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The Teach-to-the-Test Approach: Doing Harm to the Lifelong Educational Paradigm of Algerian EFL Learners
Smail Benmoussat,
Nabil Djawad Benmoussat
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2018
Pages:
1-6
Received:
30 December 2017
Accepted:
20 January 2018
Published:
6 February 2018
Abstract: The present paper is a plea for a reconsideration of the boundaries of EFL teaching and testing within the framework of the lifelong educational paradigm. Today the educational arena dictates a new paradigm in which lifelong learning becomes indispensable. Learning is no more confined to a specific physical context: the classroom; it goes beyond the school gates. The traditional limits on where and when organized knowledge could be imparted as part of a pre-service or in-service training no longer apply. Lifelong learning has become a sine qua non condition for the establishment of a learning society. Yet, as for English Language Education, two antagonistic approaches arise. The first in which parents would most probably argue about what is best to be taught to their children as well as about the most appropriate and effective learning path leading to their offspring success in an increasingly complex world, whereas the second, in which teachers strive to cope with a delicate intertwined questioning of how to strike the balance between an effective teaching and an efficient testing. True, EFL learners in Algeria are in most need of a well-rounded education. An English Language Education geared by the “learning-how-to-learn” principle paving therefore the way for a lifelong educational paradigm.
Abstract: The present paper is a plea for a reconsideration of the boundaries of EFL teaching and testing within the framework of the lifelong educational paradigm. Today the educational arena dictates a new paradigm in which lifelong learning becomes indispensable. Learning is no more confined to a specific physical context: the classroom; it goes beyond th...
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A Comparative Study on the Mutual Stereotyping of Essential Democratic Institutions Between China and the United States
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2018
Pages:
7-13
Received:
7 January 2018
Accepted:
22 January 2018
Published:
17 February 2018
Abstract: With the multi-polarization trend of the world, the cooperation and conflicts between the superpower the United States and rising China have been augmenting simultaneously, among which the mutual criticism upon democracy turns out to be one of the most remarkable controversies. Bilateral condemnations concentrate on the judgment that the democracy of the counterpart is superficial, insufficient or even autocracy at all, therefore the mutual understandings of democracy in both countries appears harsh and prejudicial. Through analyzing and comparing the essential democratic institutions of the United States and China, similarities and differences in political practices of both countries are to be analyzed. On the basis of comparison, assisted by the Radial Network Model of Stereotypes, the process of stereotyping and prejudice on democracy is to be studied to discover its origin as bilateral political antagonism and hostility between different ideologies. From the perspective of Majority and Minority Identities, the development divergence and interaction between the minority identity of China’s democracy and majority identity of American democracy are examined, leading to the proposition of Identity-Empathy in democracy between the two countries.
Abstract: With the multi-polarization trend of the world, the cooperation and conflicts between the superpower the United States and rising China have been augmenting simultaneously, among which the mutual criticism upon democracy turns out to be one of the most remarkable controversies. Bilateral condemnations concentrate on the judgment that the democracy ...
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The Muslims’ Identity in American Society Through Ayad Akhtar’s Play «The Who and the What»
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2018
Pages:
14-19
Received:
4 December 2017
Accepted:
2 January 2018
Published:
24 February 2018
Abstract: The present research aims to point out the clash between the religious and social aspects of Muslim’s life in Ayad Akhtar’s debatable play «The Who and the What», in which the author attempts to stir matter of Muslim Immigrants’ identity, through an impetuous young Muslim woman, Zarina, who tries to break out all the barrier of her traditional society and heritages which bound her to realize what she wants to do; as a result, she lives in a conflict with her family. However, she was controlled by her rigid father, Afzel, who embodies the old generation. Therefore, Ayad Akhtar intends to depict the tension between the conservative traditional life and modern contemporary American one, exploring the interfaith conflicts. And in order to analyze the novel elements, the study adopts the cultural approach.
Abstract: The present research aims to point out the clash between the religious and social aspects of Muslim’s life in Ayad Akhtar’s debatable play «The Who and the What», in which the author attempts to stir matter of Muslim Immigrants’ identity, through an impetuous young Muslim woman, Zarina, who tries to break out all the barrier of her traditional soci...
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An Analysis of “Beauty of Death” in Edgar Allen Poe’s Poetry
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2018
Pages:
20-24
Received:
3 March 2018
Accepted:
14 March 2018
Published:
9 April 2018
Abstract: Edgar Allen Poe was one of the greatest poets in America and the poems he created have a great impact on not only American literature but the whole world. In many of his poems, “death” is almost everywhere, and through these poems his aesthetic view was revealed. In Poe’s mind, the terror and ugliness of death is another form of beauty, and this sort of beauty is eternal and transcends time and space. The author analyzes different presentations of “beauty of death” in Poe’s poems and finds that, in Poe’s mind, death does not mean the end of life, but a kind of rebirth and a sublimation of soul, and it helps people to find the “supernal beauty” which only exists in another world. To explore this is of great value to study his extraordinary and unique poems and further explore his view of death and aesthetics.
Abstract: Edgar Allen Poe was one of the greatest poets in America and the poems he created have a great impact on not only American literature but the whole world. In many of his poems, “death” is almost everywhere, and through these poems his aesthetic view was revealed. In Poe’s mind, the terror and ugliness of death is another form of beauty, and this so...
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Five Filipino Novels in English Depicting Socio-Political Realities Evoke Human Transformations
Issue:
Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2018
Pages:
25-32
Received:
29 May 2018
Accepted:
13 July 2018
Published:
6 August 2018
Abstract: In the world of literature, Henry James stated that novel is history. This is so because novels are written by authors gathering their plot agenda from prevailing socio-political realities in particular time points in history. This study aims to present a review of five Filipino novels in English as to how they exemplify the fictive realities of the Marcosian era and provides a synthesis of the philosophical learnings derived from them. The novels included are: Fortress in the Plaza by Linda Ty-Casper, Bamboo in the Wind by Azucena Grajo Uranza, Killing Time in a Warm Place by Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr., Viajero by F. Sionil Jose and Dream Eden by Linda Ty-Casper. Descriptive method was employed in looking into portrayals of realities and characterizations of personalities in the novels, following a sociological, psychological and philosophical approach in literary criticism. Results showed that sociological dualism, political ferment and economic stagnation were among the socio-political milieu that led to the declaration of Martial law in the Philippines. These realities were reflected in the different dimensions such as the socio-political, the psychological and the philosophical dimensions. While the novels capture the thoughts and aspirations of the authors, these also reveal the human transformations undergone by the characters that arise from their experiences of the Marcosian era. These human transformations include the evolvement of the philosophical constructs of human dignification and that of being a man for others.
Abstract: In the world of literature, Henry James stated that novel is history. This is so because novels are written by authors gathering their plot agenda from prevailing socio-political realities in particular time points in history. This study aims to present a review of five Filipino novels in English as to how they exemplify the fictive realities of th...
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