1. Developing Teacher Language Awareness through WEBLA
Jose Lai
English Language Teaching Unit
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

2. What is WEBLA?
A 3-level interactive web-based language awareness learning package for English teachers –
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 accordingly.
Level 3: consolidates teachers’ knowledge of “language awareness” by inviting them to create relevant activities for their own learners using pre-set templates.

3. WEBLA: Objectives
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 skilfully employed in achieving the writer’s’ purpose
To introduce English teachers to effective reading strategies
To allow teachers learn through the package on a self-directed basis

4. What is Language Awareness?
Accordingly to the Association for Language Awareness, it refers to
“the explicit knowledge about language, and conscious perception and sensitivity in language learning, language teaching and language use”.

5. Language Awareness: Written Texts
Knowledge of:
Organisational structure
Grammatical structure
Style and tone
Cohesion
Word choice
Reading strategies

6. Why is Language Awareness Important?
To deal with problems that occur in language use process
To reach higher levels of understanding and use of language (van Lier, 1995, p.3)
To enhance effective language learning

7. Teacher Metalinguistic Awareness
Knowledge of the underlying systems of the language enables teachers to teach effectively (Thornbury, 1997).
Specifically, it helps enable students to receive maximal input for learning  how knowledge can be appropriately used (Andrews, 1999).

8. Newspapers as Resources
Language awareness work relies on noticing the language around us and examining authentic language use in a critical manner.
The best way to do formal linguistic analysis is to work with a text.

9. WEBLA: Features Experiential: Concrete tasks  Reflection
Personal: My profile
Resourceful: Learning activities and learning objects
Evaluative: Review test and peer review of teachers’ learning objects
Supportive: Language notes, feedback, online dictionary, glossary
Systematic: Macro  Micro

10. WEBLA: Deliverables
A 3-level self-learning package of interactive web-based language awareness learning activities

19. WEBLA: Expected Outcomes
Enhanced teacher language awareness with regard to written texts of different modes
Enhanced reading efficiency with the help of genre knowledge and linguistic insights
Skills and competence in designing language awareness activities for the learners they teach
Enhanced reading interest

20. WEBLA: Looking Forward
Downloadable templates
Large resource bank of articles
Related research activities
Official launching date: Nov 13, 2006

21. Acknowledgements QEF HKedCity SCMP ITSC, CUHK Production Team Members:
Ms Pauline Tam
Ms Lin Ruffell
Ms Misty Wai-Cook