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New Ways International
English Teaching in Chocó, Colombia and Around
the World
Journal of the Research Group in Foreign Language Teaching
School of Education
Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba”
COLOMBIA
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Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba”
Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación
Programa de Lenguas Modernas con Énfasis en Inglés
NEW WAYS INTERNATIONAL Editorial Advisory Board
ISSN 2011-6454 Robert Carlisle (California State University, USA)
No. 3 José Manuel Vez (Univ. Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
2018 Larry M. Lynch (Universidad Santiago de Cali, Colombia)
Editor Scientific Board
Daniel Baldrich Arce Daniel Baldrich Arce
Aristarco Martínez
Consultant Editor Alexander Córdoba M.
Francisco Moreno Mosquera Braulio Tello Palacios
Fidel Bejarano
Alfonso Córdoba
New Ways International is an annual publication, led by the Research Group in Foreign
Language Teaching at the Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó, in the city of Quibdó (Chocó),
Colombia. It publishes articles dealing with ideas, proposals and experiences in English
language teaching in Chocó, Colombia and around the world. Contributions are welcome and
should be sent via email to [email protected].
Website: www.pedigitales.com/new_ways
Photo in cover (Nuquí, Chocó): www.rutacol.com
Postal address:
Programa de Lenguas Modernas con Énfasis en Inglés
Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba”
Bloque 8, Piso 1
Quibdó (Colombia)
Phone No. 6726565, Ext. 4057, 4058
Scan this code to download the offline mobile version of New Ways International
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Table of Contents
Editorial 7
Research Articles 9
EFL in the Primary Classroom: The Ongoing Reality of Chocó
Alexander Córdoba M.
Augmented Reality: a Tool to Foster the English Learning Experience 23
Oscar Alonso Vásquez Vallejo
Challenges for in-service English teachers in Quibdó in the near future 33
Daniel Baldrich Arce and Ana Julia Chaverra Rivas
Most common English teaching practices and learning strategies in the 47
municipality of Quibdó
Daniel Baldrich Arce and Ana Julia Chaverra Rivas
Why senior students of Primary Education undergraduate program, at 57
the Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó, have low command of English
teaching methodology
Ana Pinilla Machado and Karen Quiroz Mena
Pedagogical Innovation 71
Juegos didácticos en el aula, estrategia transmedia y tecnología de
realidad aumentada: propuestas y productos para enseñar inglés
Francisco Moreno Mosquera
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Editorial
Following a relatively long period of absence, New Ways International is back again,
thanks to the efforts of the academic team of the foreign languages program of the
Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó which, after overcoming all sorts of difficulties,
made it possible to bring this publication back to life. With this issue, we are pleased
to launch an electronic version of the journal, in a modern format, that is available
both on the internet (www.pedigitales.com/new_ways) and as an android app that
permits reading it offline.
This third edition publishes six articles, five of them reporting results of classroom
research and the other one sharing ideas, strategies and technology-based products
for teaching English successfully. In his article “EFL in the Primary Classroom: The
Ongoing Reality of Chocó”, Dr. Alexander Córdoba analyzes crucial situations that
primary school teachers from Chocó have to tackle in the foreign language classroom
and describes the social, cultural, political and academic factors that intervene in the
teaching of English in the department of Chocó. Oscar Alonso Vásquez Vallejo
presents a study to analyze the use of Augmented Reality to foster the learning
English experience through multimedia content. Daniel Baldrich Arce and Ana Julia
Chaverra report the effects of implementing a Teacher Development Program
course in the city of Quibdó (Colombia), with the purpose of making in-service
English teachers aware of the need to constantly improve and update their teaching
practice. They also present a second article to examine the most common practices
of teaching and learning English in the municipality of Quibdó, in order to explain the
causes of students´ poor communicative competence upon leaving secondary
school. Ana Pinilla Machado and Karen Quiroz Mena deal with the topic of senior
students of primary education undergraduate program, contributing to understand
problems faced by the senior students with respect to their low command of foreign
language teaching methodology. Finally, the article “Juegos didácticos en el aula,
estrategia transmedia y tecnología de realidad aumentada: propuestas y productos
para enseñar inglés” presents a number of considerations regarding games and the
use of transmedia and augmented reality as effective teaching strategies; it also
describes how certain teaching products (books and courses) have been used to
enrich foreign language methodology with the use of advanced technology.
The Editorial Committee of New Ways International is pleased to deliver this new
issue to its readers, hoping to contribute to shed more light for a better
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understanding of the English teaching and learning phenomena and also to provide
ideas to innovate the teaching practices.
Francisco Moreno Mosquera
Consultant Editor
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Research Articles
EFL in the Primary Classroom: The Ongoing Reality of Chocó
Alexander Córdoba M.
Fulltime Languages teacher at UTCH
MA in Didactics of English: University of Choco (UTCH)
PhD in Modern Languages Literature and Translation
Institutional email: [email protected]
Personal email: [email protected]
Resumen
Hoy en día, el inglés, ya sea como lengua nativa, segunda o lengua extranjera,
establece o determina el futuro de miles de profesionales alrededor del mundo.
Siendo consciente de tal emergente fenómeno, el gobierno colombiano ha
establecido por ley que los docentes de educación primaria deben enseñar inglés
como lengua extranjera. Enseñar una lengua extranjera exige preparación y los
docentes de primaria del Chocó están todavía en busca de una solución para alcanzar
tal objetivo.
Por lo tanto, este Artículo ha analizado la difícil situación que los docentes de
primaria del Chocó afrontan a la hora de enseñar ILE (inglés como lengua extranjera)
en el aula de educación básica. Igualmente, y, de manera general ha descrito la
existencia de algunos factores sociales, culturales, políticos y académicos que, de
una u otra forma, pueden intervenir en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje del
inglés como lengua extranjera en la educación primaria del Chocó.
Para la dimensión práctica de la investigación, se aplicaron ambos métodos
(cuantitativo y cualitativo). Es decir, se implementó un cuestionario como el
instrumento de recogida de datos de tipo cuantitativo y la entrevista y la observación
de aula como los instrumentos del corte cualitativo.
El estudio ha revelado que el profesorado en servicio de primaria del Chocó carece
de los conocimientos básicos para enseñar Inglés a los niños de dicho nivel; ya que
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no cuenta con formación ni lingüística ni metodológica para este fin. En
consecuencia, una de las conclusiones del presente estudio se fundamenta en la
necesidad que poseen dichos docentes de ser formados profesionalmente para
mejorar sus capacidades tanto lingüísticas como metodológicas en ILE.
Palabras claves: Inglés, Lengua extranjera, Aula de primaria, Docentes en servicio,
Realidad
Abstract
English either as a native, second or foreign language, sets or determines the coming
future for thousands of professionals around the globe today. Being aware of such a
salient phenomenon, the Colombian government has established that primary
school teachers must teach English as a foreign language. Teaching foreign language
demands preparation and primary school teachers from Chocó are still in search of
a solution to achieve such a goal.
This Paper has therefore, analyzed the crucial situation that primary school teachers
from Chocó face when teaching EFL (English as a Foreign Language) in the primary
classroom. Furthermore, it has to some extent, described the existing of some social,
cultural, political and academic factors which may intervene in the EFL context of
Chocó’s primary Education as well.
Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were applied in the
development of the investigation. A questionnaire was implemented as the
quantitative data collection instrument and the interview and classroom observation
as the qualitative data collection instruments.
The study has revealed that in-service primary teachers from Chocó lack of the
knowledge they need to teach English to young children as they are trained neither
from a linguistic nor from a methodological point of view. Thus, one of the
conclusions of this study is the need the target primary teachers have to receive an
in-service training course aimed at improving their linguistic and methodological EFL
skills.
Key words: English, Foreign Language, Primary classroom, In-service Teachers,
Reality
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Introduction
During the last decades English has become a basic necessity to communicate in the
modern and globalized world. According to Syam (2012, p: 4), English is currently the
most widely spoken language in the world. It is the mother-tongue of more than 320
million people and other 200 million use it as their second language. Besides, English
is an important foreign language almost everywhere in the world. In this respect,
Kizildag (2009) affirms that English is the world language and serves as the lingua
franca for business, education, political and technology contexts (p: 1). Similarly,
Rosner & Bolitho (1990) state that these days English language teaching (…) is a local
requirement in an era of worldwide information-sharing and commercial exchange
(p: 5).
This current reality related to teaching and learning English as a foreign language has
persuaded many parents around the world that their children should start learning
English early, despite living in nations where children may never use it. As Hill (cited
in Rogers, 1990) argues, in many countries parents insist on their children all learning
a foreign language, because they believe that it will help them to get a good job (p:
14).
This is a mindset which is logically well founded in relation to the ever-growing
awareness people worldwide have come to assume about learning English as a
foreign language. No father or mother wants his/her children to be deprived of that
opportunity. As early as 1988, Prodromou stated that the introduction of English into
the primary school is imminent (p: 37) and that is the ongoing reality today. Early
introduction of EFL in the primary classroom has challenged primary school teachers
to assume the responsibility of teaching it, although some of them may not be
linguistically or methodologically prepared for such a role.
Consequently, all over the world, most countries admit and acknowledge the need
to become bilingual nations. Syam (2012) affirms that English is for example, the
lingua franca in a vast country like India where too many languages are spoken and
so many diverse cultures and ethnic groups co-exist. Cummins & Davison (2007)
coincide to state that:
In countries like Nigeria, China, and India, the ‘principal Ingredient’ of unification and strong
unity is the English Language. India, a country of over a billion people, has many hundreds of
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local dialects and languages. In such a complicated situation, the State has given English the
official language status to facilitate easy communication, (p: 5).
English fulfills a large number of utilitarian purposes including acquisition of
knowledge of all kinds in a fast-moving world of informatics and knowledge as the
one we live in today (Syam 2012 p: 2). Similarly, Nair et al (2014) have affirmed that
the English language is vital for an emerging economy like Malaysia’s where they
have even included English literature into the EFL syllabus in schools for the past 11
years (p: 1). Though, English has a restricted range of functions in Japan it is taught
extensively as a foreign language in the education system and is increasingly
employed in international trade, overseas travel and in academic research as well
(McKenzie (2010, p: 4). According to this author, the Minister of Japanese education
has recognized the importance of English to the future of Japan and to the world in
general:
English has played a central role as the common international language in linking people who
have different mother tongues. For children living in the 21st century it is essential to acquire
communication abilities in English as a common international language. In addition, English
abilities are important in terms of linking our country with the rest of the world, obtaining the
world’s understanding and trust, enhancing our international presence and further
developing our nation (p: 9).
Thus, with the English language becoming more significant each day due to
globalization and increasing competition among nations, there is an urgent necessity
within both, developed and developing countries of training school teachers or
educators in charge of dealing with EFL in the classroom.
Colombia is not the exception in this mindset. Using the Common European
Framework of References for Languages (Council of Europe 2001) to create the
national standards for international comparison, the Department of National
Education of Colombia has implemented the National Program of Bilingualism 2004-
2019, which includes the new standards of communicative competence in the
foreign language. The main aim of the program is the improvement of
communicative competence in English in the entire educational system as well as
the improvement of national competitiveness. In other words, the Colombian
government has understood that mastering English may set or determine the
coming future for thousands of professionals in our country.
This English teaching and learning-based research seems to be an undeniable
important aspect in today’s world because it intended to meet the needs of a wide
variety of teachers and students involved in Chocó’s primary education system to
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enable them both to better interact and survive not only within the local, regional or
national context, but within an international one as well.
General Research Aims
Analyzing the crucial situation in-service primary school teachers from
Choco face in order to teach EFL in the primary classroom.
Describing a varied-set of both, internal and external factors which may
negatively affect the integration of EFL in the Primary classroom of Choco.
Research Design and Methodology
Research design and methodology might be defined as the key points of the practical
dimension of an investigation. In other words, it can be defined as the logic or master
plan of an investigation that throws light on how the study is to be conducted. It
shows how the most important elements of the research (samples or groups,
measures, treatments or programs, etc.) work together in an attempt to address the
research questions (Thomas, 2010, p: 18). In the same respect, Mouton (1996)
argues that the research design serves to plan, structure and execute the research to
maximize the validity of the findings. It gives directions from the underlying
philosophical assumptions to research design and data collection (p: 175). Similarly,
the relevance of the research design is also supported by Yin (2003) when affirming
that colloquially a research design is an action plan for getting from here to there,
where ‘here’ may be defined as the initial set of questions to be answered and ‘there’
is some set of conclusions answers (p: 19).
The Mixed Method Approaches (Qualitative and Quantitative)
The methodology of the ongoing research is to be based on the paradigm of the
mixed method approach tradition. These two research methods will be
simultaneously applied in the research environments aiming at gathering a stronger,
more suitable and reliable sort of data, which will be later interpreted and analyzed
under the theoretical underpinnings of them both. In this juncture, Lakshman, Sinha,
Biswas & Charles (2000) have stated that Quantitative and qualitative methods can
be employed sequentially or simultaneously in a single study (p: 4). Since they have
become very useful in scientific research during the last few years as Zohrabi (2013)
argues, the mixed method approaches have recently risen to prominence. The reason
that more researchers are opting for these types of research is that both, qualitative
and quantitative data are simultaneously collected, analyzed and interpreted (p: 1).
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Data Collection Procedure
For the practical development of this research study, eight (8) municipalities, out of
those 30 the province has, were selected: Quibdó, Istmina, Condoto, Tadó, Medio
Sanjuan, Atrato, Certegui and Union Panamericana.
Even though an investigation can be carried out by implementing a single research
method (quantitative or qualitative), the research results may be favored (in terms
of trustworthiness and reliability) if a mixed-research methodology is used (Zohrabi,
2013). Thus, as stated before, the research method applied to undertake the present
study, has been a mixed type one. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies
have been in sequence implemented by applying first the questionnaire, then the
interview and finally, the classroom observation, as the three main data collection
instruments.
The questionnaire was applied first to approximately 140 in-service primary school
teachers by selecting two educational institutions in each one of the 8 municipalities.
From those 140 teachers, 24 were randomly post-selected (by taking one institution
per municipality) to apply the interview. Therefore, the interview was applied to 8
administrators, (one per institution) and to 16 in-service primary school teachers (2
per each educational institution).
Aiming at proving and validating directly the information collected through the two
previous research instruments, the last data collection instrument (classroom
observation), was applied to the same in-service primary school teachers. The target
teachers’ English level, the methodology they use to teach the foreign language,
their classroom management skills and how they come to integrate ICT in the EFL
primary classroom, were the main factors to be observed. They were observed in
detail through some pre-designed observation sheets.
Analysis of the questionnaires and interviews applied to the primary school
administrators and the primary school teachers
Questionnaires, addressed to both administrator school teachers, and primary
teachers, will be statistically presented and analyzed in this section. The questions
have been translated into English. Similar ones will be identified with the letters A
and B, while those which are not addressed to a specific group of participants
(different ones) will be individually presented and identified with the letter C.
There were in total 16 primary school administrators and 125 primary school
teachers who responded to the questionnaire. Interviews were also addressed to
both administrators and primary teachers. The 24 teachers who did the interview
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include 8 administrators and 16 primary teachers. It has been decided to analyze
both instruments together as the questions were the same, though some of them
were not included in the interview. A couple of questions are presented below as
an illustration.
Question 1
A. Is your institution required to teach English to children?
B. Are you, as a primary teacher, required to teach English in Primary Education?
Please, justify your answer.
Question A was asked to the administration teachers, and question B to the primary
teachers. As we can see in table 1, 100% of the administrators and most teachers
(91%) agreed that, as members of a primary education institution, it was mandatory
for them to teach English as a foreign language to the children of their institution. To
include this foreign language in their curricula was a state imposition.
During the interview, the administrators added that there was no real support from
the national government:
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Así es como lo establece la ley, pero además de que se trata de un idioma muy
importante para los niños jamás hemos visto algún tipo de ayuda de parte del estado
para dicho proceso, solo lo exigen y nada más.
Primary teachers had the same opinion:
Este proceso ha sido establecido en la ley general de educación (115). Además,
porque estamos hablando de un idioma muy importante para el fututo de los niños;
sin embargo, no existe apoyo para dicho proceso.
Question 2
A. Does your institution receive any kind of support for that purpose? If the answer
is affirmative, what kind of support?
B. Does the Administration support the teaching of English? If the answer is yes, are
you satisfied with that support?
37% of the administration staff argued that the national government supports them
by offering some basic workshops and/or lectures to prepare teachers to teach the
foreign language, but 63% agreed that there is not any support coming from the
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government with that objective. Concerning primary teachers, 55% of them said that
there is no real support in that sense. It seems that the government and national
educational authorities do not offer enough support so that the demanded aim can
be met. This question was not included in the interview.
Observation carried out within the EFL Primary Classroom
The observational process conducted within the EFL primary classroom will be
presented and analyzed in this section. This process of observation was aimed at 1)
detecting the foreign language level of the primary teachers, 2) their teaching
knowledge and skills, and 3) how they managed to integrate ICT devices and tools in
the primary classroom. A template of the observation sheets is provided below as
well.
Observation Task 2 -Teacher’s Knowledge in EFL/TEFL
Teacher’s Aspects to be Observed The Observation Findings
Does the teacher speak English all the
time? None of the teachers spoke English
during the sessions. They uttered only a
Does she/he make many mistakes? few isolated words. Observation
corroborated that their knowledge of
What kind of methodology does the the foreign language was very limited.
teacher use?
Are the students provided with The few words uttered or written by
speaking activities? What type? Are the teachers contained different
they motivating? pronunciation or spelling mistakes.
When they had to read a short text,
mistakes were also many.
Most teachers used very traditional
methodologies, especially Grammar
Translation.
None of the teachers provided speaking
activities but mainly translation and
very controlled written activities
How are reading skills practiced? What Reading was not promoted during the
types of reading activities are used? Are sessions.
they motivating?
Listening activities were not fostered
How are listening activities completed? during the sessions observed.
What kind of listening activities are
used? Are they motivating?
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How are writing activities completed? Writing was not promoted either.
What types of written activities are Students limited to write a few
used? Are they motivating? misspelled words on the whiteboard.
Is there a balance among activities?
Does the teacher integrate the The four basic skills were not practiced
different skills? effectively during the observed
sessions and it can also be said that the
What is the role of grammar balance between activities was nearly
teaching/learning in the classroom? non-existent.
What kind of strategies does he/she Most teachers did not really teach
use to make himself/herself grammar during the lessons. Teachers
understood? limited themselves to writing
isolated words on the whiteboard but
not grammar rules were practiced.
Teachers used mostly Spanish for
clarification.
According to observations carried out, it seems clear that most teachers were not
trained professionally to speak the English language or to teach it. Consequently,
they were not able to provide good teaching practice to the young children they
worked with. It was also perceived during the observations that most of them were
only able to manage a basic repertoire of words that they tend to mispronounce
when uttered or misspelled when written on the whiteboard.
Concerning classroom methodology, a concrete methodological orientation for
teaching English could not be detected although most teachers showed an
orientation to use traditional methods, Grammar Translation, for instance.
Furthermore, during the process of classroom observation, concrete activities which
enhanced the four basic English skills developments with the children could not be
seen.
Discussion of Results and Main Conclusions
The present investigation attempted to shed light on the area of foreign language
teacher training and development. The research work was an analytical-descriptive
study undertaken with in-service primary school teachers from the Chocó
department. The main aim was focused on exploring, analyzing and describing the
crucial situation these teachers face to teach EFL in the primary classroom.
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The following aspects were identified as the main findings concerning participants’
difficulties and necessities which require education authorities’ attention:
Lack of state support to include TEFL in the Primary Education
Questionnaires and interviews have corroborated that the Colombian government
has made it mandatory for basic primary institutions to include TEFL in their curricula
as a compulsory subject today. It has been equally proved that national educational
authorities do not offer enough support so that the goal of teaching English in the
primary classroom can be met successfully. In other words, real support for this aim
is nearly nonexistent in the primary institutions of Chocó; the demand exists, but
significant support so that the final aim could be achieved is not provided.
English level of in-service primary school teachers
Questionnaires and interviews have shown that primary teachers’ linguistic and
methodological knowledge of English is extremely poor or low and this fact prevents
them from teaching children the target language successfully. In a similar vein, the
observational process has re-affirmed that the in-service primary teachers of Chocó
were not trained professionally to speak the English language. They do not have
enough level to teach any of the four main skills.
Pre-service and in-service teachers’ training in TEFL
Most primary teachers are basically Licenciados en Educación Básica Primaria, with
an emphasis on any of the compulsory areas they need to work with such as
mathematics, Spanish language or sciences but not English or EFLT methodology.
Nevertheless, in-service teaching programs are not considered by education
authorities to improve teachers’ lack of linguistic and methodological knowledge.
All in all, according to the results obtained, primary teachers from Chocó lack of the
knowledge they need to teach English to young children as they are trained neither
from a linguistic nor from a methodological point of view.
Although the Ministry of Education in Colombia established several laws and decrees
to spread the knowledge of English in primary education throughout the country, it
seems that they overlooked one of the most important pieces of that educational
improvement: the training of in-service primary teachers in charge of implementing
that innovation. According to the government, most of the Colombian population
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should speak English by the year 2019 and this, according to the reality nationwide,
seems to be a difficult objective to achieve.
It is obvious that primary education sets the basis for the child’s further intellectual
development and that learning a foreign language (especially English) has become
paramount in our society. It is clear then that children are the subjects most affected
by this educational negligence as they cannot receive quality instruction from
professionals who have not been prepared to do so. Thus, one of the conclusions of
this study is the need the target primary teachers must receive an in-service training
course aimed at improving their linguistic and methodological EFL skills together
with the knowledge of some basic technological tools and devices.
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Augmented Reality: A tool to foster the English learning
experience
Oscar Alonso Vásquez Vallejo
M.A. Didáctica del Inglés Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó
Diplomado en Docencia Universitaria Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis
Córdoba”
Docente Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba” Quibdó - Chocó –
Colombia
Abstract
This research presents a study to analyze the use of Augmented Reality (A.R) to
foster the Learning English Experience through multimedia content to support the
teaching and learning process, and its impact on knowledge retention. A.R
application combines visual contents with listening and writing activities where the
students have the chance to get in touch with information hidden in QR codes or
target pictures (markers), in addition it allows students to discover the additional
contents digitally overlapping inside the clues, and using the smartphones as a daily
tool to foster the English learning experience. Supported on the mainstream of
Colombia Bilingual, and Colombian Ministry of Education for a bilingual nation,
technology must be effective integrated in teaching and learning process.
A validation study was conducted with six grade students in an English Learning
Center (ELC) in Quibdó, the participants involved in this study were 15 sample
students. This study, attempts to verify whether students using the A.R application
feel motivated and if they retain more concepts and vocabulary. Results showed an
increased knowledge retention and motivation on students, thus their participation
in class activity using A.R multimedia contents as opposed to those following a
traditional course, which validates A.R technology as a promising tool to improve
students’ motivation, interest, and to support the learning and teaching process in
educational, also it allows to develop the 4 communicative skills needed in any
language.
Key words: (A.R) Augmented Reality, markers, target, application, supporting
teaching and learning process, QR codes, A.R and TEFL.
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INTRODUCTION
Language learners in English Learning Centers and educational Institutions show
apathy behavior to participate and get immersed in the English Learning process. In
their research “Motivation and Second Language Acquisition” (2005), Gardner &
Smythe have demonstrated that motivation and interaction in learning process are
two of the most important factors for learning a foreign language.
English language learners´ demotivation and poor interaction within classes with the
real world are constant issues which teachers have to struggle every day where this
language is taught, as Jenni said Second Language Demotivation, Factors that
discourage pupils from learning the English language (2004). At the same time, lack
of interest in English class is probably caused by reduced contents, low quality of
multimedia materials, poor interactions between the learners and their
environment, or simply by the non-appropriate integration of technology within
English class.
It is noticed that all the materials provided to English teachers highlight the American
or European culture and civilization, taking aside the local context and particularities
where the language is going to be put into practice.
According to the information mentioned above, this research goes in the direction
to implement a technological tool known as Augmented Reality (A.R) in English
teaching, through activities designed to promote students´ participation, to taking
hand of some chocoan contexts as augmented information to foster students´
motivation.
The huge advantage of Augmented Reality as a tool to foster the Learning English
Experience within the class room, it’s that A.R overlays digital complementary
information into the real world, making easy smart phones, tablets, desktops and
laptops to show the needed information in real time, letting students or users to get
immerse and interact with the contents, enhance collaboration between students
and instructors and among students even while they are using the L2, this
affirmation goes according to Billinghurst in his research Augmented Reality in
Education. New Horizons for Learning (2002).
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THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Nowadays, the use of technological materials and efficient methods in education
and more specifically in language learning processes requires taking into
consideration new technologies, such as, software, mobile applications “apps”,
social networks and others, in order to elevate students´ motivation and promote
teaching efficiency. Technologies are being integrated within the classrooms
because it is what students enjoy the most these days and it is necessary stop looking
technologies as a distraction, but a powerful ally to reach teaching-learning goals,
for that reason it is important that teachers to be updated with these resources as
much as possible, in order to incorporate them in the classroom, thus they will keep
the students´ attentive and motivated. Skinner´s research called About Behaviorism
(1976) indicates that learners respond in effective way when they feel comfortable
and stimulated with things that are familiar to them.
Consequently and estimating students´ behavior, it is necessary to enhance the
active participation in class “helping students to take control of their learning at their
own pace and on their own path, as exposed by Hamilton & Olenewa in their
research Augmented Reality in Education (2010). It is demonstrated that the use
of technology in education increases students’ motivation, this is supported by
Schacter, The Impact of Education Technology on Students Achievement (1999). Also
multimedia and computational resources allow learners to reach different
achievements, and help them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills,
Lisa & Mark go deep in this field in their research Teaching Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving Skills (2008).
Computational resources applied to education are becoming a staunch ally for
teachers in terms of supporting their activities, also the way how they are
transmitting the knowledge to students and how this knowledge is enriching the
education contest. According to Rodney in his research The Integration of
Instructional Technology into Public Education: Promises and Challenges (2002).
Some teachers use technology in classrooms as the best associated; turning the
classes in a collaborative environment where the students learn from each other
solving problems in real-world context, this affirmation is supported by Annikka in
his research, Real-world context, interest, understanding, and retention (2007).
According to Azuma´s definition, A Survey of Augmented Reality (1997). Augmented
Reality (A.R) has to do with computational techniques where the virtual and the real
world are combined, allowing to overlay additional information on the real context,
at the same time the users will be able to visualize 3D objects, pictures, videos and
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sounds added on the real world through their mobile devices and smart devices. As
its name says, augmenting the information in real time.
On the other hand, A.R requires these devices in order to show the additional
information on the real world, targeting the camera or web cam directly to an object,
that can be a landscape, a building, an object, pictures or a bar code (marker) then
the information will appear on the screen device, mixing what the user is targeting
to, overlaying information and enriching the context.
A.R involves senses and it has the potential to take the students to perform multiple
class activities, allowing them to move around, to look for information, to work
together and construct their own knowledge, this is supported by David. & Manuel
in their research Delivering Educational Multimedia Contents through an
Augmented Reality application: a case study on its impact on knowledge acquisition
and retention (2013).They evidence that “students learn best through their senses
and through physical activities”.
In order to encourage learners to interact with their environment and take
advantage of their portable devices (laptops, tablets, and smartphones) this research
study explores the usefulness of implementing the Augmented Reality in learning
and teaching English because it is demonstrated that using augmented reality within
classes make students to become more active, involved on their own learning
process, and moving away from competitive to collaborative work patterns.
METHODOLOGY
This is a case study approach that came as an observation of the actually students´
behavior within class, and the constant use of their electronic devices like:
smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.
This research was carried out in 3 phases. In the first phase, an initial survey took
place and was applied to students. There were some questions with regard to
students´ motivation, preferences, and attitudes towards learning English. Thus, the
use of smart gadgets while learning this language. The second phase was applying
the interactive English activities, having students installed in their smart phones and
tablets a free app named AURASMA.
Therefore, a problematic situation came. The purpose was to explore alternatives to
adapt teaching English contents, and making interactive and collaborative English
activities that enable Android (smart devices) to show the information and get the
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English learners attention (learning by interacting) Later, a Third phase took place
for collection, organization and analysis of the information.
PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING
Fifteen sample students from 6 level were asked about their interest for learning
English, and how interactive the English classes are, using their smart devices.
Likewise, some classroom observations were done at different times during six
months, and students’ impressions towards learning English together with the
materials used. The information emerged from these sources became fundamental
data, which allowed the creation of some categories.
DATA ANALYSIS
The data analysis process started checking one by one the survey applied to the
students, another source employed for collecting information was the observation.
There were some important topics for taking into account at instant to analyze the
information collected. Along this process some commonalities and relevant
comments came up according to two preliminary categories: Learning Strategies
(L.S) and Interactive Learning Contest (I.L.C) these categories were derivate from
research question and goals. Common fragments of texts taken from the raw data
were identified using color coding. Then, a map of every single data source was done
to reduce the volume of data and make it more manageable. It contained a tag with
the initial letter of the data source and a number indicating the order in which was
collected; the participants who provided data, and categories in which data would
fit. The information was compared across the participants and later across data
sources.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
This study has investigated the effects of using Augmented Reality contents and
interactive materials on students’ enthusiasm for learning English. The results in this
study are descriptive interpretations taken from comparing data sources regarding
to some categories mentioned above. The intention was the pursuit of responses for
the research question: May the use of new interactive learning strategies (A.R)
promote student´s learning and interaction within classes?
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The data analysis suggests three findings. First, English learners every day are more
interested in dynamic and interactive learning contents; this involves using their
smart gadgets like tablets, smart phones and laptops while they are getting the
knowledge. Also the survey indicates that students keep longest time doing the
activities proposed. Finally a relevant finding was that by using Augmented Reality
contents and activities, the students can access easily to the right writing and an
accurate word pronunciation. This consideration is derived from an interview carried
out with the students at the end of the research, it shown a 80% of students
answered they felt motivated using interactive English materials and contents while
learning English, also the survey evidence that using audio-visual aids as those
offered by Augmented Reality.
McCormick and Pressley (1995) State that learning strategies are intentionally used
and consciously controlled by the learner. Also they can advance according to their
skills using these kinds of activities. This implies the important role that interactive
contents empowered by the Augmented Reality have, at instant to foster students
experience while learning English or a foreign language.
Learning Strategies
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0 Uso de Preferencias de los
Intensión de
herramientas estudiantes
aprender inglés
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Interactive Learning Contents (I.L.C)
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0 Actividades motivacionales
Actividades interactivas
A final point that needs to be emphasized is about the students’ reaction after using
the interactive learning materials Augmented Reality. The students’ reaction was
very positive and rekindled their enthusiasm for learning English.
IMPLICATIONS
The outcomes of this research describe the benefits of introducing Interactive
Learning Contents (ILC) by mean of (A.R) in teaching English. Augmented Reality is
noteworthy in teaching and learning English, because it allows teachers to provide
more interactive and multimedia information by relating subject matter content to
real world situations. So that, the students develop critical thiking, and prolem-
solving skills, they can improve listening, pronunciation, and well words spelling,
also they can learn accurate vocabulary related to their context . It demands a
permanent review and reflection regarding the choice of Interactive Learning
Contents for teaching English. That implies selecting and adapting materials with
sensitivity to the smart devices to meet the students’ interest and motivation for
learning the target language, as well as their enthusiasm to succeed in English.
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CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
This research discussed the effects of integrating Interactive Learning Contents for
English teaching; describing how Augmented Reality applied teaching can foster
the English Learning Experience. Under this view it is worth to explore the positive
effects of introducing Interactive Learning Contents by using an amazing,
fascinating technological and multimedia tool name Augmented Reality for
teaching English. Another issue of interest that arises prompted by this study is, the
almost nonexistent of interactive learning materials adapted to chocoan and
Colombian context.
REFERENCES
B. F. Skinner. (1974) . About Behaviorism
Online Documents at http://fitelson.org/prosem/skinner_2.pdf
Billinghurst, M. (2002). Augmented Reality in Education. New Horizons for Learning,
December 2002. Retrieved July 20, 2010
Online Documents at URL
https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/4810740/ar_edu.pdf?AWSA
ccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1515194738&Signature=eiMeaAcj
C2H2tG7PVuwFfBHXPF4%3D&response-content-
disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DAugmented_reality_in_education.pdf
Chrestensen, Annikka (2007) "Real-world context, interest, understanding, and
retention", Master's report, Michigan Technological University. Online Documents
at URL http://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etds/536
David, & Manuel (2013) Delivering Educational Multimedia Contents through an
Augmented Reality application: a case study on its impact on knowledge
acquisition and retention
Online Documents at URL http://www.tojet.net/articles/v12i4/1243.pdf
Gardner, R. C., & Smythe, P. C. (1975). Motivation and second-language acquisition.
The Canadian Modern Language Review, 31, 218-230.
Hamilton, K. & Olenewa, J. (May, 2010). Augmented Reality in Education
PowerPointslides. Online Documents at
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http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/k3hamilton-478823-augmented-
reality-in-education/
Jenni M. (2004). Second Language Demotivation, Factors that discourage pupils
from learning the English language.
Online Documents at URL
https://jyx.jyu.fi/dspace/bitstream/handle/123456789/7348/G0000639.pdf?seque
nce=1
John Schacter. (1999). The Impact of Education Technology on Students
Achievement
Online Documents at URL http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwche/Milken%20report.pdf
Lisa, G.& Mark, J, (2008) Teaching Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills
Online Documents at URL
http://reforma.fen.uchile.cl/Papers/Teaching%20Critical%20Thinking%20Skills%20
and%20problem%20solving%20skills%20-%20Gueldenzoph,%20Snyder.pdf
Rodney S. Earle. (2002). The Integration of Instructional Technology into Public
Education: Promises and Challenges.
Online Documents at
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a9a0/a4f93c0822701e6ffdb8b8606bf1bbcd1bb8.
pdf
Ronald T. Azuma. (1997). A Survey of Augmented Reality
Online Documents at
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.444.4990&rep=rep1&t
ype=pdf
R.C. Gardner. (2006) Motivation and Second Language Acquisition.
Online Documents at URL http://publish.uwo.ca/~gardner/docs/SPAINTALK.pdf
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Challenges for in-service English teachers in Quibdó in the near
future
Daniel Baldrich Arce
Docente Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba” Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia
Magister en Didáctica del Inglés, Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba”
Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia
Especialista en Lingüística Aplicada a la Enseñanza del Inglés Universidad Tecnológica del
Chocó.
Diplomado en Didáctica del Inglés, Ghent University, Bélgica.
Ana Julia Chaverra Rivas
Docente Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba” Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia
Magister en Didáctica del Inglés, Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba”
Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia
Abstract
This article reports the effects of implementing a TDP (Teacher Development
Programme) course all over the city of Quibdó - Colombia. The purpose was to make
in-service English teachers aware of the necessity to constantly improve and update
their teaching practice to meet the students’ demands through TDPs. Supported on
the mainstream of collaborative teaching and the goal of Colombia Bilingual (2010 –
2019). The participants involved in this research were 30 in-service English teachers
to make a contrast regarding their current teaching practices and language
competence. The strategy included interviews, open-ended questionnaires and non-
participant observations. Findings revealed that there is a higher level of pedagogical
and language competence among teachers taking TDPs than those who are still out
of TDPs Programmes.
Keywords: TDPs (Teacher Development Programmes), teaching practice, language
competence, in-service English teachers.
Introduction
In recent times, considerable attention has been paid to the role that professional
development plays in order to fit the English teaching/learning process. So that all
of the school curricula is being heavily impacted specially in the learning needs of
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students. Professional development has been necessary for all teachers involved in
educational reform. Professional development also is essential for school-
improvement teams to build a comprehensive framework for ongoing refinement.
Every proposal to reform, restructure, or transform schools emphasizes professional
development as the primary vehicle in efforts to bring about needed change Guskey
(1994, pp. 42-50.)
The purpose of this research was to propose a syllabus for a TDP course intended to
foster professional performance and linguistic aspects to meet the National Bilingual
Programme Goals for in-service teachers in the city of Quibdó offered by the
University of Chocó. Given that, Professional Development keeps teachers updated
with regards to current theories, approaches and methodology to enhance English
teaching and learning.
This study was based on 30 in-service English teachers belonging to the distinct high
schools of Quibdó city. Thus, it was determined to select 15 trained English teachers
as well as another 15 non-trained ones randomly, in order to validate a comparative
study related to the effectiveness in terms of language and methodology among
teachers taking TDP than those who are still out of the program. The qualitative
results from the questionnaire which contained both open-ended questions and
observations revealed that the implementation of a syllabus for a TDP course
proposed to foster professional performance and linguistics aspects is definitively an
urgent need for in-service English teachers in Quibdó led by trainers from la
Universidad del Chocó , with a view to uplift and update teachers’ instruction to
meet the local needs together with the National Bilingual Programme Finally, as a
result of the findings some future studies should be conducted to better understand
how to adequately implement and integrate both language and methodology
courses. So that local curriculum guidelines and pedagogy can be updated
accordingly in the future.
Theoretical Considerations
Teacher development seems to be essential in the education field. Thus, over the
last few years, considerable attention has been paid to the role that effective
professional development can play in improving the English teaching and learning
process nationwide. However, the current situation in Quibdó is still found to be
“imbued” with deficiencies regarding the issue of lack of training and development.
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Consequently, it is essential to draw on some current theories and approaches to
underlie this research work.
Thus, an increasing body of research in the field of teacher education and
development over the past decade has challenged the process-product notion of
language teaching, in which teaching is seen as the exercise of specific ways of acting
or a set of behaviors that need to be taught direct- ly. (Freeman, 1991, In J.
Flowerdrew, M. Brock & S. Hsia (1996). “Such a criticism on the process-product
paradigm reflects the recognition that teaching involves both action and the thinking
that underlies it”. (Shulman, 1986, pp.3-36) and especially “the higher-level cognitive
processes that are less amendable to direct instruction or training than specific ways
of behavioral techniques or skills” (Richards & Nunan, 1990, p. 12). As we can be
noticed, in recent years, “two approaches have emerged in second and foreign
language education programs. One is education as “training” and the other one is
“development”. The contrast between training and development is a useful way of
characterizing and describing options in teacher education” (Freeman, 1989, pp.27-
45). In order to clarify the difference between these two approaches and
implications for teacher education programs, it is important to examine five aspects
of teacher education making a contrast between “training” and “development”
perspective for each one, such as: Approach, content, process, teacher education,
process, teacher roles and teacher educator roles.
Teacher Education as Training
Approach. This term refers to the conceptual framework or philosophy underlying
the program, that is, theory and assumptions about teaching and teacher education
that provide the starting point for program development.
The first assumption is that in-service English teachers have been teaching English
with deficiencies of different kinds namely low language skills and scarcity of
methodology when teaching. In this perspective, Breen, & Gabrielsen. (1989,
pp.111-135) point out, “these may be deficiencies of knowledge about the subject
matter or lack of specific skill or competences”.
The second assumption is the characteristics of effective teaching are known and
can be described in discrete terms as skill or competencies. These characteristic are
often identified as a specific method of teaching where in-service English teachers
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should start to improve their teaching style or by learning what successful teachers
do.
The last assumption maintains that the teacher education program is essentially
theory driven and top-down. That is, the source of the new information may be
experts and theories based on new directions in Applied Linguistics, methodology
and second language acquisition.
Content. Content means goals, topics and subject matter the program addresses. In
teacher education, as training, goals are stated in terms of performance, and content
is identified with skills and techniques and theoretical framework as for those
abilities as techniques. Besides, the teacher educator is who generally pre-
determines the con- tent, similarly, the program is addressed to aspects of teaching
related to observation, teaching and testing, which are often linked to specifics
situations. In the same way, to determine the programmers’ effective pre- and post-
training differences than can be measured. For instance, working in a workshop
where it is taught how to make their classes more communicative, teachers are
observed in their classes to establish how much they have improved in the use group
work and on teacher-fronted and teacher directed activities.
Process. It refers to the means by which the content of the program is transmitted
or the techniques, activities and experiences which are used to impart new
knowledge and skills to the teacher in training.
To a training perspective there are adequate techniques. Some of them are seen in
the learning process as “modeling”. So, teachers model the behavior of master
teachers or effective teachers or they model proven techniques of teaching. For
instance, micro- teaching gives trainers an opportunity to model new behaviors to
teachers and later for teachers to learn new skills.
Role of the teacher. According to Zeichner & Liston (1987, p.27) the teacher as
technician should concern with the successful accomplished of ends decided by
others: similarly, an effective teacher is also viewed as a skilled performer of a
number of prescribed tasks.
Richard & Nunan (1990) point out that the teacher training deals with basic teaching
skills and techniques typically for novice teachers in an In-Service Education Pro-
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gram. These skills include such dimensions of teaching as preparing lessons, plans,
classroom management, teaching the four skills (i.e. reading, writing, speaking and
listening) techniques for presenting and practicing new teaching items, correcting
errors etc. (proposal).
The role of the teacher educator. From a training perspective, the teacher education
is an expert, as catalyst for change, as a model teacher, as the source of new ideas
and information. Therefore, she or he provides functions: to provide ideas and
suggestions, to solve problems and to intervene and point out better ways of doing
things.
Teacher education as development approach. Lange (1990, pp. 245-268) describes
the term teacher development as “describing a process of continual, intellectual,
experiential and attitudinal growth” he distinguishes this term from training as being
encompassing and allowing for continued growth both prior to and throughout a
carrier”. For Freeman (1989, p.38) “changes do not necessarily mean to do
something different. So, the focus is thus more on expanding and deepening
awareness”.
In the fourth assumption, the program is based on discovery oriented and inquiry
based, and bottom-up rather than top-down. External input only serves as one
source of information of the program. And with teacher input both interact to help
teachers understand their own attitude, values, knowledge and practices and their
influence in their classroom.
Roles of the teachers and learners in the classroom. Zeichner & Liston (1987, pp.
23-48.) point out:
A reflective curriculum predetermines that which is to be learned, but also includes
provisions for the negotiation of content among teachers and learners. Hence, “goals
and content are required to engage teachers in reflecting critically their own
teaching and on own roles in the classroom” Roderick (1986, 308).
According to Richard & Nunan (1990) [to move beyond skill-training teacher
education, different kinds of learning experiences are being employed. They are:
values, clarification, observation, self-reflection, self-reporting, project work,
problem solving and action-research]. Freeman (1989, 27- 45) considers the teacher
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educator role as “primarily triggering change to the teacher awareness rather than
to intervene directly”. In the same way Roderick (1986, pp. 305-315) describes
teacher educator and student teachers as “coparticipants in and co-constructors of
educational experience” ICT.
In addition to what has been looked at, another relevant component to bear in mind
is widely known as ICT. Nowadays with the new technological trends and gadgets
teachers need not only to address learner- centered classes, but also to raise
awareness of developing technological skills. Given that information technologies
and global access to information. As a result, language teachers have to be ready to
em- bark upon the digital world. The crucial fact is not that of reaffirming the benefits
of ICT in general terms along with the education and the evident benefits these have
brought in the past decades evidenced worldwide in different settings. But, more
importantly, is how the specific subject of foreign languages as particular case is
surrounded in the current world by many inventions that have witnessed substantial
growth, and that have impacted both how we teach and how we learn. With the
avenue of ICT, E- mail, possibilities to use collaborative platforms, multimedia, and
the internet the teaching of foreign languages have tremendous influenced the
processes of using them in everyday classroom activities as expressed by (Brown,
2000, Hardwick, 2000, Rice, 2003) ICT offer ample opportunities for fostering and
treating teaching and learning as truly social activities where the knowledge is built
through interaction and dialogue rather than lectures and recitation (Stevens 2004).
Haddad (2002) state that ICT help to increase the quality of education in three focus
issues, 1 increasing learner motivation and engagement 2 by facilitating the
acquisition of basic language skills 3 by uncovering the need to enhance teacher
training. Lastly, No matter the hindrances faced with regards the use of technology
and the teaching during last decades in different setting worldwide, nowadays, the
acceptance of ICT and their benefits are more widespread for developing language
students` skills
Methodology of the Study
This study followed the principle of qualitative research. Since, the data was
collected through classroom observations, interviews and questionnaires. Cresswell
(1994, p. 20) defines a qualitative study as an inquiry process of understanding a
social or human problem, based on building a complex, holistic picture, formed with
words, reporting detailed views of informants, and conducted in a natural setting.
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Participants. The study involved 30 in-service English teachers of public high schools.
As the total number of trained teachers is fifteen, ranking the 15 %, then other
fifteen non- trained teachers were also chosen randomly to complete the
representative sample of 33%, the third part of all of the target population. Thus, the
decision to include all the target population in the study is rounded to that
percentage above mentioned. In sum, it was determined to take a sample randomly
equivalent to the non-trained teachers for a total of 30 teachers as a representative
sample in order to validate a comparative study among teachers taking TDP than
those who are still out of the program.
The participants were interviewed to find out mainly how both trained and non-
trained EFL teachers’ perceptions informed practice along their classes. In addition,
classroom observations were carried out attempting to witness teacher’s
methodology in terms of planning, use of the target language, implementation of
materials, language Skills and classroom management. Furthermore, an open-ended
questionnaire was conducted to find out teachers’ experience, frequency of
attending TDPs, language skills and standards integrations to teach their lessons.
Data analysis. Examining the data, concentrated on both the trained and non-
trained teachers, some conclusions could be drawn underlining the following
aspects: In terms of Planning, classroom management, Language skills, use of the
target language, implementing materials. As for trained teachers the professional
growing and commitment to plan well balanced lessons is evident in the same as
more appealing and meaningful activities for learners and most important stressing
on students’-centeredness class. Also, in terms of classroom management trained
teachers privileged learner centeredness class, through interaction patterns such as:
pair work, individual and group work together with the time allotted for activities
appropriately. Thus, the use of the target language also came to play when they
instructed and explained their learners using 50% English and the remain 50% in
Spanish combining the four language skills, focusing more on speaking and listening
to promote communication. Hence, the use of audiovisual aids was effective the
same as learners participation and rapport on tasks. Evidence of this was provided
when trained teachers used technology inside the classroom for watching videos or
listening to conversations. They were also able to engage students outside the
classroom for writing emails to foster writing. Though the use of technology is
limited in classrooms, most teachers used text books and realia to sort through In
contrast, non-trained teachers did not show any evidence of planning not even in
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Spanish which is the core to assess the outcomes for a lesson. Subsequently, in terms
of classroom management, there was not clear procedure to group learners, or do
they showed techniques for checking student’s understanding along the les- sons.
As for the language skills integration, non-trained teachers did not emphasize on the
combination of skills but on grammar patterns which is still their favorite method to
teach.
Another crucial issue to mention here is that students were instructed in Spanish all
the time. Furthermore, textbooks were used to make copies from and assign text to
be translated from English to Spanish and write up sentences in isolation.
Nevertheless, it is pivotal to mention that non-trained teachers have also
contributed to the teaching and learning process of English in any case. Yet, they
haven´t impacted their environment completely due to the lack of regular training
programmes support and lack of clear criteria to implement materials to meet
students’ linguistic needs. Another relevant data emerged from this study in relation
to the open-ended questionnaire. These are some graphic excerpts from the open-
ended question Questionnaire to compare both trained and non-trained English
teachers’ report.
Question: How often do you integrate the standards based on CEFR in your lessons?
Graph 1ab shows that trained teachers include standards reaching a peak of 60%
and the remaining falls 40% when integrating basic standards into their lessons. In
contrast, non-trained teachers include them at around 20% which is still being low
and care for the need to refresh their teaching to meet the students’ demands.
Otherwise, trained teachers try to fit The National Standards for Foreign Language
Learning in their lessons in a high percentage. Yet, they should include standards in
every single lesson to determine what is learned and how learning takes place.
Question: What are the skills you develop the most on your students? Listening,
writing, reading or speaking?
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Graph 2ab shows how both trained and non-trained teachers emphasize most on
the language skill. The formers focus most on speaking and listening reaching a peak
of 33% each one then, the average drops slightly in writing 20% and reading 14%.
While the latter’s concentrates the most on the reading skill ranking 61% and the
remaining fall noticeable 10% in the average. Accordingly, both groups should
overlap all the skills to empower students and help them succeed in the target
language.
Question: How often do you attend TDPs based on language and methodology?
Based on the Graph 3ab, it can be seen that 66% of trained teachers sometimes
attend TDPs. Differently the other 34 % attend TDPs frequently. Otherwise, 70% of
non-trained teachers never join TDPs, while the remaining 30% do sometimes attend
TDPs.
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If one examines the above table clearly, it can be concluded that both groups need
more encouragement and opportunities for attending steady TDPs, seminars and/
workshops to be more effective and efficient teachers.
Question: Check the average of English you use during your classes?
Research Findings
This research investigated the necessity to constantly improve the English teaching
practice through TDPs by making a contrast between trained and non-trained in-
service English teachers. By conducting this study, findings suggested that there is a
higher level of pedagogical and language competence among teachers taking TDPs
than those who are still out of the programme. Evidence of this is provided sifting
through data gathered from observations, interviews and questionnaires
It can be noticed from the Graph 4ab that 60% of trained teachers use English in the
classroom between 50% and 60%, and then the other 40% falls slightly from 30 to
40% in the average. Noticeably, 85% of non-trained teachers use English dropping
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from 10% to20%. Differently, the 10% increases in use of English at around 30% and
40%.
Ideally, the use of English in the classroom by both the teachers needs to be
increased in order to engage students to interact and communicate in English. Thus,
using the target language can be beneficial to both for learners and teachers alike.
As illustration learners can ask for repletion, if they do not understand and teacher
can model to improve the language instruction. The study also revealed that
teachers who were able to attend seminars, trainings and workshops become more
effective and efficient educators in terms of using current techniques for planning,
integrating the language skills, grouping students, using the target language to
instruct, classroom aids and resources and provide feedback. In consonance, this
kind of training will surely be beneficial to the teachers if their desire is to uplift their
teaching practice to inspire their learners and better influence their settings with
thought-provoking lessons.
Conclusions
This research has been crucial to support the idea behind the implementation of
ongoing professional development as a path way to learn more about learning
strategies and explore new and effective ways into the teaching practice. Thus,
based on the qualitative results some conclusions can be drawn regarding both
trained and non-trained in-service English teachers. The formers evidenced pro-
fessional growing after attending trainings and seminars becoming more efficient
and effective teachers. Nevertheless, the latters need to attend TDPs sustained
overtime to provide them with renewing knowledge of teaching and professional
skills in terms of planning well-balanced lessons, use the target language to engage
and instruct students as to select appropriate materials to better orient today´s
learners. Thus, the implementation of TDPs favor pedagogical and linguistic
competences, as a response to support in-service English teachers in meeting the
local needs together with the National Bilingual Programme. In this spirit, one of the
major tasks of the administrators and the SEDS (Secretarias de Educación) is to
provide opportunities for such development to take place, by encouraging the
teachers, even the old ones to regularly attend trainings and seminars.
Consequently, for further research, it is worth to explore the effects of raising English
teachers’ aware- ness of renewal pedagogical and language competence and how
their teaching practices impact students’ learning.
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Nunan D. (Eds.). Second language teacher education pp. 245-68. Cambridge, MA:
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Zeichner K. 1982 . Reflective teaching and field-based experience in teacher
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Most common English teaching practices and learning strategies
in the municipality of Quibdó
Daniel Baldrich Arce
Docente Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba” Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia
Magister en Didáctica del Inglés, Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba”
Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia
Especialista en Lingüística Aplicada a la Enseñanza del Inglés Universidad Tecnológica del
Chocó.
Diplomado en Didáctica del Inglés, Ghent University, Bélgica.
Ana Julia Chaverra Rivas
Docente Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba” Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia
Magister en Didáctica del Inglés, Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó “Diego Luis Córdoba”
Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia
ABSTRACT
This project is a quality investigation that examines what are the most common
practices of teaching and learning English in the municipality of Quibdó, in order to
explain the causes of student´s poor communicative competence upon leaving
secondary school. Previous studies have done a diagnostic of the poor English level
of teachers, identifying this as one of the primary problems affecting students´
performance. However, given the complexity of the phenomenon, it is also
necessary to examine other factors which are equally as important, such as
methodological aspects and students’ attitudes towards learning English. It is
therefore necessary to go deeper into what is happening in the secondary schools
during the implementation of the teaching philosophies and the strategies of
learning programs to establish what are the possible weaknesses, in reference to the
actual methods that orient the teaching of English in Colombia and the world.
Key words: teaching practices, learning strategies , methodology, common practices.
INTRODUCTION
In today’s world, the necessity of learning English is universally recognized, not only
because the use of this language has extended to every country in the world,
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converting it into the language of global communication, but also because English
constitutes the principal means of spreading knowledge and information. It is
because of this that Colombia in the 1994, following the promulgation of the law of
general education (law 115), adopted as a main policy the fomentation of the
teaching and learning English as a foreign language, which is expressed in articles 21,
22 and 23 which establish the obligation of teaching a foreign language beginning in
primary school.
In 2004, the recognition of the importance of English propelled the Ministry of
National Education (MEN) to formulate and implement the National Program of
Bilingualism as a strategy to improve the quality of the teaching of English in
Colombia and the training of competitive citizens in a continuously more globalized
world.
The necessity of learning a foreign language is even more urgent in underdeveloped
regions such as Chocó, since the capacity of communication in English would permit
the future leaders of the department to have better opportunities for collective and
personal growth, which would signify the possibility of inserting the department in
the processes of universal communication, global economy and cultural exchange.
For these prior considerations, it is alarming to confirm the low English level that
students have upon graduating from secondary school in the department of Chocó.
This is evident in the poor results obtained in the standardized exams in Colombia
such as SABER, in which students from Chocó always have the lowest scores.
Probably, one of the principal factors that contributes to this problem is the low level
of competence in foreign languages of English teachers. A diagnostic undertaken by
the MEN, reviewed that English teachers in the department of Chocó have a low
level, with 87% of the teaching population ranked in the levels A1 and A2, that is to
say, the vast majority possess either a beginner or basic level.
Upon discovering the communicative deficiencies of the teachers the MEN
undertook several actions to improve the English level of the teachers such as:
English immersion workshops, language training courses and training opportunities
abroad. However, it is clear that the difficulties remain, given that the learning of the
foreign language in school settings is a phenomenon as complex as a prism with
many sides, the communicative competence of the teachers being only one of them.
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Thus, they have only given a partial look and corrective treatment to the problem. It
is still necessary to look at another fundamental aspect in the formation of the child
as a speaker of English as a foreign language. It is necessary to thoroughly study the
processes of teaching and learning; to closely observe and to critically examine what
is happening in English classes.
It is just as necessary to analyze the teaching procedural dimension of the process
(what the teacher does and the teaching aids used) regarding the child as a learner
(their attitudes, motivations and styles of learning), as it is to analyze the
methodological processes and attitudes where you find part of the key of either
success or failure in the achievement of the objectives of the Law of General
Education of the National Program of Bilingualism.
It is imperative therefore, to undertake a study to describe the outlook of the current
situation of the teaching of English in the secondary schools in Chocó and to make a
diagnose that proposes plans that carries out actions oriented to correct those
methodological aspects in which there is evidence of weaknesses. In this context,
the investigative questions that orient this study are: What are the most commonly
utilized practices and strategies by students and teachers towards learning and
teaching English? To what extent do these teaching practices and learning strategies
match with the tendencies that are considered valid and effective today?
THEORETICAL REFERENCES
Regarding teaching methods
For years, people have proposed a great variety of methods for language teaching
based on diverse theories of learning languages, in other words, theories based on
certain beliefs about how children internalize the linguistic codes and develop their
capacities to communicate. The predominant models of the past were based on a
conductive theory which asserts that the learning of a language is the process of
forming habits and internalizing rules. From the previous theory developed
mechanistic approaches and methods based on the memorization of grammatical
structures and the repetition of oral exercises, in which excessive attention is given
to the perfection of the language form. Various methods are aligned with the
behaviorist and structuralist approaches including the Grammar Translation and the
Audio-lingual methods.
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Some of the previously mentioned theories and methods have become outdated
and others have evolved, re-inventing themselves in light of the new hypothesis of
scientific disciplines, such as the psychology of learning, applied linguistics and
didactics, which have contributed to a more ample comprehension of the process of
learning and naturalizing a foreign language.
Today’s modern methodological tendencies have more complete view of the
language and go beyond the mere formation of habits and argue that the learning
of a language is much more than syntactical, morphological and phonological
structures. On the other hand, the theory of cognitivism, which sees the mental
process of the individual as the vital motor of the development of knowledge, and
from these theories emerged the constructivism of Piaget, Ausbel and Vigosky and
Chomsky’s innatist perspective which asserts the existence of a Language
Adquisition Device(LAD), which means that the individual is born with the capacity
to learn a language and therefore it is not necessary to utilize a process of repetition
to internalize the structure of a language.
On the other hand, methodological processes have emerged apart from the vision
of the naturalization of the language distinct from the structuralism. The
communicative approach views the language not only as a system of structures, but
also as a series of communicative notions and functions which serve as a mainstream
of communication and interaction between individuals. This approach links methods
such as Functional-Notional, Problem-Solving Activities, Task-Based Learning (TBL).
Willis (1996:11) asserts that “there are four conditions for an individual to learn a
language effectively as follows: exposure, motivation, use of language and
instruction.” Thus, these conditions can be crucial factors to help English Language
Learners (ELLs) succeed when performing different tasks and interacting as well.
In relation to the condition of experience Kolb (1984:38) affirms that “learning is the
process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.”
Kolb also establishes that “people develop preferences for different learning styles
in the same way that they develop any other sort of style, for example: management,
leadership, negotiating etc.” Therefore, the experience gained through Task-based
learning should favor the learning styles of the individuals which can be balanced
with both traditional and technological resources.
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