Dear
participants,
I
am glad to see that our online training is going on in good conditions!
Now,
I am going to share with you what I have done along the week, what I learned
and how I might apply it in my teaching.
a) The first activity of the week 2 was “Web Searching”. I
learned how to find information using something that is not Google. For instance,
following the path: http://google.com/site/,
I was directed to look at Noodletools “Finding the Best Search for your
Information Needs”. Clicking there, I have reached “Choose the Best Search for
Information Need”.
I
have chosen “I need creative and performing arts sources”. Searching from
“JURN”, there was a window where I could type the information I need. As a
teacher of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, I have entered
these key words and have gone on searching (Search JURN). Do you know what I
have got? I was allowed to choose among:
-
Integrating listening, speaking, reading and writing
-
Improving speaking by listening
-
Developing Speaking skills through Reading
-
etc
Other
sources of information needed are: iSeek; Intute; Infomine;…
In
fact, I have used this site and I was looking for the four basic skills in
language learning: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. As far as I am
concerned and looking at my students’ needs and levels, the search is
commendable. Why? Our country, Rwanda, has recently shifted from French to
English as a language of instruction. As my students have learnt for a long
time in French, they need a long and permanent exposure to such materials that
can help them improve their use of English while listening, speaking, reading
and writing. I know I have a lot to do with my students, but the situation is
like that. We hope that we are committed and we shall do it!
I am
planning to show these links to my students, initiated them how to use other research
engines other than Google. Another thing very important is the use of
YouTube.com where I will find materials that will help us enhance language
learning/teaching and practices.
- Audience (A) – Who? Who are your learners?
- Behavior (B) – What? What do you expect them to be able to do? This
should be an overt, observable behavior, even if the actual behavior is
covert or mental in nature. If you can't see it, hear it, touch it, taste
it, or smell it, you can't be sure your audience really learned it.
- Condition (C) – How? Under what circumstances or context will the
learning occur? What will the student be given or already be expected to
know to accomplish the learning?
- Degree (D) – How much? How much will be accomplished, how well
will the behavior need to be performed, and to what level? Do you want
total mastery (100%), do you want them to respond correctly 80% of the
time, etc. A common (and totally non-scientific) setting is 80% of the
time.
In my forthcoming
teaching/learning activities, I am going to use this new system. This will help
me set achievable objectives and expect real outcomes from my students.
c) Another activity on the week 2 agenda was to
describe my class as it is now. briefly, at my
University (Institute of Agriculture, Technology and Education of
Kibungo/INATEK), I teach the Module entitled Basic Communication Skills in
English to fresh students and these are first-year university students. The Module is meant
for students of higher education and it assumes that all students undertaking
it have previously attended English language courses that would place them at
advanced level of proficiency. Again, the Module is meant and designed to
facilitate the students to efficiently and effectively use English for a wide
range of academic purposes, with focus on listening, speaking, reading and
writing skills. The class is made of
young students (20-30 years) and adult students (30 years and beyond). All
statuses are represented: single, married,… The Module is compulsory to all
fresh students and it is studied only in Year/Level One (these are fresh
students to university). What about their level of language command (language
use and mastery)? The situation is problematic since their language background
is in French. Class activities are achieved individually, in pairs and in small
groups. What are settings? The Institute of Agriculture, Technology and
Education of Kibungo (INATEK) provides learners with rooms (this is obvious);
free access to computers (though they are not enough) and library; language
assistants to help students. Classes are overcrowded.
What are the Module goals? By the end of the Module, students
should be able to:
- Write, listen and speak competently, effectively and
accurately for a wide range of useful purposes;
- Demonstrate readiness of skills to function
linguistically in various real-life situations in both spoken and written forms
of language;
- To read correctly and rapidly in order to get information
needed.
However, my class teaching/learning environment meets
some challenges:
- i) The course
content is not specific to students’ broader academic interests and
requirements. All departments and faculties are mixed in the Basic English
Communications Skills course. This makes it difficult to focus on the skills
that will most benefit students in their other coursework.
- ii) The time frame is
entirely too limited to facilitate true language development.
- iii) The large class
size makes identifying both problems and successes or monitoring progress
nearly impossible.The smallest class this academic year is 106 students!
- iv) My students are
less familiar with the computer tool.
Thanks to this online training, I
hope ideas shared via blogs and Nicenet discussions, I will gain new ways of
teaching and learning that I am going to apply with my students: participants
are sharing their experiences and showing links that one can resort to in order
to help his/her students.
Thank you!
Sosthene
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