One key aspect the lady in the video highlights is that we should let students do their own job in the class. We may help them with instructions, show them examples, etc., but there is no point if they will be simply imitating exactly what we have done, the point would be to let them be creative, spontaneous, and develop their skills and capacities freely. Many times, in high school, and this being my case at least, the way to learn was to take a look at a good example of a speech, for instance, and basically copy it and present it. Just like presented by Egbert (2007) in CALL Environments: Research, Practice and Critical Issues: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, when referring to the primary goal of CALL, which is to augment and improve the participation of language learners in linguistic exchanges (p. 20); there is a need to let students feel free to innovate, use their own knowledge, and develop their skills. We must give them their own space to learn.
One relevant aspect that I want to highlight and that we have to consider in English Teaching is giving to students the opportunity to be creating and be part on their learning process. This thought base their concepts on the Constructivist theory in which students assume control of educational activities by making choices related to individual interest and also they are encourage to use problem-solving strategies, which in turn are developed while learning how to think(Perspectives on teaching and learning). According to the lady from the video, students learn faster and better when they feel motivate to learn and a great example of this is to give them an assignment in which they can express all their creativity such as make video, a dramatization or write a song.
As the woman in the video states the idea about a student tutor system (where the professor is not the only expert on the field) the student will ask to three classmates how to do something before ask to the professor about the problem or situation; in my case I found out that this idea is incredibly useful in a class environment if it accomplishes all aspects to perform the method correctly. As Egbert and others stated in Introduction: Foundations for Teaching and learning: Language learning classroom goals can be establish in number of ways, but effective learning environments emphasize the needs of both the learner and other stakeholders. Goals for language learners at all levels have moved beyond a mere understanding of language. (p. 3); there we could realize that an extremely high-quality method could become a waste of time if the activity does not fit the necessities and capabilities of the students or the professor.
As William Glasser states, “We Learn . . . 10% of what we read 20% of what we hear 30% of what we see 50% of what we see and hear 70% of what we discuss 80% of what we experience 95% of what we teach others.” The use and application of multimedia tools in education should be a MUST for every teacher to take into consideration. We have to let students lead the process of learning, so that they decide what they would like to learn about the topics we are asked to teach. For instance, cooperative learning allows students to have social interaction and to develop communicative skills. Through the use of CALL we can serve merely as conductors of the process. This idea will allow students to explore their teaching skills and learn by correcting each other. It is not only the idea of learning the language (that is the ultimate goal). What matters and is really important is the path we follow in order to achieve that goal. Moreover, creativity will be taken to another place because students will be developing new ideas of how to learn a language, which will also give them the opportunity to invent and find out the most appealing processes as well as methodologies that personally better fit their expectations. For example, I would be up to use power point presentations in which students present and explain a topic for his/her classmates to create conversations or dialogues about it.
I really like the perspective shown in this video in regards of the teacher role. He is presented as a guide rather than the only person who has the knowledge required for stimulating the acquisition of the target language within a group. This point of view also grantees that the students are capable of producing and sharing information while taking part of the teaching and learning process. For this purpose, the experimentation (which is also mentioned in the video) is essential for the students because it makes them to get really involved in the tasks they have to accomplish; for them it is like a challenge. This point is highlighted by Egbert while affirming that “In a learner-centered classroom, learners are given ownership of the process of developing solutions to their learning tasks and may, in fact, with the teacher’s guidance or mentorship, devise their own learning agenda ” (2005, p.7). I consider that using CALL for the same purpose of encouraging students to experiment may be useful and at the same time very appealing for them since using CALL technologies and devices is, from the very beginning, a discovery process with very few limitations.
As it is stated in the video, the CALL offers a variety of learning opportunities to students in which they can be real participants in their learning process. Besides that, the Reading Call and its evaluation states “…the ideal of CALL activity is one that encourages the L2 learner to become an agent in the learning process” ( p.p 53) The correct use of CALL will encourage students to immerse in their language acquisition process making the process attractive and interesting for them. Also, teachers have a relevant role being the guide for students in that technological learning process, so the right use of resources by teacher becomes fundamental. Examples: I will use Skype to connect students to native speakers. I will use the chat to talk with students about a specific topic. So, I can review student’s grammar, vocabulary and spelling. I will be interacting with students in a real time.
This video reminds me a course I took before finishing my bachelor degree, which was "Taller Informático para la Enseñanza del Inglés". In this course, the final project consisted on preparing a lesson based on a specific topic and using technological as well as traditional techniques. As a student, I felt so excited when creating a web page and a blog where my classmates could post comments about environmental education, as well as creating word documents with attractive colors and pictures for them to practice. As it is stated in the reading "Learning with Multimedia Tools", "Multimedia technology can be a catalyst for change, helping teachers to alter their approach to teaching and learning from passive learning to active learning." (p.332) Hence, I was part of a privileged group of students who had the great opportunity to be as creative as they wanted to be, who gave their best when creating a product and whose results where reflected on the obtained grades.
Taking into account my own experience, I would: - have students work on different software, to know which one they prefer to work with.
- assign projects in which they can come up with exercises to reinforce their knowledge.
Learning in peers is an excellent way of enhancing collaborative skills among students, for that reason it is recommended to implement it in high schools. As the lady of the video mentioned it is useful to let students share their own knowledge before they go and ask the professor the answer or the correct steps of how to do something. I agree with that strategy because it promotes students to think more about the topic and to be aware of their own knowledge. By the time we are students we like to have everything in an easy way, but when we are on the other side of the process teaching is very rewarding to see our students achieving the goal by themselves. That is why in my opinion it is a good idea to let students to discover thier knowledge and to into practice what they know before give them everything in thier hands.
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ReplyDeleteOne key aspect the lady in the video highlights is that we should let students do their own job in the class. We may help them with instructions, show them examples, etc., but there is no point if they will be simply imitating exactly what we have done, the point would be to let them be creative, spontaneous, and develop their skills and capacities freely. Many times, in high school, and this being my case at least, the way to learn was to take a look at a good example of a speech, for instance, and basically copy it and present it. Just like presented by Egbert (2007) in CALL Environments: Research, Practice and Critical Issues: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, when referring to the primary goal of CALL, which is to augment and improve the participation of language learners in linguistic exchanges (p. 20); there is a need to let students feel free to innovate, use their own knowledge, and develop their skills. We must give them their own space to learn.
ReplyDeleteOne relevant aspect that I want to highlight and that we have to consider in English Teaching is giving to students the opportunity to be creating and be part on their learning process. This thought base their concepts on the Constructivist theory in which students assume control of educational activities by making choices related to individual interest and also they are encourage to use problem-solving strategies, which in turn are developed while learning how to think(Perspectives on teaching and learning). According to the lady from the video, students learn faster and better when they feel motivate to learn and a great example of this is to give them an assignment in which they can express all their creativity such as make video, a dramatization or write a song.
ReplyDeleteAs the woman in the video states the idea about a student tutor system (where the professor is not the only expert on the field) the student will ask to three classmates how to do something before ask to the professor about the problem or situation; in my case I found out that this idea is incredibly useful in a class environment if it accomplishes all aspects to perform the method correctly. As Egbert and others stated in Introduction: Foundations for Teaching and learning: Language learning classroom goals can be establish in number of ways, but effective learning environments emphasize the needs of both the learner and other stakeholders. Goals for language learners at all levels have moved beyond a mere understanding of language. (p. 3); there we could realize that an extremely high-quality method could become a waste of time if the activity does not fit the necessities and capabilities of the students or the professor.
ReplyDeleteAs William Glasser states,
ReplyDelete“We Learn . . .
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we see and hear
70% of what we discuss
80% of what we experience
95% of what we teach others.”
The use and application of multimedia tools in education should be a MUST for every teacher to take into consideration. We have to let students lead the process of learning, so that they decide what they would like to learn about the topics we are asked to teach. For instance, cooperative learning allows students to have social interaction and to develop communicative skills. Through the use of CALL we can serve merely as conductors of the process. This idea will allow students to explore their teaching skills and learn by correcting each other. It is not only the idea of learning the language (that is the ultimate goal). What matters and is really important is the path we follow in order to achieve that goal. Moreover, creativity will be taken to another place because students will be developing new ideas of how to learn a language, which will also give them the opportunity to invent and find out the most appealing processes as well as methodologies that personally better fit their expectations. For example, I would be up to use power point presentations in which students present and explain a topic for his/her classmates to create conversations or dialogues about it.
I really like the perspective shown in this video in regards of the teacher role. He is presented as a guide rather than the only person who has the knowledge required for stimulating the acquisition of the target language within a group. This point of view also grantees that the students are capable of producing and sharing information while taking part of the teaching and learning process. For this purpose, the experimentation (which is also mentioned in the video) is essential for the students because it makes them to get really involved in the tasks they have to accomplish; for them it is like a challenge. This point is highlighted by Egbert while affirming that “In a learner-centered classroom, learners are given ownership of the process of developing solutions to their learning tasks and may, in fact, with the teacher’s guidance or mentorship, devise their own learning agenda ” (2005, p.7). I consider that using CALL for the same purpose of encouraging students to experiment may be useful and at the same time very appealing for them since using CALL technologies and devices is, from the very beginning, a discovery process with very few limitations.
ReplyDeleteAs it is stated in the video, the CALL offers a variety of learning opportunities to students in which they can be real participants in their learning process. Besides that, the Reading Call and its evaluation states “…the ideal of CALL activity is one that encourages the L2 learner to become an agent in the learning process” ( p.p 53) The correct use of CALL will encourage students to immerse in their language acquisition process making the process attractive and interesting for them. Also, teachers have a relevant role being the guide for students in that technological learning process, so the right use of resources by teacher becomes fundamental.
ReplyDeleteExamples: I will use Skype to connect students to native speakers.
I will use the chat to talk with students about a specific topic. So, I can review student’s grammar, vocabulary and spelling. I will be interacting with students in a real time.
This video reminds me a course I took before finishing my bachelor degree, which was "Taller Informático para la Enseñanza del Inglés". In this course, the final project consisted on preparing a lesson based on a specific topic and using technological as well as traditional techniques. As a student, I felt so excited when creating a web page and a blog where my classmates could post comments about environmental education, as well as creating word documents with attractive colors and pictures for them to practice. As it is stated in the reading "Learning with Multimedia Tools", "Multimedia technology can be a catalyst for change, helping teachers to alter their approach to teaching and learning from passive learning to active learning." (p.332) Hence, I was part of a privileged group of students who had the great opportunity to be as creative as they wanted to be, who gave their best when creating a product and whose results where reflected on the obtained grades.
ReplyDeleteTaking into account my own experience, I would:
- have students work on different software, to know which one they prefer to work with.
- assign projects in which they can come up with exercises to reinforce their knowledge.
Learning in peers is an excellent way of enhancing collaborative skills among students, for that reason it is recommended to implement it in high schools. As the lady of the video mentioned it is useful to let students share their own knowledge before they go and ask the professor the answer or the correct steps of how to do something. I agree with that strategy because it promotes students to think more about the topic and to be aware of their own knowledge. By the time we are students we like to have everything in an easy way, but when we are on the other side of the process teaching is very rewarding to see our students achieving the goal by themselves. That is why in my opinion it is a good idea to let students to discover thier knowledge and to into practice what they know before give them everything in thier hands.
ReplyDelete