ARTESOL

• INNOCENTINI, Viviana

A study of interaction in scientific discourse

(Research paper)

Interest in scientific and academic discourse has been on the rise over the last decades, with numerous studies addressing research papers and their abstracts as the main genres to be analyzed. A solid body of research exists on the stereotypical rhetorical organization patterns of moves and steps -or sub-functions- of these genres, yet interaction and negotiation within the discourse community remain to be further investigated. This study explores interaction in abstracts within the framework of metadiscourse from a contrastive rhetoric perspective. The presenter will refer to its theoretical-methodological frame, the process of corpus construction and analysis, and preliminary findings.

• BERARDO, Eliana

Direct vs. indirect feedback in EFL writing

(Research paper)

Is it necessary that writing instructors provide solutions for their students’ mistakes, or should they point them out and let students find a solution on their own? The presenter will begin by summarizing recent research on the matter and she will continue to present the results of her own study on the effectiveness of direct and indirect feedback in helping first and third-year EFL college students improve their compositions in academic writing courses. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of the first and second draft of their assignments was carried out to draw conclusions and propose plans to improve feedback practice.

• GONZÁLEZ, María Susana, ALBINI, María Claudia; ROCCA, Ana María

Application of a Reading Comprehension Model to Academic Texts

(Demonstration)

In the reading comprehension courses in English at a state university in Argentina, a model of academic text reading that responds to the tenets of a strategic, interactive reading approach has been developed considering students with a low level of knowledge of the foreign language (mainly A1-CPF). In this demonstration, the presenters will apply this reading model to short academic texts and the audience will participate as students. The aim of the demonstration is to show how it is possible to help students become strategic readers and abandon linear reading in a short instruction period.

• CASTIÑEIRA, Beatriz;  MUCCI, María Rosa

Too academic to play games? Jeopardy at university

(Demonstration) 

Many popular games are usually included in ESL/EFL classrooms with the intention of transforming a learning activity into an engaging experience. For example, Jeopardy is a classic game in different fields such as accounting, chemistry or health care. In this demonstration the presenters will show how this game can be used not only as an ice breaker but also as an evaluation tool. They will also share the benefits that the game provides following an experience with students in higher education.

Semi Plenaries

GONZALEZ, OTERO, ROCCA, Reading comprehension of different academic text genres

TUERO, BORGNIA, MACHADO, LÓPEZ CASOLI, BERARDO, Helping EFL students develop their writing skills

• LOPEZ CASOLI, Marina

Rubrics for EFL writing instruction in secondary school

(Research paper)

A growing concern among EFL teachers is that no matter how much written work from their students they correct, many students do not improve their writing. In view of this concern, this presentation will describe an on-going investigation into the training of rubric use to improve the writing skill of EFL students in secondary school. The purpose of this study in progress is to determine whether the systematic use of a rubric can help students not only improve their writing by becoming aware of their errors but also become more autonomous writers beyond the guided classroom context.

• SÁNCHEZ, Jorge

The distribution of the rhetorical sections in RA abstracts

(Research paper)

The textual architecture of research article (RA) abstracts may vary according to disciplinary field. Knowledge of how abstracts are structurally organized may also provide insights into how authors arrange their information in abstracts. Therefore, the presenter will describe the order of the moves and steps established by the CARS model as well as the rhetorical sections not captured by this framework based on a corpus of 92 informative research article abstracts from the field of applied linguistics. He will also report on the most/least common rhetorical sequences, the recurrence of the moves and steps, among other issues.

• NELSON, Andrew

Effective methods for teaching idioms in the L2 classroom

(Demonstration)

Using idioms appropriately can be complicated. Given the complexity and frequency of various idioms, instructors should dedicate some of their class time to teaching them; however, instructors may not have a logical method for doing so. During this 45-minute demonstration, the presenter will describe an effective technique for teaching idioms that includes schema building, elicitation, scaffolding, and awareness-raising. Additionally, participants will realize that idioms are easier to learn when presented thematically and that creating independent practice activities related to the same theme is more memorable for students.

• ALDORINO, Rita; GUTIERREZ BARCENA, Melina; MAMANI, Ana del Rosario; MOLINA, Emanuel

Exploring literature in the EFL class: discovering new worlds

(Poster)

Bringing literature into the EFL class can be a timeless opening to include a wide range of content and tasks to help develop diverse skills. The opportunities that arise from including Literature in the English class may open doors for students and teachers to explore the language, the culture, and the different perceptions that are needed to make this an enriching experience. In this poster session, attendees will have access to an alternative pedagogic strategy to incorporate Literature the EFL class, and will be able to observe how these activities can promote diverse skills and expand learners’ views about language.