Planning Learning Destinations

I send this handout, titled "Goals and Levels," to new students applying to a class. "Where are you starting from/" and "Where do you want to go?" are crucial to planning any trip. You must answer both before addressing routing, strategies, means, etc and answering the question. "How do I get there?"

The example learning destination here is for ESL, but the methods and strategies apply to any field of learning.  

The article + quizzes from About ESL (http://esl.about.com) is very appropriate for students thinking about joining a class. Understanding reasons for studying English and learning goals help prepare for starting a new class.

But you still need this understanding and to reflect on why you are studying English and what your goals are. They may not be the same as when you joined the class. Following these tips will help you understand your English learning strengths and weaknesses so you can continue to get the most out of this class. 

The Most Important Question: Why?

The English learning goals quiz is not a serious quiz with scores or grades. It will help you understand your English learning needs. Just answer a few questions and you'll get feedback on what kind of a learning might be best for you.

The "Important Questions" article provides a deeper look at questions to ask yourself about your learning goals before you begin the class. By understanding the answers to these questions, you will have a better idea what type of exercises and topic areas will be important to you. This could make the difference between taking an ESL course or an English for Special Purposes ( i.e., business or computer) course. 

WHY AM I LEARNING ENGLISH

• English Learning Goals Quiz
• Why learn English? 
• Why am I learning English? ~ forum discussion  
• An ESL student explains why she is learning English

People learn English for many reasons. Unfortunately, people often think that there is only one way to learn English (or any language for that matter) and that the same things are important for everyone. 

This is not true.

Depending on your English goals, you can understand your reasons for learning English well, and then better plan your learning strategy. Take this ten question quiz to discover what kind of English learner you are in order to help you understand what is really important - and what not so important - for you. At the end of the quiz, you will find out what kind of learner you are and can follow the links to areas of the site that will help you learn what you need! Now, begin the quiz...

• Important questions about learning objectiveshttp://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa010700a.htm

WHAT LEVEL AM I?

It's a good idea to take a few level tests from time to time to check your level and progress. The review tests listed cover all the major learning points for each level. Begin with a test you think is right for your level and take note of the questions you answer incorrectly.

If the test is too easy, congratulations! Try to take the next most difficult test. If you pass the advanced level test with more than 80%, you may want to consider taking an English course that specializes in your English learning objective - for example a Business English Writing course.

• Beginner Level Test http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bl_beginnerreview.htm

• Intermediate Level Test http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bl_intermediatereview.htm

• Advanced Level Test http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bl_advancedreview.htm

Taylorism in education

Taylorization (or Taylorism) refers to the process of "scientific management" developed by the American engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor, who in the 1880's, "appl[ied] the principles of engineering precision" to the management of labor in factories (Tozer, et. al., 2002, p. 90). His research into "where time, materials, and effort were being wasted" focused on "break[ing] down each complex, skilled task into its component parts-simple moves that could be taught in a short time" (p. 90). In much discourse, Taylorization is a negative deskilling process in which workplace design insures that few marketable skills are required by workers, resulting in "a greater number of unskilled workers, and a corresponding decrease in workers' wages and power to decide on the conditions of their labor" (p. 90). Critical educational theorists (see Critical Pedagogy) have tied Taylorization to efforts by states and others to prescribe curriculum content and enforce punitive assessment policies, such as those mandated by recent No Child Left Behind education reforms. Such policies are viewed by some as constraining teacher autonomy and professionalism.

Is Innovation Fair? Andrew Keen Says No

more from an indefatigable critic of all things Web 2.0 

How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture.

Naturally when I saw Keen's core conversation at SXSW, it was clear that social media and the term "read-write web" are perhaps the antithesis of what Keen has become known for. While we as a publication (and often as a community) celebrate the participatory culture of Web 2.0, Keen sees the rise of amateur publishers as the fetishism of change-based culture and the breakdown of centralized moral authority. In less diplomatic circles, he's accused of being an elitist. When an intimate 40 person setting of bloggers like Stealthmode Partners' Francine Hardaway and legendary futurist Bruce Sterling failed to erupt into an angry mob, I was surprised.

In addressing the question "Is Innovation Fair?" Keen maintains that there is no definitive answer. He says, "If you asked a peasant whether innovation was fair during the industrial revolution, he'd answer no. But history is written by innovators."

writing, culture and expectations

The Daughters at the String Shop by Meg Palladino

There are two daughters at the string shop in Osaka
The oldest daughter is sixteen years old and the youngest daughter is fourteen years old.
Japanese samurai kill their enemies with arrows.
The Japanese daughters at the string shop kill men with their eyes.


This poem is used to teach Japanese students how to write a proper essay. Japanese essay style is made up of the "ki" (introduction), "sho" (development), "ten" (turning point), and the "ketsu" (conclusion).


The cultural nature of writing makes teaching and evaluating it very difficult and learning to write in a new culture is one of the most difficult things about learning a new language. In some cultures, you only give main ideas and let the readers supply details. Other cultures will only give small details and let the reader decide the main idea. Other cultures take a long time building up the relationship between the writer and the reader before coming to the main point. In the Japanese style, the "ten" is used to get the reader's attention. American style is to give big ideas up front, provide the details and examples, and to repeat them again and again; the reader has few responsibilities.

How to Succeed in an Online Writing Class: Plan, Revise, Discuss:

This site is a document written as a kind of 'how to' for online writing students. 

It is important, especially in short online classes but also in any writing class, for students to realize that they need to plan out their work carefully, identifying as specifically as they can when they can fit their work into often hectic schedules. 

Students also ~ mistakenly ~ minimize the importance of both discussion and revision. In an online course for credit, students are more or less forced into discussion because it is a large % of their course grade. When there is no grade or credit, students feel than participation and writing discussion is not important. 

Of course they (you) will not get bad grades for not discussing or revising: nor will you learn how to write. 

How to Succeed in an Online Writing Class: Plan, Revise, Discuss