Reflective Listening in Heraclitus

To provide authentic language use situations for classroom activities, videotaped materials have been introduced in teaching and learning settings. In language testing, these materials raise our expectations about the potential usefulness to measure academic listening ability of non-native speakers of English. In spite of this apparent superior authenticity of a videotape formatted listening test (VFLT), much more theoretical justification and experimental research are needed to support the usefulness of VFLTs. The purpose of this study was to investigate validity evidence for the VFLT usefulness as a measure of academic lecture listening ability. Validity evidence was assessed with 83 ESL students enrolled at a midwestern university. Concurrent validity evidence, empirical item analysis, and experimental manipulation were tested. Analysis of the test results provided convincing support of the validity evidence of the VFLT. Moreover, the strong relationship between test performance and aspects of authentic and interactive tasks in the VFLT provides a justification for revision of test method facets in conventional ESL listening tests.     

On the Curriculum Design of College English Major:The Case of Sichuan University

It is a truth universally acknowledged that curriculum design,especially of liberal arts,plays a vital role in the whole educational process.The course offering of English major highly determines graduates' development in lifetime.Not only should the courses of basic language skills,language knowledge,culture and interrelated knowledge be included in English major's curriculum according to national syllabus,but also courses of general education and language practice should be considered.Course offering ought to consider developing English major students' language skills as well as humanist qualities.This paper aims at analyzing the curriculum design of English major in Sichuan University and making proposals for the course offering of college English Department.     

Linguistic Capital and Academic Achievement of Canadian- and Foreign-Born University Students

Au Canada, plusieurs universités prennent des mesures pour recruter des immigrants ou leurs enfants et satisfaire leurs besoins—et parmi eux plusieurs ont l'anglais comme langue seconde. Il n'y a pas de recherches au Canada qui comparent la progression potentielle du capital linguistique des étudiants ayant l'anglais comme langue seconde et celui des autres étudiants au fil de leur parcours universitaire, avec les relations entre les progressions du capital linguistique et de l'acquisition des connaissances. L'auteur montre dans cette étude que, contrairement aux étudiants canadiens et ceux nés à l'étranger pour lesquels l'anglais est la première langue, le capital linguistique des étudiants nés à l'étranger dont l'anglais est une langue seconde s'accroît au cours des quatre années d'études universitaires. Cependant, cette augmentation du capital linguistique ne correspond pas à une augmentation de l'acquisition des connaissances.
In Canada, many universities are taking steps to recruit and meet the needs of immigrants and/or their sons and daughters, many of whom have English as a second language (ESL). There is, however, no research in Canada comparing potential increases in the linguistic capital of ESL and other students over the course of their university careers and the connection between increases in linguistic capital and academic achievement. In this study, it is shown that in contrast to Canadian- and foreign-born students for whom English is a first language, and Canadian-born ESL students, the linguistic capital of foreign-born ESL students increases over 4 years of university study; however, this increase in linguistic capital is not paralleled by an increase in academic achievement.     

Indo-China: Storm Center of Southeast Asia

The authors report the findings of a survey study in which they investigated high school social studies teachers' current practices, challenges, and needs in relation to instruction of English language learners (ELLs). Thirty-three high school social studies teachers in six English as a second language (ESL)-centered schools in central Virginia participated in the study. Drawing on the findings, three themes demand particular attention: the challenges that social studies teachers face teaching ELLs; the accommodations teachers currently make for ELLs; and the types of support teachers need to teach ELLs social studies more effectively. The authors include findings from the field of second-language education to raise social studies teachers' consciousness about their ELLs' needs and conclude with a number of practical suggestions related to instruction and differentiation that are crucial for social studies teachers to help ELLs learn effectively. Further dialogues are needed, particularly regarding ESL inclusion and teachers' critical awareness of serving this particular group of students.     

‘Making Pies’—A Way of Exploring Pupils’ Views on Curriculum Innovation

This article examines the use of focus groups (FGs) as a way of gathering pupils’ views on the implementation of new curricula. We provide illustrations of creative activities, which were especially designed for a case‐study research project exploring the views of 11‐year‐old pupils in English schools adopting an innovative approach to the Year 7 curriculum. We argue that combining FGs with creative methods encourages pupils to take an active role in interviews, enriches the quality of the data being collected and enhances the place of FGs as important tools in eliciting pupils’ voices for both research and curriculum planning purposes.     

项目化高职文秘职业英语口语课程开发研究

目前高职大量课程不能完全适应社会的需要、学生技能下降、就业困难等问题层出不穷。按项目流程改革课程体系,从课程开发、课程模式、课程内容与手段、课程评估多方面入手,建立起以项目带动、工作流程、系统化的课程,构建项目化教学体系是高职课改的关键。文章以《文秘职业实用口语》为例进行研究。     

Identity as a site of difference: toward a complex understanding of identity in multilingual,multicultural classrooms

Cummins suggested that within a social context of unequal power relations, classroom interactions are never neutral, but located on a continuum ranging between the reinforcement of coercive relations of power and the promotion of collaborative relations of power. Drawing on this understanding, the purpose of this paper is to examine instructional practices and interactional dynamics in elementary English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to explore the impact of the English-dominant instructional context on emergent bilingual students’ access to and investment in literacy learning. The paper is based upon a selection of data from a collaborative research project conducted in a multilingual, multicultural elementary school in a large Canadian city. The paper describes students’ creation of multimodal, multilingual stories about their migration experiences and explores how making these stories opened opportunities for negotiating understandings of students’ identifications. The paper concludes that, though relations of power tend to endure in English language teaching, pedagogical pivot points exist, offering the possibility to transform these understandings through an affective practice and relation.     

Receptivity toward Immigrants in Rural Pennsylvania: Perceptions of Adult English as Second Language Providers*

This article uses interview and questionnaire data to examine how adult English as a second language (ESL) providers in rural Pennsylvania perceive community receptivity toward immigrants and the factors they believe foster or hinder receptivity and immigrants' integration. ESL providers' depictions of local responses to immigrants ranged from welcoming to hostile. They identified four constellations of factors that influenced receptivity: national and local politics, the labor market and immigrant occupations, immigrants' ability to look or act like native-born residents, and community institutions. This study reveals how differing contexts of reception are believed to influence immigrants' incorporation into rural communities. It also highlights the role of educators and educational institutions in creating a welcoming atmosphere that supports immigrants' socioeconomic well-being.     

Challenges for ESL teacher professionalization in the US: a case study

As the language minority student population in the US increases at a rapid pace, a larger number of teachers are pursuing a primary or secondary certification in English as a Second Language (ESL). This case study describes the professional development efforts to provide an ESL endorsement to a group of K‐12 teachers in a large mid‐western university. It describes the systemic nature underlying their professional development, highlighting the influence of different constituencies. These range from federal, state, county and district levels to the university teacher preparation program, as well as the teachers themselves. By understanding how these factors influence teachers' professional development, the authors identify important lessons that can be learned by teacher educators.     

英语学习者如何利用移动多媒体提高英语技能

早在2004年教育部颁布的《大学英语课程教学要求》中,就已经提出了信息技术对大学英语课程建设的重要意义和应用前景。随着多媒体科技的日趋成熟和发展完善,移动多媒体得到迅猛发展。现在,大学生拥有越来越多的随身数码装备,为学习者打造个人的移动多媒体中心提供了可能性。文章就如何利用移动媒体对学生进行培养和训练做了探讨。     

The Cultural Genogram: experiences from within a marriage and family therapy training program

The purpose of this article is to illustrate and demonstrate the use of the Cultural Genogram (CG) in a graduate-level course in gender and culture for family therapists-in-training at a large Midwestern university's accredited program in family therapy. Although the importance of the CG as a training tool is delineated by Hardy and Laszloffy, very little information exists about the actual implementation and usefulness of this tool within a training program for family therapists. In this article, we present a qualitative research study of the lived experiences of a class of women from diverse cultures as they constructed and presented their CGs. We discuss the basic curriculum and structure of the course in which the CG was used, the process the class members developed to create and present their CGs, the effects of presenting the CGs, and a set of recommendations and ideas for further exploration.     

The client-centered approach as a foundation for teaching the introductory course in public relations

The introductory or fundamentals course in public relations is the bedrock of the public relations curriculum. It introduces students to the field and prepares them for the remainder of the curriculum. Students learn the history of the field, the breadth of the practice, and the basic tools for research and planning. It can also be a starting point for their portfolios.This article describes a client-centered approach to the introductory course. The client-centered approach has students develop materials for a “client.” The materials introduce students to basic public relations tasks as well as offering a start to the portfolio. A full outline of the course, including assignments, is explained. The client-centered approach combines the use of the knowledge and skills that are the foundation of public relations practice.     

Heteronormativity Prevails: A Study of Sexuality in Norwegian Social Work Bachelor Programs

This article reviews how sexuality is addressed in the curricula of Norwegian social work bachelor’s programs. The purpose of the review was to examine whether heteronormativity was problematized in social work curricula. A keyword search revealed that sexuality was addressed in only 0.08% of curriculum materials in the 2013–2014 academic year (90 pages). Among the 6 articles identified that addressed sexuality, a thematic analysis showed that 5 problematized heteronormative assumptions, whereas 1 focused solely on problematic aspects of being gay and lesbian. The finding that heteronormativity was addressed in less than 0.08% of course content indicates that heteronormativity prevails. This study concludes that heteronormative discourses dominate the curricula of Norwegian social work bachelor’s programs. Suggestions for reorienting course content to address sexuality as a hierarchical construction producing otherness are presented.     

以职业能力为核心的职业教育课程体系研究

使学生毕业后能顺利就业,必须以学生的职业能力培养为中心,提升学生的就业创业能力和竞争力。而要实现这一点,必须建立以职业能力为核心的职业教育课程体系．从课程设置、课程内容、课程目标、教学模式和教学方法直至教学评价,凸显职业教育“以就业为导向、以服务为宗旨”的特色。     

Including Spirituality in the Social Work Curriculum: Perspectives from South Asia

This article is based on a study of 1,084 social work educators from six South Asian countries on their perspectives on including spirituality in the social work curriculum. Findings revealed that all educators across countries felt that a course on spirituality was desirable. They differed however in aspects such as level of course introduction (undergraduate or postgraduate), the nature of the course (optional or compulsory) and the curriculum content (evidence based or experiential). Further educators construed varied meanings of spirituality (transcendence, mind-soul discourse, relational) and spiritually sensitive practice (actively using spirituality and mindfulness as methods of practice for intervention and drawing upon the spiritual strength and potential of the clientele/group/community to plan intervention). Four log regression models also determined predictors of educators' perceptions on spirituality for micro practice, macro practice, level of course introduction and curriculum content. Country, educators' religious background, years of service and scores on Spirituality Assessment Scale emerged as key predictors. Based on educators' responses, this article provides a suggestive frame for the curriculum. With spirituality and its plausible settings of applications, a case is also made for giving credence to indigenising and decolonising approaches in social work education in South Asia.     

Curriculum Planning in Social Work Education

The authors identify two approaches to curriculum planning: rational-linear and heuristic-incremental. To offset the shortcomings of either the authors suggest a synthesis of both in the curriculum planning process. Several applications in using a combined approach illustrate greater flexibility in dealing with curriculum problems. Closely interrelated to the approach to curriculum planning are the factors of the educational continuum, the structure of the curriculum planning body, and the role of administrative leadership. These factors are explored as they impact on the process and outcomes of curriculum planning.     

A curriculum model for a community development approach to community-based rehabilitation

Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) is not a new concept but has become the focus for groups such as the World Health Organisation and other international aid agencies in facilitating the availability of rehabilitation services in developing countries throughout the world. Although much of the literature debates institutional versus community-based services and auxiliary versus fully trained personnel, little information is available to address the curriculum issues relating to training personnel to undertake CBR activities. The purpose of this paper is to present a curriculum model for preparing and implementing short programme workshops to encourage the development of CBR in different cultural settings. The curriculum model has foundations which are firmly rooted in curriculum and educational theory and concepts. It provides a flexible adult learning approach to introduce the broad concepts of CBR, providing the participants with culturally relevant, concrete, practical tools to allow the implementation of CBR activities. The workshop model has been used successfully with participants from diverse or homogeneous backgrounds.