TEFL Faculty Explores New Way of Teaching Grammar

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YEREVAN, Armenia – Liliana Edilyan (MA TEFL ’03), a lecturer in the College of Humanities & Social Sciences (CHSS) of the American University of Armenia (AUA), has recently published two papers based on her teaching experience at AUA. Her motto in teaching is “Connect theory with practice!,” which she displays in her writings. Her first paper, entitled “Integrating Grammar and Vocabulary into Task-Based Lesson & Extending it to Project-Based Work,” appeared in a 2016 issue of Perspectives. At the heart of current thinking about language teaching is the belief that successful language learning depends on immersing students in tasks that require them to negotiate meaning and engage students in naturalistic and meaningful communication. The paper shows how grammar and vocabulary can be integrated into a task-based lesson, which then can be extended into a business project. The students work in groups on a real-life problem that captures their interest and provokes serious thinking as they apply their knowledge in a problem-solving context. At the end, students present their project and are judged by the quality of their work and how well they communicate  their task.

Edilyan’s second article, “Experimenting with Microteaching as a Group Activity to Train Prospective Teachers How to Teach Grammar,” was published in the “Proceedings of the 22nd TESOL Arabia Conference in 2017.” The paper discusses an approach to micro-teaching whereby students go through the stages of preparation, teaching and sharing constructive feedback in groups. Micro-teaching as a professional development tool is particularly important in pre-service teacher education as it provides the students with an opportunity to practice teaching their own student peers through a systematic trial and error technique. The paper describes how the work was organized and discusses the results of the survey, which was administered after the micro-teaching session. Using this approach to micro-teaching allows for solving organizational problems in big courses of at least 30 students.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.