TESL-0130 - Unit Four Reflection
This unit required us to
read selections from chapters of the Brown and Lee (2015) text that were
assigned previously in this course. I have already reflected on these readings,
so I will focus on the Yagcioglu and the Yang articles that discuss learners’
autonomy.
Reflecting on the metacognition
article
The reflection on the
readings will begin with the outline of unit 4 of this course that was
presumably written by my instructor Anna Bartosik. Bartosik (n.d.) provides a
description of what metacognition is, how teachers can promote its use, and
examples of how it can be incorporated into learning tasks. The article states
that metacognition involves drawing learners’ self-awareness of what their
brain is doing during the language learning process. Learners need to be taught
how to do this because it is not something that people are naturally aware of.
The author stresses that metacognition should be practiced by connecting
material that has been learned to new tasks and concepts (Bartosik, n.d.).
Bartosik (n.d.) provides
a list of examples of how metacognition can be promoted, including: 1) activating
prior knowledge; 2) asking students to identify what parts of the lesson were
the most difficult or unclear; 3) providing students with opportunities for
reflection; 4) having students ask themselves questions as they read; 5) having
students preview the reading to make predictions about what the reading is
about; 6) having students predict what will happen next in a story; and 7) adding
prompts in lessons or graded assignments to encourage students to continue
thinking or learning about a subject.
My first impression of
ways for promoting metacognition is that doing so would be difficult when
teaching low level language students. However, I recognize some of these methods
in my own educational experiences and experiences working with the homework
help group. I will reflect on one of these experiences as I write this blog
entry.
I once worked with a
teenage girl who had to write a short reflection on Remembrance Day. She was
given a comic strip to read and to use guide her writing. The comic strip
showed a conversation between a mother and daughter who were discussing why
Canadians wear poppies in November, leading up until Remembrance Day. The girl
in the comic said that she did not understand the custom because there is no
war in Canada. The mother replied that that is precisely the reason why we
should wear poppies. The student I was working with was confused because the
meaning of the custom was implied rather than explained explicitly and she did
not know how to reflect on the comic and share her thoughts. She was also
supposed to write about personal significance. I tried to come up with
questions that would help her to think about the subject. I asked her what she
knew about Remembrance Day from what she learned in class. I also asked her if
she had any experience with war, whether personally or knowledge from someone
she knows. These questions were used to make the writing more personal and
relevant to her own experiences since sometimes newcomers come from countries
who have suffered through war.
Bartosik (n.d.) also
lists the following tasks that can be used to develop metacognition: 1) having
students write about what they think they will learn in a unit or course; 2) having
students reflect on their learning after each unit; 3) having students use a
checklist to track what they have learned and what will be covered in future
classes; 4) having students write a composition to reflect on their learning
and achievements at the end of the course; 5) having students reflect on what
tasks have been helpful or nonhelpful in their learning; and 6) having students
brainstorm ways that they can apply and increase their learning outside of the
classroom.
I think that this list
creates tangible examples of how metacognition can be used in the classroom and
is more accessible to low level language skills than the first list is. In my
future job as an English language teacher, I can see myself using written
reflections as a closing activity and to assess the effectiveness of activities
I can also see myself referring back to a checklist to track progress and
having my students brainstorm ideas about learning. Learner autonomy is
particularly important to me and its importance has been stressed in assigned
readings and other literature. I hope that my future students will be inspired
to seek out language learning opportunities outside of the classroom. If I end
up teaching an intermediate level class, I would like to incorporate a
composition as a creative activity or for students to reflect on their learning
and achievements at the end of the course. In my personal experience taking a
Spanish class, we were required to write compositions at the end of units. I
found them challenging, but it is easy to see the purpose of the exercise. It
allowed my classmates and I to apply our knowledge in a task. It involved
active learning rather than passive learning that occurred when we re-read the
textbook and notes to study for the exam. As such, I think it is a valuable
type of exercise but would be very difficult to modify for a low-level
classroom.
Reflecting on the Yagcioglu
(2015) article
Sometimes students
associate learning with what they are taught inside the classroom and do not
realize that they need to try to learn and develop their language learning
skills independently if they want to be competent in another language. Yagcioglu
(2015) writes that learners need to be aware of their responsibilities in their
learning process or they will not be successful at learning new things (Yagcioglu,
2015). Scharle and Szabo (2000) explain that successful language learning
depends on students taking responsibility for their learning just as much as it
does on the teacher’s instruction and methods. They write that teachers can
provide good input and learning opportunities but students must be willing to
contribute in order for learning to take place (as quoted in Yagcioglu, 2015,
p. 430). Moore (n.d.) says that through taking responsibility for their
learning, learners identify what they need to learn, how they will learn it, and
how they will evaluate and use their learning. They also have well-founded
conceptions of learning, a range of learning approaches and skills, can
organize their learning, have good information processing skills, and are
well-motivated to learn (as quoted in Yagcioglu, 2015, p. 429).
I have mentioned before
that I had taken an introductory level Spanish course this summer to fulfil my
language requirements to complete my bachelor’s degree. I struggled to find
strategies that would help me review the material in an effective way and to
increase my language knowledge. I mostly relied on re-reading the textbook,
re-copying my notes, and doing homework sheets. However, none of these
strategies worked when it was time to recall this information for exams and
compositions. I think that my lack of knowledge about learning strategies results
from my lack of experience learning a language. I think that the opposite is
true for my classmates who were international students and have English as
their L2. They have developed the appropriate neuropathways and studying
practices for successfully acquiring another language. As a result, they can “plug
in” the elements of a new language and study more efficiently.
While there are strategies
that most people will find useful in learning a new language, the learning process
still depends on the individual and how they learn most effectively. This means
that students who have a grasp on how to learn a new language might have
difficulty explaining the process to someone who does not. It also makes teaching
students how to learn effectively and efficiently a challenge for language
teachers. Since the process is not intuitive to me, I hope that my struggle will
help me explain the process to my students as I learn strategies through my own
experiences with language acquisition and teaching.
Yagcioglu (2015) says
that language teachers can help their students understand the importance of
taking responsibility for their own learning and help them to develop learning
strategies so that they can become autonomous and continue the learning process
outside of the classroom. Chamot and O’Malley (1994) define learning strategies
as thoughts or activities that assist in enhancing learning outcomes. They
include metacognitive, cognitive, and social/affective strategies. Metacognitive
strategies include planning for learning, self-monitoring comprehension and production,
and evaluating how well one has achieved a learning objective. Cognitive
strategies include manipulating the material to be learned mentally or
physically. Mental strategies include making images and elaborating, while
physical strategies include grouping items to be learned or taking notes. Social/affective
strategies include interacting with another person in order to assist learning
(i.e. cooperative or collaborative learning), asking questions for
clarification, or using affective control to assist learning tasks (as quoted
in Yagcioglu, 2015, p. 430-431).
While there are strategies
that most people will find useful in learning a new language, the learning process
still depends on the individual and how they learn most effectively. This means
that students who have a grasp on how to learn a new language might have
difficulty explaining the process to someone who does not. It also makes teaching
students how to learn effectively and efficiently a challenge for language
teachers. Since the process is not intuitive to me, I hope that my struggle will
help me explain the process to my students as I learn strategies through my own
experiences with language acquisition and teaching.
Yagcioglu (2015) argues
that learner responsibility and autonomy are dependent on motivation, which can
come from internal and external sources. Language educators can help learners
increase their internal motivation by helping them establish and achieve personal
language and educational goals. Learners can also become motivated externally
as a result of their learning environment and the modelling of effective
learning strategies by their teachers. Dörnyei and Kubanyiova (2013) state that
language teachers need to be motivated to ensure that their students will achieve
their language learning goals. Motivation is required to maintain a fresh
perspective and create effective learning plans. In addition, the teacher’s professional
development and the ways that students engage with new ideas depends on the
teacher’s attitude and teaching methods (as quoted in Yagcioglu, 2015, p. 431).
I thought that this
section of the article was interesting because of the way it frames motivation.
The TESL courses have focused considerably on goal-setting as a form of internal
motivation. However, this is the first time that I have encountered a discussion
on how a teacher’s attitude and teaching methods affect student motivation. I
agree that this is important and is something that I should consider as I
complete this course and begin working as a language teacher. I am normally not
a very animated and excitable type of person and I wonder how this might affect
the learning environment in my classroom. I want to make my future classroom a
place where students feel welcome and comfortable. I want them to not feel
judged if they make mistakes and to have fun. I think that my introversion
might be less of an obstacle if I am teaching adults because they do not have
the same desire to be entertained as children do. I also need to consider how
to keep a fresh perspective when my students might not be progressing as much
as I would like. I think these kinds of situations require a lot of patience
and experience to realize what works best.
The journal article discusses
different methods for developing learning strategies and increasing motivation.
One teaching approach is called the Cognitive Academic Language Learning
Approach (CALLA). The main features of the approach are outlined by Chamot and
O’Malley (1994) as the beliefs that active learners are better learners, that
strategies can be learned, that academic language learning is more effective
with learning strategies, and that learning strategies transfer to new tasks
(as quoted in Yagcioglu, 2015, p. 430). Another teaching approach listed in the
journal article is the Wonder Approach. L’Ecuyer (2014) views wonder as an
inner desire to learn and the centre of all motivation and action for children.
Learning becomes meaningful when it involves wonder, beauty, sensitivity, and
secure attachment. It is very different than traditional methods of teaching
that are founded on rigidity and repetition, which can demotivate students and
discourage them from participating in the learning process both inside and outside
of the classroom (as quoted in Yagcioglu, 2015, p. 431-432).
I think that CALLA is
similar to the task-based approach that is used with the Canadian Learning
Benchmarks (CLB). The CLBs encourage active learning through task sequences and
teachers demonstrate how students can use strategies to improve their learning
and language knowledge and to apply them to activities involving other skills.
I prefer this method because it is practical and can be evaluated so that
students can have concrete examples of their progress. I think that this makes
learning more meaningful and helps to encourage further learning. It can also
be applicable to different ages, skill levels, and teaching purposes. In
contrast, the wonder approach seems targeted towards children. I understand its
value in this context since the education system tends to expect young students
to have the same attention span and learning capacity as older children and
adults. The education system also has a history of discouraging creativity and
individuality in favour of reaching mandated learning objectives. As such, I
think that encouraging a sense of wonder would help increase levels of
motivation for younger language students. However, I do not think that an
unstructured learning environment based on feelings and thinking in different ways
would be of particular value or benefit to adults learning English for working
purposes.
Reflecting on the Yang (1998)
article
Yang (1998) discusses
how language learners have become an important source of information for class
activities and curriculum design. Language researchers and teachers have
recognized the importance of training learners about using strategies and
developing autonomy. Language teachers can help their students become
autonomous learners and incorporate autonomy into their teaching. The author
combines learning strategy instruction with content for learning acquisition in
her teaching approach. This approach allows teachers to provide their students
with knowledge about language development while also promoting their autonomy.
The author says that teachers should also clarify that the learning strategies
taught in the classroom should be used to expand from the strategies that
students are already using rather than replace them (Yang, 1998).
The journal
article also discusses the roles that attitudes can have on developing learning
strategies and language skills. Chamot et al (1993) stresses that teachers
should demonstrate a positive attitude towards using learning strategies and provide
compelling reasons to students about why they should use them (as quoted in
Yang, 1998, p. 128). Unfortunately, students may avoid incorporating new
strategies into their studying. Yang (1998) argues that learning strategies
need to be integrated with language instruction and included in grade
calculation so that students will view them as an important part of the
learning process rather than just additional work. The literature has shown
that successful language learners use more learning and facilitative strategies
than poor learners. However, the use of strategies relevant to the reading task
is more important to successful learning than the number of strategies used
(Yang, 1998).
I agree that
there are times when students see the use of learning strategies as just extra
work that they need to do. As a result, I agree with Yang about the need to include
these strategies in grade calculation. I remember when I was learning how to
multiply and divide numbers during elementary school. We were always told to
show our work but sometimes we could just calculate the answer in our minds. We
knew the answer but we were not able to explain how we knew the answer. Showing
our work did not seem necessary since we got the correct answer anyway.
However, our teachers insisted on this process being part of the way they
calculated our grades and so we complied. It ended up being helpful in higher
levels when our math problems became more complex and we needed to check to see
if we were following the process correctly.
I have also
seen this happen while volunteering in the homework help group. Some students
even view reading itself as an extra task that they do not want to do. They
find it difficult and would rather complete their work using the knowledge they
learned in class rather than spend time reading. It is frustrating because they
cannot improve if they do not read and teaching reading strategies is unhelpful
if they do not apply them. Unfortunately, they are past the stage when they are
taught how to read and what strategies to use, so they are not graded for doing
these activities.
Learners’ beliefs
about their personal capabilities and the language learning process can also
affect the development of learning strategies and language skills. Yang (1998)
reveals that the literature has shown that learners’ beliefs about language
learning and their metacognitive knowledge influence the ways they use learning
strategies to develop language competence. Learners may believe that learning a
new language is too difficult and become frustrated with the process and slow
progress. As such, they may become discouraged about practicing and applying
what they have learned in class. Wenden (1991) says that teachers should try to
correct learners’ beliefs and attitudes towards language learning (as quoted in
Yang, 1998, p. 129). Yang (1998) explains that teachers can address these problems
and can assist in the development of learner autonomy by having students
discuss their beliefs and expectations.
I
think that beliefs and attitudes about the learning process can affect students’
success. This is evident in beliefs like math and science being “hard” that
result in decreases in students’ levels of motivation. This also applies to my
experience volunteering in the ESL classroom. A lot of students think that
learning English is difficult and get frustrated when they make mistakes.
Sometimes the teacher tries to express empathy by joking that “English is crazy.”
I think that his intentions are to say “I understand your frustration. English
is crazy.” However, I think that it can be misunderstood. The word “crazy”
implies that there's no structure and just chaos and that you might not be able
to understand it because it does not make sense. I do not know how the students
understand this comment but it is worth bringing up since he does try to
correct students when they make negative statements about themselves. For
example, students may say things like “Name (is) no good” and he will correct them
by saying “Name is getting better.” I think that saying “English will become
easier with more practice” is more helpful and may encourage students to find
more opportunities for practice.
References
Bartosik, A.
(n.d.). TESL-0130
Unit 4: Passing the torch to students: Empowering the English language learner [PDF]. Winnipeg: University of
Manitoba
Chamot, A.
U., & O'Malley, J. M. (1994). The CALLA handbook: Implementing the
Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley
Chamot, A.
U., Barnhardt, S., El-Dinary, P. B., Carbonaro, G., & Robbins, J. (1993). Methods
for teaching learning strategies in the foreign language classroom and
assessment of language skills for instruction. Final report. (U. S.
Department of Education). Washington, DC.
Dörnyei,
Z., & Kubanyiova, M. (2013). Motivating learners, motivating teachers:
The role of vision in language education. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge
University Press.
L'Ecuyer, C.
(2014). The wonder approach to learning. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience,
8. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00764
Scharle, A.,
& Szabo, A. (2000). Learner autonomy: A guide to developing learner
responsibility. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wenden, A.
(1991). Learner strategies for learner autonomy: Planning and implementing
learner training for language learners (Language teaching methodology).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Yagcioglu,
O. (2015). New Approaches on Learner Autonomy in Language Learning. Procedia
- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 199, 428-435.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.529
Yang, N.
(1998). Exploring a new role for teachers: Promoting learner autonomy. System,
26(1), 127-135. doi:10.1016/s0346-251x(97)00069-9
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