The researchers utilized student blogs in an integrated CALL program for low proficiency, low mot... more The researchers utilized student blogs in an integrated CALL program for low proficiency, low motivation Japanese university language learners in a seven-day intensive English course in September 2004. The program included tasks completed both on computers and in traditional classrooms. In this paper, the researchers describe learner gains in writing fluency by comparing the number of words and word frequency levels in student blogs at the beginning and at the end of the program. On the first day, the student blog entry average word count was less than 35 words over a 20-minute period. Nearly all words produced fell within the most frequent 1000 word level. By the end of the CALL program there was nearly a 350% increase in the number of words used in students’ blog entries, as well as a substantial increase in the number of 2000 word level and even lower frequency level words.
The present study examines the effects extensive reading (ER) has on pre/post-test scores, at Sag... more The present study examines the effects extensive reading (ER) has on pre/post-test scores, at Saga University. Students studying in an English oral communication courses, called Active English II, were required to read graded readers (GR) as homework as part of their course requirement over the course of one academic year. Pre-post-test scores indicate that students who met the ER goals (those that read large amounts of English) had significantly greater gains in their post-test scores than students who failed to meet the ER goals. This improvement was most evident in the reading and writing elements of their post-test scores.
The teaching of presentation skills in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) style classes is incre... more The teaching of presentation skills in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) style classes is increasing in Japan since the skills being developed are important in both the educational setting and the professional workplace. This paper describes the development of a presentation course for graduate students from the faculty of Science and Engineering at Saga University. The author suggests that using an Experiential Language Learning approach to develop effective scientific presentations skills in English is a viable method to use, particularly with students who have poor English skills. After first defining ESP, the paper provides a brief description of the students the class was developed for and discusses then the development and justification of the course's goals and learning objectives. The author then explains how the course was designed in a scaffolded manner to become progressively more complex through the utilization of teacher modeling followed by a considerable amount cyclical practice done by the students. The paper will then discuss how the course materials were developed in the form of a class textbook and finally conclude by contending that the course is effective in developing low-level Science and Engineering Gratduate students' English scientific presentation skills and that the course could easily be adapted to meet the needs of students from other faculties as well.
The researchers utilized student blogs in an integrated CALL program for low proficiency, low mot... more The researchers utilized student blogs in an integrated CALL program for low proficiency, low motivation Japanese university language learners in a seven-day intensive English course in September 2004. The program included tasks completed both on computers and in traditional classrooms. In this paper, the researchers describe learner gains in writing fluency by comparing the number of words and word frequency levels in student blogs at the beginning and at the end of the program. On the first day, the student blog entry average word count was less than 35 words over a 20-minute period. Nearly all words produced fell within the most frequent 1000 word level. By the end of the CALL program there was nearly a 350% increase in the number of words used in students' blog entries, as well as a substantial increase in the number of 2000 word level and even lower frequency level words.
The researchers utilized student blogs in an integrated CALL program for low proficiency, low mot... more The researchers utilized student blogs in an integrated CALL program for low proficiency, low motivation Japanese university language learners in a seven-day intensive English course in September 2004. The program included tasks completed both on computers and in traditional classrooms. In this paper, the researchers describe learner gains in writing fluency by comparing the number of words and word frequency levels in student blogs at the beginning and at the end of the program. On the first day, the student blog entry average word count was less than 35 words over a 20-minute period. Nearly all words produced fell within the most frequent 1000 word level. By the end of the CALL program there was nearly a 350% increase in the number of words used in students’ blog entries, as well as a substantial increase in the number of 2000 word level and even lower frequency level words.
The present study examines the effects extensive reading (ER) has on pre/post-test scores, at Sag... more The present study examines the effects extensive reading (ER) has on pre/post-test scores, at Saga University. Students studying in an English oral communication courses, called Active English II, were required to read graded readers (GR) as homework as part of their course requirement over the course of one academic year. Pre-post-test scores indicate that students who met the ER goals (those that read large amounts of English) had significantly greater gains in their post-test scores than students who failed to meet the ER goals. This improvement was most evident in the reading and writing elements of their post-test scores.
The teaching of presentation skills in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) style classes is incre... more The teaching of presentation skills in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) style classes is increasing in Japan since the skills being developed are important in both the educational setting and the professional workplace. This paper describes the development of a presentation course for graduate students from the faculty of Science and Engineering at Saga University. The author suggests that using an Experiential Language Learning approach to develop effective scientific presentations skills in English is a viable method to use, particularly with students who have poor English skills. After first defining ESP, the paper provides a brief description of the students the class was developed for and discusses then the development and justification of the course's goals and learning objectives. The author then explains how the course was designed in a scaffolded manner to become progressively more complex through the utilization of teacher modeling followed by a considerable amount cyclical practice done by the students. The paper will then discuss how the course materials were developed in the form of a class textbook and finally conclude by contending that the course is effective in developing low-level Science and Engineering Gratduate students' English scientific presentation skills and that the course could easily be adapted to meet the needs of students from other faculties as well.
The researchers utilized student blogs in an integrated CALL program for low proficiency, low mot... more The researchers utilized student blogs in an integrated CALL program for low proficiency, low motivation Japanese university language learners in a seven-day intensive English course in September 2004. The program included tasks completed both on computers and in traditional classrooms. In this paper, the researchers describe learner gains in writing fluency by comparing the number of words and word frequency levels in student blogs at the beginning and at the end of the program. On the first day, the student blog entry average word count was less than 35 words over a 20-minute period. Nearly all words produced fell within the most frequent 1000 word level. By the end of the CALL program there was nearly a 350% increase in the number of words used in students' blog entries, as well as a substantial increase in the number of 2000 word level and even lower frequency level words.
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Papers by Terry Fellner