LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

New ways of teaching literature

- 7 July 2006

This article outlines my experiences in teaching the novels of the major nineteenth-century author Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920) to second-year students at the Department of Hispanic Studies, University of Sheffield. My course (HSS 264) aims to encourage students to think creatively and independently, to appreciate not only the stimulation, but also the enjoyment derived from the study of literature. It combines traditional literature teaching with innovative methods and multimedia resources, including an electronic critical edition of Torquemada en la hoguera (1889) and Buñuel's film of Tristana (1892). It is a venture that has enabled both the students and myself to benefit from the virtues of multimedia and 'research-led teaching' in its broadest sense (Brew 2001, McGuinness n.d.).

Pedagogic research: Issues in Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

- 7 October 2005

This article outlines issues about the status and nature of pedagogic research in the present intellectual and evaluative environment of Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies.

Research Assessment in Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Jim Coleman - 11 May 2004

The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) is a form of peer review on the basis of which the UK Government allocates nearly £1 billion a year of funding, This article traces the origins, history, mechanisms, shortcomings, successes and possible future of the RAE.

Justifying selected uses of the learners first language in the foreign language classroom within communicative language teaching

Jeanne Rolin-Lanziti - 6 February 2003

The main objectives of the paper are: to contribute to the current methodological debate about the use of the learners' first language in foreign language teaching; to base the discussion on the examination of teacher classroom practices; to advocate the introduction of a controlled use of L1 in the foreign language classroom, through a careful consideration of variables such as materials and linguistic targets.

Spanish students in British universities: developing a support resource to improve their academic writing skills

Maria Carmen Gil Ortega - 5 February 2003

A substantial number of Spanish students enter British universities each year. Those students, like other international students, have to adapt not only to a new academic environment, but also to a new culture and a new way of communicating in a language that is not their native one. This piece of PhD research has analysed the difficulties that Spanish students have to face when studying in higher education in Britain.

Taking account of affective learner differences in the planning and delivery of language courses for open, distance and independent learning

Stella Hurd - 20 December 2002

The affective side of language learning has been attracting more and more attention in recent years. Results from studies carried out with undergraduate language learners in the late 1990s into affect in language learning have indicated 'substantial links among affective measures and achievement' (Gardner, Tremblay and Masgoret, 1997: 344) and have highlighted the 'interdependent role that linguistics, cognition and affect play in FL and SL learning' (Yang, 1999: 246). However, most research on affective learner variables concentrates on classroom-based learners, and there is very little on those learning in other contexts. This paper therefore: reviews the literature on affective variables and its relevance for independent language learning contexts; examines some of the interrelationships between affective variables, and their links with cognitive styles and strategies; explores briefly the issues raised with regard to pedagogic intervention in independent learning contexts and the development of learner autonomy.

Text Modification in Foreign Language Teaching

Rocio Ortega de Toro - 20 December 2002

The key points to the paper: introduction: research in progress; the importance of reading comprehension; authentic vs. modified: previous studies; criteria for modifications; preparations for the first experiment; conclusions so far.