New research on understanding metaphors | ScienceBlog.com

New research on understanding metaphors | ScienceBlog.com

Dyslexia varies across language barriers | ScienceBlog.com

Dyslexia varies across language barriers | ScienceBlog.com

Links for downloading two preview articles of ELT-J #2

1. Devising Multiple-choice Questions, Quizzes and Tests. pdf


2. Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class.pdf

Downloadable Documents of ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Articles: (1) Multiple Choice Questions and (2) Semantic Mapping for the English Conversation Class

ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Article: Devising Multiple-choice Questions, Quizzes and Tests
Issue 2 of ELT in Japan will consist of four articles: (1)  "Teaching English [l] sounds vs. [r] sounds: Integrating applied phonology into the EFL classroom"; (2) "Devising multiple-choice questions, quizzes and tests"; (3) "Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class"; and (4)"Semantic mapping activities for the writing class". 

Here are two of those articles available for download in a special preview of ELT-J Issue #2, which will be published in full by the end of this month (Feb. 2010). Click on the links below to view the articles at GoogleDocs. You can download them from there as well, in .pdf .    


1. Devising Multiple-choice Questions, Quizzes and Tests


https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B2aIR7UspFzpMDMxYTVkNmMtYzdlMS00ZmZlLWJjOTEtYTU5M2IyMmJmNTlk&hl=en

introductory excerpt:

In this article we will look at how to introduce students to 'English-only' multiple-choice questions and then how to use such questions to assess students and evaluate courses. The focus here will be  specifically on using multiple-choice questions to construct tests that assess vocabulary learning drawn from the syllabus, materials, and content of specific EFL classes--i.e., the classes you have to teach and your students have to attend. It is hoped that these explanations and examples will serve, for example, teachers who have to give grades to hundreds of students each semester and have limited time to do other types of testing (such as oral interviews or projects, which can be too time-consuming to manage if you teach hundreds of students).


2. Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B2aIR7UspFzpNDk0M2I0YzItOTVmMC00ZDEyLWFiOTEtMjQ1Mjc2YjBhYzIx&hl=en


introductory excerpt:

In TEFL situations, when we say 'vocabulary study', the two activities that most often come to mind for students quite likely are (1) looking up words in a bi-lingual dictionary and (2) compiling and studying bi-lingual word lists. If this is what is meant by vocabulary study, it hardly could be called 'systematic'. The weaknesses of such an approach to vocabulary are many. For example, students may use an L1-L2 dictionary to confirm the meanings of an L1 meaning in L2, and then forget the L2 item. Also, bi-lingual word lists are hard to organise; indeed, they lack any organising principle except that an L1 word should be matched with an L2 counterpart and that such items, once translated, should follow each other on a list. Little wonder then students do not find time to study and review them. What is more, the input of vocabulary to be learnt, revised, or reviewed is too limited to items (words, phrases) encountered in the textbook or specified by the teacher. Finally, and most importantly for the purpose of this introduction, the most obvious flaw is that there is very little communicative or social linguistic activity required to use a dictionary or make a bilingual word list.  An alternative to this is using a semantic mapping activity.

Software that might be useful for foreign language learning

Software that might be useful for foreign language learning

Computers, personal computers with GUI, very specific executable applications, networks, the internet, the WWW, web browser 'applets', the new Web 2.0 and semantic web have ALL been held up as the future of foreign language learning. However,  the most obvious question is: Has IT in LT and LL over the past three decades of promises actually lived up to all the hype and sales pitches? 

Part of the problem is with the conception and development of software applications. People who know how to code might not know much about language teaching, language learning, applied linguistics or second language acquisition. Even when programmers do adapt ideas from language education, it is often from a limited understanding of native language arts as opposed to pure second language or foreign language teaching and learning. On the other hand, most people involved in LT and LL know next to nothing about coding and developing applications. Moreover, some of the best software for language learning and practice wasn't really developed with that in mind--for example, I learned far more written Japanese using the Ichitaro wordprocessor program than I ever did trying to study Japanese on a language-training program. 

A constant in the IT-LT interface has been the concern over memory. No, not the memory of our computers and networks, but, rather, human memory and its quirks. Everyone knows that when we study a second or foreign language, the experience can be 'fleeting'.

Some applications that focus on organizing information in order to enhance structured exposure to it, thus adding it to long-term memory, have been around since the MS-DOS era or even before.  

Here is a look at some of this memory-training software, which is available online for downloading. The descriptions and explanations (in italics) are taken from each title's respective webpages.

Anki

http://ichi2.net/anki/index.html

Anki is a program which makes remembering things easy. Because it is a lot more efficient than traditional study methods, you can either greatly decrease your time spent studying, or greatly increase the amount you learn.


Anyone who needs to remember things in their daily life can benefit from Anki. Since it is content-agnostic and supports images, audio, videos and scientific markup (via LaTeX), the possibilities are endless. For example:


    * learning a language
    * studying for medical and law exams
    * memorizing people's names and faces
    * brushing up on geography
    * mastering long poems
    * even practicing guitar chords!

Anki online

http://ankisrs.net/account/login

Welcome to the Mnemosyne Project

http://www.mnemosyne-proj.org/


The Mnemosyne Project has two aspects:


    * It's a sophisticated free flash-card tool which optimizes your learning process.
    * It's a research project into the nature of long-term memory.

http://www.mnemosyne-proj.org/principles.php

Principles


Here, we discuss some of the principles behind the Mnemosyne project:


    * Spaced repetition
    * The nature of our memory research
    * The Mnemosyne algorithm
    * How we collect anonymous data

Download Mnemosyne software.

http://www.mnemosyne-proj.org/download-mnemosyne.php

What is SuperMemo?

http://www.supermemo.com/english/smintro.htm


The three most important facts about SuperMemo:


   1. SuperMemo is a learning method that makes it possible to learn fast and retain memories for years
   2. SuperMemo is available as an easy computer program for Windows, Windows CE, and Palm Pilot. It can also be used in a web browser, in DOS, in Linux, on Mac, on Amiga, and even without a computer
   3. SuperMemo is based on the science of long-term memory

Download Supermemo.

http://www.supermemo.com/english/down.htm

http://www.english.hb.pl/articles/supermemo/sm98.zip

Learn more about using Supermemo for language study.

http://www.english.hb.pl/articles/supermemo/

Repost: ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Articles: (1) Multiple Choice Questions and (2) Semantic Mapping for the English Conversation Class

This was originally posted 14 February, but I am re-posting it in order to put it back on top and up front. This is the two-article preview of issue #2 of ELT in Japan. 

 ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Articles: (1) Multiple Choice Questions and (2) Semantic Mapping for English Conversation Class

ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Articles: (1) Multiple Choice Questions and (2) Semantic Mapping for the English Conversation Class

ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Article: Devising Multiple-choice Questions, Quizzes and Tests
Issue 2 of ELT in Japan will consist of four articles: (1)  "Teaching English [l] sounds vs. [r] sounds: Integrating applied phonology into the EFL classroom"; (2) "Devising multiple-choice questions, quizzes and tests"; (3) "Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class"; and (4)"Semantic mapping activities for the writing class".

Here is a preview of Issue #2 with two of the articles in draft form:

1. Devising multiple-choice questions, quizzes and tests

http://eltinjapan.blogspot.com/2010/02/elt-j-issue-2-preview-article-devising.html

2. Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class

http://eltinjapan.blogspot.com/2010/02/elt-j-issue-2-preview-article-semantic.html


Note: All content is copyright (c) 2010 of Charles Jannuzi  and ELT in Japan, but is available for re-use, re-distribution and dissemination under the Creative Common license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ ).

Different cultures and language speakers 'read' faces differently

 Link and excerpt below:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Japaneses-Read-Your-Feeling-by-Your-Eyes-the-Americans-by-Your-Mouth-54495.shtml

The Japanese Read Your Feelings in Your Eyes, the Americans by Your Mouth
Huge cultural differences
  
By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor

11th of May 2007, 10:39 GMT
excerpt--

The culture we belong to dictates each and every of our gestures. Also, a real cultural abyss has been revealed in the way we appreciate facial expressions amongst cultures. "For instance, in Japan, people tend to look to the eyes for emotional cues, whereas Americans tend to look to the mouth," said researcher Masaki Yuki, a behavioral scientist at Hokkaido University in Japan.

"This could be because the Japanese, when in the presence of others, try to suppress their emotions more than Americans do. In any case, the eyes are more difficult to control than the mouth, so they probably provide better clues about a person's emotional state even if he or she is trying to hide it", explained Yuki.
end of excerpt

Brain treats language and gesture the same

Some theories on the development of language include the idea that spoken language has its origins in gestural routines. Gestural language combined with phonetic ability to move language to speech. See this recent article for evidence that supports such theories. Link and excerpt below.


http://health.yahoo.com/news/healthday/gesturesorwordstothebrainitsthesame.html

Gestures or Words? To the Brain, It's the Same
HealthDay
By Jamie Talan, HealthDay Reporter - Tue Feb 23, 8:50 PM PST

excerpt--
At least that's what evolutionary language theorists would have people believe. Spoken language, they contend, is unique to the human brain, and that sets people apart from other primates.

But new research, co-authored by Patrick J. Gannon, a physical anthropologist and chairman of basic science education at Hofstra University School of Medicine, suggests that the brain doesn't really care how it receives information. A waving hand up in the air to summon a waiter for "check please" works just fine. The language areas of the brain -- the highly evolved frontal and temporal lobes -- process simple gestures with the same snippet of tissue that's used to hear the prose of Shakespeare, according to Gannon's study.
end of excerpt--

Subscribe to a feed or e-mail of ELT-J

Here is the feed page for ELT-J at feedburner.com. You can choose the reader you want over on the right of the page.  

http://feeds.feedburner.com/EnglishLanguageTeachingInJapanelt-j

This one gets you an e-mail subscription to ELT-J:

http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=EnglishLanguageTeachingInJapanelt-j 

Do any of you still 'yahoo'?

Do any of you still 'yahoo'? 

Then join the ELT-J community at Yahoo's BlogLog. 

'ELT in Japan' Issue #1 (Dec. 2009) in PDF - Bonus Article

ELT in Japan Issue #1 featured seven articles.

Here is a bonus article that is longer than a typical ELT-J piece. It provides more background, graphics and resources to two of the features of issue #1. They are:

1.  Writing Systems: Positive transfer or negative interference for EFL learning?

and 

2.  Do Japanese EFL students need katakana eigo to learn and to read English?

The bonus article is available at the link below in read-only .pdf which you can also download and read in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

An abstract is provided here. 

 

Can Native Literacy Practices Impact EFL Learning? The Example of Japan
Charles Jannuzi, University of Fukui, Japan

Abstract

Katakana eigo is a Japanese term referring to English rendered into a written form that uses one of the two syllabaries of written Japanese. On the one hand, it aids a legitimate process: the borrowing and subsequent nativization of terms from English into Japanese. On the other hand, its use in EFL teaching and learning (because of its cross-lingual, L2 to L1 orientation) may well hinder literacy and language development in the L2. In this paper, the author looks at why katakana eigo is used in the EFL learning in Japan. The reasons center most on teachers' and learners' responses to the complex nature of the writing system of English. The author then goes on to cover katakana eigo in relation to the pedagogical stances possible. Finally, the author lists and describes methods and activities that could help to make katakana eigo and other such graphic translation 'crutches' unnecessary in the EFL classroom in Japan (and in other countries where non-alphabetic writing systems are used.

CALL FOR PAPERS FROM TESOL-SPAIN

The following call for papers comes from Spain. This is a refereed publication and would be a good way for EFL teachers around the world to get papers about their expertise published.   ELT-J.


---------------------------------------------------

Call for papers.

TESOL-SPAIN Newsletter is looking for talented writers who
want to share their experiences of teaching and ideas for enhancing the
teaching and learning of English as a foreign language. Articles, book
reviews, lesson plans and tips for teachers should be sent to
publications@tesol-spain.org.

For more information on the submission
guidelines, go to

http://www.tesol-spain.org/Publications/Newsletter/submit.html.

There is no call deadline.

'ELT in Japan' Issue #1 (Dec. 2009) in PDF

You can read them in the public access folder at GoogleDocs (read-only using a reader that is like GoogleBooks),  or you can download them from the GoogleDocs interface. Creative Commons License 3.0 applies.

ELT in Japan Issue #1 (Dec. 2009) in PDF

You can read them in the public access folder at GoogleDocs (read-only using a reader that is like GoogleBooks),  or you can download them from the GoogleDocs interface. Creative Commons License 3.0 applies.

ELT in Japan Issue #1 (first published December 2009)

Click on the title of the article to view it.


1.  Writing Systems: Positive transfer or negative interference for EFL learning?




2.  Do Japanese EFL students need katakana eigo to learn and to read English?




3.  Teaching as a foreign national at Japanese universities: Shifting terms of institutional status, employment, work conditions and related concerns




4.  Ten reasons why English learning fails in Japan



5.  The facially salient articulatory gesture as a basic unit for applied phonology in ELT




6. Why is 'research' in ELT/TEFL/TESOL/AL/SLA so irrelevant?




7. Breaking down the 'theory vs. practice' distinction

 

Additional labels/key terms:  articulatory gesture, ELT in Japan Issue #1, foreign instructors in Japan, foreign lecturers at Japanese universities, phonological skills in literacy, writing systems,

ELT, ELT in Japan, TEFL, university reform

Getting an e-mail subscription to ELT-J Part 2

Google/Blogger provides an e-mail subscription service through Feedburner. I have placed such a subscription form on the sidebar (left side of page). Just enter your subscription.

It looks like the one below. In fact, you can also use this one; it is active.

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

Getting an e-mail subscription to ELT-J

People have asked about getting updates mailed to their chosen e-mail address--either as a supplement or in place of the Web 2.0 'feeds' (RSS, Atom), which push updated content into your 'reader' program (e.g., Yahoo Reader, Google Reader, or something your e-mail program or web browser gives you) or onto personalized web pages (e.g., Igoogle and MyYahoo). The persistent usefulness of e-mail can not be denied. 


As far as I can tell, Blogger doesn't have an e-mail subscription service native to it. I had been using a free service for one of my blogs, but I didn't like the fact that I couldn't control the ads in it, so I dropped it.

One fix is possible, IF you have a google account.

If you have a google account (and do things like gmail, googledocs, Buzz, etc.), you can set up a search as a feed that is then pushed to your e-mail address. Here is how:

1. Go to:


http://www.google.com/alerts/

2. Create a Google Alert.

3. Enter the topic you wish to monitor:

Search terms: site:eltinjapan.blogspot.com
Type: Blogs  
How often: choose  
Email length: choose  
Deliver to: your address

You then will get delivered to your an e-mail that looks like this (this sample is from a subscription to another blog I do, Japan Higher Education Outlook):


-----------------------------------------------------


Google Blogs Alert for: site:japanheo.blogspot.com
JAPAN HIGHER EDUCATION OUTLOOK: Makeover for Japan Higher ...
By CEJ
Announcing a complete renovation of Japan Higher Education Outlook. I have tried to un-clutter and streamline the look, in hopes that it makes the publication more reader- and web-friendly. Please note that the main body appears on the ...
JAPAN HIGHER EDUCATION OUTLOOK - http://japanheo.blogspot.com/
JAPAN HIGHER EDUCATION OUTLOOK: Google Chrome Browser
By CEJ
Japan HEO recommends Google Chrome browser for viewing and creating blogs such as this. It's faster and ultimately it will help you to integrate various features and services into your daily computing and web activities (such as Blogger ...
JAPAN HIGHER EDUCATION OUTLOOK - http://japanheo.blogspot.com/

 This as-it-happens Google Alert is brought to you by Google.

Remove this alert.
Create another alert.
Manage your alerts.
--------------------------------------------------------------

For more help and technical support on how to create an e-mail subscription to a google search, see:

http://www.google.com/support/alerts/

ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Articles: (1) Multiple Choice Questions and (2) Semantic Mapping for English Conversation Class

ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Articles: (1) Multiple Choice Questions and (2) Semantic Mapping for English Conversation Class

ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Article: Devising Multiple-choice Questions, Quizzes and Tests
Issue 2 of ELT in Japan will consist of four articles: (1)  "Teaching English [l] sounds vs. [r] sounds: Integrating applied phonology into the EFL classroom"; (2) "Devising multiple-choice questions, quizzes and tests"; (3) "Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class"; and (4)"Semantic mapping activities for the writing class".

Here is a preview of Issue #2 with two of the articles in draft form:

1. Devising multiple-choice questions, quizzes and tests

http://eltinjapan.blogspot.com/2010/02/elt-j-issue-2-preview-article-devising.html

2. Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class

http://eltinjapan.blogspot.com/2010/02/elt-j-issue-2-preview-article-semantic.html


Note: All content is copyright (c) 2010 of Charles Jannuzi  and ELT in Japan, but is available for re-use, re-distribution and dissemination under the Creative Common license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ ).

ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Article: Semantic Mapping Activities for the Speaking Class

This is the second preview article for issue #2 of ELT-J (the first issue of 2010). It's an article on vocabulary development and practice in support of the EFL speaking/conversation class. Here is a link to the article in .pdf form. You should be able to download it and view it using Adobe Acrobat Reader, or view it with your web browser--googledocuments makes it viewable with just about any advanced browser (the document looks like googlebooks). All the articles (all four) of issue #2 will be consolidated and re-published as one issue later this month.

Semantic Mapping Activities for the Speaking Class
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B8LogtWAF3y8Y2YyZTNlYTktMTg0Ny00ZjdlLTgwZmItNjUxM2JjNmQxODVi&hl=en_GB


Note: All content is copyright (c) 2010 of Charles Jannuzi  and ELT in Japan, but is available for re-use, re-distribution and dissemination under the Creative Common license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ ).

'ELT in Japan' can also be followed from Yahoo Bloglog

I hope someday to get complete mirrors set up at Yahoo Bloglog, but until then you can follow ELT-J at this feed. Clicking through to articles takes you back to Google Blogger. 

http://www.mybloglog.com/buzz/community/eltinjapan/

ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Article: Devising Multiple-choice Questions, Quizzes and Tests

Issue 2 of ELT in Japan will consist of four articles: (1)  "Teaching English [l] sounds vs. [r] sounds: Integrating applied phonology into the EFL classroom"; (2) "Devising multiple-choice questions, quizzes and tests"; (3) "Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class"; and (4)"Semantic mapping activities for the writing class". 


Here is a special preview of Issue 2, article (2) from the list above. All four articles will be published together as one issue later this month (February 2010):

ELT - J Issue #2 Preview Article: Devising Multiple-choice Questions, Quizzes and Tests

by Charles Jannuzi, University of Fukui, Japan

Introduction

Chances are that, if you teach EFL at a tertiary level in Japan, your students are most familiar with relatively 'conservative' types of assessment tasks. However, these tasks are also further limited by an overall orientation of turning L2 (EFL) into L1 (Japanese). For example, they have often been tested with questions that asked them to put a word, sentence or phrase of L2 (English, EFL) into L1 (standard written Japanese).

If this sort of task is extended to 'reading comprehension', it is usually an underlined word, phrase or sentence of the L1 that they are tasked to put into the correct Japanese. Or they may be tested on their ability to figure out what words like 'this' or 'that' or 'it' refer back to in discourse.

There are many problems with such a limited approach to assessment. For one, the constant framework is from English (L2, SL, FL) into Japanese (L1, standard dialect), which seems to re-inforce the idea that understanding and communication only take place in Japanese, not English. A second weakness, especially with the reading comprehension questions, is that students are asked to translate parts of a text the whole of which they have no hope of reading with much comprehension. That is, the text being tested is too difficult for the majority of the students taking the test, thus rendering any tasks derived from it invalid for norm-referencing (which is why criterion-referenced tests are safer on the issue of validity if you can not norm a task or test on large populations). A third deficiency is that it doesn't prepare the students for a wider world of testing where the 'English-only' multiple-choice question is prevalent.

It could also be pointed out that the multiple-choice question itself is often seen as a 'conservative' type question, even a bane in the world of ELT and education. However, it does dominate important language tests, such as the TOIEC, TOEFL and Eiken/Step (a multiple-level, criterion-referenced EFL test given in Japan).

In this article we will look at how to introduce students to 'English-only' multiple-choice questions and then how to use such questions to assess students and evaluate courses. The focus here will be specifically on using multiple-choice questions to construct tests that assess vocabulary learning drawn from the syllabus, materials, and content of specific EFL classes--i.e., the classes you have to teach and your students have to attend.

It is hoped that these explanations and examples will serve, for example, teachers who have to give grades to hundreds of students each semester and have limited time to do other types of testing (such as oral interviews or projects, which can be too time-consuming to manage if you teach hundreds of students).

Some suggestions for this type of testing

1. Choose the most frequent and most useful vocabulary from the syllabus, the textbooks, lesson plans and class content. When you devise and select test questions, target items, and distractors, try to stay with the most useful and most frequently used words and phrases of English. It would be better for students to learn and be tested on a new use or meaning of a core word than an obscure item, and this principle will help you to help your students better to prepare for standardized tests.

2. I find it best to draw a very large set of vocabulary from the course content and then to put it on a list. Then, I identify the most frequent items and choose from these at random if I need to reduce the list of words on the test down to a smaller number.

2. Work on making a good question/test items first, and then worry about the distractors. To quite an extent, your distractors are already there--in the textbook, on your large list of vocabulary, and even on the smaller list from which you will chose to write the test questions.

3. Distractors can take too much time to prepare if you simply try to call them up from your own English. Rely on the textbook, textbook glossaries, your list of chosen words and the most frequent words of English instead. If having three distractors proves too difficult, try coming up with two good ones. Two good distractors are better than three bad ones. Choose distractors from your 'short list' of items and then, if these are used up, draw from the larger list or from a list like Ogden's Basic English or a list of, for example, the 1000 most frequent words of English.

4. Try holding several vocabulary tests throughout the term (which at my university is 15 class meetings once a week for 90 minutes).

5. Recycle. Vocabulary items can be recycled onto following tests, as can distractors. It is fairly easy to recycle an item by re-writing the question around it.

6. Work at making your distractors plausible, but remember, what is plausible for a fluent user of English might be completely different for a beginner. Also, language background can be a factor. For example, if I wrote, "She is a 'safety worker", that to most fluent users of English would be a rather obviously wrong and not a good distractor for 'safe'. But in Japanese, the word for 'safe' and for 'safety' is often the same word ('anzen'). So this is a plausible distractor for beginning EFL students in Japan, and most likely one that the makers of the TOEIC know about and put on their tests.

Try a variety of different distractors. Use semantic distractors. Use grammatical distractors. Use phonetic distractors. Use distractors that are about the same length and of around the same frequency of use. Use distractors that come from the same texts as the test items. Remember, what is a plausible distractor for someone who is at the beginning level of EFL may be hard for you to anticipate if you are a fluent user of English.

7. Keep accumulating word lists, distractors and test questions so that you can:
   -give quizzes or tests of at least 35 questions or more (preferably 50);
   -give quizzes or tests at least several times throughout the term.

8. Increase your total collection of test questions by paraphrasing, since students need to get familiar with the most common ways of basically saying the same thing.

9. Make the questions and the tests 'organic' to the type of class you are teaching and the content of its syllabus. For example, if the class is a very low-level 'General English' class, try using the simplest English possible when writing your questions. If the course is a listening one, try using some short dialogues instead of single sentences. Look at current TOEIC Listening questions to see relevant examples. If the course focuses on reading, try short paragraphs instead of just single sentences. Also, make the questions more realistic, relevant and communicative by basing them on things like: facts about your local city, facts about your university campus, current events, etc. For example, if a course is Business English, why not try writing questions based on the week's business news (e.g., Toyota in trouble over safety, recalls millions of cars)?

10. Some argue that we should avoid cultural bias in our test items. However, the TOEIC, for example, assumes that students are quite familiar with American culture (often dressed up as 'global business culture'). If multiple-choice questions are given as vocabulary practice, the questions might also help introduce students to cultural learning points and help them to build up background knowledge about many aspects of American culture--or other important anglophone cultures, such as those of the UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, etc. It might depend on the goals and study-abroad opportunites your students have. I object to the American-bias of the TOIEC, but that doesn't mean it is going to go away.

11. The week before giving a multiple-choice quiz or exam, practice a set of examples with the students. Also, if they are new to identifying and studying key vocabulary on their own, give them a larger list of words to study from which you will randomly select your smaller set of test items.  

Mutiple-choice Question Examples 

(Note: the correct answer will always be 'a' in these examples, the distractors b, c, d.)

In this next section we will look at basic types of multiple-choice questions and use them as an opportunity to show distractor types as well (e.g., semantic, grammatical, phonetic, inflectional, derviational, etc.).

A. Multiple-choice basic sentence

ex. 1

The weather at the beginning of this week started very cold, but it should ______________ milder by the weekend.

a. become         b. became           c. begin          d. complete

ex. 2

After work I like to watch T.V. programs in order to ____________.

a. relax          b. look            c. discuss           d. describe

ex. 3

(Note: the TOEIC tests this sort of item a lot.)

To save electricity, when you leave the room, please turn ______________ the light.

a. off            b. in              c. around               d. at

B. Multiple-choice dialogue

ex. 1

A: How is it _______________?
B: Oh, not bad. Yourself?

a. going           b. doing           c. meeting          d. go

ex. 2

A: Do you think we should take our umbrellas?
B: Yes, the weather ______________ says it is going to rain soon.

a. forecast        b. forest           c. fortune          d. cloud

C. Multiple-choice single sentence, match the underlined word with its synonym

ex. 1

Sony Corporation is a famous electronics manufacturer that was __founded__ in 1945.

a. established      b. forced          c. focused           d. ordered

ex. 2

Sony Corporation __manufactures__ many different types of consumer electronics in its factories in Japan and overseas.

a. makes         b. removes          c. explains         d. thinks

D. Multiple-choice, match the synonym, dialogue

ex.

A: Mommy! Mommy! I'm so hungry I can't stand it!
B: O.K. Calm down. I'm __preparing__ lunch right now.

a. making        b. putting        c. causing         d. crying

E. Multiple-choice definition sentence

ex. 1

If you ______________ something, it means your habit is to like it.

a. prefer          b. defer           c. refer           d. infer

ex. 2

_____________ is an overall economic condition of falling commodity and asset prices.

a. Deflation          b. Inflation          c. Decision          d. Exhaustion


F. Multiple-choice definition sentence, matching synonym

ex.

Deflation is an overall economic condition of 'falling' commodity and asset prices.

a. declining          b. increasing         c. deciding          d. protesting

G. What is ________________?

(Note: Here you give three examples illustrating the meanings, uses, nuances and common collocations of a key vocabulary item. This type of question could be very difficult to write distractors for if you try to avoid distractors that might work in one example. But remember, the correct answer has to work in all three examples, so you can use  other words that work in only one sentence as distractors (for example, fix, as in 'fix a flat' instead of 'change a tire').
 
ex.

-Some people like to eat the same food every day for lunch, but others like to ______________ it and eat a variety of dishes.

-On the way to work today, my bicycle had a flat tire, so I had to _____________ it.

-The weather forecast in the newspaper says today will be fine but will then ____________ to rain later tonight.



What is _______________?

a. change           b. turn          c. fix          d. return

Other question types are possible. For example, you could use a short paragraph instead of a sentence or a dialogue.

Conclusion

Many EFL teachers dislike the multiple-choice question and tests made from it. However, if you want a manageable way to assess and recycle vocabulary in large EFL classes, it is one of the best types of tests. It can be applied to all types of EFL classes, such as speaking/conversation, listening (especially standardized test listening), reading, vocabulary study, grammar review, etc. Moreover, if you teach EFL in Japan you might find that your students are not that familiar with alternative varities of multiple-choice questions for EFL, or tests, questions and tasks written only in English. .

If you write a variety of questions and stick to the syllabus and the most frequent vocabulary of English, you will probably be helping your students more than using methods of assessment that can not be scored objectively or test (punish or reward) language abilities that fall outside the scope of a course, its syllabus and textbooks. Multiple-choice quizzes and tests in English-only will also help prepare your students for important English proficiency exams like TOEIC.

Note: All content is copyright (c) 2010 of Charles Jannuzi  and ELT in Japan, but is available for re-use, re-distribution and dissemination under the Creative Common license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ ).

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http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/english-language-teaching-in-japan-elt-j

A Blog about ELT/TEFL in Japan

I'll add this to this blog's links, but here is the address and its description below. This seems to be about much of the same focus as ELT-J--teaching English in Japan, much of it at the tertiary level. 

http://eisensei.blogspot.com/

Hello and welcome to *eisensei!

I decided to create this blog with the intent of improving my teaching skills. Please allow me to explain:

I am currently teaching English at a post-secondary institution in Japan. While I really enjoy my work, I have to say that I cannot help feeling somewhat isolated - meaning that there are no other full-time EFL instructors with whom I could discuss ideas and techniques. Although I do have experience, I think it is still important to bounce ideas off of others and get advice on different areas of teaching. Now, I do belong to several associations, subscribe to a few journals, and am a member on some forums, which have helped me greatly, but I think that again it is that contact with others in the same situation that can help the most. You are probably now thinking that I should just go and post on different forums, but what I am planning to do is a little different - I intend to post my lesson plans, my materials and notes of my classes - keeping privacy in mind - with the hope that you, my teaching peers, may give me advice that may help me become a better teacher, and in return, I hope that my blog can also help you in your teaching as well.

Cheers,
eisensei

Scribus Open Source Desktop Publishing Software

Many language teachers dream of creating their own materials--and perhaps even having them picked up for publication by a major publisher. Powerful software is now available for free to make it more realistic for many teachers on limited budgets. For a start, Open Office from Sun MS is as good or better than MS Office. There is also free desktop publishing software called Scribus.

Links for more information and for downloading below.

Main site for Scribus (all versions and extras):
http://www.scribus.net/

For Windows users
http://desktoppub.about.com/od/findsoftware1/tp/freedtpsoftware.htmhttp://www.scribus.net/?q=windows_download

For Mac users
http://desktoppub.about.com/od/findsoftware1/tp/Free_Mac_Desktop_Publishing.htm
http://www.scribus.net/?q=taxonomy/term/37
http://www.scribus.net/?q=macosx 

See also this earlier article at ELT-J:

Try free open-source run-anywhere software

 http://eltinjapan.blogspot.com/2009/12/try-free-open-source-run-anywhere.html

Over half a million take university entrance exam in Japan

Many people who teach EFL in Japan do so part- or full-time at universities and colleges. So interest among them is high concerning the entrance exams. This is a report I filed at the related blog, Japan Higher Education Outlook, about this year's 'center test', which is often the first stage of university entrance exams for people seeking admissions to a university in Japan.  

Over half a million take university entrance exam in Japan

On the weekend of 16-17 January, the standardized National Center Test for University Admissions was held for this year's 550,000 plus applicants, an increase of around 10,000 from last year (up almost 2%). The most heavily attended session as of the end of 16 January was the foreign language section of the test (usually EFL).

ELT - J Issue #2 Preview (First issue of 2010)

Issue 2 of ELT in Japan will consist of four articles:

1.  Teaching English [l] sounds vs. [r] sounds: Integrating applied phonology into the EFL classroom

2.  Devising multiple-choice questions, quizzes and tests

3.  Semantic mapping activities for the speaking class

4.  Semantic mapping activities for the writing class

Issue 2 of ELT in Japan is scheduled to be published before the end of February 2010.

Meanwhile, if you haven't already, check out issue 1, which was published in December 2009.

http://eltinjapan.blogspot.com/2009/12/elt-in-japan-issue-1-december-2009.html