“An Ongoing Journey in English Learning and Teaching

Jun-min Kuo

Assistant Professor

Department of Foreign Languages and Literature

Tunghai University

1. Studying English as a Beginner

2. Gaining a Deeper Sense of English

3. Teaching English from a Functional Perspective

4. Exploring English as a Cultural Practitioner

5. Teaching English as a Social Act

Phase 1: Studying English as a Beginner (from Elementary School to Junior College

1. latchkey child 2. LPs (long-playing records)3. songs in English (oldies but goodies / pop songs)4. Cashbox / Billboard Charts 5. pirate/illegal records/cassettes 6. newspaper clippings 7. Studio Classroom (from Basic to Advanced)8. vocabulary notebooks 9. Si-men Square (May I Help You?)10. western TV programs (Dallas / soap operas)

“The End of the World” (Skeeter Davis)1. Why does the sun go on shining?2. Why does the sea rush to shore?3. Don't they know it's the end of the world4. 'Cause you don't love me anymore?

5. Why do the birds go on singing?6. Why do the starts glow above?7. Don't they know it's the end of the world8. It ended when I lost your love

9. I wake up in the morning and I wonder10. Why everything’s the same as it was11. I can't understand, no, I can't understand12. How life goes on the way it does!

13. Why does my heart go on beating?14. Why do these eyes of mine cry?15. Don't they know it's the end of the world?16. It ended when you said goodbye

17. Why does my heart go on beating?18. Why do these eyes of mine cry?19. Don't they know it's the end of the world?20. It ended when you said goodbye (YouTube) (Tube = TV set)

Songs that Gave Me a Big Time1. 9,999,999 Tears (Lee Dickey)

2. From Me To You (The Beatles)

3. In My Life (The Beatles)

4. Sukiyaki / It’s All Because of You

5. Vincent (Don McLean)

6. Where Have All the Flowers Gone

7. He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother8. I Don’t Know How to Love Him (Helen Reddy)

9. Without You (Nilsson)

10. Tell Laura I Love Her ……..

Songs from A to ZA. A Time for UsB. Blowing in the Wind / Bridge Over Troubled WaterC. Can’t Take My Eyes off YouD. Don’t Go Breaking My HeartE. Everything I Own F. From Me To You / FeelingG. Girls Just Want to Have FunH. Heart of GoldI. If (Bread)J. Just When I Needed You MostK. Knowing Me Knowing YouL. ………W. Windflower X. Xanadu (1980) (Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan”)Y. Yellow RiverZ. Z?

Vocabulary Notebooks (bus, bus stop, classroom)

1. home geek (n.) 宅男 (home nerd) (dork: a more general term) a. geek (Long p. 345): slang especially AmE someone who is bor

ing and wears clothes that are unfashionable b. (Collins p. 700) If you call someone, usually a man or a boy, a geek, you are saying in a particular unkind way that you thin

k they are rather stupid and weak c. computer geeks (a better term) d. computer nerds (Otaku in Japanese)

2. peck (vt.) 以喙啄 The bird pecked the cat. The hens were pecking the grain. (C659) ( 牛津 p.345)

3. ……….

English Learning Magazines / Dictionaries

1. Let’s Talk in English / Studio Classroom 2. 長春藤美語3. Live 互動英語4. ALL ＋互動英語5. ABC 互動英語6. Biz 互動英語7. CNN 互動英語 . . .

1. Collins COBUILD English Dictionary / Advanced Dictionary of American English2. MacMillan English Dictionary 3. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English4. Chambers Essential English Dictionary5. Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English 6. 朗文當代高級辭典第三版7. 英語搭配大字典8. 建宏多功能英漢辭典9. 電子字典

Newspaper Clippsings

Phase 2: Gaining a Deeper Sense of English (Tamkang + Chengi)

1. transfer exam to Tamkang University (Confucius + United Evening Paper) 2. Studio Classroom3. English/American Literature4. Western Philosophy5. Chinese History6. Greek and Roman Mythology7. The Bible8. Shakespeare’s Plays (Romeo & Juliet)9. Modern Plays10. American Renaissance11. Translation Class (two years)12. Postmodernist Fiction 13. ……14. ICRT15. Times Magazine / U.S. News and World Reports

Greek and Roman Mythology1. Titans (Cronus / Saturn) ( 土星 )

2. Zeus (Jupiter) ( 木星 )

3. Poseidon (Neptune) ( 海王星 )

4. Hades (Pluto) ( 冥王星 )

5. Hera (Juno) ( 司婚姻女神 )

6. Ares (Mars) (Apollo) ( 戰神、太陽神 ) ( 火星 )

7. Artemis (Diana) ( 光明女神、狩獵女神 )

8. Athene (Minerva)

9. Hermes (Mercury) ( 水星 )

10. Aphrodite (Venus) ( 金星 ) (aphrodisiac)

The Bible 1. Esau / Jacob to sell one’s birthright for a pottage of lentils ( 因小失大 ) “The American Esau has sold his birthright for a mess of consumption, debt and political soft s

oap.”

2. conversion on the road to Damascus ( 頓悟、天啟、浪子回頭 )

3. Tower of Babel / 2006 film ( 火線交錯 )

Phase 3: Teaching English from a Functional Perspective

1. Listening / Speaking / Reading / Writing / Mythology / Business Correspondence / Journalist English / Secretarial English

2. Standardized Assessment (Blank Filling / Multiple Choice / Cloze Test / Match / True and False / Vocabulary

3. Interactive Learning a. Nelly / Nellyville / “Air Force Ones” b. Jay-Z’s / Vol. 2. . . Hard Knock Life / “Money Ain’t A Thang” c. Big Tymers / Still Fly d. “Summertime” + Picture Book e. Katie Melua / Piece by Piece / “Nine Million Bicycles” e. Sean Kingston / “Beautiful Girls”

Phase 4: Exploring English as a Cultural Practitioner

1. Shirley Temple 2. Roman Polanski 3. Songs on the Radio 4. American Football (Touchdown) 5. Musicals (Lion King / Hairspray / Mama Mia)6. Operas (Romeo & Juliet)7. Concerts (Willie Nelson)8. Human Interaction9. Eating10. Clothing11. Living12. Transportation13. Communication / Thinking in Mind (the most important)

Phase 5: Teaching English as a Social Practice

1. Multimodal Pedagogy

2. Popular Culture

Conclusions1. Creativity

2. Curiosity (Brands / Movies)

3. Consistency (Perseverance / Passion / Enthusiasm)

4. Confidence

5. Causes (Internal Motivations)

Curiosity Kills the Cat: Brands1. Aurora 2. Wellcome3. Acer4. Mentor5. Triumph 6. Swear7. Shell8. Pampers 9. Pedigree10. Virgin 11. Sharp 12. Pioneer 13. Famous14. Blockbuster15. Eslite16. Giant17. Mirage18. Elf

Curiosity Kills the Cat: Movies / TV / Songs

1. Miss Congeniality 2. Mummies3. Pirates of the Caribbean4. Transformers5. Hitch (get hitched)6. Lust & Caution7. Die Hard 8. I Am Legend 9. Secret 10. The Aviator11. Saving Private Ryan 11. To Move Or Not To Move (TV)12. I Am Wanted (Song)

Newspaper Clippings

1. 莫忘整型手術也有風險

2. 中正紀念堂牌匾爭議

3. 躲避掃蕩 中美洲幫派混入學校

The End

Thanks for listening!Questions???