Spring 2003 Vol XIV N°26

'.

Argentiná TESOL E-newsletter.

lE

Volume 14 N°26 Spring

(October

2003)

Argentina TESOl

E-newsletter

Argentina TESOl

Personería Jurídica IGJ 464.

Published since 1988

Spring (October) 2,003

,P/,hhhh/,h/,/,/,/.//./././/.//./././",,,

""

Dear ARTESOLERS,

;.

Artesol ' s first newsletter came out in 1988. Times change and so does our newsletter. This is our first electronic issue. We hope we can provide our readers with the same quality publication we have had over the years. We invite all Artesol members to share this with other colleagues and participate by sending contributions for our next Fall issue.

The current issue was possible thanks to the cooperation and contribution of: Monica Aparicio, Mabel Gallo, Estela Gambelin, Marta Garcia Lorea, Marina Gonzalez, Sandra Lee McKay, Vivian Morghen, Patricia Orsi, Liliana Orsi, Ana Maria Rocca,Maria Laura Rossiand Norma Scagnoli.

/./././,/,/././.

Convention's Motío: Teachers Make the Difference

~ ;.

"-

~

";."-

"Despite ethnic discrimination and economic problems that were the lot of Sicilian immigrants to the United States, I was able to enter college and become a teacher. Many people ask me how that was possible. My answer is always, "Well, you see, I had a marvelous teacher once who inspired me to continue my education." I hope that when some famous countryman is asked that question, s/he will be thinking of you as one who inspired, loved and respected your students, thus making their personal success possible and your cherished country a prouder,

"

;. .1.

"-

;.

~ ;. ;. ;.

"-

;. ;. ;.

richer nation."

"""

I';A';I':.

;¡,

Mary Finocchiaro,

1988

/'

,··..····i7Ü1AJii'Ésoi'cONVENTÍON' ..·····, .Iune 27-28,2003

CONTENTS ,"

•

17th ARTESOLCONVENTION

...............__~Y..~~!~~~_Q~:~_~~!!:l .

June 27-28, 2003. pp. 1-2

•

The 17th ARTESOL Convention - Teachers Make {he Differencewas held at the Universidad del Centro in Tandil, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 27/28, 2003.

This annual meeting was made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Public Affairs Offtce of the Embassy of the United States, which sponsored the visit of Dr. Diane Larsen Freeman, keynote speaker of the convention. In addition, ARTESOL, was honored by the presence 01' Charles W. Amorosino Executive Director of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, lnc, (ARTESOL's mother association) who made an enlightening presentation on TESOL Matters. On the other hand, Mabel Gallo, ARTESOL Board Member and Member of the Board 01' Directors of

Fifth Southern Cone Regional TESOLConvention August 23 25 Montevideo

pp.3-4

•

The role of teachers of English in an e-Iearning world. pp. 5-10

•

The Cultural Basis of Teaching English as an International language pp.11-12 -13

•

Upcoming conferences p.13

•

UNIVERSIDAD DEL CENTRO Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina

- Tesol

1

Argentina

TESOL E-newsletter.

Q

Volume 14 N 26 Spring

Millan, Pearson, C.U.P., AQA, ALL, English and Fun, S.B.S. for their collaboration.

TESOL announced TE SOL 2004, Soaring Far-Catching Dreams to be held March 30 April 3, 2004 in Long Beach, California. At the end of the TESOL Matters presentation three complimentary mernberships to TESOL were raffled among the attendees.

The winners were: María Magdalena Pasini, Valeria Valdegrama and Graciela Ferreyro.

Congratulations to the new TESOL Members.

The site of the Convention, the campus of the Universidad del Centro could not have been a better backdrop for this event.

Almost 300 English teachers and advanced students from different places in Argentina attended and actively participated in plenaries, poster presentations, concurrent sessions, and commercial presentations The conclusions and closing cerernony, followed by the traditional book raffle, took place on Saturday evening, after which, tired but full of renewed energies, organizers, presenters and participants departed expecting to meet again in June 2004 at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), in Buenos Aires, Argentina. for the rs" ARTESOL Convention.

Concurrent sessions took place 011 both days, since the great number of presentations forced organizers to duplicate space for them all.

Topics on methodology, brain-based and taskbased learning, literature, business, grammar, reading and writing were presented through workshops, demonstrations and poster presentations by: M. M. Pasini, P. L, Luchini, S. Villalba (UN. del Centro), D. N. Klebs (F.S.P. Joaquín V. González), J. M. Romero (CASOC), M. García Lorea (English Teaching Service), Bottino-Palacio-Barbero, Rosas-Rueda (U.N. Mar del Plata), M. Lucente (ISFD N° 88), Caielli-Regueira-Williarns (U.N. Mar del Plata), F. Ortega (U.del Aconcagua), SanmartinoZabaleta (ISFD y T N°32), Dotta-MedinaEchavarría-Kryuchevskiy (Don Torcuato), Passinato, Arfini, Frillocchi (ARlCANA), Rocca-Albini (UBA), Borgnia-Chiatti (E. N. de Pesca), M. Suárez (lACA), M. C. de Reggini (ICANA), P. Orsi (Rainbow-US Embassy), E. Gambelín (American English lnstitute), M. Pugliese (U.N. del Centro), G. Ginevra (U. del Aconcagua).

Dr. Larsen Freeman, Director of the English Language lnstitute at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, is a prolific writer and researcher in Second Language Acquisition, Language Teaching Methodology, English Grammar and Teacher Education.

She conducted three plenaries: The Role 01 the Language Teacher, Teaching Grammaring,

andManaging

(October 2003)

ARTESOL wants to thank everybody, attendees, presenters, bookdealers and publishers, and very especially the Embassy of the United States of America, Universidad Nacional del Centro, and TESOL, Inc., for their invaluable collaboration witb our professional organization.

the Complexity 01 Language

Learning, Her professionalism and command of the topics confirmed and satisfied all the expectations ofthe audience, most ofwhom had studied from Diane s books.

See you next June 2004 in Buenos Argentina.

Argentina TESOL Executive Board.

Juan Carlos Pugliese, Secretario de Políticas Universitarias del Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología and former President of Universidad del Centro made a presentation on Quality in Higher Education in Argentina. His vast experience in the area was highly appreciated by all attendees.

As we all know no convention is ever complete without the presence of book dealers and publishers.

We want to publicly thank Mac

Aires,

Gambelin Estela: americaneng@infovia.com.ar

"Individuals play the game, but teams win championships. ANONYMOUS JI

"It is not fair to ask from others what you are not willing to do yourdelf." ELEANOR ROOSEVELT ~-------------------------------------------------------.---.-----------------------------------

2

Argentina TESOL E-newsletter.

1- - -

- - - - -

- -

- -

- - -

- - - -

Volume 14 N째26

- - - - - - - - --

: Fifth Southern Cone Regional 1 TESOL Convention 1 1

1 1

1

August 23 -25 Montevideo

1

.

1 1 1

1

---------

www.urutesol.tk -----------

(October 2003)

representative of Peru and another one from Bolivia.The venue was well located, downtown in a gorgeous club where the 800 attendants could comfortably participate in all the plenaries and in nearly all the workshops .Signs were clear and in case of doubt there were plenty of students from teachers training colleges at hand to give info.They wore turquoise short gowns and were very nice. Students had to work one day and were allowed free admittance to all the activities.

~ : 1

1

Spring

1

- - - - - - - - - ~1

From the desk of MARTA GARCIA LOREA The convention was a real success due to several concurrent factors: the organization was excellent and the warmth and enthusiasm of organizers and participants kindled the spirit of the event.

AII the rooms where the workshops took place had an OHP, a cassette player, a TV, a screen and flip charts.Power point presentations were clearly seen on a big screen in the main hall.

The night before the convention there was a very nice cocktail party at the British embassy where we met so me of our URUTESOL colleagues and some of the foreign presenters.

The facilities were impeccable throughout the convention. At coffee breaks attendants could help themselves to coffee, water and biscuits and there were some waiters who, in spite of the large crowds, could do their job fairly well. Bags and badges were enough even though they got more people than they had expected. The quality of the convention book was awsome.

Banners and tablecloths with the URUTESOL logo were displayed in each room.There were security guards and URUTESOL people in charge of security.There was a large board at the entrance where changes could be read before going upstairs where the convention was held. There were also ads of restaurants, coffeshops and shows.Tourism was fostered by a permanent stand, a desk in fact, where beautiful brochures were given.

Some of them had already been included in the bag.

During the opening ceremony all the former URUTESOL presidents were introduced and Solange Espina gave a welcome speech on behalf of her colleagues.

The Paraguayan delegation was outstandingly large: 80 teachers. They were very enthusiastic even after spending 19 hours .travelling and 5 hours at the Customs Office. Andrea Amarilla, their charming president, gave me some newsleUers to share with you. I was amazed to read about the academic workshops they have had during this year.They were sponsored by publishers and had as lecturers: Barbara Field, Michael Burns and Bill Ancker among others.

Albina Escobar, the president of BRAZTESOL and Florinda Marques from the Curitiba Chapter were also present. There was also a 3

Argentina

TESOL E-newsletter.

Volume 14 N°26 Spring

(October

2003)

while giving them recognition for their work

The book exhibit was allotted a large room where even beautifulleather clothes were offered. There was also a stand of the Asociación Uruguaya de Profesores Particulares de Inglés offering their services.Pearson made signs that were posted in the street where the convention took place. They served a twofold purpose: welcomed the attendants and hid parts of a game to be played during the convention.Pearson also organized a party in a restaurant nearby. Tickets were given after spending $ 20 on a book in any of the commercial stands.

The party took place on " La noche de la nostalgia" the night before a national holiday where they played music of the 70's and 80's. This is a traditional celebration that, according to the taxi driver that explained its origin to us, was created by the owner of a disco that was on the point of closing down some years ago.

Among the Argentinians presenters were Mabel Gallo, Daniel Fernández, María Marta Suarez, Omar Villareal, Mónica Rodriguez Sanmartino, María Inés Zabaleta, Alicia Pascual, Laura Lewin, Susana Tuero, Gustavo González, Betty Wolf, Monica Tosi and Claudia Ferradas.

A very nice party was given on Sunday night where Betty Wolf danced tango, a group of candomberos gave a wonderful show and amid a cocktail party all the participants danced to the music of the 80's.Judging from the comments 1 heard, the participants were very happy with the convention. There was a large number of students from the local teachers' training colleges who would work on assignments based on the lectures given at the convention.

Here comes the core of the report: the plenaries, semiplenaries, workshops and commercial presentations. Most of them were very good. Anyhow, I would like to point out that the caliber of some of the speakers entitled them to have had at least semiplenaries instead of workshops.

Such was the case of Ron Schwartz, who gave two workshops in a full room leaving many teachers without the pleasure of listening to him.

The warm spirit of languages was indeed kindled!

Garcia Lorea Marta: martagl@tutopia.com

"If you don' t like something, change it. If you can' t change it, change your attitude." MAYA ANGELOU

María Antonia Vernengo, current president of URUTESOL, suggested having southern cone key note speakers. Mabel Gallo proposed that non-speakers of English should also be invited to lecture in our conventions.This would give relevant colleagues the opportunity of sharing with us, EFL teachers, their expertise 4

Argentina

TESOL E-newsletter.

Volume 14 N째26 Spring

(October 2003)

or career changes, and they see this online offer as the opportunity to advance in their professions without leaving their countries.

Latin American countries, which according to a research by the World Bank (2000), are reaching arate of connectivity levels sufficient to support the progression phases of the Internet revolution, are the ones that will sooner provide many of the e-learners to universities and other training institutions.

Their performance as international e-learners will depend on how well they cope with the language and culture ofthe foreign country stillliving and working in their native land. A new kind of services and language support has to be provided either online or locally to ensure that studying at a distance will keep the quality of performance at the best.

The role of teachers of English in an e-learning world Presented at Congreso de las America, Puebla, Mexico - Oct. 2001.

By Norma Scagno1i, M.Ed University of Illinois. Previously published in Artesol's ESP IS Newsletter.

Abstract Teachers of Eng1ish in non-English speaking countries are invited to playa new role in the e-learning world. Online courses from different universities give individuals from all over the world the opportunity to participate in c1asses in all areas of knowledge.

Even when standardized language tests are a requisite to enroll, students will not be in an English language environment while taking the courses. This paper suggests courses of action to meet upcoming needs of online learners in front of the predominant1y English e-learning offer, and shows an example of what the University of Illinois is doing in the noncredit arena.

b. English as the dominant language of online courses.

The degrees offered online go from Masters' degrees to certification in different areas and isolated courses. The institutions that provide this offer are the traditional and .prestigious state universities as well as for profit organizations that already existed as distance learning providers or were born as online universities.

The courses and programs offered are either existent courses meant for a local or regional audience or new courses tailored to the demands of the market in the academia or professional arena both in the country and abroad. As an example, the University of Illinois at its main campus, offers six online masters' degrees, two in education, two in engineering, one in library and information science and one in computer science. The target audience ranges from teachers and school administrators of the state of Illinois and other states within the country to engineers and professionals all over the world. International students can

a. Introduction Online learning pro grams are attracting students to take c1asses and even obtain degrees from universities and colleges all over the world. The number of students enrolled in distance learning courses is expected to c1imb to 2.2million in 2002 up from 710,000 in 1998, according to International Data Corp (McGee, 2001) Well known universities offer these courses to students all over the world through their offices of academic outreach or continuing education. The programs target audiences are working adults seeking graduate degrees 5

Argentina

TESOL E-newsletter.

Volume 14 N째26 Spring

(October

2003)

such as text or audio chatting, good 1istening comprehension skills are needed when classes include video or listening elements, and if courses require team-work there is a constant communication with peers, which will more likely occur in English.

In the past the most common way to obtain a degree from a university in the US or other countries was by attending classes on campus, this put the students in an English speaking environment and with access to all the facilities that universities have for international students, as for example language workshops, writing labs, international students offices with 1anguage mentors. Now, the possibility to get a degree on1ine makes a great difference in many aspects of the international student life, but mainly in the language arena.

Even when students succeed in the 1anguage tests required to start a program, the classes will be taken in a different language environment, since students stay in their native country but take the classes in English, from a foreign university. Then these students need some help or support since they will not be able to take advantage of the services provided to students on campus. This service opportunity will call for two options, universities providing on1ine language services to international students, such as the Online Writing Lab (OWL) provided by the University of Purdue; or teachers of English in the foreign countries acting as mentors or language advisors of those students, such as the GIST service offered in Argentina in agreement with the Office of Continuing Education at the University of Illinois.

enroll to complete a Master's program or just to take some of the courses within the programs, on non-credit basis. As the University of Illinois, many other universities in the US, UK and Australia offer online courses and programs that reach audiences all over the world. In most cases the courses are in English, as we see that English is the dominant language in at least two of the most common subjects for global courses: business and information technologies (Mason, 1998).

c. Requirements for international students Internationa1 students enrolling in the US to pursue a degree at the undergraduate or graduate 1eve1 has to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and for graduate studies a1so other tests are required such as MAT, GMAT, GRE. If they want to take the courses as non-credit, they are not required to have the TOEFL or other tests that prove their 1anguage proficiency, but the courses are in Eng1ish, so on1y students who are able to understand and communicate in good Eng1ish will be ab1e to enroll and succeed in taking a class, as the GIS program states "E1ectronic sections of GIS courses may be availab1e to internationa1 students with sufficient Eng1ish 1anguage proficiency."

For traditiona1 distance education, proficiency in Eng1ish has a1so been a requirement, but the interaction in correspondence courses is limited to reading and writing, or in some cases 1istening comprehension especially for courses delivered via video. Still communication does not happen at real time, but is main1y asynchronous.

Now courses over the Internet with rich uses of multimedia and communication too1s push the 1anguage skills of the users further. A quick response is required in synchronous communication,

d. English teachers as mentors English has been taught as a second language in most Spanish speaking countries for years. This has been the required foreign 1anguage in public schools, 6

Argentina

TESOL E-newsletter.

Volume 14 N째26 Spring

and the 1anguage that peop1e has demanded to 1eam most given the economic, industrial and technica1 advancement. This demand gave origin to bilingua1 schoo1s and schoo1s of 1anguage.

Most of these schoo1s prepare the students to take the standardized or entry 1eve1tests for foreign universities, and in some cases the schoo1s a1so represent US or UK organizations and provide physica1 space to take this examinations in their offices, or proctor these test on beha1f of foreign institutions. There are a1so those that pro vide services for afee assisting students who are p1anning to study abroad, such as registration in universities, accornmodation, contact information with colleges and faculty, inquires about intemationa1 students services in universities and colleges, traveling and even visa re1ated information.

Teachers of Eng1ish play an important ro1e for those that plan to go and study abroad, as part of the Eng1ish schoo1s and a1so as individual professiona1s working free1ance and providing the same services as 1isted above. They even go further providing services to students who are moving to other countries because they can customize to the individual needs and serve as advisors and 1anguage and culture mentors. Their know1edge and experience of 1ife in foreign countries, or their professiona1 re1ation with peop1e in colleges or universities abroad, makes them unique in providing information about the foreign culture.

Information that goes beyond the discipline the student is going to pursue, "surviving skills" that will he1p students cope with a new system of education, a new environment, and a different way of life.

Once students trave1 to the foreign country the teacher' s mentoring services are rep1aced by the assistance that the universities in the provide to intemationa1 students or by the teachers of specia1 programs that intemationa1 organizations such as Fu1bright provide for.

(October

2003)

e. New services for e-learners The online 1eaming trend calls for a new set of services to offer to e-1eamers in the Spanish speaking countries. E-1eamers who app1y either for programs or non-credit courses are proficient in English, but still the need for 1anguage support will exist.

This support may come from the universities abroad in the form of online services, but still the presence of local support will mean a 10t to students and a1so to the university because it will ensure a better assistance to students abroad.

Having stated that the teachers of Eng1ish and the schoo1s of English are the p1aces where students who app1y to foreign universities go for 1anguage and cultural assistance previous to their moving to the foreign country, it is reasonab1e to believe that these are the p1aces that will naturally become the local support for e-1eamers. e.1 Methodologv to support e-Iearners E-1eamers pursuing a degree in a university from an English speaking country are different from traditiona1 students of Eng1ish as a second 1anguage. (ESL). E1eamers need Eng1ish for specific purposes, main1y EAP (Eng1ish for Academic Purposes), but in a study situation that is different from the traditiona1 study situations like the ones exp1ained by Dud1ey-Evans and St John in their book Developments in ESP (1990). They consider four types of EAP study situations but none of those refer to 1eamers who are in their native country, speaking their native 1anguage but taking c1asses from a schoo1 in an Eng1ish speaking country and by an instructor who will expect his students to respond with the same accuracy and proficiency as on campus students do. This is the study situation of e-1eamers and they 7

Argentina

TESOL E-newsletter.

Volume 14 N째26 Spring

(October

2003)

As an individual, English teachers will have to be prepared to deal with foreign university rules and procedures, and be open to start cornmunication or collaboration with administrators, instructors or assistants of the program or courses abroad that will help providing information that will be useful for the support of the e-leamer. The better the management of technology, the faster and les s cost1y cornmunication with program directors or personnel.

The e-leamers from foreign countries admitted into online courses taught in English are people with good knowledge of the language, so they are not students that will come regular1y to c1asses. The mentors will have to think of a system that will allow "occasional" leamers coming for help in an irregular schedule. The teachers or institutions will have to accornmodate times and physical space to act as tutors or consider online mentoring as well. At the same time they may encounter that students come for help not just in the language but also in administrative issues, completions of forms, cornmunication, and other type of tasks to complete requirements by the .'foreign university. Policies that regulate what type of help is being provided and fees that cover this will have to be determined with a c1ear idea of what type of services will be needed by users.

need support in the language that the c1asses ) are taug ht m. .

Teachers of English willing to act as mentors or tutors for e-learners need to have experience in teaching English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP) (Blue, 1988a), a general understanding of the online leaming methodologies being used for eleaming, as well as management of tools and applications for online communication.

The cornmand of technology will help in the preparation of materials to train e-learners, as well as to assist them in the use of these applications in the online c1ass, without getting into a very technical arena.

E-learners will need training and support on more skills than those used for traditional distance leaming courses. In the e-leaming environment students will encounter reallife cornmunication tasks such as text and voice chatting with the instructors or c1assmates; assignments that will require analyzing reading materials on the Internet, and even writing and publishing online could be added to their college tasks.

The general English skills will be supplemented by specific tasks that will depend on the area that the student is taking c1ass in. This area, known as English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) (Blue, 1988a), will help transfer the skills acquired in the EGAP c1asses to the particular discipline, to fulfill the requirements of a specific department or course.

e.3 Rofe of the teacher and institution e.2 Other tasks invofved in the support to e-fearners

Students will be the content experts and teachers will have to pro vide help with the language in specific situations, this gives the teachers a "tutorial role", because they act as a coach and resource and are called upon for advice and guidance (Harmer, 1991). This ESP situation will be enhanced by the method of delivery of the c1ass. The interaction between English mentor and student will or may be face to face, but the interaction, reception of c1ass content,

English schools and English teachers that are ready to face the challenge proposed by the "e-leaming" revolution, will also need to consider changes in their administrative function. The way that the organization will consider staff and support of e-learners, will vary from the procedures they had with traditional ESL or ESP leamers.

8

Argentina TESOL E-newsletter.

Volume 14 N째26 Spring

(October

2003)

Unless the tutoring is to be provided just in the language, independent of the context where the use of the language will occur, teachers and institutions will have to consider staffing and resources to face tutoring e-leamers.

There is also the option of remo te tutoring, and this can be over the phone, by e-rnail or using the Internet. In this case, a more technological approach will have to be taken by the tutors, and there will be no need to consider physical space, hardware or software to pro vide for students coming to get help.

submission of assignments, will be done remotely. The English teacher does not have the content expertise to guide the students through the course content and activities, the role of the teacher then is of a language tutor, which is very broad and involves to act as organizer, prompter and resource in regards to the mastery of the language by the student to fulfill the tasks required to perform well as a e-learner. e.4 New resources needed What human and physical resources are going to be needed to get into this new role of support to e-learners?

It willlargely depend on the agreements the institutions or teachers reach with the elearners or how much they are going to support the e-leaming activity beyond the language tutoring.

Instructors with experience or knowledge of online learning will be ideal to fulfill this role of tutors because of their experience in the online environment, but being elearning so new, teachers with this background will not be abundant. Those undergoing the endeavor of tutoring elearners need to get training to understand the management of online courses to get a better understanding of the students who perform in sl:lch environment. An accurate knowledge of the context where the language is going to be used is important in the preparation of material s and in the coaching tasks.

Institutions will have to assess needs, evaluate services and raise issues such as providing for students to be able to use the Internet from the school lab, purchase hardware or software for students, implement dedicated phone lines, online help desks, or even technical support.

Individual teachers acting as tutors may provide les s resources but their service can be more personalized that in bigger institutions.

f. A Case Study: GIS at the University of Illinois and GIS Tutors The Office of Continuing Education at the University of Illinois provides diverse distance learning possibilities to adult students through the division of Academic Outreach and Guided Individual Study.

Even though the distance learning courses have been created with the idea of opening the campus to the Illinois community, the .'Internet has allowed public from different parts of the country and the world become aware of these opportunities for life long learning. Students from different countries have enrolled through this office in c1asses offered at a distance by the University of Illinois.

Guided Individual Study (GIS) provides instruction on an individual basis.

Individuals learn at their own pace using self-instructional course materials, which may inc1ude printed or online study guides, a variety of audiovisual aids, and computer resources.

Students contact instructors, submit assignments, and receive feedback on graded assignments by mail and, for electronic sections, by e-mail.

More than 100 courses in a wide range of subject areas are available for 9

Argentina

TESOL E-newsletter.

Volume 14 N°26 Spring

undergraduate credit. Enrollment is open to on-campus and off-campus University of Illinois students, high school students, students enrolled at other colleges and universities, and individual s studying on their own.

A group of language teachers from Argentina gathered to carry on a mentoring system for students from that country that want to enroll in GIS courses. This mentoring program is called GIST, which stands for Guided Individual Study Tutors.

The object of this mentoring program is to provide tutorial support in the language to students who can prove their English proficiency. This project is carried on with the authorization of the Office of Continuing Education at the University of Illinois. Students, who have become skilled in the use of English as a second language, are encouraged to take some of the courses offered by GIS and this serves several purposes. They can keep practicing the language in a different environment than that of the language c1ass, they get the chance to use the language for advancement in their professional lives, and they grow self-confidence to start a career abroad, they are introduced to the e-learning methodology. For the institution offering GIS courses this opens their courses to students from other places, providing the assistant of a local broker for their courses, which allow a more customized service to those students. The teachers carrying on this project we1come the possibility of offering their advanced students the opportunity to enhance their language skills by using the language as a means for gaining more knowledge in their professions, and expect to gain experience in mentoring for elearners.

(October

2003)

are required for bus y adults to keep up with a course. In the case of international students, proficiency in a foreign language is added to these demands. Teachers of English can provide a service to students taking c1asses from universities in English speaking countries.

I have tried to illustrate how the role of teachers of English can be shaped to the elearning world adding on to the traditional role and what adaptation and preparation it will require to face new type of learners.

English teachers will still be the language mentors, the tutors, the resource, but the context where their students will have to perform is different from other learners' context, which means that they will have to become more attuned to the online environment, develop new skills to cope with the online learning methodology, become more flexible in times and working formats, and provide multiple opportunities for students to interact with information.

This e-learning revolution will mainly affect those that focus in ESP training, but given the speed that the Internet is gaining adepts, younger public will be able to make use of the Web for enhancing or maintaining their .'English language proficiency. I think this is the time to look into this new possibility for service and consider the extent to which language mentors can help those that will not travel to get a degree in a foreign ) university, but stay at home and still study abroad using English as the language for learning.

References and bibliography (have not been included due to space constraints, they are available upon request)

Norma Scgnoli:

•

g. Conclusion

•

E-learners are on their own to respond to the demand of online courses. High levels of motivation and time management skills

•

10

scagnoli@uiuc.edu

Enjoy the benefits of a prestigious professional association.

Encourage your colleagues to become Artesol members. .artesol@bcl.edu.ar

Argentina

TESOL E-newsletter.

Vo1ume14 N°26 Spring

(October 2003)

locallanguages in a multilingual context. resulting in many bilingual speakers 01' that language. Presently, many ofthe bilingual speakers of English have no desire to acquire the culture of native speakers of English because, unlike irnmigrants to English-speaking countries, they will not be living and interacting in a native-Englishspeaking context.

For the purpose 01' clarifying thc cultural basis of teaching English as an international language (EIL), perhaps the most significant features of an international language are those described by Smith (1976), who argues that, in reference to an international language, • There is no necessity forL2 speakers to internalize the cultural norms 01' native speakers of that language • An international language becomes denationalized • The purpose of teaching an international language is to facilitate the communication of learners' ideas and culture in an English medium If one accepts these features of an intemational language, then the entire notion that learners of EIL need to Iearn the culture 01' native speakers of English must be challenged. The question is hO"\Idocs culture interact with language teaching?

Dear Artesolers: We would like you to send us feedback on the following article.

How does this apply to your own environment? We will happily publish your comments in our next issue.

THE CULTURAL BASIS OF TEACHING ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE

by Sandra Lee McKay (published in TESOL MATTERS vol. 13 No. 4) Sandra Lee McKay teaches at San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, in the United States.

One of the most cornplex problems in Enzlish b •.. teachinz .••.... todav '" is determininz_-the cultural basis ofteaching an international language such as English. In order to examine this problem, it ís necessary to consider the characteristics of an international language.

The Characteristics of an InternationaJ Language Clearly, one feature of an international language is that it must be widely spoken.

Today, however. English is not themost widely spoken language in the world because it is only spoken by one third the number of native speakers ofMandarin.

What makes English distinct at the present time is not the number of nati ve speakers, but the growing number of L2 speakers of English. In fact. Graddol, (1999) maintains that, in the not so distant future, the number of 1,2 speakers ofEnglish will surpass the number ofnative speakers. This developrnent supports Brutt-Griffler's (2002) contention that one of the central features of an international language is that it tends to establish itself alongside other

The RoJe of Culture in Language Teaching Culture plays a role in language teaching in two important ways. First, culture is significant in the linguistic dimension of the lanzuage itself, affecting the sernantic, pragmatic, and discourse levels of the language.

Second, culture is operative in a pedagogical sense in that choices need to be made regarding the cultural content 01' language materials and the culturalbasis of 11

Argentina TESOL

the teaching methodology. at the linguistic dimension language teaching.

E-newsletter.

Vo1ume 14 N°26 Spring

Let us first look of culture in

(October

2003)

extent leamers of EIL need to internalize the discourse mies of native speakers of English. In this instance, the rhetorical goals of the L2 speaker of English. as well as the intended audience of the text, need to be considered when making curriculum choices in EIL teaching.

Linguístic Dímension of Culture On a semantic level, culture is ernbedded in many ofthe lexical phrases ofEnglish, for exarnple, in well-known U.S. English phrases such as big stick diplomacy, yellow journalism. and Une/e Tom. In terms 01' teaching EIL. if there is no need for L2 speakers to internalize the cultural norms of native speakers, as Smith contends. then the teaching of such phrases in an English class needs to be questioned. Thus, one important choice that teachers of EIL need to make is what lexical phrases should be included in an EIL currículum.

In reference to the pragmatic level. many current English textbooks devote attention to teaching appropriateness in language use.

Some texts, for example. point out that, when receiving a cornpliment, learners 01' English should acknowledge and accept the complimcnt with a simple response, such as "thank you." However, research in crosscultural pragmatics has clearly dernonstrated that therc are vast differences in how various cultures enact a particular speech aet so that. in sorne cultures, it is typical to downplay a eompliment, leading one to react with responses such as. "1 could have done better." If leamers 01' an intemational language do not need to internalize the cultural norms of native speakers, then there is no reason why L2 speakers of EIL need to conforrn to the pragmatic rules of native speakers 01" English.

A similar situation occurs at the discourse level of language teaching, Research in contrastive rhetoric has demonstrated that there are differences in how various cultures develop particular genres, such as that used in a business letter or an argumentative essay. Again. the question arises as to what

Pedagogícal Dimension of Culture Culture also plays an important role in teaching material s and methods. Cortazzi and Jin (1999) distinguish three types of cultural information that can be used in language textbooks <md materials:

1. so urce culture mtuerials. which draw on the learners' own culture as content 2. target culture materials, which use the culture of a country where English is spoken as an L 1 3. internat ional target culture materials, which use a great variety of cultures in English- and nonEnglish-speaking countries around the world Many existing English textbooks place a . heavy emphasis on target culture materials. including native English-speaker names and places. However, if one of the main purposes of teaching (1ll intemational language is to facilitate the communication of learners' ideas and culture in an English medium, then there are many reasons why source culture materials should be used in the teaching Oof El L. Presently, many countries are beginning to do this. In Chile, for example, the required texts used in junior and senior high schools, entitled Go for Chile, Boos 1 and 2 (Mugglestone, Elsworth &Rose, 1999,2000), include Chilean topics and places (see also McKay, in press).

Teaching methodology is another area of language teaching that reflects a particular cultural perspecti ve. One of the most 12

Argentina TESOl E-newsletter.

Volume 14 N°26 Spring

popular methods in English language teaching today is communicative language teaching (CLT), with its emphasis on oral skills and group work. Although the method developed largely in English-speaking countries for use with imrnigrants, it has spread to many non-English-speaking countries. often prornoted by so-called teaching experts from nati ve- Englishspeaking countries. However, in many countries, such as Chile. -China, Japan, and Korea, the appropriateness 01' this method in light of the local context and learners' needs has been challenged. In Chile, for exarnple, an earlier emphasis on developing students' oral ski1ls that occurred with the adoption 01' Cl.T has been replaced by a policy approved by the Ministry of Education that requires 80% 01' the high school curriculum to be devoted to developing students' reading and writing ski Lis.It is therefore important when selecting a rnethodology for a particular context for teachers to consider the local needs 01' the students rather than assume that a method that is effective in one context is effective in all contexts. (For amore cornprehensive discussion of methods in EIL teaching, see McKay, 2002)

(October

2003)

References (have not been included due to space constraints, they are available upon request)

Upcoming Conferences: •

•

•

The Cultural Basis of EIL Teaching Whereas, traditionally, the cultural basis 01' English teaching has been closely linked to the culture ofnative-English-speaking countries, the fact that English has becorne an international language offers a serious challenge to this approach. In dealing with the linguistic and pedagogical aspect 01' culture in language teaching, what is needed is a full recognition that English toda)' has become denationalized. Hence, it is local educators who need to determine what linguistic information, cultural content, and teaching methodology are most appropriate for the local context so that Iearners will be able 10 use English to tell others about their own culture.

13

lnternational, TESOL 2004, Long Beach, California, USA. Annual. http://www.tesol.org/conv/indexconv.html Southern Cone Convention 2005, Asunción del Paraguay. It is held every two years) ARTESOL. Annual Convention, 2004, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

•

October 2003 16-19. MexTESOl, Asociacion Mexicana de Maestros de Ingles, AC. MexTESOL's Conference "30 Years Growing Together in ELT," in Oaxtepec, Moreles, Mexico. Contact the Central Office at Ponciano Arriaga #23 Dtpo.100, Colonia Tabacalera, Del Cuauhtemoc, Mexico DF c.r. 06030, Tel. 0052-55-55-66-87-49 or 01-800710-46-76 Fax (0155) 55-66-87-74.

E-mail convencion@mextesol.org. Web site http://www.mextesol.org/

•

October 2003 24-25. Associacao Portuguesa de Ingles (APPI). APPI Regional Seminar, Hotel D. Luis, Coimbra, Portugal. "Making EFL Teaching Work." E-mail appi@appi.pt.

Web site http://www.appi.ptlIng les/actividades /CongSemin.htm.

•

June 2004 10-16. Annual Conference for Teachers of English 2004. "Reflective Teaching," Dominican Republic, West Indies, Instituto Cultural Dominico Americano, Abraham Lincoln Ave. #2l.

Santo Domingo, D.R. Contact: Grisel Del Rosario, Tel. (809) 535-0665 ext. 265-264.

Email: idiomas@icda.edu. do Santiago Location: Avenida Estrella Sadhala, Santiago, June 15-16, 2004. Contact: Agustin Francisco, Tel. (809) 582-6627.

Email: agustin_efco@hotmail.com Web site http://www.icda.edu.do/.

Argentina TESOl

E-newsletter.

Volume 14 N°26 Spring

• •

•

•

Artesol is looking for contributions to be published in our next newsletter, Fall Issue. Submit articles, announcements or comments to: artesol@bcl.edu.ar before Apríl 15, 2004.

Artesol will be holding a PDS (Professíonal Development Session) next November. Venue and dates to be announced.

Artesol is happy to announce its Web site. Although it is still under construction you can take a peek at

•

•

•

Http://www.artresol.8k.com We will appreciate your suggestions or contributions.

II. Membership Category Incentives

l. Grants and Awards Program The deadline for submitting an application or nominating a colleague for the 2003-2004 Awards and Grants program is November 1, 2003.

1. Complimentary Memberships All affiliates in good standing have the right to grant three complimentary TESOL memberships to affiliate members in good ..standing. Current TESOL members,or Affiliate Board Members do not qualify for this incentive.

Awards by Application

•

• •

•

•

For first-time presenters from outside the U'S. and Canada: TOEFL Board Awards for International Participation at TESOL The TESOLlCollege Board Award for Teacher as Classroom Researcher The TESOLlHoughton Mifflin Award for Dedication to Community College ESL Teaching The East Carolina University/TESOL Award for an Outstanding Paper on NNEST lssues

Grant Deadlines: Speaker Grant Deadline: November 1 Travel Grant Deadline: December 1

TESOL,Matters

•

(October 2003)

For all TESOL members: TESOL Professional Development Scholarships For graduate students: Ruth Crymes TESOL Fellowship for Graduate Study, Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grants For EFL professionals: TESOLlTEFL Travel Grant For material writers: Mary Finocchiaro Award for Excellence in the Development of Pedagogical Materials For researchers: TESOL Research Interest Section/Heinle & Heinle Distinguished Research Award For teachers or teacher trainers/supervisors: Ruth Crymes TESOL Academies Fellowships

2. Special $40 Membership Promotion Targeted to Non-US- Based Affiliates.

Any affiliate identified within the United Nations report with a GNP of $15, 000 or less will be asked to submit their membership lists to the Member Services Department.

All Southern cone countries qualify for this incentive. Staff will actively recruit membership on their behalf.

14