ASOCOPI
newsletter
October, 2010
ISSN: 0122-84X
ASOCOPI - Carrera 27A No. 53-06 Oficina 405, Bogotá Tel/Fax (571) 211 50 18 - e-mail: asocopi@yahoo.com - www asocopi.org
From the President
This joint venture is possible thanks to the commitment of its rector, Dr. José Eusebio Consuegra Bolívar, and the leadership of the organising committee at Centro de Idiomas, namely professors Keiby Caro Oviedo, Jhon Carrillo Ramos, Eligio Castaño Ruíz, Carlos Castrillo Marmo, Maureyra Jiménez Castro, Carmen Alicia Moreno, Viviana Parra Cera, Manuel Romero Pérez, Yessica Sánchez Mendoza, Milena Vergara Luque and Darío Villareal Angulo. I should also acknowledge the support of the Board of Directors and our assistants, Edwin Martínez and Carlos Cárdenas, for the time devoted to ASOCOPI, and to the organisation of the event.
Seeking Alternatives in EFL Classrooms: The Need for Inclusive Curricula is the theme of our event. We know that the curriculum has been the focus of attention in different events in ELT. However, the subject of inclusion in education is a constant preoccupation of the academic communities in their efforts to bring literacy to all sectors of society. This worry is somehow more marked when it comes to teaching and learning a foreign language in circumstances as diverse as the ones we have in Colombia.
In order to embark upon the study of the topic of this years conference, we will count on the participation of scholars from around our country and from abroad. Their experience and academic work, I am sure, will shed some light on how to integrate the interests of the diverse populations we work with. Their input to the congress might also contribute to the discussions and further actions on how educators can provide options for students who might not share similar backgrounds, resources or skills.
I should express my sincere gratitude and recognition to the presenters from different regions in our country who submitted their proposals for evaluation. Their interest in
The 45th annual conference of our Association has
been organized to gather prospective teachers,
school teachers, teacher educators, researchers,
publishers and guest speakers in Barranquilla. This
year we were able to respond to some of our
affiliates request who expressed their interest in
having the congress on the Atlantic Coast. The
Universidad Simón Bolívar is the venue for the 2010
edition.
participating in our congress evidences how much they care for the profession and their commitment to help us maintain the academic level we wish to attain each year.
ASOCOPI is also very grateful to plenary session speakers who have kindly accepted our invitation to share with us their work and to foresee options for future networking, namely: Dr. Paula Golombek (University of Florida, USA), Dr. Ana Maria F. Barcelos (Universidade Federal de Viçosa, in Brasil), Dr. Nora Basurto (Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico), Dr. Adriana González (Universidad de Antioquia), Ismael Garrido, M.A. (State University of Puebla, Mexico, and sponsored by TESOL), Aaron Rogers, M.A. (Pearson Longman Colombia), and Thomas Gardner, Richmond Publishing).
I am sure the themes addressed in the different forums scheduled in our congress will open doors to interesting reflections and, hopefully, further discussions which we expect to gather in our publications: the HOW journal and the ASOCOPI Newsletter. In regard to this, I wish to highlight the importance of registering the talks, workshops, demonstrations and presentations in written form so that they can serve as points of reference for different studies and for teacher education purposes. This way, we can move forward to contribute more to the construction or expansion of knowledge in our field.
Participants are cordially invited to take part in the plenary sessions, workshops, papers, research reports, innovations
and reflections scheduled in the program of our event. They can also find useful resources in the book exhibit and get acquainted with options some publishers, ASOCOPI and universities offer to support our teaching job: reference books, teaching materials, catalogues, and professional journals, among others.
On behalf of ASOCOPI, I also wish to express my gratitude to professors John Jairo Viáfara (Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja) and Jose Aldemar Alvarez (Universidad de la Salle) who helped us a lot during the past three years on the Board of Directors as Vice-president and Spokesperson, respectively. They have just started their doctorate studies at the University of Arizona (USA), and from the distance, have continued participating in the different activities of the Association. Their commitment and serious work have been crucial in our attempt to grow and maintain high standards. I am sure they will do very well in their studies and will continue contributing to the ELT area in Colombia. We get together again to deepen our understanding of English language teaching and to strengthen collegiality, networking and friendship. The Board of Directors of ASOCOPI welcomes you to Barranquilla and invites you to help us make it a success!
Melba Libia Cárdenas B.
Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá
4
Improve the practice of English language
teaching.
4
Strengthen the sense of identity of
language teachers through membership
in a professional organization.
4
Promote the exchange of ideas,
resources, information, and experiences
between language teachers on a national
level as well as at an international level.
4
Promote high levels of education and
professional development of university
students, in the field of foreign language
teaching.
4
Provide opportunities of continued
professional development of teachers.
4
Encourage research in the area of foreign
language teaching and learning.
4
Provide a forum for the introduction and
exchange of new ideas and practices and
for the production of educational
material.
4
Encourage a high level of education and
professionalism among its members.
4
Provide a consultative and advisory road
in the development of educational
innovations, English for Special
Purposes, Applied Linguistics, Material
Development, and Academic Programs
at the primary, secondary and university
levels.
4
Stimulate the cooperation of mutual
support among language teachers.
4
Organize support activities for the
development and maintenance of
linguistic abilities of non-native students
and teachers.
The joyful and warm city of Barranquilla is known as the golden gateway of Colombia for its access to both the Magdalena River and the Caribbean Sea. In this historic and evocative city, important educational institutions have established themselves in order to add to the academic development of the Caribbean region of Colombia. One of those institutions in Barranquilla is Universidad Simón Bolivar (USB). USB is the host of the 45th Annual Conference of ASOCOPI. At this university there is a great team who has
made it possible to very thoroughly assemble the logistics for this years conference. The BOD of ASOCOPI would like to say a big thank you to that team for their commitment to the organization of the Conference.
The theme of inclusive curricula has captured the attention of scholars of national and international educational institutions. This has assured a good number and good quality of presentations in the Conference program. We are sure the conference attendees will enjoy listening to well-known lecturer Dr. Paula Golombek (invited by ASOCOPI) of the University of Florida, USA, as well as lecturers from non-English speaking countries as one aspect to highlight about this years Conference, such as Dr. Ana Maria F. Barcelos (invited by ASOCOPI) of Unversidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil; Dr. Nora Basurto Santos (invited by ASOCOPI) of Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico; and Professor Ismael Garrido (sponsored by TESOL) of Universidad de Puebla, Mexico. Furthermore, Professor Thomas Gardner (sponsored by Richmond Publishing) and professor Aaron Rogers (Pearson Longman) will be plenary speakers representing the editorial industry. ASOCOPI will also have its own representative on the list of plenary speakers, Dr. Adriana González of Universidad de Antioquia.
In this issue of our Newsletter, as is now usual, we have included notes derived from the academic and research work of our contributors. Readers will find short texts about what foreign language teachers know, CLIL, and citing works in research papers. Please enjoy what we have put together for you all in this month!
From the Editor:
Good things are going to happen in our
Association in the following days, do not miss them!
By Álvaro H. Quintero Polo,
Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. ASOCOPI Treasurer and Newsletter Editor-in-Chief
En cumplimiento del Artículo 9 de los Estatutos de la Asociación Colombiana de Profesores de Inglés (ASOCOPI), la Junta Directiva Nacional se permite convocar a todos los miembros activos, fundadores, correspondientes, honorarios y vitalicios a la Asamblea General Ordinaria para el año 2010, que se llevará a cabo en el marco del 45 Congreso Nacional de la Asociación el día Viernes 15 de octubre de 2010 a las 4:30 p.m. en el Teatro José Consuegra Higgins de la Universidad Simón Bolívar de Barranquilla. La agenda será la siguiente: 1. Verificación del Quórum
2. Lectura del Acta de la Asamblea anterior 3. Informes de la Junta Directiva
a. Informe del Presidente en representación de la Junta
b. Informe de estados financieros y presentación de presupuesto 2010 para aprobación por parte de la Tesorería
4. Actualización Estatutos
5. Elección Junta Directiva 2010 2012
6. Proposiciones y varios (deben entregarse por escrito a la secretaría en forma de moción con el apoyo de dos asambleístas)
Atentamente solicitamos tener en cuenta los siguientes puntos: Artículo 7 Un Asociado que no pudiere concurrir a la Asamblea se podrá hacer representar mediante poder escrito conferido a otro socio activo. Dicho poder deberá entregarse antes de la iniciación de la Asamblea a la secretaría de la Junta Directiva Nacional. Un Asociado no podrá representar a más de dos ausentes.
Toda propuesta que se desee tratar en asuntos varios deberá ser entregada por escrito a la secretaría en forma de moción, antes de iniciada la Asamblea y deberá ser apoyado por lo menos por dos asambleístas para ser considerado en el orden del día.
Bogotá, 29 de Septiembre de 2010 Junta Directiva Nacional
Firmado: Melba Libia Cárdenas Beltrán, Presidente John Jairo Viáfara, Vicepresidente
It has been suggested that the teaching profession is
both an art and a science. In some contexts being an
EFL teacher entails being a native speaker of English.
In some others like the Colombian context, it might
mean being in charge of an L2 course, but also of
physical education, or math courses. Behaviorism
suggested teachers were the owners of knowledge and
transmitted it to the students who were the empty
vessels. This view has evidently changed throughout
the years and teachers have now much more complex
roles. Then it is worth characterizing what being a
teacher involves.
After working as a teacher educator for 15 years, I consider there exist three dimensions a language teacher must master: a strong communicative competence, a strong theoretical background (approaches, teaching the skills and components of language) and a strong knowledge of teaching skills (syllabus design, lesson planning, materials development).
What is being competent in L2?
Being a competent user of a language encompasses being able to determine what to say according to the interlocutor, purpose and setting. Teachers also need to conduct a class in the L2, provide comprehensible input and encourage interaction among students.
How to acquire a sound theoretical background?
As Cross (2003:41) affirms, initial teacher education should be based upon an ideal teacher profile, if they are to be functional.
This position suggests that L2 teachers should have been enrolled in a teaching program and it should provide an overview of influential methods and approaches in ESOL. These theoretical notions are not enough for a strong background; they are, however, a necessary basis which can reach the level of training, but not that of education. Education should focus on the analysis, adaptation and
evaluation of those theories considering learning conditions and goals; we can only make informed decisions about instruction if we adequately combine theory and practice. I believe that theory without practice is useless and practice without theory is dangerous. Thus, the strength of EFL teachers is not just in knowing facts, but in using theory to provide quality learning environments and learning experiences. We must also be aware of the importance of permanently assessing our needs and practice using nationally and internationally produced theory as a guide. What about teaching skills?
Although educators who teach without really being an L2 teacher learn to intuitively plan lessons, create tests or develop materials, we need to understand that the results will not be the expected ones. Practical skills need to be fed by current theory and research: teacher educators like Celce-Murcia (2001), Ur (1996), Hedge (2000), Kumaravadivelu (2006) or Brown (2007) have discussed multiple ways to approach the tasks involved in facilitating learning. These skills are developed initially through training within each program. This is because these skills will be later developed differently by each student-teacher. This diversity, the unique style each teacher has to plan lessons and courses, is what turns training into education, into the art of education. In addition to these dimensions, Ur (2002:391) suggests some ideas every in-service teacher, teacher educator and student-teacher should reflect on when deciding their identity and roles:
- We are a community. We are an identifiable group, whose members are interested in interaction with one another for the sake of learning, and also for the enjoyment of exchanging experiences and ideas with sympathetic colleagues.
- We are committed. We are committed to reaching certain standards of performance, and we are aware of our responsibility toward our learners and their learning. - We publish. We communicate innovative ideas, whether
theoretical or practical, to one another and to the public at large through in-house seminars, national or international conferences, and journals or books.
What do Foreign Language
Teachers Know?
- We learn. We do not just teach: We also learn, continually, about our subject matter, about teaching methods, and about many other things that make us better educated and therefore better educators. We read, we listen, we reflect, we discuss.
- We are autonomous. Nobody else can tell us what to do; we ourselves are responsible for maintaining professional standards. In principle, therefore, a professional body should set the requirements for accreditation at different levels and should act as gatekeeper, ensuring that teaching is not performed by ill-qualified amateurs. Do we know what we should know?
References
Brown, H. D. (2007). Teaching by principles. White Plains: Prentice Hall Regents.
Celce-Murcia, M. (Ed.,2001). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (3rd
Ed.) Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
Cross, D. (2003). Language teacher preparation in developing countries: Structuring
preservice teacher training programmes. English Teaching Forum, 41, 41-43.
Harmer, J. (2007). The practice of English language teaching.
Essex: Pearson Longman.
Hedge, T. (2000). Teaching and learning in the language classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). Understanding language teaching: From method to postmethod. New York: Routledge. Ur, P. (1996). A course in language teaching: Practice and theory.
New York: Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Ur, P. (2002). The English teacher as professional. In J. C.
Richards and W. A. Renandya
(Eds.), Methodology in Language Teaching: An anthology of current practice. (pp 388-392). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
What is ELTeCS
LAC and What can
it do for you!
English Language Teaching Contacts Scheme - Latin America and the Caribbean (ELTeCS LAC) After 10 years of editing announcements, news, requests and a variety of other postings I am very excited to invite you to subscribe to ELTeCS LAC in its new platform at
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/eltecs Our aim to keep you updated about professional events and opportunities, to inform you about interesting websites, latest articles, and to help you display your requests for advice or help.
ELTeCS provides Englishteachers, teacher trainers and managers worldwide with the latest news about opportunities in their regions and globally.
If you like to know what’s happening when and who’s who in ELT, then you need ELTeCS. For your free subscription, please follow the following steps: Please access:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/newsletter You will see a little box where you are requested to write their e-mail address (it says submit query; tick there); this takes you to another page where the e-mail should be confirmed and add some info, namely, your name and country, and also tick in the box that you want to be subscribed to ELTeCS Latin America and the Caribbean (ELTeCS LAC). You will also be automatically subscribed to TeachingEnglish which will allow you as an ELT colleague to access updated ELT useful information (e.g., Lesson planning, listening activities and a lot more). You can decide (prefered e-mail) if you want the info to be sent in HTML (colour and images) or just plain text. Finally tick below on Safe Profile Changes.
Renate Thummler Blum Editor ELTeCS Latin America and the Caribbean (ELTeCS LAC) blum1957@yahoo.com.mx
45th ASOCOPI Annual Conference
Seeking Alternatives in EFL Classrooms: The Need for Inclusive Curricula
October 14 - 17, 2010, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla
Academic Program
Thursday, October 14
th9.00 am - 4.00 pm Registration - ASOCOPI Table
5.00 - 5.30 pm Opening Ceremony and Keynote Speech:
Melba Libia Cárdenas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá. ASOCOPI President 5.30 - 6.30 pm Plenary Session 1: Language Learning Beliefs as Keys to Inclusive Curricula
Ana María F. Barcelos, Universidade Federal de Viçosa 6.30 - 7.00 pm Opening Cocktail
Friday, October 15
th9.40 - 10.40 am Concurrent Session 1 10.40 - 11.00 am Coffee Break
11.00 am - 12.00 m Plenary Session 2: Accent Awareness: A Path to Cultural Inclusivity Thomas Gardner, Richmond Publishing
12.00 m - 2.00 pm Lunch Break 2.00 - 3.00 pm Concurrent Session 2
3.10 4.10 pm Plenary Session 3: Using Dynamic Assessment to promote inclusiveness in second language learning and teaching
Paula Golombek, University of Florida 4.10 - 4.30 pm Coffee Break
4.30 6.00 pm ASOCOPI General Assembly For ASOCOPI Affiliates only 6.00 7.00 pm Cultural Activity
Saturday, October 16
th8.30 9.30 am Plenary Session 4: Motivation as a Key Factor in an Inclusive Curriculum Ismael Garrido, Puebla State University, Mexico
9.40 - 10.40 am Concurrent Session 3 10.40 - 11.00 am Coffee Break
11.00 am - 12.00 m Panel 1: Seeking Alternatives in EFL Classrooms: The Need for Inclusive Curricula 12.00 m - 2.00 pm Lunch Break
2.00 - 3.00 pm Concurrent Session 4
3.10 4.10 pm Plenary Session 5: The Three Cs as a Means to an Inclusive Classroom in a Diverse Society Aaron Rogers, Pearson Education
4.10 4.30 pm Coffee Break 4.30 5.30 pm Cultural Activity
Sunday, October 17
th8.30 - 9.30 am Plenary Session 6: Trends in the Implementation of ELT Language Policies in Colombia: Are Our Universities Prepared to Face the Challenges?
Adriana González, Universidad de Antioquia & ASOCOPI Secretary
9.30 10.30 am Plenary Session 7: Listening to at-risk Students: Who Are They and What Can Be Done for Them? Nora Basurto, Universidad Veracruzana
10.30 - 11.00 am Coffee Break
11.00 12.00 m Panel 2: Seeking Alternatives in EFL Classrooms: The Need for Inclusive Curricula 12.00 m - 12.30 pm Closing Ceremony
ELT DIRECTORY
Greenwich ELT - Grupo Editorial Norma
Angélica María Rodríguez Tavera Av. El Dorado No. 90 - 10. Bogotá Phone: (571) 4106355 Ext. 12840
angelica.rodriguez@norma.com - www.greenwich-elt.com
Heinle Cengage Learning
Luz Marina Rivero. ELT Manager - Andean Pact Carrera 7 No. 74 - 21. Bogotá.
Pbx: (57 1) 2 12 33 40 marina.rivero@cengage.com www.cengage.com
Mr. Books
Ignacio Mejía
Cra. 18 B # 108 05, Bogotá - Phone: (571) 6129596 mbventas@mrbooks.com.co
No more Spanglish
Thomas Wiese
Cel-Phone: 315 2623648, Bogotá teatom22@hotmail.com
Pearson Longman Colombia
Àngela Andrade, Gerente División ELT/School Cra 65 B # 13 62 Bogotá
Phone: (571) 294 08 00 - Fax: (571) 260 73 58
angela.andrade@pearsoned.com, supportline@pearsoned.com www.amazingmindscolombia.net, www.longman.com
Richmond Grupo Santillana
Maria Vidalia Márquez ELT Manager
Calle 96 # 11 A - 61. Bogotá - Phone: (57 1) 639 60 00 richmond@santillana.com.co - www.richmond.com.co
The Anglo Publishing House
Juan Carlos Gómez, Fitzroy Kennedy Calle 79 No. 14-36. Bogotá
Phone: (571) 621 67 21, 616 06 75 - Fax: (571) 621 66 64 info@anglopublishing.com, interbookshop@coldecon.net.co www.anglopublishing.com,www.mmpi.co.uk,
www.expresspublishing.co.uk
Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana Medellín
Marcela Jaramillo Restrepo. Coordinadora Académica Pregrado y Postgrado - Centro de Lenguas - Especialización en la Enseñanza del Inglés - Facultad de Educación Circular 1a. 70 - 01, Bloque 6, Piso 1, Medellín Phone: (57 4) 3544564 - Fax: (57 4) 4118560 www.upb.edu.co
HOW
A Colombian Journal for
Teachers of English
Classified in category C (Colciencias - Publindex)
ASOCOPI is pleased to inform the academic community that the Number 16 of HOW A Colombian Journal for Teachers of English is available. The articles in this issue are the following:Language Policies in Colombia: The Inherited Disdain for our Native Languages
Carmen Helena Guerrero
Promoting Critical Thinking through the Use of Portfolios and Self-assessment
Sandra Patricia Torres Díaz
Improving Reading Comprehension Skills through Reading Strategies Used by a Group of Foreign Language Learners
Nancy Gómez Torres and Jhon Jairo Ávila Constain Reading beyond the Classroom: The Effects of Extensive Reading at USTA, Tunja
Nery Yolanda Ruíz de Guerrero and Gladis Leonor Arias Rodríguez
Observing before Learning: Visual Material for the Learning of English as a Foreign Language
Diana Benavides, Liliana Murcia and Mabel Niño
Pre-service Teachers Knowledge Base at La Salle University
Anderson Cárdenas and Juan Manuel Suárez Osorio In and out of School Literacy Practices
Yakelin Salinas Vacca
Fostering Communication through Blogs in an International, Multi-grade
Context
Andrea Castellanos
An Understanding of the Concept and Conditions of Bilingualism: A Study in an EFL Setting
Sandra Patricia Lastra R.
We cordially invite you to check the HOW Guidelines for Contributors on ASOCOPI website www.asocopi.org and send your papers for the next issue of HOW A Colombian Journal for Teachers of English.
First time researchers are faced with some intellectual
and technical challenges when writing. Some of these
challenges have to do with using other peoples
thoughts and ideas. Most first time researchers
understand the importance of citing sources given the
fact that this increases their credibility for readers of
their research studies. This is often a difficult task and
mistakes in citation occur too often, so learning about
certain techniques can help first time researchers avoid
plagiarism and improve the organization of their
research and writing.
Plagiarism
The University of Hertfordshire Policies and Regulations (17.7, 5.2.) defines plagiarism as the representation of another persons work as the students own, either by extensive unacknowledged quotation, paraphrasing or direct copying. Then, taking someone elses thoughts and using them as your own, accidentally or deliberately, is considered plagiarism.
More often than we may think, plagiarism occurs accidentally and this can happen for various reasons.
(http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm):
1. Not knowing that you must not copy an authors words directly
2. Not having the ability to express these ideas in your own words
3. Ignoring the right way to indicate that another persons ideas are being used
4. Losing the source of these ideas in your notes or borrowed notes and forgetting that they were not original but taken from elsewhere
5. Forgetting to acknowledge the ideas or words of another person
6. Procrastination or your written work usually leaves little time to include acknowledgments and list of references
For the reasons presented above, you may be saying that something is yours when it is not. In any possible scenario of being caught plagiarizing, the consequences are great and harmful. Then, taking responsibility for the ideas and facts that you use is a must; ignoring how to do it will not excuse you.
Types of plagiarism
A good first start to avoid plagiarism is by identifying the different types. Hamp-lyons & Courter (1984, p. 161-166) present four types of plagiarism; namely, outright copying, paraphrase plagiarism, patchwork plagiarism, and stealing an apt term.
In order to illustrate them and help you understand each one of the types of plagiarism, the following examples are provided. (Adapted from Avoiding plagiarism at http:// www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm)
Original text:
In broad terms, then, action research applies a systematic process of investigating practical issues which arise within a particular social context. This process is undertaken with a view to involving the collaboration of the participants in that context in order to provide evidence that can point to change. In contrast, to some other forms of research which seek to test out theoretical ideas and to validate them independently, action research is driven by practical actions from which theories about learning and teaching can be drawn. Action researchers initiate an exploratory and interpretive process in which data in and about the social context is documented and collected. This is done so that issues or concerns in that context can be examined in order to enhance the way they are currently addressed (Burns, 1999, p. 31).
Outright copying is when a student uses exactly the same words as the original author without using quotation marks or saying where the words are from. For example: Students text:
In broad terms, then, action research applies a systematic process of investigating practical issues which arise within a particular social context. This process is undertaken with a view to involving the collaboration of the participants in that context in order to provide evidence that can point to change.
Rising to the Challenge of Citing
Works in Your Research Studies
By Judith Castellanos J. (M.A.), Universidad Externado de ColombiaParaphrase plagiarism happens when someone changes some of the words and grammar but leaving most of the original text the same. For instance:
Students text:
Generally speaking, action research applies an orderly process of investigating practical problems which are context bound. The researchers assume this process collaboratively with a view to engage participants in such context in order to provide evidence that can point to change.
Patchwork plagiarism is when parts of the original authors words are used and connected together in a different way. For instance:
Students text:
To provide the reader with a big picture, then, action research applies a systematic process of investigating practical issues which arise within a particular social context. There is a particular way to assume this process; it is undertaken with a view to involving the collaboration of the participants in that context in order to provide evidence that can point to change.
Stealing an apt term is when a short phrase from the original text has been used in the students work, possibly because it is so good. For example:
Students text:
Action research follows an orderly process of researching context bound problems. There is a particular way to assume this process; it is undertaken with a view to involving the collaboration of the participants so that sufficient evidence is gathered for justifying change.
Why cite at all
Acknowledging all the information that you use in any academic paper by describing it in sufficient detail so the reader can identify it is called referencing. There are various benefits of including other peoples words in your writing. The Academic Support library, Bournemouth University, lists the advantages of referencing:
· justify and support your arguments
· allow you to make comparisons with other research · express matters better than you could have done · demonstrate your familiarity with your field of research · help to distinguish between your ideas and findings and
those you found
However, too much referencing may be harmful for your academic paper as well if you do not take into account that references shouldnt be used to impress your reader with the scope of your reading; litter your writing with names and quotations or replace the need for you to express your own thoughts (Baxter et al. 1996, as cited in http:// www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm).
Citing by writing direct quotations
In a direct quotation you repeat the authors exact words and place them within quotation marks ( .). When using APA format, follow the author-date- page number method of in-text citation. This means that the authors last name, the year of publication and the page number for the source should appear in the text.
For example,
In broad terms, then, action research applies a systematic process of investigating practical issues which arise within a particular social context. This process is undertaken with a view to involving the collaboration of the participants in that context in order to provide evidence that can point to change (Burns, 1999, p. 31).
As an alternative, you can use a reporting verb as follows:
Burns (1999) stated / has stated that, In broad terms, then, action research applies a systematic process of investigating practical issues which arise within a particular social context. This process is undertaken with a view to involving the collaboration of the participants in that context in order to provide evidence that can point to change ( p.31).
Here is a list of other reporting verbs that you can use: claim, say, mention, write, report, argue, state, show, maintain, declare, suggest. (Oshima and Hogue, 1999, p.84) Or you can use the reporting phrase according to According to Burns (1999), In broad terms, then, action research applies a systematic process of investigating practical issues which arise within a particular social context (p.31).
Long quotations
Place direct quotations longer than 40 wordsin a free-standing block of typewritten lines, and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented five spaces from the left margin. Type the entire quotation in the new margin, and indent the first line of any subsequent paragraph within the quotation five spaces from the new margin. Maintain double-spacing throughout. The parenthetical citation should be placed after the closing punctuation mark.
Burns (1999) has suggested the following:
In broad terms, then, action research applies a systematic process of investigating practical issues which arise within a particular social context. This process is undertaken with a view to involving the collaboration of the participants in that context in order to provide evidence that can point to change. In contrast, to someother forms of research which seek to test out theoretical ideas and to validate them
independently, action research is driven by practical actions from which theories about learning and teaching can be drawn (p. 31).
Citing by writing paraphrases
Paraphrasing is to rephrase or rewrite information by using your own words without changing the original meaning. A paraphrase is almost as long as the original text. Avoid writing a paraphrase that is too similar to the original. Do not use the same vocabulary or sentence structure as the original. A paraphrase that is too similar to the original constitutes plagiarism.
Steps to write a paraphrase
Step 1. Read the original several times until you fully understand it. Look up unfamiliar words and find synonyms for them. Making notes of main ideas can be useful. Step 2. Write your paraphrase from memory. Dont look at the original while you are writing.
Step 3. Compare your paraphrase with the original. Check for completeness and accuracy.
Step 4. Name the source of the original passage using the APA style (authors last name, year and page number) (Oshima and Hogue, 1999, p.91).
If you are paraphrasing an idea from another work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference, but APA guidelines encourage you to also provide the page number (although it is not required). The list of references
Referencing also involves writing a list of the works cited. This is called the list of references. In order to do this, you can refer to the APA format about writing the list of references. · All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation.
· Authors names are inverted (last name first); give the last name and initials for all authors of a particular work unless the work has more than six authors. If the work has more than six authors, list the first six authors and then use et al. after the sixth authors name to indicate the rest of the authors.
· Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work.
· If you have more than one article by the same author, single-author references or multiple-author references with the exact same authors in the exact same order are listed in order by the year of publication, starting with the earliest.
· When referring to any work that is NOT a Journal, such as a book, article, or Web page, capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, the first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and proper nouns. Do not capitalize the first letter of the second word in a hyphenated compound word.
· Capitalize all major words in journal titles. Italicize titles of longer works such as books and journals. Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes around the titles of shorter works such as journal articles or essays in edited collections. (APA Formatting and Style Guide, Purdue University web site)
Notice the hanging indentation from the second line of the reference.
Examples:
Bell, J. (1999). Doing your research project: A guide for first-time researchers in education and social science. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Castellanos, J. (2008). Journal writing and its benefits in an EFL class. Profile (9) pp.111-127.
Duncan, G. J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (Eds.). (1997). Consequences of growing up poor. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Coming to your own conclusions
So far, you have been told that acknowledging other peoples ideas or thoughts is important for avoiding plagiarism. You have also been informed about 3 ways in which these ideas can be presented in an academic paper (direct quotations, paraphrases and summaries) and you have been informed that the ideas and people that you refer to need to be made explicit by a system of referencing: the APA format. However, introducing other peoples ideas in your writing is not enough; coming to your own conclusions is equally important. You need to show that you have understood the material and come to your own conclusions on the basis of what you have read and heard. Therefore, copying from textbooks or pasting text from the Internet into your own writing, is not good enough.
References
APA Formatting and Style Guide. Retrieved July 13, 2009 from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/ Avoiding plagiarism. Retrieved July 13, 2009 from http://
www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm
Burns, A. (1999). Collaborative action research for English language teachers.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Oshima, A. and Hogue, A. (1999). Writing academic English. New York: Addison Wesley.
Referencing - when and what to reference. Retrieved July 13, 2009 from
h t t p : / / w w w. b o u r n e m o u t h . a c . u k / l i b r a r y / i n f o s k i l l s / infoskills_ref1.html
To live in a globalized society sometimes demands the
learning of a foreign language. English, for instance,
has become one of the most important languages in
the business world. Therefore the education system, in
order to respond to this trend, has developed new
approaches that allow students to have better
performances in an internationalized environment.
Nowadays in the education arena, terms such as
bilingual education or language immersion have
become more important. As a result a new approach
emerges. It is known as Content and Language
Integrated Learning (CLIL). The evolution of this
educational setting and the advantages and
disadvantages give teachers another perspective about
their new role as part of this globalization process.
CLIL offers English teachers a set of tools to foster other perspectives to elementary school students towards English as a subject by enhancing the learning of other contents while they are learning English. As a result, students can understand their expectations and find a purpose in terms of learning a foreign language as well as the process in which they are going through, increasing motivation and the desire to learn more of this language in order to communicate more efficiently.Content and Language Integrated Learning combines both the learning of a subject, such as physics, geography or natural sciences, through the medium of a foreign language. Do Coyle, Hood & Marsh (2010) explain CLIL as a dual-focused educational approach in which an additional language is used for the learning and teaching of both content and language. Two tasks are developed at the same time: the learning of a foreign language in order to express either the knowledge acquired or the information required to perform in a normal class and the learning of the concepts within a given subject. For instance, students whose first language is Spanish will learn about a specific topic-pollination- or one that the teacher decides appropriate for the students level- but it will be taught in a foreign language
that might be English or French. During the process the students learn the vocabulary in the target language related to this topic and the foreign language used during the class. Expressions such as bilingual education, dual education or language immersion might indicate for some people something fashionable and innovative. However, these practices come from the ancient world. In order to survive civilizations processes and wars one of the main needs was to learn a language different from the mother tongue. It was a future of European schooling in medieval times and for a considerable time thereafter, when Latin was the language of instruction. Indeed, state-run education-conducted in the vernacular or dominant language of the state territory- was the major element in the formation of the modern nation states (Puffer, 2007, p.3). But the approach was known as CLIL until 1994 within the European context to describe and, furthermore, to design good practices as achieved in different school environments where teaching and learning take place in an additional language (Do Coyle, Hood & Marsh, 2010). This approach has been modified by teachers and researchers around the world, improving its features in order to provide more tools in the classroom. According to the University of Cambridge, there are many different types of CLIL programs from full immersion (Canada) through partial immersion, about 50% of the curriculum (parts of Spain), to regular 20-30 minute subject lessons in the target language (parts of Germany). In secondary school the subjects are usually taught in the target language by non-native speakers or language teachers. In the primary context, CLIL programs are commonly delivered by non-native subject specialists or by English language teachers.
Additionally, CLIL has its basis in Content Based Instruction (CBI). It means that teachers select the topics or themes and provide the content for students. From these topics, teachers should extract language activities which follow naturally from the content material. For example, teachers can select the topic of advertising and have students engage in a variety of activities such as designing and administering a marketing survey, comparing and contrasting consumer attitudes, etc. Under such circumstances, students would be more familiar with the content and the meaning of the topic. Krashen and Terrell (1998) suggest that EFL teachers
Content and Language Integrated Learning:
Another Way to Learn English
By Jenny Carmenza Lopez Lancheros & Lucy Luna Puentes, EFL Student-Teachers, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas
must choose reading texts at an appropriate level of complexity and the topic has to hold students interest to increase their motivation for learning.
Like other approaches, CLIL has presented some advantages and disadvantages in its implementation. One advantage, for instance, is when the content is interesting and relevant to other students studies; as a result, students are more motivated than when the focus is a specific area of the language. In contrast, by using topics that they are familiar with or that they have recently studied in their mother tongue, students will be able to learn more as they will already know a lot of the content and context. Having previous knowledge enables them to pay attention to details that they would otherwise miss (Tennant, n.d.).
Team teacher work is seen as the key to success when CLIL is applied as Carina Grisolia pointed out. It means that through communication, subject teachers and English teachers work together to combine efforts adopting and creating material. In Colombian public elementary schools, head teachers are in charge of teaching all the subjects including English. This is due to the lack of dual teachers- those who are specialized in both language and content as is elucidated by Jermaine S. McDougald (2009).
In our experience as students of English as a foreign language, we have realized that the best way to learn it is through a real immersion. We studied many years in college before going to The United States, but when one is using the language one understands the necessity of learning English in context rather than learning it as an isolated subject. Unfortunately for most of the students in primary school or even in high school, a closer contact with the foreign language that is learned is limited. Students do not find useful what they are learning; it becomes boring and not significant. CLIL becomes a way for them to contextualize the knowledge they are acquiring in other subjects and the foreign language becomes a medium of communication.
Teachers can struggle when implementing CLIL. As Adrian Tennant explains, Many English language teachers worry about using CLIL materials because they feel they dont have the background knowledge of the subject. Although this may well be true to some extent, it is important to remember that the material is only a vehicle for the language. The teacher does not have to be an expert in the topic taught;
additionally, there are worksheets designed for English teachers with no emphasis in other areas. On the other hand, CLIL encourages intercultural understanding and community values. According to Cambridge University, research shows that learners become more sensitive to the vocabulary and ideas presented in their first language as well as the target language and that they gain more extensive and varied vocabulary.
To sum up, the Colombian education system has to evolve in order to respond to the new demands of the different social processes. That is why language teaching is going down a long path to prepare students to perform according to social changes such as globalization. Bilingual education, language immersion, and content based instruction have been the previous stages of CLIL. This approach is only one sample of this process. Its own evolution started in the ancient world. Since then, CLIL has been improved for teachers and researchers who keep on working, trying to fix its weak points.
References
Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh D. (2010). CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge University Press. Dalton, P. (2007). Discourse in Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Classrooms. Philadelphia: John Benjamin B.V.
Grisolia, C. (2010). CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning. The approach of the future. www.lulu.com. Printed copy.
Krashen, S. (1987). Theory of Second Language Acquisition. University of Southern California.
Cambridge University. (n. d.) .TKT Content and Language Integrated Learning. Retrieved from http:// www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/teaching-awards/clil.html. McDougald, J. The State of Language and Content Instruction
in Colombia. Latin American Journal of Content & Language Integrated Learning.2 (2)44-48
Tennant, A. (n. d.) CLIL tips1. Retrieved from http:// www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?docid=144594
Asociación Colombiana de Profesores de Inglés
Melba Libia Cárdenas, President - John Jairo Viáfara, Vice-President Álvaro H. Quintero, Treasurer & Editor in Chief - Adriana González, Secretary José Aldemar Álvarez, Spokesperson - Gabriel V. Obando, Spokesperson César Vivas Valderrama, Layout, Design, and Graphic Process
