Saturday, 15 May 2010

Using Multiple Contexts to teach Idioms (MICELT 2010)

Date: 17-19 May 2010
Venue: Equatorial Hotel, Melaka

This was my second appearance in MICELT and it was indeed a rewarding experience to be able to share ELT matters with conference participants. I drove to Melaka with Fuziana and Chau Meng Huat who teaches in Sunway College, JB. The paper I presented was entitled "Using Multiple Contexts to teach Idioms"- an action research I conducted from January to April this year. Here's the abstract of the paper to summarise what my research was all about:

Idioms as a type of multiword unit present a real challenge to ESL teaches. They are non-literal expressions because meaning cannot be derived by adding the meanings of the individual words. It is no surprise that teachers are apprehensive about teaching idioms. However, excluding idioms from the teaching menu would mean denying students of the richness of the English Language. Cooper (1998) wrote that "Since idiomatic expressions are so frequently encountered in both spoken and written discourse, they require special attention in language programmes and should not be relegated to a position of secondary importance in the curriculum." In this paper, I will share an action research carried out recently. I will examine the place of idioms in the current Forms 4 and 5 secondary syllabi, discuss the effectiveness of the teaching strategies and contexts employed and evaluate students’ feedback on the teaching strategies for teaching idioms. Finally, I will discuss some classroom methodological implications and suggestions.

Met some old friends like Rudy and Ai Ling. This year's conference is themed 'Connecting Teachers and Learners through Best Practices'.

 With Alan Maley

New found friends

 
Dr Ivor Timmins whom I met in Leeds Metopolitan University in March this year

Dr Brian Cullen on Writing Songs for ELT

Yours truly

This is what I think...

Sharing ideas on the international platform

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