Languaging

August 14, 2013Uncategorizedcognition, elt, elt research, esol, memory, speaking, tesl, tesolnathanghall

Image courtesy of  Javier Prazak

I think everyone has had one of those moments where something happens that you just need to share it with someone, anyone. I had one of those instances this afternoon. I was looking for something completely different when I stumbled on this fantastic research article from Merrill Swain and Sharon Lapkin (2011) on the role language plays in creating cognitive change. I’m sorry, what’s that? It doesn’t sound that fascinating to you? It didn’t to me either until I started to read it. For some reason, the subject resonated with me and I will attempt to explain why that is. Continue reading Languaging →

Problematising

August 13, 2013Uncategorizedaction research, bibliography, elt, elt research, esol, PD, tesolnathanghall

Image courtesy of Ethan Lofton

In some of my previous posts, I have talked about how I would like to explore some of the things I have discovered through the use of an action research (AR) study in my classroom. For those who are not exactly sure what AR is, I have decided to do something a little different and have compiled some of the AR books and articles I have read on the subject that I have found helpful for me as a language teacher. Think of this as a pseudo annotated bibliography. It isn’t extensive by any means, but I hope it gives you a better picture of the use of AR as a form of professional development (PD). Continue reading Problematising →

Seizing

August 12, 2013Uncategorizedelt, esl, esol, teaching, tesl, tesol, timenathanghall

Image courtesy of North Charleston

I hate wristwatches and pretty much always have. I got my first watch for my sixth birthday that had a little boy with a dog on it. I loved the watch to look at, but I just didn’t like wearing. I am one of those strange people that hates having things on their wrist. Drives me completely crazy. As a result of my slightly obsessive behaviour, I was forced to rely on my ‘internal clock’ to keep me on time. I have honed that skill quite nicely, thank you very much, to the point that my wife thinks it is fun to test my from time to time. I am usually within about 10 minutes of the correct time, so I still have some room to grow. For more precise time, I rely on my cell phone, of course.

Yesterday, I was listening to a podcast that was talking about time and the speaker mentioned that the ancient Greeks used to use two main words for time: chronos for measuring time (ie. seconds, hours, days, etc.), and kairos which has a number of nuances to it, but generally means the quality of the time. Continue reading Seizing →

Cheating

August 9, 2013Uncategorizedcheating, elt, esl, plagiarism, tesolnathanghall

Image courtesy of Quinn Dombrowski

Here I was, a young, eager English teacher fresh out of college standing in front of a group of students at a business college in Lithuania. We had been together for 3 months and now the time had arrived for me to hand out my first exam as a language instructor. I had been warned that Lithuanians were masters in the ‘art’ of cheating (obviously a major generalization that comes from a negative cultural attitude) so I was prepared to not be ‘outsmarted’ by my students. It was me against them and I was ready to show them who was boss. The exam was carried out in the evening and with the bright lights in the room along with the darkness outside, I planned on using the reflection in the window as my secret weapon. And it worked. I managed to catch a woman redhanded as she pulled out a cheat sheet as my back was turned. I bolted over and grabbed her exam and told her to leave immediately. The class was in shock. She started to cry as she ran out of the classroom. In that moment, my heart sank as I realized what I had just done. I felt sick. To be honest, I still feel terrible about it. Sure, she had cheated, but what does that actually mean? What could I have done differently to avoid this situation? How should I have handled that moment to the betterment of the whole class? Continue reading Cheating →

Giving

August 8, 2013Uncategorizedelt, elt research, giving, peer-feedback, writingnathanghall

Image courtesy of Tim Green

One of the tasks I was assigned while working for a shipping company in Lithuania was to read over and edit various documents that had been translated (I use that term loosely here) into English. While some of the documents had been done by a trained specialist and were quite good, there were others that were handed to me that were ‘translated’ by someone named Google. You can imagine the difficulties I faced trying to decipher what was trying to be communicated and I would often have to ask for the Lithuanian version as a comparison. Even though my Lithuanian was weak, I could often piece together what was written and then edit that into something that understandable in English.

I noticed something interesting after doing a few of these documents. While I wouldn’t say that I was make great strides in my acquisition of the Lithuanian language, I was able to piece together some common phrases that I could use in my everyday life. It was this process of deciphering and interpreting the language that I was able to make connections in the language for myself. It also helped me find places where I could help my students in their language learning process.

I came across an interesting journal article the other day on the role of the ‘giver’ in peer-editing. Continue reading Giving →

Burning

August 4, 2013Uncategorizedclassroom, elt, failure, growth, nurture, risk, tesolnathanghall

Image courtesy of Ian Barbour

Many, many years ago, I spent five months travelling around the beautiful country of Australia. Of that time, I spent six weeks in the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney in the small town of Katoomba. At the edge of town were The Three Sisters, a rock formation that towered over the vast and dense forest valley. I had the opportunity to meet a man who worked as one of the forest fire fighters in the area and he was telling me that there was a concern that the area hadn’t experienced a fire in many years. I found it odd that a fire fighter wanted a fire to come, but he explained that the longer it went on without a major burn, the larger and more difficult it would become to extinguish once it did. He also stressed the importance of fires in helping the forest regenerate and experience new and better growth.

It makes me think about how we control things in the classroom. Are we so worried about students ‘failing’ that we end up stunting their growth? Continue reading Burning →

Preparing

August 1, 2013Uncategorizedblog carnival, elt, elt research, listening, pre-listeningnathanghall

Image courtesy of Calsidyrose

Note: This post is my submission for the 1st ELT Research Blog Carnival. If you are interested in knowing more about writing one yourself, please go to the ELT Research Blog Carnival website.

I was barely 16 and has just moved to the ‘big city’ when I started looking for my first job. With a fist full of resumes and a dress shirt and tie on, I wandered up and down the shopping mall looking for help wanted signs when I spotted a notice in the photo store window. Having grown up around photographers and my dad having a photo shop and studio when I was younger, I thought this would make a great fit. I strode up to the counter and asked for the manager. She came out and I politely introduced myself and handed her my resume. She took a minute to look things over before spinning around and grabbing a semi-professional camera off of the shelf. “Sell it to me,” she exclaimed as she handed the camera to me. I was stunned. In that moment, I was caught completely off guard and didn’t know what to do. I took the camera (which was a new model for me) and looked it over. My brain was whirling. I was panicking. All of those things I had prepared myself for before walking into the shop fell away. I knew about photography and cameras, but that sudden disruption to my plan took me off guard.

Now, think about your students at the moment just before you press play on the class CD that came with your textbook. Are they ready, or are they slipping into panic mode? Do they know what is expected of them or are they just left to figure things out as they go along? Compound the problem by making the listening a high-stakes test such as an exit exam. How do you think they feel now? Continue reading Preparing →

Valuing

July 29, 2013Uncategorizednathanghall

Image courtesy of Kimberly Kling

Quickly think of the mark you received on your grade 10 math midterm. Can’t think of it? Okay, another one. Think of a trendy piece of clothing you purchased in 1999. If you can think of one, how much did you pay for it?

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about value and worth. Yesterday, I read an interesting article about the the use of grades in education. I also read this thought provoking post found on Inside Higher Ed that talks about our worth as professionals. The argument here is that we should be compensated (ie. paid) according to our worth.

So what does it mean that something is of value or worth? Continue reading Valuing →

Blogging

July 27, 2013ELT Research Blog Carnivalblog, blog carnival, blogging, documents, elt, eltresearch, eportfolio, PDnathanghall

Image courtesy of Alexander Baxevanis

Note: This is in response to the post I did yesterday about the ELT Research Blog Carnival. Some of you asked about another option rather than blogging since some of you don’t blog. I wanted to respond to that and to provide some options. Also, I recently read a post by Rose Bard about her blogging experience. You can read it here. I also read a post by Vicky Loras about PD and blogging. You can read it here.

In January 2012, I made a resolution that I was going to start a blog as well as join Twitter as a way of sharing what I was learning and to learn from other ELT professionals. Knowing how successful resolutions tend to be, I wasn’t expecting much out of it, but I was at least willing to make an effort to try and make it work. I was pleasantly surprised (and still am) that so many people would be open to reading, commenting, and sharing what I wrote. I was also able to meet some amazing people who have added to my growth as a teacher. With the amount of information that was out there, I never expected to be noticed. All of that is great, but what does blogging do for me and for those I keep in touch with? Here are some reasons to blog as a teaching professional: Continue reading Blogging →

Inviting

July 26, 2013ELT Research Blog Carnivalacademic research, blog carnival, elt, elt research, eltresearchnathanghall

Image courtesy of  Theis Kofoed Hjorth

For those who have been reading my posts over the past few weeks or following me on Twitter, you are probably aware that I am working on reading more academic journal articles in order to grow as a professional. In the course of sharing that in my posts and tweets, I have had some encouraging comments from others that they are also interested in reading research articles and discussing it with one another. The idea of an article discussion group was mentioned by Phil Chappell where colleagues could get together and share what they have been reading. I wondered how that could work online with people getting together from all over the world. Here are some of the ideas I pondered and what I eventually settled on. Continue reading Inviting →

ELT Reflections

Musings of a teacher always in training