International Teachers of English Conference Abstracts

Turkmenistan

EFL Students’ Communicative Skills Development at Different Levels -- S.M. Ishankuliyeva, IREX Grantee

Now that communicative skills have become indispensable for interactive survival in the global setting, oral communicative competence is looked upon as one of the most necessary language skills for developing language proficiency. In the given presentation I would like to look at the issue of developing the English language students’ communicative skills. First, I am going to give some grounds for the communicative approach that is widely used all over the world. Then, I will describe a number of activities to be used in the EFL classroom at different levels and show their effectiveness in achieving the set goals.

There are several principles in developing and selecting the communicative activities: message-oriented communication, learner-centered activities, active learning, cooperation and empathy. The concept “communicative competence” characterizes the ability of classroom language learners to interact with other speakers, to make meaning, as distinct from their ability to recite dialogues or perform on discrete tests of grammatical knowledge.

To facilitate the English language learners’ communicative skills, various communicative fluency activities can be recommended. All these activities can be used depending on the proficiency level of students. We would like to recommend to you some of these activities grouping them according to the level.

Modality and the Linguistic Devices of its Expression in English
and Turkmen -- Professor F.A. Agayewa, Head of the English Department of D. Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages

The past two decades have seen a remarkable and wholly desirable upsurge, within linguistics, of interest in language as a social phenomenon.

The title of my report is designed to indicate that it will be directly concerned with modality and the linguistic devices of its expression in two non-cognate languages, English and Turkmen, in general. The fact that different scholars have dealt with modals and modality in so many different ways is a clear indication of the complexity of the issues involved and of the difficulty of arriving at any completely simple and completely convincing analysis. This work aims, therefore, to give a general idea of the nature of the problem and of an approach to its solution and to propose the linguistic devices of expressing modality in the contrastive languages.

There is considerable vitality left in the study of modality, despite the fact that as a philosophical and linguistic concept it has been the object of continual scrutiny and reformulation since at least the time of Aristotle. The quantity of recent works on modality by linguists and philosophers is evidence of the continuing fascination it still commands. And yet, paradoxically, in spite of the vastness of the available literature, it is by no means easy to find out what modality actually is. The problem is that a number of different disciplines and sub-disciplines have each approached the notion of modality from different starting points, and in each case the nature of the goal has come to be defined in terms of the means of approach, with the result that not only does the question “What is modality?” have a number of different answers, but the question itself must be formulated differently according to the type of answer one expects to obtain. And yet, by restricting oneself to one type of approach long enough to be able to obtain some clear idea of what kind of question it is permissible to ask, one automatically cuts oneself off from other equally valid lines of enquiry which might have had an important bearing on the very problems one has become involved with. In view of this, the ideal solution would be to proceed on several different fronts at the same time—and this, to some extent, is the strategy which underlies the present study, although for ease of access I have tried to keep the major approaches reasonably separate, and have relied on cross-references to establish important links and build up the overall picture.

To seek to understand modality is to set out on a fascinating voyage of discovery in the human mind. Many past studies have focused more or less exclusively on that small set of items known as the “modal verbs”: can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, must, ought (to) and perhaps need. We must first consider what is meant by “modal” or “modal verb” and by “modality”, and how the two concepts may be related.

Planning in Teaching Foreign Language -- Professor Ali Kurbanov, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, D. Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages

[Professor Ali Kurbanov will present the step-by-step process of developing a foreign language lesson plan, in accord with the following three key principles]

• Practical — pupils acquire habits and skills in using a foreign language
• Educational — they develop their mental abilities and intelligence in the process of learning the foreign language
• Cultural — pupils extend their knowledge of the world in which they live.

Unit Planning: The teacher needs two kinds of plans to work successfully: the plan of a series of class-periods for a lesson or unit of the textbook or a unit plan, and the daily plan or the lesson plan for a particular class-period.

Planning a Class-Period: The unit plan completed the teacher may move into planning a class-period or a daily plan which, in addition to what has been determined by the unit plan, indicates the ways the teacher will follow to organize his class to work during the lesson. Therefore the daily plan includes (1) what should be achieved during this particular lesson, (2) what material is used for achieving the objectives, and (3) how the objectives should be achieved.

English for Specific Purposes A.G. Kuliev — Senior Lecturer, Magtymguly Turkmen State University

English for specific purposes is a priority in teaching the students for whom English proficiency is a strong professional requirement. Professional English is a real language for a real goal, so it is characterized by clear and correct sentences that convey ideas precisely. The vocabulary is characterized by the use of special terms and terminological word combinations.

It is very important to prepare a good curriculum to teach the course. Much depends on the choice of teaching material and the methods used while teaching.

“International Law and International Relations” major implies English proficiency as a powerful tool of diplomacy.

“International Law and International Relations” English course has been worked out for the 3 and 4-year students of the “Law and International Relations” department, Magtymguly Turkmen State University. The objective of this course is to master language skills being necessary for professional purposes. The course has been elaborated within the English language methodology for specific purposes.

The course includes the following aspects:

• Directed studies
• Technical writing
• Composition
• Public speaking
• Newspaper reading

Directed studies assists students to improve their English in different ways:

• it gives the students practice in developing professional reading skills
• perfects topical vocabulary
• develops the skills of independent and individual work

There are many texts which are designed for specific needs of students of this course. The texts have been selected to improve and gain knowledge and skills related to their future professional activity. The students study and research problems related to international affairs, diplomacy, human rights, global economy and international law. Such an approach enables students to formulate language patterns which may be followed up while working on this or that topic.

Composition is designed to arouse students’ interest, foster critical thinking and provide context for writing assignments. It assists to develop and improve skills in writing.

The goal of Public Speaking course is to guide students to better understand how speakers and audiences interact. The course combines lecture, discussion, reading, workshop style exercise, and videotaping of speeches so as to move each student to develop and illustrate ideas and information.

It helps to become a confident, articulate and ethical speaker by gaining both theoretical and practical knowledge of public speaking and related communication processes.

The Technical writing course is aimed at increasing students’ ability to get the thoughts down on paper in a simple, orderly, intelligible fashion, giving students an understanding of the tools of writing-sentences, paragraphs, words. It familiarizes students with the kinds of writing that students will be doing on the job and give them practice in developing professional writing, so that they will be able to plan and write documents clearly, correctly, concisely and effectively.

Newspaper reading gives the students practice in developing newspaper-reading skills, in studying issues of current events of the world. Current events and problems are reviewed and discussed by the students on the basic original newspapers and journals. It greatly helps students to improve political vocabulary.

English for International Law and Diplomacy within the teaching for specific purposes is exactly the approach which assists students to accomplish tasks in the English proficiency that will enable them to use English in their professional activity.

English Classes at the American Corners

All people who study foreign language know how important is to have the opportunity to communicate in the language he/she studies. The best place for our young people to practice their English in Turkmenabat city is the American corner. Work of the American Corner focuses on educational goals, and the main goal is to help young people to develop their English language skills to be able to speak, to write, to understand and to increase their chances in getting higher education, or find a good job. Regular classes are conducted by Peace Corps Volunteers, FLEX and TEA alumni. Cross-cultural aspect becomes a very important factor in the construction of the lessons. Great interest of the visitors to the American English and culture becomes the basis of the whole work of our teachers. Their own experience in the United States helps to be convincing in interpreting words and situations. Grammar, new vocabulary, conversational models are introduced in the process of discussion of different situations from life, both American and Turkmen. They design their lessons like lively open contact with students. Games, humor, songs, non-formal communication, and friendly atmosphere - such an approach attracts students and gives visible results. They soon begin speaking without any fear, find friends and feel themselves relaxed, and start to plan their life and career.

Teaching English Grammar Through Translation -- Serdar Shirov

My presentation is based on my course “English Grammar Through Translation” which I conducted on a voluntary basis at ACCELS office in Ashgabat in February and March of 2006. This course was designed for students of the secondary school and the higher educational institutions, who were on the level of advanced English speakers. The objective was to explain to the participants the peculiarities of English grammar on the basis of written translation. My motives for creating and conducting such a course were the following. During my practice, I met two kinds of problems related to teaching English grammar. The first problem was how to teach grammar in a limited time boundary. The second problem was how to enrich the theory of grammar with a practical component. My course consisted of eight lessons and was taught on a weekly basis. Access to the course was free with preliminary registration.

The course was designed for advanced speakers of English, the students of the secondary school and higher educational institutions. We met once a week at ACCELS office in Ashgabat. On the average, 8-10 persons participated at each lesson. Altogether there were eight lessons. The course was conducted in Russian. For the course I used Posters, White Board, and Printouts. I prepared posters with grammar rules in advance, and this helped me very much to save time. The White Board was a very useful means for explanations. The printouts consisted of two sets, 12-15 copies of each. Set 1 included sheets with a brief summary of topics covered during the lesson. I distributed them among the participants at the end of the lesson, for maximal concentration of the participants’ attention on the process of interactive learning and immediate memorizing, instead of reading or writing. Set 2 included sheets with a number of sentences in Russian and English to be translated in the “Exercises” session of the lesson. The class was conducted in the form of interactive dialogue: I tried to talk to each student during the lesson. I also organized contests for the best translation. The students were encouraged to analyze each other’s translations and choose the winner.

Teaching Culture in a Foreign Language -- Oksana Cheh

Foreign language learning is comprised of several components, including grammatical competence, communicative competence, language proficiency, as well as a change in attitudes towards one’s own or another culture. For scholars and laymen alike, cultural competence, i.e., the knowledge of the conventions, customs, beliefs, and systems of meaning of another country, is indisputably an integral part of foreign language learning, and many teachers have seen it as their goal to incorporate the teaching of culture into the foreign language curriculum. A question germane to our discussion is, how can we incorporate culture into the foreign language curriculum, with a view to fostering cultural awareness and communicating insight into the target civilisation?

First, culture teaching must be commensurate with the dynamic aspects of culture. As Lessard-Clouston (1997) notes, students will indeed need to develop knowledge of and about the L2 or FL culture, but this receptive aspect of cultural competence is not sufficient. Learners will also need to master some skills in culturally appropriate communication and behavior for the target culture…Cultural awareness is necessary if students are to develop an understanding of the dynamic nature of the target culture, as well as their own culture.

Second, it is important to eschew what Lessard-Clouston (1997) calls ‘a laissez-faire approach’, when it comes to teaching methodology, and deal with culture teaching in a systematic and structured way. Third, evaluation of culture learning is a necessary component of the “foreign culture curriculum,” providing students with feedback and keeping teachers accountable in their teaching. A fourth point is made by Cruz, Bonissone, and Baff (1995) pertaining to the express need for linguistic and cultural competence as a means of achieving and negotiating nations’ political and economical identities in an ‘ever shrinking world’, as they put it.

On a practical note, culture teaching should allow learners to increase their knowledge of the target culture in terms of people’s way of life, values, attitudes, and beliefs, and how these manifest themselves or are couched in linguistic categories and forms. More specifically, the teaching of culture should make learners aware of speech acts, connotations, etiquette, that is, appropriate or inappropriate behavior, as well as provide them with the opportunity to act out being a member of the target culture.

Gaming and Simulations in the EFL Classroom Galina Sanjieva – Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

To facilitate the EFL students' communicative skills, a series of communicative activities (i. e. the activities when the target language is actually used as a means of communication) have been developed in the foreign language teaching for the last thirty-odd years. Among them are short games that usually involve movement and imagination, role-plays that direct students at enacting small scenes using their own ideas or ideas and information on role-cards, and simulation that presents a large-scale role-play with the intention of creating a much more complete, complex 'world', say of business company, international conference, TV studio, government body, etc.

For the students who study English in a non-English-speaking setting it is very important to experience real communicative situations in which they learn to express their own views and attitudes and are taken seriously as people. A temporary departure from reality is not only a means of motivating the students to participate in role-acting, it is also an effective way of widening the range of language available for use and achieving much sought-for fluency.

We support those language teachers who preach and practice role-acting in the EFL classroom. Their role in creating an effective learning environment becomes indispensable. Respect, empathy and authenticity help them achieve rapport in the classroom and, in the final analysis, ensure their students' communicative competence.

Effective Tools to Make Classroom a Fun Learning Center -- Raisa Amirdjanyans

The question I ask myself everyday as a teacher is always the same: How to make my classroom a fun but learning place to be? How to provide all the opportunities for my students’ growth, for developing their skills and knowledge? I am sure that many teachers will agree with me that it is not an easy task as you have to think of something to change your classroom climate and motivate your students to learn, to feel safe in doing mistakes, to make them confident in that they can learn it, master it and go forward. This is something you think of on your way home, before going to bed, in between classes and when observing your colleagues’ classrooms and etc. It has lead me to the search for various classroom activities with different aims: to warm-up my students or cool them down a little bit if they are “too hot”, to energize them if they are slow or slow down, to make them speak or write down, to build up a vocabulary or develop fluency… I can go on and on and fill up the whole list of things I keep in my mind when I am looking for activities to use in the classroom. The main idea is always the same: “To make my students be in the driver’s seat and drive the right way without a traffic police on the way”.

Though my search is everlasting and seems to be continued till the end of my teaching career, I already have a bunch of activities for various purposes. I am going to share them with you during my workshop. These are the ones I have used with my students several times. They have worked for me and my students, so they might be useful to you, but all of us know though that we will never find any ideal activity, we will always have to adapt it to our setting or environment.

Teaching with Minimal Resources -- Karayeva Aynabat

Language is not just speaking or writing, it’s understanding another nation, another culture, another society. Like a person blindfolded one must utilize one’s surroundings to resolve a problem at hand. Likewise, teachers must use their surrounding environments to adapt to the needs of their occupation. In my workshop, I utilize this analogy to engage the audience’s feedback regarding the notion of limited resources.

The focus throughout the lesson is application. This means engaging the students. Encouraging the students to participate is simultaneously testing their comprehension on the materials taught. After the material has been presented application is crucial to the absorption of new information and future application for students and teachers alike. Further, shifting the focus from the materials and focusing on engaging the students/teachers enables them to express critical thinking and free thought.

To retain what a person has learned, application is necessary. Similar to the lesson I have presented in this proposal a simulation will be given in the workshop. This provides teachers with a chance to share their ideas, employ their critical thinking, creativity and problem solving skills. A similar lesson plan will be simulated that the workshop participants will have to solve. The participants will be assigned a component of language learning that should always be incorporated into every lesson plan. The participants will then create an activity that addresses that specific component of the lesson. After the groups present their solutions, the workshop will be followed be a question and answer session. This session will enable the participants to critique their own application, and make further inquiries about limited resources.

This workshop will enable teachers to re-attune themselves with what is necessary in language learning. When a teacher can organize an effective lesson with minimal resources, the learning process is more enjoyable for all parties concerned. This workshop will remind teachers that it is not quantity, but the quality of the lesson that is more effective when learning a new language. Further, lesson planning is a creative, non-strenuous process that can occur without books.

Presentation of “Grammar Charts” Book -- Hanum Omarova

This book is 115 pages which contain English grammar charts (Tenses, Nouns, Adjectives, Numerals, etc.) including explanations. “Grammar Charts” is a book that could be used by any English teacher in their lessons; it gives explanation to basic English grammar and is designed to help students who learn better from a visual standpoint. The book is a collection of easy-to-understand page-sized charts each focusing on one particular grammar point. I intend to distribute this book during my presentation so that the participants can see an alternative way to present grammar in their lessons. The book was created by me with the help of Peace Corps volunteer Matthew Briggs.

Applying Arts to Teaching English -- Yelena Kotova

The presentation deals with teaching English through Arts. I’m going to present teaching materials – a set of cards with illustrations that students made in English class, the publication sponsored by the State Department Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. Together with the art teacher V. Hairova I studied different proverbs and sayings with students in class. Then they made their choice and illustrated the proverbs under the art teacher’s guidance. First it was an exhibition of students’ illustrations with proverbs in three languages at school. Before the event the students had found the equivalents in Turkmen and Russian languages to English proverbs and sayings. The idea of mutual lesson was based on the students’ love of drawing, their imagination and wishes to apply their language skills.

Later I used the cards with illustrations in different ways. Some of the activities have been included on the cover of the set as methodological recommendations for English teachers. 50 sets of cards were sent to different schools of Turkmenistan, to all five velayats. I’ve got good responses from my colleagues who found the materials attractive for kids and useful for teachers. They also suggested some other ideas of working on the pictures.

I’ve gathered a lot of activities aimed to develop language skills through Art. During my presentation I’m going to underline the effectiveness of integrative approach to learning English and using children’s Art in English class. I will also mention an experience of fruitful cooperation between teachers of different subjects I have had at school#7, in Ashgabat, when the stuff was preparing a Language Festival. Teachers of History, Geography, Literature, Music and English worked together in one team, preparing a big holiday.

During my presentation I’ll show the colleagues the slides with illustration and activities that could be used in class. In the end of my presentation, I’ll answer the questions and give everybody a disk with teaching materials. The materials under consideration will surely be an effective means of stimulating and encouraging the students to learn English.

Interactive Teaching Methods -- Zumrat Jumayeva

The goal: to teach some interactive methods of working with texts and topics. I’d like to share some new interactive teaching methods which will help the teachers to make teaching English more effective, interesting and useful. The main important thing is that these methods are based on active reading and analyzing the texts (we know that some texts are difficult or not interesting to read). These methods make all students work and be active, think critically, analyze the situation, solve problems and share ideas openly on various topics. Working in pairs and in small groups, students will be encouraged to ask questions and to find the answers to the questions, to listen to each other, to discuss ideas and to debate politely and constructively. It will help them to solve the problems easily. This kind of education will be very useful in their life.

How to Use Newspapers -- Nadejda Kamyshanova

Goals: To teach the skills that are necessary to scan and read the newspaper for useful information. These skills will be mastered as students complete exercises using their own community newspaper. To show teachers the ways of using not only the English newspapers but the newspapers on the local language, too. Provide the teachers with the resources which they will easily use during their lessons.

It was always difficult for our local teachers to use the newspapers during English lessons. Some of them don’t know where to take them; the others don’t know what to do with them. In this workshop I’m going to show the easiest ways of using local newspapers during English lessons. Many students using these materials have poor reading skills. Many are still reading word by word. Learning to scan for information is a major focus in this workshop, and a newspaper provides a vehicle for this instrument. Students will need their own newspapers to complete the work. To key the work easily, it will be helpful if all the students use the same newspaper edition. I’m going to show teachers how to introduce students to their community newspaper. To learn how to use their newspaper, students need hands-on experience with complete copies of a daily newspaper. Stress scanning as a tool for using the newspaper. Make sure students are scanning and not reading too much information they do not need. This will make reading the newspaper an easier task for students with low reading levels.

Educational Center as Part of State Educational System -- Rejep Sultanov

The system of education includes different institutions: kindergarten, schools, colleges, universities, institutes and educational centers. All of them are determined to raise educational and cultural levels of population. Educational centers in Turkmenistan play a very important role in educational system. Many aspects are covered through the work of the Centers. On the basis of my center, I, as director of the center, would like to tell the people about the goals of the Center, the way we reach our goals and many other positive aspects of being a part of the whole educational system and on the other hand being an independent private organization. My wish is to present our work in the light of state educational policy, that gives everybody the opportunity to study and chance for teachers to work creatively. I’m going to tell how flexible may be approach to teaching at the educational center. I’d like to talk about free studying at our center and the discounts we offer, etc. Some words about small business in education will be added. Generally, as administrator, I’m very interested in the others’ experience in private education. It’s also important for me to share our success and experience with the others.

Critical Thinking: Promoting it in the Classroom -- Albina Burashnikova

Perhaps most importantly in today’s information age, thinking skills are viewed as crucial for educated persons to cope with a rapidly changing world. The ability to engage in careful, reflective thought has been viewed in various ways: as the fundamental characteristic of an educated person, as a requirement for responsible citizenship in a democratic society, and, more recently, as an employability skill for an increasingly wide range of jobs. Teaching children to become effective thinkers is increasingly recognized as an immediate goal of education. Providing students instruction in thinking skills is important for several reasons:

• Students, in general, do not have well-developed thinking skills.
• These skills are necessary for people to be oriented in the world.

Although many people once believed that we are born either with or without creative and critical thinking ability, research has shown that these skills are teachable and learnable.

I propose to conduct a workshop to train the teachers to teach thinking skills which is associated with student achievement gains. I’ll focus on what critical thinking (CT) is, why teach it, developing strategies for developing CT skills, what the thinking classroom looks like, how to establish and maintain a positive, stimulating, encouraging classroom climate for thinking skills instruction, so that students will feel be free to experiment with new ideas and approaches. I’ll also introduce Bloom’s Taxonomy model which categorizes thinking skills from the concrete to abstract, as well as main teaching techniques. The list of twelve recommended teacher behaviors will be offered for discussion. In addition, I’ll share a few critical thinking lesson plans and other activities to practice thinking skills.

Body Language in the Classroom -- Rachel Sosin

All too often, I encounter students who have memorized the requisite information, but have understood none of it. As a result, in order to count or understand a letter on the alphabet, they must first recite until they come to its ordinal place. I have solved this dilemma by using a different approach none of the students have encountered before.

I begin with the alphabet, only I stand at the front of the class and have every student stand with me. We go through the alphabet, spelling each letter with our body, while saying it aloud. Each student must consider how to depict the letter while saying it. Once students become comfortable, I assign random students to come to the front of the class in my place and to lead the class. When there is disagreement as to what a letter looks like, the class votes on how they wish to portray it. From this point on one can apply such methods to learning new vocabulary or correcting spelling mistakes. When a student asks me for the correct spelling of a word, I slowly spell the word out, if a letter is forgotten, I use my body to demonstrate. This leads to students spontaneously saying to their desk mates, “You know, like this,” and then demonstrating.

Another method I employ is the miming of new, unfamiliar words. When I say a word, which is unknown, rather then resorting to the local language, I mimic the action, noun, or place, and force the students to work towards discovering the meaning for themselves. I attempt to avoid resorting to using the local language in my classroom when I can, as a result my fourth form students can construct simple conversations on their own, with unfamiliar topics.

I would like to have the opportunity to demonstrate outside my etrap these practices, as I feel they have great merit in the classroom. Younger students especially, benefit from the chance to move and combine action with thought. I propose to give a presentation demonstrating the ways and applications of using the body to spell and miming in the classroom. Simple lessons, as well as more complex ones, can be tailored from such practices. Their very versatility is one of the most compelling reasons for utilizing them in a school setting. I have seen a class of nine year olds move from a place where they could barely say good morning, to being able to tell me what they did yesterday, and what they wish they had done. I would like to demonstrate how everyone, teachers and students alike, can be active participants in the learning process.

Tri-lingual Picture Dictionary Seminar -- Jennifer Wos

Imagine a teaching tool far bigger than the average textbook, full color, easy-to-use, and specific to the local culture. That is exactly what Visually Speaking is: a large format (A3), hand-drawn picture dictionary in English, Russian, and Turkmen with over 40 common themes, more than 50 suggestions for how to incorporate the book into classes, and over 1,600 vocabulary words for beginner and intermediate students.

Having working within the Turkmen educational system for almost two years, it quickly became clear that there is a need for resources of all kinds, especially visual aids. This school year visuals aids became a requirement for English teachers. Many complained that they didn’t have the time, funds, or talent to create quality posters for class. With that in mind and using topics chosen by local teachers, this book will help to enhance the existing textbooks and curriculum which the teachers are required to use.

Without words or translations on the picture pages themselves, the book encourages both communicative and immersion methodologies. The numbers correspond to nouns and adjectives, while the letters designate verbs, and the words can be found in the index at the end of the book. It can be used for much more than vocabulary building, although that certainly is one use. Other classroom ideas include: making up a dialogue, writing a story about the picture, memory games to see how many words the students remember, and demonstrating different grammatical topics through the pictures. The format is designed to attract students’ attention, increase their interest level, and help to make teaching English easier and more effective.

At CATEC, the Visually Speaking seminar will show selected scenes from the book on an overhead projector to easily explain the different functions and features of the book. A selection of the suggested games and activities will be demonstrated interactively with the conference participants to illustrate some of the different ways to use the book. Copies will be distributed as well. This conference would be a wonderful forum to present this brand-new resource.