Papers by DRAGOMIR ISABELA ANDA
In the military system, the process of written communication is mainly carried out through short ... more In the military system, the process of written communication is mainly carried out through short pieces of writing, such as notes, memos or reports. However, at a higher level, communication, be it oral or written must dwell on a well-developed system of critical thinking abilities, which involves the learner actively in the process of language practice. One example of a complex activity of this type is the book review, an end-product of successfully integrated critical thinking, reading and writing skills. Going through the process of writing a thorough review on a book containing general or specialized information, the student develops proficient critical thinking skills, by evaluating, assessing, criticizing, commenting upon, expressing own views and perceptions regarding the read material, in the format of an organized written pattern, recognized as the book review. In addition to being an activity that has proven highly beneficial for the multi-level development of the student,...
Communication is an essential skill to be acquired, practiced and mastered by any language learne... more Communication is an essential skill to be acquired, practiced and mastered by any language learner, regardless of their preparation and background. The purpose of communication is multifold, depending on the characteristics of the linguistic environment and on the needs of the communicator. In this context, oral communication is perceived as an important ability, especially in the military domain, where the personnel must develop the ability to use specific language structures in order to function effectively in an international English speaking environment. This paper proposes a situational approach to developing military speaking skills in a well-determined, real-life context by adapting and transforming an official communication activity (the operation order-OPORD) into an educational tool.
Learning a foreign language is, basically, an individual experience. However, the ultimate goal o... more Learning a foreign language is, basically, an individual experience. However, the ultimate goal of this experience is offering the learners the possibility to function in an English speaking environment where they will undoubtedly have to come in contact with other English speakers and to use the language in order to communicate, to share ideas, to negotiate in order to accomplish a common task. This paper aims at proving that one example of a classroom activity that successfully trains learners for this particular real life situation is the group project. More than a learning experience, this activity is also a method of reinforcing the acquired information and of assessing students' performance in the use of the foreign language. Given the multiple benefits, it has become part and parcel of the foreign language programs, an educational tool enjoyed by teachers and learners alike. Învăţarea unei limbi străine este în esenţă, o experienţă individuală. Cu toate astea, obiectivul fundamental al acestei experienţe este să ofere studenţilor posibilitatea să funcţioneze în cadrul unui context real şi să intre în contact cu alţi vorbitori de limbă engleză, folosind astfel cunoştinţele acumulate pentru a comunica, a împărtăşi idei, a negocia, în vederea finalizării unei sarcini de lucru comună. Lucrarea de faţă îşi propune să demonstreze că proiectul de grup este un bun exemplu în acest sens, pregătind cu succes studenţii pentru a funcţiona în viaţa reală. Mai mult decât o experienţă de învăţare, acestă activitate este o metodă de sedimentare a cunoştinţelor acumulate şi de evaluare a competenţei şi a performanţei studenţilor. Avand în vedere multiplele sale avantaje, putem înţelege de ce această activitate a devenit o parte integrantă a programelor de limbi străine, un instrument de predare-învăţare apreciat şi îndrăgit atât de profesori cât şi de studenţi.
One of the biggest challenges of teaching Military English nowadays is the attempt to bridge the ... more One of the biggest challenges of teaching Military English nowadays is the attempt to bridge the gap between dry theory, specific branch terminology and real life skills. This paper sets out to demonstrate the efficient usage of the debate as a genuine speaking exercise to be practiced in the military English classroom. One of its greatest advantages is that it is a multipurpose activity, encouraging and developing not only critical thinking skills but also specialized vocabulary and language functions in a comfortable and relaxing semi-professional environment. Besides its instructional dimension, the debate offers a valuable opportunity for assessing and evaluating productive language in a well-defined military context.
The communicative approach in the foreign language learning process generated numerous controvers... more The communicative approach in the foreign language learning process generated numerous controversies regarding its usefulness and benefits over the traditional methods. Its supporters claim that teaching the foreign language in a less " educational " environment is more beneficial for the students, since they can relax and acquire language at the same time. Such an opportunity is given by using movies as a teaching tool. This paper aims at proving that they are a great motivating push for students, an excellent method of getting a glimpse of other nations' culture and civilization, of presenting the language in a more natural and appealing way than in the course books, and of boosting the listening comprehension skill through the audiovisual context they provide. Metodele comunicative folosite în predarea unei limbi străine au generat o serie de controverse referitoare la utilitatea lor şi la avantajele folosirii acestor tehnici în comparaţie cu metodele tradiţionale. Adepţii acestor metode susţin că predarea limbilor străine într-un mediu mai puţin " educaţional " este mai benefică pentru studenţi, oferindu-le oportunitatea nu numai de a se relaxa, dar şi de a învăţa în acelaşi timp. Folosirea filmelor/activităţilor video este un excelent instrument educaţional în acest sens. Lucrarea de faţă îşi propune să demonstreze că ele constituie un impuls motivaţional pentru studenţi, o metodă excelentă de familiarizare cu cultura şi civilizatia altor ţări, de prezentare a limbii străine într-un mod mai natural şi mai atractiv decat în suportul de curs, şi de dezvoltare a competenţei de ascultare în contextul audio-vizual pe care acestea îl oferă. Cuvinte cheie: context autentic; engleza autentica; problematici globale
A considerable amount of the teaching and testing of a foreign language today is done orally. Dev... more A considerable amount of the teaching and testing of a foreign language today is done orally. Developing speaking proficiency rates high among the objectives of most FL programs. Beyond that, some strictly methodological benefits are also drawing increased attention to the oral mode. Among them, the direct contact and communication between the testers and the testee, the opportunity of having direct, on the spot feedback, the possibility of alternating the types of questions and their degree of difficulty according to the students' linguistic and personal profile. Nonetheless, no method is perfect and this one is no exception, as it is subjected to direct influences from the rater factors. The present paper aims at demonstrating that the oral proficiency interview is the best choice that one can make if one of the secondary goals of the evaluation is to minimize the effects of the disturbing factors that characterize any other type of assessment method.
The communicative approach is continually shaping the teaching and learning process. The changes ... more The communicative approach is continually shaping the teaching and learning process. The changes this new trend brought about have affected not only the form and the content of the information to be taught, but also the way in which it is transmitted. This new direction has highlighted the imperative to detach the teacher from the learners and let them handle the linguistic tasks by themselves or with each others' help. Hence, the tremendous importance different types of student groupings have acquired. This paper is exploring the benefits of class organizational patterns, with emphasis on the linguistic, psychological and cognitive factors that contribute to their success.
The process of language learning should not be limited to achieving basic communication needs. In... more The process of language learning should not be limited to achieving basic communication needs. In order to obtain a high level of competence and performance in using a language, the learner needs to develop additional skills, such as, for instance, critical thinking skills. These are complex cognitive processes that involve reasoning, hypothesizing, synthesizing, transfer, analysis, etc. Within the teaching-learning process, such skills could be developed through a series of activities that the paper aims at presenting. The skills that will be the focus of the presentation are the productive ones – speaking and writing – and, regardless of the type of activities they require, the ultimate goal of using such activities is that of upgrading the understanding and the usage of the language at a higher level of complexity. Procesul învăţării unei limbi străine nu ar trebui să se reducă doar la nevoile de comunicare. Pentru a atinge un nivel complex de competenţă şi performanţă în utilizarea limbii străine, vorbitorii ar trebui să dezvolte abilităţi adiţionale, ca de exemplu, abilităţi de gândire critică. Acestea sunt procese cognitive care implică ipotetizare, sinteză, transfer, analiză, etc. Lucrarea de faţă prezintă câteva activităţi prin care aceste abilităţi ar putea fi dezvoltate. Accentul se pune pe abilităţile productive – vorbitul şi scrisul – însă, indiferent de tipul de activitate propusă, scopul final este obţinerea unui nivel ridicat de înţelegere şi utilizare a limbii.
Lucrarea îşi propune să abordeze dintr-o perspectivă graduală legătura între abilităţile lingvist... more Lucrarea îşi propune să abordeze dintr-o perspectivă graduală legătura între abilităţile lingvistice şi modul prin care acestea se manifestă în vorbire. Deprinderea Vorbit presupune stăpânirea unor abilităţi specifice comunicării, cât şi a unor structuri gramaticale şi lexicale.
Over the course of the last decades, an increasing emphasis has been laid on the importance of cr... more Over the course of the last decades, an increasing emphasis has been laid on the importance of creative thinking, as an underlying component of education, in general, and of military instruction, in particular. Starting from the premises that any individual has substantial creative abilities, we set out to elaborate an approach that advocates the relevance of developing creative thinking skills in adult teaching, as a way of building on long-lasting life capabilities on the background of the language acquisition process. Taking into consideration the already formulated definitions of creativity and creative thinking, we propose to adapt and exploit the theoretical foundations in order to come up with an efficient method usable with military students who are part of a language course at an academic level. The practical part of the paper presents a series of exercises and activities that we have successfully used to develop creative thinking abilities alongside high-level language skills. Our method is not an exhaustive one, but the originality consists in its application in the field of language learning, as we consider this domain to be suitable for the implementation of creative thinking methods and techniques.
Teaching English in the military system is at the same time a difficult and a rewarding job. The ... more Teaching English in the military system is at the same time a difficult and a rewarding job. The challenges English teachers encounter nowadays are mainly related to designing and/or adapting instructional models that would function efficiently within the specific framework of the military linguistic context. This paper aims at presenting the practical effects of three such different models: the interactive model, the situational model and the task-based model. Within this paper, the aim of the authors will be to investigate the role of the teacher and of the learners in these specific teaching approaches and to determine which is the best model to be used for military English teaching.
The subject of creative writing has recently seen a phenomenal growth and has undergone a period ... more The subject of creative writing has recently seen a phenomenal growth and has undergone a period of considerable change, in the light of the new tendencies the teaching methods have adopted. A resourceful tool for consolidating critical thinking skills, this new approach to adult teaching has proven very effective in terms of developing not only cognitive skills, but also language proficiency. Achieving writing mastery is a story in itself – a pedagogical narrative that may start as an action or as a class activity – but one that may easily become art, in the right skillful hands. It is the teacher's purpose in class to lay emphasis on this artistic dimension of writing, as a way of relating to the world and relating the world to writing. The military world should be not left out of this equation, as it can foster and produce really creative pieces of writing, even if sometimes forced to fit the military context. The aim of the paper is to bridge the gap between art and military life, between the creativity of the writing process and the rigor of the military system.
What exactly is the relationship between age and language learning? There are numerous myths and ... more What exactly is the relationship between age and language learning? There are numerous myths and misconceptions about the relative abilities or inabilities of language learners of different ages. There are different theories according to which children are supposed to learn faster, or adults are unlikely to achieve fluency. These and other common beliefs are simply not true. Children do not necessarily learn faster than adults and, in fact, adults may learn more efficiently. Furthermore, there is no loss of language ability or language learning ability over time. Age is not a detriment to language learning, and by all accounts, learning a second (or third etc) language actually keeps the older language learners mind active. People of all ages can benefit from learning languages. However, the convergence of several lines of psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic theory and research suggest possible explanations for age-related influences on language acquisition that language educators should take into account. The purpose of this paper is to focus on several variables that have been shown to be age-sensitive in the process of foreign language acquisition. The main objective here is to demonstrate that people of any age can be accomplished language learners, whether they are young learners or self-motivated adults. Rezumat: Care este exact relaţia dintre vărstă şi învăţarea unei limbi? Există multe mituri şi interpretări greşite despre abilităţile ori inabilităţile persoanelor de diferite vârste care învaţă o limbă. S-au formulat diferite teorii conform cărora copiii învaţă mai repede sau adulţii sunt mai puţin capabili să atingă fluenţa. Acestea şi alte păreri des întâlnite sunt pur şi simplu neadevărate. Copiii nu învaţă neapărat mai repede decât adulţii, iar aceştia din urmă pot învăţa mai eficient. În plus, nu există o pierdere a abilităţii de limbă ori a capacităţii de învăţare de-a lungul timpului. Vârsta nu este un obstacol în învăţarea unei limbi, şi, după câte se ştie, studierea unei a doua (sau a treia) limbi menţine de fapt mintea celor mai în vârstă activă. Persoane de toate vârstele pot obţine numeroase avantaje prin învăţarea unor limbi străine. Cu toate acestea, convergenţa unor puncte de vedere ale teoriei şi cercetării sociolingvistice şi psiholingvistice ne conduce la posibile explicaţii referitoare la influenţele pe care vârsta le are asupra însuşirii unei limbi, explicaţii pe care profesorii de limbi străine ar trebui să le ia în considerare. Scopul acestei lucrări este de a evidenţia câteva variabile care dovedite a fi influenţate de factorul de vârstă în procesul de însuşire a unei limbi străine. Obiectivul principal al studiului nostru este de a demonstra că oamenii de orice vârstă pot învăţa o limbă străină cu succes, fie că sunt copii, adolescenţi ori adulţi automotivaţi. Cuvinte cheie: dezvoltare cognitivă, context sociocultural, factori afectivi, mijloace de însuşire a limbii, chestionar
Nowadays, team building is seen as an activity directed towards developing team skills. Before im... more Nowadays, team building is seen as an activity directed towards developing team skills. Before implementing team building activities, the teachers, as managers of the micro-organization generically known as class, must perform a thorough analysis of the psycho-social profile of each student and of the way students interact with each other. Moreover, the team building process involves establishing a series of objectives that are to be accomplished gradually, within the pre-established frame of the teaching-learning activity. In order to adjust to the requirements of team building activities, the students/class must possess a number of features, including communicative abilities, respect, help, etc. The teaching-learning process often stresses the importance of the unity of the group, as a prerequisite of obtaining the best results in and outside the classroom. Team building-ul nu este altceva decât o activitate de dezvoltare a echipei. Înainte de a aplica activităţi de team building, profesorii, ca manageri ai micro-organizaţiei-clasa de elevi-, trebuie să realizeze o analiză amănunţită a profilului psiho-social al membrilor grupului şi a modului în care aceştia s-ar putea relaţiona. De asemenea, procesul de team building presupune şi stabilirea unor obiective care să fie îndeplinite, treptat, în parametrii prestabiliţi ai activităţii de predare-învăţare. Pentru a se adapta la cerinţele unor activităţi de team building, echipa trebuie să îndeplinească o serie de caracteristici, printre care se menţionează comunicarea, respectul, ajutorul reciproc, etc. În procesul de predare-învăţare, se pune adesea accentual pe funcţionalitatea grupei ca un tot unitar, fiind recunoscută eficienţa muncii în echipă pentru obţinerea de rezultate optime, atât în clasă, cât şi în viaţa reală.
Beginning from the second half of the twentieth century, experts in the field of education and ps... more Beginning from the second half of the twentieth century, experts in the field of education and psychology have conducted extensive research to get a clear picture of classroom and to figure out the dynamics of the learning. The paper advocates the importance of using active methods in the classroom, starting with a definition, then a dissection of the three coordinates that influence active learning (individuality of students, planning strategies of teachers, classroom context) and finally underlining its advantages, not only for the process of teaching, but also for the student as an individual who has to learn continually. The concluding thought of the paper reiterates the importance of implementing active learning strategies through joint efforts at all levels of education.
The paper aims at analysing in detail the importance of the needs analysis technique, as a substa... more The paper aims at analysing in detail the importance of the needs analysis technique, as a substantial integrating part of ESP course design. Since the effective approach of an ESP course is a great challenge, we need to have clear, precise coordinates regarding the specific needs of the learners. In addition to a thorough knowledge of the theories of language learning, it is also important to have a clear vision of any ramification that designing an ESP course brings about, as well as the objectives of an ESP course and the best way to achieve them. Consequently, needs analysis is defined as a crucial process of establishing the starting points when designing an ESP course: personal and professional profile of the learners, their needs and expectations, lacks and strong points, the linguistic environment, etc. These aspects are identified with the help of several frames of needs analysis, which are theoretically presented in the paper.
The paper deals with the importance of the warm up as a complex and well-planned activity, seen a... more The paper deals with the importance of the warm up as a complex and well-planned activity, seen as a stage of the lesson in itself. We have mentioned some reasons why the warm up should be regarded as an essential step in the teaching process and proposed some warm up activities to be used as springboards for teaching different skills. The warm up creates a positive atmosphere for learning, activates prior knowledge, can be used to revise and to recycle material, integrates dry theory into communicative contexts and is an efficient instrument for class management. Starting from these premises, we have underlined the necessity to view the warm up stage as a " sine qua non " condition to the good functioning and development of a lesson. The warm up of a lesson usually receives far less attention than it should. Teachers spend a lot of time preparing explanations and worksheets to introduce and practice the target language. But when it comes the time to enter the class, only a vague notion of " let's do something fun " gets reserved for the warm up. Teachers pull an activity from their bag of tricks. A well-planned, effective warm up offers more than just ten minutes of fun, though.
Throughout the years, preparing the individuals for a demanding life and providing the society wi... more Throughout the years, preparing the individuals for a demanding life and providing the society with socially and intellectually mature citizens have been one of the most important missions of schooling. Assuming this noble mission, educators have sought ways to fulfill the individual's need of being proficient enough to cope with the challenges of the world. In order to achieve this end, through the behaviorist reign, the learner has been regarded as a passive member of the classroom which is shaped by the holy dominance of the omnipotent instructor. But things have turned to a new dimension – the teacher is no longer " the sage on the stage " but the silent overseer in the back. Modern methodology fosters a shift from teacher-centered to student-centered and even student-generated approaches, leaving enough space for maneuver to the individual learner and laying emphasis on the power of self-instruction and responsibility for learning. The greatest emphasis of the instructional act should be placed on the students' exploration of their own attitudes and values. The practical part of this article will explore in detail the theoretical and the empirical dimensions of one of the most important basic active learning activities – simulations.
In the military system, the process of written communication is mainly carried out through short ... more In the military system, the process of written communication is mainly carried out through short pieces of writing, such as notes, memos or reports. However, at a higher level, communication, be it oral or written must dwell on a well-developed system of critical thinking abilities, which involves the learner actively in the process of language practice. One example of a complex activity of this type is the book review, an end-product of successfully integrated critical thinking, reading and writing skills. Going through the process of writing a thorough review on a book containing general or specialized information, the student develops proficient critical thinking skills, by evaluating, assessing, criticizing, commenting upon, expressing own views and perceptions regarding the read material, in the format of an organized written pattern, recognized as the book review. In addition to being an activity that has proven highly beneficial for the multi-level development of the student, this format is a complex evaluation tool for the teacher as well, since it allows an integrated assessment of the learner's reading comprehension skills and critical writing abilities. This paper aims at proving why such an activity is extremely valuable not only for the process of language learning, but also for the development of the learner himself.
The paper aims at briefly over viewing some methodological principles that have proven valid and ... more The paper aims at briefly over viewing some methodological principles that have proven valid and applicable when teaching adults. More than that, the target adult population that is the focus of this material is actually military personnel, a category of learners that has been both challenging and difficult to deal with. The paper quickly explores the differences between adult and children learning, details the variables of adult learning proposed by Douglas Brown and rounds up the theoretical support with suggested methodology and techniques mostly based on the authors' seven-year classroom experience. All recommendations are pertinent and have been successfully applied to military personnel learning groups. All learners are the same. Outside class, they have a family, friends, work responsibilities, a place to live and all the joys and sorrows that come with those things. In the classroom environment, they bring with them their names,
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Papers by DRAGOMIR ISABELA ANDA