Posts

5. Instructional Strategies for Teaching Reading, Writing & Vocabulary

This is what I have learned in the 5th module in the TESOL Methodology course, however, the volume of each module gets bigger as it proceeds. Therefore, I have to be in a hurry to review all the modules because my memory of them is fading as time goes by (I finished the course last September). Teaching Reading The research suggested that providing various texts, especially attractive ones for learners, and let them read based on their prior knowledge is enhancing learners' reading level: The Whole Language approach (Goodman, 1967). Even if learners encounter unfamiliar words, they will be able to make a guess, using background knowledge. On the other hand, the researchers also recommended starting from a direct approach to letters and syllables in reading: The Phonics approach (Goodman, 1967). Consequently, combination of the two approaches is important (Thomas Baker, 2008). The concepts above are similar to Bottom-up Approach/Top-down Approach to reading. In either approach, it ...
Post a Comment
Read more

4. Learning Styles, Strategies, and Critical Thinking

Since from mid-1990s, when I was a junior high and senior high school student, English teaching styles in class at compulsory school haven't changed so much (at least from my perspective). As a learner, I learned English in teacher-centered classes with grammar-translation method at school. There were 40 students on average in class and we sat and listened to the teacher; no interaction with peers and studied in a passive way. Seen from the perspective of Bloom's Taxonomy, our learning at that time aften covered lower level thinkings, such as remembering and understanding.  I am not complaining about or blaming the classroom situation at that time since it was the educational scheme in the past specific period. However, it is problematic that the teaching context in English class still remains the same after 30 years. Because of the learners' Multiple Intelligences (Howard Gardner, 1985), teaching styles should meet students' requirements for maximizing their strengths...
Post a Comment
Read more

3. Focus on the Learner

In the 3rd module, I learned how principal teaching styles have been changing according to the two major concepts: instructivism and constructivism.  Instructivism (teacher-centered) is the teaching concept based on behaviorism, which evaluates students' behavior and external changes of students, so teachers will accomodate their instructions based on the students' behavior. In Japan, this approach is still dominant in English lessons at school, even though many teachers have learned TESOL or they understand benefits of student-centered approach.  Constructivism (student-centered) is another teaching concept and it seems to be equivalent to communicative language teaching, in other words. It is based on cognitivism; students will acquire a language skill through solving problems or interacting with someone/something. This approach encourages students to communicate through a target language in authentic situations and motivate students to learn the language because of meanin...
Post a Comment
Read more

2. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Task-Based Lanuguage Teaching (TBLT)

Image
In fact, I didn't pay much attention about the definition of following terms in educational literature before; method, approach, and technique. However, I came to understand the different meaning of each. Richards & Rogers (2001) stated that approach is a concept of teaching and it is categorized in a big flame: in other words, theory. Then, method is how educators use/present teaching materials based on the approach. Also, technique is a mean to implement methods, for example, exercises and activities. Nevertheless, it is still confusing for me to identify which word I should apply to a certain situation.  Traditional teaching methods and humanistic approaches are below.                                      "Su mmary of Language Teaching Methods Chart ” by University of Maryland Baltimore County is licensed under   CC BY 4.0 It is said that educational practitoners are n...
Post a Comment
Read more

1. Teaching English Across Cultures

It was unexpected, rather, surprising, for me that culture teaching should be taken into consideration when we teach English. According to McKay (2003), there are three levels of culture in teaching English: Source Culture , Target Culture , and International Culture .  This categorization is based on the concept of Kachru's Circle (1989), which classified cultures into three levels, depending on how the English language is treated in society. For example, a culture in a country where English is spoken as a native language is Target Culture. On the other hand, in a country where English is spoken as a foreingn language, their culture is Source Culture. International Culture indicates all the other cultures in non-English speaking countries. McKay (2003) states that teaching culture matters because learners of English come from different countries, which means their cultural backgrounds are different, so are situations where English is used.   Peter Neff and John Rucynski Jr. (...
Post a Comment
Read more

Opening

Dear English teachers and educators, This is the first post on my new blog: TESOL Methodology－Thoughts and ideas based on a teacher's experience. I'm so excited to start my blog for sharing my knowledge and experience as a practitioner of English education.  The objectives of this blog are the following; (1) cascading knowledge that I have acquired in TESOL Methodology, summer course 2023 from Online Professional English Network, (2) sharing my experience as an English teacher, (3) enhancing skills and techniques of both of us － visitors of this web page and me, through exchanging thoughts and ideas. As written above, I participated in the professional English educators' course online this summer 2023, provided by  the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UBMC), as part of the Online Professional English Network (OPEN). The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. At the beginning of ...
Post a Comment
Read more