National Conference of the English Departments of the Faculties of Education in the Czech Republic

NEW TRENDS IN EDUCATING FUTURE TEACHERS OF ENGLISH III

Olomouc, 13^th November 2007

The third national conference, “New trends in educating future teachers of English III”, was organized by the Department of English at the Faculty of Education, Palacký University, Olomouc. It took place in the department on November 13^th 2007 and hosted teachers of English departments from Brno, Hradec Králové, Liberec, Ostrava, Pardubice, Ústí nad Labem, and Olomouc.

I hope that our conference has already established itself as an important and welcome event in which teachers of English can come together. The chief objective of our conference stays the same – having a round table meeting which would enable us to discuss a range of issues connected with our work, share our experience and get inspiration. The presentations were short and established the ground for further discussion, which is the core of our conference. Full versions of the papers appear in the conference proceedings: they are ordered alphabetically according to the names of their authors.

The topics that were discussed this year:

• Bachelor/Magister scheme in ELT at particular English departments.
• Entrance examinations to the Magister scheme.
• E-learning and its role in full-time studies in English departments.
• Course integration in a teacher training programme.
• Plagiarism.
• Various methodological and linguistic issues.

One of the main results of the conference was our understanding that we can do more together and that we are not lost and alone in our effort to prepare good teachers of English.

Silvie Válková

Olomouc, November 2007

List of participants:

Name	University	Name	University
Martin Adam	MUNI	Blanka Babická	UPOL
Rita Collins	MUNI	Zuzana Bartsch Veselá	UPOL
Světlana Hanušová	MUNI	Anthony Clementi	UPOL
Lucie Podroužková	MUNI	Simon Gill	UPOL
Naďa Vojtková	MUNI	Libuše Hornová	UPOL
Pavel Brebera	UPCE	Alexandra Hubáčková	UPOL
Monika Černá	UPCE	Jarka Ivanová	UPOL
Klára Kostková	UPCE	Miroslav Jaroščák	UPOL
Michaela Píšová	UPCE	Jana Kořínková	UPOL
Pavla Machová	UHK	Alena Lenochová	UPOL
Olga Vraštilová	UHK	Josef Nevařil	UPOL
Dana Sedlmajerová	UJEP	Světlana Obenausová	UPOL
Kateřina Šteklová	UJEP	Silvie Válková	UPOL
Jana Richterová Mrosková	UJEP	Milena Vodičková	UPOL
Renata Šimůnková	TUL	Linda Chmelařová	UPOL
Miroslav Černý	OSU	Pavlína Jahnová	UPOL
Gabriela Klečková	ZCU
Libuše Lišková	ZCU

Contents of the proceedings:

Errando discimus... Czech Interference in Learning English

Martin Adam

The paper attempts at a classification of errors collected by the author over the years spent teaching at language courses for adults. It offers several linguistically-assorted types of students’ mistakes along with a commentary. Where necessary, the English-Czech translation is adduced.

Reading Comprehension in the Entrance Test – Statistical Analysis

Blanka Babická, Josef Nevařil

This article deals with the analysis of the entrance test used at the English Department, Faculty of Education, Palacký University Olomouc in 2007. In particular, the analysis concentrates on the reading subtest. The facility value and correlation between the reading part scores and the overall scores were calculated and some recommendations are made.

Bachelor / Magister Scheme in ELTE

Pavel Brebera, Monika Černá, Klára Kostková, Michaela Píšová

The aim of the paper is to analyse the area of ELTE in the Czech Republic from the perspective of current stage of the so called Bologna process. The main focus of the analysis is on the implementation of the two-cycle system into the ELTE study programmes.

Integrating Courses in a Teacher Training Programme

Rita Collins, Světlana Hanušová

This article discuses the rationale for and results from a recent pilot project in cross-curricular integration. Giving students opportunities to integrate learning is an important challenge in education. Course integration helps students construct a useful knowledge base and encourages them to develop their intellectual and professional capabilities.

Let´s Not Forget about Africa

Miroslav Černý

The aim of the paper is to prepare the ground for including socio-cultural aspects of the African continent into the syllabi of teacher training curriculum. The author claims that teaching about Africa may provide practical outcomes, especially as regards tourism, business, culture, charity, and motivation of the prospective teachers of English.

Vliv verbálního okolnostního určení na překlad sloves DICENDI

Libuše Hornová

Příspěvek se zabývá okolnostním určením po slovesech dicendi ve větách uvozovacích, které je vyjádřeno anglickým -ing tvarem. Jsou srovnávána excerpta z anglické literatury a jejich český překlad. Zjištěné závěry se týkají jednak překladu slovesa SAY, daného okolnostního určení a celé predikace. Výsledky výzkumu poslouží jako materiál pro semináře textové analýzy budoucích učitelů anglického jazyka.

This paper deals with the adverbial of circumstance after the verbs of dicendi in introductory clauses, expressed by the English -ing form. Excerpts from English literature have been compared with their Czech translation. The discovered findings concern the translation of the verb SAY, the included -ing form and the whole predication. The research results can be used in the seminars of text analysis for future teachers of the English language.

Program Hot Potatoes a jeho využití v e-learningu

Linda Chmelařová, Pavlína Jahnová

Příspěvek se zamýšlí nad využitím e-learningu v oblasti vzdělávání. Hlavní pozornost je věnována programu Hot Potatoes a jeho nástrojům, které umožňují vytvářet interaktivní cvičení. Ta mohou studenti využívat k rozvíjení svých dosavadních znalostí anglického jazyka.

This paper deals with the usage of e-learning within education. It mainly focuses on the program called Hot Potatoes and its tools that enables to create interactive exercises. These exercises can be used by students to improve their English language competences.

Inovace sylabů v pregraduální přípravě budoucích učitelů reflektující začlenění výuky anglického jazyka jako prvního cizího jazyka ve 3. třídě primárního vzdělávání

Jaroslava Ivanová

Tento článek se zabývá inovacemi sylabů kurzů fonetiky a fonologie, metodicky zaměřených kurzů a literatury pro děti a mládež. Tyto inovace reagují na zavedení výuky jazyka anglického jako prvního cizího jazyka do kurikula 3. třídy základní školy.

This article deals with syllabus innovations of the courses of phonetics and phonology, methodology-based courses and children’s literature. These innovations reflect the introduction of teaching English as the first foreign language into the 3^rd grade-curriculum of primary schooling.

Dictionaries are Books about Language

Miroslav Jaroščák

This paper deals with two areas: (a) the theory of lexical priming and how it challenges views of lexis and grammar in general; (b) current ways of treatment of English in dictionaries for non-native speakers of the language. Both the theory and current trends in modern lexicography signal a move from atomistic approaches towards a more holistic approach to language phenomena; part of this trend is also a shift towards dictionaries taking into consideration not just different age groups but also learners´ first languages.

Selected Aspects of Textual Cohesion in Writing of Czech Advanced Students of English

Jana Kořínková

The paper deals with several aspects of textual cohesion in writing of Czech advanced learners of English language. It gives a brief introduction into the concept of cohesion and presents the results of a pilot project conducted to analyze and compare the frequency of use of selected cohesive devices in the Czech students’ and native speakers’ persuasive writing.

The Prospects of Educating Future Teachers at the University of Hradec Králové

Pavla Machová, Olga Vraštilová

This paper aims at describing contemporary situation at the Pedagogical Faculty of the University of Hradec Králové as far as educating future English teachers is concerned. It also describes the WebCT e-learning programme, some of its functions and some problems its users may experience.

Incorporating Cultural Studies and History into English Lessons

Světlana Obenausová

This paper is aimed at teachers of English at basic and secondary schools who say that they do not have time to go beyond the scope of their textbooks. My purpose is to persuade them that there exist many short activities enabling them to incorporate cultural studies and history in English lessons, thus enlarging students’ knowledge and understanding of English-speaking countries and raising their interest in learning English.

Single-subject Bachelor State Examination and Defense: New Ways

Lucie Podroužková

This paper deals with selected issues of summative assessment in teacher training education. More particularly, it introduces and evaluates the new format of Single-Subject Bachelor state examination and defense, piloted this year in the Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Education, Masaryk University Brno.

Translation as One of the Methods in Secondary-level EFL Teaching

Jana Richterová

The present trend in EFL teaching emphasizing communication and avoiding the use of the native language in class has placed translation of texts among the old-fashioned methods of language acquisition, such as learning literary extracts by heart. In this paper I want to suggest that translation into L1 serves not only as a means of developing reading comprehension. I will deal with translation as a valid method which supports the students´ understanding of the English sentence structure, as well as their handling of the native language on adequate level.

Making a Film THE MODERN MAN. Practical Language Learning Project

Dana Sedlmajerová, Anthony Laue, Michaela Kourková, Martina Menglerová

The paper introduces a teacher-students project which was developed and finalized in the form of a short film during a one semester practical language course. It represents an innovative approach to practical language teaching and is exceptional for the personal involvement of all participants who created thoughtprovoking and challenging environment. The paper presents the project itself and compares feedback given by the teacher, who was the supervisor of the project, and the students, the authors, organizers, and finally the actors in the film.

Gramatická teorie – pomocník na cestě k jazykové kompetenci

Renata Šimůnková

Příspěvek se zabývá gramatickou teorií jako součástí studijního programu Učitelství pro 2. stupeň základní školy, obor AJ. Studenti často nevidí, k čemu jim, kromě složení zkoušky, mohou být teoretické znalosti dobré a i ti, kteří nutnost studia gramatické teorie uznávají, tak činí spíš pod dojmem obecného povědomí a tradice. Příspěvek nejprve hledá podporu pro přínos studia teorie u odborníků, s pomocí dotazníků mapuje názory studentů, a na základě získaných zjištění stručně navrhuje možnosti narovnání rozporu mezi teorií a skutečností.

This paper deals with grammar theory as a part of study problem Teacher Training for the Lower Stage of Secondary Schools. Students often cannot see the purpose (apart from the ability to the exam) of acquiring theoretical knowledge, and even those who admit the need to study grammar theory do so on the basis of common opinion and tradition. The paper first seeks support for the usefulness of grammar theory in literature, then with the help of a questionnaire investigates students’ opinions, suggests possibilities of leveling the difference between the theory and reality.

Teaching Communicative Competence at Primary Level

Kateřina Šteklová

This paper aims to contribute to the discussion of introducing English to the primary school curriculum in the Czech Republic. En early start of learning a foreign language can be successful under certain conditions. The lack of qualified teachers in our schools and the absence of continuity in EFL teaching means real danger to English being taught as communication. Universities together with the Ministry of Education should cooperate to solve the serious problem.

Malá velká slova

Silvie Válková

Tento příspěvek se pokouší upozornit na problematiku „malých“ slov, která předznamenávají repliky v dialogu (např. now, why, O.K., you know, you see atd.). Jejich frekvence je vysoká, jejich role v komunikativní strategii velká, avšak naše znalost jejich funkcí spíše intuitivní.

This paper attempts to draw attention to „small“ words (e.g. now, why, O.K., you know, you see etc.). Their frequency of occurence is quite high, their role in communicative strategies is essential, unfortunatelly our knowledge of their functions is rather intuitive, if not anecdotal.

Poezie a multikulturní výchova

Milena Vodičková

Článek demonstruje na příkladu, literární hodiny, jak lze formou dramatických aktivit nejen zpřístupnit studentům poezii zábavnou formou, ale také jim ukázat, že literatura poskytuje čtenářům zamyšlení nad závažnými společenskými problémy a může vést k jejich hlubšímu pochopení. V této hodině studenti prokázali, že jsou schopni aplikovat problém rasových předsudků v USA i na problematiku české společnosti.

The article demonstrates through an example of a literature lesson how the use of drama activities can present poetry in an enjoyable way and how literature leads readers to reflect on serious social problems, which can result in their better understanding. The students engaged in this lesson showed the ability to apply a problem of racial prejudice in the USA to a similar situation in the Czech Republic.