International Teachers of English Conference Abstracts

Kyrgyzstan

From Trash to Treasure: Handicrafts from Recycled Materials
Carol Marsh – Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Recycling is an excellent source of free materials for handicraft projects for teachers and their young students. Recycling is collecting materials that are going into the trash and remaking the trash into something new – treasures.

This poster session will display many ideas for easy-to-make items constructed from recycled materials such as plastic water bottles, cardboard packaging, empty matchboxes, old calendars and magazines, plastic forks, and bits and pieces of paper and yarn. A handout will give instructions for many Trash to Treasures classroom handicraft projects for teachers of young learners.

Will You Marry Me? Which Verbs for Future Time?
Carol Marsh – Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Somewhere in the long history of the English language the Future Tense disappeared. As a result, today there are many ways to talk about FUTURE TIME. This poster session will display all the verb tenses used for future time, with grammar explanations and sentence examples for each. A handout will include the same information.

Do You Feel Angry? Helping Young Learners Deal With Emotions
Carol Marsh – Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

The classroom is just one place children must learn to recognize, talk about, and control their different emotions. This Poster Session will display ways to use magazine pictures, Happy Faces, and a child’s own words and drawings to help Young Learners describe, express and deal with their emotions.

History and Culture through Songs
Aliya Ganzina - Jalalabat, Kyrgyzstan

There are variety of reasons to use a song in the classroom, the most common being presentation of a topic or language point, lexis and practicing them, encouraging creativity and use of imagination, bringng fun and relaxation to the lesson, and also useful methods of using music. Songs as well singers are part and parcel of the country to which they belong. They contain cultural and historical background that is conveyed to listeners through the melody, lyrics, and the style of the musician’s performance.

That is why it’s very important not only to learn a song, but also discuss the characteristics of the music. Discussion of the history and era of the music’s creation, as well relevant slang and vocabulary is very beneficial to students’ understanding of the language and culture, It will also help learners feel the atmosphere and culture of the country where songs are composed help. The examples of this work based on American and British songs are presented.

The New Approach of Observing English Classes
Jypara Ergeshbaeva - Kyrgyzstan, Osh

In discussions at methodology trainings for English language teachers, teachers raise many problems in teaching. One of the present-day issues is Soviet-type class observation. Usually the supervisors without any prior agreement with a teacher shock them entering the class and giving oral, highly judgmental and negative feedback. Recently observing classes tends to be considered by the observees as a stressful, unpleasant, and obligatory process.

So the Osh team of teacher-trainers worked out a 3-day long training called “Observation, giving effective feedback.” At this training a new approach of observing classes, tools of observing and the ways of giving feedback were discussed. We chose the most appropriate solutions and techniques in observing classes for Kyrgyz schools and institutions of higher education while developing the training. And the main goal of the training was to improve teaching languages introducing a non-authoritarian, not traditional approach of observation – clinical supervision.

A clinical supervision approach involves 3 basic steps. The planning conference is knowing and planning beforehand what is going to be observed. At the next stage, a classroom observation, when the supervisor observes a lesson, focusing on objectives agreed before. The final phase is a post-observational meeting, when the teacher and the observer analyze and reflect on the lesson. The teacher must be open and willing to accept honest feedback whether it is positive or negative.

In conclusion as the observation of lessons is one of the teaching improvement tools, and it is used so often while teaching practice, we have to make it more beneficial and enjoyable for educators. And these ideas are spread and discussed at our trainings in the south of Kyrgyzstan. Teachers start to use and benefit from using a clinical approach of observing.

Motivating Students through Collaborative Writing
Djaliev Azamat Batyrovich - Osh, Kyrgyzstan

Collaborative writing presents not only a highly motivating learning experience for EFL students but also a creative pedagogical tool for teachers. This type of activity can yield multiple positive results, including рeer cooperation and increased motivation. When students work together on a writing assignment, they learn from each other and edit each other's mistakes.

First of all, what is collaborative writing? In essence, it means that the student teams up with one or more peers to go through the writing process of brainstorming, organizing, outlining, editing drafts, and agreeing on the final product. As students become used to collaborative assignments, the possibilities for cooperative learning become endless. The benefits of collaborative writing activities in language teaching are numerous. First, collaboration promotes individual participation, increases self-confidence, and encourages productivity—all of which are realistic and worthwhile goals for the teacher. It is often more difficult to accomplish these goals when students are working individually, especially with large classes and shy students. Second, teamwork enables students to learn from each other and stimulate each other's sense of creativity. Third, the activity can be fun, which should always be a goal of instruction. By sharing and working together, students will find that writing can be an enjoyable activity that allows them to express their ideas, even in poems, as they never thought they could. Now that's a good feeling!

Implementation of Interdisciplinary Education in High Institutions
Jeenbekova Gulmira Toktomamatovna – Osh, Kyrgyzstan

Today the necessity of interdisciplinary education of young generation is actual and objective and the process of teaching is necessary to build in such a way that students coming in the hard and contradictive world could have to concentrate in it, to see progressive sides of development, they should be inspired to contribute in the full change of surrounding reality. And that will help students to realize that they are the real part of the society and it’s up to them to build what society they will lead to – to the true democracy or the so called ‘vision of it.’

Through experiencing many changes in their lives and entering a period when they are given, more freedom, more rights and more opportunities people (especially young people) are now able to simulate and experience the kind of world they would like. Most of the young people do not know that they are going in the proper direction, what morals guide them in their passage. Norms change with time and place. While teaching students AKHP courses (“Humanities”) I realize that they have different, and often opposing attitudes to the family, society, aesthetic sensitivity, more over, time adds its own distinctive features to this problem. Teaching these courses I realize that teachers are more responsible in shaping students’ ideas, personal attitude to the people next to them, in developing their critical and creative approaches, because some argue that the world is becoming multi-polar and pluralistic, and our outlooks are taking on more local points. Accordingly, education must be multidimensional, broad and cover many cultures. These courses have material (texts, case studies, video films, documentary films, slides, etc.) for interpretation from different Islamic cultures, as well as various European, Chinese, Indian, and Japanese cultures; consequently, teachers will motivate students to look at the past, present and imagined cultures and to examine how they have changed, across time, and space. These courses will give teachers the opportunity to motivate students to study the human condition, the different elements that make us think who we are: our history, our beliefs, our practices, our hopes, and our fears. But within the Humanities, we both, students and teachers will search for the answer of a very basic question: what is the relationship between individuals and our societies?

These courses comprise interdisciplinary courses created to address issues that cross the transmission of cultures and the communication of ideas, cultures, social innovations, globalization and civil society which will contribute to the increase of individuals’ independence and responsibility.

The Effectiveness of Teaching English Language through Culture
Aziza Nurueva – Faculty of World Languages, Osh State University

Learning culture in a English lesson was the best way for students to rise their awarness of the culture. It is benefit for students in their leaning English. Learning different kind of cultures help students to enlarge their knowledge of culture and identify to understand their own culture. My paper describes how I and my students get success through culture in learning language at the lesson. They study different kinds of culture and use it in their own real life. Activities help them understand and speak about the culture. Learning culture is important for learners to take more resposibility in the classroom and other places. It will help them understand and remember new culture better. They identify and recognize their knowledge about culture, enrich and adopt their speech during learning English language. It’s interesting for learners and give as much information as possible about the culture. They learn how to speak, how to compare and how to represent some ideas effectively. I prepare a description of some real life problems at the lesson when I teach them culture. My paper will describe in what way we get success in learning language and including different kinds of activities bring benefit for my students and me. Also, my paper will analyse effective ways of helping students, enlarge their speech about the culture in learning English language. It will benefit for my collegues and students and give complete information about the concept of culture and effective techniques in teaching culture.

Learning To Be Good Citizens
Svetlana Poluektova - Kyrgyzstan

The objectieve of this presentation is to learn being good citizens. This workshop is created to help teachers and their students: to develop an understanding of the importance of citizen participation; to broaden knowledge of citizenship and governance; to enhance their critical thinking skills; to deepen their understanding of how people can work together to make our communities better; to practice social and political actions through playing games and role-play.

This presentation is focused on Civic Education. Civic Education is important in preparing citizens to participate in their government and the reasons why they should participate. Government cannot do a good job if citizens do not participate. It will only succeed if the citizens are good citizens, if each citizen works cooperatively with the government and each other for the good of the whole community.

Some Innovative Methods for Comprehensive English Teaching to Develop and Improve Speaking Skills of Schoolchildren and Students
Anara Tologonova - Children Center under the Ministry of Education, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Knowledge of a foreign language requires efficient teachers. The term ‘efficiency’ has become a part of the fast developing educational organizations, business and economic areas and of every human being. If there is no efficiency there is no progress; this may be appropriate for the language learning as well.

The information techniques as a powerful learning tool can make an English teacher’s job very easy, interesting and active. First of it’s very useful to develop any skills of students and it’s the top of new teaching nowadays. The information techniques are the multimedia programs that include many variety exiting and combined themes such as vocabulary developing, grammar steps, spoken activities, and etc.

The activities that I am going to present to my colleagues can encourage students to do extra practicing of their English, play games, to develop their memory, good writing, correct using of grammar tenses of the English verbs, also it can teach them how to motivate statements.

I’d like to share with some of my activities very often used in my classes and they are really close to triangle skills: understanding — thinking — speaking. They are really important activities because they bring together all abilities: reading, listening, writing, speaking through understanding and creating. I hope these activities will help to innovate the modern English teachers’ lessons and to develop their conversational English that will have been staying as the main question in linguistics.

English Around Us
Jolchieva Aynuru Alibekovna, Senior Teacher and Trainer of Kyrgyz
Academy of Education, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Elements of foreign speech, especially English penetrate through our life in connection with the expansion of international contacts. Import of foreign goods, market relationship, joint companies’ formation and others contribute to the English expansion. Foreign advertisement researchers note, that people try to find new, unexpected nominations in order to attract customer’s attention. They take it from three sources:

a) creating new nominations on the base of their own language, followed by spelling changes
b) treatment to folk and history (using archaic, dialectal forms)
c) using foreign language

The last one is extremely typical for many European countries: real strength of English is seen there! Some years ago French parliament adopted new special law using only French in order to avoid large penetration of English into their country. We also come across to English expansion in our country. It goes without saying; the sociologists should study its reasons and causes for national culture and language. I want to draw your attention to English expansion from another point of view. Not only our students, but all people regularly see inscriptions, advertisements in English everywhere. How to make from “harm” good and together and to use these facts in order to learn English, to increase students’ motivation. There are much works written about English language penetration into our life and culture. I am not going to tell about activities especially directed to learn English(so as TV programs in English) but try first number the spheres where young people can see the facts of English. Surely, it is: popular rock groups, American films even with translation. News programs, even also with translation, but one can catch some separate words.

Nowadays we usually watch American films, even if it is translated, nevertheless English speech is heard. News programs are also retranslated from the USA, from Great Britain can catch the meaning of separate words or the whole phrases in original language. Especially we pay attention to the fact where English is used as the means of treating people, to attract someone’s attention. First of all, it is an advertisement spread over the country nowadays. While watching TV during ads pause we can often see English words. There are many English names in newspaper ads also, for example: “Elite Micro technology” (name of firm) “National” (name of video camera) sometimes the whole line entirely is in English. Goods with etiquette, shop signs, instructions and advertisements in English appear in public places.

For example: “No smoking; Exit; Fasten seat belts; Closed; Open; Some instructions on keyboards: Push; Stop; Low; High; Light;”

The signs on the objects keep information about producers or quality of the clothes, about how to manage it: “Made in Japan; Manufactured in Germany; 100% cotton; Wash 30-40°. Other marks are only “deco rational”: the fashion of decorating garments with different signs as an advertisement, kinds of slogans, sometimes geographical names or funny words; for example: Montana; Texas; Beatles; Love me; Star wars; Drink Coca-Cola; Basketball Sport Shoes; US best; We can see these signs on any goods usually these are recommendations to the customers, for example: Don’t wipe; Rinse only; sometimes these are ads like: “Carry What You Wish; It Won’t Let You Down;” It appeared many shops and enterprises with English names; “Irish House; McDonalds; Intershop; Duty-Free Shop; Joint Venture;” but usually these are small shops and boutiques named like: “Consumer Goods; All for you; Souvenirs; Presents” and so on. The idea of these signs is to attract foreigners, to advertise and to be in fashion. One can add some adopted words from Russian: for example: “It was a show (шоу ); Lets buy a hamburger( гамбургер ); To watch(vidiki);To buy a bestseller;( бестселлер )It was a hit!( хит ).” The teacher can stimulate students’ motivation of learning English. So, they surely know that English is necessary not only for reading texts, but for grasping words around them. There are some questions connected with the usage these facts in teaching. Sign analyses show, that we have three main ways of foreign words semantization. First, translation: for example: “World Bank,- Всемирный Банк ,Wall Paper from Spain- Обои из Испании .Art Gallery Today - Галерея Сегодня .”

The second one is-illustration: The sign on stall “ Ночная торговля ”corresponds to English “Night Shop” and it doesn’t mean “trade” but “shop”. Another sign “Open 9-19”-lunch hour14-15.Closed: Sunday.- Открыто 9-19. Перерыв на обед 14-15. Выходной : воскресенье .” It is clear that if it is открыто in two languages given by the similar grammar form, the word “closed” means in Russian “week-end”.

These signs are interesting because of ads originality, difference in treating people and its influence. For example: in our every day life our concert presenters always say: “actor T acts for you…”

The word for you appears more often in our ads also” Amigo Makes Your House Nicer” Art that Just Happens to Be Wall Paper. Sometimes these phrases remain not translated. Nevertheless it is useful to pay attention to authenticity of foreign language.

However we should mark some negative points of this material. There might be mistakes in these signs. Less of them are deliberate: foreign ads usually come across spelling modifications of the words or to other language turns in order to attract peoples attention. It is inconceivable that it might be just sign author’s ignorance. The teacher who wants to use this material should warn students and correct mistakes.

The mistakes are divided into three groups:
a) Transcription mistakes:
b) Our students know the rules of Russian words transcription badly. There are some students who cannot write his or her name in English. Moreover we should note about wrong transcription which can be seen in the street. For example, the word “militia” is transcribed wrong, because the letter” ц ” is reproduced with “ts”. So, only letters are transcribed but not words.
b) Wrong writing of the English words: the word “phoenix” means “miracle” but the enterprise owners wrote it like“fenics”making three mistakes in one word.
c) Grammar mistakes: The word “Presents”( подарки ) is written in plural, but we saw the word “Present” in singular, which is not correct in this case.

In conclusion we should say that the material given in this article can motivate students to learn English and assist to liberalize their philological and general education.