Alice Chik
Macquarie University
Enabling Transformative Language Learning Experiences and Contexts: A Lifespan Approach
English is the de facto national language of Australia. English plays a dominant role in political, economic, and educational contexts. Australia is also a multicultural and multilingual country, and the 2021 Census recorded more than 150 Indigenous Australian languages and more than 160 migrant languages spoken. In such superdiverse cultural and language environments, we have English learners of all ages, backgrounds and experiences. However, regardless of life stages, proficiency in English may determine academic or professional advancement, social integration, and personal well-being. When proficiency in English is at high stake for all Australians learning English as an additional language, how do we provide transformative experiences and contexts from a lifespan approach?
Mezirow (1997) defines transformative learning as “the process of effecting change in a frame of reference” (p. 5). According to Mezirow, ‘frames of references’ are “the structures of assumptions through which we understand our experiences. They selectively shape and delimit expectations, perceptions, cognition, and feelings” (p. 5). Though the process of transformative learning is personal, the context for initiating and cultivating transformative learning is frequently non-personal. This talk will explore the initiation and implementation of transformative learning in formal and non-formal learning contexts with examples taken from schools, not-for-profit organisations, public libraries and local governments. In the process, I hope to recast transformative learning as adaptative from a lifespan perspective.
Dr. Alice Chik is an Associate Professor and the Graduate Research Training Director in the School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Macquarie University, Australia. Her primary area of research examines language learning and multilingual literacies in digital environments. She also has a particular interest in multilingualism is public discourse, representation, and narratives of everyday multilingual experience. Alice.chik@mq.edu.au
Charles Browne
Meiji Gakuin University
Words for Success, Words for Life: Introducing the NGSL Project
This presentation introduces 8 open-source, corpus-derived high frequency vocabulary word lists known collectively as the New General Service List Project which were developed by the presenter to help meet the needs of ESL/EFL learners. With an eye towards efficiency, each word list was made to be as short as possible (most are less than 2000 words) while still offering the highest coverage in the world (between 90-99%) for that particular genre, and includes lists for general daily English (New General Service List), spoken English (New General Service List-Spoken), academic English (New Academic Word List), business English (Business Service List), TOEIC English (TOEIC Service List), children’s English (New Dolch List), fitness English (Fitness English List, and our newest list for creating extensive reading materials (New General Service List - Graded reader). Most lists were developed in a modular approach so they can be efficiently mixed and matched to meet a broad range of academic needs
It will then go on to introduce and demonstrate a large and growing number of free, pedagogically-driven online tools, apps and resources for helping to utilize these lists for teaching, learning, assessment, materials creation and research. The tools include gamified flashcards, an NGSL-specific Wordle game, a video-concordancing study tool, online placement and achievement tests, text creation tools, and a brand-new AI-powered text profiling tool which helps teachers to generate and then simplify texts to the level of their students.
Dr. Charles Browne is Professor of TESOL at Meiji Gakuin University, Director of the English Department's graduate program and creator of their EFL teacher-training program. He is a well-known public speaker having given 2 TEDx talks and 50+ plenary/keynote addresses on his main area of research, second language vocabulary acquisition.
Mintra Puripunyavanich
Chulalongkorn University
Unveiling the Reading Instruction in General English Courses for Undergraduates in Thailand: A National Survey
English reading skills are crucial for students globally as they facilitate academic progress and achievement (Anderson, 1999; Grabe & Yamashita, 2022). In the context of tertiary education in Thailand, English reading is typically integrated into general English courses or specialized courses such as English for Academic Purposes (EAP) or English for Specific Purposes (ESP). This featured talk aims to illuminate the teaching of English reading in general English courses offered to non-English major undergraduates at various universities in Thailand where multilingual and multicultural contexts are subsumed. Data were collected using an online questionnaire administered to 163 university teachers across Thailand, representing institutions governed by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation. Findings revealed that the participants prioritized building reading comprehension, teaching reading strategies, and activating prior knowledge in teaching reading in general English courses. Practically, when teaching a reading passage, nearly 70% of the participants dedicated over 50% of lesson time to doing whilereading activities, followed by post-reading activities, which were emphasized by 63.19% of the participants. Regarding instructional materials, commercial course books published by leading ELT publishers were predominantly used. The top challenges identified were students’ limited vocabulary, lack of motivation to read in English, and low proficiency. The audience will walk away with insights into pedagogical practices and implications for improving English reading instruction in diverse educational settings based on these findings.
Dr. Mintra Puripunyavanich is an Assistant Professor of English and Assistant to Deputy Director for International Affairs at Chulalongkorn University Language Institute (CULI). She co-founded the Thailand Extensive Reading Association (TERA) and is Immediate Past Chair. Her research interests include extensive reading, materials development, and English for Economics and Business.
Weiyu Zhang
SEAMEO Regional Language Centre, Singapore
Linguistic Profiles of Research Articles: Rethinking the Role of Disciplines in Shaping Writing Practices
Most existing English for Academic Purposes (EAP) research from a discourse analysis perspective adopts a discipline-based framework for analyzing linguistic features, assuming that linguistic variations are primarily shaped by disciplinary norms and conventions. While this approach has been productive in identifying differences in research writing across disciplines, alternative evidence suggests that some linguistic variations cannot be fully explained by disciplinary factors. In response to recent calls to rethink the discipline-based framework in writing research, this study employs corpus-based methods and cluster analysis to explore the linguistic features and shaping factors of research writing. Based on a dataset of 240 research articles from four distinct disciplines, the study identifies five different linguistic profiles. The classification of articles by these linguistic profiles does not follow disciplinary fault lines, suggesting that the different profiles are less likely to be primarily determined by disciplinary norms and conventions. Instead, they are shaped by various factors, including whether the study aims to highlight the practical value of the research, the degree of certainty in claims supported by data and analyses, the extent to which the study builds on previous research, the reliance on experiential methods and real-world observations, the author’s idiosyncratic style, and journal-specific conventions. This study provides empirical evidence that supports rethinking the discipline-based framework and offers pedagogical implications for guiding novice researchers in writing publishable research articles across disciplines.
Dr. Weiyu Zhang is a Language Specialist in the Training, Research, Assessment and Consultancy Department at SEAMEO-RELC, Singapore. She specializes in corpus linguistics, academic writing, English for Research Publication Purposes, and language teacher education. Her work appears in the Journal of English for Academic Purposes, Journalism Studies, Ibérica, and others.
Karen Ogulnick
The Regional English Language Office (RELO), Long Island University
Best Practices for Teaching Language and Content in Multilingual Classrooms
In an increasingly globalized world, teaching in multilingual and multicultural contexts provides teachers with both challenges and opportunities. One of the challenges teachers encounter is the limited preparation they receive for meeting the academic and linguistic needs of learners in diverse contexts. They also face the challenge of receiving limited support once they begin their teaching careers. Teachers are expected to know their content areas, but may be unprepared to address the educational needs and linguistic demands of students from diverse communities.
This presentation addresses the changing landscape of education and proposes strategies for fostering inclusivity while ensuring academic success. The session will emphasize research-based approaches such as peer and collaborative learning, translanguaging, culturally responsive teaching and other key strategies that integrate the cultural backgrounds, languages, and experiences of their students, while differentiating instruction based on diverse learning styles and needs. The presentation will also include the role of digital resources and language learning apps and tools, which can greatly benefit multilingual learners.
Ultimately, the session is designed to build on the opportunities for successful teaching in multilingual contexts by creating equitable learning experiences that honor and leverage students’ multilingualism, establish strong, trusting relationships between teachers and students, and cultivate a rich educational environment for all.
Dr. Karen Ogulnick has taught in multilingual settings for 40 years. Positions include Associate Professor and Director of the TESOL and Bilingual Education programs at Long Island University; Fulbright Scholar and Specialist in Myanmar, Colombia, Chile, and Mexico; and consultant with the Costa Rican Ministry of Education. Research interests include Language and Identity, Linguistic Autoethnographies, and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy.
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