Effective English Teaching for Young Learners during the Pandemic: Critical Issues

Essentials in TEYL for Indonesian Elementary School: An update for 2020 (Bachrudin Musthafa, MA, PhD.)

 

Challenges in teaching english as a foreign language to young learners in indonesia

1. English in indonesia has the official status of a foreign language (EFL) this FL status has consequences: lack of exposure, lack of engagement; and lack of support
2. Issues of teachers’ confidence and capabilities in teaching EFL to young learners
3. Issues of sponsorship

Learning from excellent TEYL programs and responding to the challenges

1. TEYL comes in different forms and intensity of practice

• Modest time (1 - 1.5 hours per week) ~ VERY WEAK IMPACTS
• Significant time (20-30% using english to teach other subjects) ~ STRONGER IMPACTS
• Substantial time (50-90% using english to teach other content subjects) ~ STRONGEST IMPACTS

2. Effective teachers of english can fluently use english for functional communicative purposes, including for instructional purposes. (effective english teachers are disciplined in using english)

3. Excellent teachers of english know who children are and how these children learn.

• Children learn from direct experiences;
• Children learn from hands-on physical activities;
• Children’s thinking is embedded in here-and-now context of situation;
• Children learn holistically from whole to parts using scripts
• And children have a short memory span

By referring to these principles, teachers help increase children’s learning motivation because they can see for themselves that english is useful.

4. Excellent english teachers to young learners know how children acquire a language

A handy rule is as follows: exposure, engagement, and supports. These three components represent a requirement for learning to happen:

• Exposure to english (where children are exposed to language in use which can serve as examples to learn from)
• Engagement (where children are provided with opportunities to use and work with english)
• Consistent supports (where the learners see for themselves that learning a language is useful and the language they learn is recognized as prestigious)

5. Take a responsibility to ensure children’s english learning

• Use english to provide exposure to functional language use
• Provide print-rich environment in english (e.g., pictures with captions)
• Focus on functional english for vocabulary development and immediate communicative needs fulfillment
• Reiterate often to ensure acquisition.
• Establish useful, acquisition-promoting routine

 

Can indonesia handle the challenge?

1. Choose only excellent TEYL teachers to be assigned to teach in class.

• The teachers should be proficient in English (both spoken and written)
• The teachere should be conversant with the notion of whe children are and how children learn.

2. Teachers of English should be disciplined in using Englieh as much as possible during teaching-leaming process

3. Apply a merit-systam in managing teachers' work and payment. Introduce contract-based assignment of teachers in the school system.

 

English Language Teacher  Education amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Malaysian Experience (Dr. Fatiha Senom, Ph.D.)

 

COVID 19 PANDEMIC & HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUITIONS

• As Covid-19 cases increased rapidly in Malaysia, the Movement Control Order was imposed nationwide by the government
• Immediate closure of schools and universities
• Teaching and learning were instantaneously transformed into distance and remote formats.
• The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) of Malaysia made the decision to halt all face-to-face lectures and urged every higher education provider to prepare for online learning.
• Online learning teaching and learning protocols were developed
• Students began to return to their homes, where in some areas there was little or no Internet coverage
• Lack of stable Internet access that impede synchronous online learning

 

Online Teaching & learning delivery:

To nuture academic and institutional leader through provision of professional development opportunities and sharing of best practices

Objectives

1. To provide trainings for academic and leadership development to UM academic community
2. To offer advisory service and consultafion On academic-related matters to UM academic communiy
3. To promote and support innovative and scholarly opproaches to educational development
4. To facilitate a platform for sharing of good practices in acodemic- related matters
5. To create awareness of work-life balance in career growth

 

Online Teaching & learning delivery: Students' attendance

Strategies:

• SPeCTRUM attendance module (allowing students to record their own attendance)
• Download the attendance list when using MS Teams for online (live) classes:
• Screen capture students who are present during the online (live) classes:
• Have students to register attendance using chat box in the online (live) classes:
• Using electronic timestamp of students online activities
• Using Google form with customized attendance code

 

Online Teaching & learning assessment

Alternative Assessment

• Formative / Continuous: Case study, Per review, Skills demonstration, Performance, Essay, Online Quiz, Infographic, Short video, Portfolio of works, Open book exam, Report, and Simulation/Gamification/Animation Coding.
• Summative: Learning reflections, Interview, Sketchbook, Poster, Oral presentation, Video presentation Online discussion, Studio/lab/clinical works, Project work, Concept maps/mind maps/drawings, Performance/demonstration, Drawing, and Debate

Dimensions

• Self-assessment
• Peer Assessment
• Group based Assessment
• Performance based Assess
• Portfolio based Assessment

 

Online Teaching & learning assessment: continuous assessment

• Alignment to respective CLO must be retained.
• Continuous assessments are planned as online assessments as much as possible.
• Deadlines for assesments are well planned and not intensive towards the end of the semester.
• Number and complexity of tasks given commensurate with the course credit load and student learning time.
• Prepare a marking scheme and/or rubric as a guide to ensure uniformity and/or consistency in the online continuous assessment.

 

Online Teaching & learning assessment: summative assessment

Course Learning Outcome (CLO) 1:

• Quiz: online quiz / randomised MCQ
• Mid semester test: written assignment
• Final examination: learning reflections (i.e. written reflection on learnings throughout the course)

Course Learning Outcome (CLO) 2:

• Fieldwork: internet research
• In class presentation: video presentation

Course Learning Outcome (CLO) 3:

• Fieldwork: internet research
• Final examination: learning reflections (i.e. written reflection on learnings throughout the course)

 

Online Teaching & learning assessment: cheating & plagiarism

• higher order thinking skills (HOTS)
• unique questions/tasks
• various online tools (Turnitin)
• deter cheating
• strict time-limits on online assessments
• video face capture technology
• educate and warn about the penalties
• statement of authenticity

 

Community of inquiry (CoI) framework

Social presence: The ablity of the onine commur (i.e. instructors and learners) to communicate and develop interpersonal relationships with each other and to feel they are being part of the community.

• lce-breaking activities e.g. self introduction session using the discussion or forum feature
• Address students in the discussion by name
• Create online profile and share personal information e,g hobbies, family, work, etc.

Teaching presence: The ability to design and facilitate meaningful learning experiences in the online course, and to support leaners throughout the course.

• Introduce the course structure e.g. CLOs, weekly class meetings, etc.
• Communicate clear course expectations to the students e.g. assignments to be completed, attude of students, etc.
• Be visible to the students by having vitual office hours attending to students' inquiries facilitating students discussions, etc.

Cognitive presence: The ability for the online community to construct meaning through sustained reflections and discourses

• Develop learning activities that are challenging, engaging. and require higher-order thinking.
• Encourage learners to reflect on their learning
• Encourage learners to apply what they are learning to other situations
• Encourage experimentation, divergent thinking and diverse points af view in online discussions

 

Language teacher education by distance (LTED)

Characteristics of distance learning (Mood, 1995):

• The physical separation of feacher and learner
• The influence of control of an organized educational institution
• The involvement of "MEDIA"
• Two-way communication in some form

Other terms used include: online learning, e-learning, virtual learning environments, flexible learning, individualized learning, resource-based learning, supported self-study, independent learning, student-centred learning, computer assisted learning, interactive learning, and work-based learning (Race, 2005)

Technology

• For LTED, information and communication technologies (ICTs) mean that the knowledge of the discourse community (e.g. in journal articles, books, and teaching materials) can be distributed more cheaply and efficiently.
• This is particularly useful in a field in which practitioners are spread globally including in countries where are resource poor). and are often transient (teaching and/or studying in countries other than their own).
• ICTs also afford new forms of communication. through media such as online discussions, synchronous chat, and Web-based feaching materials.
• Nevertheless. due to rapid technological change. successful basic technologies (such as pen & paper. word processor, white board. OHP) are often associated with less effective learning method and, invisible and not even recognized as technologies at all.
• The 'visibility' of new technologies encourages a research focus on the ways they meditate learning and teaching

 

Online discussion

Advantages of online discussions (Hammond, 2005; Kamhi-Stein, 2000; Pachler and Daly, 2006):

• Allowing space for everyone's voice.
• Constructing an online identity.
• Exposure for both learners and teachers fo "more voices".
• The provision of a forum for collaborative learning and reflection, and peer feedback.
• Record of discussions and of learning.
• Flexibility
• Time for teachers to compose a considered response.
• Ease
• Patterns of interaction that vary from the classic initiation-response feedback (IRF)
• The opportunity to explore new ideas
• Formafion of a learning community among learners
• Nevertheless, other scholars have expressed doubt whether online discussions do/can result in a meaningful online community exhibiting full collaboration (Henri 1995; Littleton & Whitelock, 2005: Murphy, 2004; Pawan et. al., 2003; Pena- Shaff & Nicholls, 2003)
• Barak (2006) contends that online discussions encourage contextual and active learning but not social or reflective learning.
• Gaps in liferature pertaining to online discussion in LTED: discourse analysis of online discussion in LTED and assessments and grading of online discussion in LTED.

 

Learner and teacher challenges

Some commonly identified problems:

• Feeling of isolation
• Lack of immediate peer support
• High dropout rates
• Problems in communication
• Onerous time demands for teachers and learners
• Students suffer fatigue

 

Practicums

• Some scholars (McGrath, 1995: Haworth & Parker, 1995) argue that face-to face contact is reauired in order for trainee teachers to develop classroom skills (as opposed to theoretical skills).
• Distance students can face considerable loaistic difficulties in oraanizing observed practicums which meef the rules of their insfitutions.
• However, recent literature (Coyle, 2005: Kamhi-Stein, 2000; Salleh, 2002: Simpson, 2006) are more positive about benefits of Computer-mediated-communication (CMC) when students are scattered at different practicum sites.
• The practicum make use of multiple teacher development activities such as classroom teaching, case study, observations, teaching journals, action research and discussions.

 

Autonomy & Independence

• Distance learning through the Internet is not about doing traditional teaching with the technology, but about helping students "enter into a new realm of collaborative inquiry and construction of knowledge, viewing their expanding repertoire of identities and communication strategies as resources in the process" (Kern, Ware, and Warschauer, 2004 p.254)
• It is necessary to ensure the use of technologies in distance education does not deprive learners from constructivist and collaborative approaches as well as problem-based learning.

 

Challenges and directions in LTED

• Materials: Preparation of distance materials demands a greater clarity of thought and explicitness.
• Administration & Research: Factors such as the amount of teacher administrations, the demands on program administrators in TED, and the strictures and inflexlibillty of existing higher level administrative practices in many institutions can act as a burden on developing and running LTED programs.
• The Status of Distance Education: The status of distance programme is still problematic and some countries are more suspicious of language-teaching qualifications obtained by distance and others.
• The Need for an Expanded Research base: There are many areas of LTED which are under researched and nor researched at all.

 

Practical implication: how technology course can be taught in an SLTE program?

Most frequently used strategies to introduce technology (Kay, 2006):

• Integrating technology in all courses
• Using multimedia such as through the implementation of online courses and electronic portfolios
• focusing on education faculty with the hope that over time this would fiter down to preservice trainees
• Delivering a single technology course
• Modelling how to use technology
• Collaboration among preservice teachers, mentor teachers, and faculty Practicing technology in the field
• Offering mini-workshop
• Improving access to software, hardware, and/or support
• Focusing on mentor teachers

Determining factors in ensuring the success of any strategy:

• Good access to computers with ongoing technology support
• Time, both during and after the course, for participants to learn about and then implement what has been covered. as well as achieve subsequent recognition for their work.
• The modeling and constructing of authentic tasks and relating of theory to practice through practical examples and application- to move beyond and understanding of technology to an understanding of how technology is implemented in a language teaching situation.
• Experiencing technology from learners' perspectives.
• The availability of ongoing pedagogical support.
• Opportunities and encouragement to reflect on the implications of technology at a boarder level.

 

The Three-Period Lesson: a Key Part of the Montessori Method (Yuna Tresna Wahyuna, S.S, M.Hum)

 

What is Montessori?

Maria Montessori, she was a true pioneer of child centered education from Italy.

• Doctor, University of Rome medical school
• Became interested in education through her work as a doctor for children with spesial need

She opened the first Montessori school-the Casa dei Bambini, or Children's House-in Rome on January 6, 1907.

 

Montessori Method

• The Montessori Method is founded on Maria Montessori's educational philosophy.
• The teacher's role is to prepare the classroom, and observe and guide their students in their learning. As a result, children progress at their own pace, according to their own abilities.

 

The montessori motto: “help me to do it myself”

Principle of Montessori

Follow the Child

Children are free to choose and work on acthitiesat their own pace. Here, they experience a combination of freedom and self-discipline, as guided by the environment and the teacher

*Through work in the Montessori emironment, children learn to develop concentration, self- discipline, and a love of learning.

 

Montessori Areas

• Exercise of practical life (EPL)
• Sensorial
• Language
• Math
• Cultural

 

"The first essential for the child'¢ development is concentration." -Maria Montessori

 

The three period lesson (TPL)

Purpose: to introduce a concept or vocabulary and demonstrate the purpose of a material.

1. Naming:

Teacher: "This is a cat."

Student: "Cat!"

2. Recognize:

Teacher: "show me a cat."

Student: "On your right side"

3. Recall:

Teacher: "what is this?"

Student: "Cat!"

 

"The hands are the instruments of man's intelligence." -Maria Montessori

Traditional and Modern Dance

 

What we call traditional dance is often old styles that did not evolve with the times. This is often coupled to old styles of music that those dances were traditionally danced to. Traditional dancing can be another term for folk dance, or sometimes even for ceremonial dance. The term traditional is more frequently used when the emphasis is on the cultural roots of the dance. A traditional dance will therefore have arisen from people’s cultural traditions.

Traditional dance tends to be local dances, from particular regions such as Indonesian, Indian, Russian, Irish, Scottish, German, Greek, Aboriginal Australian. Most countries have traditional dance styles. Different regions will have different variations or traditional moves. The traditional dance character in general was the spontaneous movements, of each one's skills. Traditional dance is usually named after the song. So the name of the dance usually corresponds to a musical title or song title. For the example is Polostomo, Cikeruhan, Gaplék, Érang, Géboy, etc.

Modern dance started in the early 20th century and the truth is that most modern dance styles evolved out of those very same traditional styles. Modern dance is a gesture of modern dance that expresses vigorous, creative or unstructured gestures, and to the rhythm of music that is not bound to a rule. The essence is more free in determining the movements and rhythms of the music.

Modern dances tend to be new dance forms such as Street Dancing, Crumping, Line dancing, Break dancing, etc. These forms have been created more recently and are growing and evolving. Modern dance has evolved with each subsequent generation of participating artists. Artistic content has morphed and shifted from one choreographer to another, as have styles and techniques. Artists such as Graham and Horton developed techniques in the Central Modern Period that are still taught worldwide and numerous other types of modern dance exist today.

Personally, I prefer styles that evolve, aka modern dance. But if that means staying the same for a long time, it just means they were solid to begin with. That said, the reason I prefer modern dance styles, is that they tend to be more open to fusion and improvisation, which I both enjoy very much. I prefer modern dance styles. But I also love traditional styles, as long as they’re fun to dance, and I can appreciate the music.