About WEBLA

WEBLA stands for web-based language awareness learning package for English teachers.  It is a QEF project primarily aimed at enhancing participants’ language awareness of different written text-types through engaging them in a series of exploratory and experiential learning activities. It also sets out to help nurture participants’ skills and competence in developing language awareness learning activities for their own students.

In brief, we aim

  • To propose a theoretical framework for creating language awareness activities using authentic texts

  • To introduce English teachers to the richness of language features used in various written texts

  • To demonstrate how specific language features are skillfully employed in achieving the writer's purpose

  • To introduce English teachers to effective reading strategies

  • To allow teachers to learn through the package on a self-directed basis

What is Language Awareness?

Language Awareness is defined by the Association for Language Awareness as "the explicit knowledge about language, and conscious perception and sensitivity in language learning, language teaching and language use". In this project, which is based on written texts, it specifically refers to the knowledge of:

  • Organisational structure

  • Grammatical structure

  • Style and tone

  • Coherence

  • Word choice

  • Reading strategies
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Why is Language Awareness important?

It is believed that heightened awareness serves to empower the language users to deal with problems that occur in the language-using process, as well as to help reach higher levels of understanding and language use (van Lier, 1995). It is also believed that directed training in this area is beneficial to different categories of language users. For general language learners, this will aid their comprehension of messages and repair their language problems. For professional language users such as English teachers, this will help enhance their meta-linguistic knowledge and linguistic competence, which is crucial for effective language teaching.

Reference:

Van Lier, L. (1995). Introducing language awareness. London ; New York : Penguin English.
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How can participants benefit from WEBLA?

To obtain maximum effect from WEBLA, participants should be aware of the overall design and features of the package before embarking on Level 1.
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Overall design

WEBLA has three levels, each of which is aimed at achieving different purposes:
Level 1: develops teachers' language awareness of different modes of writing (description/narration/exposition/persuasion) and their corresponding language features. With such knowledge, teachers are encouraged to identify possible reading strategies for effective reading.
Level 2: enhances teachers' appreciation of the richness of language features used in various types of written texts; how writing techniques are skillfully employed to achieve the writing purpose of each mode of writing; and how efficient readers may process different text-types.
Level 3: consolidates teachers' knowledge of "language awareness" by inviting them to create relevant activities for their own learners using preset templates.
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Recommended time frame for completion

As the three levels are related, it is recommended that teachers complete all levels progressively within three to six months in order to obtain the best learning outcomes.
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Features of WEBLA

Experiential: Concrete tasks are designed for active engagement in a complete learning process from pre-task to post-task.
Personal: A personal profile "My profile" is created to help participants track their learning progress. Questionnaires are designed to prepare participants' readiness for the challenge and to inform them of their learning progress over time.
Resourceful: A wide range of learning activities in different formats are designed based on a pool of news articles obtained from the SCMP.
Evaluative: Learning outcomes are recorded to show performance, and self-reflection on task completion forms part of the learning path. At the end of Level 1, a Review Test is also designed to evaluate achievements. At Level 3, peer feedback on on-line contributions will be available.
Supportive: Language notes, feedback, glossary and online dictionary are provided to facilitate task completion.
Systematic: The package is carefully designed in such a way that participants are introduced to essential concepts before they engage in concrete learning tasks. In short, WEBLA is exploratory, experiential and evaluative.
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