1. Melissa Taylor College of Continuing Education Dalhousie University Halifax, NS Lesson Plan: Article Discussion Cafe

2. How can we help our students improve their language skills?

3. Integrated lesson for EAP classes Article Discussion Café

4. General information Students prepare for and participate in a student- led discussion activity Designed for EAP students with IELTS scores 4 – 6. The activity involves researching for various articles of interest, creating discussion questions, leading tutorials, and completing a written reflection

5. Researching Students read various articles before selecting Magatopia: www.magatopia.com/www.magatopia.com/

6. Considerations when selecting an article: Is this a topic of current interest? Is it potentially offensive to any particular group? Is there enough material in this article to maintain a 15 - 20 minute discussion? If not, please choose an article that has more ‘meat’. Could I make questions to keep a discussion going?

7. Sample article: Ten reasons why e-books are better than real books By Mark Cotterill There are still lots of people saying that e-books “just aren’t the same as holding a real book in your hand” or that “they don’t have that same smell” and “what does this new technology mean for the future of libraries?” But I think it’s time to embrace this new technology. Books are nothing more than a delivery system for information, and as such they’re impractical, deeply flawed and poorly designed. So here's a list of 10 reasons why I think we won’ t need to be chopping down any more trees. 1: Real books are too big and heavy Ever tried to carry around more than 4 books at a time …

8. Source Name of author - Mark Cotterill Name of article - 10 REASONS WHY E-BOOKS ARE BETTER THANREAL BOOKS-Date published Journal - Shadowlocked Date - 02 February 2011 Link - http://www.shadowlocked.com/201102021394/lists/1 0-reasons-why-e-books-are-better-than-real- books.html

9. Students prepare discussion questions 1.Do you like read books? 2.What kind of book do you like best? 3.Have you ever use e-book? 4.Do you like reading e-book or a real book?Why? 5.Do you think e-books more popular than real books?

10. Feedback about their article and questions Suitable content appropriate length of the article Accurate questions

11. Second draft 1.Do you like reading books? 2.What kind of book do you like best? 3.Have you ever used e-book? 4.Do you like reading e-book or a real book? Why? 5.Do you think e-books will become more popular than real books?

12. Preparation for discussions

13. Guidelines for successful participation Enter the discussion immediately and eagerly. Engage others by asking questions. Stay on-topic and share views. Attempt to understand other points of view.

14. Guidelines for Group Managers Allow participants to do most of the talking. Offer your opinions no more than 10% of the time. Maintain eye contact with all members of your group. Demonstrate active listening skills. Paraphrase what the participants are saying. Make sure you hear equally from all members of the group.

15. The Café The class divides into small groups The managers introduce their article and give it to the participants in their group to read.

16. The Discussion Managers initiate the discussion and ask their questions background music sometimes students bring in a snack to the Article Discussion Café to share

17. Video clip of a discussion café

18. Video clip #2

19. Marking Criteria for the Group Managers Preparation: article was interesting / current source of the article was cited correctly questions were formulated well Group Management Skills: encouraged all group members to participate spoke no more than 10% of the time listened carefully to classmates paraphrased others’ ideas Language Skills: vocabulary was clear and effective fluent used correct word form used accurate verb tenses pronunciation was clear and did not impede understanding

20. Discussion managers self reflection I noticed that the readers were interested, and it was easy to deal with them. I’ve shocked that one who doesn’t like to eat fruit completely. Acting as a manager is a fabulous role because it gave me a chance to search and identify a useful topic. In my opinion, I think this role improved my listening skills and also it is helpful to overcome inwardness.

21. Participants writing task One-paragraph response for one of the articles discussed: to build skills at writing clear, succinct paragraphs to help articulate ideas on the content of the article.

22. what the article was about what it meant to them the treatment of this issue in their home country or their opinion of the issue

23. Sample of the writing task

24. Instructor feedback You showed a lot of enthusiasm for the subject. Smiled a lot. When you didn't understand someone, you asked for clarification. Although you were easily understood, you used past tense to talk about current things. The example you gave about being a volunteer tutor was very useful and interesting. I also liked the fact that at the end, you summarized the discussion.

25. Challenges of running the Article Discussion Café Students sometimes choose unsuitable articles When creating discussion questions, it is challenging for the students to refrain from making reading comprehension questions It is difficult to mark because instructors may need to listen to two or more discussions simultaneously.

26. Kathryn McLean from NSCC invented the Article Discussion Café. Special thanks to Abdul, Marwa, Areej, Amal, Denise, Kim, Mohammad, Wenfeng, Sultan and Waef for agreeing to be included in this ppt. References: