El aprendizaje cooperativo con el uso de nuevas tecnologías. Aplicación transversal en las asignaturas de Urbanismo de los estudios de Arquitectura

La enseñanza y el aprendizaje en materias de Urbanismo con una segunda lengua vehicular —en este caso en inglés—, suponen retos en cuanto a las metodologías y estrategias pedagógicas. El objetivo de esta investigación es reconocer dichos retos a partir de la puesta en común de la experiencia docente y discente de la reciente oferta de un grupo en inglés, dentro del contexto de las asignaturas obligatorias de Urbanismo del Grado en Arquitectura y del Grado en Fundamentos de la Arquitectura de la Universidad de Alicante. Así, se define un marco de reflexión en torno a, principalmente, tres cuestiones. Por una parte, identificar cuál es la motivación del alumnado para cursar asignaturas de Urbanismo en inglés; por otra parte, averiguar cuáles son las expectativas que se presentan de cara al inicio del curso tanto por parte del profesorado como de los estudiantes y, por último, poner de manifiesto los logros y dificultades detectadas tras la experiencia.

La Enseñanza en Inglés de las Asignaturas de Urbanismo en Arquitectura de la Universidad de Alicante

La enseñanza y el aprendizaje en materias de Urbanismo con una segunda lengua vehicular —en este caso en inglés—, suponen retos en cuanto a las metodologías y estrategias pedagógicas. El objetivo de esta investigación es reconocer dichos retos a partir de la puesta en común de la experiencia docente y discente de la reciente oferta de un grupo en inglés, dentro del contexto de las asignaturas obligatorias de Urbanismo del Grado en Arquitectura y del Grado en Fundamentos de la Arquitectura de la Universidad de Alicante. Así, se define un marco de reflexión en torno a, principalmente, tres cuestiones. Por una parte, identificar cuál es la motivación del alumnado para cursar asignaturas de Urbanismo en inglés; por otra parte, averiguar cuáles son las expectativas que se presentan de cara al inicio del curso tanto por parte del profesorado como de los estudiantes y, por último, poner de manifiesto los logros y dificultades detectadas tras la experiencia.

Identity construction through phonetic crossing among young Capetonian gang members

Uncountable gangs operate in post-Apartheid South Africa, particularly in greater Cape Town, competing over turf and controlling the drug trade. Consequently, gang violence is rife in Western Cape and especially widespread in urban areas. In this paper young Capetonians’ narratives of gang violence are analyzed. In the narratives of attacks on Black or White South Africans by Coloured gang members, the Coloured narrators make use of their victims’ varieties of English, more precisely, of phonetic features. Hence, the aggressors do language crossing towards their targets when narrating their feats. Rampton (1995a:485) considers language crossing a ‘code alternation by people who are not accepted members of the group associated with the second language that they are using (code switching into varieties that are not generally thought to belong to them)’. This switching involves a transgression of social or ethnic boundaries that allows the young gangsters to construct, negotiate, uphold and manage their social identities, as language still functions as an utterly important identity marker in post-Apartheid South Africa.

A comparison of picture description abilities in individuals with vascular subcortical lesions and Huntington's Disease

The lexical-semantic and syntactic abilities of a group of individuals with chronic nonthalamic subcortical (NS) lesions following stroke (n = 6) were investigated using the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB) picture description task [Kertesz, A. (1982). The Western aphasia battery. New York: Grune and Stratton] and compared with those of a group of subjects with Huntington's Disease (HD) (n = 6) and a nonneurologically impaired control group (n = 6) matched for age, sex, and educational level. The performance of the NS and HD subjects did not differ significantly from the well controls on measures of lexical-semantic abilities. NS and HD subjects provided as much information about the target picture as control subjects, but produced fewer action information units. Analysis of syntactic abilities revealed that the HD subjects produced significantly more grammatical errors than both the NS and control subjects and that the NS group performed in a similar manner to control subjects. These findings are considered in terms of current theories of subcortical language function Learning outcomes: As a result of this activity, the reader will obtain information about the debate surrounding the role of subcortical language mechanisms and be provided with new information on the comparative picture description abilities of individuals with known vascular and degenerative subcortical pathologies and healthy control participants. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of music therapy services on classroom behaviours of newly arrived refugee students in Australia

This pilot study examined the effects of a short-term music therapy program on the classroom behaviours of newly arrived refugee students who were attending an intensive 'English as a Second Language' secondary school. A cross-over design with two five-week intervention periods was employed with group music therapy sessions conducted one or two times per week. Data from the Behaviour Assessment Scale for Children were used to evaluate a range of positive and negative school behaviours. A significant decrease in externalising behaviours was found with particular reference to hyperactivity and aggression. No significant differences were found in other behaviours. Explanations and implications of these findings are discussed.

Development of a multi-tiered speech annotation system for accented English

This paper discusses methodological issues in the development of a multitiered, phonetic annotation system, intended to capture pronunciation variation in the speech of second language learners and to serve in construction of a data base for training ASR models to recognize major pronunciation variants in the assessment of accented English.

APRENDIZAGENS NA MODALIDADE EAD: A ÓPTICA DE ALUNOS DO CURSO DE LETRAS DE UMA INSTITUIÇÃO DE ENSINO SUPERIOR DO GRANDE ABC

Com os avanços tecnológicos de comunicação e informação (TICs) e a utilização em larga escala da internet, tem-se uma inovação no processo educativo que pode se valer de instrumentos diferenciados e permitir acesso à informação e à educação para um maior número de pessoas. A partir dessa evolução, a implantação de programas nacionais de Educação a Distância (EAD) no país começou a ocorrer de forma significativa. Esta modalidade acompanha o avanço das tecnologias e a democratização do acesso à educação, expandindo-se de forma visível, conquistando novos espaços e permitindo que o processo da educação aconteça de maneira eficiente, buscando formar discentes críticos e participativos do seu processo de formação educacional. Com base nesta perspectiva, este trabalho teve como objetivo discutir a aprendizagem sob a óptica do aluno de um curso de Letras na modalidade EAD. Realizou-se, para tanto, a contextualização histórica da EAD no mundo, no Brasil e na instituição alvo desta pesquisa. A metodologia utilizada para este fim foi uma pesquisa qualitativa e o corpus de pesquisa são as respostas dos sujeitos participantes a um questionário de caráter exploratório. Foram elaboradas três categorias para análise do conteúdo das respostas Opção pelo curso em EAD: tecnologia versus disponibilidade temporal; Interação via AVA: desvelando o preparo dos atores atuantes na modalidade e Fatores que implicam no processo de aprendizagem na modalidade EAD: autonomia, organização e comprometimento. Alguns aspectos se evidenciaram nesta pesquisa e possibilitaram concluir que a EAD na instituição pesquisada tem buscado contemplar as necessidades existentes nesse cenário, por meio do oferecimento de ações educativas e de recursos tecnológicos que possam oferecer aos alunos uma educação de qualidade, com uma relação de interação contínua, na qual a distância não seja uma limitação. Para tanto, requer dos alunos uma postura de comprometimento, interesse, organização e disciplina, pois dessa forma, as aprendizagens nessa modalidade podem ser tão significativas e eficazes quanto na presencial. Nesse sentido, foi possível inferir também, que os alunos da EAD têm procurado responder a tais exigências adequando-se a elas de forma consciente ao demonstrar, sobretudo, autonomia e visão crítica de que só assim poderão se tornar sujeitos ativos e participativos do processo de construção do próprio conhecimento.

POSSIBILIDADES DO ENSINO DA LÍNGUA ESPANHOLA NOS ANOS INICIAIS DO ENSINO FUNDAMENTAL: UMA PROPOSTA DE FORMAÇÃO DOCENTE

Esta dissertação surgiu de um projeto realizado na rede oficial de ensino do município de Santo André (SP) no período de agosto a dezembro de 2008 junto aos professores inscritos no curso Formação sobre culturas de língua espanhola e suas possibilidades no trabalho pedagógico . Tal projeto teve como aspecto fundamental inserir os professores dos anos iniciais na língua e na cultura espanhola, assim como na hispano-americana, direcionando-os a adquirirem uma visão globalizada das novas tendências existentes na aquisição de uma segunda língua. O curso permitiu aos professores compartilharem experiências e aprofundarem seus estudos na integração cultural e linguística, por meio de metodologias e técnicas facilitadoras, adequadas à faixa etária dos seus alunos crianças de 6 a 10 anos. A partir desse projeto, a pesquisa desenvolvida procurou teóricos para estruturar o trabalho, cuja pergunta norteadora possibilidades de introduzir o ensino de uma língua estrangeira no caso, o espanhol , nos primeiros anos do Ensino Fundamental I. Como no Brasil, não há um grande número de professores habilitados no ensino da língua espanhola, questionou-se sobre tal possibilidade, considerando ainda que as escolas municipais, que são as escolas que oferecem o Ensino Fundamental I, não apresentam em seu currículo o ensino de língua estrangeira. Com base em teóricos que apontam diferentes caminhos para se aprender uma língua estrangeira e frente ao exposto, o estudo buscou analisar os depoimentos e observações ocorridos na execução dos projetos individuais, que professores da rede municipal também sujeitos desta pesquisa elaboraram durante o curso. A análise dos questionários, da entrevista e do depoimento realizados junto a onze desses sujeitos possibilitou traçar o perfil de sua formação, da sua atuação e da sua trajetória profissional. Os dados colhidos foram analisados tendo como referencial teórico Jacques Rancière (2007) em referência a Jacotot e seu Mestre ignorante , que aborda conceitos de explicação, igualdade e vontade, submetendo-os à análise de conteúdo. Nesse contexto, foram extraídas as reflexões sobre as possibilidades de prática pedagógica na vivência dos professores durante a execução do projeto. O estudo considerou, após esta experiência, que existe a possibilidade de ministrar uma formação continuada de língua espanhola a professores que já atuem com alunos dos anos iniciais.(AU)

An investigation into the effects of processing instruction on the acquisition of English relative clauses by Syrian learners

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of Processing Instruction (VanPatten, 1996, 2007), as an input-based model for teaching second language grammar, on Syrian learners’ processing abilities. The present research investigated the effects of Processing Instruction on the acquisition of English relative clauses by Syrian learners in the form of a quasi-experimental design. Three separate groups were involved in the research (Processing Instruction, Traditional Instruction and a Control Group). For assessment, a pre-test, a direct post-test and a delayed post-test were used as main tools for eliciting data. A questionnaire was also distributed to participants in the Processing Instruction group to give them the opportunity to give feedback in relation to the treatment they received in comparison with the Traditional Instruction they are used to. Four hypotheses were formulated on the possible effectivity of Processing Instruction on Syrian learners’ linguistic system. It was hypothesised that Processing Instruction would improve learners’ processing abilities leading to an improvement in learners’ linguistic system. This was expected to lead to a better performance when it comes to the comprehension and production of English relative clauses. The main source of data was analysed statistically using the ANOVA test. Cohen’s d calculations were also used to support the ANOVA test. Cohen’s d showed the magnitude of effects of the three treatments. Results of the analysis showed that both Processing Instruction and Traditional Instruction groups had improved after treatment. However, the Processing Instruction Group significantly outperformed the other two groups in the comprehension of relative clauses. The analysis concluded that Processing Instruction is a useful tool for instructing relative clauses to Syrian learners. This was enhanced by participants’ responses to the questionnaire as they were in favour of Processing Instruction, rather than Traditional Instruction. This research has theoretical and pedagogical implications. Theoretically, the study showed support for the Input hypothesis. That is, it was shown that Processing Instruction had a positive effect on input processing as it affected learners’ linguistic system. This was reflected in learners’ performance where learners were able to produce a structure which they had not been asked to produce. Pedagogically, the present research showed that Processing Instruction is a useful tool for teaching English grammar in the context where the experiment was carried out, as it had a large effect on learners’ performance.

Teaching pronunciation:a case for a pedagogy based upon intelligibility

This thesis examines the main aim of teaching pronunciation in second language acquisition in the Syrian context. In other words, it investigates the desirable end point, namely: whether it is native-like accent, or intelligible pronunciation. This thesis also investigates the factors that affect native-like pronunciation and intelligible accent. It also analyses English language teaching methods. The currently used English pronunciation course is examined in detail too. The aim is to find out the learners’ aim of pronunciation, the best teaching method for achieving that aim, and the most appropriate course book that fulfils the aim. In order to find out learners’ aim in pronunciation, a qualitative research is undertaken. The research takes advantage of some aspects of case study. It is also supported by a questionnaire to gather data. The result of this research can be regarded as an attempt to bring the Syrian context to the current trends in the teaching of English pronunciation. The results show that learners are satisfied with intelligible pronunciation. The currently used teaching method (grammar-translation method) may be better replaced by the (communicative approach) which is more appropriate than the currently used method. It is also more effective to change the currently used book to a new one that corresponds to that aim. The current theories and issues in teaching English pronunciation that support learners’ intelligibility will be taken into account in the newly proposed course book.

French linguistics research and teaching in UK and Irish HE institutions

Introduction: The research and teaching of French linguistics in UK higher education (HE) institutions have a venerable history; a number of universities have traditionally offered philology or history of the language courses, which complement literary study. A deeper understanding of the way that the phonology, syntax and semantics of the French language have evolved gives students linguistic insights that dovetail with their study of the Roman de Renart, Rabelais, Racine or the nouveau roman. There was, in the past, some coverage of contemporary French phonetics but little on sociolinguistic issues. More recently, new areas of research and teaching have been developed, with a particular focus on contemporary spoken French and on sociolinguistics. Well supported by funding councils, UK researchers are also making an important contribution in other areas: phonetics and phonology, syntax, pragmatics and second-language acquisition. A fair proportion of French linguistics research occurs outside French sections in psychology or applied linguistics departments. In addition, the UK plays a particular role in bringing together European and North American intellectual traditions and methodologies and in promoting the internationalisation of French linguistics research through the strength of its subject associations, and that of the Journal of French Language Studies. The following sections treat each of these areas in turn. History of the French Language There is a long and distinguished tradition in Britain of teaching and research on the history of the French language, particularly, but by no means exclusively, at the universities of Cambridge, Manchester and Oxford.