sherlin raja | Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tamilnadu, India (original) (raw)
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Papers by sherlin raja
Scholar Critic, 2016
In the post-globalization era, English is the most useful, international language in the world. T... more In the post-globalization era, English is the most useful, international language in the world. The UN-sponsored Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is an effort to universalize elementary education through community-ownership of the school system. It is a response to the demand for basic quality English education all over India. The Scheme is also an attempt to provide opportunities for improving teachers' competencies. It aims at promoting student-centred approach to all the children through provision of community owned quality education in a mission mode. Educators through Cluster and Block Resource Centres organize in-service training programmes for teachers of English at periodical intervals. This paper intends to highlight how teachers develop their practical English language skills through SSA and how students benefit in turn.
Roots, 2017
As lingua franca of the business world, English language teaching to students of business adminis... more As lingua franca of the business world, English language teaching to students of business administration and commerce is expected to be result-oriented. However, there appears to be a huge gap between demand and supply. Many students of this stream have begun to realize that if they miss English, they miss opportunities in life. They consider English as a key to the world of opportunities and a must for career promotion at work. Business communication is taught by teachers of commerce and business administration and they consider English language teachers as not qualified to teach business communication. Ironically, many of them lack fluency and accuracy in their communication and they are not qualified to teach English language communication skills. Writing business letters, reminders, plans, brochures, ads, business reports and vocabulary are some of the components of business communication syllabus. This paper attempts to demonstrate that the teaching of business communication by teachers of major departments and English language communication skills by English language teachers through tasks would yield desired results.
Students believed in the traditional learning process, where teacher were the only source of know... more Students believed in the traditional learning process, where teacher were the only source of knowledge as an instructors or ancient time dictators. But times are changing and the mode of teaching and methods of learning has totally changed. In the 21 st century, students are tech-savvy and multi-tasking personalities. They find it more comfortable to learn through visuals, web-sources and other aids that render experiencing effects rather than listening to lectures all day long. The invention of hybrid learning allows for learning through different modes and for locomotion within the system of education. The process of learning begins where a learner is more eager to learn than the teacher's interest to teach. This paper identifies how the students learn effectively through technology with teacher only as a facilitator, blending both the traditional guidance of an instructor and modern mode of learning through technologies.
JOELL, 2016
"One can't spell TEACH without T-E-C-H" Kevin Jarrett Technology plays a dynamic role in educatio... more "One can't spell TEACH without T-E-C-H" Kevin Jarrett Technology plays a dynamic role in education but immense change in technology and the growing presence of the Internet has changed students for the past few decades.In the present scenario, young generation runs behind technology as technology rules in the 21st century.They are familiar with mobile phones, computers and digital cameras even from their childhood. There are some advantages and disadvantages in using social networks. Particularly, by using Hike messenger in the classroom,students' participation will be more interactive, collaborative,and exploratory.They will become better problem solvers and autonomous learners. Connectivity means a lot to them and learning process will be student-centered. Without having an Internet connection the classroom learning can be effective by using hike.In addition to text messaging, image, video and audio, the learners can also send Pdf or any file document. This paper talks about student's expectation and interest over Hike. Everyone has hike in his/her mobile phones or gadgets, which can provide a good access to teaching methods through Hike.
Listening to advertisements can be exploited to develop micro-skills of listening and to cope wit... more Listening to advertisements can be exploited to develop micro-skills of listening and to cope with listening to speech in real life. Listening is an important though difficult skill which is often overlooked in formal teaching of English. It needs to be developed consciously and systematically. Ads can be one of the most enjoyable ways to practice and develop listening skill. New vocabulary, pronunciation, use of technical language, (un)usual intonation, word and sentence stress, Ad music and songs, phrases and captions are the matters that matter in enhancing quality listening. Most of the ads in the YouTube are in English and other language ads are available with English subtitles. There are some visual constraints while listening to ads in the television or in the YouTube. Learners concentrate only on the visual segment and the music in the ads and they don't listen to the language used with all its richness in the choice of vocabulary and style, stress and intonation. This paper examines the possibilities of enhancing quality listening through ads, and suggests strategies to overcome the constraints that may be encountered in the process.
There is something strange about the way English pronunciation skills are taught and learnt in In... more There is something strange about the way English pronunciation skills are taught and learnt in India. English is learnt as a second language by almost all Indians except a tiny minority of Anglo-Indians. Naturally, L1 influence (if not interference) on the learning of English in the Indian context is inevitable. As a result, Indian accent has become marked. Deviations can be assessed only in relation to some native variety like RP that is used as a pedagogical framework in India. A study and knowledge of the phonological system of both English and Indian languages is useful to both teachers and students of English from the pedagogical point of view. This paper makes an attempt to contrast RP and the Tamilized English and thereby foreground the deviations. This might perhaps motivate students and help teachers of English in Tamil Nadu to evolve strategies to approximate their pronunciation skills to the Received Pronunciation.
Online learning is the distance education anyone can enjoy if they have easy access to technology... more Online learning is the distance education anyone can enjoy if they have easy access to technology and technological gadgets. There are a large number of online tools available on the Internet and they help English language learners to hone their language skills. By using them, learners can learn English at their own pace. Some of them are padlet, diigo and YouTube. These learning tools are user friendly. They help learners enjoy autonomy. Teachers' presence is dispensed with and students become independent and responsible for their own learning. They can have unlimited amount of knowledge regarding the use of English. Many of these tools are freely available on the net. This paper identifies how the web tools can be used as self-learning materials and modes.
In the novel, Q & A, Vikas Swarup portrays the vitality of English as a language through the char... more In the novel, Q & A, Vikas Swarup portrays the vitality of English as a language through the character Ram Mohammed Thomas. Throughout the novel the character Thomas confronts his life difficulties with the help of the international language, English. English is the language of upward social promotion and connectivity. Swarup has created a fictional world that undergoes changes with the help of English and he views that those who know English can stay alive and fight societal challenges. The importance of telling a story with the limited number of characters is not an easy task. Short stories often make better sources for adaptable materials for the screen and stage than novels. The protagonist of the novel gets career and opportunity wherever he goes and makes his life without any difficulty in society. The English language is a powerful weapon which changes the life ravishingly and paves the way for a great future. It is a means of continuity and upward social mobility. It is a means for communication and self-expression. This paper intends to analyze how English is helpful to the character Thomas who leads his life without committing suicide, only because of his English.
Langlit, 2016
The widespread notion among teachers and elders is that the present generation of students does n... more The widespread notion among teachers and elders is that the present generation of students does not show sustained interest in and spontaneous enthusiasm for reading. Students even at the tertiary level are not interested in reading because they have failed to imbibe the reading habit at school. Hence, inculcating the habit of reading in them is a difficult proposition, if not an insurmountable project at the college level. It is presumed that Indian Best Sellers in English as a genre provides the right ambience for them to initiate the reading habit since it deals with their world of interests. It also stimulates their curiosity in the imaginative world that helps them probe their own private, inner world. Incidentally, students benefit the reading of this genre in terms of enhancing their competence in English. This paper attempts to highlight the possible outcomes of reading Indian Best Sellers: initiating reading as a hobby, enriching one's vocabulary, practicing in silent rapid reading and comprehension, and sentence patterning. Background of the Study Reading is a process of activating relevant knowledge and language skills in order to transfer information from one person to another. Reading is an indispensable academic activity in the life of every college student. Reading allows them to access unlimited knowledge either in print or on the Internet in the field of specialization and enriches them, and it also makes them lifelong readers. Those who don't read cannot write. Reading skill is one of the defining characteristics of college students. Students are aware that reading empowers them with lots of ideas. Yet they equally experience a sense of inadequacy in reading mainly due to the emergence visual gadgets. Students generally feel that knowledge gained through visuals is more informative and interesting than knowledge acquired through reading.
The role of the learners in English language classroom does not require an over-emphasis since a ... more The role of the learners in English language classroom does not require an over-emphasis since a successful English language classroom is not only learner need-based but also learner-centered. Learner-centered English language classroom hinge on the learner needs. No methodology of second language teaching or learning can succeed if it ignores the symbiotic relationship between learner needs and learner centered classrooms. This paper analyses the needs of English language learners vis-avis the role of learners in realizing their needs.
Technology in Indian classrooms includes TV, radio, LCD, computers, mobiles, internet, radio, and... more Technology in Indian classrooms includes TV, radio, LCD, computers, mobiles, internet, radio, and such other devices that help us promote communication. A classroom with such infrastructural facilities is called a 'Smart Classroom.' While the present generation of students is tech-savvy, majority of English teachers feel threatened to use such technologies for the effective classroom. They entertain a kind of the fear-of-the-unknown syndrome. It's really a matter of grave concern that teachers' ignorance or unwillingness to use technology doesn't go with students' readiness to harvest technology as a tool for learning. In addition, most educational institutions do not provide technological support for a hassle-free use in the classroom. A kind of negative attitude toward technology in classrooms for academic purposes is also being institutionalized in certain contexts. This paper explores the feasibility of using technology for effective English language learning in the Indian context. It is based on the teacher attitude and student attitude toward the use of technology in the classroom.
Conference Presentations by sherlin raja
In the present scenario, English is the most useful and standard language in the world. English i... more In the present scenario, English is the most useful and standard language in the world. English is the second, foreign language for million of people around the globe. Language is the primary source of communication. English has developed itself to get the status of internationally communicable language. English has become 'lingua franca' or 'common language' in many regions throughout the world. English is the language that connects Science and technology, international trade, commerce & aviation and has now become the universal language of World Wide Web. English is an essentiality in the field of education. It's the dominative language in sciences and research studies in the scientific field. English language is now used and taught world wide with the cultural spreading that has made it an ultimatum among all world languages. This paper attempts how English conquered across the nations. Background to the study:
Scholar Critic, 2016
In the post-globalization era, English is the most useful, international language in the world. T... more In the post-globalization era, English is the most useful, international language in the world. The UN-sponsored Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is an effort to universalize elementary education through community-ownership of the school system. It is a response to the demand for basic quality English education all over India. The Scheme is also an attempt to provide opportunities for improving teachers' competencies. It aims at promoting student-centred approach to all the children through provision of community owned quality education in a mission mode. Educators through Cluster and Block Resource Centres organize in-service training programmes for teachers of English at periodical intervals. This paper intends to highlight how teachers develop their practical English language skills through SSA and how students benefit in turn.
Roots, 2017
As lingua franca of the business world, English language teaching to students of business adminis... more As lingua franca of the business world, English language teaching to students of business administration and commerce is expected to be result-oriented. However, there appears to be a huge gap between demand and supply. Many students of this stream have begun to realize that if they miss English, they miss opportunities in life. They consider English as a key to the world of opportunities and a must for career promotion at work. Business communication is taught by teachers of commerce and business administration and they consider English language teachers as not qualified to teach business communication. Ironically, many of them lack fluency and accuracy in their communication and they are not qualified to teach English language communication skills. Writing business letters, reminders, plans, brochures, ads, business reports and vocabulary are some of the components of business communication syllabus. This paper attempts to demonstrate that the teaching of business communication by teachers of major departments and English language communication skills by English language teachers through tasks would yield desired results.
Students believed in the traditional learning process, where teacher were the only source of know... more Students believed in the traditional learning process, where teacher were the only source of knowledge as an instructors or ancient time dictators. But times are changing and the mode of teaching and methods of learning has totally changed. In the 21 st century, students are tech-savvy and multi-tasking personalities. They find it more comfortable to learn through visuals, web-sources and other aids that render experiencing effects rather than listening to lectures all day long. The invention of hybrid learning allows for learning through different modes and for locomotion within the system of education. The process of learning begins where a learner is more eager to learn than the teacher's interest to teach. This paper identifies how the students learn effectively through technology with teacher only as a facilitator, blending both the traditional guidance of an instructor and modern mode of learning through technologies.
JOELL, 2016
"One can't spell TEACH without T-E-C-H" Kevin Jarrett Technology plays a dynamic role in educatio... more "One can't spell TEACH without T-E-C-H" Kevin Jarrett Technology plays a dynamic role in education but immense change in technology and the growing presence of the Internet has changed students for the past few decades.In the present scenario, young generation runs behind technology as technology rules in the 21st century.They are familiar with mobile phones, computers and digital cameras even from their childhood. There are some advantages and disadvantages in using social networks. Particularly, by using Hike messenger in the classroom,students' participation will be more interactive, collaborative,and exploratory.They will become better problem solvers and autonomous learners. Connectivity means a lot to them and learning process will be student-centered. Without having an Internet connection the classroom learning can be effective by using hike.In addition to text messaging, image, video and audio, the learners can also send Pdf or any file document. This paper talks about student's expectation and interest over Hike. Everyone has hike in his/her mobile phones or gadgets, which can provide a good access to teaching methods through Hike.
Listening to advertisements can be exploited to develop micro-skills of listening and to cope wit... more Listening to advertisements can be exploited to develop micro-skills of listening and to cope with listening to speech in real life. Listening is an important though difficult skill which is often overlooked in formal teaching of English. It needs to be developed consciously and systematically. Ads can be one of the most enjoyable ways to practice and develop listening skill. New vocabulary, pronunciation, use of technical language, (un)usual intonation, word and sentence stress, Ad music and songs, phrases and captions are the matters that matter in enhancing quality listening. Most of the ads in the YouTube are in English and other language ads are available with English subtitles. There are some visual constraints while listening to ads in the television or in the YouTube. Learners concentrate only on the visual segment and the music in the ads and they don't listen to the language used with all its richness in the choice of vocabulary and style, stress and intonation. This paper examines the possibilities of enhancing quality listening through ads, and suggests strategies to overcome the constraints that may be encountered in the process.
There is something strange about the way English pronunciation skills are taught and learnt in In... more There is something strange about the way English pronunciation skills are taught and learnt in India. English is learnt as a second language by almost all Indians except a tiny minority of Anglo-Indians. Naturally, L1 influence (if not interference) on the learning of English in the Indian context is inevitable. As a result, Indian accent has become marked. Deviations can be assessed only in relation to some native variety like RP that is used as a pedagogical framework in India. A study and knowledge of the phonological system of both English and Indian languages is useful to both teachers and students of English from the pedagogical point of view. This paper makes an attempt to contrast RP and the Tamilized English and thereby foreground the deviations. This might perhaps motivate students and help teachers of English in Tamil Nadu to evolve strategies to approximate their pronunciation skills to the Received Pronunciation.
Online learning is the distance education anyone can enjoy if they have easy access to technology... more Online learning is the distance education anyone can enjoy if they have easy access to technology and technological gadgets. There are a large number of online tools available on the Internet and they help English language learners to hone their language skills. By using them, learners can learn English at their own pace. Some of them are padlet, diigo and YouTube. These learning tools are user friendly. They help learners enjoy autonomy. Teachers' presence is dispensed with and students become independent and responsible for their own learning. They can have unlimited amount of knowledge regarding the use of English. Many of these tools are freely available on the net. This paper identifies how the web tools can be used as self-learning materials and modes.
In the novel, Q & A, Vikas Swarup portrays the vitality of English as a language through the char... more In the novel, Q & A, Vikas Swarup portrays the vitality of English as a language through the character Ram Mohammed Thomas. Throughout the novel the character Thomas confronts his life difficulties with the help of the international language, English. English is the language of upward social promotion and connectivity. Swarup has created a fictional world that undergoes changes with the help of English and he views that those who know English can stay alive and fight societal challenges. The importance of telling a story with the limited number of characters is not an easy task. Short stories often make better sources for adaptable materials for the screen and stage than novels. The protagonist of the novel gets career and opportunity wherever he goes and makes his life without any difficulty in society. The English language is a powerful weapon which changes the life ravishingly and paves the way for a great future. It is a means of continuity and upward social mobility. It is a means for communication and self-expression. This paper intends to analyze how English is helpful to the character Thomas who leads his life without committing suicide, only because of his English.
Langlit, 2016
The widespread notion among teachers and elders is that the present generation of students does n... more The widespread notion among teachers and elders is that the present generation of students does not show sustained interest in and spontaneous enthusiasm for reading. Students even at the tertiary level are not interested in reading because they have failed to imbibe the reading habit at school. Hence, inculcating the habit of reading in them is a difficult proposition, if not an insurmountable project at the college level. It is presumed that Indian Best Sellers in English as a genre provides the right ambience for them to initiate the reading habit since it deals with their world of interests. It also stimulates their curiosity in the imaginative world that helps them probe their own private, inner world. Incidentally, students benefit the reading of this genre in terms of enhancing their competence in English. This paper attempts to highlight the possible outcomes of reading Indian Best Sellers: initiating reading as a hobby, enriching one's vocabulary, practicing in silent rapid reading and comprehension, and sentence patterning. Background of the Study Reading is a process of activating relevant knowledge and language skills in order to transfer information from one person to another. Reading is an indispensable academic activity in the life of every college student. Reading allows them to access unlimited knowledge either in print or on the Internet in the field of specialization and enriches them, and it also makes them lifelong readers. Those who don't read cannot write. Reading skill is one of the defining characteristics of college students. Students are aware that reading empowers them with lots of ideas. Yet they equally experience a sense of inadequacy in reading mainly due to the emergence visual gadgets. Students generally feel that knowledge gained through visuals is more informative and interesting than knowledge acquired through reading.
The role of the learners in English language classroom does not require an over-emphasis since a ... more The role of the learners in English language classroom does not require an over-emphasis since a successful English language classroom is not only learner need-based but also learner-centered. Learner-centered English language classroom hinge on the learner needs. No methodology of second language teaching or learning can succeed if it ignores the symbiotic relationship between learner needs and learner centered classrooms. This paper analyses the needs of English language learners vis-avis the role of learners in realizing their needs.
Technology in Indian classrooms includes TV, radio, LCD, computers, mobiles, internet, radio, and... more Technology in Indian classrooms includes TV, radio, LCD, computers, mobiles, internet, radio, and such other devices that help us promote communication. A classroom with such infrastructural facilities is called a 'Smart Classroom.' While the present generation of students is tech-savvy, majority of English teachers feel threatened to use such technologies for the effective classroom. They entertain a kind of the fear-of-the-unknown syndrome. It's really a matter of grave concern that teachers' ignorance or unwillingness to use technology doesn't go with students' readiness to harvest technology as a tool for learning. In addition, most educational institutions do not provide technological support for a hassle-free use in the classroom. A kind of negative attitude toward technology in classrooms for academic purposes is also being institutionalized in certain contexts. This paper explores the feasibility of using technology for effective English language learning in the Indian context. It is based on the teacher attitude and student attitude toward the use of technology in the classroom.
In the present scenario, English is the most useful and standard language in the world. English i... more In the present scenario, English is the most useful and standard language in the world. English is the second, foreign language for million of people around the globe. Language is the primary source of communication. English has developed itself to get the status of internationally communicable language. English has become 'lingua franca' or 'common language' in many regions throughout the world. English is the language that connects Science and technology, international trade, commerce & aviation and has now become the universal language of World Wide Web. English is an essentiality in the field of education. It's the dominative language in sciences and research studies in the scientific field. English language is now used and taught world wide with the cultural spreading that has made it an ultimatum among all world languages. This paper attempts how English conquered across the nations. Background to the study: