ABSTRACTS

NATALIA GÓRALCZYK

Are Foreign Language Teachers Prepared to Teach Older People?

The research examines teachers’ preparation for teaching older learners foreign languages, their experience and interest in glottogeragogics. The majority of the participants did not have any classes dedicated to this topic during their studies. Almost half of the participants have problems identifying their level of preparation to teach older learners. Over half of those surveyed assess their experience as moderate. The need to broaden their knowledge in glottogeragogics is small or the teachers are undecided. Their opinion concerning what kind of knowledge of glottogeragogics and form of presentation would be the most relevant for them was collected.

JAN ILUK

Silence in a Classroom Discourse: Reasons and Prevention

Silence is an expression and a tool in communication. In intercultural contexts it may lead to communication breakdown and critical incidents. In a classroom context, silence is seen as an undesirable way of avoiding verbal communication. The article focuses on the reasons for this avoidance and ways of preventing it during a lesson.

MAGDALENA KARASEK, MATEUSZ GAZE

What Polish as a Foreign Language Teachers Know about the Verb

Persons studying to be teachers of Polish as a foreign language at the University of Lodz declare that their main concern during classes is the presentation of grammar. The article presents and discusses the results of the analysis of the questionnaire on basic problems of functional grammar of the Polish language in the field of verbal inflection, such as: conjugation, aspect, iterativity, passive voice. The questionnaire was carried out in two groups: those who completed both the specialization and internships, and those having started specialization who had no experience in teaching foreigners.

IWONA KOWAL

Motivation in Undertaking Swedish Studies as a Rare Study Programme

The interest for less commonly learned languages has significantly increased in the last years. According to this phenomenon the question arises what the motivation is for learning such languages, in particular for study programs in language and literature at university level. The results of a questionnaire among Polish students of Swedish Philology have shown that the candidates are more often driven by intrinsic than extrinsic motivation – they focus on personal development, choose to learn another foreign language or are curious about Swedish culture. Fluent command of Swedish in Poland is also a chance for a good job.

MONIKA ŁODEJ, DIANA HUCZKOWSKA

Tutoring in Forming Teachers–SEN Students Relationships

In the paper we explore the effect of tutoring on the formation of teacher–special educational needs students relationships. The discussion begins with an overview of research on the significance of a supportive teacher-student relationship. This is analyzed with reference to instructional work with a SEN student. The paper concludes with a case study that illustrates the changes in the student-teacher relationship that are motivated by a transition from teaching to individual tutoring that an EFL teacher offers to the student with ADHD. This, in turn, triggers the change in the tutoring mode which expands from academic to personal.

MAGDALENA OLPIŃSKA-SZKIEŁKO

Correction of Errors in Foreign Language Teaching as an Act of Aggression?

Correction of errors in learning a foreign language is considered to be a necessary element, inevitable to ensure progress in learning and high quality of teaching. However, many popular forms of correction of learners’ mistakes meet the criteria of aggressive behavior and therefore can significantly hinder constructive communication interaction in foreign language lessons and inhibit linguistic development of learners. May the correction of errors in foreign language teaching be considered as an act of aggression?

MIROSŁAW PAWLAK

What Individual Differences in Foriegn Language Teaching Are and How to Deal with Them

Success in learning a second or foreign language depends on numerous factors, such as the language skills and pedagogical competences of the teacher, the techniques and materials employed or access to the target language outside school. Of vital importance, however, are individual differences (ID) among learners concerning such factors, for example, as age, language aptitude, motivation, personality, learning styles and language learning strategies, The paper offers an overview of the most important ID variables in language learning and attempts to address the question they can be dealt with and capitalized upon in the classroom.

AGNIESZKA PIETRZYKOWSKA

Autonomy in Practice

In the light of the oft-cited quote: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime, and the modern need for lifelong learning, being autonomous is an indispensable trait if we want our students to be successful not only at school but also outside it, and later, in their professional careers. The aim of the article is to share a handful of reflections regarding autonomy in the Polish educational context and to show how learner autonomy can be promoted in a high school foreign language classroom.

ANNA RĘDZIOCH-KORKUZ

Translation in Foreign Language Classes as a Means of Developing Language Awareness and Mediation Skills

Translation-based activities do not belong to the most popular techniques of teaching foreign languages. Even though in the time of communicative approaches translation is generally perceived as a teaching shortcut and should be avoided or at best used very sparingly, introducing translation into a foreign language lesson helps develop communicative competence by raising awareness of interlanguage differences or developing mediation skills indicated in the CEFR.

DOROTA TOMCZUK

Historical Films as a Part of Interdisciplinary Education in Teaching Foreign Languages

The article concerns possibilities of using historical films (“Sophie Schall – Die Letzten Tage”) during foreign language lessons. This kind of classes make it possible, next to language exercises, to meet history and culture of other countries and induce to reflections, which help to communicate successfully with foreigners. Thereby, they fall into the pattern of modern didactics of foreign languages education, which emphasizes the importance of developing intercultural competencies.