 Article Discussion: Second language acquisition, teacher education and language pedagogy Date: 20-24 February 2012 Article: 'Second language acquisition, teacher education and language pedagogy', by Rod Ellis Guest facilitator: Miroslaw Pawlak, Adam Mickiewics University in Kalisz, Poland. Location: ReSIG YahooGroup Download article here. This event is open both to ReSIG members and to non-members. You can join our YahooGroup for free here. How to participate: - Join our YahooGroup at the link above. if you're not a member yet. - Download the article at the link above. - Read the article. - To help you get ready for the discussion, here are a few prompts for discussion, suggested by Mirek: 1. Is there any value in research conducted by scholars who have little experience in actual teaching? 2. Is it at all possible to reconcile the interests of theorists, researchers and practitioners for the benefit of language learning and teaching? 3. What is the role of technical (i.e. theory and research) and practical (i.e. ability to react to the exigencies of the classroom) knowledge in everyday teaching? 4. Which of the approaches mentioned by Ellis to bridging the gap between researchers and teachers is the most beneficial and feasible - that is stating pedagogical implications, making SLA accessible, research-teacher collaboration, teacher research? Are there any other solutions? 5. What research areas are the most promising in terms of bridging the gap between research and teaching? 6. How realistic is teacher research and to what extent can it offer valuable insights for research and pedagogy? 7. What is the role of teacher educators in translating theoretical positions and research findings into guidelines for classroom practice? 8. How useful are the principles listed at the end of the article for designing and running a course for future teachers? Add Comment One-day workshop: Introduction to Qualitative Research Date: 12 May 2012 Presenter: David Nunan Location: Graz, Austria Registration here. (Earlybird Delegate Payment Deadline - 27 February 2012) Scholarship opportunity (for Research SIG members only) (Deadline for applications - 15 February 2012) Further details: Title: Qualitative research in language education Format: One-day seminar consisting of lecture input, presenter-led discussion, and a number of group tasks. Presenter: David Nunan, Ph.D. Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics, University of Hong Kong Vice-President for Student Affairs and Dean, Graduate School of Education, Anaheim University, California Overview The aim of this one-day seminar is to explore theoretical and practical aspects of qualitative research in education. There will be three overlapping phases in the seminar. I. The ‘big picture’ In the first part of the seminar we will take a ‘big picture’ look at the research enterprise, discussing and clarifying the following issues and questions:
The focus of this part of the seminar is on qualitative research. We will look in greater depth at the characteristics of qualitative research that differentiate it from quantitative research. We will look at a range of methods for data collection and analysis, including case study, introspection, elicitation and observation. We will also look at ‘mixed methods’ research which, as the name suggests, deploys a range of data collection and analysis methods from both quantitative and qualitative paradigms. III. Developing a research plan In the final part of the workshop, we will look at steps in the process of developing a research plan, and at the pitfalls and possible solutions to the pitfalls that can occur during the research process.  Article Discussion: Research into practice: Vocabulary Date: 16-20 January 2012 Article: 'Research into practice: Vocabulary', by Paul Nation Guest facilitator: Anthony Bruton, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain. Location: ReSIG YahooGroup Download article here. This event is open both to ReSIG members and to non-members. You can join our YahooGroup for free here. How to participate: - Join our YahooGroup at the link above. if you're not a member yet. - Download the article at the link above. - Read the article. - To help you get ready for the discussion, here are a few prompts for discussion, suggested by Anthony: 1. What do you consider are the priorities for research into formal EFL vocabulary learning? And ESL? 2. Do you think Extensive Reading is a viable means of vocabulary expansion in typical FL contexts? Would on-line exposure and task be more accessible and as effective? 3. Do you think some tasks used in EFL vocabulary research are inappropriate: e.g. fill in the blanks; multiple-choice; write sentences with these words; etc. 4. Do you think levels tests should not only be language-specific, but context-specific (e.g. according to country). 5. Did you know about the involvement load hypothesis? If so, is it of any particular pedagogical consequence? - During the week of 16-20 January, make sure you check the posts on the YahooGroup at least once a day and add your contributions.  Article Discussion: Language teacher research engagement Date: 12-16 December 2011 Article: Language teacher research engagement, by Simon Borg Guest facilitator: Simon Borg, University of Leeds, UK Location: ReSIG YahooGroup Download article here This event is open to ReSIG members and non-members. You can join our YahooGroup for free here. How to participate: - Join our YahooGroup at the link above. if you're not a member yet. - Download the article at the link above. - Read the article. - To help you get ready for the discussion, here are a few prompts for discussion, suggested by Simon: 1. Are there any claims in the study which either support or contradict your personal experience and/or beliefs? 2. In your context, is it reasonable to expect teachers who are not engaged in formal study to engage with language teaching research? Why or why not? 3. How do you feel about the notion of teachers as consumers of published research? 4. In your context, is it reasonable to expect teachers who are not doing a course (e.g. an MA or Delta) to engage in language teaching research? Why or why not? To what extent do the barriers listed in Table 2 pertain? Are there any others in your context? 5. The article argues that inquiry which is not made public should not be called research. What are your views on this? 6. The literature raises concerns about the quality of the classroom-oriented inquiries that practising teachers often undertake. Is it fair to assess such research using the criteria that apply to research more generally? 7. What role can school leaders or departmental heads play in promoting research engagement in their schools? Do you have any positive or negative experience to cite in this respect? 8. What kinds of initiatives in language teaching might increase the extent to which teachers read and do published research? How might associations such as IATEFL contribute to such initiatives? 9. To what extent do the private EFL sector and the state EFL sector face similar challenges in enabling teachers to engage in and with research? Much less evidence exists about the state sector. 10. Respond, in an open-ended manner, to any others issues in the paper which stimulate a reaction in you. - During the week of 12-16 December, make sure you check the posts on the YahooGroup at least once a day and add your contributions.  Pre-Conference Event: How to Combine Teaching and Researching: Focus on Learners and Classroom Language Learning Date: 19 March 2012 (10am to 5pm) Presenters: Ema Ushioda (University of Warwick), Richard Smith (University of Warwick) and Sarah ,(University of Graz). Location: Glasgow, UK. You can register here. (Earlybird Delegate Payment Deadline - 27th January 2012) Our 2012 PCE explores how teaching and researching can interact with one another in fruitful ways, and discusses practicable methods that teachers may like to consider using for research in their own classrooms. This is the first in a planned series of Research SIG events on Teaching-and-Researching. This will be a practical workshop designed for teachers who are thinking of doing classroom research (for whatever reason), and will be of interest also to postgraduate students who are planning to combine teaching and researching roles. Through a combination of input, discussion and hands-on tasks, we will consider the following:
 One-day workshop: Questionnaire design and analysis Date: 10 February, 2012 Presenter: Zoltan Dornyei Location: Coventry University, UK Library Room 209, Lanchester Library, Coventry University (no. 18 on this map: http://wwwm.coventry.ac.uk/university/maps/Pages/Campusmap.aspx) How to get there (including parking information): http://wwwm.coventry.ac.uk/university/maps/Pages/Travelinformation.aspx Timetable: Registration opens at 10.00am The workshop begins at 10.30 Lunch is included in the event price The workshop will finish by 4.00pm Registration here Zoltan Dornyei, Professor of Psycholinguistics at the University of Nottingham, is world-renowned for his research into language learning motivation. He is no less well-known for his expertise in the area of questionnaire-based research methods. Routledge have recently published the second edition of Zoltan's Questionnaires in Second Language Research: Construction, Administration, and Processing. This promises to be an unmissable workshop with a 'master of the trade', so book now to avoid disappointment - spaces are limited! ReSIG's 'mission' 01/08/2011
We moved to this website at the beginning of August 2011. We'd love to hear your views on it, and more generally on what IATEFL's Research SIG should be doing or should be 'for' - whether or not you are a member. Please feel free to comment on these matters below, to introduce yourself, or to start a new thread! | AuthorWelcome to IATEFL ReSIG blog! ArchivesFebruary 2012 CategoriesAll |
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