WEEK # 7: LEARNER AUTONOMY

LEARNER AUTONOMY

Learner Autonomy is a thriving topic in the teaching/learning literature and what I have learned this week has unavoidably changed my view and my teaching practices. I have read and gathered many resources about the topic through the contributions of Winter 15 Participants in Padlet. Besides, I noted that technology can serve as a useful tool for enhancing learner autonomy.

Autonomy is a state of mind towards which teachers constantly have to drive their students. It is a process that is everlasting, a sort of continuum that encompasses many aspects of learning or teaching or even education as a whole.

Raising awareness appears to be at the basis of  learner autonomy, which can be sustained by critical thinking. To try these with my students, I thought about a self-evaluation test with this link:
http://edl.ecml.at/LanguageFun/Selfevaluateyourlanguageskills/tabid/2194/language/en-GB/Default.aspx  ( a good suggestion from Linda, a participant).
After that I would submit a questionnaire with precise questions to have my students assess their current English proficiency. So doing, I hope to raise their awareness and trigger their critical thinking about their learning. From this stage students should be able to make the decision about their willingness "to take charge of their own learning" (Holec 1981).



Once the decision is made, students gain much self-confidence and are eager to learn. From that moment, they welcome and engage in classroom or outside class activities. The change of roles between the teacher and the learners can then easily take place.

       PROMOTING                                                                     AUTONOMY THROUGH MOBILES
Using the mobile phone to promote students' engagement is very challenging. It makes them excited and requires the teacher to get tight control of the class. For this aspect of the course, I thought about off-line activities. I asked my students to write a report of 10 sentences about their last holiday and send it to me by SMS (without abbreviation) or by e-mail to my mail box according to their financial possibilities and availability of the services.

WEEK # 6: CREATING AND SHARING A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

ENHANCING LEARNING BY ENGAGING STUDENTS
Creating a PowerPoint slide show has been very challenging. I had never used it before and I acknowledge it is a valuable teaching tool that can really get students engaged in a lesson. Using a PowerPoint presentation can significantly reduce Teacher Talking Time (T.T.T) and  increase Student Talking Time (S.T.T), turning teacher-centered lessons into student-centered ones.Coupling this technology with the techniques suggested in the article (Teaching Large Classes II - Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students) by Rick Finnan and Donna Shaw will inevitably transform my class. As a matter of fact, they will bring variety and increase collaboration in my class.

I have not started the implementation of the project step because my school was engaged in the organization of mock exams ( First Cycle and Second Cycle end-of-year  Examinations) which are prolonged with a two-week's holiday. As soon as we resume with school, I will see to what extent the implementation meets my expectations.

The problem I have to cope with is getting a projector in order to  have a screen larger than the one of my laptop.

WEEK # 5: Project-based Learning, WebQuests, and Rubrics

Things are becoming more serious and more challenging this week! I have read about Assessment, Rubrics, and Project-Based Learning, and the article by Alan and Stoller (MAXIMIZING THE BENEFITS OF PROJECT WORK IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOMS) struck me when it explained that Project-Based Learning can enable students to experience increased motivation, autonomy, engagement, and a more positive attitude towards English. As a matter of fact, I have been struggling for years to reach these attitudes with my students.

 Moreover, rubrics which are an assessment tool can also serve as a checklist and help students become actively engaged in information gathering, processing and reporting. 

The explanation has brought to my mind the images of a labyrinth and a compass. When students are given a task or a test without rubrics, they are like people lost in a hazy labyrinth. In such conditions, the rubrics would appear as a compass that could help students make their way out.From this point I ask myself if PBL has not a link with BEHAVIORISM.

My answer to the first question is that PBL can help motivate students by creating or setting a thought-provoking context for a deep brainstorming.

To the second question, I can answer that the role of rubrics within PBL is to serve as a guide, a checklist that can be used for self-assessment.

WEEK# 5: PBL ,RUBRICS AND WEBQUEST

This week has been very busy with a lot to read and to do. 


My problem is that my lessons are mostly teacher-centered instead of being learner-centered because my students are reluctant to interact with one another. This is certainly due to their lack of vocabulary self-confidence and motivation.

At this stage of the course I think that technology can greatly help change the attitude of my students.

In fact,using some internet resources such as
-Lauri's ESL Website (fog.ccsf.edu)
-Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab (www.esl-lab.com)
will help me develop their speaking and listening abilities.

Moreover, leading them into PBL will help them become autonomous, more responsible in learning, which, in turn, will make them more confident and engaged in their learning.

WEEK # 4 Technology enhanced lesson plan

Lesson Plan with Technology

Your Name: Latta Vital Beugre            

Class name: 2nd            

Type of student: Grade 11 EFL students, have been learning English for 5 years.       

Duration of lesson: 55 minutes

MATERIALS: laptop, speakers, blacboard, chalk

TECHNOLOGY COMPONENT: downloaded from/accessed in class at the following URL(s) or web address(es): www.manythings.org/ello/56.html/

OTHER MATERIAL: Transcript of the conversation to be listened to.

INTRODUCTION:

I will conduct the correction of the previous homework and give feedback.(about 5 min.)             

Objective of the lesson (The students are expected to):  After listening to the conversation, the students will be able to role-play a dialogue, using 80% of technology-related terms from the conversation.

TECHNOLOGY OBJECTIVES: By adding technology, there is more enthusiasm, and the lesson is less teacher-centered and more learner-centered as students are more engaged. Moreover, technology brings real life into the classroom and allows students to be exposed to native speakers’ language.

PROCEDURES: Steps of the presentation of lesson
1. I will pre-teach some vocabulary and expressions from the conversation to be                 heard.(15 min.)

2. I will have students listen to the conversation twice, taking down notes.(5 min.)

3. I will have students compare and discuss their notes with their neighbors.(10 min.)

4. Students will hold conversations, using terms related to their current use of     technology.(15 min.)

STUDENTS’ ACTIVITY:  Students will listen to a conversation,take down notes, produce and role-play a dialogue.

ASSESSMENT: I will know the students have learned through the use in their role-play of technology-related terms from the listening material.

BACK UP PLAN: Plan “B”: in case the technology does not work correctly, I will read the transcript of the conversation to the class.

HOMEWORK / FOLLOW UP: I share the transcript to the students and ask them to write personal answers to the questions in the conversation for next class.