The Internet has become an integral part of all aspects of the life of twenty-first-century learners. Yet research shows that students’ ease and familiarity with the mechanics of the medium are not matched by their ability to evaluate electronic sources critically. Both faculty and library professionals are acutely aware of this, and much help is available to students in the form of checklists and guides to evaluating Internet sources. Students still seem to be falling through the cracks, however. The author suggests the adoption of the ‘RADAR’ approach to evaluating Internet sources. Just as a ship’s captain needs electronic radar to navigate safely and efficiently through the ocean, so the information searcher needs a similar scanning device, that is, a critical, mental radar, when exploring the vast sea of information on the Internet. This device can help students develop a critical awareness of the need to establish the Relevance, Authority, Date, Appearance and Reason for writing of each web source that they encounter. Preliminary qualitative research amongst both native and non-native English-speaking college students suggests a positive user response to both the concept and the tool, providing grounds for further empirical investigation.
This interpretive study explored native‐speaker ELT teachers' beliefs and practices regarding bilingual dictionaries, both as language learners and teachers. Evidence emerged of a significant discrepancy: while respondents reported that bilingual dictionaries were indispensable in their own language‐learning, they felt constrained from encouraging their use among their own students because they felt bilingual dictionaries are viewed negatively by current ELT theory, which they perceive as continuing to support the monolingual approach. The study indicates an imbalance of power within ELT, as respondents felt obliged to follow certain pedagogical approaches, which may conflict with their own instincts and experiences. It offers support for recent calls for the reinstatement of the L1, a reappraisal of the role of bilingual dictionaries, and investigation into the distribution of pedagogical power. Cette étude d'interprétation explorait les opinions et expériences d'enseignants en anglais (l'anglais étant leur langue primaire) concernant les dictionnaires bilingues, en tant qu'étudiants et enseignants. Une différence importante est apparue: alors que les participants ont déclaré que les dictionnaires bilingues sont indispensables à leur propre apprentissage des langues, ils se sentaient contraints d'éviter leur utilisation parmi leurs propres étudiants parce qu'ils pensent que les dictionnaires bilingues sont perçus négativement par la théorie actuelle du ELT, une vue qu'ils considèrent comme une continuation à favoriser l'approche monolingue. Cette étude indique un déséquilibre de pouvoir au sein du ELT, car les participants se sentaient obligés de suivre certaines méthodes pédagogiques, qui pouvaient entrer en conflit avec leurs propres instincts et expériences. Ceci offre un soutien aux appels récents pour la réintégration de la méthode L1 (langue primaire), une réévaluation du rôle des dictionnaires bilingues, et une enquête sur la distribution du pouvoir pédagogique.
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