Contents:
Pronunciation Workshop with Dr Beth Zielinski
A highly interesting and interactive workshop on Pronunciation was held on Saturday, 8 May 2010. It explored the challenges for speakers to improve intelligibility of communication and for teachers to present pronunciation in relevant, timely and fun ways. The session also answered the question 'What makes it difficult for EALD (English as an additional Language or Dialect) speakers to make themselves easily understood when they speak?'
With extensive experience in this field, our presenter, Dr Beth Zielinski, helped us explore features of pronunciation and ways to help our students.
For more more information on teaching Pronunciation see the following:
- Pronunciation fact sheets:
http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/resources/amep_fact_sheets - Downloadable book Clearly Speaking by Anne Burns and Stephanie Clare: http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/docs/research_reports/Clearly_Speaking.pdf
- Website dedicated to providing examples of English
accents:
http://accent.gmu.edu/index.php - Pronunciation resources at the BBC and British Council
websites:
www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/
www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/activities - Website which lists rhyming words to contrast the sounds of
English:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/wordscape/wordlist/ - Downloadable book on teaching pronuncation by Judy
Gilbert:
www.cambridge.org/other_files/downloads/esl/booklets/Gilbert-Teaching-Pronunciation.pdf
Draft National Teacher Standards: Find out and have your say!
On Thursday, 29 April 2010, a workshop was held to explore whether the proposed Teacher Standards:
- support desirable entry points and career paths for specialist ESL teachers;
- allow for what mainstream teachers need to know about the ESL learners in their classrooms; and
- encourage mainstream teachers to collaborate with ESL specialist teachers.
Thus building up ideas to develop useful feedback on improving this draft.
The workshop included short briefings from:
- Christine Lucas, Director, Structural Reforms Team within the Teacher Reforms Branch in the Dept. of Education, Employment & Workplace Relations (DEEWR); and
- Penny Gilmour, Branch Secretary, Australian Education Union, ACT branch.
The National Curriculum: Is there a place for ESL Students?
On Saturday 27 March 2010, Helen Moore led a lively discussion on the draft of Australia's National Curriculum. Teachers came together to explore the mysteries of the National curriculum website and raise concerns to inform the Australian Council of TESOL Association's submission on the draft. In concluding the session, it was decided that a follow up session would be organised.
2010 Annual General Meeting and “Translating lives: Living with two languages and cultures”
The 2010 ATESOL ACT AGM was held at Asia Bookroom on Wednesday 17th February.
Retiring President Lona Thwaites presented her president's report and treasurer's report. Our Vice President Marina Houston presented the ATESOL ACT Student Awards to Rowena Tayler-Henry and Anna James. A new committee was elected, watch the Contact page for details of our new Committee.
The AGM was followed by a discussion with Professor Anna Wierzbicka, co-editor of “Translating lives: Living with two languages and cultures", and another of the contributors to the book, Dr Kyung Joo Yoon. They shared how immersion in two cultures affects one’s perspective of the world and relationship with other people. These accounts of childhood recollections, migrant experiences, journeys of self-discovery and feelings of being culturally torn or undefined, reveal the intrinsic links between language, culture and identity.
Many thanks to Asia Bookroom for co-hosting our AGM and the book talk, and also for their generous sponsorship of our Student Awards.