JALT PRAXIS] YOUNG LEARNERS Mari Nakamura The Young Learners column provides language teachers of children and teenagers with advice and guidance for making the most of their classes. Teachers with an interest in this field are also encouraged to submit articles and ideas to the editor at the address below. We also welcome questions about teaching, and will endeavour to answer them in this column. Email: [email protected]
Hello, colleagues, Chiyuki Yanase, university lecturer and I’m very excited to welcome four expert teachers storyteller based in Tokyo of young learners, Chiyuki Yanase, Cynthia Aka- zawa, Laura Macfarlane, and Ruthie Iida, to share their favorite reading fluency activities in this Activity: Look It Up! article. All activities have proven to be very effective This is a reading activity using picture dictionaries and fun in the contributors’ classrooms. Read on, or dictionaries for children. The purpose of this and you will be inspired. activity is to have children read the definition that
20 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: Young Learners the teacher writes on the whiteboard and find the dents to share their times with each other. Some matching words in the dictionary. Students can students want to brag because they are fast. Other work either in groups, pairs, or individually. They students are just more interested in accuracy, so write the words they find in their notebooks or the speed is only one of their goals. Timed reading is teacher can write the words on the whiteboard for not about competing with others, though some the students, depending on the students’ writing students want to treat it that way. It’s more of a ARTICLES level. This activity involves word recognition and way to challenge oneself. I try to encourage slower reading as well as writing skills. It can also help students by telling them that I value accuracy and children’s vocabulary building. improvement as well. In this way, no one knows who the “winner” is because accuracy can’t be mea- sured so easily, nor can improvement. Cynthia Akazawa, the owner of Interact English School in Okayama
Laura Macfarlane, the owner of EFL Club JALT PRAXIS • YOUNG LEARNERS
Activity: Phonics Fartleks in Sapporo JALT PRAXIS We have a phonetically and grammatically grad- ed reading textbook that also has an audio CD. I Activity: Reading Lines use the books in second, third, and fourth grade Students line up facing their partner in the opposite classes. We read each passage for two weeks. In the line. One line is designated the reading line, the first week, I introduce the passage and engage the other the listening line. The students in the reading students in conversation. I use the vocabulary or line read their book to their counterpart in the lis- sentence structures that are featured in the text. tening line. The teacher stands next to one student Then we practice reading as a group. After that, the and listens to them read. If there is an odd number students go home and read it for homework with of students, the reading line gets the extra student parental supervision. The next week, students get who reads to an empty spot. After 20 or 30 seconds, into pairs to read with a partner. This feature makes the teacher instructs everyone to move around one JALT FOCUS • NOTICES the students more responsible for the reading. I go place. If you have an odd number of students, the around and support any weaker students and check student who moves from the reading line to the lis- for pronunciation issues. Then I do Q&A and have tening line skips over the empty spot. As a result of the students answer as a group in full sentences. this move, one student moves from the reading line This step is a way to work various basic grammati- to the listening line, and the student at the other cal patterns in context. The students then go home end of the listening line moves over to the reading with the same passage for one more week, and this line. The teacher doesn’t move with the students, so time they are asked to time their reading speed. I after after every student has moved, they will have encourage them to read fast, but I am careful to em- heard each student read for a short period. phasize that speed and accuracy are both necessary. If there are eight students, four in each line, and Otherwise, some of the students will read so fast the teacher calls change every 30 seconds, it will that they skip parts. I then give the students a writ- take four minutes to do one full round. During this ing component based on the text, and I introduce a time, each student has read from the same book new reading passage. The speeding up and slowing four times and listened to four students read from down effect of speaking, reading, then writing gives their book. students an experience similar to the interval train- The aspect of repetition is built into the activity. ing of a runner’s workout that is called “fartleks” in Pressure to go faster comes from the short period Swedish. between changes. Provided you ensure that the I think repetition is important, but comprehen- students are reading a book they can already read sion is also a necessary component. I like text with quite well, then the activity meets three of the four picture support and clear context so that students criteria for a fluency development activity. The can guess meaning fairly easily. We usually do not fourth criteria, that content be meaningful, comes work fluency this way with fifth and sixth-year from the fact that the students are reading story students. By then we are using reading for building books. It’s active and interactive, so the children vocabulary and syntax, and for giving context to the enjoy it a lot. language we use in class. A word on timed reading: measuring reading speed is very motivating, but I do not require stu-
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 21 The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: Young Learners
Ruthie Iida, the owner of Rainbow to the number of students per group, so groups of five would work with five-word sentences, etc. Stu- Phonics Children’s English School in dents then rearrange themselves to make a mean- Kanagawa ingful sentence and read their words to complete the task. This one is good for practicing grammar Activity: Word-by-Word and working together to read a sentence fluently. In the next issue, we will welcome Lesley Ito, the Round Robin head teacher of BIG BOW English Lab in Nagoya, as With my junior high students, we sometimes a guest writer. She will discuss the reading program practice reading a passage word by word, one word and library system at her school. Stay tuned! for each student, in a group arranged in a circle. It’s fun: they work for speed and rhythm, and also for intonation. The last student before the period Contributors: must say his or her word with just the right rising or • Chiyuki Yanase
[JALT PRAXIS] BOOK REVIEWS Robert Taferner If you are interested in writing a book review, please consult the list of materials available for review in the Recently Received column, or consider suggesting an alternative book that would be helpful to our membership. Email: [email protected] • Web: http://jalt-publications.org/tlt/departments/book-reviews
This month’s column features Donald Patterson’s re- Ito. ISBN: 9781941140345; #5: Hunter in view of Atama-ii Books: Graded Reader Series (Books #1 to #5) and Lee H. Flake’s evaluation of Welcome to the Darkness. ISBN: 9781941140345.] Kyushu, Japan: A Task-Based Approach to EFL Learn- Reviewed by Donald Patterson, Interna- ing Using AUTHENTIC Dialogues. tional College of Liberal Arts, Yamanashi Gakuin University Atama-ii Books: Graded s a fan in my youth of the Reader Series (Books #1 original Choose Your Own Adventure series (Packard to #5) etA al., 1979-1998), I was keen on [Various authors. Tokyo: Atama-ii Books, trialing Atama-ii’s new series of multiple-path graded readers. 2014. Individual books: pp. 50. ¥850; As a young reader, the appeal of #1: Journey to Mars. Paul Raine. ISBN: multiple paths was the sense of 9781941140314; #2: Zombies in Tokyo. being involved in the story. This Andy Boon. ISBN: 9781941140321; #3: led to many repeat readings in The Lost Cup. James Broadbridge. ISBN: order to explore every possible choice combination. Now, as a teacher, it is that potential for re-readabili- 9781941140338; #4: Backstage Pass. Lesley
22 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: Book Reviews ty and the recycling of language that appeals. This was the first experience with multi-path sto- The Atama-ii Graded Reader Series, edited by Mar- ries for all 20 of the students and the vast majority cos Benevides and illustrated by Alice Carroll, is at (85%) found the Atama-ii readers to be fun and in- a 300-headword level and is recommended for ages teresting. Three quarters of the students indicated 11 and up. Each title has approximately 2,500 words that they usually re-read the stories in order to try ARTICLES with 800-880 words per path. All titles are available different paths and most (65%) expressed interest in in print and digital formats, with YouTube versions reading more titles from the series. Beginner-level available for some. students found the language to be at an appropriate level for graded reading, while some upper-interme- The books open with a Before Reading section diate students found them to be too easy. Typical consisting of three topical questions for consider- comments included: ation, followed by a Keywords section introducing important vocabulary from the text. The story, “It is interesting because readers can choose the written from a second-person perspective (e.g., “You ending. While reading I felt I was a character of a are an astronaut”), then begins. The pages alternate book. I would like to read other books!” JALT PRAXIS • BOOK REVIEWS between text and illustrations with each page of text running at about 100 to 110 words. At the end “Atama-ii books...included a little bit easier vo- of the third page, readers are presented with their cabulary, so I recommend to students who are first choice to further the story. Depending on their studying English in introductory level.” decision, readers are directed to different pages with different outcomes. New choices are subse- The students rated all of the graded readers quently presented every other page with a total of positively with Zombies in Tokyo voted the most eight possible endings. The story is followed by an popular, the vampire-themed Hunter in the Darkness After Reading section with extension questions, an second, and the detective story The Lost Cup a close Ideas for Teachers page with follow-up activities, third. and a Book Review page for students to record their Evaluated by the above-mentioned criteria, the impressions. Atama-ii Graded Reader Series is a welcome addition While some educators may be wary about using to an extensive reading program, particularly for simplified materials, Nation and Ming-Tzu (1999, teenagers at a beginner level of English. In its em- p. 356) argue in favour of graded readers, noting brace of danger and adventure the series has a dark that “without them learners would not be able to tone, which may not appeal to some learners. How- experience reading in a second language at a level ever, for those who do appreciate it, the series may of comfort and fluency approaching first language encourage the kind of narrow reading that Krashen reading.” Among their top ten principles for teach- (2004, p. 18) calls “potentially very motivating.” My ing extensive reading, Day and Bamford (2002) rec- only complaint is that there are not more books in JALT FOCUS ommend that reading material be easy, learners be the series for such fans, but with luck and time this able to choose what they want to read, learners read should be amended. as much as possible, and the reading is pleasurable. It was with these principles in mind that I evaluated References the Atama-ii series. Day, R. R., & Bamford, J. (2002). Top ten principles The series was piloted in two first-year university for teaching extensive reading. Reading in a Foreign reading skills courses with an extensive reading Language, 14(2), 136-141. Retrieved from
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 23 The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: Book Reviews
language learning, which is defined as a process of Welcome to Kyushu, study rather than a strict focus on an anticipated re- sult. Creativity and individual thought are nurtured Japan: A Task-Based through the task-based approach presented by the authors. Approach to EFL Learning The structure of the chapters provides a clear blueprint of how lessons are to be conducted. This Using AUTHENTIC textbook acts as a specific reference point for the individual learning process and works well as a tool Dialogues to track the individual development of students’ [Pino Cutrone & Siewkee Beh. Tokyo: Sho- language skills. The text does not require lengthy hakusha, 2014. (Audio files available online) preparation or effort in learning the material pre- pp. 105. ¥2,268. ISBN: 978-4-88198-702-5.] sented in each unit. To encourage communicative competence, stu- Reviewed by Lee H. Flake, Keiho High dents using Welcome to Kyushu, Japan are exposed School to different linguistic situations and tasks to which they must respond creatively. The text begins with an explanation of the units and some tactful advice elcome to Kyushu, on language study and how to make the most of Japan offers a task- the book. The goal-oriented tasks integrated into based approach each unit helps the students visualize the purpose to EFL learning that is sure W of their study. The final unit is an assessment task to stimulate students in the that allows students to evaluate their improvement Japanese context. While such throughout the course. an approach has received a substantial amount of research The dialogs are based on actual authentic con- support, there are few, if any, versations. This gives learners a feel for English by task-based course books cur- exposing them to it as it is actually spoken. The rently on the market. Besides authors explain in detail the process for making the the fact that it fills a major void dialogs for the text and how the impromptu and in the market, I found this book impressive for four natural element was preserved by having native specific reasons. First, the task-based activities are speakers converse about a selected issue without motivating and maintain student interest. Second, the following a set dialog. The journal article written seven-step approach for each unit focuses on the de- by the authors provides details that further ex- velopment of communicative English language skills plains the context of the book and its correlation through the established components of Tasked-Based with task-based learning. I believe that educators Language Learning (TBLL) (Willis, 1996). Moreover, considering using Welcome to Kyushu, Japan in their the characteristics of the learning tasks presented in classrooms would benefit by reading Cutrone and Welcome to Kyushu, Japan appropriately match task Beh’s (2014) article to learn the back-story behind criteria defined by Ellis (2003). Third, the dialogs are the textbook. based on real and authentic English, as the speakers I used Welcome to Kyushu, Japan in private are not reading from a script; rather, they were free to academy and university conversation courses. speak intuitively when completing tasks. The English Student feedback reflected an interest in the tasks. in the dialogs is spontaneous and real instead of being Proficient students remarked that giving reasons based on a dictated or predesigned script. Fourth, the and creative responses supported their confidence comprehensive design of the book and the teacher’s and individual thought. Students also commented manual makes it user friendly. that they felt a new purpose in studying English. According to Ellis (2003), tasks are defined as Students were also receptive and picked up on the activities that learners carry out in order to draw practical application of the text. Students who together and further develop their knowledge and were struggling with English were challenged by skills. Tasks are characterized by an emphasis on the dialogs but expressed interest in the pre-tasks. participation and communication among partici- Student opinions also suggested that the task-ori- pants through a variety of modes and media. The ented method of instruction introduced by this text task-based approach to language study promoted is appropriate for even larger classes in which it is by this book is a student-oriented approach for difficult to otherwise provide immediate individual attention to the students.
24 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: Book Reviews / Recently Received
In conclusion, it is my opinion that students in * Issues Now in the News (third edition) — Worcester, A., the Kyushu area will benefit from this book. Wel- & Williams, B. M. Seoul, Korea: Compass Publishing, 2014. come to Kyushu, Japan is a task-based approach to [20-unit reading course using selected material from VOA incl. student book w/ downloadable audio, answer key, and EFL learning that will liven up your classroom and teacher’s manual]. capture the attention of your students.
* Life — Dummet, P., Hughes, J., & Stephenson, H. Boston, ARTICLES MA: Cengage Learning, 2015. [Six-level integrated-skills series using content from National Geographic to promote References curiosity, and develop 21st century and critical thinking skills Cutrone, P. & Beh, S. (2014). Increasing motivation in the incl. student book, e-book, online workbook, audio CD, Japanese university EFL classroom: Towards a task- classroom presentation tool, and teacher’s guide]. based approach to language instruction. The Journal of ! Longman Academic Reading Series — Various Authors. Center for Language Studies, Nagasaki University, 2, 1-20. White Plains, NY: Pearson, 2014. [5-level academic reading course for college focusing on effective reading, vocabu- Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. lary building, note-taking, and critical thinking incl. online New York, NY: Oxford University Press. teacher’s manual w/ quizzes]. JALT PRAXIS • BOOK REVIEWS Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Lon- On Board for More World Adventures — Berlin, S., & Ko- don, UK: Longman Addison-Wesley. bayashi, M. Tokyo: Kinseido, 2015. [15-unit reading and listening course focused on the topic of world Englishes incl. teacher’s manual, classroom DVD, and classroom audio CD]. Recently Received Raise Your Score 150 Plus on the TOEIC® Test — Matsuoka, N., & Sobajima, K. Tokyo: Shohakusha, 2016. [20-unit test preparation course with 10 listening, 10 reading, 20 gram- Steve Fukuda mar review sections incl. teacher’s manual and classroom [email protected] audio CD]. A list of texts and resource materials for lan- * Read to Write (second edition) — Moore, D., & Barker, D. guage teachers available for book reviews in Nagoya, Japan: BTB Press, 2014. [Writing course for Japa- TLT and JALT Journal. Publishers are invited nese students on basic topics such as self-introductions and to submit complete sets of materials to Steve school life incl. student book w/ downloadable checklists, Fukuda at the Publishers’ Review Copies Li- translations, and teacher’s guide]. aison address listed on the Staff page on the ! Reading Explorer (second edition) — Various Authors. Bos- inside cover of TLT. ton, MA: Cengage Learning, 2015. [6-level reading course created with National Geographic Learning incl. online workbooks, student and instructor e-books, and assess- Recently Received Online ment CD-ROM with ExamView]. An up-to-date index of books available for review can be * Speaking of Speech Level 2 — LeBeau, C. Tokyo: Macmillan found at
* = new listing; ! = final notice — Final notice items will be Stretch — Stempleski, S. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, JALT FOCUS removed September 31. Please make queries by email to 2014. [4-level series focused on 4 skills plus viewing and the appropriate JALT Publications contact. presentation skills w/ videos provided by BBC Worldwide Learning incl. student book w/ online practice, workbook, DVD, classroom audio CDs, teacher’s resource pack]. Books for Students (reviewed in TLT) The Thinking Train — Puchta, H., & Gerngross, G. Crawley, UK: Helbling Languages, 2015. [5 interactive picture books Contact: Steve Fukuda – [email protected] for young learners incl. online teacher’s manual w/ resources ! Alpha English — Kizuka, H. Tokyo: Macmillan Language- and worksheets and online mp3 audio]. House, 2014. [12-unit four skills remedial course for lower level learners incl. online teacher’s manual and classroom audio]. Books for Teachers (reviewed in JALT Journal) Arts and Society — Wakeling, E. Tokyo: Nan’un-do, 2015. [14- Contact: Greg Rouault – [email protected] unit reading and writing based course with a focus on con- temporary society and culture]. Language for Specific Purposes — Gollin-Kies, S., Hall, D. R., & Moore, S. H. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. * Global Connections — Morikawa, S., & Harrington, L. Bos- ton, MA: Cengage Learning, 2015. [14-unit listening and speaking skills course incl. student book w/ DVD, teacher’s 42nd Annual International Conference manual, and classroom audio]. on Language Teaching and Learning & Educational Materials Exhibition Interactive Writing: Practical Writing Skills for the Digital Age — LeBeau, C. Tokyo: Macmillan LanguageHouse, November 25–28, 2016 2014. [12-unit beginner to low-intermediate practical writ- WINC Aichi, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, ing course incl. downloadable teacher’s manual]. Japan
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 25 [JALT PRAXIS] TEACHING ASSISTANCE David McMurray Graduate students and teaching assistants are invited to submit compositions in the form of a speech, appeal, memoir, essay, conference review, or interview on the policy and practice of language education. Master’s and doctoral thesis supervisors are also welcome to contribute or encourage their students to join this vibrant de- bate. Grounded in the author’s reading, practicum, or empirical research, contributions are expected to share an impassioned presentation of opinions in 1,000 words or less. Teaching Assistance is not a peer-reviewed column. Email: [email protected]
With an eye on the year 2020, a report about English an important role in developing attitudes towards education reform from the Ministry of Education, Cul- the subject. With this consideration in mind, I ture, Sports, Science and Technology (2014) recom- design tests which are aimed at rewarding students mends that schools improve their evaluation methods for what they can achieve rather than penalising and set learning goals based on what students should errors. In this way learners are able to experiment be able to do. Schools have been asked to verify and and apply language previously learned, and build adopt an evaluation method which covers various as- confidence gradually. Students in my classes have pects including the students’ motivation and attitude for active learning. responded well to this approach, and by sharing these ideas I hope that others might also benefit. With that reform plan in mind, in this issue’s Teaching Assistance, Steven Asquith shares three types of speak- A lack of time to complete the linear syllabus, ing tests that he successfully developed for classes at a helping colleagues to clearly understand goals, and junior high school in Chiba Prefecture. At first, students encouraging students to fully participate in lessons were assessed on their ability to memorize short dia- are issues most ALTs encounter on a daily basis. logues using a Class Presentation Speaking Test. When Colleagues, brought up with a different teaching learners were comfortable with producing presenta- style, often doubt that learners are able to complete tions with the help of a team-teacher, they were given speaking tasks, and these preconceptions need to be Guided Role Play Speaking Tests. Finally, an Informal challenged in a logical way. By gradually increasing Group Interview Test rounded out this integrated series of assessments. the complexity of speaking tasks, both learners and teachers can get accustomed to the process. The use of rubrics or scoring bands allows testing criteria to be clearly defined so students and colleagues can Adapting Communicative understand their purpose. Also, by factoring test scores into yearly grades, students can be properly Speaking Tests for the JHS motivated to participate fully. Most importantly, rubrics provide a means of rewarding students Classroom specifically for achieving communicative goals such as task completion, showing creativity, and speak- Steven Asquith ing fluently. This type of meaning-based assessment Ichikawa City Board of Education is uncommon at JHS level, but when adopted both learners and colleagues appreciate its value.
orking as an assistant language teacher (ALT) in a Japanese junior high school Speaking Test 1: The Class Presentation (JHS), over the past 15 years I have gradual- Littlewood (2007) suggests that tasks be designed lyW integrated speaking tests into my pedagogy. These on a scale from least communicative to most com- tests, separated into three basic types, are adapted to municative depending upon the teaching context. fit with the curriculum, meet the needs of both stu- Of the speaking tests I use, the class presentation dents and teachers, and apply communicative princi- is the least communicative but the most accessible ples, such as focussing on authentic communication, to students and teachers. Although I have concerns creative construction, and negotiation of meaning. about the lack of spontaneity and memorisation Although English activities have been intro- elements of these tests, they are a useful starting duced in elementary schools, JHS is the first formal point for getting learners used to creatively ex- experience of studying a foreign language for most pressing themselves in English. As all standard JHS students in Japan, and accordingly, this stage plays textbooks have skills sections aimed at these types of activities, they are familiar to most students and
26 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: Teaching Assistance
Speaking Test 2: The Guided Role Play The second type of test is a little more spontaneous and supports learners during simple negotiation of meaning. Usually, it is introduced once learners are comfortable with producing presentations. In ARTICLES this case the team teacher and I take the roles of non-Japanese speakers with whom the learners must accomplish some form of task such as giving directions, ordering a meal, or buying a product. Learners are given time to rehearse variations of possible dialogues in pairs before coming to the teacher and completing a non-predetermined task such as providing directions to a particular place using a map or ordering a meal using a menu. JALT PRAXIS • TEACHING ASSISTANCE Learners are then assessed on accomplishment of the task and smooth and natural English. I allow learners multiple attempts to complete these tasks and achieve a double A-grade. Also, students who complete the test quickly can request a more diffi- cult task and attempt to get an A+. In the schools I have visited, learners rarely if ever attempt this type of unscripted production in classes, and increasing Figure 1. The Author Proctors a Class Presentation this practice could help improve learner confidence. Speaking Test. Speaking Test 3: The Informal Group teachers and also have the potential to be adapted Interview into more effective tools. The third test is an informal group interview that Preferably starting with the first years, I train focuses on learners communicating their interests. students to produce, memorise, and be assessed on This involves groups of three or four students with short dialogues within a single 50-minute period. shared interests chatting with me in a separate To achieve an A-grade, the dialogue must differ sub- room. Students can chat about anything they like, stantially from the textbook example and be pre- but they must lead the conversation. Typically, sented to a teacher smoothly and naturally without interviews last around seven to ten minutes. Prior checking notes (see photo). I tell the learners not to the interviews, learners are given a worksheet JALT FOCUS to write the full dialogue – if they really must, they showing possible topics, conversation starters, and can make a few notes in their textbooks – and to phrases to ask for clarification. They are also al- practise it naturally as an interaction with a partner lowed to make brief notes on the back of the work- to memorise it. After speaking is assessed, learners sheet. I suggest that students use non-verbals such write out the dialogues in full so that errors can be as gestures, and I only respond to a Japanese word corrected. Although at first this is difficult, after a if they ask me for a translation by saying “How do few lessons learners are able to design and present I say this word in English?” During the test, it takes simple role plays easily. Once students can do this little time for the students to become absorbed in satisfactorily, I start to change the rubric to score the conversation and forget any nerves. The reali- different factors such as creativity, fluency and pre- sation that they can make themselves understood sentation separately, thus requiring learners to fulfil in simple English has a big impression on students, a number of elements to achieve top marks. I also who frequently comment that they would like to sometimes extend the format to span two class pe- repeat the experience. Usually, I score the tests gen- riods, with presentations performed and assessed in erously based on attitude, participation and success front of the class. These longer role plays give teach- at communicating meaning. I also provide a positive ers plenty of opportunity to help students produce comment for feedback. As these interviews take creative, fun and natural dialogues, which gradually three to four classes, I usually conduct them when become more complex as learners grow in confi- learners are preparing for formal tests, and they can dence. Similar presentations can easily be adapted then use any free time to revise. to group research projects or questionnaires and, if this resource is available, recorded to video.
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 27 The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: Teaching Assistance
Extensions References Numerous practical variations are possible by using Asquith, S. M. (2015). Integrating a functional approach rubrics and the three simple test formats that were with Japanese junior high school teaching practices. In described (Asquith, 2015). Utilising technology, role P. Clements, A. Krause, & H. Brown (Eds.), JALT2014 plays and presentations could be videoed, presented Conference Proceedings. Tokyo: JALT. and analysed by students. Telephone conversation Littlewood, W. (2007). Communicative and task-based tests conducted remotely with an ALT using Skype, language teaching in East Asian classrooms. Language or webchat lessons with classmates in English could Teaching, 40, 243-249. teach learners practical skills. Hopefully, if issues Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and such as a lack of equipment and an overly cautious Technology. (2014). Report on the Future Improvement attitude to web security–most practical web-based and Enhancement of English Education. Retrieved from
[JALT PRAXIS] THE WRITERS’ WORKSHOP
key principles: 1) Statistics should be presented in a More Than Numbers: readable and technically acceptable way. 2) Statistics should be explained to an appropriate extent; not Presenting Statistics In inadequately explained (too little) or overly ex- plained (too much). Your Writing Tiffany Ip Principle 1: Present Your Statistics in a Readable and Technically Acceptable Way The University of Hong Kong Communicating potentially difficult concepts does not mean that you have to use complicated lan- resenting statistics is no easy task. It is more guage or structures. Research shows that those who than merely drawing fancy graphs and record- use unnecessarily long words and complicated font ing a few numbers. Statistics, when properly styles in their writing are actually perceived as being Pused, can serve as a powerful medium of information less competent and confident than those who use for your reader. In a world where data-oriented goals more simple language (Oppenheimer, 2006). The are valued, it is desirable to be capable of justifying best way to write statistics is to be direct and unam- your predictions and conclusions with statistics. biguous. This can be done in two simple steps. First, While this article will not teach you technical skills provide definitions for the key technical terms and regarding statistics, such as what analyses or models statistical concepts related to the statistics present- you may choose for a data set and how to interpret ed in your writing, and then translate your statistics the results (you should either take a course or refer- into a form that will be easily understood by your ence a textbook if you are unsure of these), this arti- readers. For example, the statement “The best pre- cle will guide you in the fundamentals of effectively dictor of students’ final exam grade is their language presenting statistics in writing. You will see how to proficiency level (F(2, 13) = 832.14, p < 0.01), with achieve this primarily by following two principles, an R2 of .993” is easier to understand than simply and hopefully in the process you will also acquire stating “Multiple regression analysis showed that a sense of how to read others’ statistics as well. Put the result was significant (F(2, 13) = 832.14, p < 0.01), simply, you are now on the road to becoming both a with an R2 of .993”. Ultimately, the level of detail good writer and reader of statistics. the definitions and explanations your statistics will Whether you intend to report the statistical need to have will depend on the readership and outcome of your study, or use statistics gleaned style of statistical writing of your particular field. from other sources in order to strengthen your own The second step to presenting statistics in a arguments, you need to bear in mind these two readable manner is to use visuals, especially when
28 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: The Writers’ Workshop your data set contains a lot of information. Graphs, erate your statistics to your readers. This is particu- charts and tables, for example, can help simplify larly true if the statistics are the focal point of your relationships in your statistics that may be difficult argument. In this case your readers—some of whom to comprehend for you and your readers. Graphical may be unfamiliar with the procedures you used representations often act as visual shortcuts which regarding your statistics—expect to have explained: can help make group comparisons easier as well. who first used the procedures, why exactly they ARTICLES If you would like to have a look at some concrete were used, and how they are applicable to the study examples and tips concerning reporting statisti- they are reading. cal results in figures, you may refer to the article Presenting as much information as is needed is Reporting statistical results in your paper located on crucial since it allows your readers to make critical Bates College’s website (see references). It provides interpretation of your data. Of course, you have some examples of summarizing statistical outcomes the freedom to choose your own way of interpret- derived from t-tests, ANOVA, correlation, as well as ing your statistics, but you also have to realize that regression analyses. readers may not blindly accept your interpretations JALT PRAXIS • WRITERS’ WORKSHOP Just as academic writing prefers direct language, and may be skeptical of the veracity of your data graphical representations should also be kept rela- set. It is important to include sufficient informa- tively simple. Avoid needless and obscure elements tion–for example, the mean, variability, sample size, which can potentially distract the reader from the and the p-values–before presenting conclusions content of the paper. Consider this quote from the to your readers, if you want to make a convincing Purdue Online Writing Lab (2012): argument. Also, if you are using statistics from others’ studies, make sure the sources are reliable Papers and articles are like faces. Graphics are and credible. Identifying the background of the data like makeup. Makeup is always good in small that you use, as well as letting your readers know doses, but don’t over apply, or you will end up looking worse than if you didn’t use any makeup where the sources are from, helps orient both them at all. Use visuals, but be careful not to over use and yourself towards possible biases or weaknesses them. that could be present in the statistics being used. Although you have the freedom in your writing to Now, you may have a question concerning exactly interpret the data in whichever way you prefer, be what statistics you should present in your writing. careful not to overly interpret the data to your read- What if your data set contains a lot of information, er. Do not simply state something is “important” and even with the use of graphs or tables the infor- when the data should instead be described as being mation still seems difficult to reduce and present “statistically significant”. Do not label something as to the reader? Should you then go ahead and report being “not true” when no evidence can be generated all of the statistics that you have? The answer is from your data: this only means something may or most likely no; using statistics in writing is by and may not be true. Be careful not to generalize your JALT FOCUS large a process of condensing the information that findings to everyone if your data are based on a spe- you have and making it relevant to your readers. cific population, gender, or age group. Take care not If you present entire raw data sets in your writing, to confuse correlation with causation when explor- this defeats one of the primary purposes of your ing the associations between variables, or to assume paper: making your statistics relevant to the reader. that you can prove everything with statistics, even Instead, you can highlight statistics of interest and though they do provide empirical evidence for your include the minimum amount of information (most arguments. Also, when presenting percentages or likely the mean and the standard deviation) neces- changes in percentages in your paper, aim to pres- sary for your reader to understand the essence of ent them in their proper context. For example, if I your arguments. Information remotely associated simply state that you will become 74% more capable with your arguments and research aims can then be of presenting statistics in your writing after read- listed in detail in a separate appendix. ing this article, you would still have no idea exactly how much better you would become. Meaningful Principle 2: Explain the Statistics to an conclusions about percentages cannot be made Appropriate Extent: Avoid Inadequate or unless they are associated and explained in context. Superfluous Explanations Unless you are using the statistics in your writing One Final Thought as a minor support for your argument, it is usually You may have come to the realization that statis- necessary to explain the procedure you use to gen- tics are a lot more than just numbers, and, if used
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 29 The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: The Writers’ Workshop carefully and effectively, they can strengthen your References writing. Although these days we may tend to rely Bates College. (2012). Reporting statistical results in on computer programs (e.g. SPSS, a simple-to-use your paper. Retrieved from http://abacus.bates. software package for statistical analysis that does edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWstats. not require the user to learn the programming lan- html#graphstats guage), we should avoid thinking of them as tools Oppenheimer, D. M. (2006). Consequences of erudite ver- used for helping us interpret our data. The final nacular utilized irrespective of necessity: Problems with thought to consider is that when writing statistics using long words needlessly. Journal of Applied Cognitive we should, above all else, write accurately, and we Psychology, 20(2), 139-156. doi: 10.1002/acp.1178. are only able to write accurately if we fully under- Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2012). Writing with infer- stand our statistics and how to interpret them. If ential statistics. Retrieved from https://owl.english. we are able to do this, it will allow us to fulfill the purdue.edu/owl/resource/672/06/ two main principles discussed in this article, and to write our statistics in a way that will not bore, confuse, overwhelm, or mislead our readers.
[JALT PRAXIS] DEAR TLT Tiernan L. Tensai Got a teaching problem you can’t solve? Need some advice about classroom practice? Stressed out from living in a different country? Then Dear TLT is the column for you. Be it serious or comical, our panel of experts will endeavour to answer all your queries. Send your questions to the email address below. Email: [email protected]
like to think that for the majority of your classes, if Making Use of you set clear guidelines and have lots of interesting things for students to do, there is a lot that smart- Smartphones in Class phones can bring to enhance learning. They are, after all, rather miraculous inventions, with each phone containing more computing power than the Dear TLT, gigantic mainframes and supercomputers from the I was talking with a colleague recently about days of the Apollo space missions in the late 60s students using their smartphones in class. He (Puiu, 2015). If you have a class where everyone has was really against the idea, saying that they a smartphone (which is quite common these days), are a total distraction. He has banned them there is actually a lot that can be done with them. completely. While I can see his point, a total You’ve identified a few basic things already—smart- ban seems like a rather draconian move to me. phones can make for very good reference tools, but Smartphones are really powerful pocket com- there is so much more they can do! In this short puters, after all. However, apart from students column, we can only scratch the surface, but hope- looking up words or checking out Wikipedia, fully our suggestions will get you thinking creatively I’m at a loss for how to make better use of about what is possible for you. In addition to refer- smartphones. Do you have any ideas for me? ence functions, we’ll look at many other areas of EFL Challenged in Kansai instruction where smartphones can come in handy. To keep things simple, we’ll only suggest apps that are free and cross-platform, ones that work on both Dear Challenged, the Android and iOS operating systems. Thanks for your message. Yes, your colleague does have a point—smartphones can be a source of distraction in class, another outlet for students Reference Tools to escape into. Banning them completely may well You’ve mentioned that your students use their be the best solution for a group of students with smartphones to look up words and check Wikipe- insufficient maturity to stay focused. However, we dia. That’s great. Did you know that there are some
30 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: Dear TLT really good dictionary apps out there? One we like is kinds of music and films. You and your students can Google Translate, which has a nifty voice-activation introduce songs, discuss lyrics, movies you’ve seen, feature. You can also take a photo of some words or ones you want to watch. Having some music in and then get a translation by swiping your finger class can make for a bit of cacophonous fun. These over the scanned text. We use this feature ourselves apps also are ideal for chatting in student lounges. when out and about in Japan for translating import- We think you will enjoy learning about current ARTICLES ant signs, menu items, or package info. Students trends in Japanese pop culture from your stu- could be asked to do this as well. As for Wikipedia, dents. Oh, one tip for using these apps—show your if students don’t have it already, have them down- students how to save favorite locations on Google load the free app which can greatly streamline their Maps and how to create playlists on YouTube. This browsing experience in preparation for discussions, can make it much easier to access favored content writing projects, or mini-presentations. when talking with different people.
Vocabulary Practice Pronunciation Practice
Two great vocabulary-practice apps are Quizlet Pronunciation can also be practiced on smart- JALT PRAXIS • DEAR TLT and Memrise, both of which allow for a smooth phones using a combination of a dictation app, such mobile user experience of their respective websites, as Dragon Dictate, and a voice-recording app like quizlet.com and memrise.com. These services allow Recorder HD. Built-in voice memo apps also work students to drill ready-made lists, or ones you or great for this purpose. The students use Dragon your students have created. Each of these apps have Dictate to practice target sounds and phrases until their pros and cons, but overall they are both ex- they get a reasonably high accuracy. Then they cellent ways to practice vocabulary outside of class. record set sentences or their own dialogues using Quizlet, which is an online version of traditional the recording app. Finally, they can upload their flashcards, also allows students to drill words via recordings to a shared folder on a cloud-based file a number of engaging activities such as dictation, sharing service that you have previously set up. games, and quizzes. You can also customize and From here you can conveniently access the files on print out the quizzes for use in class. The key advan- your computer or phone for review or assessment tage of Memrise is the “spaced recall” which allows purposes. students to automatically review previously learned items at varying intervals of time. In addition, the “points accumulation” nature of Memrise makes it Cloud-based File Exchange very easy to track how well students are progressing Speaking of cloud-based file sharing, there are many toward a clear numerical goal you set. Quizlet, on such services out there that enable you to create a class folder into which your students can put files, the other hand, does not have spaced recall and is JALT FOCUS not quite as easy to set clear goals with, although it thus giving everyone easy access. One very popu- is possible to see what sets students have studied if lar app along these lines is Dropbox, which is the you pay for a teacher’s account. Nevertheless, both mobile portal to the cloud-based storage service’s apps are solid and worth checking out. The abili- website (dropbox.com). It takes a bit of setting up ty to make custom vocab lists (such as ones from at the start, but, once everything is working, the whatever textbook you are using) is a big advantage. ability to seamlessly share files to a common folder, be they audio, video, photos, or text documents, is immensely helpful. Sharing audio recordings is one Enhancing Conversations great use of Dropbox. In addition to pronuncia- Two very simple apps that can really enhance tion practice, we like to have students record short student conversation practice are Google Maps and conversations with each other each week, outside of YouTube. With Google Maps, students can show- class, for homework. These can be uploaded by the case their hometowns and talk about where they students themselves to the class folder. This allows grew up, where they went to school, where they like you to track student progress and do other noticing to hang out, and any other interesting info. They activities to help students become more aware of can explore their towns via photos and street-view, their strengths and weaknesses. thus taking their classmates on engaging virtual For oneway file sharing, theDropittome web tours. This functionality also works great for trav- service allows teachers to set up a dedicated web el-based topics. Students can show where they have address through which students can submit almost been and where they would like to go in the future. any kind of file simply and directly to the teacher’s With YouTube, one fun use is to explore favorite Dropbox account.
THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 31 The Language Teacher • JALT Praxis: Dear TLT
Accessing CMS Online Surveys If you use a course management system (CMS) such For students doing presentations or other types of as Schoology, Coursebase, or Moodle, you should research projects, online surveys to collect critical know that there are free smartphone apps for these data can be easily conducted via various web-based platforms. They can make it easier for your stu- services such as Survey Monkey (surveymonkey. dents to access your classes to share files, complete com) and JotForm (jotform.com). The smartphone homework assignments, and participate in other apps can be used after setting up an account online. activities. Each service allows for a decent level of functional- ity within their “freemium” business models. Once a survey has been made, students can share them via Making Presentations their own social networks via SNS apps they are al- We find that getting your students to prepare pre- ready using, such as Facebook, Line, Whatsapp, or sentation slides on their phones has some advantag- Snapchat. This allows them to collect a large num- es. First, there are any number of presentation apps ber of respondents rather easily, something that can out there, such as Keynote, Powerpoint, Haiku enhance the efficacy of their questionnaires. Deck, Zen Deck, and Google Slides. There are In conclusion, we hope this short article has given various pros and cons between each of these, but you some food for thought on how you can help they all enable students to prepare at their leisure, your students make good use of their miraculous unshackled from their PCs. Second, the smaller pocket computers that also happen to make phone screen size makes them focus better on the key con- calls. There are so many options and ideas out there cepts rather than inundating slides with lots of text. that it can feel quite overwhelming. To find out Third, we’ve found that students actually tend to more about the apps and services highlighted in put more effort into what they will say rather than this article, simply search for them on your phone’s spending hours on a PC creating a typical presenta- app store or look them up online. We suggest you tion deck. start slowly and strive to incorporate even just one Displaying smartphone-created presentations app or activity at a time. There is no need to upend takes a bit of practice, but once you figure it out, it your entire workflow. Make sure you have used usually works well. The presentation apps should the apps yourself first so that you can better guide be able to export a complete project which students students through any set-up procedures necessary. can share with you via a class Dropbox folder, for This is a field that is growing rapidly, so stay with example. You can then play the files on your pro- it. New and exciting capabilities are always coming jector-connected computer. There are also special up, many of which you may be able to learn more adapters you can get to attach smartphones directly about at your next JALT conference. Try things out to a projector. Wireless connecting is also possi- and go with what works. The main thing, after all, ble. Finally, not connecting to a projector at all is is not the technology but what can be done with it. a viable option to consider: students can use their Anything that helps your students learn and stay presentation app like a personal set of notecards as engaged should be worth looking into. they deliver their talk. Reference Mind Mapping Puiu, T. (2015, October 13). Your smartphone is millions Speaking of presentations, one great way to prepare of times more powerful than all of NASA’s combined for them is to use a mind map. Fortunately there computing in 1969. Retrieved from http://www. are some really good mind-mapping apps out there. zmescience.com/research/technology/smartphone- We really love MindMeister, a web-based service power-compared-to-apollo-432/ (mindmeister.com) that allows students to create up to three mind maps for free, which may be just enough for a course. Besides being well-designed and easy to use, MindMeister app enables users to access their maps from their smartphones. These maps are collaborative in a similar manner to GoogleDocs, allowing students to work together The Study Abroad SIG will be holding a on a project while giving you access as well. This conference on Saturday, September 17 at can come in really handy when planning out bigger Lakeland University, Tokyo. projects, such as long-form essays or research Conference theme: “Sharing Experiences” papers.
32 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt [JALT FOCUS] SIG FOCUS Joël Laurier & Robert Morel JALT currently has 26 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) available for members to join. This column publishes an in-depth view of one SIG each issue, providing readers with a more complete picture ARTICLES of the different SIGs within JALT. For information about SIG events, publications, and calls for papers, please visit THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 33 [JALT FOCUS] NOTICES Malcolm Swanson This column serves to provide our membership with important information and notices regarding the organ- isation. It also offers our national directors a means to communicate with all JALT members. Contributors are requested to submit notices and announcements for JALT Notices by the 15th of the month, one and a half months prior to publication. Email: [email protected] • Web: http://jalt-publications.org/tlt/departments/jalt-focus Membership Campaign— East Shikoku Chapter Students Project e are pleased to announce the Student Call for Stories: Raising Bilingual/Bicultural Member Campaign, scheduled to run from Children Outside Japan’s Urban Corridor July 1, 2016 to July 1, 2017. Recognizing We are seeking contributions in the range of thatW today’s students are the future of the teaching 4000-6000 words in any of the following areas: profession, JALT has long offered a special rate to • personal essays, narratives, reflections, and full-time students. At ¥7,000 per year, the student experiential accounts of raising bilingual rate is little more than half the price of a regular JALT children membership—a real bargain! • perspectives on identity/educational (or The driving force behind the current campaign other) issues facing bilingual/bicultural is a change to the Standing Rule which governs children student membership requirements to be consid- • ‘best practice’ methods for the development ered at the June, 2016 EBM. In the past, student of literacy skills in bilinguals membership was limited to full-time students of • rich description ‘linguistic family portrait’ Japan-based institutions. This revision, if passed— case studies as I am confident it will be—will open up access to • accounts of nurturing bilingualism/ student membership rates to full-time students of biculturalism in special family circumstances overseas educational institutions as well. If you are raising bilingual/bicultural children Here is the key wording of the proposed motion: outside of Japan’s large urban centres where international schools and English education “A student member shall be defined as a full-time options are limited, and where face-to-face social undergraduate or graduate student attending a uni- networks are more difficult to form due to distance versity, vocational school, technical school, or other and numbers, please consider sharing your story. degree-granting program.” • Deadline: November 4, 2016 This change reflects opinions expressed by JALT • Editors: Darren Lingley and Paul Daniels members that the location of the institution should not matter. What is important is that all such potential long-term members of JALT be given the opportunity to increase the depth and breadth of July 2, 2016—Hamamatsu Create 浜松 their professional development and contacts right from the beginning, and at a time when their level Developing Content-Based Learning of disposable income may be low. They are full-time With Reading Circles students, not full time workers. Wendy M. Gough, Tokai University If you know or work with full-time students, particularly those studying to become language Reading circles are peer-led groups in which teachers, please talk to them about what JALT can students read the same topic and share their do for them, and about how much they can save by interpretations of it. They provide an opportunity joining now. to introduce content and promote autonomous Fred Carruth learning while developing a wide range of JALT NPO Director of Membership linguistic skills and stimulating the transference of knowledge between the students’ L1 and L2. 34 THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt [JALT PRAXIS] OLD GRAMMARIANS Scott Gardner [email protected] ARTICLES Part V: Essay Entrance Exam Read the question and respond in a short essay. What’s the big deal? Why should you be expected to Essay Questions know? Is it really that important? What good will it do and Model Answers if you speak up? And who really cares anyway? Every year many people suffer from whatever is Question 42: English Essay going on. There is of course the ozone hall, which gives us dangerous leis from the sun. These leis are Answer the following question in eight to ten lines. JALT PRAXIS Provide examples. too violet for some people. They cause us to shed a If, as Lacan ventures, the Marquis de Sade is the other lot of wet. Especially, bears which live in the Amtrak side of the same ethical coin as Immanuel Kant, what area are in danger. are the ramifications of this concept in deontological And pollution. Comical materials float in lakes, ethics? seas, and livers. There are many forests that have Grovelization is a major issue in the world today. no trees. Many spices of animals have died out. One Our society does not grovel enough. Our schools example is bees. We need bees for our liveliness. On and teachers try to make us “grovel citizens”, for ex- the other hand, bees don’t need us. They want to ample by showing us other cultures that look better sting us. We must make peace with bees. All I am than ours, and by teaching us new languages that saying is, give bees a chance. we are ashamed to speak. In concussion, we have to use less energy than pos- OLD GRAMMARIANS But groveling is really something we must learn sible. We must recycle empty cans, used pets, and on our own. One way is to make grovel friends. We so on. We must actively be active to make a better can do this on the Internet by saying whatever we tomorrow for our children tomorrow. think will make people like us. When we make more friends, we are groveling. Final Essay Question Remember, think local, act grovel. Answer the following question as best you can in English. Section 4: English Essay Imagine you have been put on a committee to bring Read the question below and answer in the space more tourism to your hometown. What are some ways provided. you would consider attracting visitors? What is plagiarism? What are its effects on academic If my corrupt city elders were to force me in this way thought? to perpetuate their vicious capitalist cycle of exploita- tion and consumption, I would suggest putting the I have often thought, “What is plagiarism? What name of every city street up for sale to the highest are its effects on academic thought?” I consider commercial bidder, and positioning Hollywood-grade these questions not because someone told me to, wind machines along each one, set to go off hourly but out of real concern. For who steals my purse and bestrew the sidewalks with coupons offering pal- steals trash, and the robb’d that smiles steals some- try discounts on their overpriced products. thing from the thief. Another shameless propaganda device I would I often tell my friends “Thou shalt not steal.” But suggest is “continental roulette wheels” in major ho- sometimes there’s honor in the theft, and such a man tels throughout the city. Credulous customers spin might be a copy to these younger times, which, fol- the wheel hoping that it stops on their continent low’d well, would demonstrate them now but goers of origin, in which case they win travel discounts, backward. Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy shopping sprees, photo ops with the city mascot...or neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. a small plastic keychain. Bells and streamers galore. Behold, I come as a thief in the night, and it shall I would then move to another city. be, when I sitteth upon the throne of my kingdom, that I shall write me a copy of this law in a book. THE LANGUAGE TEACHER 40.4 • July / August 2016 35 JALT MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION The Japan Association for Language JALT Partners JALT cooperates with domestic and international partners, Teaching (JALT) including (JALTは以下の国内外の学会と提携しています): • A professional organization formed in 1976 • AJET—The Association for Japan Exchange and - 1976年に設立された学術学会 Teaching • Working to improve language learning and teach- • IATEFL—International Association of Teachers of ing, particularly in a Japanese context English as a Foreign Language -語学の学習と教育の向上を図ることを目的としています • Almost 3,000 members in Japan and overseas • JACET—the Japan Association of College English - 国内外で約 3,000名の会員がいます Teachers • PAC—the Pan Asian Conference consortium http://jalt.org • TESOL—Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Annual International Conference • 1,500 to 2,000 participants Membership Categories - 毎年1,500名から2,000名が参加します All members receive annual subscriptions to The Language • Hundreds of workshops and presentations Teacher and JALT Journal, and member discounts for - 多数のワークショップや発表があります meetings and conferences. The Language TeacherやJALT • Publishers’ exhibition - 出版社による教材展があります Journal 等の出版物が１年間送付されます。また例会や大会に割引価 格で 参 加 で きます。 • Job Information Centre - 就職情報センターが設けられます • Regular 一般会員: ¥13,000 • Student rate (FULL-TIME students of http://jalt.org/conference undergraduate/graduate universities and colleges in Japan) 学生会員(国内の全日制の大学または大学院の学 JALT Publications 生): ¥7,000 • The Language Teacher—our bimonthly publication • Joint—for two persons sharing a mailing address, - 隔月発行します one set of publications ジ ョ イ ン ト 会 員（ 同 じ 住 所 で 登 録 す る個人2名を対象とし、JALT出版物は2名に１部): ¥21,000 • JALT Journal—biannual research journal - 年2回発行します • Senior rate (people aged 65 and over) シニア会員(65歳 以上の方): ¥7,000 • JALT Postconference Publication - 年次国際大会の研究発表記録集を発行します • Group (5 or more) ¥8,500/person—one set of publi- cations for each five membersグループ会員(５名以上を • SIG and chapter newsletters, anthologies, and con- 対象とし、JALT出版物は５名ごとに１部): 1名 ¥8,500 ference proceedings - 分 野 別 研 究 部 会 や 支 部 も 会 報 、ア ン ソ ロ ジ ー 、研 究 会 発 表 記 録 集 を 発 行 し ま す http://jalt.org/main/membership http://jalt-publications.org Information JALT Community For more information please consult our website 支部及び分野別研究部会による例会や研究会は日本各地で開催 され、以下の分野での発表や研究報告が行われます。バイリンガリズ ム、CALL、大学外国語教育、共同学習、ジェンダーと語学学習、グロー Joining JALT バル問題、日本語教育、自主的学習、語用論・発音・第二言語習得、児 Use the attached furikae form at Post Offices 童語学教育、生涯語学教育、試験と評価、教材開発 等。 ONLY. When payment is made through a bank http://jalt.org/main/groups using the furikae, the JALT Central Office receives only a name and the cash amount that was trans- ferred. The lack of information (mailing address, chapter designation, etc.) prevents the JCO from successfully processing your membership appli- cation. Members are strongly encouraged to use the secure online signup page located at https:// jalt.org/joining. JALT Publications JALT Publications Board Chair }} OLD GRAMMARIANS Deryn Verity – Penn State University Scott Gardner York Weatherford – Kyoto Notre Dame Jerry Talandis Jr. [email protected] University [email protected] Asako Yoshitomi – Tokyo University of Foreign Studies JALT Focus Editors TLT Editorial Staff }} ADDITIONAL READERS }} SIG FOCUS Dale Brown, John Eidswick, Frank Daulton, }} TLT EDITOR Joël Laurier & Robert Morel Danielle Fischer, Patrick Foss, Naomi Fujishima, John Roberts [email protected] Fujirou Fukushima, Austin Gardner, James Hobbs, Masataka Kizuka, Brandon Kramer, [email protected] }} JALT NOTICES EDITOR }} TLT ASSOCIATE EDITOR Aleda Krause, Paul Lyddon, Donald Patterson, Malcolm Swanson Greg Rouault, Troy Rubesch, Vick Sssali, Tim Philip Head [email protected] Stewart, Toshiko Sugino, Bernie Susser, Jerry [email protected] Talandis Jr., Katherine Thornton, Chris Wharton, }} TLT ASSISTANT EDITOR Production Jennifer Yphantides Caroline Handley }} TLT JAPANESE-LANGUAGE EDITOR }} COPYEDITORS & PROOFREADERS JALT Journal 杉野 俊子 (Toshiko Sugino) Steven Asquith, Brian Birdsell, [email protected] Jeremy Eades, Chris Edelman, Peter }} JALT JOURNAL EDITOR }} TLT JAPANESE-LANGUAGE ASSOC. Ferguson, Nicole Gallagher, Bryan Anne McLellan Howard EDITOR Gerrard, Decha Hongthong, Julie [email protected] 宮尾 真理子 (Mariko Miyao) Kimura, Lorraine Kipling, Laura }} JALT JOURNAL ASSOCIATE EDITOR [email protected] MacGregor, David Marsh, James Eric Hauser Nobis, David O’Flaherty, Torrin }} TLT WEB EDITOR [email protected] Shimono, Neil Stead, Jennifer }} JALT JOURNAL JAPANESE EDITOR Theron Muller Yphantides [email protected] Ken Urano }} TLT [email protected] WEB ADMIN }} 和文校正・翻訳者 Malcolm Swanson (JAPANESE PROOFREADERS & }} JALT JOURNAL REVIEWS EDITOR [email protected] TRANSLATORS) Greg Rouault 迫 和子 (Kazuko Sako) [email protected] JALT Praxis Editors 納富 淳子 (Junko Noudomi) 中安 真敏 (Masatoshi Nakayasu) Post-Conference Publication }} MY SHARE 阿部 恵美佳 (Emika Abe) Philip Head & Gerry McLellan 稲森 美穂子 (Mihoko Inamori) }} EDITORS-IN-CHIEF [email protected] Peter Clements }} OUTSIDE THE BOX }} DESIGN & LAYOUT Aleda Krause Adam Lebowitz Pukeko Graphics, Kitakyushu Howard Brown [email protected] [email protected] }} PRINTING }} TLT WIRED Koshinsha Co., Ltd., Osaka Edo Forsythe Peer Support Group [email protected] Review }} PSG COORDINATOR }} BOOK REVIEWS }} TLT EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Loran Edwards Robert Taferner [email protected] [email protected] Eric Bray – Yokkaichi University Steve Cornwell – Osaka Jogakuin College }} PSG MEMBERS } } PUBLISHERS’ REVIEW COPIES LIAISON Michael Furmanovsky – Ryukoku University Loran Edwards, Paul Beaufait, Steve Fukuda Scott Gardner – Okayama University Steve McGuire, Theron Muller, [email protected] Chiaki Iwai – Hiroshima City University Michael Laspina, Brian Hutchinson, Bunkyo University Masaki Kobayashi – Kanda University of Troy McConachy, Peter Quinn, 3337 Minami Ogishima, Koshigaya International Studies Brian Gallagher, Nick Boyes, Myles Saitama 343-8511 JAPAN Shirley Leane – Tottori University Grogan, Douglas Jarrell, Joshua }} YOUNG LEARNERS Todd Jay Leonard – Fukuoka University of Myerson, Brandon Kramer, Charles Education Moore, Dawn Lucovich, Suwako Mari Nakamura Robert Long Kyushu Institute of [email protected] – Uehara, Jean-Pierre, David Ockert, Technology Fiona Creaser, Anna H. Isozaki, }} TEACHING ASSISTANCE Laura MacGregor – Gakushuin University Wayne Arnold, Chris Fitzgerald David McMurray Theron Muller – University of Toyama [email protected] Bern Mulvey – Iwate University Tim Murphey – Kanda University of JALT Central Office }} THE WRITERS’ WORKSHOP International Studies Urban Edge Bldg. 5F, 1-37-9 Taito, Craig Daly & Charles Moore Yoko Nakano – Kwansei Gakuin University [email protected] Jonathan Picken – Tsuda College Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0016 }} DEAR TLT Martha Robertson – Aichi University t: 03-3837-1630; f: 03-3837-1631 Stephen Ryan Eichi – Sapientia University Tiernan L. Tensai – [email protected] Lorraine Sorrell – Macquarie University [email protected] Toshiyuki Takagaki – Onomichi University Dax Thomas – Meiji Gakuin University THE LANGUAGE TEACHER Online • http://jalt-publications.org/tlt 2016 JALT CUE Conference conTENT with teaching CONtent? Embracing Alternative Debate & Critical Thinking Methodologies in the Modern Conference Language Classroom July 31, 2016 (Sunday) Kinki University, Osaka Nanzan University (Nagoya) September 24, 2016 Sponsored by JALT CT SIG and SD&D SIG Plenary Speakers: For more information, see https://sites. Makoto Ikeda & Laurence Anthony google.com/site/debatecriticalthinking2016/ JALT2016 42nd Annual International Conference on Language Teaching and Learning & Educational Materials Exhibition November 25 – 28, 2016 Aichi Industry & Labor Center – WINC Aichi Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, JAPAN http://jalt.org/conference JALT Sendai is hosting a weekend JALT Hokkaido Conference with Paul Nation, including an ‘Plan, Implement, and Evaluate—Teaching onsen getaway. and Assessing Learning’ September 10 & 11, 2016 Sunday Oct 2 , 9:30 – 4:30 Saturday is co-sponsored with Miyagi Gakuin Hokusei Gakuen University Sapporo Women’s University and is completely free. Call for papers Sunday is co-sponsored with Miyagi University of http://goo.gl/forms/gxF4MTGvSyJKpr9r2 Education, and JALT members pay just ¥1,000 yen! Teachers plan, implement and evaluate their teaching Optional Saturday night hot springs hotel, dinner, and student learning in various ways and contexts. breakfast, and return transportation for ¥15,000. This conference is a place to share what you do in The entire weekend event is produced with the your classroom and learn from others. We welcome support of englishbooks.jp presentations that relate to planning, implementing and evaluating language teaching or language Details and registration online at learning in any context. Workshops or presentations http://www.jaltsendai.org with strong practical tips for every day teachers are — Space is limited — especially encouraged. JALT2016 DIGITAL JALT2015 Highlights Video