This paper will examine how oral tests derived from task-based activities can give a more comprehensive assessment of students’ proficiency within the second language classroom through the use of task based activities that promote negotiation, manipulation, and production of the target language.

Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by EFL Learners
Shu-fen Lai, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Research on L2 learning strategies has indicated a significant relationship between strategy use and language performance. This empirical study investigated the most and least frequently used vocabulary learning strategies for EFL college learners and the differences in vocabulary strategy use between proficient and less proficient learners.

From Practice to Production: Developing Tutoring Systems for English Article Use
Ruth Wylie, Teruko Mitamura, Jim Rankin, Carnegie Mellon University

 Article usage has been cited as one of the hardest to teach and most frequent errors among English language learners. This talk will present work that attempts to bridge the link between practice and production using computer-based tutoring systems. We built two tutoring systems to help students learn to make distinctions regarding English article use. 

Using Comic Books in EFL Classrooms in Japan
Satoko Kurosawa, Yuka Kaneko, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Comic books are now published worldwide in a variety of languages. At the same time, the use of comic books in ESL/EFL classrooms has been studied and developed. Different from general English textbooks used in language classrooms, comic books provide unique approaches in teaching English. Through the presentation, we will focus on the following questions: How can comic books be used in ESL/EFL classroom? What effects do comic books have on English acquisition?

A nonstandard approach to Standard English
Lilia Savova, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

As English becomes the preferred global communication tool, many EFL/ESL learners and teachers are faced with questions about what/which English they are learning or teaching, and even more importantly, what English(es) they should be focusing on. This presentation challenges the notion of the unconditional correctness and stability of Standard English.

Getting Everyone on Board
Pamela Pulkowski, Mt. Lebanon School District

This presentation will discuss how the Mt. Lebanon School District has worked at the K-12 level to build partnerships with parents, community members, human service organizations, administrators, teachers, school counselors, and students.

English Word Knowledge Development among EFL Learners in China and IsraelYanhui Zhang and Lois Wilson, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh

This study investigated the effects of L1 word formation on L2 lexical knowledge development by comparing morphological awareness among L2 learners of English with contrasting L1 backgrounds, Chinese and Hebrew.  It was hypothesized that different aspects of English word formation awareness would develop at different rates by the two groups of EFL learners.

Why I Joined the Revolution
Claire Bradin Siskin, University of Pittsburgh

The presenter will explain her rationale for having adopted the rapid application development software Runtime Revolution as her authoring tool of choice in developing computer-based language learning materials.  To facilitate the process of authoring CALL materials and to provide example, the presenter has developed “Revolution Templates for Language Learning.” Several templates will be demonstrated. The activities in these templates include role-playing in a dialog, interactive listening, dictation, inputting text and getting feedback, listen-and-record, playing a video clip and responding. The templates can be used at any level.

Teach Us to Read!     
Allegra Elson, Nancy Krygowski, Shannon Mishler, Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council

As more pre-literate students enter ESOL classes, instructors are faced with teaching basic reading skills.  The presenters, experienced Adult Basic Education (ABE) and ESOL instructors, describe and model techniques from the ABE classroom that work to improve ESOL learners’ reading. The goal of this session is to demonstrate a synthesis of ABE and ESOL instruction methods and research, thus bridging these fields. The presenters will describe their successes and failures, and model teaching techniques that proved most useful so that other ESOL and ABE instructors will be able to implement such methods in their own classrooms.

Active Listening (1hour)
Dorolyn Smith and Ellen Zlotnick, Cambridge University Press

The presenters will share the new edition of Active Listening and how recent research has influenced the current revision. They will review important aspects of teaching listening, including the use of pre-listening tasks and establishing the purpose of listening through listening for specific information, for gist, or for inference. They will illustrate these through the presentation of the second edition of Active Listening.

The Students’ Use of Pragmatic Particles in English Conversation
Ani Pujiastuti,  MA TESOL Indiana University Of Pennsylvania

This study is aimed at investigating the use of pragmatic particles “you know”, “man”, and “I guess/I think” among the Asian students in the US.  The roles of pragmatic particles which commonly occur in spontaneous speech and the students’ reasons in using those particles were examined. 

An Investigation of Multi-Literate Schooling Practices
Dinah L. Marcinik, Penn State McKeesport - Faculty

Using New Literacy studies as a conceptual framework, the researcher examines several studies of educational programs in New Zealand, the United States, Africa, Malaysia and Mexico and discusses factors that may have contributed to fostering or impeding biliteracy of the children in each of the programs. Also, discussed are the implications that some of these factors may have for designing educational programs that promote biliteracy or multiliteracy.

Enhancing L2 Listening Comprehension: An Examination of Speech Rate, Speech Modification, and Interaction

Chen-Hong Li, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Listening is viewed as a primary source of linguistic input that activates language learning process and language communication in a second/foreign language classroom.  It is a process that requires a listener to listen attentively so as to get meaning correctly from an aural input. It is hoped that the review of current scholarly literature will not only expand the knowledge base about the process of L2 listening comprehension, but it will also provide meaningful insights into the importance of teaching listening comprehension.

Journals: Chinese Students Talk Back
Clio (Bi-Wen) Lee, Susan Walsh, EdD, Salem International University

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dialogue journals on the motivation of learning English as a second language (ESL) by SIU's Chinese ESL students. In this study, the research examined the motivation strategy of one experienced teacher who used dialogue journals in classes with limited English proficient ESL undergraduate students, and especially focused on Chinese students.

Teaching Saudi students
Joseph Slick, Indiana University of Pennsylvania- PhD candidate

Saudi Arabia has made a commitment to send an extraordinarily large number of Saudis to study at American universities. It is very relevant to discuss and share ideas about teaching Saudi's in second language instruction, as well as the way they might learn. Drawing upon his experiences in Saudi Arabia as a second language teacher, the speaker wishes to share his insights and experiences about living and teaching in Saudi Arabia. These observations may help other teachers to understand classroom practices in the United States as compared to Saudi Arabia, and how Saudi students may respond to these classroom practices.

Health Literacy for ESL Learners
Danis Kubiak, Patrick Chapman, AIU3 ESL Program

We will be presenting on our Health Literacy initiative at AIU3 ESL.  We will present the curriculum that we designed and used for our initiative, results of our initiative, and future plans.  We will also lead a discussion in adapting Health Literacy curriculum to ESL learners.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions

ESL Teacher Preparation:Towards Wholistic, Spiritual, Relational, and Loving Paths
Weena I. Gaulin, Ed.D Virginia Union University

With the growing diversity of ESL students everywhere in America, the training and quality of ESL teachers preparation have become and should be a main concern. In this lecture, the presenter adopts a novel turn by advocating that ESL teacher preparation requires and implements, as part of the training agenda, a stand in Wholistic Education with a particular emphasis on: 1) a spiritual post-modern ESL education; 2) a relational ESL education, and; 3) a developing model whereby an ethic of love, a self-reflective practice, and an adaptive and constructivist orientation are intertwined

Task-Based Oral Testing: Oral Tests Derived From Task-Based Activities
Olubukola Salako, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by EFL Learners

Shu-fen Lai, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Brainstorming Blogging: Using weblogs in the language classroom (1 hour)
Marlen Harrison, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

The weblog, or blog, has become a popular mode of written expression, with innumerable blogs on various topics already online, and a growing number of websites offering easy-to-create and easy-to-navigate blog templates. In this workshop we'll examine the evolution of the weblog, how they're currently being used in language classrooms (ESL/EFL), and we'll work together in a computer lab to create our own blogs.

When I 'sing' the poem ...
Nugrahenny T Zacharias, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

According to Collie and Slater (1987), literature provides examples of how people use languages to construct and even, manipulate meaning. They believed that by gaining familiarity with these written structures, student language competence will be improved. Choral reading is a strategy in which students read poems together in groups (Maley 2001). Examples of choral reading activities are offered for the intermediate level along with quotes from student journal describing their feelings and experiences in using the activity.

Differences and Similarities of Reading Strategy Use in Mandarin Chinese (L1) and English (L2): A Survey Study    
Chen-Hong Li, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

This study examined differences and similaritiesof reading strategy use in Mandarin Chinese (L1) and English (L2). Results of the study show that the participants, due to their limited L2 linguistic knowledge, had a negative self-concept as L2 readers.  Also, the strategy use that made a significant difference across L1 and L2 tended to be more local or bottom-up, which could be attributed to a number of potential factors, such as the language distance between L1 and L2, the ‘short circuit’ hypothesis, the influence of cultural dimensions on second language reading behaviors, and the processes of formal schooling. 

Speculative Forms of Future English: Pedagogically Valuable for the ESL Student?
Stuart J. Birkby, Doctoral student, Foreign/Second-Language Education, The Ohio State University

 English is, of course, an evolving language and has changed dramatically over the past three millennia. But what will it be like in the future? More important for us, are speculative forms of future English, as constructed by futurologists, linguists, and science-fiction writers, appropriate for ESL instruction? The presenter will show various forms of future English. He will show how recognizing the variations can give ESL students additional insights into the structure of English today.

Native Speakers' Attitudes toward Peer Feedback in a Mixed Group
Lan Wang,  Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Peer feedback, a popular pedagogical technique, is widely used in L1, ESL and EFL writing classes. Numerous studies have discussed the effectiveness of peer feedback from different perspectives, including pros and cons of this method This study attempts to investigate what native speakers’ attitudes toward the feedback given by their peers including native and nonnative speakers and their perceptions of the helpfulness of peer critiques.

Constructing Non-native English teachers’ Value as World English Speakers;
Eunhee Han, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

The presenter examines a value of non-native English teachers’ presence in higher education in the U.S. from both teachers’ and their undergraduates’ perspectives.  Based on these teachers and undergraduates’ narratives, the presenter gives the insights that non-native English teachers are a valuable source for World Englishes’ effective communication.

Learning Effective Strategies for Accurate Spelling
Berenice L Murray, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Accurate spelling of the English language is a necessary mechanical skill essential in today's modern high-tech world. Whether an ESL/EFL learner is just a beginner or more advanced, accurate spelling is a must. Effective strategies are available to aid in acquiring the proficiency needed to fully engage in meaningful written communication.  In this presentation the focus will be on practical, effective strategies such as the phoneme-grapheme connection including exceptions, basic spelling patterns including plurals.

Cultures, Computers and Communities: Interaction in the ESL Classroom
Janet L. Pierce, Franklin Regional School District, Murrysville, PA and  IUP

ESL teachers need to be aware that when English language learners use computers they bring with them their cultural ways of knowing and using the computer as well as their own ways of learning.  In my slide show presentation I will examine the sociocultural factors of ELL cultures, the ESL communities which the interaction between various ELLs constitutes and the impact each has on their English language learning and use of computer technology in the ESL classroom

Comics in L2 Culture Mediation and Negotiation
Alexander Lapidus,  Indiana University of Pennsylvania

The study is an attempt to step away from the positivist, traditional-anthropological definition of culture mediation in TESOL and toward a postmodern understanding of how meaning is constructed by non-native English speakers through individual culture negotiation. The results of this study show that legitimate and valid individual meanings in a second language can in fact be constructed on a level beyond simple interpretation of factual data.

Why NES Students Need an ITA?     
Qisi Zhang, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

It is imaginable that perhaps all ITAs (International Teaching Associates) have undergone a torturing time before they entered the NES American classroom. “Hey, I am an American student here, what can you teach me?” While thinking about the aforementioned questions, I did an informal and anonymous survey in my own College Writing class to evaluate my teaching as a new ITA. The most important finding in this research is that the ITAs who do not set disciplines in the classroom are not welcomed. Another finding is that the experience in ESL/EFL teaching can be successful transferred into NES English class. The final finding is that ITAs need to show professionalism in class.

Asian college exchange students’ development of English academic writing skills in American universities
Liang-Yi Chung, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

This exploratory study centers on an 8 month ethnographic examination of six Asian college exchange students’ development of English academic writing skills in an American university.  Focusing on L2 composition learning in the target discourse community, the study sets out to explore the extent to which Asian college exchange students encounter English academic writing difficulties, and how the structure of the American discourse community contributes to and interacts with these problems.   

Cultural and linguistic factors influencing English Language Learning: Reflections on teaching the Somali Bantu students
Leonora Anyango-Kivuva, Ph.D., Pittsburgh Public Schools

I have been teaching the Somali Bantu population for the last two years. I have been able to experience the successes and difficulties they face as they negotiate their way with the quest of learning English, and at the same time battling with issues of culture shock and the school environment that they were not used to before.

In the English language classroom, I have had to address issues pertaining to their cultural and linguistic barriers in order to reach them academically. In this presentation, I will share examples from my classroom that other teachers of ESL may use the study as a tool to better understand similar populations and/or ELLs from different and other cultures and linguistic backgrounds.

It all starts here: Developing a new listening placement test;
Jaime Horst, University of Pittsburgh

Placing students in the appropriate level in an IEP is a crucial but challenging step in ensuring their language-learning success.  The presenter will discuss her recent experience in developing a listening placement test for an IEP.  She will share the process of selecting topics, writing texts and questions, making recordings, piloting each section in listening classrooms, analyzing the results of these pilot tests, and making revisions based on the initial findings.

Cook's going beyond the native speaker in language teaching: Reflections and limitations
Imad AL-Hawamdeh, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

This paper reflects on Vivian Cook's article 'Going beyond the native speaker in language teaching'. Research on native and non-native forms of English has been overwhelmingly biased in terms of considering populations where English is a foreign language. Research has recently focused on treating localized accents as true and original (Amer, 2004), but emphasis has not yet shifted to where native English speakers should not be considered the ideal against which learners of English should conform.

English Native Speaker Teachers In Indonesia: The Dangers Of Grabbing ‘The Wrong Person In The Wrong Place’
Ani Pujiastuti,  MA TESOL Indiana University of Pennsylvania

The purpose of this study is to discuss about the existence of English Native Speaker Teachers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.  In Indonesia, where English is taught as a foreign language, the existence of a native speaker is considered as important in English classes since most students see him or her as a direct portrait of the language that they learn.   Students will usually have higher spirit to study if they have somebody from America, England or Australia, in their classroom.  From the result of the data analysis, it was apparent that in the beginning, Indonesian English learners believed that English native speaker teachers would be able to provide them with better quality of teaching in the classroom.