Featured Session - International Conference 2016
Teaching Language and Culture for the 21st Century
In order to meet the demands of our increasingly connected era, learners need to be able to communicate using English that is pragmatically appropriate. This involves acquiring not only the linguistic, but also the cultural, knowledge and skills they will need to develop rapport and avoid misunderstandings in their interactions with others. However, the globalized economy and the rise of English as a lingua franca among speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds means that we are not necessarily preparing learners to use English with native speakers. Even if we are, native speakers, too, can speak very different varieties and orient to different cultural expectations. What, then, are we to teach? In this session, I will briefly present some findings from recent projects investigating the cultural bases of communication and suggest some activities for raising awareness of these among adult learners. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own teaching contexts and adapt these and other activities for their students' communication needs in the 21st century.
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Biographical Sketch
Lynda Yates has taught English as a foreign language in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East in a wide range of adult settings and has also worked for several years as a communications consultant to industry. Currently Professor of Applied Linguistics at Macquarie University in Australia, she has been involved in teacher education and professional development for over 30 years. Her recent research projects have addressed various issues in the learning of spoken English by adults, including intercultural pragmatics, pronunciation, and the development of skills appropriate to the contemporary workplace, with a particular focus on the implications for second language teachers. Her strong commitment to teacher professional development has led her to give over 150 presentations and workshops at national and international forums, and to publish in journals at the interface of research and professional practice such as Applied Linguistics, TESOL Quarterly, and ESP Journal. She has also published a number of professional development resources for teachers, which are available for download free of charge from her website.
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Web Resources: Lynda Yates
Publication
http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/faculties_and_departments/faculty_of_human...
Give It a Go: Interactive professional development book on teaching pronunciation to adults
http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/157664/interacti...
Teaching "Fact Sheets" by Lynda and other authors (free, downloadable)
http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/resources/amep_fact_sheets
Additional resources produced by Lynda and other authors in the AMEP Research Centre:
http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/resources
Lynda Yates's participation in the 2016 Korea TESOL International Conference is sponsored by Macquarie University.
See the full list of Major Speakers at the KOTESOL International Conference at https://koreatesol.org/ic2016/Major-Speakers
