Open 2011

From the Committee Ülle Kurm 1991–1995 Krista Mits (vice chair) Külli Kõrgesaar Pilvi Kapp Nora Toots Beatrice Ulanova Eda Tamm Valmar Kokkota Aino Kreitsman Leelo Kaskman Tiiu-Mai Loko Mare Jõul 1995–1997 Nora Toots Eda Tamm Kaarin Raud Pilvi Kapp Külli Kõrgesaar Ülle Kurm

Carmen Ruus 1997–2001 Eda Tamm Nora Toots Ülle Kurm Ene Nõlvak-Donohoe Ilmar Anvelt Ene Soolepp Erika Puusemp

Leena Punga 2007–2011 Ilmar Anvelt Annela Laht Kaie Merila Katrin Ojaveer Erika Hunt Erika Puusemp

Juta Hennoste 2001–2007 Reet Leidik Ülli Roostoja Reet Noorlaid Ilmar Anvelt Erika Puusemp Krista Ummik

By now four years have passed since the present committee was elected to take care of EATE and keep our traditions alive. We would like to express our gratitude to all our members, lecturers and always helpful friends for the wonderful years we have had together. We have had many inspiring meetings at our annual conferences and traditional summer seminars. Our warmest thanks go to all the writers who have contributed to our newsletter OPEN! which has become an important part of our association.

2011 marks the 20th birthday of our association. Today we have more than 300 members in almost all the parts of Estonia. And we are proud to say that the number of participants in our summer seminars in Pärnu has reached 260. Although not all the members take part in both of our traditional events, we have managed to attract quite a big number of non-members to attend. We are thankful to the lecturers, participants and book sellers from Allecto, Dialoog, Studium, Koolibri and TEA for their support and compliments.

But EATE is more than just two traditional events. We are open to all the EL teachers and if they cannot attend our events, we would be glad if they stayed in contact through OPEN! or e-mail. And it would be wise to ask our colleagues if they want to join EATE. We are not aimed to become a mass organisation, but the teachers should know that they are welcome to join and make our organisation more effective and up-to-date.

Our special thanks go to former EATE committees for the work they have done to create the association and keep it going.

The time for electing a new committee has come. The present committee believes and hopes that our members are able to elect the best from among them to continue the work done so far.

I want to thank all the members of the still present committee for their unselfish voluntary work.

We thank everybody we have worked together with for their help and support and wish the new committee every success in the future.

Leena Punga Chair of EATE from 2007

Lõuna Hostel in Pärnu – accommodation for Committee members and many Summer Seminar participants

THE BEGINNINGS Ülle Kurm

Chair of EATE Committee 1991–1995

The Estonian Association of Teachers of English (EATE) was founded in November 1991 at the beginning of re-establishment of the Republic of Estonia. For the first time in decades, contacts with foreign countries were possible and encouraged.

The founding of EATE was preceded by several professionally exciting years for the English teachers of Tartu. The department of education of the city government, being responsible for the professional development of teachers in the area, made contacts with different institutions and organized in-service training for schools.

In 1989 a course on practical teaching methodology by John Harbord, a young teacher trainer from Britain, was organized in Tartu in cooperation with the Estonian Institute of Humanities. Harbord’s workshops on using a communicative approach, combined with observation lessons, generated a growing enthusiasm for learning new methods among the participants. The communicative perspective in language teaching became the stimulus for further pursuits by the teachers in the area.

The issue of a local English teachers’ organization was first openly debated in Paide in 1991 where the teachers from across Estonia met during a four-week course. A debate over the possible location of the organization took place between the teachers of Tartu and Tallinn, which was resolved when many participants supported the idea of establishing the organization in South Estonia in Tartu.

By 1991 twin relationships between Tartu and the cities of Uppsala, Tampere, and Limerick were established and signed, which presented new opportunities in specialist fields, including education. A group of teachers of English (including myself, Beatrice Ulanova, Pilvi Kapp, Tiina Kauer, Külli Kõrgesaar, and Tiiu Loog) participated in a summer school organized by Limerick University in 1991. When meeting colleagues from other countries, we learned about different international teacher organizations and the ways they were run and funded. In September a group of six teachers was elected who, with great gusto, started to work towards establishing our own Estonian organization. By that time we had managed to make contacts with a similar organization in Finland, participated in an annual conference of the Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Sweden, and built contacts with the Open Estonia Foundation, the British Council and IATEFL. On 23 November 1991 the founding conference of EATE took place in the Conference Hall of the University of Tartu Library. It was attended by about 100 secondary school teachers and university lecturers. The constitution was discussed and approved and the name EATE was adopted as the name of the organization. Speeches were made by the representatives of SUKOL (Language Teachers’ organization of Finland ), LMS (Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Sweden) and lots of other guests from different institutions.

At the afternoon session an eleven-member committee was elected to run the newly formed organization.

The first committee members included me, Külli Kõrgesaar, Pilvi Kapp, Krista Mits, Nora Toots, Beatrice Ulanova, Eda Tamm, Valmar Kokkota, Aino Kreitsman, Leelo Kaskman, and Tiiu-Mai Loko.

At the end of June 1992 in Tartu, EATE organized the first summer seminar in cooperation with the Open Estonia Foundation. It was run by teacher trainers from London International House. Alongside sessions for teachers, groups of students were recruited and taught to provide real-life classroom experiences for the participants. Although the recent introduction of the Estonian kroon added a major complication to the organizational side of the event, the seminar was a great success.

In those years the cooperation between the Baltic countries was encouraged by the British Council and very 2

much enjoyed by the teachers. Different projects were started to train the English teachers of the three countries and to share ideas on various topics. Regular meetings with Latvian and Lithuanian colleagues continued for about ten years.

One of the major conferences took place in Druskininkai in August 1993. Two buses of English teachers from Estonia travelled to Lithuania to participate in the three-day conference. There were twelve parallel sessions to choose from, which made it really exciting. A great number of speakers came from among our own Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian teachers.

Young Leaners Conference 1997.

Another successful Nordic-Baltic conference organized by EATE and attended by the teachers from all the Baltic countries took place in Tartu in January 1994. The conference was called Writing for All Purposes and it had speakers from seven countries. New ideas and professional approaches to teaching writing made this conference stimulating for all the participants.

The last in the line of the international conferences, including speakers from Latvia and Lithuania, I can remember, took place in 1997 in Tartu. It was designed to meet the needs of the teachers of Young Learners. There were speakers from Britain and America, and also from all the nearby countries. Many teachers from the Baltic area had sessions to share their ideas on teaching children. It was an enjoyable event providing talks and workshops for primary school teachers of English.

My congratulations on this really important milestone to everybody who have contributed to the development of the EATE during the twenty years.

TRAVELLING WITH EATE Mare Jõul

Chair of EATE Committee 1995–1997

The major activities of EATE during the two years I was the Chair were the EATE Summer Seminars at Särevere, which first took place in August 1995, and several trips to the UK, which started in 1996.

The summer seminars were popular. By 1995 the teachers of English had understood the importance of communicative teaching as opposed to the grammar-translation method, which prevailed in our schools during the Soviet time. The main lecturers at the seminars were the language consultants of the British Council in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – Colin Campbell, Karen Giblin and Brian McGuire. The seminars also included amusing social events like evenings in the local bar and sing-alongs with Enn Veldi, sitting around a bonfire.

Among the activities organised by EATE were the trips to Britain which were especially memorable 3

because the majority of teachers of English had never been there. I think that for many of us it was also the first experience of staying at a hotel, so everyone was excited. We did not mind the inconveniences of a bus trip – I remember that on our first trip we spent the first night sleeping on the bus floor and nobody grumbled. Later on the trips became more comfortable – we travelled by plane and slept in hotels, not in the bus any more. Our excellent guide on all trips was Argo Schneider, who later founded a travel agency of his own, Albion Reisid. The company is quite popular today, arranging trips to faraway countries (China, Nepal, the Galapagos Islands, Peru, etc.), but it all started with EATE trips to England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.

In November 1997 I left EATE Committee due to new responsibilities in the National Examination Board.

I will always remember those two years I spent working for EATE as the busiest and at the same time the most enjoyable and interesting time of my life.

A hotel in South England where we spent a night on our first trip to Britain. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the hotel.

In the foyer of the same hotel.

On one of the trips we had the pleasure of staying at Jesus College of Oxford University and having breakfast in the Elizabethan Dining Hall of the College.

4

EATE ANNUAL SUMMER SEMINARS – HOW? WHEN? Carmen Ruus

Chair of EATE Committee 1997–2001

At the end of the summer the editor of Open! Ilmar Anvelt phoned me and asked whether I would like to share any most vivid reminiscences of the deeds and doings of the EATE Committee of the years 1997–2001. This made me think back about that time, but really, after some consideration I found it extremely difficult to pick out one single event. For me personally, it was a challenge; doubly so as having not even been on the committee before. Luckily there were Ülle Kurm, Eda Tamm and Nora Toots who had been the committee members from the very beginning of the foundation of EATE. They were the pillars to rely on. In general it can be said that the main aim the committee faced was to maintain the standard reached during the previous years and develop it in every possible way.

But, what I think is the most important development in the activities of the EATE carried out by the committee of that period is initiating the tradition of Summer Seminars. In fact, there had been seminars at Särevere in the summers of 1995 and 1996 organised by the previous committee in co-operation with the British Council, but for several reasons the seminar in the summer of 1997 (if I remember correctly) was cancelled. So, the committee decided to revitalise the idea and have a new try in 1998, though being also ready for a failure, as we had no idea how the teachers might accept the initiative. The first seminar took place at Viljandi Carl Robert Jakobson Gymnasium and, to our greatest surprise and delight, attracted about a hundred and ten participants.

The seminar was designed to be a three-day event focusing mostly on English teaching methodology (N. Toots, S. Miller, L. Kostabi, M. Vilu, M. Jõul, H. Künka), and other topics related to the English language (E. Veldi, P.-K. Kivik), Year 12 National Exam (Ü. Türk) and topics of general interest (M. Kirtsi, Õ.

Mägi). Encouraged by the teachers’ great interest and the success in Viljandi, the committee decided to continue with the seminars and from then the event was organised every summer in different places all over Estonia: Rakvere (1999), Pärnu (2000), Paide (2001). One might ask why all over Estonia. The main reason was that at that time the majority of events related to English teaching and teachers took place either in Tallinn or Tartu. Also, for some reasons the committee members elected were from Tartu.

That had lead to the complaints by some people about everything being too Tallinn or Tartu centred.

Indeed, Estonia is bigger than Tallinn or Tartu. That is why the committee decided to hold the seminars in different places of Estonia, and according to the feedback received people liked the idea. Holding them in different places had its extra bonuses as it highlighted the importance of every specific place and area, as well as gave other people a reason and opportunity to visit the places they might not have visited for a long time or might not have visited at all.

The before mentioned was the bright side to the seminars; but the committee faced a much more complicated side related to organising them out of Tartu. Firstly, we had to find a local teacher who would like to help us, “our man in Havana” (negotiations with the heads of the schools, managers of hostels for accommodation, firms that might arrange coffee breaks and other current organisational issues).

Secondly, if you remember, e-mailing and the internet opportunities had just started developing, which meant that all the communication with the potential lecturers and participants took place either by phone, by snail post or by faxing, which was very clumsy, time and work consuming, and very often unreliable.

Thirdly, the abstracts and the handouts of the seminars/lectures were to be collected in good time and be photocopied beforehand. Can you recall the time when photocopiers were not as natural a part of our lives as they are today? Not to mention scanners or memory sticks. Fourthly,... . Fifthly,... Every minor detail had to be foreseen, anticipated, prepared and ready, and coordinated with scrupulous care in Tartu. And then, when the Big Day arrived, huge loads of necessary things and prepared materials were stuffed into the boot of my old Honda Civic GT (or a part of it into Ülle’s car) early in the morning and off we started. I remember that despite all the trouble there was always a lot of fun doing that, and I also remember the feeling of satisfaction when it was all over and when some participants came over to the organisers to say their thanks for the seminar. The success of the Summer Seminars was a good teamwork of all the committee members – Eda Tamm, Ülle Kurm, Nora Toots, Ilmar Anvelt, Ene Soolepp, Ene Nõlvak, Erika Puusemp. But, first and foremost, we were grateful to the lecturers 5

who agreed to deliver workshops on the topics asked for or on their favourite issues, and who did their best. In addition to the ones mentioned in relation to Viljandi Seminar I would like to list the others as well – Ü. Vihma, T-M. Loko, S. A. Blackmore, E. Saluveer, K. Ruutmets (Rakvere); T. Tammerk, R. G. Moggridge, E. Sass, M. Reitel, T. Oder, M. Veisson, M. Tamm, I. Anvelt (Pärnu); Mr and Mrs Dalasio, M. Vilu, L. Skopinskaja, T. Krass, P. Kärtner, A. Sarv (Paide). Several lecturers found good wish and will to run seminars in several summers – N. Toots (4), E. Veldi (4), M. Jõul (2), H. Künka (2), Ü. Türk (2), E. Sass (2), M. Vilu (2). Hereby it is also a must to mention the role of the British Council who was always very helpful and found resources to sponsor the event which helped to keep the participation fee lower than it would have otherwise been.

This is, in short, how the tradition came into being. It is only natural that during the 10 years between now and then the following committees have developed and updated the format and content of Summer Seminars to better meet the needs of Estonian ELT community. And to finish with, I think that it is great that a tradition initiated 14 years ago has survived, developed and become an inseparable part of the EATE annual activities and an inseparable part of the summers of our English language teachers.

PÕLTSAMAA REVISITED Juta Hennoste

Chair of EATE Committee 2001–2007

When in summer 2002 Reet Noorlaid and I, on behalf of the newly-elected EATE Committee, took the bus to Põltsamaa in order to start preparing the summer seminar we had next to no experience of organising such a big event. Although we had participated in previous seminars and conferences, going and seeing what you are offered is very different from being responsible for everything. Thanks to Signe Sarap from Põltsamaa Co-educational Gymnasium we produced lots of ideas by the end of the day and afterwards she helped us to negotiate with local authorities, from the Mayor of Põltsamaa to the boss of the wine factory.

Lovely weather and beautiful surroundings helped to create the atmosphere.

We were happy that the number of participants was big and we could offer them interesting lecturers, including Steve Lever from Express Publishing, who has returned to Estonia every year since then and without whom it would be really difficult to imagine our summer seminars. Also, friendly and competent booksellers from Allecto have remained our good partners for years. We had a contest to rename our Newsletter and the winner was Reet Kotkas from Elva who offered the name OPEN! In the evening we had a fantastic sing-along to the guitar of Enn Veldi with lots of Põltsamaa wine (the next morning was rather hard☺), so that we all felt like a big family. I can remember that there were some minor problems, but all the members of the committee and our numerous contributors did their best, and favourable feedback and warm words of thanks from the participants were music to our ears.

Whenever I pass Põltsamaa on the bus or think about our days there, I visualise the rowan trees full of red berries in the school yard, the lovely little café on the riverbank where we had our lunch, roses and, of course, the good-hearted and helpful people. It was a touchstone for the committee and we survived to continue for six long and interesting years.

6

Põltsamaa sing-alomg

TOP TEN OF ANYTHING YEAR-12-EXAM-RELATED Erika Puusemp

Miina Härma Gymnasium A member of DKG Estonia

“Same old same old” is the first phrase that comes to mind each and every spring when reading the writing papers of the Year 12 school leaving exam in English.

The same layout problems, the same largely faulty and/or too simple grammar, the same examples of “interesting” spelling that would render a native speaker speechless in amazement as to what language this is, the same not-so-surprising conclusion that although the number of students who score only five points or less out of 20 is small, collectively our students make every mistake possible…

Thus, as the (in) ability to read, write and understand long, logical, cohesive texts seems to be an ever-growing problem in the era of the social media that boosts the use of fragmented text, I am this time going to compile bulleted lists here on the basis of the 707 exam papers that I read and assessed. Do draw your own conclusions.

Anything in italics is a direct quote from some exam paper. Enjoy ☺ Students’ Top 10 reasons why complain about a faulty iPhone: • only language the phone is writing is chainise • sound is racous and barely audible / when I switch the sound of, the phone is still quiet / it is impossible to make difference between Bach and Metallica / sound has very bad qualifications, I here nothing • this i-Phone often off button / on-off button strikes / the button is streiking all the time • the green button is broken • I have recently been problems, the programme is broken • the screen colour of the screen has changed / colour was blacky / after a week screen was colour / the screen collar turned to red • when my phone is ringing, it does not ring • messages sented did not reaced my friends • I stopped working properly.

• asw (= und so weiter, i.e. German for “and so forth”) Students’ Top 10 reasons why their faulty iPhone needs replacing: • product have been caused me a lot of unconvenience • constant pressure on the on/off button has damaged the sound speakers • I am really pissed off because when I am called telephone starts screaming, my friends laugh at me because of that sound • you must be a superman to turn off the phone • it sounds like theres a rattlesnake inside iPhone • it isn’t making what its supposed to do like it say’s in the advert • the camera is incapable to picture, there are too many black colours • I need screen colour for my work but screen colour is smoggy • camera is wery dizzy and some of the pixels are gone • this product is full of problems and can not be used furthermore, it wasn’t sheep and it gets me angry Students’ Top 10 wishes for compensation for a faulty iPhone: • today I got really angry and would like to replace my iPhone • I recieve full apologee and partical refund / I would like you to bring my money back / I would like to know what I should do next • I would like to become a new phone otherwise I will go to the police • I would be flattered if I could get a new properly working i-Phone / I would be pleased in case 7

I could replace my iPhone • Camera should be checked because I cannot take pictures. I hope you can prepare that.

• write me about requiring action or I will tell media about it • a camera that I bought in your an online shop stopped working after I had done three pictures, so compensate me this bough • There has been no manual abuse from my side, I did not fall it down or even did not take it wet.

• I assume, you will refund to me. I am willing to take my money back.

• I aspect you to repaire it free and pay for my suffer hundred pounds Students’ Top 10 mistakes in a letter that rile the assessor (and the teacher in the assessor): • faulty opening salutation, e.g. Dear Ms Manager / Esteemed shop manager / Respected Sir/ Madame / Dear Mr/Mrs Manager / Dear Apple Technical Service / Mrs Mari / Dear Mr Mari / Dear Mr Jobs • faulty closing salutation, e.g. Painfully yours, Boiling mad, Your sencirealy, Yours faightfully / Your faithfully customer / Your best regards, from I-Phone owner / Waiting for forward • writing their own name although the task tells them to use a pen name, e.g. Hello, Mart → Best wishes, Vladimir • using the pen name they should use for themselves for the person they are writing to, e.g.

Dear Mart → Yours, Mari • faulty opening sentence, e.g. I’m writting to reform you about the problems, as a response to my broken i-Pad / I writthe about an i-Phone • faulty closing sentence, e.g. waiting for your feedback / I am hearing forward from you / consider my complation • irrelevant information: I would appreciate if my personal data would not be published / I dislike your online shop and want see manager of the shop • faulty forms of irregular verbs: read →red, readed, readen • double negatives • writing the letter as block text with no paragraphing Students’ Top 20 reasons why people/students (should) read books (or read at all): • interesting book will be good time spender and gives you good knowings • books never lies • the greater the challenge the greater the reward • giving us opportunity to learn high qualified thoughts • prevents of getting an alzheimer • help to increase your word dictionary / get our word paggage bigger • we can not live without them, every one respect those people who read a lot • reading a book makes you a better reader and helps correct spelling • reading is a chore and compulsory for pupils / books are used as a teaching method / read only for their teachers not for themselves • students will be read books in the results they get on well with teacher • they are said to be soul windows and they makes childrens adults • need examples from books in Estonian exam • Read and feel the magical feeling!!!

• gives you a subject to talk about with a friend, if you have not seen him for a long time • books can deter people from foolish mistakes • if we want to same writing in old way we should read more • we will have bigger eyesight and better understanding of situations which are running around us / widens sight of an eye • it opens my eyeview and makes me gramma better / that bigger more eyelooking • it is important to read books because they are important • for people who don’t like reading, its best way to fall in sleep Students’ Top 15 reasons why people do not read books (or anything): • to many responsipilities, husband or wife to look after they can not find time to them-selfs • people are reading trash – news, articles 8

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

maybe the writers don’t write so good books like other writers who lived in the past protect trese from cut because our enviroment in danger reading has not been popular since 21th century, new hobbies are invented every day we be game to laizy, our education system is guilty in it books have lost in value because everyone can write what they want bad parrenting will cause the lack of interest in reading lots of books are so boring that you will fall asleep reading them dou’nt want to reed becose this is unfunny with current education system (school and home alike) we cannot create culture of reading (only books at home are cookbooks) If you read them you are somekind of freak, noone want’s to be a freak. book’s are bat I don’t feel the urge to do hard work for it. I am too smart for that. at school we only need to read one book one school year / I can read 200 page book throught in five minutes couse there are lots of short storys witch has all the info you need about that book nower day rithm of life is so speedy that we cann’t realise how quiqkly goes time/ fast lifepasting

Students’ Top 10 activities instead of reading: • they should earn a big salary to prolong their life • children were used to play outside until the night came • sitting on the enthernet and reading stuff from in there / life goes more and more available on the internet • nowdays are so many cinamons • nowadays there’s google what is giving all answers to you • I am doing things easy way, because it is easier.

• would rather bling in the internet • doing choirs round the house • some people would rather sleep than educate themselves • sitting on the TV Students’ Top 10 sound ideas about reading (sorry, eight only, couldn’t find ten): • Estonia needs well-educated people • books are like a doctor, who helps us to calm down • intelligent people read books every day • book is the only thing what shows us the truth • a well readed person sees the world in a different way, than a normal individual • books are history gift for all of us • every people should read at least one book / 50 books in their lifetime • I wouldn’t say people don’t read at all. It is not possible, because I read.

Students’ Top 15 reasons why people read more/less in the past: • scientists have improvet that over generation brain is going smaller • movie business is crowing, books are made into films and games, because of that, people don’t bother themselves by reading • for the majority of youngsters, it is even difficult to open a book • in the poletime don’t had TV • today less mother to read books in the night • the world is thinking how to make people life only easier • modern human is incapable to concentrate more then needed • life is too short to read a book • when we are young we want to run, laugh, make friends • people weren’t nothing to do on their freetime • life is so bizzy and we are getting stupider / people reading habbits are very slow • 20 years ago there were not much television / there were no electrissity • in the past people could not even read 9

• a few centuries ago nobody didn’t have more entertainment than reading a book • technology gnowings century, people like to be digitalised Students’ Top 15 reading-related future scenarios: • if tecnoloy stops working one day books may be very handful / if there is a big catastrofy and the electricity is gone people will read books because they do not have anything else to do • with vinuls and home-made stockings, books will dissapear • people will meet with books only at the school • fall inlove in the books again / knowledge will cost more than gold and diamonds • if we forget to read than the whole world will be placed with robots and computers who will destroy our religion and culture • also decreases the num-ber of people, who speak and read fluently • I dare to say that film’s can be lazy men books • we cannot continue cutting of the trees so that we could make booking • Inthernet is our source of future • use concludive texts about books, book summarises/ i-books / soundbooks / audience books • there will be more reading that it was in the 17th century, even the Third World can read • most people will become illiterate • without books humanicity will lose grammar and become unrequired • if it is keep going like that the books may extinct • I won’t be surprised when in the future people are heating their houses with books Some authors / books mentioned by students to show they have “read widely”: • The Lord of the Rings / Potter series / Jurassic Park / Eat, pray and love / fare stories like Icequeen • Rudolf Rimmel / John Willis / Dostojevski / Stendhal / Tammsaare / Rowling / Pratchett / Twain / Goethe • Literatureal roman → Crime and punishment / Brothers Karamazov / The captain Grand’s children / Nipernaadi / Puhastus / 2000 leagues under water / Martin Iden / Faust by Iogan Gette / Nekrassov “Mother love” / Men and Women • today teenagers don’t know who is Ret Butler • good books are Estonia classics, like „War and Peace” / Kalev’s son • Coran in Islam countire / Holly Pible • Sophocles / Plato • Shekespear’s novels must be readed by everyone / Romeo and Julia Students’ Top 10 mistakes in an essay that rile the assessor (and the teacher in the assessor): • “I think” at the beginning of each paragraph • writing about “me, myself and I” in a formal essay • the phrase “in my opinion I think” • the word “I” written with a lower-case letter • commas before the word “that” and after the word “although” • no system in the use of articles • no grammar whatsoever, e.g. I bought yours online shop in a new i-Phone • recurrent grammar problems, e.g. amount of people / read less books / information are • faulty spelling, e.g. exhayting / hudge problem / fathfully / faytfully / augfull sound / button ceim loose / knowleagh / to clomplain / cann’t / doesend / risenly / censirly / immeatetly / pattarey / all moust dose not red • faulty word formation, e.g. timeconsumeness / operatunity to make mistakes / the text is misunderstandable / disappealing / usement of computer / pleasureable P.S. How much (and what) do you read?

10

TEACHING LISTENING TO EFL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN POLAND Andrzej Cirocki

University of Gdańsk. Poland

1. Introduction Teaching the skill of listening in the foreign language (L2) classroom is vital, as listening is involved in all areas of human life and, as Hedge (2000: 228) reports, “of the time an individual is engaged in communication approximately (…) 45 per cent [is devoted] to listening.” However, apart from being imperative, L2 listening instruction is also a difficult task. This complexity results from the fact that listening entails both active and passive processes, hearing, paying attention, to name just a few.

Furthermore, L2 listening differs from L1 listening. In L1, the acquisition of listening skills goes in tandem with the cognitive development of children, which, according to Piaget’s theory, terminates at the age of 11. In L2, however, the development of listening processes begins when a learner’s cognitive development is almost finished. Thus, L2 learners need to learn not only how to decode the stream of sound in the target language (TL), but also how to effectively use the fully developed L1 conceptual framework in a new domain, i.e. L2 comprehension. Besides, it should be noted that in L1 listening, listeners are actively engaged in constructing and negotiating culturally embedded meaning, frequently being supported by paralinguistic elements. Does this apply to L2 listening in the classroom? Not in the Polish L2 context. Classroom listening in Poland, unlike L1 listening, mainly serves as a test of memory and text comprehension which not only ends with a correction stage, but also favours discrete items over global-level understanding. Hence, it can be inferred that the pragmatic features of spoken discourse, as well as aspects of social interaction, primary in real life listening, are beyond the scope of classroom practice.

In light of the above, two tenable conclusions can be drawn: firstly, listening relies on a wide range of cognitive abilities, as well as on knowledge of spoken language, genres and culture. Secondly, although L1 listening appears to come effortlessly, it is certainly not so in the L2 context, and accordingly will not take care of itself, as it does in the native language, unless sufficient exposure to the TL is granted.

Therefore, guidance from teachers is necessary if learners are to succeed in efficient use of the skill in question.

Since the skill of listening enables humans to understand the environment in which they participate, it deserves to be treated as a skill in its own right. Hence, the purpose of this essay is to demonstrate how Polish teachers should effectively teach L2 listening so that their students succeed in it both in the classroom and beyond. Firstly, a brief presentation of the Polish junior high school teaching context will be provided. Then, an attempt will be made to construct a pedagogical model for L2 listening. Finally, the issues involved in developing and assessing listening skills in the classroom setting will be discussed.

1.1 Teaching English in a junior high school in Poland Education in the Polish junior high school lasts three years. The students, apart from the usual subjects such as Maths and Geography, learn two modern languages. The most popular language is English.

Courses of English, in theory, follow the principles of the “weak version” of the Communicative Language Teaching syllabus (Howatt 1984: 287), according to which L2 students learn to express functions which satisfy their own communication needs, simultaneously developing communicative and intercultural competences. In practice, however, this is not exactly the case.

In contrast to Polish secondary schools, where language education is dominated by the Matura 11

examination, teachers in junior high school conduct typical course book classes, yet the instruction at this level is not without problems. For instance, students are habitually taught the target language in their L1. In reading comprehension tasks, students are asked to read texts aloud, sentence by sentence, and then translate them into Polish. Finally, listening comprehension is limited to the tasks provided by course books, which means it is infrequent and devoid of the pragmatic aspects of authentic communication.

Since this essay focuses on L2 listening, some difficulties Polish students face while developing this skill should be mentioned. First of all, Polish learners complain about the speed of delivery, performance variables (e.g. false starts), reduced forms in spoken discourse and the presence of background noises, which constantly impede L2 comprehension. As far as listening tasks go, they appear to be long, tiring and stressful. Given this evidence, it can be inferred that Polish learners’ problems stem from insufficient practice of L2 listening, which has resulted in “underdeveloped echoic memory representations for spoken discourse in English” (Dakowska 2005: 219).

Junior high school education finishes with a written examination which consists of three parts, a modern language being one of them. The language part, English in most cases, comprises listening, reading and TL interaction sections, all of which reflect the A2 level of language proficiency, as described by the Council of Europe. Thus, the listening comprehension part checks students’ understanding of basic phrases and high frequency words connected with areas of most immediate personal relevance such as personal and family information or the local area. The reading comprehension part examines students’ understanding of very short and simple texts. The last part of the exam tests students’ ability to exchange information on simple topics and handle short social exchanges. Accordingly, receptive skills are tested by means of multiple choice, true/false and matching tasks, whereas the last part is based on gap-filling and writing short texts.

The identified L2 listening problems and the curricular requirements let us conclude that junior high school students need systematic practice of different types of listening. The examination practice needs to focus on understanding specific linguistic nuances of the TL, whereas communication requires real life listening, and thus discourse and the pragmatic aspects of L2.

1.2 A pedagogical model for L2 listening With the teaching-learning context of a Polish junior high school discussed, it is time to construct a pedagogical model for L2 listening (see Figure 1). The model includes both bottom-up and top-down types of processing, due to which “linguistic information, contextual clues, and prior knowledge interact to enable comprehension” (Hedge 2000: 234-235). The former type of processing describes how L2 listeners create understanding by starting with the smallest components of acoustic messages, which are then put together into larger elements such as words, clauses and sentences. In the latter L2 listeners produce perceptions by starting with large concepts, and then work their way down to their tiniest items, always activating formal and content schemata. Nevertheless, it must be clarified that these two types of processing are equally important in this model since they emphasise the concurrence of data- and knowledge-driven processes, guaranteeing individual variation in linguistic processing.

Apart from the two types of processing, the model includes five facets of listening, which reflect the complexity of real life listening. For instance, the sociolinguistic facet of listening relates to a listener’s capacity to comprehend concepts and thoughts in L2, as well as the different roles listeners assume while participating in listening tasks (e.g. eavesdroppers). Also, this facet is associated with paralinguistic aspects that accompany social interactions and pragmatic knowledge that helps listeners to infer meanings or attend to implied meanings. The genre facet concerns processing and interpreting new discourse in the context of other texts. The affective facet, influenced by such factors as emotions and motivation justifies decisions to listen. The strategic facet is linked to specific learning strategies helpful in the acquisition of the listening skill (e.g. physical and mental preparation to listen). Finally, the critical facet assists learners in examining both texts and their contexts in order that L2 listeners are able to render judgements about them and explore the points of view of their interlocutors.

12

Figure 1. A pedagogical model for L2 listening.

As can be seen, the interactive model of L2 listening combines cognitive and social skills, both of which are indispensable for understanding spoken discourse. All these factors, as well as the facets of listening, should make L2 teachers not only aware of the complexity of the skill concerned and necessity to design appropriate tasks, but also provide learners with the challenge of processing spoken discourse from the lowest levels of language learning possible. As Turner (1995: 5) notes, the skill of listening can be developed, but the entire process takes time.

1.3 L2 listening in a junior high school classroom As mentioned above, classroom listening not only contains pitfalls for Polish L2 learners, but also rarely resembles authentic listening. The main problem with L2 classroom listening is that it rests on “formal spoken prose” (Ur 1998: 22), and thus is devoid of spontaneity. Listening tasks, in turn, test learners’ memory and comprehension of discrete items only, and seldom demand any response. Therefore, in order to improve the current state of affairs, Polish teachers should provide learners with listening tasks which simulate real life situations (e.g. a family dinner conversation), include conversational discourse and focus on global understanding. Due to them, the act of listening will not only be purposeful and dynamic, but also involve different types of listening.

1.3.1 Types of listening and appropriate materials 1.3.1.1 Interactive listening According to the junior high school curriculum, Polish L2 teachers are required to prepare students to function properly in real life situations. This, consequently, imposes an obligation on them to regularly teach interactive or “two-way” listening (Nation & Newton: 2009: 40). However, this is not common in L2 classrooms in Poland. Why is interactive listening so important?

The nature of two-way listening, prevalent in daily life, allows listeners to interact with speakers. In interactive listening, listeners have opportunities to ask for clarification, provide both verbal and nonverbal feedback, as well as negotiate meaning while striving to fulfil the objective of the interaction.

Furthermore, the element of negotiation plays a crucial role. As Long (1996: 445-454) observes, it not only helps L2 learners to learn by clarifying unknown items, but also facilitates language development by making input understandable without simplifying it, breaking the input into smaller digestible pieces and providing a “scaffold” within which learners can produce increasingly complex utterances.

In light of the above, current L2 courses in Poland desperately call for interactive listening tasks which are meaning-focused and fluency-based. Since the aim of these tasks is practising fluency, they encourage top-down processing, which, consequently, requires learners to bring plenty of topic-related background and textual types of knowledge to the tasks concerned (Nation & Newton 2009: 158). This, as McGrath (2002: 74) observes, contributes to task localisation, personalisation and individualisation. It is clear, therefore, that interactive listening tasks allow learners not only to individually engage with particular experiences, but also to learn more about the surrounding reality through interactions with others.

13

Among interesting materials that can be recommended to L2 teachers for interactive listening are: original recorded children’s stories/tales, original children’s cartoons or teen films. As research literature (e.g. Stempleski & Tomalin 2001; Hall 2005; Duff & Maley 2007) reveals, both stories and films are useful in the EFL classroom as they aid language acquisition by producing a challenging framework for communication and discussion. For instance, original recorded children’s stories or tales, when paused, encourage students to make predictions about what they will hear next. The procedure is as follows: first, the teacher plays an engaging story and then stops at pre-set points, asking students either to say or write their predictions for the missing parts. Having checked predictions at a particular pause point, the teacher plays the next part of the story (see Appendix A).

The next example of ideal educational material is original children’s cartoons/tales or teen films, which, similarly to the recorded texts above, possess captivating story lines, address mature themes and transmit universal sociocultural values (Stempleski & Tomalin 2001: 1). For instance, while watching a film, the teacher can divide students into two groups: group one facing the screen and group two sitting with their backs to the screen. The group that can see the screen describes what is happening to the group that cannot see the screen. Clarification questions are most welcome. After a few minutes, the roles are changed. This procedure can be repeated a few times.

Finally, similarly to children’s stories, films are suitable for tasks which require stops at pre-set points where L2 learners’ attention can be drawn to the sociolinguistic facet of listening (see 1.2.). For instance, while listening to a dialogue, students can be asked to focus on how the speakers open their dialogue, what expressions the speakers use to change topics or whether the conversation is formal or informal (Flowerdew & Miller 2005: 120).

1.3.1.2 Intensive listening and appropriate materials The second type of listening, intensive or “one-way listening” (Macaro 2003: 171-173), relating to listening for specific items of information or precise words and grammatical units, is common practice in Poland. As one-way listening is infrequent in everyday situations, intensive listening practice should be reduced in favour of interactive listening (see 1.3.1.1). Nevertheless, it must not be eradicated from the L2 classroom, for it constitutes a vital part of listening proficiency (Rost 2002: p.138) and helps learners to practise for their end of school examination.

However, while teaching intensive listening, teachers ought to avoid making students listen to all the activities available on classroom tapes or CDs. They must be selective and supply relevant tasks, ideally, those that resemble real life events such as airport announcements or answer phone messages. Also, they should not limit themselves only to gap filling or tick-off tasks, which are chiefly sentence bound and specific information orientated, thus lacking textual cohesion and discourse coherence. Finally, the same type of activities fatigue and demotivate students, consequently making them adopt negative attitudes towards L2 listening.

Among interesting and beneficial activities which are not popular in Polish schools are: a dictogloss and error identification. In dictogloss, whose five-stage procedure is presented below, students hear a piece of text with complex facts, vocabulary and structures, and then reconstruct it as completely as possible.

14

Stage 1

Getting ready

Stage 2

Listening for meaning

T reads the text to SS for the first time

Stage 3

Listening with

T reads the text to SS for the second time

note-taking

SS listen and take notes

T provides SS with vocabulary tasks and discusses the topic with the SS to prepare them for the text

SS listen

Stage 4

Reconstructing the text

SS work in pairs or groups

Stage 5

Comparing reconstructed texts

Pairs/groups compare texts, interacting with and listening to others

T offers guidance if need be

T facilitates discussion

T – teacher SS – students In the second activity, listeners are supplied with a transcribed text that contains errors, which have to be identified and corrected. So, the procedure is as follows: the teacher plays a text and students listen carefully. After the first listening, the teacher asks students to orally summarise the text. Then, students hear the text again and, if they want, they can take notes. After the second listening, the teacher distributes the transcribed text and students look for errors. Both activities should be implemented in the classroom teaching practice because they are engaging and check students’ spelling. Dictogloss, additionally, focuses on text coherence and cohesion.

Finally, teachers should try to combine intensive and interactive listening in their courses, concurrently encouraging both top-down and bottom-up processing, which, as research reveals (e.g. Spada 1997), brings better outcomes than either type of learning alone. Additionally, progress in L2 listening can be accelerated by the use of proper strategies, yet this issue is discussed in the next subsection.

1.3.2 L2 listening strategy training Research literature (e.g. O’Malley, Chamot, & Kupper 1989) indicates that L2 learners neither listen efficiently nor use a sufficient number of strategies in listening. Therefore, it is crucial that L2 teachers provide their students with both proper input and strategy training. This, in turn, accords with Nunan (2002: 239), who asserts that developing effective listening skills necessitates exposing students to various language learning strategies so that students can verify which strategies work best for them and, consequently, will contribute to their language development.

The most detailed taxonomy of learning strategies has been presented by Oxford (1990). Comparatively, when transferred to the L2 listening field, these strategies can be displayed as follows: metacognitive (i.e. evaluation of listening), cognitive (i.e. predicting) and socioaffective (i.e. questioning for clarification).

Thus, the first category regulates the process of learning L2 listening, cognitive strategies involve interaction with the learning input and socioaffective strategies entail interactions with other people, as well as deal with emotional conditions while listening.

Numerous as the listening strategies may seem, students should be gradually trained in using them (Vandergrift 1997), simultaneously being informed that these strategies will help them to improve their performance in L2 listening as well as make L2 listening easier and more effective. However, what teachers should realise is that students do not succeed in strategy training when they only become aware of various strategies, understand their potential benefits and see them in actual use. Success occurs only when L2 listeners take risks in practising them in various contexts and enjoy experiencing their effects. Thus, the presentation of listening strategies alone is insufficient and, unfortunately, does not facilitate progress in learner development.

1.3.3 Assessing L2 listening The discussion of teaching L2 listening would not be complete without mentioning assessment of the skill in question, which should be administered systematically and fairly (Rost, 2002: 169). However, no matter what teachers’ reasons for assessing listening are, there are two questions they should always ask themselves, namely, what to test and how to test (Rost 2002: 169). These questions are essential, 15

since what can be seen in practice, including final junior high school examination, is that listening tests, more often than not, do not test the listening ability. What they do is measure comprehension ability or general language proficiency.

Therefore, if L2 teachers aim to assess the listening ability per se, they should design or look for tasks which focus on the textual and psychological aspects of listening. Accordingly, the tasks should focus on the physical features of spoken discourse (e.g. different accents), linguistic characteristics that are common in everyday speech (e.g. false starts) and psychological aspects specific to listening (e.g. negotiating meaning).

Having established what aspects need to be taken into account while assessing L2 listening, it is time to consider how to put this process into practice. As research literature reveals (Buck 2001), listening ability can be assessed, among others, through discrete item tests (e.g. multiple choice questions), communicative tests (e.g. oral activities based on listening) and interview tests. However, teachers should be aware of the fact that standardised tests have been severely criticised (Tzuriel, 2001: 1-4) because they require that language learners perform a small number of tasks, which does not reflect the variety of behaviours they normally employ while listening. Another observation is that listening tests in general are not entirely efficient, since student test performance is highly likely to be affected by the nature of the input (e.g. dialect), nature of the assessment task or individual listener factors (Rost, 2002: 174). Finally, tests affect students’ psychological immune system by triggering negative feelings of anxiety and tension (Elkhafaifi 2005: 206-220).

Hence, L2 teachers are highly encouraged to employ student-friendly types of assessment in their classrooms. A useful tool that is worthy of consideration is an L2 listening portfolio which, unlike standardised tests, supports students in the learning process by enabling them to: 1) systematically observe their progress and work put into it; and 2) reflect on their strengths and needs, simultaneously having a clear picture of their versatility as L2 listeners.

Lastly, assessing listening is a complex process and, as the preceding discussion demonstrates, certain aspects in this area need further investigation. The most important thing, however, is that L2 teachers should systematically assess the skill in question and provide their learners with reliable, valid and student-friendly tools, thanks to which testing L2 listening is no longer a traumatic experience.

2. Conclusion The considerable differences between real life and classroom listening compel Polish teachers to reconsider their teaching methods as well as make new decisions about L2 listening input, types of tasks and ways of assessing listening ability in the classroom context. Since teachers, as the junior high school curriculum dictates, have to prepare students for the end of school examination and real life situations, they should combine interactive and intensive types of listening in their teaching practice.

However, in doing so, they should always remember that exposing students to purposeful L2 listening is not sufficient – teachers must also teach their students how to listen.

REFERENCES Buck, G. 2001. Assessing listening. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Dakowska, M. 2005. Teaching English as a foreign language: A guide for professionals. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN. Duff, A. & Maley, A. 2007. Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Elkhafaifi, H. 2005. Listening comprehension and anxiety in the Arabic language classroom. The Modern Language Journal, 89, 206-220.

Flowerdew, J., & Miller, L. 2005. Second language listening: Theory and practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hall, G. 2005. Literature in language education. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Hedge, T. 2000. Teaching and learning in the language classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Howatt, A. P. R. 1984. A history of English language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Long, M. H. 1996. The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. C. Ritchie & T. K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of language acquisition (pp.413-468). New York, NY: Academic Press.

Macaro, E. 2003. Teaching and learning a second language: A guide to recent research and its applications. London and New York: Continuum.

McGrath, I. 2002. Materials evaluation and design for language teaching. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Nation, I. S. P., & Newton, J. 2009. Teaching ESL/EFL listening and speaking. New York and London: Routledge.

Nunan, D. 2002. Listening in language learning. In J. C. Richards & W. A. Renandya (Eds.), Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice (pp.238-241). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

O’Malley, J. M., Chamot, A.U., & Kupper, L. 1989. Listening comprehension strategies in second language acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 10(4), 418-437.

Oxford, R. 1990. Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.

Rost, M. 2002. Teaching and researching listening. London: Pearson Education.

Spada, N. 1997. Form-focused instruction and second language acquisition: A review of classroom and laboratory research. Language Teaching, 30, 73-87.

Stempleski, S. & Tomalin, B. 2001. Film. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Turner, K. 1995. Listening in a foreign language: A skill we take for granted? London: Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research.

Tzuriel, D. 2001. Dynamic assessment of young children. New York, NY: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Ur, P. 1998. Teaching listening comprehension. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Vandergrift, L. 1997. The comprehension strategies of second language (French) listeners: A descriptive study. Foreign Language Annals, 30(3), 387-409.

RESOURCES http://ghoststories.eslreading.org/sameinjapanese/sameinjapanese/part2.html

APPENDIX A

The Same in Japanese by Brett Reynolds It’s 7:30 at night. I leave the office and walk toward Shinjuku train station. It’s close to my office, but I have to go through Box City. The homeless people live there. A man sits in a Panasonic TV box.

He takes off his shoes and puts them on again—the smell! He wipes his hand on his dirty pants, then takes his shoes off, and puts them on again. And again. Another person sits in an opened-up Sanyo refrigerator box. Inside, three small boxes make a bookcase. I wonder what books are in the bookcase. Would the homeless read Hemingway?

17

PAUSE 1 Teacher: 1. What kind of books could be found in the bookcase?

2. Do you think the main character will ask the homeless person about the books?

3. Do you think the main character knows these people well?

4. Do you think the main character feels safe there?

I’m walking and thinking about books. Then I notice: there are hundreds of homeless walking in front of me in a long line. I’ve never seen them like this. Usually they just stay in their boxes. I cover my mouth and nose and walk quickly—the smell!! I try not to look at them, but they’re in my way.

Their hair is dirty, their clothes old and grey. The smell is terrible! I feel sick. I can’t get to the station.

I’m almost crying. Why now? Why are they here now? What do I do? I can’t walk through them.

Oh, no!

PAUSE 2 Teacher: 1. What do you think is happening in the Box City?

2. Do you think the main character is in danger?

Then I notice the man at the front of the line.

He sits on a broken chair on a board with wheels. The others push him. His hair is strange, like one of those fat sumo wrestlers. A bamboo stick is at his side like a sword. He looks like a king or a samurai—a dirty, broken samurai. He looks at me and our eyes meet. For some reason, I calm down a bit. He’s old. He’s sick, dying maybe. I feel sick.

PAUSE 3 Teacher: 1. Why do you think the main character feels sick?

2. Do you think the homeless want to scare the main character? or Is this meeting just a coincidence?

Someone walks between us and I lose sight of him. The line of homeless people passes and I can finally get into the station. I go to the washroom and wash my hands. I start to cry so I hide in a toilet stall with the door shut. When I stop crying, I come out and wash my hands again. And again.

When I get home, I take a shower. But I still remember the smell, the sick feeling, and the samurai’s eyes.

I call my boyfriend. “Busy?”

PAUSE 4 Teacher: 1. Why do you think she decided to call her boyfriend?

2. Do you think he will come?

“I’m sorry. I have to go home tonight.”

“But I feel sick. Please come.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t. Sorry…” I put down the phone, sit down and cry again.

Adapted from The Same in Japanese by Brett Reynolds.

18

FORMATIVE OR SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT? Tiia Timma

Miina Härma Gymnasium, Tartu

Last year me and my five colleagues from MHG had the chance to participate in the project Formative Assessment in Learning Process that was accomplished

by Viimsi School. In addition to lectures, we attended group meetings to discuss and analyse our classroom practices and experiences. In this article, I would like to point out the strengths and weaknesses of this topic from the viewpoint of a language teacher.

To start with, the main difference between formative (also known as embedded) assessment and summative assessment is that the former is regarded as assessment for learning while the latter means assessment of learning.

As to summative assessment that has been practiced by Estonian schools for decades, its results are used to make some sort of judgement, such as to determine what grade a student will receive on a classroom assignment, measure program effectiveness, or determine whether a school has made adequate yearly progress. In general, it documents how much learning has occurred at a point in time and its main goal is to measure the level of student, school or program success.

Formative assessment, on the other hand is a dynamic, ongoing process that delivers information during the instructional process, before the summative assessment. In order to use assessment for learning, its items must explicitly be matched to the intended learning targets that are set by students themselves. The role of the teacher is to guide the students in examining their right and wrong answers in order to find solutions to the following: • • • •

What are my strengths relative to the standards?

Where are my weaknesses?

Where have I seen myself improve at?

What do these results mean for the next steps in my learning?; etc.

When students use feedback from the teacher how to self-assess and set goals, they increase ownership of their own success. In this type of assessment environment, teachers and students cooperate in an ongoing process using assessment information to improve rather than judge learning. It means that effective descriptive feedback that focuses on the intended learning points to areas needing improvement and suggests ways how to hit the target is very essential.

In the context of formative assessment the best method to understand the task and the final learning result is the rubric (hindamismudel). The rubric defines a standard and describes different levels of achievement that show a logical progress towards the target; moreover, the student can use it on his own as an effective source of feedback. Where can we get those rubrics? Although the best solution is to make them in cooperation with the students, there are a lot of them available on the Internet (including http://koolielu.edu.ee/hindamismudelid).

From a teacher’s perspective, changing assessment practices within the classroom is neither as straightforward nor as easy as it is sometimes depicted to be. Any change in classroom requires a reexamination of well-established routines and, unfortunately, there is no uniform approach to modifying assessment practices that works for every teacher.

19

Although we had to use several models of formative assessment during this project, I would like to point out two different ones.

Setting the goals and sharing ideas As Form 9 had the topic Healthy Food, we had a special lesson on Genetically Modified Food (GMF). My aim was to get to know what the students had heard about it and make them ask each other questions on this topic to gain extra knowledge and, through self-analysis, conclude whether GMF has more positive or negative aspects and if they used it for their everyday meals. On the first stage, they had to think about it on their own and form a definition what GMF is; then they had pair work with their partner (first plusses and then minuses) after which a cross-class discussion followed. I have to admit that the students knew surprisingly much about GMF. During the learning process, two young men suggested that it would take less time if the teacher herself gave a lecture on GMF – i.e. they wanted to have a usual lesson where the teacher is active and the students are passive. After explaining them the importance of asking questions, getting new knowledge through self-analysis and making some conclusions to remember the topic better, they understood the main goal of the learning process. Finally, at the very end of the lesson, the students had to make a monologue (one minute) on GMF – everything they had learnt and remembered during this lesson. The most vital conclusion I made after this lesson was that in order to help a student you need to understand him and to understand you have to listen to him.

It was not so difficult to come out from my own classroom routines, although in some cases there appeared to be a temptation to tell the answers (give a lecture) of my own, especially when longer silence set in. The biggest hindrance to use such kind of methods at every lesson is the limited time.

How to give effective feedback?

The aim of effective feedback is to insinuate the belief that students are active learners, not passive followers of some kind of orders. There is a myriad of strategies of feedback that take into account the time, frequency, form, amount etc. according to which the aspects of the contents must be chosen. The truth is that feedback choices present themselves continually during teaching.

Grade 11 had a usual test on a unit where they had both vocabulary and grammar tasks. To give them effective feedback the following methods were used: 1. self-analysis of the test; 2. pair work to find common mistakes with their partner; 3. every student was given a copy of the best test paper of their group to be compared with their own work; 4. the analysis together with the teacher if they still had some misunderstandings The pros of such feedback: • • • •

students were analysing their own mistakes students could get the idea what are their strengths and which areas need improvement students got the idea where they were among other group mates the teacher got to know which topics need revision and more thorough treatment

The cons of such feedback: • it takes a lot of time (practically the whole lesson – 40 minutes) • for brilliant students (without any mistakes) it would be a waste of time The students’ opinion was that next time less time should be spent on such kind of analysis (only the first and the fourth stage).

The main thing to keep in mind when using any strategy is how students will hear, feel and understand the feedback.

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In conclusion, formative assessment has both pros and cons, but its greatest value lies in teachers and students making use of results to improve real-time teaching and learning at every turn. It can be painful for the teachers to admit the need for change and even distressing to give up the comforts of familiarity but we also have to bear in mind that the whole world is continuously changing and the learning process together with it.

OXFORD ADVANCED LEARNER’S DICTIONARY. Eighth edition. Managing editor Joanna Turnbull. 2010.

Enn Veldi

Department of English University of Tartu

Last year witnessed the publication of the eighth edition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (henceforth OALD 8). The title page carries the name of A. S. Hornby (1898–1978), emphasizing the fact that the dictionary carries on with the honourable tradition established with the publication of the first edition of OALD in 1948. The previous decade has seen rapid progress in the development of the electronic format (usually published on CD-ROMs) while the book format is gradually losing its significance. The main reason why the book format is on the decline is space considerations. Moreover, in recent decades there has been a trend to expand the size of monolingual learners’ dictionaries for the reason that users expect to find more words in such dictionaries. OALD 8 claims to cover ‘184,500 words, phrases and meanings’, including ‘1000 new words and meanings’.

By comparison, the fifth edition of the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDOCE 5), which was published in 2009, includes as many as ‘230,000 words, phrases, and meanings’. No doubt, such figures look impressive. These claims also indicate that the lexicographic description of meanings (rather than words) is central in dictionary-making; in fact, collocations, synonyms, opposites, and grammatical behaviour are all related to individual meanings.

Unfortunately, a single-volume paper dictionary can have only about 2,000 pages but not much more.

In fact, in recent years it has been argued that the book is not a suitable format for dictionaries and is a serious obstacle for future development of lexicography (see e.g. Erin McKean’s talk Redefining the dictionary on YouTube). An electronic dictionary, on the other hand, has no such limitations. Therefore, a contemporary electronic dictionary in the CD-ROM format includes the content of the paper dictionary plus a host of additional features. These additional features include an integrated thesaurus, an integrated dictionary of culture (e.g. the paper dictionary has no entry for the Bloodless Revolution in 1688), additional culture boxes (e.g. the entry blood sport includes a link to field sports not to be found in the paper dictionary), thousands of extra examples (example bank) illustrating real-language use, easy access to the respective collocation and synonym boxes, British and North American pronunciations for each entry (both as audio files and in transcription), word origins, and additional coverage of word grammar (e.g. verb forms). To sum up, the CD-ROM includes a wealth of material that is not to be found in the paper dictionary.

The second strength of a CD-ROM dictionary is that it enables us to search the dictionary by means of many different filters. Such searches enable us, for example, to explore English with regard to regions, parts of speech, and registers. The past decades have witnessed considerable progress in the treatment of varieties of English. On the one hand, one can find an increasingly detailed coverage of the many differences between British and American English, such as an Englishman’s home is his castle (BrE) and a man’s home is his castle (AmE). On the other hand, OALD 8 covers to some extent also other regional varieties of English, such as Australian, Canadian, East African, Indian, Irish, New Zealand, South-East Asian, Scottish, South African, Welsh, and West African English. For example, a search for meanings labelled as Canadian English in OALD 8 resulted in 46 hits, and there were 142 hits for 21

South African English. The tables below illustrate the coverage of Canadian and South African English in five major monolingual learners’ dictionaries: Canadian English

OALD 8

LDOCE 5

CALD 3

MED 2

COBUILD 5

allophone ‘person whose first language is neither French nor English’

+

—

—

+

—

ball hockey ‘version of ice hockey’

+

—

—

—

—

civic holiday ‘holiday on the first Monday in August’

+

—

—

—

—

drinking box ‘small cardboard box of juice with a drinking straw’

+

—

—

—

—

loonie ‘Canadian dollar’

+

—

—

—

—

Métis ‘person with one Aboriginal parent and one European parent’

+

—

—

—

—

Native Canadian ‘Aboriginal Canadian; a Canadian Indian, Inuit, or Métis’

+

—

—

—

—

separate school ‘public school for Catholic children’

+

—

—

—

—

soother ‘dummy for a baby’

+

—

—

—

—

visible minority ‘group whose members are clearly different in race’

+

—

—

—

—

South African English

OALD 8

LDOCE 5

CALD 3

MED 2

COBUILD 5

robot ‘traffic light’

+

—

+

+

—

mealie ‘maize’

+

+

—

+

—

vuvuzela ‘plastic instrument’

+

—

—

—

—

technikon ‘type of college’

+

—

—

+

—

monkey’s wedding ‘rain and sunshine at the same time’

+

—

—

—

—

bakkie ‘pickup vehicle’

+

—

—

+

—

biltong ‘raw dry meat’

+

—

+

+

—

rooibos ‘bush whose leaves are used to make tea’

+

—

—

+

—

wine farm ‘vineyard’

+

—

—

+

—

rondavel ‘round hut’

+

—

—

+

—

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The tables show that OALD 8 provides the best coverage of Canadian and South African English among the monolingual learners’ dictionaries. MED 2 comes second for its coverage of South African English (46 hits) while LDOCE 5, CALD 3, and COBUILD pay little or no attention to these varieties of English.

REFERENCES McKean, Erin. Rethinking the dictionary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4VzuWmN8zY. Accessed on 24 September 2011.

Grave of the great Estonian lexicographer Paul Saagpakk at Silla cemetery near Mustjala in Saaremaa

FOR ALL SEASONS: THE STORY AND JOYS OF CENTRAL PARK Julia Hirsch

Professor Emerita Brooklyn College (City University of New York)

Standing at the entrance of New York harbor, where the East and Hudson (or West) Rivers meet, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most celebrated and familiar of American landmarks. A gift to the United States from the French government, it arrived in New York in 1885 and was dedicated a year later.

Only a few miles away, Central Park, a belt of green that separates the west side of the island of Manhattan from the east, is as important and iconic a landmark.

Some thirty years older than the Statue, Central Park stretches from 59th Street to 106th Street, and measures about 843 acres or 341 hectares; it is 0.8 kilometers wide and almost 5 kilometers long.1 Both Central Park and “Lady Liberty” share an aesthetic which places great value on nature as a pictorial and emotional inspiration: they are both contemporary to the poetry of Walt Whitman, whose Leaves of Grass was published in 1856, to the landscapes of the Hudson River School, and to the work of John Audubon whose magnificent depictions of birds place them in their natural setting.

Like Lady Liberty, with her welcoming poem by Emma Lazarus addressed to the “poor,” “the tired” and “the huddled masses” of the world, Central Park was conceived as “a place of resort” for the rich, and a wholesome escape for those who ordinarily spent time among “the idle and dissolute in porter houses or other places more objectionable” (Parsons 1926: xii.). Various small parks, mostly donated by private affluent citizens, dotted Manhattan south of 42nd Street – the most populated part of the city prior to the mid-19th century – but the city lacked a large expansive park on the scale of Kensington Gardens or Regent’s Park in London. By mid-century residents of both New York and Boston were visiting cemeteries in search of pleasant settings in which to have leisurely outings (Stevenson 1977: 60) and the benefits of breathing “pure air. . . free from the noise, dust, and confusion inseparable from all thoroughfares. . .“ 23

were becoming important considerations for urban planners and other civic-minded citizens ( Parsons 1926: xii ). Significant among these was Samuel Parsons, a landscape architect for the New York City Department of Parks and one of a group of early planners who viewed the future park as a way to “civilize and refine the national character, foster the love of rural beauty, and increase the knowledge of, and taste for, rare and beautiful trees and plants. . . .” (Parsons: ix).

Finding the best site for this future haven was a matter of considerable controversy and political agitation. Various sites were proposed. The largest one, called The Parade, extended from 23rd Street View from Central Park on 59th Street and 32nd Street between Third and Seventh Avenues, but it was not chosen – today’s visitors to New York will recognize it as a busy hub of stores, residences, and institutions. The area that was selected instead, in 1853, stretched from 59th Street to 106th Street. Another parcel, from 106th Street to 110th Street, was added six years later (Reed and Duckworth 1967: 160).

Despite the lofty ideals cited by many of the original planners of the park, its birth had a distinctly undemocratic aspect. For many years the designated site included Seneca Village, a settlement of former slaves, and poor German and Irish immigrants which first began in 1825 with the purchase of three lots of land by Epiphany Davis and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (Rosenzweig and Blackmar 1992: 65). Little was ever recorded about the community, which extended from 81st Street to 89th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue (an area adjacent to what is now the Museum of Natural History), but it did attract its detractors who claimed that unless the area was cleared of its inhabitants, it would shortly “be covered with a class of population similar to that of Five Points” (Rosenzweig and Blackmar 1992: 48), a region of lower Manhattan notorious for its criminality and given visual panache in the 2002 Martin Scorsese film (based on a 1929 novel), The Gangs of New York.2 Seneca Village was razed in 1857 to make way for the park; and nothing is known, to date, of the dispersal of its inhabitants. However, this past summer, an eight-week long archeological dig at the site uncovered a variety of artifacts illuminating the life of the community which is now, at last, receiving recognition (http://www.centralparknyc.org/ about/news/central-park-news/seneca-village-unearthed.html 9/15/11).

The future park had some other occupants as well, the Convent of Mount St. Vincent, built in 1847, and the New York State Arsenal, completed in 1851. Various parcels of land had individual owners whose property rights went back to the Dutch settlement of the city. But the area also presented some challenging topographical features, including poor drainage and over-all rocky terraine. (Rosenzweig and Blackmar 1992: 45) which made it problematic for commercial development.

Like the siting of the park itself, its design was also subject of discussion among the park’s proponents. Egbert Ludovicius Viele, a land surveyor trained at West Point (the pre-eminent American military academy), hoped to be chosen to be the actual designer and builder of the park. (Heckscher 2008: 19) and proposed some basic design features based in part on his knowledge of the geology and topography of the site.

These features included a number of east-west crossings (still in use today by cars and buses travelling across town) as well as an ornamental fountain, a prospect tower, a flower garden and an ice-skating rink (Todd, 1982: 77).

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View from Central Park on 5th Avenue

Viele also proposed having a competition for the park’s design. The winning entry turned out not to be his but a plan named “Greensward”, devised by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux. The two men, who later collaborated on the creation of Prospect Park in Brooklyn, had very different credentials but were friends and associates of Alexander Dowling, an architectural designer and landscape gardener from Newburgh, New York, who is often credited with being the first active campaigner for the creation of Central Park (Stevenson 1977: 60).

Frederick Olmstead (1822–1903), who went on to create many more parks throughout the United States, injured his eyes in contact with sumac at a young age and, as a result, had to delay his formal education (Stevenson 1977: 10–12). But the accident gave him some important opportunities which shaped his future work – at the age of fifteen he went to live with a topographical engineer, whose interests had a profound impact on him. In 1850 Olmstead travelled to England as well as to Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy, and Germany where he took a keen interest in observing parks. He was especially taken with the way that London parks combine lawns and trees, and this became a combination he infused into his plan for Central Park (Stevenson 1977: 53).

Calvert Vaux (1824–1896) was born and educated in England and trained as an architect. From a young age he painted landscapes and his talent attracted the interest of Alexander Dowling who had come to England in search of an assistant to help him with the architectural side of his growing business in landscape design (Rosenzweig and Blackmar 1992: 123).

Construction of “Greensward” began in 1858 and, by winter, one of the small lakes in the park was shored up so that given the right weather conditions it could be used for ice-skating. The park as we know it today grew and changed bit by bit, decade after decade – iceskating, for instance, is no longer done on a nature-based body of water but at the Wollman Ice-skating Rink opened in 1949 (Rosenzweig and Blackmar 1992: 485). The carousel was installed in 1871 but burned down in 1924 and was replaced in 1951 by the Friedsam Carousel, a restored carousel that had once been operated on Coney Island.

The first permit for automobile travel in the park was granted in 1899. (A modern Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir jogger is likely to have run faster than those early vehicles, with their wooden wheels and steel tires.) The first permanent playground was built in 1927. The Great Lawn was created in 1937 on the site of what had once been the Lower Reservoir, one of two large bodies of water which were part of the city’s water supply and lay in the original park site. The Upper Reservoir is no longer used as source of water for the city, but still replenishes the man-made lake called the Harlem Meer or “lake,” (a name that evokes the Dutch history of the city). The park is full of statutes and tributes to important people, donors as well as historical figures not particularly important in its history – the Upper Reservoir was renamed the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in 1994 to honor the widow of the murdered president. The Metropolitan Opera staged its first park performance in 1960, and the Delacorte Theater, with seating for an audience of 1800, staged its first free performance of Shakespeare in 1962.

The Zoo, which began as an unassuming menagerie of animals, was enlarged in 1934, renovated some fifty years later, and reopened in 1988 as a “habitat,” which places the animals in some semblance of what their environments would be, were they to live “in the wild”. In 2005 the park became part of Gates, an installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The work, planned over many years and paid for by the artists themselves, consisted of 7503 gates made out of orange rip-stop nylon and placed at regular distances throughout the park (Christo and Jeanne-Claude, 2005, p.7).

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The park, like its trees, shrubs, and flowers, is in a constant state of renewal and change. The 1970’s were an especially low point in its history as a result of the severe fiscal crisis which afflicted the city.

Budgets for many public institutions were drastically cut and the park suffered severe deterioration.

Green grass turned to dust, graffiti were scrawled on walls, and benches lost their component parts to vandals. Crime in the park soared, and people were afraid to visit it. In 1980 the Central Park Conservancy was formed to oversee the day-to-day maintenance and operation of the park. Eighty percent of park costs – $37.4 million according to the Conservancy’s website (www.centralparknyc.org) – is supported by fund-raising and investment revenue. In addition to maintaining the natural resources of the park, the Conservancy maintains 9000 benches, 26 ballfields, 21 playgrounds, and 36 bridges. It removes graffiti within 24 hours of first sighting, and disposes of five million pounds of trash a year. It also provides horticultural support to other city parks. The city pays a fee to the conservancy for all these services and also pays for the park’s lighting, maintenance of the park drive which permits the flow of vehicular traffic through the park (limited to the east-west roads on weekends), and law enforcement. Meanwhile the New York City Parks Department governs park policy.

Despite the enormous changes that have affected New York City – in size, demographics, architecture and culture – since the middle of the 19th century, when the park was a mere possibility, it has remained remarkably true to its original purpose, of supplying the city’s population with a place of relaxation and reflection.

And the park is full of life, not only that of its visitors who enjoy soccer, basketball, baseball, swimming, boating, kite-flying, rock-climbing, crocket and lawn-bowling in different parts of the park, but a “wild” kind of life as well. Every December the Audubon Society of New York undertakes a bird count. Its most recent census observed fifty-nine species which have been seen in the park for the past fifteen years; five other species were spotted – one or two at a time – which have rarely been seen in the same period.

Wood Ducks John James Audubon 1785–1851

A recent article in the New York Times reported a significant rise in the number of New Yorkers combing the park for edible wild plants, including mushrooms, American ginger and elderberries.

“If people decide that they want to make their salad out of our plants, then we’re not going to have chipmunks,” noted the park’s director of horticulture of the Central Park Conservancy. Other city parks have also been visited by foragers – the director of a park in Queens notes that she had caught visitors “leaving with coolers full of fish and turtles. . .” (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/30/nyregion/new_yorkmoves.September 17, 2011).

While the original designers of Central Park might be surprised by the sight of scantily clad sunbathers on the rocks, or adults showing off their roller-blading skills on the paved Mall, they might also be gratified to see the abiding pleasure that their concept provides for a city full of tall buildings and the sun-deprived canyons they create. The old, the young, the vigorous, the frail, moms, dads, kids, baby carriages, solitary guitar-players, and water-colorists, bird watchers, chess players, kite flyers and all the other people who fill the park with exuberance, curiosity and playfulness bear witness to the abiding importance it has for the life of the city.

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WORKS CITED Christo and Jeanne-Claude. 2005. The Gates Central Park New York City 1979–2005. London: Taschen.

Heckscher, Morrison. 2008. Creating Central Park. NewYork: Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.centralparknyc.org/about/news/central-park-news/seneca-village-unearthed.html. 9/15/11. http://www.nytimes.com.2011/07/30/nyregion/new-york-moves... 9/16/11.

Jindrich, Jason. The Shantytowns of Central Park West. http://juh.sagepub.com/content/36/5/672.

Killcoyne, Hope Lourie. 1999. The Lost Village of Central Park. New York: The Silver Moon Press.

Parsons, Mabel, ed. 1926. Memoirs of Samuel Parsons, Landscape Architect of the Department of Parks. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Reed, Henry Hope and Duckworth, Sophie. 1967. Central Park: A History and a Guild. New York: Clarkson N.Potter, Inc. Rossi, Peter. 1989. Down and Out in America: The Origins of Homelessness. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1989.

Rozenzweig, Roy and Blackmar, Elizabeth. 1992. The Park and the People. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.

Stevenson, Elizabeth. 1977. Park Maker: A Life of Frederick Olmstead. New York: Macmillan.

Todd, John Emerson. 1982. Frederick Law Olmstead. Boston: Twayne Publishers.

1 Vital statistics of the park are mentioned by many of my sources. The most comprehensive listing appears in the Heckscher source cited below. Christo and Jeanne-Claude offer a full chronology of park features and Reed and Duckworth are also attentive to dates. They also supply a comprehensive listing of statuary and sports in the park, but given the age of their book, their listing is no longer entirely current.

2 The settlement described here has often been called a “shantytown.” Some recent historians have “deconstructed” the term in ways that suggest that it was a slur on housing improvised on marginal sites by the poor and disenfranchised. Peter Rossi, in Down and Out in America: The Origins of Homelessness (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1989) notes that “nineteenth-century shantytowns. . . grew up on the periphery of settled urban zones. Building houses on unused land out of scrap material has always been one of the solutions the poor resorted to before the time of zoning laws. . . . “ (19) and posits that the reason poor Irish were called “shanty-Irish” is because they lived in such housing on “urban fringes.” (note 5, p 19). In the introduction to her short novel for young readers, The Lost Village of Central Park (New York: The Silver Moon Press,1999) Hope Lourie Killcoyne notes that the houses in Seneca Village were “modest but well-made” and stood on “unpaved streets.” (83) However, she also acknowledges that there are no extant photographs and few personal records of the settlement. Jason Jindrich in “The Shantytown of Central Park West. . . .” studies the presence of squatting in American cities from the point of view of housing and building codes and notes that “squatters [are] particularly difficult to track and document through the historical record” (http://juh.sagepub.com/content/36/5/672).

Photos by Ilmar Anvelt

At some places you can forget that you are in a large city 27

The 45th ANNUAL IATEFL CONFERENCE IN BRIGHTON, EAST SUSSEX, UK Annela Laht

EATE Committee member

From 15 to 19 April, the 45th annual IATEFL conference took place in Brighton, East Sussex, UK. Being a member of the IATEFL, I was given the chance to represent Estonian teachers of English at the conference. I am very grateful to the EATE and Tallinn Kristiine Gümnaasium for the financial support that enabled me to participate in the conference.

Other colleagues from Estonia were Ene Peterson, Elle Sõrmus, Ülle Kurm, Helena Metslang and Signe Laigu.

I do not need to characterise the state of an English teacher in April with thirty classes a week throughout the schoolyear and the national exams ahead, to say nothing of the consequences of the snowy and dark winter.

Then suddenly, out-of-the-blue, you meet the English spring with its flowers in bloom, birds singing and this breath-taking marvel that Nature offers us every year.

It was my first time in Brighton and at the annual IATEFL conference. Having travelled a lot and participated in numerous international events, I can assure you that sharing these enjoyable days with colleagues from all over the world was very special because we were all on the same wavelength. It was eyeopening to learn that the challenges facing teachers in different countries are rather similar. Brighton was so welcoming, open and friendly that you felt like being part of a big international family.

IATEFL SVA (staff, volunteers, associates) dinner in the Old Ship Hotel was the opening event. Before the official opening of the conference, the Associates Day events took place. IATEFL has grown as an organisation – it has 103 associated teacher associations – 51 from Europe, 23 from Asia, 17 from Africa, 11 from South and Central America and 1 from North America (Canada).

In his welcoming speech, IATEFL President Herbert Puchta spoke about the work done in linking, developing and supporting English language teaching professionals worldwide. There are over 3600 members of IATEFL – the highest membership figures for six years. Through its 103 associated organisations in 78 different countries, IATEFL reaches over approximately a further 80,000 professionals.

Les Kirkham from UAE, Associates Representative, spoke about the events and achievements of the previous year and presented the handbook Running an Association for Language Teachers. This book truly reflects the international nature of IATEFL – colleagues from Brazil, France, Greece, Korea, Latvia, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom contributed their experience in the process. Among other speakers, I enjoyed an interesting presentation

by Richard John on marketing and promoting teacher organizations on a shoestring. The handbook copies I brought from the conference will hopefully give good ideas to our new committee members.

The official opening of the 45th conference took place in the Brighton Centre on 16 April. The 206-page conference programme gave all the necessary information about the plenaries, workshops, seminars and symposiums. All the plenary session speakers gave exciting and thought-provoking presentations.

The first speaker was Peter Grundy, a past president of IATEFL and current chair of the IATEFL Wider Membership Scheme Committee. His speech concentrated on Strange seas of thought – literal meaning 28

and language teaching. He challenged us to think about how the literal meaning of a word affects its interpretation. The real meaning of language is not the utterance itself but rather the underlying thoughts in the mind of the speaker. It is thus necessary for the hearer to decode what is being said and interpret the meaning not from the perceived meaning, but from the intended meaning. His conclusion was that public words are vague and general but point to the precise thoughts we want to convey.

The Associates Day – Annela sitting next to Hildur Ellertsdottir Plenary session speaker Sue Palmer spoke from Iceland about Toxic Childhood and the detrimental effects modern society is having on children and their development. We should avoid the screen-based culture of the electronic-media-saturated environment. She stressed the aspects of childhood that need detoxing.

Thomas S. C. Farrell, Professor of Applied Linguistics at Brock University, Canada, spoke about Reflective Practice for Language Teachers. Reflective practitioners should ask themselves more often: What do I do? How do I do it? What is the result? Teachers can reflect in action (while teaching), on action (after teaching), and for action (proactive teaching). Our conclusions should be supported by collected evidence after reflection.

Plenary session speaker Catherine Walter, the first female president of IATEFL in the 1990s, presented her speech on Should we be planning to teach grammar? If so, how? She gave us a review of some theories and analysed their pros and cons. There were several ideas in the air, discussed later in workshops. Some said it usually results in a lot of L1 usage, the avoidance of communicative teaching and resorting to areas of comfort: pure vocabulary and grammar teaching.

When we talk about grammar, we mean the use of tenses, articles, prepositions, etc. But learning a language is not a question of knowing and applying the correct rules, it is the matter of using the language to mean what you want to mean.

After the plenary sessions, the days continued with seminars, workshops, symposiums and talks, discussions and excursions, exciting evening events.

As to the workshops, I would like to point out an introduction to ENGLISH 360 by Cleve Miller on the coursebook of the future, intriguing for both the ‘digital native’ students and teachers.

Of the symposiums my favourite was Dogme: more with less (or Teaching Unplugged) convened by Scott Thornbury (New School, New York) and Luke Meddings (freelance). This theory challenges the over-reliance on materials and technical wizardry and the dullness of pre-prepared lessons in current language teaching.

Of the evening events the most amusing ones were A thousand years of words on words by David, Hilary and Ben Crystal on what writers have had to say about the English language, Pecha Kucha evening where each speaker was allowed a slideshow of 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds, giving a total presentation time of six minutes and forty seconds before the next speaker is up and a Comedy night with Mrs Hoover, Brighton’s Leading Landlady for overseas students who said that after four decades of catering for English language learners from all over the world, she knows a thing or two about crosscultural understanding. ‘We’ve got the culture and it makes me cross when they don’t understand it!’ was her message.

The guided tour of Brighton, Europe’s gay capital, on a wonderful spring day helped us to brush up our knowledge of history and culture.

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And of course, numerous exciting meetings with teachers and course organisers from Cambridge (Barbara Gardner) and British Council Hornby seminar (Gavin Dudeney), colleagues from Iran – Mohammadreza, Alireza and Javad and Hildur Ellertsdottir from Iceland.

IATEFL Annual General Meeting elected the new President – Eric Baber.

And last but not least, the conference was available online – so 100,000 people had a chance to be part of it.

We go to trainings, conferences etc. WIIFM? Do we always ask ourselves – What’s in it for me? This time it is easy to prove that it was worth participating!

Andy Cowle with his very professional son at the North Star ELT exhibition stand

WHAT IS DKG? Margarita Hanschmidt

DKG Estonia State President 2011-2013

General overview DKG stands for the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. The name is a combination of the initial letters of three Greek words – teacher, key and woman.

The organization was founded in Austin, Texas, on May 11, 1929, by Dr. Annie Webb Blanton and 11 educators from Texas.

DKG is an educational, honorary, professional organization for key women educators. Its mission is to promote professional and personal growth of its members and excellence in education. It aspires to improve opportunities for qualified women employed at every level of education, and to advance the status of women educators. To make it clear what DKG existed for, its founders wrote Purposes to explain what it aimed to achieve. The Purposes put into words the ‘spirit’ of the Society.

These Purposes have grown and changed over time, but they are as valid now as they have ever been.

•

Seven purposes

1. To unite women educators of the world in a genuine spiritual fellowship.

2. To honor women who have given or who evidence a potential for distinctive service in any field of education.

3. To advance the professional interest and position of women in education.

4. To initiate, endorse and support desirable legislation or other suitable endeavors in the interests of education and of women educators.

5. To endow scholarships to aid outstanding women educators in pursuing graduate study and to grant fellowships to women educators from other countries.

6. To stimulate the personal and professional growth of members and to encourage their participation in appropriate programs of action.

7. To inform the members of current economic, social, political, and educational issues so that they may participate effectively in a world society.

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•

Why belong to this international society?

Because …

- You can profit by fellowship with a worldwide, international network of Key Women Educators with nearly 110,000 members in 17 countries.

- You can apply for a $ 6,000 International Scholarship for a second Master’s or Ph.D. programme.

- You can become an International Speaker.

- You can receive a Special Stipend or apply for the Leadership/Management Seminar at the University of Texas.

- You can apply for support from the Educational Foundation for a project or for a Cornetet Individual Professional Development or Seminar Award.

- You may be asked to serve as the regional representative on one of the International Committees.

- You will be the recipient of leadership training and opportunities at all levels of the Society.

- You receive many professional publications.

• How is International DKG Estonia doing?

International DKG Estonia was founded on March 8, 2008. Its 35 members now form Alfa Chapter in Tallinn lead by Chapter President Merike Saar and Beta Chapter in Pärnu led by Chapter President Katrin Saks. The first Estonia State President was Anu Joon. During the three years of membership, we have spent a great deal of time and energy on sorting out the DKG rules and regulations, and getting acquainted with one another. We share the same values, interest and experience and we have created a strong fellowship. We have had many interesting meetings you can read about in our blog http:// dkgeesti.blogspot.com and in our newsletter Minerva. The representatives of our society have taken part in European Leadership Conferences in Oslo and Baden-Baden as well as International Conventions

DKG Annual Conference, March 2011 31

in Chicago and Spokane where they have had the chance to listen to excellent speakers, have taken part in leadership sessions, panels and have made presentations at workshops themselves.

A new Executive Board was elected in March 2011 for 2011-2013. All new projects are guided by our common vision – commitment to educational excellence. Recalling Aristotle: ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.’ Excellence is a daily practice in our organization. We all understand how everything that is accomplished at every level – international, state and chapter level – FEEDS INTO THE SUCCESS and VISION of all levels of the society. The new board reorganized the committees efficiently and new Chairs were appointed who have accepted the responsibility of becoming a leader. Alfa and Beta members have been divided among five different committees: Educational Excellence (Chair – Urve Läänemets), Membership (Chair – Reeli Tänavsuu), Communication (Chair – Meeri Sild), Finance (Chair – Margit Timakov), and Scholarships (Chair Tiiu Vitsut). Every member has a specified responsibility in order to help to implement the programmes. Each committee has already designed their objectives and activities that help to reach the set goals. In one way or another we will all become involved in high-quality projects during 2011–2013 like ‘THAT’ (Teacher Helping Another Teacher), ‘Migrant Women – Integration Through Creativity’, ‘School research’ and others. These projects take great thought, care, insight, commitment and energy. We embrace our vision; we design our future.

If you are an educator and ready to contribute to excellence in educations, you are welcome to our society meetings. Applicants are invited to become members by invitations.

Teachers’ Teacher VERSATILE STYLIST AND TRANSLATOR AN INTERVIEW WITH URVE HANKO

We warmly congratulate Associate Professor Urve Hanko, a long-time lecturer in stylistics and translation theory at the Department of English, University of Tartu, on her 85th birthday, which is on 11 November 2011.

Urve Hanko kindly agreed to answer our questions.

How did you discover the English language for yourself?

I discovered the English language for myself at a relatively early age (at the English College in Tallinn).

What were your greatest joys in your work as a lecturer?

My greatest joy as a lecturer was to see many of my students develop a more profound understanding of works of literature.

How did your students change over the years?

My students have changed over the years in the same way as life in general has changed – from a closed society to an open one. The development of infocommunication has resulted in entirely new possibilities.

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Why did you choose stylistics as your speciality?

I have always been interested in the study of the literary styles of different writers and genres. For me stylistics is an intriguing discipline linking linguistics and literary criticism.

How important is style in translation?

The retention of the author’s style is a crucial task in translation.

What do you most like about translating a text?

For me the most enjoyable thing while translating a literary text is aiming at the penetration of the author’s mind.

Can anybody become a translator?

Being a good translator is almost like having a good ear for music – you either have the ability or you haven’t.

What would be your recommendations for a beginning translator?

It would be useful for a beginning translator to compare an original with a good translation.

Out of the great number of books you have translated, which has been the most interesting for you? The most difficult?

The most interesting books I have translated were most probably The Collector by John Fowles and Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. The most difficult or rather time-consuming translations have been those demanding glossaries and a great number of footnotes (e. g. The Plumed Serpent by D. H. Lawrence) How, in your opinion, has the quality of published translations changed with time?

The quality of published translations has greatly improved during recent decades. However, there is still room for improvement, mostly in the publications of minor publishing houses.

How has your theoretical knowledge helped you in your practical work as a translator?

My theoretical knowledge has helped me enormously in my practical work as a translator. Facing various problems of translation, I often rely on the principles discussed at my lectures.

What has been important for you outside your professional life?

Outside my professional life, my family has always played an important part in my life. I enjoy reading modern literature and listening to classical music. I have also tried to make the most of my remaining years to visit places which for decades I had not been able to see.

When could you first travel to an English-speaking country? What impressed you most?

My first trip to an English-speaking country was in 1989, when I visited my relatives in the US and Canada.

In 1990 I first visited Great Britain. Although since then I have been in all these countries again, I have never experienced the same incredible joy as on my first visit to London: I was thrilled to see Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus exist not only in works of fiction.

Urve Hanko was interviewed by EATE Committee members Erika Puusemp and Ilmar Anvelt

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Come and Share SHARE YOUR IDEAS ON iSLCollective AN INTERVIEW WITH PETER LASZLO

The name “iSLCollective” might ring familiar to some of you who have come across the ESL resource site while browsing the net for printable worksheets to jazz up your course book. Founded in Fall 2009, iSLCollective.com is home to the “Internet Second Language Collective,” an online initiative for language teachers who share their self-made teaching materials with other colleagues. Besides ESL teachers, the platform also welcomes German (DAF), French (FLE), Spanish (ELE), and soon, Russian teachers in the respective sections of the site.

Below you can read OPEN’s interview with the website’s co-founder Peter Laszlo, an ESL teacher from Xantus High School in Budapest, Hungary.

Could you say a few words about what your website is about?

It’s a file-swapping community of ESL, FLE (French), ELE (Spanish) and DAF (German) teachers who share free, downloadable language teaching materials (for the sake of convenience, we just like to call every type of uploaded material ‘worksheet’). All worksheets are originally created by our members, and are in fully editable MS Office formats (doc/docx/ppt/pptx). We strongly believe in sharing among teachers, so all our printables are free of charge. Besides, there’s no download limit, so everybody can stash on their computers as many resources as they want. The ESL section is hosted on the subdomain http://en.islcollective.com. Registration is quick and painless, taking about 30 seconds, and then you’re logged in right away.

Who is in the team behind the project?

There are three team members. My brother, Adam, and I had the idea for the site, and we found a programmer, Bence Princz, who built the site for us. As a full time ESL teacher in Xantus High School in Budapest, I run the ESL section of iSLCollective in my spare time. My brother works as an economist.

How fast is the site developing?

The Internet Second Language Collective has 37,000 registered users and about 3-4000 daily visitors.

Our resource bank comprises over 8000 worksheets with about 30-40 new ones added every day. We’re getting higher rankings in Google for thousands of keywords, so we’re getting more and more visitors from the search engine every day, which is great because this is how we have managed to increase the number of contributors over time.

There are so many great websites for ESL teachers. Why did you want to create a site of your own?

We wanted a website which is not filled with content by editors, but rather where English teachers can collaborate, together creating what we hope will become the largest teaching resource bank on the internet. We believe that if teachers contribute their talent, ideas and worksheets, something uniquely wonderful will be born out of that effort. Imagine a one-stop-shop website where you can find great teaching materials for any topic, so there’s no need to spend hours poring through multiple websites 34

when you need something for your next class. Besides making it easier for teachers to prepare, we’d also like to become a worldwide hub where ideas are exchanged, and teachers can make new friends worldwide.

What is the feedback from your users so far?

We get a lot of positive feedback from people saying that it’s a very clearly organized, “clean” site. A lot of people leave “Thank you” notes and comments after downloading a worksheet. We really appreciate these comments. There are also the users who are in a rush to prep for their next class and don’t care to stop and leave a comment after downloads, which is I guess partly because we’ve grown so used to all the free things on the internet. Therefore, we always make it a point to emphasize that there are real people behind each worksheet (their avatar is displayed next to their worksheet) who like being appreciated. Luckily, as we see more and more recurring visitors, more and more people realize that it is important to take the time and thank authors.

Please tell us a bit more about the materials on iSLCollective.

Teachers can share worksheets in doc/docx and ppt/pptx formats. There is a broad variety of worksheet types submitted, e.g. picture dictionaries, role plays, readings with discussion questions, vocabulary games, grammar guides and drills, song lyrics with gap filling exercises, ice breakers and warmers, etc.

If you came to the site looking for a specific material, you can run a search on the main page using one or a combination of our seven search categories: Level, Student type, Grammar and Vocabulary focus, Skill (reading, speaking, etc.), Material type (games, icebreakers, etc.), and “with or without solution.”

How can one contribute to the iSLCollective initiative? Is it only through uploading self-created materials or are there are other ways of doing something useful for the community?

Our main focus is, of course, teaching resources. We founded this site on the ideal of opening up our own resources to colleagues around the world to spread the positive effects of our work as widely as possible. However, in our community every teacher is a worthy member, because everyone is useful in different ways: you may upload teaching materials, suggest a correction to a worksheet, answer a grammar question in the Forum, suggest a useful ESL link to others or post a vacant position in your school. Yet, most importantly, we will appreciate you since you came here and make the effort to enrich the learning of your students beyond the course book.

What percentage of teachers is also sharing besides downloading?

That’s an interesting issue. It’s about 1-2% of our users who are contributing their own worksheets. I think it’s a decent figure considering that it is fewer than 2% of Wikipedia’s users who ever contribute, yet this 2% has been enough to make Wikipedia a household name.

Is there any way you can encourage sharing among teachers?

First of all, having the opportunity to work with teaching organizations is very helpful in getting the word out about our project, and I hope through articles like this we can convince teachers that sharing is fun, rewarding and important, and even a small contribution can go a long way.

What I really like about today’s new possibilities of publishing is that even those can publish their work who have only one worksheet to contribute. Back in the day these small contributions – not being enough to fill a book – never went published, but today they can be uploaded by a click of a button, and they can reach the teachers who need them. This is how we’ve built the site: little by little, worksheet by worksheet.

As for the motivation behind sharing, one could ask why anyone would contribute their resources without being financially compensated? Unlike with many other media, like photos or home videos, we’re talking about hours and hours of work behind most worksheets, which is a heavy investment.

Yet, as our experiment has proven, teachers do have the right motivation to share the product of their 35

hard work with others. This motivation is very simple – altruism and wanting to do something good for each other.

The best we can do on the site is to celebrate them for their efforts by having a special feature of our best contributors on our Members page.

You say that everyone can be an author, but can amateurs really create high quality resources?

Renowned theorists of web 2.0 (also referred to as “social web,” “read/write web” or “participatory web)” such as Don Tapscott-Anthony D. Williams (Wikinomics) and Clay Shirky (Here Comes Everybody) call the internet users of our age “prosumers” signifying that we have stepped out of the confines of being mere consumers, and became amateur publishers. Some scoff at the idea of the masses getting a voice, and are not willing to subscribe to the “cult of the amateur,” but looking at the materials on the web I’m convinced that not getting a paycheck as a professional employee does not put you outside the club of talented creators. On the contrary, some famous blogs have been elevated to the level of traditional print media (See Techcrunch for techies and entrepreneurs), some singers have risen to fame through YouTube, e.g. 10-year-old Heather Russell whose mother, Monica, posted a video clip of her singing on YouTube where it became an internet sensation. Similarly, some English teachers are getting acknowledged for their amazing teaching materials published on the internet. The way I see it, the internet is just a more democratic medium allowing talents to show themselves to the world.

So let me take this opportunity and encourage everyone to share what they have. I think most of us have created a worksheet at some point , e.g. a test for a coursebook chapter or role plays for a conversation class. You should absolutely not worry about whether it is good enough or not. The bottom line is: if it was useful in your class, it will probably be useful to others, as well. So just upload it, and I’m sure soon there will be a colleague commenting on your contrib saying “Thank you so much. This is just what I needed for tomorrow.” It’s a nice feeling to know you’ve helped out someone.

As an administrator of the ESL section, do you have to filter through the contributions to select what’s worthy of downloading?

Not at all. I’m very busy, and don’t have time for this, but it’s needless anyways. What we do is the same as other sharing platforms, like Wikipedia, do. It’s called the “Publish-then-filter” principle that means all materials are uploaded for the public to see, and the community downloads what they think is useful. By downloading they basically “vote” on the helpful worksheets, pushing the worksheet higher in popularity. We have top lists like “most downloaded worksheets” and “most liked worksheets” (we have our very own Like button); besides, search results can also be ordered by these criteria. If you browse our worksheets by popularity, you will never actually see the bad ones, since they are very low on the bottom of the top lists. So the filtering is done by the community, and no editors are needed. That’s also one of the main reasons why a sharing site can be free: they don’t need to spend on paying editors.

Do you continue to develop the site?

Yes, we keep adding new platforms for teachers of other languages. Next up is Russian, then we will continue with Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, etc. In addition, we now have an additional programmer helping out, and we have started developing new content modules to broaden the array of materials that can be shared on iSLCollective. Soon our users will be able to upload lesson plans based on YouTube videos (with embedded videos alongsided the lesson plans) and teaching tips in the forms of quick text posts. We’re also developing an educational blog (“edublog”) section where colleagues will be able to share their teaching experiences and wisdom with each other.

Sample worksheet by Philip Roeland

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I’M FULL – WE JUST HAD OUR ENGLISH CLASS Aari Juhanson

Viljandi Paalalinna Gymnasium

The concept of cooking classes at school is nothing unheard of. However, could we integrate a high school English lesson with a cooking class? Here’s one recipe: 1 group of English students (preferably B2 but possibly also B1 language students) 1 textbook with a text on food (can be replaced with a topic on food and healthy eating) 1 computer class for preparing presentations and selecting material 1 projector for viewing the presentations 1 home economics or cooking classroom with at least three cookers/ovens and cooking equipment as well as tableware 1 crazy teacher to wish to muddle with the attempt to prepare some of the presented dishes Preparation Cover the unit or topic on food as thoroughly as you normally do, and then stir in a pinch of computerbased work.

Allow each student to pick a national cuisine they will prepare a presentation on. (The presentation has to introduce at least one national dish.)

After the students have prepared their presentations, they will immerse each other in the information selecting their favorite dishes to try out.

This is where the teacher comes in, selecting about four recipes that could be accommodated into their lesson time.

The aforementioned students need to be divided into about three chunks of almost equal size.

Each chunk will choose a recipe to prepare – ingredients will be divided either amongst the big group or between the members of the chunks.

Let it sit for a couple of days, so that the recipe sinks in, before starting the cooking.

Now the most exciting part begins: the teams each prepare their dishes and by the end of the class everyone gets to taste one or two main courses, and one or two desserts from different countries.

Preparing and checking the recipe

Coq auvin with some Arabian coffee coming up!

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With one of my groups we made Pasta Carbonara from Italy, Coq Au Vin from France and Brigadeiro from Brazil; with another group it was Chicken Paella from Mexico, Scotch Broth, and Chocolate Croissants from France.

TIPS: Make sure the preparation time is short and the food is easy enough for your students to make during your class and you have also time to enjoy the food. If in doubt, try out at home. One of my groups would really have loved to prepare Baklava from the Arab world countries (Turkey, Egypt, Palestine); however, preparing it would have taken a minimum of about 3 hours.

Bechamel does need some salt!

Ask the students to copy down the full recipe or website address while preparing their presentation, to make it easier to find their recipe of the demonstrated national dish.

BENEFITS: The students learn not only the vocabulary and what characterizes different cuisines; they also get to taste some of the food. The teacher sees their students in a completely different environment, and it often brings out several different positive aspects about the students. Even the generally not so motivated students may suddenly become perfect “chunk” leaders.

It’s lots of fun, and learning should be experiential and fun!

Bon Appétit!

POETRY AND SONG LYRICS FOR THE COMPUTER GENERATION? Ene Eisenberg-Lindkqvist

Pärnu Ülejõe Gymnasium

I would define poetry as the rhythmical creation of beauty. – Edgar Allan Poe Prose: words in their best order; poetry: the best words in the best order. – S. T. Coleridge Why Poetry?

Poetry is the music of our hearts with its rhythms and rhymes, repetition and ideas presented in a compact manner. In The Poetry Reader’s Toolkit Marc Polonsky considers poetry important for the whole human race because poetry is as essential as air. ‘Poetry is the language that stretches the mind. Just as yoga and stretching exercises make the body more flexible, poetry limbers up the imagination, which is at least as important, maybe even more so, than limbering up the body.

(Polonsky: 1) Poetry is not a sacred text; it is as good a text for analysis or experimenting as any other. Contemporary computer-oriented students need to be led to the sources and encouraged to read, compare and reflect on poems, otherwise their souls will lack something very important. ‘The purpose of poetry is not to fill a void or to compensate for something else that may be missing in their lives. Poetry cannot replace walking in the forest, or falling in love, or having stimulating conversations’, Polonsky claims. But it might spark their interest or change their personalities or even lives.

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Nor is poetry there to “improve you as a person,” or increase your chances for “success” in the world, or even make you more literate. But there is nothing else in the world quite like reading a poem – it is an activity as unique as listening to music. Poetry, like music, contains rhythms which may affect your mood and your spirit. In fact, if you listen to music, you have already had some experience of poetry. Most songs contain words, and these words cast little spells as they sing in your mind. Poetry does the same thing.

Both poetry and music must engage your imagination. (Polonsky: 2)

Poetry is for everyone Learning to enjoy poetry is as natural as learning to swim – it takes practice, and the ability can be refined over time. Some people think they do not understand poetry. This is because poetry has been mystified in our culture, to the point where many people imagine that only educated persons with exquisitely developed perceptual powers can truly “interpret” it (Polonsky: 3). The classical analysis method is likely to distance students from poetry and, therefore, we need fresh approaches and ideas.

Good poetry is an imagination machine Not every poem is likeable or entertaining and enjoyment cannot be guaranteed, but it might have a line or two that are brilliant or boost one’s fantasy. Reading and using poetry in foreign language classes is still worth the effort. It gives more colour and variation to the language learning process.

Poetry needs patience in order to work. Patience is to poetry as electricity is to the vacuum cleaner. But if poetry is a machine, then what kind of machine is it? Poetry is an imagination machine. Good poetry, given patience, lights up your imagination in some way. It surprises you, tickles you, gives you a nudge, or even awes you. It might reveal a new perspective, dazzle your mind’s eye, broaden your inner vision.

(Polonsky: 5)

The following pages contain various activities with modern poetry: style comparison, matching and a poetry-writing project. In addition to this, you can find a selection of worksheets with song lyrics.

Poetry Rhythm is important

Less rhythm than in poetry

Meter: e.g. Iambic pentameter (5 iambic feet per line)

The same features as poetry has

Blank verse = unrhymed iambic pentameter

Repetition – simpler to learn by heart

Rhymed poetry

Simple - words easier than in “serious” poetry

Free verse Might be written for individual purposes Common origin of songs and poems: • • • •

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Lyrics

Talk about feelings Are as beautiful as poems Have a rhythm Make us think about how we feel

Written for public performance

Match the two halves to complete the poem Messy Room by Shel Silverstein: Whosever room this is…

His underwear is…

His raincoat is there in…

And the chair is…

His workbook is wedged…

His sweater’s been…

His scarf and one ski are…

And his pants have…

been carelessly hung on the door thrown on the floor hanging on the lamp beneath the TV the overstuffed chair in the window becoming quite mucky and damp should be ashamed!

Messy Room

by Shel Silverstein

His underwear is hanging on the lamp.

His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair, And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.

His workbook is wedged in the window, His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.

His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV, And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.

His books are all jammed in the closet, His vest has been left in the hall.

A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed, And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!

Donald or Robert or Willie or-Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear, I knew it looked familiar!

POETRY WRITING PROJECT Choose a phrase from the list below. Use it anywhere in your poem – it may be the beginning, the middle or the end.

HAM … BURGER

BLACK SHEEP

YOUR ICY EYES

THAT CRAZY CAT

IT’S TOO LATE NOW

THE SUN HAS GONE

I AM A SUPERMAN INDEED

OH YES, IT HURTS

JUST CHASING BUTTERFLIES

THE WORLD’S GONE MAD

TELL ME, TELL ME

WHERE YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING

I’M A TOTAL MESS

I’M QUITE A CATCH

DON’T EVER CONFIDE IN ME

A STUMBLING BLOCK

WHOM COULD I TRUST

A MISUNDERSTANDING

STILL I’LL GO

LIKE A SAD DOG IN THE EVENING FOG

AND I MEAN IT

YOUR STUNNING SMILE

RED SHE/HE SAID

WHY ME?

I’M FREE YOU, SEE

I’M FREE FINALLY

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Example: A Poem by Rainer Marts You haven’t seen my face But you can change my fate I don’t know what you’re doing And where you think you’re going It brings to me confusion That you’re such illusion I think I wanted to say That I’m in love today But world turned upside down When you just walked around For I’ve lost my mind My thoughts are pretty wild SOCIAL LIFE 1. Read the lyrics. Then listen to the song and fill in the missing words. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FavBDpg91gA Gotta Serve Somebody

by Bob Dylan You may be an 1 ……………………………..to England or France You may like to gamble, you might like to dance You may be the heavyweight 2 ………………………….of the world You may be a socialite with a long 3 ………………. of pearls.

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You’re gonna have to serve somebody, It may be the 4 ……………………….or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

Might be a rock’n’ roll 5 ………………………….prancing on the stage Might have money and drugs at your commands, women in a 6……………………..

You may be a business man or some high 7 ……………………. thief They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief.

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You’re gonna have to serve somebody, Well, it may be the 8 ………………………….or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a state trooper, you might be an young turk You may be the head of some big TV 9 ……………………………….

You may be rich or poor, you may be 10 ……………………..or lame You may be living in another country under another name.

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes You’re gonna have to serve somebody, Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

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You may be a 11 ………………………………………… worker working on a home You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome You might own guns and you might even own 12 …………………………

You might be somebody’s 13 ……………………………… you might even own banks.

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes You’re gonna have to serve somebody, Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride You may be a city councilman taking 14 ……………………………….. on the side You may be working in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair You may be somebody’s 15 ……………………………….., may be somebody’s heir.

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes You’re gonna have to serve somebody, Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear 16 ……………………

Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk You might like to eat 17 …………………, you might like to eat bread You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a 18 ……………………… bed.

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You’re gonna have to serve somebody, It may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.

You may call me Terry, you may call me Jimmy You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray You may call me anything but no matter what you say.

You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You’re gonna have to serve somebody, Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody. (www.azlyrics.com)

2. After reading and listening: 1) 2) 3) 4)

What do you think Bob Dylan tried to say?

Do you agree with him?

What is the last stanza about? What do these names mean?

Whose life is easier – a millionaire’s or a beggar’s? Why?

3. Find the rhyming words in the lines: young turk cage tanks hair

_______________ _______________ ________________ _______________

world name chief side

_________________ _________________ _________________ __________________

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4. What are the contrasting words in the poem? rich _______________ whiskey_______________ floor _______________

cotton _______________ bread _______________ Lord _______________

5. Write a short passage (5 – 7 sentences) on a given topic using the Conditionals. Describe how would you feel, act and why.

If I were a millionaire ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Read your passage to other students.

7. Listen to other students’ ideas and ask relevant questions.

Key: 1 ambassador, 2 champion, 3 string, 4 devil, 5 addict, 6 cage, 7 degree, 8 devil, 9 network, 10 blind, 11 construction, 12 tanks, 13 landlord, 14 bribes, 15 mistress, 16 silk, 17 caviar, 18 king-sized CRIME/VIOLENCE Listen to the song written for The Sopranos TV series.

Fill the gaps in the song lyrics.

You woke up this morning Lyrics by Alabama / The Sopranos You woke up this morning Got yourself a 1 ___________, Mama always said you’d be The 2 ______________One. She said: You’re one in a million You’ve got to 3 ___________ to shine, But you were born under a bad sign, With a blue moon in your eyes.

You woke up this morning All the 4 _____________has gone, Your Papa never told you About right and 5 _______________.

But you’re looking good, baby, I believe you’re feeling fine, (shame about it), Born under a 6 ___________sign With a blue moon in your eyes.

You woke up this morning The world 7 ____________upside down, Thing’s ain’t been the same Since the Blues walked into town.

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But you’re one in a million You’ve got that 8 _______________shine.

Born under a bad sign, With a blue moon in your eyes.

When you woke up this morning everything you had was gone. By half past ten your head was going ding-dong.

Ringing like a bell from your head down to your toes, like a voice telling you there was something you should know. Last night you were flying but today you’re so low - ain’t it times like these that make you wonder if you’ll ever know the meaning of things as they appear to the others; wives, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. Don’t you wish you didn’t function, wish you didn’t think beyond the next paycheck and the next little drink’ Well you do so make up your mind to go on, ‘cos when you woke up this morning everything you had was gone.

When you woke up this morning, When you woke up this morning, When you woke up this morning, Mama said you’d be the Chosen One. When you woke up this morning, When you woke up this morning, When you woke up this morning, You got yourself a gun. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWUW2Vcb_-k)

Key: 1 gun, 2 Chosen, 3 burn, 4 to shine, 5 wrong, 6 bad, 7 turned, 8 shotgun BULLYING Watch the VIDEO and listen to the song Mean Fill the gaps in the song lyrics.

Mean Songwriters: Swift, Taylor You, with your words like 1 ________________ and weapons that you use against me You have knocked me off my feet again got me feeling like I’m nothing You, with your voice like 2 ________________ , calling me out when I’m wounded You, pickin’ on the weaker man Well, you can take me down with just one single blow But you don’t know what you don’t know Someday I’ll be living in a big old city And all you’re ever gonna be is 3 ________________ Someday I’ll be big enough so you can’t 4 ________________ me And all you’re ever gonna be is mean Why you gotta be so mean?

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You, with your switching sides and your walk-by lies and your 5 ________________ You, have pointed out my 6 ________________ again as if I don’t already see them I’ll walk with my head down trying to 7 ________________ ‘cause I’ll never impress you I just wanna feel okay again I’ll bet you got 8 ________________, somebody made you cold But the 9 ________________ right now ‘cause you can’t lead me down that road And you don’t know what you don’t know Someday I’ll be living in a big old city And all you’re ever gonna be is mean Someday I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me And all you’re ever gonna be is mean Why you gotta be so mean?

And I can see you years from now in a bar, talking over a football game With that same big 10 __________________________but nobody’s listening Washed up and 11 ________________ the same old bitter things Drunk and 12 ________________ about how I can’t sing But all you are is mean All you are is mean and a liar and pathetic and 13 ________________ And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean But someday I’ll be living in a big old city And all you’re ever gonna be is mean, yeah Someday, I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me And all you’re ever gonna be is mean Why you gotta be so mean?

Key: 1 knives and swords, 2 nails on a chalkboard, 3 mean, 4 hit, 5 humiliation, 6 flaws, 7 block you out, 8 pushed around, 9 cycle ends, 10 loud opinion, 11 ranting about, 12 grumbling on, 13 alone in life SOURCES Kirby, D. Why Poetry? Vol. 2, No. 6 issue http://www.the-american-interest.com/article.cfm?piece=300, accessed 15.09.2011 Parini, J. Why Poetry Matters http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300124231, accessed 15.09.2011 Polonsky, M. The Poetry Reader’s Toolkit. http://www.elyrics.net/read/t/taylor-swift-lyrics/mean-lyrics.html, accessed 17.09.2011 http://www.marcwordsmith.com/pdfs/Why-Poetry.pdf, accessed 15.09.2011 http://www.bbc.co.uk/poetryseason/poets/philip_larkin.shtml, http://yalepress.yale.edu/book. asp?isbn=9780300124231, accessed 15.09.2011 http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/poetry.html, accessed 15.09.2011 http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/poetry.html, accessed 15.09.2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FavBDpg91gA, accessed 30.09.2011 www.azlyrics.com , accessed 30.09.2011

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NEW

edition

I Love English 1 2011

NEW material NEW design and illustrations lots of photos games and activities musical chants songs and rhymes phonemic chart everyday phrases exchanges and dialogues guided writing recycled language material related to Estonia glimpses of London Christmas play alphabetical and unit vocabulary

NEW

I Love English 2 available in August 2012

tel: 742 0440

â—?

myyk@studium.ee

â—?

www.studium.ee

Photos by Ingrid Puusemp

PÄRNU SUMMER SEMINAR 23–24 AUGUST 2011

Merike Saar teaching about e-learning materials

The topic of Katrin Saks was 'Hot Potatoes for Advanced Users'

Evi Saluveer and Ülle Kurm – frequent speakers at our seminars

Allecto bookstall always attracts a lot of customers

Andrzej Rackowski – representative of Cambridge University Press

Tasty lunch in the foyer of Pärnu College