Phase 2 - Recognition of the Initial Situation
Item 2
What are the
challenges you would like to take in order to be an excellent English language
mediator? Mention at least three.
Alternative
assessment
Assessment
was and to some extent is still viewed not only as a cumulative but also as a
formative process. In other words, assessment is regarded as a process that
uses quantitative and qualitative methods that seeks to determine whether, and
to which extent, students have learned and achieved the specific learning
objectives of a course. Alternatively, some assessment methods in the
post-modern era include self-assessment, peer assessment, portfolios, learner
diaries, journals, student-teacher conferences, interviews, observations, and
so on. I see this as a challenge since I often perceive that I am too tied to
the old-fashioned and traditional assessment methods which pay too much
attention to the cumulative quantitative aspects, leaving aside other relevant
aspects of assessment. A person cannot be defined, encapsulated or tagged by
the scores obtained in a test, for example, and thus other alternative
assessment methods are urged and needed.
The importance of
being sympathetic and of the implementation of rapport and pedagogical
mediation themselves
It has been clearly stated in the existing corpus of
literature that neurolinguistic programming, the biopedagogical and
psychological aspects of learning/teaching (brain plasticity, type of
intelligence, learning style, resiliency, mood and mood swings, etc.), various
extralinguistic (context -historical, cultural, social-), paralinguistic (body
language, gestures, facial expressions tone and pitch of voice, etc.),
developmental (mode of representation -enactive, symbolic, -iconic-),
anthropological (ethnography, cultural diversity, human roles, family roles,
etc.), among other aspects, must not only be addressed but also taken into
consideration here so as to ensure excellence and quality of education.
Needless to say, learners tend to learn more from people they like and with whom they have established a good relationship. Although I firmly believe that
the above-mentioned aspects are core to the success of learning/teaching, and
which I have turned to and have been applying for the last say five years, I
still see this as a personal challenge, and will always see it in the same
fashion, due to the complexities of the human nature in terms of emotions and
due to the fact that we are always changing.
What is the best
way to teach a language?
I firmly believe that there is no such thing as “the best
way to teach a language”. This idea sounds highly utopic to me, more like a
fairy tale. Au contraire, what I do strongly believe in, is that there exist
excellent ways, methods, methodologies, approaches, etc., for language teaching
that can give interesting and magnificent outcomes if applied correctly taking
into consideration the following aspects: population to be taught, their
context, their needs, their realities, their individualities, their motivation,
their learning styles and paces, their type of intelligence, and so on.
Although currently there are ways that give amazing results and that can be
replicable, the only constant in life is change. Consequently, I will see this
matter as a personal challenge for as long as I breathe, since learning is an
extremely dynamic-everlasting-versatile process.
Further ideas to consider
and that are worthy of attention in my humble point of view are:
· Tools for teaching
English as a foreign language – Books
· The theory of linguistic
imperialism that argues that “Education
and English language teaching in particular, are not politically neutral
activities. Mastery of English, it is claimed, enhances the power and control
of a privileged few.”
· The premise that “Textbooks,
no longer seen as indispensable tools, are viewed as controlling instruments,
hindering the creativity of the teacher, maintained in place through the
pressure of publishers, and may result in the deskilling of teachers through
their recycling of old, but tried and tested teaching techniques. They are
transmitters of a dominant and dominating ideology.”
· Reflective teaching and
action research
· PBL for the TEFL: how to
succeed?
· The application of ICTs
for the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language
Item 5
Go to the
collaborative forum and make a list of ideas for mediating pleasant English
language learning experiences in the classroom and outside of it. Interact with
your partners about their participation.
· The role of videogames in
the teaching of English as a foreign language
· The role of movies and
series in the teaching of English as a foreign language
· The application of ICTs
for the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language: videogames,
streaming platforms, the social media and social networks, among others
· Effective
autonomous-out-of-the-classroom activities and strategies for the learning of
English as a foreign language
· The importance of music
for the teaching of English as a foreign language
· Useful websites, Facebook
and Instagram accounts, such as The New York Times, The Economist, The BBC, and
so on, to enhance reading skills, broaden vocabulary and boost input in English
language learning
· Inclusive education for
the teaching of English as a foreign language: how to succeed?
· The role of the
teacher-mediator in the teaching of English as a foreign language
· The importance of
gamification, rapport, and pedagogical mediation to boost and enhance teenagers
and young adults’ cognitive processes in the teaching/learning of English as a
foreign language
· How to broaden learners’ vocabulary
and improve their listening comprehension through Extensive Viewing
· The role of social
interaction in the process of learning/teaching English as a foreign language
· Pedagogical mediation,
rapport, and mindfulness as a bridge among teachers and students and students
and students
· Students’ and teachers’
autonomy: one of the pillars for the success of teaching practices
Item 6
Watch the video "Creativity in the
Classroom" which is available in the following link:
https://youtu.be/oQqFFaJJ8gc, take notes about what you consider the most
interesting, socialize them in the forum and interact with your partners about
their participation.
What is creativity for me?
My standpoint is that creativity
is an innate trait that most animals, especially mammals and birds such as
humans, orangutans, the herring gull, Japanese macaques, chimpanzees, etc.,
feature. Speaking of humans, it is creativity, curiosity, and innovation that
have allowed mankind to evolve up to the current state of affairs. Not only is
it an innate trait but it can also be developed, boosted, and mastered. To
provide a simple definition, I think it is the innate trait that allows us to
adapt, evolve, and find solutions to everyday problems in fashionable,
interesting, cheap, and easy ways. Creativity is an innate feature that
everyone possesses and which can be further developed.
Not only creativity and
learning can go hand-in-hand but they also must. This is a symbiotic
association in which both parties benefit from each other without harm being
done. What is more, a third term can be summoned here: curiosity. Where there
is curiosity, there is creativity, and where there is creativity, there is
learning, and the other way round if we take into consideration flipped
scenarios and/or environments such as the flipped classroom.
Like I stated before, creativity, curiosity,
and observation allow us to come up with easier, eco-friendly, innovative,
fashionable, remarkable, and replicable solutions to solve everyday real-life
problems, which is one of the ultimate goals of education in the whole scope.
Imagine life without the invention of the light bulb, for example. What if Mr.
Edison had given up? He claimed “Why would I feel like a failure? And why
would I ever give up? I now know definitely over 9,000 ways an electric
light bulb will not work. Success is almost in my grasp.”
Creativity, curriculum, and curriculum development
Creativity is not just
for students to be applied, learned, developed, and mastered. It is also the
teachers’ duty to take it into consideration from the very first beginning,
meaning from the development of a curriculum. State-of-the-art curricula should
be innovative, updated, accurate, and creative.
Personality types is
something that has to be taken into consideration when it comes to understanding,
boosting, and developing creativity in and among learners. Solid evidence shows
that, for example, introverts might find it a little bit more challenging to engage
with the class, and thus their creativity can be overshadowed by their personality
type. Notwithstanding that, everyone is creative in their own fashion, we just
have to find a way to channel these students’ creativity and exploit it.
Not only is creativity
present in inside-the-classroom scenarios, but also outside them. It has a free
spirit, it is as free as the wind which touches everything and everyone, and it
can only be restrained by the limitations that are within oneself. Positive
learning environments that pose no threat whatsoever and where there are
creativity, curiosity, emotion, and motivation are the most suitable ones for
learning to occur, to learn, to unlearn, and to relearn.
I am going to be
straightforward: emotion. Where there is emotion, there is motivation, where
there is motivation, there is curiosity, where there is curiosity, there is
creativity, and when all of the aforementioned characteristics are present,
learning happens.
Like it was clearly
stated in the video, the most common antagonists of creativity are stereotypes
and disbeliefs. Yet, I think the following aspects can get in the line, too: 1)
lack of confidence; 2) lack of self-esteem and/or low self-esteem; 3) lack of
motivation (both intrinsic and extrinsic); 4) a toxic learning environment; 5)
a teacher who acts more like a dictator than as an orientator; 6) the lack of
teaching practices that are conducive to creativity; and so on.
From my perspective, this
is another powerful symbiotic relationship that can benefit the whole education
community to a great extent. Who can cope up with boredom? Better asked, who
likes to get bored? Although at times it is necessary for us to get bored because somehow this takes us out of our comfort zone and thus learning also
takes place, a high dose of boredom has a negative impact on learners’ cognitive
processes and becomes detrimental to them. A solution to this issue, and to
classes that tend to be a little bit boring because of the schedule, the topics
to be developed, etc., is gamification. There is solid evidence in the literature
on the benefits of gamification when it comes to teaching/learning. Now,
imagine the possibilities if gamification and creativity are combined.
Beautiful, isn’t it?
This is related to the types
of personality learners have. We cannot ignore the biopedagogical and the
psychopedagogical components that are involved in education and in apprentices’
cognitive processes. For example, one who is an introvert most likely will have
challenges regarding social interaction and thus with learning. Au contraire,
one who is an extrovert most likely will not have challenges regarding social
interaction and thus with learning. These components have to be taken into
consideration when we talk about creativity in order to better channel and
exploit it.
Humans need to feel that they are seen, that they
matter, and that they are important to someone. Everyone deserves to have
someone in their lives who believes in them, preferably themselves, but if not,
at least be the one who believes in them: you, their teacher. Different
pedagogical strategies and activities that are, firstly, meaningful to the
students and that are inclusive, so that students can feel engaged, motivated,
comfortable, and, most importantly, that they experience the feeling of
belonging and self-confidence, are important to be applied.
What new possibilities for teaching come to your
mind when you reflect on the suggestions given in the video and texts?
·
Rapport
·
Pedagogical mediation
·
Mindfulness
·
Gamification
·
Extensive Viewing
·
In-the-classroom and out-of-the-classroom scenarios
·
Biopedagogy
·
Psychopedagogy
·
Neuropsychology
·
Neurolinguistic programming
·
The power of music
·
The power of love
·
The power of joy
·
Suggestopedia
Item 9
Identify and describe an opportunity to improve
your pedagogical practices in English language learning, something interesting
for you, something you can manage by yourself in your everyday life with your
learners (try to use the same topic you are working on in the other courses of
this master’s program).
In the Information Age, it is important to acknowledge
and take into consideration the term “digital native” which refers to a person
who has grown up in the digital age, because this is the context in which loads
of students have grown up. Therefore, Extensive Viewing not only by means of
watching television but also via streaming platforms (series, movies,
documentaries, etc.) has a major role as an approach/strategy to expand
apprentices’ vocabulary and develop and strengthen their listening skills/abilities,
mainly.
Television is a source of
information and entertainment, and for many people it is an
integral part of daily
life. In fact, television might be the greatest source of first language input.
Canadians and Americans watch television five times more than they read
(Statistics Canada, 1998, United States Department of Labor, 2006).
The greatest value of
television for language learning might be its potential to provide large
amounts of L2 spoken input, which can contribute to the development of vocabulary
knowledge and listening comprehension, as well as other aspects of L2 learning.
Perhaps the greatest challenge in L2 learning in the EFL context, where L2 input
is typically lacking, is developing a vocabulary size beyond the most frequent 2000
words. (Webb, 2015, p. 1).
Since a language is comprised of words that belong
to a different grammatical category (verbs, adverbs, nouns, etc.) and that have
a different syntactic function, which will be further connected by a set of
standard rules and by the overall linguistic knowledge and by the general knowledge
of the world, it is not only imperative but also necessary that students’ lexicon
be as large as possible. The broader a person’s lexicon is, the better their
comprehension (listening and reading) and production (speaking and writing)
skills are going to be.
Moreover, this is an efficient-and enjoyable-in-the-classroom-and-out-of-the-classroom
approach/strategy which will also boost students’ motivation in this process. Needless
to say, where there are motivation and joy, there is learning.
As an educator and facilitator (in the field of
teaching English as a foreign language), I always take into consideration my
students’ realities, needs, expectations, previous experiences, learning styles
and rhythms, multiple intelligences and their learning pace for everybody is
completely different from one another. The same way a doctor cannot prescribe
the same medications and treatments to all their patients, a teacher cannot
educate everyone in the same fashion.
In my almost ten years of experience working as a
teacher of English as a foreign language, I have had the opportunity to work
with different populations. Moreover, I have also had the opportunity to work
with different types of curricula, which have helped me jumped into the
conclusion that an educator must always get to know their students deeply
enough (in terms of their reality, context (economical, political, social,
cultural, etc.), needs, expectations, motivations, etc.) so as to understand
and realize what is the best learning strategy, methodology, method, approach,
etc., that works best for each of them.
Speaking
of Pedagogical Mediation per se, it can be defined as “the teacher-student
relationship in the quest for learning as a process of knowledge construction.”
This term goes hand in hand with another one: Rapport, which is “the
relationship that the learners have with their teachers and vice versa…a class
where there is a positive, enjoyable and respectful relationship between
teacher and learners and between learner themselves”. Put together, these two
concepts are fundamental and of utmost importance to the achievement of the
proposed learning objectives of every curriculum. Many times do teachers fail
to acknowledge, recognize, understand, and remember that there are both
external and internal factors that, undoubtedly, have a positive or negative
impact on the learning process of apprentices thus boosting it or hindering it.
References
American Psychological Association. (2016).
Creativity in the Classroom [YouTube]. Recovered from
https://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/
https://vark-learn.com/introduction-to-vark/
https://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9hXY1xiZjo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8914hv18xnU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teErxDIPP5M
Tebar, L. (2011). El panorama educativo en la
sociedad actual. In El profesor mediador del aprendizaje (2nd ed., pp. 19–53).
Bogotá D.C.: Editorial Magisterio. Recovered from http://bibliotecadigital.magisterio.co.bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/libro/el-profesor-mediador-del-aprendizaje-0
Richards, J.
(2002). 30 Years of TEFL/TESL: A personal Reflection. Singapore. In RELC
Journal, Vol 33, 2, 2002, pp.1-36. Recovered from https://www.professorjackrichards.com/wp-content/uploads/30-years-ofTEFL.pdf
Richards, J.
(2014). The Changing Face of Language Learning: Learning Beyond the Classroom.
In RELC Journal, Vol 45, 1, pp.1-18. Recovered from https://www.professorjackrichards.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Changing-Face-of-Language-Learning-RELC.pdf
Richards, J. (2013). Creativity in Language
Teaching. Plenary address at University of Hong Kong, 5th June 2013. University
of Hong Kong. Recovered from https://www.professorjackrichards.com/wp-content/uploads/Creativity-in-Language-Teaching.pdf
Martínez, D. (2019). Emerging challenges in
language teaching and learning. [Web page]. Recovered from http://hdl.handle.net/10596/24246
Webb, S. (2015). Extensive viewing:
language learning through watching television. In D. Nunan & J.C. Richards
(Eds.) Language Learning Beyond the Classroom (pp. 159-168). New York:
Routledge.
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