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Article #1

Citation:
Chaitanya, Krishna, E., Ramana, Venkata, K. (2013). Role play: An integrated
approach to enhance language skills (LSRW) of the ESL learners-a collaborative
action research report. Language in India, 13 (1). No. 19302940
Big Ideas:
A research was performed by the researcher (teachers) in and EFL classroom in
India using CAR (Collaborative Action Research) with the aim to increase ELL
participation in the classroom and social skills through the use of role play.
Problem: Students had low confidence and ineffective exposure to
communication in English. In addition, the classroom in India is
traditionally teacher-centered, which allows less student participation.
Procedure: The experiment was done over three sessions. Students were
given a story to read in preparation for the role play. Then, they were
divided into groups of 5, given a list of scenes they had to write
dialogues for. Students engaged in the group activity of writing
dialogues for the different scenes. The role plays were then performed in
class.
Findings: Students were very engages and the feedback was extremely
positive. They improved, not only speaking skills but also writing,
reading and listening skills; therefore, it was an integrated lesson plan.
WTC was high and the tasks allowed students to engage in authentic
communication.
Quotes:
Role play has been successfully used in EFL/ESL classrooms across the world.
In accordance with this, Richard Courtney (1974) says that mechanisms such as
play acting and thought are interconnected; they help students to test out reality,
to minimize personal anxieties and inhibitions, and to master their fields of
action (Role Play and its Significance in Enriching Students'
Participation, paragraph 1)
This apart, it helps faculty to demonstrate the delivery of dialogues with
requisite modulation of voice in harmony with appropriate body language (Role
Play and its Significance in Enriching Students' Participation,
paragraph 2)
Questions:
1. Because of the short length of the research, would researchers findings differ if
done over a longer period of time? How? positively or negatively?
2. How could the researchers, i.e. teachers, include shorter versions of role play in
their lessons each lesson rather than wait to do something like this which is a
bigger project and involves more than one class?
Important Word:
CAR Collaborative Action Research

Article #2
Citation:
Melor, Y., Lau Kiing Tuan, J., Salehi, H. (2010). Using blogs to promote writing
skill in ESL classroom. Recent Advances in Educational Technologies. University
Kebangsaan Malaysia. ISBN: 978-1-61804-155-5

Big Ideas:
Faculty members conducted a research with the aim to understand the affect of
using blogs to help students improve their writing skills in an ESL classroom and
increase their motivation in their language learning. The research was conducted
in Malaysia, which is a country in which English is taught as a second language
and is a required part of the curriculum. The research was done as a series of
questions and answers posed to the educators of classes at Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia (UKM) in September 2010. The instructors teach classes in which blogs
are used and have been used for a while as a tool to increase students writing
ability.
Three research questions:
1. How do English lecturers perceive using blogs to promote students writing skills?
2. What are the benefits and advantages of using blogs in encouraging ESL students
to write?
3. What are the challenges encountered by the lecturers in using blogs to promote
students writing skills?
Positive Findings:
- Blogs help students with their written skills.
- Students are less inhibited when writing than they are in face-to-face interaction.
- There is more individual expression.
Negative Findings:
- Students dont have enough time.
- Some students dont participate.
- Some students lack of computer skills.
Quotes:
English language learning in schools has always been linked with grammar,
literature, exercises and drill activities that position teaching and learning a
language as an educational activity that is related to the students personal
development in everyday lives. Now, technology has totally influenced pedagogy
as the new ways of teaching [1-3] (p. 109)
Most blog writers (bloggers) use this environment for self-expression and
empowerment, as writing in blogs helps people become more thoughtful and
critical in their writing [11] (p. 110).
Questions:
1. How are teachers addressing the weakness and negative findings of using blogs?
2. What type of pre-requesites should a class that plans on using blogs have? i.e.
computer skills
Important Words:
SNS (Social Networking Sites), bloggers

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