This presentation with F. M. Ivone at the online 2021 International Association for Intercultural Education discusses how cooperative learning can be done online, and maybe it can be even better than face-to-face
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This paper considers potential contributions applied linguists can make towards important real-world issues which demand social engagement and action. One case in point is how applied linguists can contribute towards the achievement of... more
This paper considers potential contributions applied linguists can make towards important real-world issues which demand social engagement and action. One case in point is how applied linguists can contribute towards the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We provide an illustrative study in which we utilized computer tools to investigate media reporting as a way to promote awareness of basic human needs. The study examined the relative coverage of issues of basic human needs (particularly extreme scarcity of food, clean water and sanitation), and of the COVID-19 outbreak, in four major newspapers from Malaysia, Singapore, the UK and the US. Findings were reported and reasons explored with insights from the literature and professionals working in the media and related sectors. The distribution of media coverage, we argue, reflects not a mere crisis of numbers but a crisis of responsibility and values. This paper, we hope, serves to highlight how applied linguists and language educators can be more socially engaged; they can make a contribution to the wider discussion concerning, among other important issues, the role and responsibility of media in shaping the public’s views and actions on issues that are at the heart of human sustainable development.
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I recently co-authored an article on infusing cooperative learning in distance education: http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume24/ej93/ej93a1/ That article wasn't very practical. Attached is the draft of a second article that we... more
I recently co-authored an article on infusing cooperative learning in distance education: http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume24/ej93/ej93a1/
That article wasn't very practical. Attached is the draft of a second article that we are promising will be more practical, with 9 lesson plans. We need help to see if the lesson plans really are practical. Thus, we wonder if you and/or your colleagues would like to try out one or more of the lessons and let us have your ideas for improvements.
thx --george.jacobs@gmail.com
That article wasn't very practical. Attached is the draft of a second article that we are promising will be more practical, with 9 lesson plans. We need help to see if the lesson plans really are practical. Thus, we wonder if you and/or your colleagues would like to try out one or more of the lessons and let us have your ideas for improvements.
thx --george.jacobs@gmail.com
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The title says it all
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Distance Education has always been a good idea. Now, distance learning is a necessity in many contexts. But cooperative learning is also a good idea. This paper addresses how to infuse cooperative learning in distance education. I need... more
Distance Education has always been a good idea. Now, distance learning is a necessity in many contexts. But cooperative learning is also a good idea. This paper addresses how to infuse cooperative learning in distance education. I need your help to make this paper as helpful as possible.
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This paper looks at the value of students and others interacting in very large groups of tens and even 100s of members of the same group. The paper begins by looking at disadvantages of larger groups and then at their advantages, before... more
This paper looks at the value of students and others interacting in very large groups of tens and even 100s of members of the same group. The paper begins by looking at disadvantages of larger groups and then at their advantages, before proving advice on how to facilitate groups regardless of their sizes. This advice including dividing resources and roles, promoting common identity, encouraging rewards and celebrations, using groups of different sizes, taking advantage of communication technology, and paying attention to the development and use of collaborative skills. The authors' conclusion is that groups can be beneficial if those involved carefully attend to the groups' functioning.
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This article reports research on the occurrence of terms related to food in textbooks written for students of English as an Additional Language. Ten such textbooks were examined. Of the 3767 total activities in the textbooks, 641... more
This article reports research on the occurrence of terms related to food in textbooks written for students of English as an Additional Language. Ten such textbooks were examined. Of the 3767 total activities in the textbooks, 641 activities (17%) contained at least one reference to food, and seven of the books contained an entire unit focused on food. The number of instances of food terms found in the textbooks totalled 2311, of which 1254 were categorized as general food terms, e.g., restaurant, and 1057 were categorized as specific foods, e.g., chocolate. Of the specific foods, 399 were categorized as being of plant origin, 252 as containing ingredients of animal origin, 339 as either plant or animal origin, but likely to contain ingredients of animal origin, 61 as being somewhat evenly divided as to how often they were exclusively of plant origin, and 6 as usually containing only ingredients of plant origin. The specific food terms were also classified as either regular foods used in main meals (529), or as at fun foods, eaten in casual contexts (528). These results are discussed for their classroom implications, and suggestions are made for future research.