SPLIS Newsletter - August 2019 (Plain Text Version)
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ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Suzanne Franks, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
Dear readers, One goal of our interest section is to provide resources and innovative ideas for ESL instructors on three important aspects of ELT: listening, pronunciation, and speaking. This issue of As We Speak provides a balance of these three closely entwined aspects of oral English instruction. Listening: The first two feature articles focus on practical techniques and tools for teaching bottom-up listening skills. The justification for covering bottom-up listening skills as opposed to top-down is that top-down listening skills are the norm, whereas bottom-up listening has often been ignored. First, Jennifer Lacroix and Abigail Castle describe five easy-to-implement strategies for teaching bottom-up listening skills. Then, Sharon Tjaden-Glass covers three exciting technologies that are easy to adopt for fostering fun, focused, and meaningful listening practice. Pronunciation: Wayne Dickerson’s article proposes a framework that informs teachers’ decisions about what and how to teach L2 pronunciation. This author skillfully explains the critical role that appropriate peaks and valleys play in intelligible spontaneous speech. Speaking: Nicole Servais describes a compelling and cooperative learning technique designed to help non-native English speaking students gain more confidence and sociolinguistic competence when taking part in academic discussions. In addition to four excellent articles, this newsletter is jam-packed with information about conferences and 2020 TESOL International Convention events. To get the full scoop, we invite you to take a stroll through each section, pause to savor the knowledge-nuggets that you find most appealing, and bookmark places you want to visit later. Finally, the SPLIS e-newsletter, As We Speak, is calling for articles reviewing and/or comparing classroom teaching materials for speaking, listening, and pronunciation for its special issue on materials. Submit manuscripts for the SPECIAL ISSUE by email to Nancy Elliott [nce@uoregon.edu]. NEW SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR THE SPECIAL ISSUE: September 4, 2019. Manuscripts and other pieces you wish to submit for consideration in As We Speak can be sent directly to me or Matthias via email. Best regards, Suzanne SPLIS Newsletter Coeditor |
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