Educational Paradigm

This video show us the modern epidemic in Education.

Enjoy it!!!!!

An education revolution is needed but it won't happen for a long time. As disheartening the system may be and as dysfunctional it is, it does exactly what it was designed for. I think people need to wake up and open their eyes. People need to become more self sufficient because school won't teach them how to succeed.

Multiple Intelligences

Howard Garner, author of the book, Frames of Mind (1983), states that there are at least seven kinds of intelligences and that all seven should be integrated into the curriculum of the school system. These intelligences are musical, spatial, mathematical, logical, linguistic, bodily - kinesthetic, interpersonal, and interpersonal.

One of the ways teachers integrated the Multiple Intelligence approach into the classroom was to create learning centers within the classroom where children could choose to work at different tasks throughout the day for a certain amount of time. This method allowed for more one-on-one interaction between teacher and student and gave the teacher an opportunity to evaluate which intelligence activity each student preferred.

1. The mathematical and logical centers included scientific demonstrations, puzzles, problem-solving activities (logic, calculations, mathematics, stories), and opportunities to create and decode codes.
2. Musical centers, provided students with music appreciation and opportunities to play recorded music, play live music, make instruments, sing in groups, and do jazz chants.
3. Spatial centers were set up to provide activities that involved the use of maps, charts, graphic, organizers, videos, movies, telescopes, microscopes, and art and other pictures. These centers also included visual awareness activities using a mind map, optical illusions and collages.
4. Linguistic centers offered a space to students to take part in debates, speeches, storytelling and group discussions. Completing worksheets, word games, and journals, along with memorizing, word processing, listening to cassettes, CDs and publishing were also done in this space.
5. Bodily - kinesthetic centers allowed for body movement through hands-on activities, such as cooking, role play, mime and the occasional field trip.
6. Interpersonal centers focused on cooperative group activities, conflict mediators, board games, peer teaching, pair work, and group brainstorming.
7. Intrapersonal centers were arranged in such a way that allowed for independent student work, options for homework, individualized projects, silent reading, and checklist, self-teaching, self-esteem journals, goal setting and reflective learning. Although many teachers find it difficult to maintain this centers approach in the classroom, there are ways to integrate the different dimensions of intelligence in the classroom.

Communicative Language Teaching CLT

Communicative Language Teaching is viewed as an approach rather than a method. The focus of the CLT approach is on communication and meaning rather than on form and structure. The teacher's role becomes that of coach, counselor or resource  rather that the input provider. There is a lot of free talking and risk taking as well as a focus on the message and the appropriateness of the language. This approach is learner- and experience-based. 

Approach, Method and Technique

The set of three of terms, which I am trying to locate in the scheme of definitions is approach, method and techniques. The classification is hierarchical. The organizational key is that techniques carry out the method, which is consistent with, and approach. 

                                       

The term approach as a combination of assumptions, dealing with the nature of language and the nature of language teaching. An approach describes the nature of the subject matter to be taught. It says a point of view, a philosophy, an article or faith something which one believes but cannot necessarily prove. It is oftentimes unarguable except in terms of the effectiveness of the method, which grow out of it. It makes sense of how people get their awareness of the language and makes observations about the conditions which will promote successful language learning. Historical approaches were developing before the 1960s.

The approaches are dividing into:

1. Structural/Linguistic approaches: these approaches are based on the structure of a language and contrastive analysis of the first language. These also isolate grammatical and syntactic elements of a language. Included in this group are: Grammar Translation and Audio lingual methods.
2. Cognitive Approaches: In these approaches second language goals are based on ideas and procedures that generalize and find rules and conventions in the target language.
3. Affective/Motivational Approach: these are based on concepts of social psychology and counseling. Reducing stress and inhibitions to advance language acquisition are emphasize.
4. Functional/Communicative Approaches: In these approaches the goals are based on communicative proficiency. Students participate at their own skill level. Both the direct method and the Oral approach fall under this category.

Robert W. Blair in his article 'Innovative Approaches to Language Teaching' (1982) Proposes a different classification of the innovative or designer methods of 1970s and 1980s. 

1. Comprehension-Based Approaches: These approaches focus on receptive (listening and reading) skills. Oral fluency is expected to arise in a natural and progressive way. J.Asher's Total Physical Response, S. Krashen and T. Terrell's Natural approach belong to this category. 
2. Production-Based Learning: These approaches reject the notion that oral fluency arises spontaneously. They focus on production and productive (speaking and writing) skills. C. Gattegno's Silent way is an example of production-based learning. 
3. Humanistic and Psycsosuggestive Approaches: These approaches address 'learner-external dimensions of the learning environment and learner-internal dimensions (the learner as receiver and processor of input, producer of output, and participant in a community of learners and speakers. Examples are G. Lozanov's suggestopedia and C. Currans' Community League Learning. 

Method is an overall plan for the systematic performance of communication material, not part of which contradicts, and all of which is based upon, the selected method. Approach is axiomatic a method is procedural. It is a bear in mind the practical realization of an approach. Within one, method, their can be many methods. Quite a lot of portions influence the precise performance of communication to learners. The plan will be the impact on by the natural setting of the student's language as compared to English. For example, education, English to Hindu speakers and teaching English to Chinese differ methodologically. The age of the student as I mention in the last entry, his background, and his/her previous experience with English modify the method employed.

The last term, technique is implemented that which in others words, takes place is a classroom. These Techniques must be coherent with the method, and for this reason they must be an agreement with the approach. Some techniques can be found in different methods, whereas other ones are specific to a given method.

Describing Learners

Something that I want to remember from this chapter was the age factor, that age is essential in the successful develop of class. If u as a teacher know the age of the learner you can easily get ready for your class, of course, there are other factors, but especially this one has a certain importance. Also, you have to ask yourself all the time Who are your students? One can find second language learners all around the globe, in almost every country. They are people who speak African, French, Thailand, Mandarin and who have varying degrees of education. They also have different personalities, learning styles, and reasons for studying a language. These language learners can be divided into two groups: the age group, consisting of children, adolescents or adults, and the proficiency level group, where students can be beginner, intermediate or advanced learners of English.

Age group: as I said before, age is the main factor in make a decision what to teach and how to teach it, different ages have several needs, competences and cognitive abilities.

a) Children's persons from 1 to 12 year of age (include pre-adolescents): elements to consider: biological, cognitive and social. Children learn differently in the following ways. The younger, the better brain plasticity: even though children can be less inhibited than adults when it reaches speaking in a new language, they can also be discouraged. Therefore, it is important that you find English tasks for your pupils that are challenging without being overtaxing. If the task is beyond them, the childrens will lose confidence and, in the absence of constant and sympathetic encouragement, they may begin to think themselves as poor languages learners. If this happens, then they can easily give up trying and become bored.

• Keen to talk about themselves (topics friends-cartoons, movies)

• Pick up the language easily

• Good pronunciation / learn through imitation

• Need individual attention

• Enthusiastic for learning

• Need for teacher approval

• Limited attention

• Prefer involves movement

b) Adolescents: Teaching adolescents can be a challenging process. Adolescents are not children nor are adults. They are capable of taking care themselves, yet their role in society is not clearly defined. Adolescents go through major biological and psychological changes. Biological changes will affect their self-esteem, consciousness, and security as they're fluctuating hormones cause periods of restlessness or fatigue. Even as adolescents begin to realize their personal goals and desires, their parents still have a very strong influence on their lives. Adolescents may or may not be learning English because they want to, most often it is because they want to pass an English proficiency examination to attend a secondary or post-secondary educational institution either in their home country or abroad. 

• Need for self-esteem

• Search for identity

• Need for approval

• Must be encouraged to respond to texts & situations with own thoughts 

• Great creative minds

c) Adults: Teaching adults may be as challenging to the teacher as any other age group. Adult learners have experience and maturity. They usually approach learning with a sense of whom they are want to learn. Adult learners often have time to learn only what they need to learn. They usually lead complex and busy lives with many commitments. They do not have time to learn what is irrelevant to them. Adults learners usually know what they want to learn. They have definite goals.

• Prefer learning by studying the language situations

• Easily engaged

• Self-motivated

• More disciplined

• Have a whole range of experiences to draw on

The changing world of English

Something that I learn from this article is that English has gradually become the language of communication for people from different backgrounds whose language is other than English. Kachru’s (1985) estimates were between 320 and 380 million native speakers of English, compared to between 250 and 380 million non-native speakers of English. However, he also foresaw a change in these numbers, meaning there would be more non-native speakers of English as time went by, which came to be true. Currently, estimates find that there are close to 329 million native English speakers, but about 1.2 billion non-native English speakers (Crystal 2003a). 

There are certain changes thought the language such as the economic power, who ensures a language survival and growth. Commerce, has become more globalized mainly by American dominance, English has become the language of business. According to Harmer (2001) the commercial activity has helped fan the flames of English. Also, the exchange of academic conferences, journal articles and several branches of the sciences and education have English as their main language. The introduction of the Internet, which has its roots in the USA, has also caused English to become more ‘popular'. Tourism, is conducted in English in most places around the world, but even if English is not used for tourism in certain areas, one can always be sure that most airports on the planet have English besides the country’s first language printed in signs, and most of the staff at the airport will certainly know English to be able to provide assistance to travelers. 

On the other hand, movies and music are very commonly found in English in the western part of the planet, and certain countries such as the USA, the United Kingdom, Australia and others try to persuade people all around the world to choose said countries as study destinations, which also be seen as part of the business these places are doing.  To conclude, I want to say that English is taught (and learned) for a big number of reasons, business, education, travel or for a hobby. However, no matter what the reason, it is clear that the number of speakers is growing dramatically. 

My English Learning history