English as a Foreign Language
Differentiated Instructions: No Learner Left Behind
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Fariha Asif
English language, because of its peculiar structure and strangeness in certain circumstances, is a hard nut to crack for all the foreign learners. In Arab countries this gigantic issue is not easy to grapple both by learners and teachers. In EFL/ESL classroom set up, majority of teachers often observe a limited number of learners who always keep lagging behind the rest of class. Despite teacher’s leaving no stone unturned, they could not keep pace with the class in a normal manner. These low performing learners cannot be ignored; rather they need and deserve more attention by the teacher. Teachers can instill in them the fervor of learning and they can be made active aspirant to keep pace with the class for getting better results. Their potential cannot be neglected. Their talent is hidden so it needs to be explored. The only thing they lack is lack of fondness and interest and diversion of attention. If these trends can be overcome and their capabilities are properly directed, they can become active learners. Various techniques and tips have been adapted to make them active and interactive participants in the class.
From Decontextualized Skills to Creative Writing: The Case of Greek Dyslexic and Non Dyslexic Children Composing in Both Greek and English as a Foreign Language
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Julie Baseki, Georgia Andreou, Sotiria Tzivinikou
It is unclear whether the cognitive factors that children draw on during the writing process differ from the factors which have been found to be important to product measures (Torkildsen, et al., 2016). This study aimed to investigate the effect of spelling, as an intrinsic part of transcription ability, on the overall quality of the written compositions produced and how composing higher-level processes relate to product characteristics. InputLog enabled us investigate the writing profiles of dyslexic and non-dyslexic children. Composing skills in both Greek and English as a foreign language were assessed through two different approaches to writing assessment, dictation passages and picture elicited narratives in both languages since narrative abilities have also been strongly related to children’s academic performance (Torkildsen, et al., 2016). Children with dyslexia scored significantly below their peers regarding overall text quality, they produced shorter texts and less cohesive / coherent. Dyslexic writers’ spelling profile, as well as their revising and pausing behaviour, seem to be lagging rather than deviant, while both revising and pausing behaviours indicate that spelling has been the main concern for both groups of writers and confirm the dyslexics’ deficient error detection mechanism (Horrowitz-Kraus & Breznitz, 2011).
Multilingual and Multicultural Educational Material Design: The Sociolinguistic Profile of a Student with a Migrant Background as a Tool of Curriculum Development
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kleio Sakellaridi, Anastasia Gkaintartzi
The design of the material is based on the argument that language learning is closely interwoven with identity investment and educators need to provide enough space for the identities of their learners to unfold (Cummins, 2001). Apart from the theory, the research also draws upon specific findings that emerged from the analysis of the interviews, such as that the student is bilingual in Georgian and Greek, having received formal education in both languages, but refuses to speak in Georgian with her classmates and is reluctant to declare her origins. The designed worksheet combines linguistic elements with cultural and historical facts, in a creative and engaging way. It is structured on a micro – student and macro - classroom level; the first aims to enhance the student’s identity investment, focusing not only on her bilingual competences but on aspects of her social and cultural identifications and the second aims to educate the whole classroom in multicultural understanding, openness and acceptance. The essay calls for the adoption of multilingual practices within the Greek educational system in order to move away from strictly monolingual and mono-cultural curriculum, towards a multi-lingualized and multi-culturized classroom.
