Injecting a Little Hope

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Injecting a Little Hope

• The future of English Language Teaching

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Innovation in Language Teaching

• Through change in teaching methods
• Through language-related sciences and research
• Technological innovation.

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19th Century 1960s Grammar Translation

• Classes conducted in the native language.
• Translation of whole texts word for word and
  memorization of grammar rules and vocabulary
  lists.
• Very little attention was placed on pronunciation
  or any communicative aspects of the language.

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Late 1960s 1970sTPR, Dr. James J. Asher

• When learning another language, that language is
  internalized through a process of codebreaking
  similar to first language development and that
  the process allows for a long period of listening
  and developing comprehension prior to production.
  
• Students respond to commands that require
  physical movement.

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1970sDirect / Audiolingual Method

• No use of the students native language to
  explain new words or grammar in the target
  language.
• Direct method focus on teaching vocabulary
• Audiolingual method drilled students in the use
  of grammar.
• No explicit grammar instruction, everything is
  memorized in form.

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1970s Silent Way, Caleb Gattengo

• Designed to enable students to become
  independent, autonomous and responsible learners
  experimental learners.
• The teacher remains mainly silent, to give the
  students the space they need to learn to talk.
• It is assumed that the students previous
  experience of learning from their mother tongue
  will contribute to learning a new FL.
• Tools sound-color chart, colored Cuisenaire
  rods, word charts, 10 wall pictures, the pointer.

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1970s Suggestopedia, Georgi Lozanov

• Introduction teacher teaches the material in a
  playful manner instead of analyzing lexis and
  grammar.
• Concert session teacher reads with intoning as
  selected music is played. Occasionally the
  students read the text together with the teacher
  or listen only to the music as the teacher pauses
  in particular moments.
• Elaboration students sing classical songs and
  play games
• Production the student spontaneously speaks and
  interacts in the target language without
  interruption or correction.

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1970sConstructivism, Jean Piaget

• Through a process of accommodation and
  assimilation, individuals construct new knowledge
  from their experiences (ML).
• Instructors have to adapt to the role of
  facilitators.
• The learning environment should also be designed
  to support and challenge the learner's thinking.
• Discovery-based techniques inductive teaching
  and learning.

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Principles of Constructivist FLT

• Action-oriented
• Cooperative learning social forms of learning
  such as work with partners or in groups
• Creative forms of classroom work
• Learning and teaching by (intercultural)
  projects writing and printing of the pupil's own
  texts, TBL
• LBT - learning by teaching encourages the pupil
  to take over the teacher's role

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1970s 1980sStudent Centered Learning

• Approach that focuses on the needs of the
  students, rather than those of teachers and
  administrators.
• Putting the student first
• Students learn best by experiencing the learning
  and being in control of it (BBL).

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1970s 1980sMeaningful Learning, Ausubel

• Students come to us with a mind already filled
  with patterns and relationships. These patterns
  and relationships cannot be changed with a simple
  learning of individual facts, or discrete,
  isolated bits of knowledge.
• The knowledge needs to be cultivated,
  manipulated, arranged and organized into
  meaningful learning.
• Meaningful Learning occurs when new experiences
  are related to what a learner already knows.
• The most important factor in learning is what the
  person already knows. No meaningful learning
  takes place unless a stable cognitive structure
  exists.

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1970s 1980sMeaningful Learning, Ausubel
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1980sMultiple Intelligences, Dr. H. Gardner

• Linguistic
• Logical-mathematical
• Spatial
• Bodily-kinesthetic

• 5. Musical
• 6. Interpersonal
• 7. Intrapersonal
• 8. Naturalistic

• Teachers use different methodologies, exercises
  and
• activities to reach all students, not just those
  who
• excel at linguistic and logical intelligence.
• Learning styles and preferences.

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1980s Communicative Language Teaching

• Emphasizes interaction as both the means and the
  ultimate goal of learning a language.
• Introduction of authentic materials into the
  learning situation.
• Provision of opportunities for learners to focus
  not only on language but also on the learning
  process.
• Enhancement of the learners own personal
  experiences
• Link classroom language learning with language
  activities outside the classroom.

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1980s - 1990sBrain Based Learning

• The brain is a parallel processor can perform
  several activities at once.
• Learning engages the whole physiology.
• The search for meaning is innate.
• The search for meaning comes through patterning.
• Emotions are critical to patterning.
• The brain processes wholes and parts
  simultaneously.

• 7. Learning involves both focused attention and
  peripheral perception.
• 8. Learning involves both conscious and
  unconscious processes.
• 9. We have 2 types of memory spatial and rote.
• 10. We understand best when facts are embedded in
  natural, spatial memory.
• 11. Learning is enhanced by challenge and
  inhibited by threat.
• 12. Each brain is unique.

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1991Active Learning, Bonwell and Eison
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Critical Thinking

• To learn is to think.
• When learners for the first time construct in
  their minds the basic ideas, principles and
  theories that are inherent to content.
  Internalization.
• When learners effectively use those ideas,
  principles and theories. Application.

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Bloom's Taxonomy, 1956
New Terms
Original Terms

• Evaluation
• Synthesis
• Analysis
• Application
• Comprehension
• Knowledge

• Creating
• Evaluating
• Analysing
• Applying
• Understanding
• Remembering

(Based on Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking
to Learn, p. 8)
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What CLT brought

• Being CLT a holistic approach, it allows the
  teacher to bring up different methodologies,
  activities and ideas.
• It incorporated the ideas of Student Centered
  Learning, Active Learning, Constructivism, Brain
  Based Learning, Meaningful Learning and Critical
  Thinking, which are some of the buzz words today
  again!

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It wont stop here!
Methodologies evolve. Languages evolve,
too. Technological revolutions have impacted
language.

• Invention of cars
• Slow down
• Driving me crazy
• High maintenance

• Computers
• Mouse
• Click
• Window
• Cyber-teacher

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Language and Technology

• Email and Text messaging
• Changing the way in which we communicate
• Feelings and emotions smilies
• CU
• THX
• ASAP
• G2G

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Teaching and Technology Blended Learning

• Email and Text messages
• Search engines and web portals
• Web pages
• Mobile phones, Blackberries and PDAs
• Wikis and blogs
• Discussion Boards and Online Forums
• Online Communities (Facebook, hi5)
• VLE
• MUVLE
• SKYPE

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Will we ever catch up?

• Learning in the 21st century.
• Learner-centered education that is driven by the
  "knowledge, skills and attitudes" of the student
  and which is characterized by "personal control
  of learning by students.
• Under this paradigm, students become "active
  discoverers and constructors of their own
  knowledge".

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21st Century Education

• Knowledge construction, communities of learners,
  individual and collective discovery and problem
  solving, holistic learning these will be
  important qualifiers for education in the 21st
  century.
• The emphasis in the new era of language learning
  is on construction as opposed to transmission of
  knowledge.
• We are already doing it!

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Goal of Language Teaching and Learning

• Communicative competence
• Expression, interpretation and negotiation of
  meaning , involving two or more people or between
  a person and a written text.

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What is really happening inside our classrooms?

• Artificial language
• How many windows are there?
• Is the door opened or closed?
• Do you ever ask these questions in real life?

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• T Whats your name?
• S Miguel.
• T No, no, no. A complete sentence.
• T Whats the weather like today?
• S1 Its nice.
• T No, no, no. Anybody else?
• S2 Its sunny.

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How should we do it?

• What works for you
• Teaching beliefs
• Teaching practices
• Practice what you preach.

• What works for your students
• Context
• Learning styles and preferences
• Interests and motivation

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Being Distinctive

• Be a risk-taker and see errors as an essential,
  positive part of the learning process.
• See peers (i.e. your fellow teachers) as sources
  of learning, who may or may not be "right.
• See learning as a cooperative and collaborative
  exercise, not a competitive one.
• Try to take responsibility for your own learning,
  set your own goals and develop strategies to
  achieve them.

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If you ever need any help

• Jimena Lizalde
• Academic Services Coordinator
• jlizalde_at_grupomacmillan.com
• Thank you!
• HAPPY TEACHING!