EDU 105.11: LEARNING TO FUNCTION AS AN ENGLISH TEACHER

TECHNIQUES AND DEVICES OF TEACHING ENGLISH

In developmental education ‘teaching’ and ‘learning’ have to go towards the same distinction, namely development. In other words, teaching that does not culminate in learning has no place in the educative process. Moreover in this modern world it seems very difficult for the teachers to seek attention of students. Therefore it is essential for the teacher to adopt effective teaching techniques that foster interest, quick learning and comprehension ability in students. So teaching has to be much more than imparting information through ‘mere lecturing’ or ‘chalk and talk’; teaching should motivate students for self-learning. Following are the various teaching strategies or techniques that would help instruction satisfy the essential conditions.

1. Questioning

"Good learning starts with questions, not answers"(Guy Claxton).Questioning is one of the important techniques to deepen student’s understanding. Questioning techniques are a heavily used, and thus widely researched, teaching strategy. One important finding is that questions that focus student attention on important elements of a lesson result in better comprehension than those that focus on unusual or interesting elements. Questions should also be structured so that most elicit correct responses.

Importance or objectives of Questioning

Teachers ask questions for a variety of purposes:

·         To actively involve students in the lesson

·         To increase motivation or interest

·         To evaluate students’ preparation

·         To check on completion of work

·         To develop critical thinking skills

·         To review previous lessons

·         To nurture insights

·         To assess achievement or mastery of goals and objective

·         To stimulate independent learning

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

Educators have traditionally classified questions according to Bloom’s Taxonomy, a hierarchy of increasingly complex intellectual skills. Bloom’s Taxonomy includes six categories:

• Knowledge – recall data or information
• Comprehension – understand meaning
• Application – use a concept in a new situation
• Analysis – separate concepts into parts; distinguish between facts and inferences
• Synthesis – combine parts to form new meaning
• Evaluation – make judgments about the value of ideas or products

Some researchers have simplified classification of questions into lower and higher cognitive questions. Lower cognitive questions (fact, closed, direct, recall, and knowledge questions) involve the recall of information. Higher cognitive questions (open-ended, interpretive, evaluative, inquiry, inferential, and synthesis questions) involve the mental manipulation of information to produce or support an answer.

According to some studies, lower cognitive questions (knowledge and comprehension on Bloom’s Taxonomy) may be most beneficial for primary students. Lower cognitive questions are also more effective when the goal is to impart factual knowledge and commit it to memory. Higher cognitive questions (application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation) should make up a higher percentage of questions asked above the primary grades. Increasing the use of higher cognitive questions can produce superior learning gains for older students, particularly those in secondary school, and does not reduce student performance on lower cognitive questions.

2. Brain storming

Brainstorming is basically an activity designed to promote creativity. The term was popularized by Alex Faickney Osborn in the 1953 book Applied Imagination. It is a problem centered method. It is defined as a creative conference for the sole purpose of producing suggestions or ideas that serve as leads to problem solving. It stimulates creative solutions to the problem. It is a form of discussion which enables the group to do collective creative thinking. A group of students is given a single problem or obstacle and asked to "storm their brains" for ideas. To increase spontaneity and rapidity of ideas, each participant is encouraged to call out his thought the instant an opening presents itself. Each brainstorming session usually intensifies into an exciting rapid-fire, off-the-top-of-the-head group experience. Stimulation and motivation build as each participant contributes and interest mounts to higher and higher levels. The emphasis in brainstorming is upon eliciting from the students as many different ideas as possible concerning a situation for more careful consideration at a later time.

Some problems are assigned by the teacher and the learners think over it independently. Their views are expressed frankly and without any restraint. These views may be right, wrong, meaningful or meaningless. Each of them is accepted and written on the blackboard by the teacher. This process continues till a befitting solution comes and the problem gets solved.

Importance of Brainstorming

                                i.            It presents more valuable ideas.

                              ii.            It shows collective wisdom.

                            iii.            It develops confidence in pupils.

                            iv.            It fosters creativity.

                              v.            It increases power of thinking.

                            vi.            It enlightens imagination.

                          vii.            It follows democratic approach.

                        viii.            It facilitates independent learning.

This technique is very useful in English language education as it facilitates students’ contribution and involvement in the teaching- learning process.

3. Seminar

 A seminar, as an instructional technique, involves generating a situation for a group to have guided interaction among themselves on a theme which is generally presented to the group by one or more members. The person who presents the theme should have studied it thoroughly beforehand. Now – a days audio- visual aids are also used while presenting matter over Over Head Projector and Liquid Crystal Display projector are extensively used for this. The paper presenter can either be an expert an expert from outside or one of the members of the group. Sometimes, copies of the paper or abstracts of the presented matter are distributed to the audience in advance. The seminar is followed by a group discussion, in which the audience gets an opportunity to clear their doubts and to highlight their specific view points.

Objectives of Seminar Techniques

1. To help the students get an in- depth in understanding of the subject matter.

2. To develop the habit of tolerance and co-operation among the students.

 3. To help the students to overcome the problem of stage fear.

 4. To help in developing the ability for keen attention and to present ideas effectively.

5. To help in acquiring good manners of raising and answering questions.

Types of Seminar

 On the basis of the scope and the level of organization, a seminar is of 3 types. They are:

1. Mini Seminar

2. Major Seminar

3. State / National/ International Seminar

·         A seminar organized in a class to discuss a topic can be seen as a mini seminar.

·         A seminar which is organized at departmental level or institutional level on a major theme is an example for a major seminar.

·         A Governmental or non – governmental organization or international agencies occasionally organize seminars o state/ national/ international levels such seminars belong to third category.

Advantages

1. It helps the learner to develop analytical and critical thinking.

2. The presenter can be evaluated with respect to his skill in organizing and presenting the given subject matter in a systematic manner.

3. It develops in learners self – reliance and self- confidence.

4. It develops the ability comprehend major ideas by listening.

5. It develops the ability to raise relevant and pin-pointed questions.

Disadvantages

1. Lack of preparation on the part of paper presenter may make the seminar mere waste.

2. The formal structure of seminar restricts the participant from asking questions as and when needed.

3. Cannot be used for all levels of education. It can be used only in higher levels of education.

4. Workshop

The term ‘workshop’ has been borrowed from ‘engineering’. In a workshop, persons have to engage in some productive tasks out of which something tangible can be created. In educational workshop, new innovations and practices of education are introduced in order to train people, to use new practices in their teaching- learning process.

According to R.A Sharma, workshop is an assembled group often to twenty five persons who share a common interested or problem. They meet together to improve their individual proficiency and skill of a subject through intensive study, researches and practical.

Workshop has got 4 stages

1. Presentation of the Theme

·         Resource person presents the theme of workshop to the participants.

2. Practical Session

·         After the general orientation, the participants are exposed to the actual practical work. Total group is divided into sub groups and are given certain tasks.

3. Discussion Session

·         At this stage, all the groups meet to present the products they could materialize.

Advantages

1. It helps to realize the higher order cognitive and psycho motor objectives.

2. It helps to develop practical and realistic knowledge regarding the topic concerned.

3. It develops the sense of co-operation and group work.

4. It develops creativity of the students.

Disadvantages

1. Lack of motivation on the part of the teacher concerned may adversely affect the goal behind the workshop.

2. It is time consuming.

3. Special rooms and facilities required for practical work if any.

Symposium

A symposium is a kind of discussion in which a number of speakers talk on the same topic, emphasizing different aspects. Selected speakers present prepared speeches. Generally, the chairman and the speakers discuss the various aspects of a theme in advance and allot one aspect to each so that each speaker limits his presentation to the aspect assigned. The chairman co-ordinates different presentations and the audience very seldom talks.

Advantages

1. A symposium brings together knowledgeable speakers who present a variety of opinions on a given topic.

2. A problem can be explored quite thoroughly by the symposium method.

3. The audience gets the benefit of hearing different points of view that can be challenging and stimulating.

Limitations

1. The formal structure tends to promote passively among the audience since there is little scope for their active participation.

2. It is sometimes difficult to find enough competent speakers to cover the topic adequately.

3. The discussion and presentation of the theme are not summarized at the end.

6.Debate

Debate is not possible on every topic of study because this technique can be employed successfully only for teaching topics involving controversies, where views can be expressed both for and against the issue to be discussed. In this technique the teacher selects speakers for and against the issue, guides and prepares them for the same and finally gets it staged.

Merits

1. The audience gets impetus to think and to reflect which in turn will enrich the knowledge of the learners.

2. The speakers can improve their competence for expression and the confidence to speak in front of a large gathering.

3. It promotes constructive group actively.

4. It develops spontaneous and logical thinking as well as speaking.

Debate is one of the most effective techniques of group instruction where both active and passive listening is involved. Organizing debate is not an easy task.

Procedure of Debate

1.      Decide, or help participants decide upon a subject for debate.

2.      Formulate the subject into a resolution, e.g., "Resolved that capital punishment should be abolished by the United States Supreme Court. "

3.      Make certain that those participating in the debate are familiar with the procedures to be followed. (The form of debate described here is widely used but rather formalized. The purpose for the debate may make it desirable to use a less formal procedure, or to use some other form of debate.)

4.      Select participants to take part in the debate and divide debaters into two teams, one team in support of the resolution (pro) and one team in opposition to the resolution (con). The most common number of members per team is two, but more than two may be used.

5.      Select a chairperson and a timekeeper.

6.      Allow sufficient time for participants in the debate to prepare "constructive arguments." Constructive arguments should be based upon three to five major points which are logically developed and substantiated by factual evidence in support of a particular position.

7.      Conduct the debate according to the following procedures:

a. The chairperson and the debaters are seated at the front of the class, usually with the team in favor of the resolution to the right of the chairperson and the team in opposition to the resolution to the left of the chairperson.
b. The chairperson briefly introduces the subject and states the resolution that is to be debated.
c. The chairperson introduces the first speaker from the team in support of the resolution. Each speaker is introduced when (s) he is given the floor.
d. The first speaker from the team in support of the resolution is allowed a set amount of time to present the constructive argument (s) he has prepared. The timekeeper, seated with the class, indicates when the time limit has been reached.
e. The first speaker from the team in opposition to the resolution is introduced and asked to give his/her constructive argument. This procedure of presenting pro and con speakers alternately is continued until each debater has given his/her constructive argument. After the first speaker, those who follow will probably need to adjust their prepared speeches to allow for what has been said by preceding speakers.
f. "Rebuttal arguments" follow the series of constructive arguments given by both teams. The team in opposition to the resolution always begins the rebuttal argument series. Each debater is given an opportunity to speak extemporaneously for a set amount of time, attempting to weaken the position presented by the opposing team. Rebuttal arguments also provide an opportunity to answer attacks that have been made by the opposing team. While rebuttal arguments are presented extemporaneously, debaters should anticipate possible positions the opposition might take and be prepared with appropriate counter arguments. No new issues may be introduced during rebuttal arguments.
g. Debrief and/or evaluate the debate and the performance of the debate teams by informally polling the class to determine how many agree with the team in support of the resolution and how many agree with the team in opposition to the resolution. Class members should be asked to explain whether or not their own positions were strengthened or changed as a result of hearing the debate and to explain why. Class members should also be asked to make statements which they feel could have been used as effective arguments by the debaters.

Principal Responsibilities of the Instructor

1. Select, or help participants select, a subject or question for debate.

2. Insure that participants are familiar with the procedures for conducting a debate.

3. Help participants see the dimensions of the problem and develop clear, logical, and supportable arguments for the position they present during the debate.

4. Help participants gain an understanding of some of the educational objectives which can be achieved by debate. These objectives include learning to make convincing arguments from another frame of reference than one's own, as might be the case if one is debating a position that does not correspond with one's true position. This experience may further develop participants' abilities to understand and respect the rights of individuals to hold opinions and beliefs that are different from theirs.

7. Role Playing

Role playing, in simple terms is the playing roles of different persons or things. It is an excellent strategy or technique in learning social behaviour and language. It is a method in which a small group of learners assume roles of others in typical situations. Functional language for a multitude of scenarios can be activated and practiced through role-play.

Importance

1. It is fun and motivating.

2. It offers more language opportunities.

3. It brings variety to the class.

4. It develops pupil’s communicative competence.

5. It eliminates pupil’s shyness in speaking English.

6. It fosters creativity.

7. It develops positive attitude.

Types of Role Playing

There are 2 types of role playing:

1. Structured role plying

2. Spontaneous role playing

In structured role-playing, the teacher selects the situations to be enacted in advance. Spontaneous role play arises in the midst of a discussion.

Self Directed Learning (SDL)

The concept of Self-Directed Learning (SDL) is one which educators have investigated and discussed for many years. The term Self-Directed Learning requires that students take the responsibility for their own learning process, including acquiring the material and monitoring their own progress. This method of instruction originally begun in the education of adults and has only recently begun to be used in elementary and secondary schools.

Self-directed learning is a collaborative process, the student must have the initiative to learn the material and the teacher must provide support and resources for learning. Students should never feel as if they are learning on their own.

The key points of Self Directive Learning

Ø  Assessing whether a student is ready for self-directed learning is important. Teachers should be provided with training on self-directed learning.

Ø  Teachers should teach students a variety of learning strategies and ensure they can properly use them.

Ø  Teachers should teach students the value of revision and critical appraisal in

              their work.

Ø  Teachers should encourage independence and a positive attitude toward

             learning.

Ø  Teachers should investigate learners’ needs and interests and how to support

            them.

Ø  A tutorial and formal inquiry process should occur to allow students to discuss

            and make connections in their material.

Ø  Control of the learning process should shift from teacher to student as the

student gains more experience with the concepts of self-directed learning so that                   eventually students decide what they should learn and how to learn the material.

Ø  Gifted and talented students have educational needs for daily challenge,

            opportunities for uniqueness and independent work, subject or grade based

            acceleration, opportunities to learn and socialize with other gifted and talented

            students and a differentiation in instructional methods such as pace, review etc.

Ø  Being a self-directed learner teaches a student to be motivated, self-disciplined

            and persistent. Students also develop a confidence in their own abilities and

            become more goal-oriented while enjoying their learning.

Self-directed learning is a collaborative process, the student must have the initiative to learn the material and the teacher must provide support and resources for learning. Students should never feel as if they are learning on their own. Teachers should make students aware of their role in their own learning and encourage each student to take initiative in their learning. Teachers must support students in their learning process by providing opportunities for help and discussion so students don’t feel like they are working on their own.

Teachers should make students aware of their role in their own learning and encourage each student to take initiative in their learning. Teachers must support students in their learning process by providing opportunities for help and discussion so students don’t feel like they are

working on their own

Benefits of Self-Directed Learning

Self-directed learning allows learners to be more effective learners and social beings. The self-directed learners demonstrated the ability to search for information in multiple texts, employ different strategies to achieve goals, and to represent ideas in different forms (drawing and writing). With proper planning and implementation, self-directed learning can encourage students to develop their own rules and leadership patterns.

  

What Can Teachers do to Support Self-Directed Learning?

One of the most important tasks of the teacher is to raise student awareness of their roles in learning. Learner participation in decision-making is another fundamental aspect of the SDL approach. Taylor advocates involving students in decisions concerning what is to be learned, when and how it should be learned, and how it should be evaluated. In addition, every proponent of SDL emphasizes the importance of allowing learners to pursue their own interests so that learning becomes more meaningful. When writers are allowed to choose their own topics, they write more often and they write longer pieces. Students do not have to be given total freedom, however. Teachers could, for instance, establish a thematic framework within which students are given choices.

These various teaching techniques help students to learn the desired course contents in a more effective manner. It also helps the teachers to present their topics creatively before the students , so that the innovation in teaching- learning can capture the attention of students.

 Reference

Method of Teacher Training- Ravi Rango Rao

English Language Education- Dr.K Shivarajan

Sffective Teaching of English- K. Jammaludeen

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Self_Directed/

Garrison, D.R. (1997). Self-directed learning: Toward a comprehensive model. In Adult Education Quarterly, Fall 97 v 48 n 1, p18, 16 p

http://eyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/energy-and-the-polar-environment/questioning-techniques-research-based-strategies-for-teachers